1. Your Source For Local News Thursday, April 17, 2014 75 cents
A Section Of The Lincoln News Serving You Since 1959
Katahdin Region News
See AOS page 18
See GNP page 18
See THERMOGEN page 18
Millinocket Town Council Chairman Richard Angotti, Jr. presents a resolve to departing Mil-
linocket Police Sgt. Aaron Brooker during last week’s council meeting. Brooker left the Mil-
linocket Police Department last week after 19 years of service to accept a police position in
Bangor. (Photo by Avern Danforth)
By Brian Brown
MILLINOCKET—Officials
from Cate Street Capital detailed
their new technology plans for
Thermogen Industries and of-
fered an updated timetable on
when construction will begin on
the advanced biofuel manufactur-
ing facility to be constructed on
the Great Northern Paper campus
in Millinocket when they met
with the Millinocket Town Coun-
cil last week.
The special presentation during
Thursday’s council meeting also
contained an update on when the
towns of East Millinocket and
Millinocket can expect to receive
their delinquent 2013-14 munici-
pal taxes owed by Great Northern
Paper with officials of the mill’s
parent company promising to pay
the outstanding tax bills when the
company closes on its $25 mil-
lion loan for Thermogen from the
Finance Authority of Maine.
Responding to a question about
the municipal taxes posed by
Millinocket Town Councilor Mi-
chael Madore, Cate Street Capi-
tal’s Director of Government and
Community Relations Alexandra
Ritchie told the council the com-
pany expects to have the financial
closing of its FAME loan com-
pleted around the end of May, at
which time it will pay the delin-
quent taxes that total nearly $3
million between the two towns
although Great Northern Paper
will receive a reimbursement of a
portion of the amount it pays Mil-
linocket as part of the Tax Incre-
ment Financing agreement.
“Great Northern Paper acknowl-
edges there are outstanding tax
bills in Millinocket and East Mil-
linocket. Great Northern Paper
acknowledges that paying the
taxes is a condition of the FAME
loan,” said Ritchie. “We are cog-
nizant of the issue, and we will
fulfill that requirement at a finan-
cial close of the loan.”
Ritchie said Cate Street Capital
will meet with the FAME Board
of Directors Thursday as part of
its regular monthly meeting to
seek an amendment of the $25
million loan approval for Ther-
mogen based on the technology
change for the facility. Provided
the approval is granted this week,
there would then be a 30-day
window for public comment put-
ting the loan on track for a finan-
cial close around the end of next
month.
Dammon Frecker, Thermogen’s
project manager, said the compa-
ny must file applications with the
Maine Department of Environ-
mental Protection and the town
of Millinocket for amended per-
mits for the project because of the
technology change from a micro-
wave process to a steam-thermal
one to make the advanced biofuel
pellets.
He said the company believes
it’s a “relatively straightforward
process to modify existing ap-
provals” and hopes those permits
would be approved by June put-
ting Thermogen on track for con-
struction to start in either June or
July with the start of commercial
operations in the summer of 2015
based on a 12-month construction
timeframe.
During his presentation, Frecker
briefed the council and Milli-
nocket residents on the technolo-
gy change Thermogen has imple-
mented in the project.
“We believe it’s the responsible
thing for a company looking to
develop a business in a commu-
nity to keep residents up to date
and ask for input,” said Frecker.
He said the steam thermal pro-
cess the company’s plans cur-
Cate Street execs talk
Thermogen changes,
construction timetable
By Shelley Farrington
MEDWAY – After discussing
its options, the Medway Board
of Selectmen agreed to give five
foreclosed property owners a 30
day extension to pay up or lose
their properties to the town.
In a unanimous decision, board
members agreed that the property
owners at 1541 Medway Road,
52 Jones Road, 933 Medway
Road, 945 Medway Road and 953
Medway Road must pay the three
overdue tax years (2011-2013)
plus an estimate of the 2014 taxes
in full by the end of business on
May 16 to retain ownership.
Any property not paid will revert
to the town and be put out to bid.
The five foreclosures are the
most in one year that any board
member can remember. Adminis-
trative Assistant Kathy Lee, who
has worked for the town for 18
years, said it is the most she has
ever had to deal with.
Board members said they did
not want to take people’s property
but must also follow the law. Lee
informed board members a few
days after the decision last Thurs-
day that all property owners had
been notified of the extension and
their responsibilities.
Medway foreclosures
get additional 30 days
By Shelley Farrington
EAST MILLINOCKET, MED-
WAY and WOODVILLE – After
some discussion and a renewed
commitment from members of
the East Millinocket and Medway
school boards to continue to work
together, the termination plan for
AOS 66 was approved.
Superintendent Quenten Clark
said the plan would now be for-
warded to DOE Commissioner
Jim Rier for approval. Once ap-
proved, Clark said the question
will be put to voters in all three
member towns at their respective
annual town meetings. A vote in
any community to end the AOS
will effectively dissolve it and
the school units will revert back
to the structure they were prior
to forming the AOS – namely a
school union, except the state no
longer recognizes school unions.
Clark said the school districts
would essentially be municipal
districts like they have been oper-
ating and the boards can agree to
continue to work together as be-
fore. Several board members ex-
pressed an interest in continuing a
cooperative relationship so it was
agreed that a document would be
drawn up formalizing the rela-
tionship for the boards to sign.
The dissolution of the AOS
means there will no longer be
AOS employees so the employ-
ment status of Clark and the
other three employees – Mary
DeSantis, accounts payable clerk/
special services secretary; Debra
Coon, payroll clerk/HR and Lorie
Peabody, business manager will
need to be addressed.
Clarks said the schools will still
need a superintendent and he
expected it would be him as the
board renewed his contract in
December for another year, and
the needs of the superintendent’s
office would be the same He said
the individual boards would have
to work out contracts with the
other employees.
He reminded members that they
had offered a year’s extension
to Peabody at a recent meeting
although she had yet to sign and
return her new contract; he pre-
sumed she was going to.
“This agreement presumes that
you will keep the same arrange-
ment with the office and super-
Board votes to dissolve AOS 66
By Brian Brown
KATAHDIN REGION—The In-
ternal Revenue Service has filed
tax liens against Great Northern
Paper totaling $2.49 million for
nonpayment of corporate income
taxes from two years ago; a de-
velopment that comes amidst the
company continuing to negotiate
a revenue sharing agreement with
Brookfield Renewable Energy
Partners that is deemed essential
to restarting the idled East Mil-
linocket mill and days before its
parent company is slated to go
before the Finance Authority of
Maine to reaffirm its $25 million
loan for its planned biofuel manu-
facturing facility in Millinocket.
The liens were filed last week at
the Penobscot County Registry of
Deeds for $1.43 million against
GNP West Inc., which is the com-
pany’s Millinocket operation, and
for $1.05 million against GNP
East Inc., which is the company’s
East Millinocket facility.
The liens are related to corporate
income taxes owed for fiscal year
2012.
Alexandra Ritchie, director of
government and community rela-
tions for Cate Street Capital, the
parent company of Great North-
ern Paper, said the company ac-
knowledges the IRS liens for un-
paid taxes.
“Great Northern Paper is ac-
tively working with the IRS to
clarify and resolve this tax issue,”
she said.
Ritchie said she does not be-
lieve the current financial status
of Great Northern Paper, which
also owes property taxes to Milli-
nocket and East Millinocket, will
have any impact on the $25 mil-
lion FAME loan being sought for
Thermogen’s Millinocket facility.
The FAME board of directors is
slated to consider the company’s
request during its regular month-
ly meeting Thursday morning in
Augusta. FAME’s directors ap-
proved the $25 million loan for
Thermogen back in November,
but the company must go back
before the authority because of
revisions to the project, including
changes to the technology and
cost.
