REGION — “2021 — Year in Review, Part II” is the Franklin Journal’s second part in a series looking back on the biggest news of 2021 in Franklin County.

The past year was jam-packed.

The Mt. Blue school district welcomed a new superintendent; it was reported that Franklin County is battling a severe shortage of psychiatric-services providers; Farmington’s new town manager began his tenure following the retirement of former town manager Richard Davis, who had been in the job 20 years.

A federal grand jury indicted 11 defendants in the county’s alleged illicit marijuana grow, distribution and money laundering scheme; voters approved a referendum question to increase Franklin County’s districts and commissioners from three to five; the Franklin County Jewish community celebrated Hanukkah and Wilton lit its Christmas tree with the help of Santa Claus.

Read ahead for our full review of the news in Franklin County from July to December 2021.

Regional School Unit 9 Superintendent Chris Elkington said public education is essential to the success of American democracy. Kay Neufeld/Franklin Journal file photo

July

In the July 2 edition of the Franklin Journal, Franklin County commissioners rejected a request in a 2-1 vote to take $58,001 raised in two previous budget years to pay three nonprofit organizations.

Commissioner Clyde Barker of Strong was the only one to oppose the vote, explaining that if it were a business the money would be paid. Commissioner Chairman Terry Brann of Wilton countered that the agencies were told several years ago that the county was going to stop funding them.

Locals have disagreed with the commissioners’ actions to no longer provide funding for nonprofits. As a result, many towns have offered funds in their budget to support the nonprofits.

The 4th of July was celebrated a day early in Farmington with the holiday falling on a Sunday this year. The parade was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Reed Wells, 21, was forced to land a plane in a field in Farmington behind the Narrow Gauge Cinema off Routes 4 and 27 in early July. Wells was flying with his father from Phillips to Norridgewock when he was forced to land the Cessna 150. Wells was able to land the plane safely.

The Regional School Unit 9 board of directors welcomed Chris Elkington Tuesday, July 13, for his first meeting as superintendent. Elkington began his tenure as superintendent on July 1.

In an interview with the Franklin Journal, Elkington said his top priorities were re-engaging students amid the pandemic and supporting staff. Overall, he wanted to return the district to a state of “normalcy.” Elkington replaced interim Superintendent Monique Poulin, the high school principal, and her predecessor, Tina Meserve, who resigned in December 2020.

Franklin County had visibly smoggy days due to smoke pollution from wildfires in Central Canada in mid-July. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection released Air Quality Forecasts that categorized the air quality in the Western Mountains from “Moderate” to “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” on Tuesday, July 20, and Wednesday, July 21.

While tourism took a hit across America and in Maine, Franklin County saw an influx of visitors in 2020 that stayed strong in 2021, according to the Maine Office of Tourism. Meanwhile, Maine tourism “dropped by about 27 percent.”

A group of county and Farmington officials and residents offered up proposed uses for an estimated $8 million coming to Franklin County and its municipalities as part the American Rescue Plan Act during a workshop on July 27. Infrastructure, affordable childcare and public health needs were among some of the proposed uses.

The county has so far received half of its designated $5.86 million in funds from the program. The other half is scheduled to arrive this year.

In November, the county hired Susan Pratt as the American Rescue Plan Act program administrator to oversee the federal funds. The funds have to be administered within the boundaries of eligible uses under ARPA.

On Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, commissioners voted to have high-resolution aerial photos taken of the county, buy five hybrid cruisers and upgrade jail security with the federal funds. In addition, they implemented a new septic system at the Sheriff’s Office in the fall with ARPA funds. Commissioners also agreed to pay the second half of a $2,000 COVID-19 hazard pay (stipends) they approved in December for qualified employees (who have already received $1,000 stipends).

Selectmen considered at their July 27 meeting the formation of a Property Tax Stabilization Fund for revenues anticipated from the solar project on Routes 2 and 27 in Farmington Falls. The highly-discussed project owned by NextEra Energy is located on Sandy River Farms and surrounding acreage in the vicinity of Hovey Road, Horn Hill Road, Bailey Hill Road and Davis Road.

