Hartford selectmen

HARTFORD — People who own property near the old railroad bed and want to cross it to get their timber onto Bartlett Road asked selectmen Thursday to clarify the rules on using the bed.

Michael McCarron said Bartlett Road is a common road that gives him access to his land, and he wanted to know if the town required a bond to cross the railroad bed.

Hartford students enjoy feast

SUMNER — For the fifth consecutive year, the cafeteria staff at Hartford-Sumner Elementary School treated the fifth and sixth grade students, their parents and grandparents to a Thanksgiving feast on Thursday.

Jo Marston and Jenna Cloutier and their staff did all of the planning and preparation along with their staff, Cloutier, the school nutritionist, said.

Western Regional School District Superintendent Tom Ward welcomed the large group of attendees and declared the event "an embedded tradition."

Land ordinance defeated in Greenwood

GREENWOOD — Voters overwhelmingly rejected a new Land Management Standards Ordinance at a special town meeting Wednesday.

The vote was 41-137, Town Manager Kim Sparks said Thursday. "That's the most people we've ever had at a town meeting."

Selectmen discuss weapons rules

OTISFIELD — Selectmen say they are unable to prohibit weapons from being carried onto municipal property.

The board took up the question Wednesday after a resident with a concealed weapon permit called the Town Office and asked whether he would be able to take the weapon to a selectmen meeting. Chairman Hal Ferguson said the town determined after consulting with the Maine Municipal Association that the town can only restrict its employees from carrying concealed weapons.

Opera House question going to voters

NORWAY — Selectmen unanimously agreed Thursday to schedule a special town meeting to determine what action they should take regarding the Opera House, which an engineer said is in imminent danger of collapsing onto Main Street.

Group seeks to link trails between two schools

PARIS — A wellness group is hoping to begin work to link two trail systems this spring with a 1.25-mile path along the Little Androscoggin River.

Ken Morse, partnership director of Healthy Oxford Hills, said the plan is to connect the trails at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School with those at the Oxford Hills Middle School.

"The project has been in the works for three years," Morse said. "Most of that time is getting a license of lease from the railroad."

Musical holiday parade planned

PARIS — Two towns will see a festive start to the holiday season as the 33rd annual Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade rolls through the streets.

The parade will begin at 2 p.m. Nov. 28 at Moore Park and proceed along a 2-mile route down Main Street in Paris and Norway, ending at Advertiser Square. The procession usually takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half, and traffic will be rerouted during that time.

The theme this year is "A Musical Christmas."

Firefighter admits setting leaves on fire

PARIS — A volunteer firefighter admitted to investigators that he started a blaze that destroyed two vacant houses in the village of Locke Mills in Greenwood early Tuesday when he ignited a pile of dry leaves, according to an affidavit released Wednesday.

Jeffrey A. Tyler, 28, who served on the Greenwood Fire Department, has been charged with two counts of arson. He was taken to Androscoggin County Jail on Wednesday.

Buckfield board to visit Freedom windmills project

BUCKFIELD — The Board of Selectmen will visit the wind farm in Freedom on Sunday, Nov. 22, and Town Manager Glen Holmes said Tuesday night that anyone who wants to join them is asked to call the town office. The bus will leave the Municipal Building at 9 a.m.

The trip is planned to give officials an opportunity to see and hear the wind turbines, and it comes at a time when Buckfield is developing an ordinance to regulate such projects. A special town meeting is scheduled Jan. 9 to vote on a moratorium on wind power development.

Christmas for Teens Benefit Concert set

NORWAY — The 10th annual Christmas for Teens Benefit Concert will take place Friday, Dec. 4, at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School auditorium.

"It's our single largest fundraiser to help deserving teens in the Oxford Hills area have Christmas," Jean Delamater said.

Last year the sold-out concert raised more than $4,000 to help 180 economically eligible and homeless teenagers in the Oxford Hills area.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are available from chorus members and at Books N Things on Main Street in Norway.

Wind farm hearing gauges interest

WOODSTOCK — An informal poll at Tuesday night's public hearing on a wind farm project for Spruce Mountain showed 18 in favor, nine against and nine uncertain.

Oxford home damaged by fire

Chuck Blaquiere photo

Firefighters worked to contain a blaze at Jim and Maxine Perkins' home at 158 Mechanic Falls Road (Route 121) in Oxford on Tuesday. A state fire investigator ruled the cause was undetermined, but believes it started around the wood stove, fire Capt. Shawn Cordwell said Tuesday night.

Volunteer firefighter charged with arson in Greenwood fire

GREENWOOD — A volunteer firefighter was charged with two counts of arson in connection with fires that destroyed two vacant homes on Route 26 early Tuesday morning. There were no injuries.

