More information about the family can be found at the Farnsworth Museum's Wyeth Center in Rockland. In the meantime, I recommend Edgar Allen Beem's April 2009 essay on Andrew Wyeth's legacy, which captures the ambivalence toward Wyeth's work, much like the video embedded above.
- John C.L. Morgan
Understand that in his youth, [former Westbrook basketball standout Matt]Hyland is a standout from SoPo who recently announced his acceptance of a scholarship to Gonzaga, a perennial participant in March Madness.
Donahue could find pickup games in Westbrook, where he lived, anytime he wanted.
That's not always true today, in Westbrook, Portland or anywhere. "It was
survival of the fittest. You didn't leave until you lost." Donahue had the rep
of a pure shooter. That was before he scored 57 points against Deering High one
night in a crowded gym. That was before there was a 3-point line. Donahue set
the benchmark that night. "From the beginning, Keegan [Hyland] wanted to play
college basketball at the highest level," said Donahue. "Duke might have been
the school he first mentioned. He asked me what he needed to do.
A task force that was formed to find a way to let high-tech industries coexist- John C.L. Morgan
with a rock quarry in the Five Star Industrial Park decided late Wednesday night
to recommend limiting Pike Industries to eight blasts a year. The 10-member
panel reached its decision after a public hearing on the issue that drew more
than 100 residents. Former Mayor Bruce Chuluda and City Councilor John O'Hara
cast the only dissenting votes.
As [author Evan] Thomas puts it, Thomas Brackett
Reed is a "pretty obscure figure" today. But at the time, he was one of the most
powerful and outspoken opponents of the war. The Maine congressman and speaker
of the House managed, for a time, to keep the House from voting on the war, but
in the end, he couldn't hold out. "It broke his heart. At the end, he didn't
even show up to vote," Thomas says. Reed's career fell as quickly as
[Theodore] Roosevelt's rose: "He couldn't understand what this war fever was
about. I think he had common sense. But he was the loser. As society got swept
up, he was the guy who lost out." After America went to war, Reed resigned from
Congress. He died in 1902.
- John C.L. Morgan
Related: How Maine Influenced Theodore Roosevelt (February 24, 2010)City Administrator Jerre Bryant presented a $56.7 million budget to the City- John C.L. Morgan
Council on Monday, and councilors confirmed the appointment of Westbrook's new
chief financial officer. If the budget for 2010-11 is approved as proposed, the
city's property tax rate will remain at $16.70 per $1,000 of assessed value.
City officials anticipate about $25.8 million in non-property tax revenues, a
slight reduction over this year, but say the budget will not raise property
taxes. The city's total expenditures, for schools, municipal services and the
county budget, are proposed at $56,631,139.
How did it happen? How did a freedom-loving people- John C.L. Morgan
decide to give up a private right that had been freely exercised by
millions since the first European colonists arrived in the New World? How did
they condemn to extintion what was, at the very moment of its death, the
fifth-largest industry in the nation? How did they append to their most sacred
document 112 words that knew only one precedent in American history? With that
single previous exception, the original Constitution and its first 17 amendments
concerned the activities of government, not citizens. Now there were two
exceptions: you couldn't own slaves, and you couldn't buy alcohol.
In the eons that followed, heat and pressure formed a rock deposit that's very- John C.L. Morgan
hard and dense. The result: The rock in the Spring Street quarry is some of the
highest-grade raw material in southern Maine for making hot mix asphalt, the
road surface on which we drive. It exceeds the Maine Department of
Transportation's basic requirements for durability and weather resistance.
Anthony Bourdain's show "No Reservations" is a personal favorite, so it's only natural that I'd feature the first part of the show's episode of Maine, which was aired on national television earlier this month. Parts 2, 3, 4, and 5 can be seen here, here, here, and here respectively.
- John C.L. Morgan
Westbrook has selected its first chief financial officer for the city and school- John C.L. Morgan
department. A former finance director for municipalities in New Hampshire, Dawn
Ouellette will start working in Westbrook on May 3, pending approval from the
City Council Monday and from the School Committee Wednesday.
The Committee announced that they would proceed to weigh the fattest men andMy self-esteem's officially been dampened a little bit, given that my 5'11" 210-pound frame would fit right in with this 19th-century meeting of the bods.
conduct the contest for the prize. It was agreed that the prize lay between Mr.
Brackett of North Hermon, and Mr. Haven of Chelsea. Those gentlemen were
escorted from the rostrum which trembled under their tread, amid uproars of
applause, and the Committee proceeded to their duty. The scales were Fairbanks',
noted for their accuracy, courteously furnished for the occasion by Messrs. Owen
& Little of this city.
The committee [Mayor Colleen Hilton] formed to craft [a] compromise met- John C.L. Morgan
Wednesday and recommended a list of safeguards to protect residents and
surrounding businesses from the adverse effects of mining. The recommendations
will be the subject of a public hearing next week, and may eventually be
forwarded to the City Council. But on the crucial issue of how much
blasting--and by extension how much mining and associated activity--can occur at
Pike Industries' quarry, the committee remains divided.