Money could be set aside in a tax stabilization fund or allowed to lapse into the undesignated fund balance, Town Manager Richard Davis said. The figures for years 2022 through 2051 show a total tax of more than $16.7 million.

The 38th Annual Wilton Blueberry Festival took place on Friday, Aug. 6, and Saturday, Aug. 7. Organizers said this year was unique because downtown Wilton was bustling with people and events the whole day. Kay Neufeld/Franklin Journal

August

The University of Maine-System announced in early August that they were requiring all students on campus to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the fall semester.

UMS students were required to receive their first shot by Aug. 20 in order to participate in on-campus activities, including living in residence halls and attending in-person classes when they start up Aug. 30. Students were allowed to receive a medical or “sincerely” religious exemption by this date.

The University of Maine at Farmington began its fall semester in early September and saw a good deal of COVID-19 cases throughout the rest of the year.

Amid a bucket of uncertainty due to the pandemic and planning limitations, the Wilton Blueberry Festival returned for the first time since 2019 on Friday, Aug. 6 and Saturday, Aug. 7. The festival had originally been canceled by the Wilton Blueberry Festival Board of Directors because of COVID-19 safety restrictions.

The odds were stacked against the planners — local officials and business owners — who decided to plan the festival themselves. In under two months, they organized a pared down version of festivities: a parade with only three prizes, a bounce house village at Kineowatha, a scaled up version of Wilton’s weekly farmer’s market, live music, a blueberry-pie eating contest and more.

Townspeople said they were eager to reunite for one of the first times since the start of the pandemic and celebrate what makes Wilton special.

Police Chief Kenneth Charles shared with Farmington Selectmen Aug. 10 that the town police department had two new hires: new School Resource Officer Matthew Brann and new police officer Ethan Whitney. Charles reported in June that the Farmington Police Department had been battling staffing shortages.

A memorial basketball court was built and unveiled with a “dedication” day Aug. 14 to honor Michaela Morgan, 15, and Thomas Deckard-Madore, 17, Mt. Abram students who died in a car crash in February. 

The Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County and associated partners announced in August they will use a $1 million federal grant to help educate people about the COVID-19 vaccine and increase vaccination efforts in five counties.

In the Aug. 20 edition, it was reported that Franklin County is in the throes of a shortage of psychiatrists and mental health medication managers. The pandemic has only made matters worse, as the needs for mental health treatment in the county continually increase.

The shortage has added stress to the few mental health healthcare professionals in the county and made it more difficult for individuals in need of mental health treatment to find help in a timely manner, according to local experts.

The RSU 9 Board of Directors voted Aug. 24 for a universal masking mandate that will require all students and staff in the district to mask indoors, regardless of age or vaccination status.

This was the third adjustment to the masking policy for the 2021-22 school year — they previously approved a policy that required all unvaccinated students wear masks and then an adjustment that required vaccinated students in grades nine to 12 to wear either a mask or shield with the option to decide.

At the board’s Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022 special meeting, they adjusted the policy — following new guidance from the Maine CDC/DOE — that now allows all close contacts in the districts to remain in school if they are exposed because of the universal masking mandate.

More than 30 people gathered Aug. 27 to wish outgoing Town Manager Richard Davis well on his retirement. Davis, who took the position exactly 20 years prior, was shocked when he was led into the downstairs meeting room at the municipal building. Many current and former town employees, selectmen and members of town boards were present.

In August, it was announced that Peter Schofield, who died in September 2020, kept a 20-year long promise and left $812,162 to the Weld Historical Society. One of the few stipulations was that they hold a party. In addition, Weld Public Library held a late summer reception Sept. 18, where it was announced Schofield left the library $203,041.

Diane Boulduc, from Farmington, offers a spinning demonstration in the Agricultural Museum during the 180th Farmington Fair on Monday, Sept. 20. Kay Neufeld/Franklin Journal

September

Franklin Memorial Hospital implemented new visitor restrictions starting Sept. 1 in response to the surge in COVID-19 cases. All visitors and escorts are now subject to screening for COVID-19 and anyone with any COVID-19 symptoms is not allowed to enter the hospital facilities, among other stipulations.