Jeffrey A. Tyler, 28, of 60 Paris Road in Bethel was arrested at about 3 p.m. by state fire investigators and taken to the Oxford County Jail in Paris, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said.

Wrong date

GREENWOOD — A special town meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, at the town hall. The date was incorrectly reported in a story on B1 in Friday's Oxford Hills edition.

Omission

PARIS — Maine Balsam Fir Products of West Paris is one of several businesses in the Oxford Hills area donating goods to soldiers returning from combat zones. The company is giving balsam pillows to each couple. The information was inadvertantly omitted from a story on page A1 of Saturday's edition.

Oxford County arrest log

PARIS — The following arrests were recorded at the Oxford County Jail:

Arthur R. Dunphe, 35, of Auburn, Nov. 13, theft, $100 bail, transported from Penobscot County.

John E. Grant, 18, of Norway, Nov. 13, violation of bail conditions, no bail listed as of Nov. 16, Norway Police Department.

Corey Lerice Edingbough, 27, of Rumford, Nov. 14, Rumford District Court warrant for failure to appear in court on a charge of violation of a protection from abuse order, $250 bail, Rumford Police Department.

This week's agenda

Tuesday

Buckfield: Selectmen, 6:30 p.m., Municipal Center

Casco: Selectmen's workshop and meeting, 6:30 p.m., Central Fire Station

Casco: Zoning Board, 7 p.m., Central Fire Station

Newry: Water District, 7 p.m., Town Office

Paris: Subdivision Committee, 7 p.m., Town Office

Wednesday

Buckfield: Buckfield Village Corp., 6:30 p.m., Municipal Center

Casco: Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Central Fire Station

Fryeburg: SAD 72 Board of Directors, 7 p.m., Molly Ockett Middle School

Indian Rock sign installed

Whether fact or fiction, the so-called "Indian Rock" finally has a new home and a story to tell.

West Paris selectmen agree to study skate park

WEST PARIS — The selectmen last Thursday agreed to join with local resident Carol Mills in studying the feasibility of erecting a skateboard park near the town office on Kingsbury Street.

The agreement came after Mills presented her concern for young people who use Main Street in the center of the village to ride their skateboards.

Oxford Hills School District approves cuts

OXFORD — By a unanimous vote Monday, the Oxford Hills School District approved a $231,000 cut to the 2010 fiscal year budget to offset a shortfall in state subsidies.

Earlier this year, the school board approved $512,287 in reductions, although the allocation of $500,000 in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act halted plans to eliminate seven staff positions and other items. Superintendent Mark Eastman said the second round of cuts is a result of the state increasing the expected curtailment of statewide funds from $27 million to $38 million.

Food, classes different, people friendly

BETHEL - Chodchuang Nanthasen and Sthefania Soave have many things in common: they want to improve their English, they both play soccer, and they are students at Telstar High School for a year.

Nanthasen, a Thailand native, and Soave, from Brazil, are foreign exchange students for 2009-10. This is the first trip for both of them to the United States.

Telstar compiles accreditation response

BETHEL — Telstar High School's staff is just about ready to submit their responses to the New England Association of Schools and Colleges recommendations made during last year's visit.

This will be the first report the school has made since the April, 2008, visit, and is aimed at meeting the Dec. 1 deadline for a response.

The accreditation organization visits high schools once every 10 years to document what is good about a school, and what needs improvement.

Oxford County arrest log

PARIS — The following arrests were recorded at the Oxford County Jail:

• Craig A. Floyd, 43, of Fall River, Mass., Nov. 9, South Paris District Court warrant for unpaid fines for operating under the influence, $685 bail, Norway Police Department.

• Edward P. Beeman, 55, of Porter, Nov. 9, domestic assault, $1,000 unsecured bail, Oxford County Sheriff's Office.

• Brendan L. Escobar, 31, of Bethel, Nov. 10, domestic assault, $500 unsecured bail, Bethel Police Department.

Snow removal contract with state continues

NORWAY — The town will continue to remove snow and ice on portions of state roads for the Maine Department of Transportation this winter and be paid $13,047.50 for its effort.

The town is in its second year of a 20-year contract to do snow plowing and ice control on a portion of Route 26 from the Oxford town line to the Paris town line, a total of 2.22 miles for a payment of $4,717.50

Selectmen will make Opera House decision soon

NORWAY — Selectmen may make a decision Thursday on whether it will take the historic Opera House by eminent domain, unless they hear from its owner, Barry Mazzaglia.

"We made a formal offer with guidance from the appraisal. We haven't heard back from him," Town Manager David Holt said Friday. The offer was made about a week ago.