“Thermogen Industries is a
Tax liens filed against GNP; company
continues revenue sharing discussions
2. Katahdin Region News
Page 18 Lincoln News Thursday, April 17, 2014
THERMOGEN Cont. From Page 17
AOS Cont. From Page 17
rently calls for will manufacture
an advanced biofuel pellet very
similar to the torrefied wood that
would have been made using mi-
crowave technology.
Frecker said the pellets are a
clean, renewable substitute for
coal that will deliver significant
emissions reductions for coal-
fired furnaces. He said the pellets
burn and behave like coal in fur-
naces so mechanical changes are
not required for boilers to use the
product.
Like torrefied wood, the biofuel
pellets are not susceptible to wa-
ter making them ideal for trans-
port and have more energy per
unit.
Frecker said the main reason for
the switch to steam thermal tech-
nology is it will allow Thermogen
to operate at three times the ca-
pacity as it initially planned and
employ twice as many people at
start-up.
“We’re still enthusiastic about
the microwave technology. We
think it has great potential in the
future,” he said. “The steam ther-
mal process is a well-demonstrat-
ed technology that we have a lot
of confidence employing in our
first production facility.”
Ritchie said with the steam ther-
mal process it will take the com-
pany 12 months to accomplish the
job creation and production that it
would have taken 36 months with
the microwave technology.
Frecker said the technology
change will alter the project’s
footprint on the mill campus. He
said the microwave production
equipment was slated to be locat-
ed on the northeast portion of the
mill grounds, but with the capac-
ity increase to 300,000 tons per
year more production equipment
is needed. He said the equipment
will now be housed in existing
buildings on the south end of the
campus moving it away from
residential properties to the north.
“We think that has advantages
of mitigating sound and visual
impacts of the site,” said Freck-
er, who added the biomass will
be conveyed to the production
equipment from the wood yard
and the pellets will be directly
loaded to railcars for transport.
“We believe we have designed
the plant to minimize the impacts
on the environment and commu-
nity,” he said.
Frecker said the technology
change will slightly increase the
planned wastewater discharge
of the facility. He said it will in-
crease about three or four gallons
per minute and compared the dis-
charge to the flow of an ordinary
garden hose noting overall it will
represent one half of 1 percent of
capacity of the town’s wastewater
treatment plant.
Frecker said the facility will
draw process water from Fergu-
son Lake using existing intake
structures , but the amount will be
less than one tenth of 1 percent of
the water from the lake used by
the mill.
He said the biofuel manufac-
turing plant will have emissions
about 10 percent of that from an
active paper mill, and the facility
will have higher emissions con-
trols than originally intended.
According to Frecker, there will
also be control measures in place
to prevent off-site dust and odor.
He added there will be compli-
ance with state noise standards
even though there is no municipal
ordinance, and the site entrance
will be directly off Route 11 min-
imizing truck traffic through the
community.
Frecker said Thermogen will
have no adverse impact on the
community, and noted the com-
pany is excited to move forward
with plans for the larger facility,
which will create about 90 jobs
during the year-long construction
process with 55 people to be hired
when the plant is operational.
“We think this is a good use for
the complex,” he said. “We’re ex-
cited about doing a larger project
than initially planned and rejuve-
nating the mill area with a bigger
project.”
During council comments on the
presentation, Madore expressed
skepticism about the company’s
intentions to move forward.
“I don’t believe anything until
I see it. I haven’t seen much of
anything as of late,” he said. “It’s
been three years. We’ve heard so
many start times. I think there is a
definite air of frustration.”
Councilor Jimmy Busque said
Thermogen is a “worthwhile
project” and stated he is “excited
about rebuilding our industrial
area.” He asked about the com-
pany’s plans to seek co-location
of other manufacturing facilities
for the mill campus, and Ritchie
indicated that is still the intent.
“We want to consider any and all
opportunities,” she said. “We’re
willing to talk to anyone, but we
feel we need the Thermogen proj-
ect to break ground and get un-
derway.”
Councilor Gilda Stratton ex-
pressed concerns about the com-
pany’s plans for other buildings on
the mill campus particularly the
administration building, which
she said needs to be preserved.
Ritchie said the administration
building, located off Katahdin
Avenue, is “beautiful and func-
tional” while representing an
opportunity for another business
down the road.
“It’s a building that aside from
its aesthetic value has value for
the repurposing of the mill,” she
said.
Councilor Bryant Davis said he
is anxious to see the company
rebuild the mill site after demol-
ishing a number of existing build-
ings.
“You tore down a historic site,”
he said, “I hope you build one in
its place.”
Bethany Kittrick
By Brian Brown
MILLINOCKET—A 24-year
old woman was arrested on an
outstanding warrant and issued
a summons for possessing hash-
ish after Millinocket police were
called to a family fight at a Was-
sau Street apartment building last
week.
Bethany Kittrick was transport-
ed to the Penobscot County Jail
in Bangor after being taken into
custody Thursday morning on a
warrant for unpaid fines. She was
also issued a summons to appear
June 4 in Millinocket District
Court for possessing a useable
amount of marijuana/hashish.
Kittrick’s arrest came after De-
tective Jerry Cox of the Milli-
nocket Police Department was
dispatched to the Wassau Street
apartment around 11:05 a.m. for
a reported family fight, according
to information in Cox’s incident
report provided by Millinocket
Deputy Police Chief Janet The-
riault.
The incident was a verbal alter-
cation with no physical assault in-
volving Kittrick and her mother,
and prior to Cox arriving at the
scene Kittrick’s mother had left
the residence.
Once at the apartment Cox
found Kittrick there with her in-
fant child. He recognized Kittrick
as having an active arrest war-
rant, and while at the residence
Cox observed a drug pipe in plain
view inside the apartment.
Kittrick subsequently acknowl-
edged that the pipe contained
hashish, which is a cannabis drug
commonly known as hash.
Following her arrest on the un-
paid warrant, Kittrick was taken
to the county jail and has subse-
quently been released from cus-
tody.
Cox was assisted at the scene by
Theriault and Millinocket Police
Chief Steve Kenyon.
Woman arrested on warrant,
summonsed for drug posses-
sion after family altercation
Millinocket man accused
of violating protection order
By Brian Brown
MILLINOCKET—A 38-year
old Millinocket man was arrested
Sunday evening after he was al-
legedly found by police at a Mil-
linocket residence in the presence
of former domestic partner who
had an active protection order
against him.
Ralph Sprague III was taken into
custody by Sgt. Gary Lakeman
of the Millinocket Police Depart-
ment following the incident that
was reported shortly before 5:30
p.m. Sprague was arrested on one
count of violation of a protection
order and was transported to the
Penobscot County Jail in Bangor.
According to information from
Lakeman’s incident report pro-
vided by Deputy Chief Janet The-
riault of the Millinocket Police
Department, Lakeman received
an anonymous call stating that
Sprague was at an Oxford Street
residence where a female, whom
has a protection from abuse order
against Sprague, was located.
Sprague initially made contact
outside the residence with its oc-
cupant, who was a friend of the
victim. He allegedly then made
his way inside the residence af-
ter learning his former domestic
partner was inside.
When Lakeman arrived at the
location, he observed Sprague in
the living room of the house. He
had allegedly engaged in a verbal
exchange with the victim, and
was placed under arrest for vio-
lating the protection from abuse
order, which barred Sprague from
having any direct or indirect con-
tact with the protected party.
Sprague was subsequently trans-
ported to the county jail by Of-
ficer Steve Perreault of the Mil-
linocket Police Department.
He remained behind bars as of
Monday afternoon.
Ralph Sprague III
KVHC ROSE FUCH’S
intendent after this (dissolution)
happens,” Clark said. “After July
1 you’ll be three separate munici-
pal school units.”
Medway Board Member George
McLaughlin expressed concern
that how the boards would work
together moving forward was not
outlined in the dissolution agree-
ment. He said he wanted to see
something in writing confirming
that relationship.