Due to the pandemic, an influx of out-of-state workers and rising rent, it’s harder than ever to find housing in Farmington. Many locals say that finding housing is a battle. One resident described it as a “housing crisis.”

In every conversation for this article, the question “why” was met with fingers pointed at Farmington’s solar farm project. NextEra, who owns the project, hired over 300 out-of-state employees for the site construction that began work in July 2020. Landlords and others in town say that these 300 people are filling a majority of the available rental units and hotels.

Following publication, many residents added that rising rent — caused in part by college students with higher budgets renting units — is another element in the difficulties.

Maine’s newest poet laureate is Julia Bouwsma, a Franklin County community member and director of Webster Library in Kingfield since 2015. Bouwsma told the Franklin Journal that it was “an incredible honor” and that she is “excited about the prospect for what we can do.”

Bouwsma is a published author that fills her work with the elements of life in Maine. She said she “really became a poet in Maine … Maine is in my poems.”

Following complaints, Wilton conducted testing that confirmed sewage is not flowing into Wilson Lake, Water and Wastewater Superintendent Heinz Grossman reported at the Select Board’s Sept. 7 meeting.

Grossman said that the environmental company who conducted the tests found no human fecal matter was present in the samples, only animal fecal matter, thus disproving accusations that sewage from a septic tank was leaking into the lake.

Concerns were first raised at the select board’s Aug. 17 meeting about a faulty septic tank that could be the source of a sewage leak into Wilson Lake. Members of the public at that meeting disputed with Grossman on the accuracy of tests the superintendent first conducted himself. Following that meeting, the board approved a plan to prevent any contaminants from the septic tank leaking into the lake and hire an independent company to conduct tests.

In the Sept. 10 edition, Staff Writer Pam Harnden profiled Farmington’s new town manager, Christian Waller about his plans in the role. Waller said he was excited to be in his new position and looking forward to building on the strong foundation established by former manager Richard Davis. Waller, who has worked in state government with experience working with local and federal areas, said he was meeting with department heads and inventorying facilities.

Selectmen voted July 13 to enter a three-year agreement with Waller. The board held a “nation-wide search” and “Waller came to the top,” Selectman Chairman Matthew Smith said.

The Regional School Unit 9 Board of Directors announced Sept. 14 that two members resigned. Jesse Sillanpaa of Industry and Craig Stickney of Chesterville, tendered their resignations from the Mt. Blue board at the beginning of September.

In a letter of resignation, Stickney cited disagreement with Superintendent Chris Elkington. In a separate, unrelated letter, Sillanpaa cited his issues with the district’s universal masking mandate, which he had spoken against at a previous board meeting, among other concerns.

Sillanpaa and Stickney both wrote that they feel the board and Mt. Blue leadership have an “agenda,” though they differed on what it was.

State health officials reported a record-breaking 54 new cases of COVID-19 in Franklin County on Sept. 17. It was a 50% increase over the previous single-day record of new cases from Dec. 12, 2020, the Sun Journal’s Emily Bader reported. The surge of COVID-19 in Franklin County neared record levels with the seven-day average of new cases just short of the all-time high set in late January. State health officials reported 32 new cases in Franklin County.

Franklin County moved into a “substantial” level of community transmission of COVID-19 Aug. 5, meaning the state recommended that all people, regardless of vaccination status, mask up while indoors.

The Farmington Fair returned Sept. 19-25 for its 180th version after it was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Staff Writer Kay Neufeld was able to attend the fair — which was her first agricultural fair — and discovered what she felt were fascinating elements and idiosyncrasies.

Franklin Savings Bank on Main Street in Jay closed for a few days after an underground propane line leak was discovered Sept. 17. Firefighters responded to the smell of propane gas and determined there was a leak in the line underground, Fire Rescue Chief Mike Booker said. The bank was closed and the area evacuated and blocked off, he said.

Supporters of Maine’s Referendum Question 1 to reject the CMP corridor gathered in front of the Farmington Post Office Thursday, Oct. 28, to educate locals in the final days leading up to the Nov. 2 election. Organizers from Sunrise Movement and No CMP Corridor gathered for the latter’s weekly rally, which has been going on since June 2020. Kay Neufeld/Franklin Journal

October

RSU 9 Superintendent Elkington and Franklin Community Health Network (FCHN) President Trampas Hutches released a joint statement Oct. 5 urging all students over 12 years old and families in the district to get the COVID-19 vaccine and follow other safety protocols. The CDC has since announced its approval and recommendation of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 and up.

