Sooner or later, we all get the letter. “My dear friends,” it begins. “Sadly and with enormous trepidation, I must announce after (impressive number here) years, I’m leaving the (your company name here) family.” A brief explanation follows, during which the letter writer will pretend he’s not gloating when — I mean, come on — […]
Mark LaFlamme
Posted inMark LaFlamme
Towing the line at the local fireworks displays
Worth a thousand words In the aftermath of the Fourth of July celebrations this year, I saw more photos and videos of cars being hauled away by tow trucks than I did of the fireworks themselves. This is progress! Even the mundane act of car-towing is more interesting than long videos featuring fireworks I saw […]
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Talk of the town: Don’t be such an asp
Presumpscot Python Among this Westbrook critter’s many talents, it’s able to generate filthy sounding headlines on media websites across the nation. Go ahead. Try to write a line about this serpent’s exploits that doesn’t sound like the work of a giggling seventh-grader. I dare you. Let’s make some noise I have this weird habit. When […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: The Mandela Effect is freaking me out
There’s a picture at my mother’s house in Waterville that I refuse to look at anymore. It’s a simple family photo: my brother and I, dressed in our spiffy Sunday suits, standing on either side of our father a year or two before he died. For many years, I could look upon that picture and […]
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Talk of the town: So, what’re you wearing?
Kreepy Kreme Krispy Kreme is coming to Auburn. I had a creepy experience at a Krispy Kreme once. I was down at Myrtle Beach with the missus and stopped at one of their stores for a cup of coffee and some doughnuts or something. The young man who served up the goods somehow knew my […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
It’s 2016. Do you know where your valuables are?
A few years ago, I wrote a story about the capture of a man who robbed a pharmacy for OxyContin. You may yawn if you’d like. Pharmacy robberies are a dime a dozen, whether you live in the hood or in a one-feed-store town. But I tell you this story had a little pizzazz. This […]
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Talk of the town: It’s bigger than all of us
Can I get one of those bumper stickers? I got a Google alert the other day notifying me that my name had appeared on the St. Dominic Academy honor roll. Needless to say, this was great news. I feel as though I really applied myself this year. School’s out. Now, get back to school This […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: Ducking the police state in Lewiston
It was an average day in an average week and I was skulking around at the Lewiston police station. Straining to overhear scuttlebutt, eyeballing stray reports in the periphery. You know: skulking. The new police chief walked in and admonished his officers. “Don’t let LaFlamme just wander around in here like that. He skulks.” “What?” […]
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Talk of the town: Oooh, oooh oooh, I’m on fire
Life-changing news $1 I couldn’t help noticing, while standing in line and pretending I wasn’t looking at the other guy’s purchases, that the Dollar Store now sells a pregnancy test. Maybe it’s me, but when it comes to the kind of development that might cause a guy to move to Mexico in the dead of […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: Summertime Fun Guide!
And we’re off, we weekend warriors with our flip-flips, our sleeveless T-shirts and, in that one unfortunate instance, our Daisy Duke shorts and mesh half-shirt. With the fleeting vacation season already underway, it’s time once more for those frantic and sometimes infuriating conversations about where to go to make the most of these torrid days […]