News Fit to Post--Holiday Edition

Westbrook school officials will be hosting a second public forum devoted to solving the upcoming budget deficit. (December 28)

Westbrook school officials are looking at ways to combat substance abuse among students. (December 28)

Some neighbors of Pike filed complaints about the company's blasting efforts throughout December. (December 28)

Westbrook elementary school students and teachers tout the success of a growing anti-obsesity campaign. (December 27)

Members of the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church served a free Christmas meal to about 300 people. (December 26)

Developers are looking at turning vacant St. Hyacinth buildings into housing. (December 21)

Westbrook's Finance Director will step down from her post. (December 21)

Westbrook Housing officials are looking at new strategies for selling three downtown condo units. (December 21)

The Westbrook Fire Department continued a ten-year tradition of delivering gifts to children. (December 21)

- John C.L. Morgan

City Hopeful of Solution for Maine Rubber Facility

AJ:

The Westbrook City Council has accepted a $125,000
grant to help clean up the former Maine Rubber buildings and property at 942
Main St., and renewed talks between the city and the property’s owners are
finally showing promise of new development there. "We’re making very good
progress," Keith Luke, the city’s director of community and economic
development, told the council at a meeting Monday night.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: City: Messrs. Elowitch, Tear Down These Walls (April 29, 2011)

Westbrook High Hires New Baseball, Softball Coaches

PPH:

Westbrook High has hired new varsity baseball and
softball coaches. Greg Souza, a former assistant, is the new Blue Blazes'
baseball coach, and Dee (Regan) Allen will coach softball. Allen has coached
Portland for the last three seasons. Their nominations were approved Wednesday
night by the Westbrook School Committee.

- John C.L. Morgan

School Department Explores Closure of Prides Corner, School Re-Configuration

AJ:

The Prides Corner School would be closed and the elementary school model would
be reconfigured if one scenario for the 2012-2013 budget is approved. School
Superintendent Marc Gousse officially informed the Prides Corner staff Monday
that their school might close. He followed that with a district-wide staff email
discussing the possibility and a meeting for district employees on Tuesday
afternoon.

- John C.L. Morgan

Full disclosure: I teach at Westbrook High School.

Related: School Officials to Host Open Forum on Upcoming Budget (Monday, November 28, 2011)

Indian Restaurant, Ice Cream Shop to Open Downtown

AJ:

If you love homemade ice cream, chocolate or curry, you might want to pay
attention to the 800 block of Main Street through the next month or so. Two new
Westbrook businesses will soon open in the heart of downtown, and both represent
the goals of two people who have already made names for themselves on the
Portland culinary scene.

- John C.L. Morgan

On Political Apathy

The Frog and Turtle to Host Santa Again

The Frog and Turtle is hosting Santa at its restaurant for the third year in a row on Saturday, December 10, from 10a-1p.

A ten-dollar donation to benefit the Mission Possible Teen Center will get you a photo with your child (or you, if you prefer) and Santa. There will also be complimentary coffees, cookies, and doughnuts.

- John C.L. Morgan

How Maine Gets Its Drink On

Considering it's nearly closing time on the 78th anniversary of the passage of the Twenty-first Amendment repealing prohibition, what better time to check out the Boston Globe's take on Maine's "new drinking culture":

John Myers, a traditional saloonist and cocktail
historian, tends bar at The Grill Room, a steakhouse with a wood-burning grill
in the center of the Old Port here. Myers, looking like a Wild West gunslinger
with his wool vest and bushy beard, stands in the lamplight - a sommelier of
cocktails ready to shake or stir. I’m sitting on the other side of the bar,
deciding what to order. I know that the bar man specializes in the tried and
true. I ask him what defines a classic cocktail.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Did You Know? (February 20, 2008)

On eHope

MPBN:

The man attaching the tube is a wiry,
energetic 53-year old Army veteran, and he's more than just a personal care
attendant. He's the reason why the Kennedys have a network of volunteer
caregivers to call upon."My name is Jeffrey Wood. I am the founder and president
of an organization called eHope." EHope was begun five years ago. According to its website, the non-profit's mission is "To form caregiving communities which provide
non-medical, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual support, for a loved one
who faces a life-threatening illness."

An extended interview with Wood can also be heard at the link above.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Jeffrey Wood One of Region's 'Unsung Heroes' (December 31, 2010)

Dreamers Moves Out

AJ:

Dreamers Cabaret, a controversial strip club that
opened for one day last fall and has been locked in a legal battle with the city
ever since, is moving out of its Warren Avenue location. Selden Von Herten, the
owner of the property, confirmed this week that he has filed suit in Cumberland
County Superior Court to prematurely terminate the club’s lease, which was
supposed to remain active for another four years.