They also outlined the difficulties both entities have faced during the pandemic, including increased demands at FCHN’s testing center.

In the statement, Elkington and Hutches explained that because of the positive cases and close contacts, FCHN’s COVID-19 testing center could be pushed “to the limits of its capacity” as testing demands have grown by “four-fold” since the start of the school year.

Since the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, at least 349 staff and students had tested positive for COVID-19.

The RSU 9 board Oct. 12, approved the addition of a set of books to Mt. Blue High School’s curriculum. They span a variety of genres, subject matters, points of view and themes featuring the experiences of African American slaves and a child imprisoned in America’s Japanese internment camps, among others.

The agenda item sparked ample discussion among directors for a variety of reasons regarding the board’s right to approve reading material and a potential lack of diversity in the selections.

The latter concern speaks to arguments across the country about “Critical Race Theory.” Many have described this argument/fear as “moral panic” — a term Oxford Reference defines as “a mass movement based on the false or exaggerated perception that some cultural behavior or group of people is dangerously deviant and poses a threat to society’s values and interests.”

The University of Maine at Farmington on Oct. 13 debuted a new “Indigenous Land and Water Acknowledgement” statement honoring the Indigenous people of Farmington, Franklin County and Maine that were displaced during colonization.

The debut was a part of UMF’s Indigenous Peoples’ Week 2021. The observation recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, Oct. 11, and with “a weeklong series exploring Indigenous issues” via teach-ins, presentations and discussions featuring Indigenous voices from Farmington and Maine.

The statement was written by Mali Obomsawin of Odanak Abenaki First Nation, who was raised in Farmington, to recognize and honor UMF’s occupation of  “the traditional homelands of the Abenaki people of Anmessokkanti, whose communities lived and sustained themselves along what we call the ‘Sandy River’ for millennia until very recent times.”

All claims were settled in October in a civil lawsuit filed in 2020 against two companies on behalf of the estate of Capt. Michael Bell and six firefighters.

They were involved in a propane explosion at a LEAP building on Sept. 16, 2019 that killed Bell, a 30-year member of the Farmington Fire Rescue Department, and injured seven other people — including the six firefighters.

The suit claimed negligence by C.N. Brown Co. of South Paris and Techno Metal Post Maine of Manchester. Life Enrichment Advancing People Inc., or LEAP, a third-party defendant, was added to the lawsuit after it was filed.

Selectmen Tuesday Oct. 26, approved consulting with the town’s attorney to see if a moratorium on solar farms could be authorized, after an application was filed for another solar farm on Route 2. Some abutters attended a Zoning Board meeting the week prior to raise concerns about the farm and ask for the moratorium.

Selectmen voted 3-1 on Nov 3. to not place the moratorium on solar farms. The board voted against the moratorium because, according to Maine Municipal Association legal-services information, requirements to issue a development moratorium are either to prevent a shortage or overburdening of public facilities or because existing municipal laws or plans are inadequate to prevent serious harm.

Parent and former Regional School Unit 9 Director Jesse Sillanpaa, standing on barrier at left, addresses students Friday at the end of a “freedom of choice” walkout at the Mt. Blue Campus in Farmington. A few parents were joined by over 60 students who walked out of class to protest the district’s COVID-19 policies. Kay Neufeld/Franklin Journal

More than 60 students at Mt. Blue high and middle schools staged a “freedom of choice” walkout Oct. 22 to protest some district COVID-19 policies, including the universal masking mandate and quarantining guidelines. The walkout was organized by Jesse Sillanpaa, a parent of two high school students and the former director on the Regional School Unit 9 board of directors who resigned at the beginning of September.

Sillanpaa said the walkout was to assemble parents and students who wanted to take a stand against “the masks,” “different guidelines at different schools” and “confusion over quarantining” guidelines which vary based on a close contact’s vaccination status, proximity to a positive case, location during exposure and participation in the pool testing. This sentiment was echoed by other parents.