East Millinocket Board Chair
Dan Byron said he just assumed
the board’s would continue as
before because they have tuition
contracts and a superintendent
contract that takes them to 2016.
He said he wouldn’t be opposed
to drawing up a formal agree-
ment.
Medway Board Chair Greg Stan-
ley said the agreement could be
similar to the cooperative agree-
ment the boards used to have with
Millinocket. He said a sample of
that agreement must be in Clark’s
office so “we don’t have to rein-
vent the wheel.”
Other board members agreed
and voted to accept the termina-
tion plan with the promise of for-
malizing their continued coopera-
tion.
3. Katahdin Region News
Thursday, April 17, 2014 Lincoln News Page 19
By Brian Brown
MILLINOCKET—A member of
the Millinocket Town Council has
admitted to giving inaccurate tes-
timony during a legislative hear-
ing last month on a proposed bill
to limit consent for land transfers
to the federal government.
Town Councilor Jimmy Busque
testified March 25 in front of the
Maine Legislature’s Judiciary
Committee on LD 1828, “An Act
to Limit Consent Regarding Land
Transfers to the Federal Govern-
ment,” sponsored by Sen. Doug-
las Thomas, R-Ripley.
Speaking during last week’s
meeting of the Millinocket Town
Council, Busque acknowledged
publically that at the hearing he
gave testimony that was not accu-
rate regarding the town’s stance
on the measure, which sought to
amend state law to acquire legis-
lative approval for the transfer of
tracts of land larger than a speci-
fied size to the federal govern-
ment.
According to the prepared state-
ment read by Busque during the
council meeting, he testified that
a resolve passed by the council
nearly three years ago opposing
a national park was extended to
reflect the proposed legislation
when the council did not take
such an action.
“The Millinocket Town Council
resolve 18-2011 was adopted by
PELLETIERS RESTURANT
the Millinocket Town Council on
July 28, 2011 opposing the North-
ern Maine National Park, and I
took it upon myself to add an ad-
ditional line to reflect the 2014
LD 1828. However, this modifi-
cation to the 2011 resolve was not
formally authorized by the Town
Council.
“The Town Council has re-
mained opposed to any national
park in the area and certainly LD
1828 is in keeping with those con-
tinued sentiments. Regrettably, I
made the change and recognize
that I was wrong in presenting the
amended resolve to the Judiciary
Committee.”
Busque stated that notified the
Judiciary Committee about the
“error.” As of late last week, the
legislative record for public hear-
ing testimony on LD 1828 pub-
lished on the Maine Legislature’s
website did not reflect testimony
from Busque.
No other councilors spoke about
the issue, and Busque offered no
other comment during the meet-
ing beyond the statement.
LD 1828 received a major-
ity ought not to pass designation
from the Judiciary Committee,
and last week the measure was
declared dead when both the
Maine House of Representatives
and Senate voted to accept the
committee’s majority report.
Councilor Busque admits to
giving inaccurate testimony
during legislative hearing
GNP Cont. From Page 17
stand-alone entity and business
from Great Northern Paper,” said
Ritchie. “While Great Northern
Paper has outstanding debts, they
are completely separate from
Thermogen. It is acknowledged
that the Great Northern Paper
property tax payments due are a
condition to Thermogen’s use of
the FAME loan guarantee, and a
condition that will be satisfied.
While great synergies will exist
between GNP and Thermogen’s
operations, with potential great
enhancements to both, Thermo-
gen’s success is not at all depen-
dent upon GNP.”
Bill Norbert, government affairs
and communications manager for
FAME, said the authority’s board
has required Thermogen update
the directors of the changes to the
project. He anticipates the board
will vote during Thursday’s meet-
ing on whether to affirm its guar-
antee of the $25 million loan.
Norbert said one of the condi-
tions of the original loan approval
was the payment of municipal
taxes owed to the communities of
East Millinocket and Millinocket
as acknowledged by Ritchie. He
said that condition would likely
remain part of the reaffirmed loan
while FAME’s board will need to
consider how the recently filed
IRS liens against Great Northern
Paper will impact Thermogen’s
application.
“We’re trying to figure that out,”
said Norbert. “It’s news to us so
we’re digesting it. By the meeting
Thursday we will have a stance.”
Meanwhile Great Northern Pa-
per continues to engage in discus-
sions with Brookfield for a reve-
nue sharing agreement that would
allow the mill to receive windfall
revenue from the sale of electric-
ity during periods when the facil-
ity is not producing paper.
The agreement, which is facili-
tated by the passage of LD 1792
by the Maine Legislature that was
signed into law earlier this month
by Gov. Paul LePage, is viewed
as essential to restarting the East
Millinocket facility and putting
more than 200 employees back to
work.
Ritchie said the company has
received an answer to a counter-
proposal it sent to Brookfield
two weeks ago, but she said the
response from the Toronto-based
company was “fundamentally the
same proposal and position” it
has had since talks began on the
agreement.
“While Great Northern Paper
hopes to reach a resolution soon,
the delay is negatively impacting
GNP’s overall restart plan,” she
said. “It is critical that Brookfield
participates in order for the effort
to be successful.”
According to Smith-Galvin,
Brookfield has requested infor-
mation from Cate Street “that
would allow us to assess their in-
terest in or ability to take the offer
we have made them,” but Brook-
field has yet to receive a response.
“We have offered to forgive
the approximately $2.5 million
Great Northern Paper owes us
for unpaid power so that they
can redirect those funds to help
open the mill and maintain the
favorably priced contract,” said
Smith-Galvin. “To do so, we have
asked Cate Street to provide us
with basic financial information,
like audited financial statements,
a schedule of capital needed to
reopen, and current sources of
funding; all standard financial in-
formation that any supplier would
require to ascertain the credit
worthiness of a counterparty.”
Smith-Galvin said the proposal
to forgive $2.5 million is the
“only offer currently being dis-
cussed by the two parties,” and
stated Brookfield is “perplexed
by Cate Street’s apparent refusal
to provide the requested informa-
tion” needed to move forward.
“Brookfield has a long history
with these mills, and we have
made this offer in the hope that
the mill workers can go back
to work for a company capable
of sustaining its business over
the long term,” she said. “It is
the same hope we had when we
maintained the mills over a two-
year period while Maine found
a new buyer then sold it to Cate
Street for $1.”
K & M
VECTOR MEDIA BROOKFIELD SIREN
4. Katahdin Region News
Page 20 Lincoln News Thursday, April 17, 2014
By Brian Brown
MILLINOCKET—In an effort to
increase the amount of recyclable
materials collected at the munici-
pal transfer station thereby reduc-
ing the cost of waste disposal, the
town of Millinocket will examine
a proposal by Pine Tree Waste/
Casella Inc. to implement a Zero-
Sort Recycling program in the
community.
Councilors expressed interest in
the program but admitted there
are a lot of questions that need to
be answered following a proposal
during last week’s council meet-
ing by Casella’s Assistant Gen-
eral Manager Jim Dunning.
He explained the Zero-Sort
program is a form of “resource
optimization” that aims to take
materials out of the waste stream.
Dunning said recyclable mate-
rials are grouped together in a
single container and do not need
to be sorted prior to disposal as
they must be with conventional
recycling.
“It’s a single bin program that
takes the guesswork out of recy-
cling,” said Dunning, who added
the Zero-Sort program accepts a
wider range of materials, such as
all plastics and glass rather than
specific types. He also said la-
bels and caps do not need to be
removed prior to disposal.
“It’s all about simplicity and
making people realize how easy
it is to recycle,” he said. “When
people realize how easy it is to
recycle, more people start recy-
cling.”
According to Dunning, materials
to be recycled through the Zero-
Sort program could be brought to
the transfer station in clear plastic
bags or loose to be disposed.
“You toss it and go,” he said.
rons quality
“You don’t have to sort materi-
als. You take the headaches away.
You take more stuff, and you find
you’re recycling more stuff.”