I think it is clear we need to continue to prove- John C.L. Morgan
quality experiences to all of our students in both athletics and activities with
less and less resources. I am a firm believer that coaching is teaching and
athletics just uses the courts and playing fields as its classroom. I am
extremely fortunate that the Westbrook community believes this and continues to
support these co-curricular events for our kids. The athletic administrators
across the state will continue to look for ways to save our communities tax
dollars while still producing a quality experience for students.
When you're flipping through an L.L. Bean catalog- John C.L. Morgan
this fall, look closely at the scenes of home furniture and bedroom sets.
Through a window, you might just spot some trees from Westbrook. That's because
all the photography of new L.L. Bean products is now being done at a studio on
Thomas Drive.
Baldacci invited Mayor Colleen Hilton and several- John C.L. Morgan
other state and city officials to the State House on Friday to discuss the
situation. His office said the meeting came after the governor discussed the
expansion plan with the head of Idexx. The governor doesn't recall whether he or
the Idexx executive suggested the meeting, said David Farmer, Baldacci's
spokesman. Jonathan W. Ayers, president and chief executive officer of Idexx,
did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday, but another Idexx official said
the company didn't request the meeting.
"This a growing national movement, so he (Belanger)- John C.L. Morgan
is not alone," said Cathie Whittenburg, director of the Westbrook-based New
England Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. Whittenburg said there is an
open-carry rally scheduled for Monday near Washington, D.C. Open-carry advocates
plan to stand on the banks of the Potomac River because while it is legal to
carry a weapon openly in Virginia, it is not legal in the nation's capital. "We
think open carry is a bad idea for Maine. It's intimidating. How are people
supposed to know what your intentions are." Whittenburg asked.
Kevin Cooper of Bonny Eagle of Standish will coach- John C.L. Morgan
the West squad, assisted by Matt Perkins of Windham, John Suttie of Bony Eagle,
Steve Stinson of South Portland, Scott Descoteaux of Biddeford, John Caverly of
Marshwood of Eliot, Brad Bishop of Livermore Falls, Bangor native Jeff Guerrette
of Westbrook and Aaron Fileo of Cape Elizabeth.
[A]n official from Idexx said the company continues- John C.L. Morgan
to want rezoning instead. That zoning would limit the annual number of blasts in
the quarry to an average of the number set off over the previous five years. The
Idexx official, facilities manager Dick Daigle, said that would mean about five
blasts a year, although Westbrook's city engineer said the number could be
closer to 10. Pike officials said anything less than 20 blasts a year would so
limit the amount of rock it could mine from the quarry that it wouldn't make
financial sense to keep it operating.
"I'm trying to focus on the positive, but it's hard- John C.L. Morgan
when I see all the people who call me a naive feminist," [Westbrook resident] Ty
MacDowell said. "It's balanced out by the people, especially strangers, saying
that day was really transformative to them." MacDowell organized the event to
promote her belief that a woman walking down the street topless should cause no
more of a stir than when a man takes off his shirt in public.
This environmentally-conscious, family-run farm- John C.L. Morgan
invites kids to its petting zoo, small playground, and ice cream shop. Despite
its 500-acre setting, Smiling Hill has a laid-back, intimate feel that works
well for young children. On a hot summer day, the farm’s homemade, all-natural
ice cream is a well-known Maine favorite. Kids can enjoy fun flavors like bubble
gum and root beer. "The kids get to experience a farm and I’m coming to realize
how precious that is," said Warren Knight, whose family owns and operates
Smiling Hill.
- John C.L. Morgan
h/t: alchea
Related: Al Hawkes Earns Boston Bluegrass Union Heritage Award (February 7, 2009)
"We are good to go for launch." That was the- John C.L. Morgan
message Westbrook High School graduate Mike Nicholas delivered to NASA officials
a week ago, urging them to approve the launch of the space shuttle Discovery.
Officials agreed. Discovery lifted off early this morning from Cape Canaveral in
Florida. Nicholas, a 28-year-old who works for Boeing, is the lead engineer
overseeing the thermal protection system for Discovery.
City officials gathered early this morning for a- John C.L. Morgan
ceremony launching the construction of three homes for Habitat for Humanity of
Greater Portland. Former Mayor Bruce Chuluda cut the ribbon to the site on
Bremen Street around 6:30 a.m., along with Mayor Colleen Hilton, City
Administrator Jerre Bryant, and City Councilors Michael Foley and Paul Emery.
Workers from Porter Panel and Truss in Portland began constructing the three
homes at 7 a.m. for Habitat's first of its kind initiative to build steel homes
for low-income families.
Idexx Laboratories wants to build a $50 million- John C.L. Morgan
headquarters building and hire about 500 employees to help fill it, but will do
so in Westbrook only if the city adopts zoning that the owner of a neighboring
quarry says will shut down its operation. The quarry operator, Pike Industries,
"drives business out of the (industrial) park" where Idexx and Pike are located,
said Jonathan Ayers, chief executive officer of Idexx. "That's not a good place
to put an investment.
IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. announced Tuesday that it- John C.L. Morgan
plans to develop a new corporate administrative facility in Westbrook. The $50
million project could bring 500 new jobs and possibly consolidate 400 existing
positions at One Riverfront Plaza and One Thomas Drive, both in
Westbrook.
City councilors granted the Skybox Bar and Grill- John C.L. Morgan
the licenses it needs to keep operating after a public hearing Monday night.
Councilors voted 5-0 to grant the Skybox food and liquor licenses, with
conditions. David A. Lourie, the lawyer for Skybox owners Allen and Lynn Moore,
said the Moores have agreed to continue working with the police department and
to limit their hours of operation Monday through Friday. The council will review
the licenses in six months. "It's a step in the right direction," Lourie said
after the vote. "Hopefully, it will be the beginning of the end of this war that
is going on."
The idea I find most intriguing is that northern Maine is "the real Maine," the- John C.L. Morgan
place where "real Mainers" live. Is there, I wondered, any demographic truth to
that belief? Is there, for instance, a significantly different percentage of
native-born Mainers in the rural parts of the state than in the urban parts?
Have more rural Mainers lived closer to home than urban Mainers? Is the
percentage of urban Mainers who have moved from away much larger than the
percentage of rural transplants?
The owners of the Skybox Bar and Grill in Westbrook- John C.L. Morgan
will get another chance tonight to get the licenses they were denied twice last
year. City councilors will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. at Westbrook High
School to decide the fate of the Skybox, a controversial bar on the corner of
Brown and North streets. Allen Moore, co-owner of the Skybox, said he doesn't
know what to expect at the meeting. Moore says he deserves the right to operate
his business like other business owners in the city. "My biggest fear is that
they might keep chirping the same propaganda, saying the Skybox is trouble,"
Moore said. "They have tried everything they possibly could to shut us
down."
[Eugene] Dunn, 24, was issued criminal trespass and cease-harassment notices- John C.L. Morgan
March 24, after the mayor's husband, Bill Hilton, reported that he was driving
back and forth in front of their home and squealing the car's tires, Roth said.
Dunn is prohibited from harassing the mayor and her family.
[Ty] MacDowell said she was surprised by the turnout of those interested less in- John C.L. Morgan
challenging societal convention than in seeing partially undressed women. "I'm
amazed," she said, and "enraged (at) the fact that there's a wall of men
watching." MacDowell said she understood that for women, going topless in public
"is not socially acceptable yet, and obviously there's going to be a reaction to
something that breaks the norm." But, she said, the picture-taking was
particularly upsetting.
[Boston Red Sox pitcher John] Lackey will find out there is a baseball tradition- John C.L. Morgan
in his new, extended family. Among [Lackey's wife] Krista's cousins are
Christian Hamilton, who plays for the University of Southern Maine, and Sean
Murphy, a Westbrook High standout who has already given St. John's University a
verbal commitment to play baseball there.
A portion of the Westbrook High School Jazz Ensemble 1's performance at last weekend's Maine State High School Jazz Festival.
Westbrook High's music department shined at the event, claiming at least four top-three finishes among the group categories (including a first-place finish for the ensemble depicted above) and ten individual awards.
- John C.L. Morgan
h/t: Youtuber rh929292
Related: TGIF (March 12, 2010)
Westbrook Municipal Officers will decide Monday- John C.L. Morgan
whether to grant liquor and other licenses to the Skybox Bar and Grill. But an
attorney for the Brown Street tavern says it will take more than a favorable
vote to end the owners' legal battle with the city. Skybox owners Allen and Lynn
Moore sued the city last year after the Municipal Officers denied them food
service, poolroom and pinball licenses in an attempt to shut down the bar. Part
of the suit was an appeal of the officers' decision, which argued the elected
officials were biased.
Westbrook officials have restored the rank of Lt.- John C.L. Morgan
Donald Trafford of the city's Fire and Rescue Department. Trafford, who was
demoted from lieutenant to firefighter in December, will receive back pay for
the difference in rank, said Dan Walsh, a business agent for Teamsters Local
340, which represents firefighters and rescue workers. Trafford was demoted by
city officials after an investigator looked into allegations by a female
firefighter that Trafford had made her feel uncomfortable during a
conversation.
Westbrook Mayor Colleen Hilton has filed a complaint for protection from- John C.L. Morgan
harassment against the city's former finance director, whom Hilton did not
reappoint at her inauguration in January. In her complaint, Hilton outlined what
she characterized as the disruptive behavior of former finance director Susan
Rossignol during the past few months since she was laid off from the city.
Westbrook police last week also issued a criminal trespass notice, banning
Rossignol from City Hall. "I feel threatened and frightened by her actions and
manner of speech," Hilton wrote in her complaint.
About a dozen Westbrook residents and business- John C.L. Morgan
owners met with Department of Environmental Protection officials Wednesday
night, asking if Pike Industries can continue to blast at its Spring Street
quarry, will people be exposed to a toxic chemical trichloroethylene? "Before we
were worried about dust, quality of life, property values. Now, I'm worried if
this chemical goes toward the quarry, if they're blasting it, is it going to go
in the air? Really, what's going to happen?" said Tim Bachelder, of
Westbrook.