As time passed, about two-thirds of the participating students chose to leave for the day. Some left within five minutes of the walkout starting.

Toward the end of the protest, Sillanpaa stood atop a barrier and addressed the remaining crowd, thanking them for participating and saying, “we’ll see if it makes a difference.” However, Superintendent Chris Elkington said the administration and board would not alter the district’s COVID policy because of the walkout.

Prosecutors filed a 14-count criminal complaint Oct. 27 in federal court that charges 12 people with a range of criminal conduct in a wide-ranging conspiracy in the Franklin County area.

Prosecutors said that from about 2016 through July 2020, Randal Cousineau, of Farmington, participated in a conspiracy to illegally cultivate and sell marijuana. He was the primary financier and half-interest partner with a co-conspirator in an illegal marijuana cultivation facility in Farmington, Narrow Gauge Botanicals LLC, according to court records. In that complaint, Lucas Sirois, 41, of Farmington, is also named as leader of the criminal organization.

Cousineau pleaded guilty. His plea for felonies involving illegal marijuana growth and sales that also implicated a dozen people, including a county prosecutor, three former sheriff’s deputies, a police officer and an elected town official.

The charges, according to a statement issued by U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee, include: conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; conspiracy to commit money laundering; conspiracy to commit honest services fraud; bank fraud; tampering with proceedings; tampering with documents; conspiracy to defraud the United States and to impede and impair the IRS; tax evasion; and tax fraud.

Nov. 9, a federal grand jury  indicted 11 defendants charged.

UMF Campus Safety Asst. Director Wayne Drake drags student Julia Holcomb out of the road in Farmington during a sit in to protest fossil-fuel emissions in Maine, Farmington and Main Street, one of the town’s busier roads and thoroughfares Friday, Nov. 19. Holcomb and three other students blocked the road for 15 minutes until campus and town police intervened. No arrests were made. The sit-in led to debates about what kind of protests are most impactful and likely to instigate change. Kay Neufeld/Franklin Journal file photo

November

Franklin Community Health Network reported that they lost lost 48 employees, or about 6.6% of its workforce, across the entire health network at the beginning of November due to Maine’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.

Of the 48 employees, 13 were full time and 34 were clinical roles, according to Director of Communications and Public Affairs Ryan M. Mastrangelo. The 48 employees are among roughly 725 employees in FCHN. Twenty-one of those roles had been filled (leaving 27 open positions related to the mandate) as of Friday, Nov. 12, Mastrangelo said.

Franklin Memorial Hospital/FCHN, listed as MaineHealth, is the biggest private employer in Franklin County, according to 2020 employment data from the Maine Department of Labor.

When the mandate was first announced, the Franklin Journal spoke with employees at Franklin Memorial Hospital and FCHN who were split on the issue.

Nov. 2 was election day across the country. It was a particularly interesting one in Maine and Franklin County.

In Franklin County, voters overwhelmingly favored keeping the treasurer’s position elected instead of abolishing it for an appointed position. The tally was 7,500 to 2,407.

In a narrower margin, they also approved increasing the number of county commissioners and districts from three to five and staggering the terms. The vote was 5,673 to 4,077.

And statewide, voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum question to ban the $1 billion New England Clean Energy Connect high-impact electric transmission line (often referred to as the CMP Corridor) by a vote of 240,701 to 165,705.

Though all eyes across the state were on Referendum Question 1, it was of particular interest in Franklin County. This in part was because the corridor would run through the county. Additionally, many No CMP Corridor activists and Tom Saviello, a Wilton selectperson and major opponent of the corridor are based in Franklin County.

Maine voters also approved referendum questions to: authorize a $100 million bond to build or improve roads, bridges, railroads, airports, transit facilities and ports; and to add a constitutional amendment declaring the rights of all Mainers to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their own choosing.

Poll workers reported that due to the referendum questions — local to the county and statewide — voter turnout locally was steady and higher than normal for a non-election year.

Locally, Weld voters approved sales of liquor on Sunday for consumption on premises by a vote of 173 to 56 and New Sharon voters approved the town’s “Solar Energy Systems Ordinance” — which placed regulations on commercial solar energy systems — by a vote of 381 to 214.