Dunning said increasing recy-
cling will save the town money
by reducing the amount of trash
it sends to the Penobscot Energy
Recovery Company. He said Ca-
sella has implemented Zero-Sort
Recycling programs in communi-
ties ranging in size from Alton to
Bangor, and he estimated it could
extract between 20 to 25 percent
of recyclable materials from Mil-
linocket’s current waste stream.
That could translate into sig-
nificant savings for Millinocket
based on an $80 per ton tipping
fee at PERC plus transportation
costs.
“You’re doing something that
is good for the environment plus
saving your community money
by reducing tipping fees,” said
Dunning.
He said Casella would charge
Millinocket a transportation fee
for hauling the recyclable materi-
als to its facility, where advanced
technology is used to sort the
items. The recyclables are then
sold by Casella to other compa-
nies to be repurposed into new
products.
“The trucking fee is the only cost
to the town, and that is more than
offset by the savings,” said Dun-
ning. “About 99 percent of the
time, the community comes out
ahead.”
Members of the council ex-
pressed interest in the program
and asked for more information
to consider.
“We need to start looking at cuts
in the budget,” said Councilor
John Raymond. “This is some-
thing we might be able to make
some cuts and make some mon-
ey.”
But councilors agreed there are
issues that would need to be re-
solved before moving forward.
“I’m not saying I’m not intrigued
by the situation,” said Councilor
Michael Madore. “I’d need a lot
more information.”
One issue councilors said needs
to be addressed is the impact the
Zero-Sort Recycling program
would have on local commercial
trash haulers.
Dunning said there would be no
impact on the businesses because
the program would be more of an
operational change at the transfer
station.
Councilors agreed that discus-
sions on the logistics of the pro-
gram should include Casella, the
town’s public works department
and the commercial haulers.
Another issue raised by the
council is what kind of impact in-
creased recycling would have on
the town’s disposal contract with
PERC.
Councilor Jimmy Busque said in
the past the town has been fined
by PERC for not meeting trash
quotas set forth in the disposal
contract, but Dunning said that
would not be an issue because
Casella’s agreement allows for
trash removed through the recy-
cling program to be eliminated
from the calculation for under
disposal.
“There will not be any finan-
cial penalties for doing the right
thing,” said Dunning.
Council Chairman Richard An-
gotti, Jr. asked Dunning to devel-
op more information on options
that would be available to Milli-
nocket for further exploration of
Zero-Sort Recycling.
Town to concider to Zero-Sort Recycling
CALVARY TEMPLE
By Brian Brown
EAST MILLINOCKET—A pair
of individuals sought by police
for outstanding warrants were
taken into custody last week by
the East Millinocket Police De-
partment.
Douglas Deloge, 43, was arrest-
ed Saturday morning one day af-
ter 22-year old Justin Perry turned
himself in to police, according to
Sgt. Kevin Giberson of the East
Millinocket Police Department.
Deloge was apprehended on an
outstanding warrant for failure to
appear on unpaid restitution when
he was spotted in the parking lot
of a Medway business around 9
a.m. by East Millinocket Police
Chief Cameron McDunnah.
Giberson said Deloge was un-
able to make bail following his
arrest and was transported to the
Penobscot County Jail in Bangor
On Friday, Perry, who was
wanted on a warrant for failure to
appear, turned himself in to East
Millinocket Police Officer Rich-
ard York, according to Giberson.
He said Perry paid the warrant
amount and was released without
being transported to jail. Perry
will be issued a court date to ap-
pear before a judge on the origi-
nal charge.
East Millinocket police apprehend pair
of men with outstanding warrants
By Shelley Farrington
EAST MILLINOCKET – Keep-
ing to their word of wanting to
dispose of tax acquired properties
as soon as possible, the East Mil-
linocket Board of Selectmen dis-
patched three properties through
their bid process last Monday.
After receiving only two bids
on the property located at 6
Union St., selectmen awarded it
to Roland Verrier of Benedicta
for $6,000. With just one bid to
consider the board awarded the
property on 3 Main St. for $2,000
to David J. Luyster of Matthews,
NC. The third property at 16
Spring St. received only one bid
and it was awarded again to Ver-
rier at $5,000.
With the backdrop of foreclosed
property, citizen Leroy Michaud
asked if anyone from Cate Street,
owners of Great Northern Paper,
had contacted selectmen to open
communication or discuss when
they were going to pay their
$657,000 tax bill. Board Chair-
man Gary MacLeod said as far
as he knew the neither the town
office nor the board had been
contacted by the company for
anything.
Michaud asked if anyone really
believed that Cate Street was go-
ing to pay those taxes.
Selectman Mark Marston said
the payment of taxes was a con-
dition of any agreement with
Brookfield Power to reopen the
mill as well as a commitment to
employment levels of at least 215
workers. Marston said he heard
“through the grapevine” that the
taxes would be paid in a couple
of months.
Michaud disagreed with Marston
saying that there really wasn’t
any incentive for Brookfield to
just “share” it’s profits with Cate
Street “why would they?”
Michaud went onto say that he
doesn’t think the town is ever go-
ing to see the tax money its owed.
Selectman Clint Linscott asked
Michaud what he’d like to see the
board do differently. He said the
board is trying to work to protect
the 215 jobs associated with the
mill while still maintaining ser-
vices and the school. He said the
payment of taxes is not only con-
nected to the power agreement
with Brookfield but also with the
FAME loan Cate Street needs
for it’s Thermogen plant in Mil-
linocket.
“I agree with what you’re say-
ing,” Linscott told Michaud, “but
I don’t know what else we can
do.”
Michaud said he’s read a lot
about equity firms like Cate Street
and all they are only interested in
is making money and leaving. He
said he didn’t think anyone in that
company cared about the jobs
or the region but he didn’t know
what more the board could do. He
is afraid that Cate Street is just
going to “stick it to the little guy,”
and be gone.
Marston said he’s often asked
why he keeps going to Augusta
and testifying and working for a
compromise with Brookfield and
Cate Street. He said it’s because
the mill is the town’s largest em-
ployer and “it’s the only game in
town now,” so he feels he has no
choice but continue to fight and
believe that Cate Street will fulfill
it’s promises.
Citizen Phillipe Page said he
hoped the board had a plan in
place to keep Cate Street from
“taking a wrecking ball to the
East Millinocket mill like they
did in Millinocket.”
MacLeod said the board was
watching the situation closely and
keeping all it’s options open.
The board agreed to set the an-
nual town meeting for June 3.
Board sells three properties,
still waiting for tax money
MCPHAIL REALTY
5. Katahdin Region News
Thursday, April 17, 2014 Lincoln News Page 21
IN HOME CARE
RIVER DRIVERS
CHRIS CLUKEY
By Brian Brown
EAST MILLINOCKET—A 48-
year old man from Canada was
arrested Saturday evening in East
Millinocket for allegedly operat-
ing under the influence.
Grant Hitchcock, who resides in
the province of New Brunswick,
was found to have a blood alcohol
content 1.5 times Maine’s legal
limit after his vehicle was stopped
around 9 p.m. by East Millinock-
et Police Officer Brad Fitzgerald,
according to Sgt. Kevin Giberson
of the East Millinocket Police
Department.
Giberson said Fitzgerald was
on routine patrol on Main Street
when he observed a defect on
Hitchcock’s vehicle. Fitzgerald
initiated a vehicle stop, and when
he approached the automobile he
smelled an odor of alcohol com-
ing from the driver.
Giberson said Hitchcock failed
field sobriety tests at the scene
and was transported to the East
Millinocket Police Department,
where a breathalyzer test deter-
mined Hitchcock had a blood al-
cohol content of 0.12.
Hitchcock was arrested and sub-
sequently released on bail from
the police station.
He was issued a summons to
appear June 4 in Millinocket Dis-
trict Court to answer to the oper-
ating under the influence charge.
