LEWISTON — Recently, I interviewed Rosaire “Rosie” LaFontaine, who graduated from Edward Little High School 75 years ago with the Class of 1939. The story is scheduled to run early this week.

At age 93, LaFontaine is sharp and has a good sense of humor — and he’s blunt.

He told me he was happy to meet me, and that I was one of his favorite writers. Whenever he sees a story I wrote, he said he reads it. (Hey, so maybe Mark LaFlamme isn’t the only one who has followers!)

But LaFontaine quickly brought me back down to Earth.

He said he saw me on television once. (Occasionally, I’ve been on panels talking about state issues.) And he wasn’t impressed with my on-air performance.

LaFontaine said, “After the program I said, ‘I hope she sticks to newspapers.”

— Bonnie Washuk

Alarming news

NEWRY — After conducting two site walks at proposed subdivision sites early Wednesday evening, the Planning Board drove to the Town Office for its regular 7 p.m. meeting.

Chairman Pat Roma, the first to arrive, unlocked and opened the door, tripping a newly installed security alarm, of which he wasn’t aware.

His eyes widened as he stared in bewilderment while some Planning Board members laughed and joked about police coming to arrest him. And then the alarm sounds increased significantly in volume, drowning out conversation and sounding much more serious.

“When did they put in an alarm, and why didn’t they tell us?” Roma asked other members.

Planning Board member Jason Berry, who is the son of Newry Administrator Loretta Powers, told Roma he’d contact her and get the alarm turned off.

Powers said Thursday afternoon that her son contacted her and she told him how to turn it off.

Powers said she didn’t tell Roma that the alarm system was installed on Tuesday, because Code Enforcement Officer Dave Bonney told her he always arrives first at the Town Office for Planning Board meetings and would turn it off.

However, Bonney arrived late because he was still involved in a conversation at the Mountain View Road site walk.

“I bet it woke everyone up,” Powers said, laughing.

—  Terry Karkos