The body of a missing local man, 31-year-old Eric Winchester, was found Nov. 1 on the shore of Wilson Pond. Winchester, a father of four, was reported missing Oct. 31 by a family member who was concerned for his well-being. “He was the kindest most loving man,” his wife of 12 years, April Winchester, said.

The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies in mid-November started fundraising efforts for their “Making Home Possible” initiative, a mobile tiny-home initiative that will provide homeless youth with affordable, comfortable, livable housing. The money would go toward everything needed to complete construction on the initiative’s first tiny home — materials, furnishings, appliances, electrical wiring, etc.

A fundraising party was held Nov. 13 to direct community attention to the initiative, because ultimately the CES is looking for sponsors and community funding. At the concert, the CES announced they were able to fully fund the initiative’s first tiny home thanks to the Bjorn Foundation, established by Richard Bjorn of Kyes Insurance, who donated $50,000. Each mobile tiny-home costs $45,000 to build. They are still looking for contributions and sponsors to continue the initiative.

The Wilton Select Board brainstormed Nov. 16, on how to spend the $418,000 the town expects to receive in American Rescue Plan Act funding. So far, the town has received $209,000 of the anticipated $418,000 total from ARPA, according to Town Manager Rhonda Irish.

A lot of discussion was about spending the funds on payroll costs for employees that worked during the pandemic. Other suggested uses were purchasing more personal protective equipment, funding childcare services to help with workforce shortages, and “aid to tourism, travel or hospitality.”

At the board’s Dec. 21 meeting, they approved a motion to distribute $54,750 of the town’s American Rescue Plan Act funding toward hazard pay for municipal employees in a way that prioritizes specific departments that were especially at risk of COVID-19 exposure and putting in a large amount of work, such as the police and fire departments.

Climate-justice advocacy officially landed in Franklin County in 2021. Generation-Z members, ranging from middle school to college students, established a county hub in June for Sunrise Movement — a nationwide, youth-led initiative of individuals under 35 years old calling for climate justice and the Green New Deal (GND).

In the Nov 12. edition, the Franklin Journal spoke with organizers and a national Sunrise Movement official to learn about the importance of climate-justice advocacy in and for rural areas like Franklin County.

Under 18 or not, Sunrisers feel it’s important for climate-justice advocacy to include the voices of young people because they “are the generation that’s going to inherit the worst of the climate crisis,” said Sunrise Movement Communications Director Ellen Sciales.

Four University of Maine at Farmington students Nov. 19, staged a sit-in that blocked traffic on Main Street (Route 4) — one of Farmington’s busier thoroughfares. The students were protesting climate change and fossil fuel emissions in Maine and Farmington.

The sit-in ended when police intervened after 15 minutes — at which point traffic had backed up on Main Street for over 0.6 miles. The sit-in raised discussion between participants, bystanders and other local activists about the most impactful ways to protest and instigate change.

Wayne Drake, owner of Farmington’s Better Living Center, points out shelves bared by stocking-shortages due to the supply chain issues Thursday, Nov. 18. Drake said the Better Living Center has faced the brunt of supply-chain issues due to the national labor shortage. Kay Neufeld/Franklin Journal

Supply-chain issues — the talk of the country — had touched down in Farmington. Multiple local businesses expressed issues with receiving stock on time. Now, food is a current target of the supply-chain issues and Farmington’s Better Living Center (BLC) is feeling the brunt. However, it offered owner Wayne Drake the opportunity to return the BLC to its roots as a hyper-local products provider.

In the Nov. 27 edition, Staff Writer Pam Harnden met Linda Smith, a Farmington woman who has had a pen pal from England for more than 60 years. Smith and her pen pal, Celia Harding never met, and they’ve only talked on the phone once. But the women have never missed sending cards for birthdays and Christmas for the last 60 years.

The RSU 9 Board of Directors unanimously approved a COVID-19 policy for winter athletics at the Nov. 23 meeting. The policy includes guidelines for masking, participation in pool testing, the number of spectators, and adherence of guidelines at non-Mt. Blue facilities.

The most discussed guidelines are requirements for masking by all student-athletes participating in indoor sports and participation in pool testing for athletes and coaches in all sports.