By Brian Brown
MILLINOCKET—A man who
has spent nearly two decades
serving and protecting Millinock-
et residents was recognized last
week by town leaders days before
leaving the police force to join the
Bangor Police Department.
Millinocket Police Sgt. Aaron
Brooker received a resolve from
the Millinocket Town Council
during its meeting Thursday af-
ternoon. Councilors unanimously
approved the resolve after laud-
ing Brooker for his 19-year career
with the town’s police department
that began in 1995 and concluded
at the end of last week.
Brooker worked as a reserve of-
ficer, animal control officer and
dispatch officer before becoming
a full-time patrol officer with the
department in 1998. He earned
promotions to detective in 2002
and sergeant in 2004 and was the
force’s senior member at the time
of his departure.
The resolve stated Brooker
“served the public with integrity
and diligently sought to provide
quality services to all patrons of
the town of Millinocket for the
past 19 years” and thanked him
for “his years of dedicated ser-
vice and assistance to the citizens
of the town of Millinocket.”
The council resolve also wished
Brooker well on his job in Bangor
as he “decided to advance his pro-
fessional career in public safety.”
Prior to approving the resolve,
members of the council took
turns speaking about Brooker and
thanking the veteran officer for
his service.
Councilor Michael Madore
noted how the council passes a
number of resolves honoring de-
parting employees but said the
one for Brooker was “especially
poignant” adding how he has
been a “stabilizing force” within
the police department.
“He’s someone I’ve been able
to consult with and someone I
respect,” said Madore. “I admire
what any police officer does for
this community while we’re all
safely tucked in bed. Aaron has
done a great job for this commu-
nity. It’s going to be their gain and
our loss.”
Councilor Jimmy Busque
thanked Brooker for his years of
service to the town and said his
departure is a loss for Millinock-
et.
“He’s been an asset for the com-
munity,” he said. “It’s definitely a
loss for Millinocket and a gain for
Bangor.”
Councilor John Raymond called
Brooker an “officer we can de-
pend on” while Councilor Rich-
ard Theriault said it is “sad to see
a young professional leave the
community.”
Councilor Gilda Stratton ex-
pressed regret that Brooker was
departing the force.
“I’m sorry he’s leaving, but I
wish him the best,” she said.
Council Chairman Richard An-
gotti, Jr. said the city of Bangor
is getting a quality police officer.
“You do your job well,” he said.
“Bangor is going to have a fine
officer working for them.”
Following a 7-0 vote by the
council to approve the measure,
Angotti presented the resolve to
Brooker while the large crowd in
attendance gave the departing of-
ficer a round of applause.
Councilors honor departing officer for
his 19 years of service to community
Canadian man nabbed for
East Millinocket OUI
STANLEYS
By Brian Brown
HOULTON—The man who spent
13 years as Millinocket’s town
manager has resigned from the
same position in Houlton just 18
months after taking the job.
The immediate resignation of Eu-
gene Conlogue was accepted Mon-
day night by the Houlton Town
Council. Conlogue became town
manager of the Aroostook County
community in October 2012 after
previously working for Millinocket
since 1999.
In his resignation letter to Houl-
ton councilors dated Monday, Con-
logue stated it was a dream come
true to serve as manager of his
hometown.
But his letter stated that during a
recent meeting with the chairman
and vice chairman of the Houl-
ton Town Council where they ex-
pressed dissatisfaction with his job
performance it became clear to
Conlogue that he did not have the
confidence of the council to con-
tinue as town manager.
Conlogue was replaced as Houl-
ton’s town manager by the com-
munity’s police chief, Butch As-
selin, who will serve on an interim
basis until a permanent successor is
found.
During his 13 years in Millinock-
et, Conlogue oversaw the commu-
nity during times of uncertainty
surrounding its largest employer
and taxpayer, Great Northern Pa-
per. His tenure was marked by
challenges caused by the stoppage
of paper production at the mill, and
Conlogue was forced to deal with
personnel reductions and revenue
loss at the municipal level as well
as the loss of retail businesses and
population in the community.
As town manager he also over-
saw growth of the recreational trail
system in the region, including the
development of the area multi-use
trail, and he was also an integral
force in the opposition to a national
park in the northern Maine woods.
Prior to becoming Millinocket’s
town manager, Conlogue worked
in the same capacity for the towns
of Gouldsboro, Fort Fairfield and
Washburn. A resident of Presque
Isle, he holds a master’s degree in
public administration and a bach-
elor’s degree in secondary educa-
tion.
Former Millinocket manager Conlogue
resigns from Houlton post after 18 months
6. LAPIERRE
Katahdin Region News
Page 22 Lincoln News Thursday, April 17, 2014
MILLINOCKET – While surfing
the internet looking for informa-
tion on events, services and shops
in the Katahdin region, resident
Sue Bouchard said she realized
two things; there are some pretty
great websites on things going on
in the region; information on the
region is very scattered and there
isn’t one all-inclusive website for
people to access.
Thus the idea for her newest
business venture – Millinocket
Connections.com was born.
“The purpose and goal of Mil-
linocket Connections is to serve
area residents, day visitors, tour-
ists and individuals that may have
an interest in our communities,”
Bouchard said in a press release.
“By providing easy access to our
resources and information in a
single venue the Katahdin region
will increase it’s visibility and
promote tourism and our scenic
natural resources.”
To help promote the area,
Bouchard said the website also
offers a free area directory, calen-
dar and classified service. In addi-
tion, additional premium services
for marketing, advertising and
data entry are offered.
Bouchard said the website also
includes a blog on a variety of
topics and a page providing print-
able information about the region
s well as a monthly newsletter.
“We plan to offer the Commu-
nity Connections websites to in-
terested communities who are
interested in the same service,”
Bouchard said, “for more infor-
mation contact our website at
www.millinocketconnections.
com or call us at 207-723-5435.
New website connects people
Crandall’s Hardware Store in East Millinocket recently
extended a helping hand to raise money for a reading
program at the town library. Crandall’s raised $255 for
the Read to Me Director Allie Currie thanks Crandall’s
Hardware employee Mike LaPorte for the stores efforts
in collecting money for the children’s reading program.
Every Friday 3 -4 p.m. includes a story, a snack and a
fun craft. (Contributed photo)
By Shelley Farrington
MEDWAY – Medway Select-
men met with WSYY radio sta-
tion owner James Talbott to dis-
cuss his interest in purchasing 11
acres of ministerial land for the
purpose of constructing a radio
tower.
The initial agreement drawn up
by the town’s attorney was re-
turned to the town by Talbott re-
questing several changes. Some
of the changes were agreed upon
and some will take more discus-
sion but board members cau-
tioned Talbott that the ultimate
approval of any contract will have
to come by residents who vote to
accept or reject it.
With an asking price of $500
per acre, Talbott’s request that the
town pay closing costs as well as
a survey of the lot eats away at
any profit for the town and select-
men said they were not going to
“give away” the land.
“If you can find another piece
of property that’s 10 acres on a
tarred road for $5,000 then you
probably should take it,” said
Board Chairman Rob Farrington.
Talbott said he, in fact, had
looked at another piece of land
owned by a private landowner
and he was waiting for the FAA
to look it over to see if it would
be acceptable for what he wants.
If so, he may purchase that land
instead.
Talbott said he objects to the
open checkbook part of the agree-
ment because he has been taken
advantage of before in similar
situations. He said because he’s
from California and people think
he has money they tend to “in-
flate” costs. Selectman Bruce
Jones said he was offended that
Talbott would think Medway
would “inflate” any costs as Tal-
bott was suggesting. He said
maybe that is how they do busi-
ness in California but that wasn’t
how the Medway Board did it.
Other board members agreed and
after some discussion, everyone
agreed that Talbott would pay the
closing costs and the survey cost
if he could pick the attorney and
surveyor so he could negotiate a
cost and maintain control or it.
