Archive for ‘News’

  • Naples hires engineer for dredge plan

    By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — The shallowness of the water at the Naples Town Beach has prevented larger watercraft from launching there, and has concerned citizens operating smaller boats.  Over the years, constantly shifting sand has caused the water to become even more shallow. It has gotten to the point that it is a […]

  • Birthwise Midwifery School closes

    Birthwise Midwifery School, an educational institution that has been a fixture in Bridgton since 1994, closed its doors at the end of 2021. Those doors will remain closed. During its 28 years of operation in Bridgton, Birthwise trained over 300 midwives from all parts of the United States and Canada. The majority of currently practicing […]

  • Casco Comp Plan on tap for spring

    By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — With so many opinions being aired fromso many directions, it is hard to hear what everyone thinks.  It is equally difficult to feel like one’s opinions matters is a sea of ideas.   Who is listening?  This spring, there will be a group that wants to hear what people […]

  • Casco uses Covid funds for hazard pay

    By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — Saying thank you with a monetary gift is always appreciated. The Casco Board of Selectmen decided to use federal funding to let town staff know how much they are appreciated for their job performance during the pandemic.  That thank you will come in the form of a […]

  • Casco catches first glimpse of proposed budget

    By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer CASCO — The Casco Board of Selectmen got their first glimpse at a proposed budget with which board members will become more familiar in the coming weeks.   The town manager unveiled the budget on March 15. The selectmen partook in budget workshops on Monday and Tuesday. Next week, two nights […]

  • This year, Bridgton faces SAD 61 budget hike

    By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer There is good news for Casco and Naples taxpayers when it comes to paying for public education. The proposed $32,134,019 SAD 61 budget will actually result in a decrease in assessments for Casco (estimated at 2.57% or $167,119) and Naples (estimated at 6.45% or $517,029). Casco’s school bill would be […]

  • Weighing in on Pay Per Bag program

    By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer As Steve Lisauskas of WasteZero explained how the company could provide designated trash bags and offer public education on the benefits of a Pay Per Bag program, Maureen Harpell had one important question to ask. “How do we get people to say ‘yes?’ What is the buy in for […]

  • Naples wants more law presence than deputy

    By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — A discussion of replacing a light post that was hit by a vehicle turned into talk about getting extra law enforcement coverage. During the Naples Board of Selectmen meeting last week, it started withone selectman questioning how the town goes about replacing a streetlight that was hit […]

  • At a crisis point — Manpower shortage leads Harrison Fire Chief to propose ‘hybrid’ plan

    By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer HARRISON — As a full-time paramedic for United Ambulance, Dana Laplante finds himself intently listening as an emergency fire call in Harrison is dispatched. “I’m worried whether anyone is going to answer the call,” said Laplante, who also serves as Harrison’s Fire Chief.  Laplante sounded the alarm to the […]

  • ‘Outstanding Woman of 2022’ — Humbled by honor for her Food Pantry efforts

    By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — When Connie Madura heard she was being honored as one of 20 Outstanding Women of 2022, she viewed it as an opportunity to promote the Naples Food Pantry. Then, she learned that she was nominated because of her involvement with the food pantry, which very much opened […]