A surprise party was held Nov. 30 for outgoing Fire Rescue Chief Terry Bell. He announced in October that he would be stepping down. Bell served as the chief since June of 2000.

Bell will continue working with the Fire Department as a captain, so Farmington will still benefit from his years of firefighting experience, Town Manager Christian Waller wrote in an email.

Jo Josephson lights a menorah, built by Bob Parnes, on the seventh night of Hanukkah Saturday, Dec. 4, in Temple. Josephson is a former Livermore Falls Advertiser editor, a writer and a founding member of “Bagel and Dreidel,” a group for the Jewish community of Franklin County. The local Jewish community celebrated Hannukah Nov. 28 to Dec. 6. Though at surface level Hanukkah is about “miracles,” Josephson feels that the true story of Hanukkah is one of fighting against persecution for religious freedom. Kay Neufeld/Franklin Journal file photo

December

This past Hanukkah (celebrated Nov. 28 – Dec. 5), the Franklin Journal spoke with “Bagel and Dreidel” members — Franklin County’s Jewish community. They explained the story of Hanukkah, the kinds of celebrations they hold and what the holiday means to them on a personal level.

UMF began hosting a series of Franklin County community action meetings on restorative justice with local law enforcement, organizations, leaders and other state prisoner advocacy and reentry organizations.

The meetings are being held in accordance with an exhibit that was shown through Dec. 9 at the UMF Emery Community Art Center’s multimedia called “sea/sky, blood, earth, you.” Via artwork, the exhibit advocated for the rights of incarcerated people and challenged mass-incarceration systems.

The next meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 11, 3-5 p.m. in the North Dining Hall of the Olsen Student Center.

Maine Medical Center Dec. 8 announced the closure of six more operating rooms to free up staff and make additional space for intensive care units needed due to the surge in COVID-19 patients. Facilities in the MaineHealth system are at or near capacity, officials said.

Joel Botler, M.D., Maine Medical Center Chief Medical Officer provided numbers from Dec. 6 to describe the situation: There were 50 patients with COVID-19 and 10 being investigated for the virus. 16 were in the intensive care unit (ICU), 15 were on ventilators, and 13 others were critically ill but not in ICU.

Cameron Salisbury, 32 of Farmington, died Dec. 7 after he drove a car through the side wall of Bouffard’s Furniture and Carpet and into the store on Wilton Road, according to police.

Staff Writer Kay Neufeld dove into her first Chester Greenwood Day and emerged victorious: she interviewed Gov. Janet Mills for the first time, participated in the polar bear dip at Clearwater Lake and won the Chester Greenwood Day Gingerbread House Building Competition run by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce.

The RSU 9 board heard an update regarding a $32K grant and outreach, support efforts for homeless students in the district.

Energy, excitement and enthusiasm filled the air Sunday evening, Dec. 12, as people of all ages awaited the lighting of the Christmas Tree in downtown Wilton. Long before 6 p.m. when the tree was to be lit, parking was at a premium and folks could be seen gathering near the monument. Santa Claus was later dropped off by a Wilton fire truck.

Rick Davis hosts the morning show for Big Hits 99.3 WKTJ in downtown Farmington Thursday, Nov. 11. Davis has hosted WKTJ’s morning show since 2004. He’s been in the industry since he fell in love with radio at just five years old. Kay Neufeld/Franklin Journal

A student at Mt. Blue Middle School threatened violence at the school earlier in the week of Dec. 13, Superintendent Chris Elkington revealed in a school safety update sent to parents and students Dec. 16. However, the district deemed the threat empty without any credible intent or plan, Elkington said.

The Franklin Journal managed to score an interview with WKTJ Big Hits 99.3 radio host Rick Davis, who had thus far remained a private, mysterious figure while off air. Davis revealed his love of radio sprouted at just five years old and that the first person he ever interviewed was country superstar Dolly Parton when she was still up and coming.

In the Dec. 24 edition, three local organic dairy farms said they are hopeful that another milk processor will soon be able to take them on after Danone/Horizon informed them they would be losing their milk market. Four of the 178 farms affected by the decision were in Franklin County.