Selectmen agreed to talk about
the clause that requires Talbott to
complete construction within two
years of his purchase of the land.
Talbott said he’s not purchasing
the land to sit on it, he intends to
building the tower but can’t pre-
dict how long it will take as the
federal government is involved
and he must satisfy FCC and FAA
requirements. He added that for
all he knew some environmental
group might pop up and create
obstacles.
“I’m not going to buy land that
I’m not going to do anything
with,” Talbott said, “If I exer-
cise my option then I’m going to
build.”
Selectman Barry Davis said
the clause was in there because
citizens had demanded it after
the town had been burned by
people buying land and not do-
ing anything with it. If Talbott
couldn’t agree to that then maybe
he shouldn’t by the land, he said.
Farrington said he understood
Talbott’s concerns with delays by
the federal government and didn’t
think the board would be strict in
enforcing the two years if there
was action on the land and Talbott
was obviously working to get the
needed permits. He said he would
be willing to change it to three
years.
Both selectmen and Talbott said
they would review the corrected
agreement and talk again.
Selectmen approved the fol-
lowing recreation department
summer employment recommen-
dations given by Assistant Recre-
ation Director Jody Nelson: Tay-
lor McLaughlin, arts and crafts;
Ryan Thompson, maintenance;
Derrick Tanous, lifeguard; Der-
rick Stanley, lifeguard and Zach-
ary Stanley, lifeguard.
Changes in land sale for radio tower sought
CRANDALL’S
7. Thursday, April 17
Recreation Department annual
Easter Egg Hunt, grades pre-
school to 4, April 17, 4 p.m. at
Granite Street Gym. Weather per-
mitting the hunt will take place
outside, all children should bring
a container for candy.
*****
CrossKey Ministries Bible Study
every Thursday night at 6 p.m. at
153 Main Street, East Millinocket.
Bring your favorite translation of
the Bible as we study in a relaxed
atmosphere together.All welcome.
*****
Millinocket Memorial Library’s
Preschool story time 11 a.m. FMI
call 723-7020.
*****
Friday, April 18
Department of Motor Vehicles
mobil unit will be at theAmerican
Legion Hall in Millinocket, 970
Central Street from 9 a.m. - 1p.m.
and 2p.m., to 3:30 p.m. Please
remember: Bring two (2) forms of
ID with you.
*****
Millinocket Elks Lodge 1521 is
inviting members and guests every
Friday night in the couple lounge
from 8:30 p.m. There will be a
smoker at the lodge on April 18th
for paid up members only until 10
pm, then guests will be allowed to
join in on the fun of Karaoke.
Every Friday after the 18th guests
will be allowed to join in so bring
your best singing voices and have
a blast! FMI Bobbie Allen PR
chairperson @ 207-731-5716 or
Rhonda Madore on Facebook
photo in the collection showing
two of these horse-drawn engines
along with all the volunteer fire-
fighters. In the center is a motor-
ized fire truck.
Linda Neal stopped by the
museum and donated a 1981 post
card with an aerial view of the
GNP’s Millinocket mill. This is
a view I hadn’t seen before. The
back of the card states is was”
printed on Nekoosa opaque cov-
er/vellum finish, white, basis,65,
11/81.” Linda also in an interest-
ing Fuller Furniture, Inc. family
club plan book. Many of you are
familiar with the time when you
could buy such a coupon book
and then later use the enclosed
coupons when purchasing mer-
chandise at that business. Fuller’s
was located at 256 Penobscot
Avenue and sold “fine gifts, fur-
niture, and clothing.” There is no
date on this coupon book, but it
still contains one $1.00 coupon
and two $.25 coupons. Coupons
were no good if detached from
the book prior to use, were good
indefinitely and the book must
be presented at time of use. Each
book was worth $10.00.
*** Now $5.00, 2014 calendars
still available at the museum,
Pangburn’s IGA, Levasseur’s
True Value, Millinocket Insur-
ance and Young House. Mail or-
ders add $3.00 SH to the address
below.
Contact the Millinocket Histori-
cal Society at P. O. Box 11, on the
web at www.millinockethistori-
calsociety.org or on Facebook.
As we at the Millinocket Histori-
cal Society look forward to spring
and the continued progress at the
soon-to-be new location for the
museum, the current location
continues to be buzzing with ac-
tivity. There are some new addi-
tions to the collection.
Recently, Tom Picard
brought in some fire department
items and talked some about the
Millinocket Fire Department and
the Pioneer Hose Company. Two
circa 1950’s helmets and what he
described as a rubber bunker coat
are now on display. One black
helmet has the Millinocket Fire
Department insignia on the front.
The second has no insignia but
has the name “Dick” written on it.
The coat is black and very heavy.
Tom also brought in a fire alarm
box from the acid plant at GNP.
Millinocket’s fire department
was created by a special town
meeting held in May, 190. Called
Pioneer Hose Company No. 1, it
was an all volunteer department
with William Heebner in charge.
Fred Gates served as chief from
1902 to 1936. The department
fire horn blasted away several
times daily (8AM, 8PM and for
the occasion of “no school” and
“riot calls.” The GNP horn also
blew at scheduled times during
the day. The “riot call” was used
to signal for men needed to fight
a forest fire.
During the year of 1901 and
1913, the fire department used
horse-drawn fire engines. The
museum has a great panoramic
*****
Saturday, April 19
St. Martins of Tours Catholic
Church 4 p.m. vigil 19 Colby St.,
*****
Sunday, April 20
Easter Dinner will be served for
the public on Sunday, April 20 at
the VFW Post in Stacyville from
12:00 noon until 2:00 p.m. or
until gone. Everyone is welcome.
Donations will be accepted at the
door. For more information call
207-365-4832.
*****
Services every Sunday at Cross-
Key Ministries. Sunday Service
at 10 a.m. at 153 Main St., East
Millinocket. Non-denominational,
contemporary worship. All wel-
come.
*****
St. Martin of Tours 8 a.m. Mass,
19 Colby St., Millinocket
*****
St. Peter’s Catholic Church 9:30
Mass. 58 Colby St., East Milli-
nocket
*****
Every Sunday services at Cross-
Key Ministries, 10 a.m., at 153
Main St., Rte 157 East Millinock-
et, non-denominational, contem-
porary worship, all welcome
*****
Faith Baptist Church 244 Mas-
sachussets Avenue, Millinocket.
Sunday School ages 3-adult 9:30
a.m., Sunday worship 10:30 a.m.,
and 6 p.m.
*****
Tri Town Baptist Church 8 Cone
Street, East Millinocket Sunday
School 10 a.m., Sunday Worship
11 a.m., and 6:30 p.m.
*****
St.Andrew’s Episcopal Church 40
Highland Ave Millinocket. Regu-
lar Worship 9 a.m.
*****
Tuesday, April 22
A/A East Millinocket Dawn of A
New Day open discussion group
will meet every Tuesday morning
at 7:00 a.m. at the First Congrega-
tional Church on 11 Maple St. Use
side handicap accessible entrance.
*****
Al Anon Family Group will meet
every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in an up-
stairs room at I Care Ministries, 45
Spring St., Millinocket.All family
and friends of alcoholics are wel-
come. FMI call at 723-9282.
*****
Bingo at Francis E. Elliot VFW
Post 4154 at 40 Oxford Street,
Millinocket, every Tuesday, at 6:30
p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. FMI
call 723-8442 or 447-1231.
*****
East Branch country music jam 6
p.m - 9 p.m., at the East Branch
Sno-Rovers in East Millinocket.
FMI 746-9348
Wednesday, April 23
Tri-Town Baptist Church prayer/
bible study, 6:30 p.m., at the
Church in East Millinocket. FMI
call the Church at 746-2211
*****
Katahdin Area Rotary Club meets
at Noon in the Millinocket Region-
al Hospital multi-purpose room.
*****
Free blood pressure checks every
Wednesday at the East Millinocket
Municipal Building from 1-3 p.m.