- John C.L. Morgan

Owner of Dana Warp: Westbrook Provides Affordability, Political Stability

Mainebiz:

I think I naturally gravitated to Westbrook
for several reasons: One, I think from a pricing standpoint, there’s greater
upside, greater value to be had in Westbrook. Two, I think there’s greater
political risk in Portland. I was involved in the redevelopment of the Maine
State Pier and I saw Portland government at its worst, and I vowed that I would
never invest a dime in Portland, never, never.

- John C.L. Morgan

School Officials to Host Open Forum on Upcoming Budget

AJ:

As part of that, [Superintendent of Schools Marc]
Gousse said, the district is presenting a public forum on Thursday, Dec. 1, at
6:30 p.m. in the library at the Westbrook Middle School, inviting parents and
residents to hear what school officials are doing in the wake of the frantic
2011-2012 budget process, and to solicit opinions on how to proceed now.The new
budget won’t be a walk in the park. Gousse said early numbers indicate a
possible budget gap of $2.1 million to $2.3 million, which the district will
have make up in order to prevent that amount from being handed off to the public
to fund through higher taxes.

- John C.L. Morgan

Full disclosure: I teach at Westbrook High School.

Snyder's Company Files for Bankruptcy

AJ:

A holding company once created to manage more
than 60 acres of land off Stroudwater Street initially destined for a
multimillion-dollar commercial development plan has filed for bankruptcy.Jason
Snyder, the owner of the land and the holding company, 500 Westbrook LLC, filed
paperwork in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Nov. 4 under Chapter 11. The paperwork
lists the company as the debtor, and Snyder as the company’s manager.

- John C.L. Morgan

WHS Replaces Unsafe Bleachers at Olmsted Field

AJ:

The bleachers on the Stroudwater Street side of the
field are being dismantled this week, after a recent inspection brought safety
concerns and code violations to light. "We probably dodged a bullet there," said
School Superintendent Marc Gousse, who said this week that the bleachers were
labeled off-limits following the inspection, and removed to prevent anyone from
getting hurt.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Leads Greater Portland in Wage Growth

Mainebiz:

Westbrook led the region with a 15.76% rise in
average weekly wages [over five years], ranking first in Greater Portland and
sixth in the state. Portland saw a 12.68% rise in average weekly wages, while
South Portland and Scarborough experienced 10.44% and 7.8% growth,
respectively.

- John C.L. Morgan

Idexx Taking Advantage of iPad's Capabilities

Mainebiz:

Idexx has found a solution in yet another form of
technology. Its new mobile app allows vets to display radiographs on a tablet
computer. “The move to the iPad liberates that information,” says Jonathan
Ayers, the Westbrook company’s president and CEO. Pet owners typically pay out
of pocket for their animal’s veterinary services, and don’t always understand
the level of care involved, he says. When a vet can take an X-ray, share it in a
matter of seconds and explain the results effectively, clients are much more
likely to recognize the benefits--and pay for them.

- John C.L. Morgan

Local Dancers to Participate in Macy's Parade

WCSH:



- John C.L. Morgan

City Council Looks to Adopt Fireworks Regulations

AJ:

The ordinance allows sale of fireworks by dealers who obtain a permit from the
city. Among other requirements, the ordinance mandates that dealers have proper
state and federal permits, and have to show proof of insurance, as is required
by state law. City Administrator Jerre Bryant said dealers must also comply with
other fireworks-specific state laws, such as the law requiring dealers only
operate out of stand-alone buildings, with no other tenants.

- John C.L. Morgan

Gallant-Charette Listed Among Notable USM Grads

From a PPH column written by university president Selma Botman:

How many of us follow the career of Pat
Gallant-Charette, a 1993 School of Nursing graduate and native of Westbrook, who
in August became the oldest American woman to successfully swim the English
Channel? A grandmother of two, and marathon swimmer, Gallant-Charette also holds
the record for the fastest swim of the Strait of Gibraltar for a woman over
50--3 hours and 28 minutes.

- John C.L. Morgan

WHS Baseball Coach Resigns for Family Reasons

PPH:

Mike Rutherford remembers how his parents used to watch all of his games when he
played for Portland High. Wanting to do the same for his daughter and stepson,
and knowing that would be difficult with his job as the Westbrook baseball
coach, Rutherford resigned last week after four seasons with the Blue Blazes.
"It came down to family," Rutherford said.

- John C.L. Morgan