Dog lovers alert! Many of the Somerville puppy-mill dogs, recently in the news, are staying at the Lincoln County Animal Shelter. These victims, largely chihuahuas and shih tzus, need special loving treatment to overcome the dire abuse they have suffered. Many no longer have any teeth, so need special soft dogfood. The "Pedigree" brand of canned dog food is particularly needed. If you would like to help the Shelter care for these dogs, here are some other specific requests: newspapers, clean blankets and towels (they may be used, but must be clean), paper towels, bleach, small dog toys, small dog dishes. Dollar donations to purchase these and other items are always welcome.
Welcome, little Bella Betancourt! Born January 15 to Jennifer and David Betancourt, whom we welcome back to Edgecomb! Tom and Gail Boudin are Bella's proud grandparents.
I went up to Augusta last week to a press conference held by the League of Conservation Voters, and spoke in favor of State Representative Bruce MacDonald's bill, now numbered LD 2126, setting limits on CO2 emissions by heavy industry. This is "fall-out" from the recent debate about a coal gasification plant in our region. To familiarize yourselves with this bill, e-mail RepBruce.MacDonald@legislature.maine.gov.
The Wiscasset Bypass Task Force is meeting regularly, every two weeks, going over the public comments about the five route options. These meetings are open to the public. Discussions will focus on the following topics, roughly two meetings per topic: the Traffic Diversion Analysis, Interchanges, Englebrekt Road, Solutions for Wiscasset Village, alternatives. I am not sure, to date, where the next meeting will be, but its date is Thursday, Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m.
Historical fun coming up: The Lincoln County Historical Association winter lecture series starts this Sunday, Feb. 3, with a talk by Bruce Wilson, curator of the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway, about the history of the WWFR in Lincoln County, and its current non-profit support group's efforts at restoring this narrow-gauge rail line.
Next weekend, Feb. 10, Jay Robbins, who is the current LCHA president, and a professional historic researcher, will speak on "Bringing the Frontier Closer": 17th and 18th Century Maps, Travelogues, Diaries, etc. about early settling of the Greater Tidewater Kennebec River Region. Both of these talks will be held at 2:00 p.m. in the downstairs meeting room of Lincoln County's 911 Communications Center behind and downhill from the Courthouse. The theme of the series of four lectures is Transportation, as it served early Lincoln County. For more information, visit www.lincolncountyhistory.org or email LCHA@wiscasset.net.
Hoping that when you read this, we haven't had three days of freezing rain! Optimistically from 234 River Road, 633-2978, jocam@midcoast.com. This column appears in several local papers, and at www.Edgecomb.org.