Odds and Ends From
The MUSEUM
By Trudy Wyman, Curator,
Millinocket Historical Society Museum
Thursday, April 17, 2014 Lincoln News page 23
Municipal Meetings Coming Events
Eastern Area Agency on Aging’s nutri-
tion program delivers noontime meals
through Meals on Wheels to those
who qualify and serves at Community
Cafés where all are welcome. For a
reservation or more information,
call(207)723-2045or(800)432-7812.
Cost is $4.00. Donations welcome.
Thurs, April 17th:
Pepper steak, mashed potato,
green beans, dinner roll, pineapple
cake.
Mon, April 21st:
CLOSED, Patriot’s Day.
Tues, April 22nd:
Spaghetti and meat sauce, caesar
salad, italian bread, pear crisp.
Wed, April 23rd:
Baked stuffed haddock, newburg
sauce, baked sweet potato, peas,
dinner roll, root beer float cake.
Millinocket
Stearns Assisted Living Building
Reservations: 723-2045
**MILLINOCKET** April 25 - Council meeting 4 p.m. in the Charles
Sanders Council Chambers.
**MEDWAY** April 21— Medway Board of Selectmen, 6:30 p.m.,
town office.
**EAST MILLINOCKET** April 21- Board of Selectmen Meeting
4:00 in Municipal building.
MILLINOCKET—St. Martin’s
Church of Millinocket and St. Pe-
ter’s Church of East Millinocket
will celebrate jointly Divine Mer-
cy Sunday with a special obser-
vance held on Sunday, April 27, a
3 p.m. at the St. Martin’s worship
site. A supper will follow.
The observance will include spe-
cial devotions to the Divine Mer-
cy as outlined in the now famous
diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, a
Polish nun and visionary who had
a special devotion to the Divine
Mercy.
On the same day as the local
observance of Divine Mercy
Sunday, the canonization of Pope
John Paul will take place at the
Vatican in Rome. It was Pope
John Paul who actively promoted
Observance planned for Divine Mercy
VECTOR MEDIA BROOKFIELD
the devotion to the Divine Mercy
and on April 30, 2000 canonized
St. Faustina Kowalska.
St. Martin’s and St. Peter’s wor-
ship sites, which make up Christ
The Divine Parish, have been
celebrating Divine Mercy Sunday
for more than a decade, alternat-
ing the service between the two
sites.
D & M SALES
8. Katahdin Region News
Page 24 Lincoln News Thursday, April 17, 2014
KNEADING PEACE
LENNIES SUPERETTE
D & D PAVING
EAST MILLINOCKET – On
Sunday, April 20, the Northern
Lights Youth Choir will perform
an inspiring concert at Katahdin
Christian Academy in East Mil-
linocket.
The choir’s 2014 program, “We
Won’t Be Shaken,” incorporates
a variety of traditional and con-
temporary Christian Music,
mixed with compelling drama.
Instrumental accompaniment
includes piano, guitar, bass
guitar and percussion. It is our
prayer that through this pre-
sentation of music and drama,
hearts will not only be encour-
aged, but also challenged to
daily place their trust in the God
who makes all things possible.
The concert begins at 6:30 pm
in the auditorium of the former
Opal Myrick School building at
6 Beech Street. Admission to the
concert is free. An offering will
be taken to benefit the academy.
NLYC is an interdenomina-
tional group of teens from nu-
merous churches in the north-
ern Maine area. NLYC includes
junior through senior high age
youth. The touring choir is
composed of approximately 50
people with 43 youth and seven
adult advisors.
The NLYC was formed by a
Northern Lights Youth Choir performing at KCA
NICATOUS
HAN MALVIN
By Brian Brown
MILLINOCKET—Tax returns
were the minds of scores of
Americans this week with Tues-
day’s filing deadline, but locally
the Millinocket Police Depart-
ment is altering residents to be
mindful about possible scam
telephone callers purporting to
be the Internal Revenue Service.
Detective Jerry Cox of the Mil-
linocket Police Department said
there have been reports about
residents receiving suspicious
phone calls from a Washington,
D.C. telephone number.
Cox said the calls have come
from a male subject with a “dis-
tinct, strong accent” claiming
to be from the IRS. He said the
caller claims there is a problem
with the individual’s tax return
and asks him or her to call 202-
280-7395 as soon as possible.
According to Cox, an internet
search for the telephone number
people are asked to call shows
it is linked to an IRS telephone
scam.
He added the suspicious tele-
phone calls are coming from
another telephone number with
a 202 exchange, but police have
been unable to reach anyone
when calling it.
Cox encouraged anyone who
receives a suspicious telephone
call to perform an internet
search on the number to see if it
is linked to a known scam.
The recent incident marks the
second time in less than a month
that Millinocket police have
received reports of a telephone
scam involving the IRS.
Last month a Millinocket resi-
dent received a call from a male
subject purporting to be with
the IRS. He told the recipient of
the call that there was a warrant
for her arrest, and an IRS agent
would soon be arriving at her
residence to arrest her.
The telephone number asso-
ciated with the March incident
was also linked to the Washing-
ton, D.C. area.
Anyone with information about
possible scam attempts can con-
tact the Millinocket Police De-
partment at 723-9731.
Millinocket Police caution
residents about telephone
tax return scam attempts By Brian Brown
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S.
Rep. Michael Michaud is seek-
ing to secure federal funding to
pay for the establishment of a
cold case taskforce in the state
of Maine to investigate unsolved
homicides.
Michaud announced Monday
he is working with Maine Attor-
ney General Janet Mills to get a
federal grant allocation to support
the cold case squad, which would
be dedicated to investigating and
solving the more than 100 un-
solved homicides in the Pine Tree
State.
The effort for federal funding
comes on the heels of legisla-
tion submitted this year in the
Maine Legislature by State Rep.
Stephen Stanley, D-Medway, to
create a cold case taskforce in the
state. Stanley’s bill, LD 1734, has
gained preliminary approval from
the Maine House of Representa-
tives and Senate, and it is current-
ly waiting at the Appropriations
Table to determine if they is mon-
ey available in the state budget to
fund the taskforce.
Last week the U.S. Department
of Justice’s National Institute of
Justice announced it was accept-
ing grant applications for a new
program that would make avail-
able up to $300,000 in federal
money for a number of activi-
ties that would support the cold
case unit, including DNA and
forensic biology; forensic crime
scene analysis and anthropol-
ogy; fingerprinting; shoeprint and
tire tread examination; review of
questions documents; trace evi-
dence; and forensic toxicology.
The grant money could also pay
for the unit’s staff.
In a press release, Michaud ad-
vocated for the creation of a cold
case homicide unit in Maine, not-
ing that Stanley’s legislation was
spurred by the unsolved mur-
der of East Millinocket teenager
Joyce McLain in 1980.
“The establishment of a cold
case unit is something I’m proud
to support, and obviously the case
that inspired this legislation hits
close to home for me,” said Mi-
chaud.
“I’ve spoken with the Attorney
General, and we believe this is a
unique grant opportunity. If the
state of Maine submits an appli-
cation, I will do everything in my
power to advocate for this fund-
ing. No one who is murdered or
missing deserves to be forgotten
by the passage of time, bringing
closure to cases is important for
surviving family members, and
it’s how our justice system is
meant to operate. I’m optimistic
that securing this funding would
allow us to undertake this impor-
tant work.”
The fiscal note attached to Stan-
ley’s bill listed appropriations
and allocations of more than
$510,000 during fiscal year 2015
to create the task force, including
the cost for two state police de-
tectives and one forensic chemist
plus related costs. The taskforce
would also require subsequent
appropriations and allocations
of approximately $430,000 and
$441,000 in fiscal years 2016 and
2017 respectively.
The bill proposes using exist-
ing money in the highway fund to
pay for approximately 35 percent
of the taskforce’s cost each year
thereby reducing the amount of
money that must be appropriated
from the state’s general fund.
Michaud seeking federal funding to
support proposed cold case taskforce
group of Christian teens in the
greater Presque Isle area in
1974. Under the direction of
Rev. David Ross, the choir pre-
sented a musical program each
year through 1990. After a brief
hiatus, the choir resumed their
music/drama ministry in 1993.
In 1997 the choir came under
and is currently under the direc-
tion of Mrs. Bonnee McLaugh-
lin.
9. Katahdin Region School News/Sports
Thursday, April 4, 2014 Lincoln News Page 25
The East Millinocket/Medway Pee Wee Cheerleaders placed first in their division during
last month’s state competition at the Cross Insurance Center Team members are: front row,
left to right, Macy Dishon, Nakissa Burleigh, Olivia Whitehouse, Audrey Danforth, Deser-
ee Austin, Heidi Jandreau, Madyson Brown, Madison Wallace, Hannah Tower. Back row,
left to right, Abbi Perreault, Addison Danforth, Kaylee Perreault, Payton Spearin, Emma
Green, Madison McDunnah. Not pictured are coaches Angel Danforth and Leslie Wallace
The Scotts Company of Medway recently presented Mickey Mouse Greenhouses
to the first-grade classes at Opal Myrick Elementary School. Barbara Crocker (far
left) and Lisa McLaughlin (far right) presented the greenhouses to students Dakota
McLaughlin, Natalee Borrello, Shyanne Morrison and Everett Montgomery.
By Brian Brown
EAST MILLINOCKET—With
one week remaining until the start
of the regular season, the Schenck
baseball team is encountering low
participation numbers on the dia-
mond this spring.
Schenck Athletic Director John
Montgomery said the school’s
baseball program currently has
only 10 players leaving coach
Justin Page with just one player
beyond the nine required to field
a team.
Montgomery said the 10-player
roster is less than ideal, but the
low numbers do not have an im-
pact on the school’s plans to field
a baseball team in 2014.
“We’re going forward with it,”
he said, while adding all the cur-
rent players on the roster are com-
mitted to the program.
“We have a good, solid group
of 10 players who are dedicated,”
said Montgomery. “We’re not
worried about that, but you can’t
project injuries or illness.”
Michael Burnham, assistant
executive director of the Maine
Principals’ Association, which is
the governing body of interscho-
lastic athletics in the state, said
National Federation of State High
School Association rules mandate
baseball teams start a game with
at least nine players, but a game
may continue with eight players
in the event of injury, illness or
disqualification during a contest.
Montgomery said the initial
signup numbers for baseball were
in the teens, but multiple players
opted not to join the program this
spring for various reasons.
He added participation numbers
are strong for the softball and ten-
nis programs.
Schenck baseball and soft-
ball teams are slated to open the
2014 regular season Wednes-
day, weather permitting, at home
against Penobscot Valley while
the school’s boys and girls ten-
nis teams are scheduled to begin
play April 26 against Deer Isle-
Stonington.
Montgomery said there are no
weather-related changes to the
spring sports schedules thus far,
but there will be an upcoming
revision to the softball schedule
because Penquis is not fielding a
team this season. Montgomery is
working on finding a replacement
school to fill Penquis’ spot on the
Lady Wolverines’ schedule.
Schenck baseball facing
low numbers for season
APPALACIAN TRAIL
KFCU CATCH THE WAVE
HAN CORNIELO
10. Katahdin Region Sports
Page 26 Lincoln News Thursday, December 20, 2013
EAST MILLINOCKET—As
warmer temps arrive and snow
banks shrink, area people are be-
ginning to engage in the annual
rite of spring cleaning.
This often serves as an occasion
to get rid of unwanted furniture,
kitchen ware and other house-
hold items. Rather than consign-
ing these items to the dump, St.
Peter’s Lawn Party Committee
of East Millinocket is urging area
people to set aside these items for
the coming lawn party auction.
The committee hopes an early
start on the collection process will
guarantee this year’s auction is as
successful as last year’s. Auction
2013 raised a significant amount
of money on behalf of the church.
Commencing now donated items
may be brought to St. Peter’s
Church office, Monday through
Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., for on
and off site storage, or interested
persons may call the office during
business hours at 746-3333 to ar-
range pick up of donated items.
The lawn party will be held
this year on August 7 on church
grounds.
Donations sought for St. Peter’s
Lawn Party auction
By Shelley Farrington
EAST MILLINOCKET – After
signing a certificate of appoint-
ment promoting police officer
Kevin Giberson to sergeant, and
hiring three more reserve officers;
Charles “Glenn” Graef, John M.
Walsh and Seth C. Burnes, the
East Millinocket board of Select-
men approved the proposed 2014-
2015 police department budget.
Chief Cameron McDunnah said
the appointment of the new re-
serves, Graef and Walsh of the
Lincoln Police Department and
Burnes just laid off from the
EMPD, will enable the police de-
partment to provide the coverage
citizens in both East Millinocket
and Medway expect.
McDunnah further explained
that the addition of the three
“blue pins” – officers who have
completed their training at the
Maine Criminal Justice Academy,
brings the total blue pin reserves
for the department to “seven or
eight.” Blue pin officers can work
as many hours as they want, how-
ever “green pin” officers – those
who have not complete their
training at the MCJA can only
work 1040 hours per year.
With the majority of blue pin
reserves, McDunnah has the flex-
ibility in his schedule to provide
adequate coverage.
The recent cut of two full-time
officers enabled McDunnah to
turn a budget that was 13.5 per-
cent lower than last year or a re-
duction of $30,755 to $196,280.
In addition the Medway police
contract was also approved at
$110,000 per year.
McDunnah has met with the
Medway Board of Selectmen to
explain the full-time staff reduc-
tions and how he will use the re-
serve officers to maintain the cov-
erage promised in the contract.
The contract is renewed each
year at the same cost unless one
of the towns requests a change.
Selectmen agreed to add the bud-
get line “animal control” to the
police budget as the animal con-
trol responsibilities have been the
police department’s for the last
several years. State law mandates
East board approves police, admin budgets
that the town must have an animal
control officer and the budget will
be $800 which is what the Penob-
scot Valley Humane Society, lo-
cated in Lincoln, charges to take
any animals that might be picked
up.
Administrative Assistant Shirley
Tapley went over the proposed
2014-2015Administration budget
that was approved at $224,032, an
increase of $8,237 or 3.8 percent.
Both Tapley and Town Treasur-
er Bev MacLeod said the board
needed to think about replacing
the copier in the town office. It
is a capital expense and not part
of the proposed budget but Ma-
cLeod and Tapley explained that
it is old and they’ve been told
that it will be very difficult to find
parts if it needs repair.
Selectman Clint Linscott said
he’d like to see some kind of lease
and lease to purchase proposal for
consideration.
Selectmen also approved the
cemetery budget at $10,400 a 1.6
percent reduction over last year.
The assessing budget was ap-
proved at $4,5
EXTRA
EAST MILLINOCKET—As
warmer temps arrive and snow
banks shrink, area people are be-
ginning to engage in the annual
rite of spring cleaning.
This often serves as an occasion
to get rid of unwanted furniture,
kitchen ware and other house-
hold items. Rather than consign-
ing these items to the dump, St.
Peter’s Lawn Party Committee
of East Millinocket is urging area
people to set aside these items for
the coming lawn party auction.
The committee hopes an early
start on the collection process will
guarantee this year’s auction is as
successful as last year’s. Auction
2013 raised a significant amount
of money on behalf of the church.
Commencing now donated items
may be brought to St. Peter’s
Church office, Monday through
Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., for on
and off site storage, or interested
persons may call the office during
business hours at 746-3333 to ar-
range pick up of donated items.
The lawn party will be held
this year on August 7 on church
grounds.
Donations sought for St. Peter’s
Lawn Party auction
