Gary Gauthier Jr. was married on Saturday, May 6, in a ceremony held at the Androscoggin County Jail visiting room.

Gauthier, held without bail on a murder charge, wore his jail garb. It’s not known what his 18-year-old bride wore. The ceremony lasted about 10 minutes, cost the county nothing and was arranged by the bride, a jail administrator said.

According to jail policy, only one immediate family member may be present during the wedding to act as witness. The alleged offender is encouraged to meet with the jail chaplain before taking the big step. No one could say whether Gauthier took advantage of that service.

There was no honeymoon for Mr. and Mrs. Gauthier. Jail policy states the new bride is not entitled to enjoy post-nuptial activities typically engaged in by most newlyweds.

In other words: “No right to conjugal or other similarly intimate privileges will be conferred by such a marriage,” the policy says.

Gauthier, 25, has been held at the jail since his arrest in January. He is accused of killing two local men whose battered bodies were found near railroad tracks in Lewiston in October 2005.

– Christopher Williams
Into Africa

When Nick Zolas traveled through southeastern Africa last winter, villagers gave him a name.

“They called me mzungu.’ It means white traveler, white tourist,” said the 25-year-old Lewiston man.

About to return there to raise supplies for school, Zolas acknowledged his mother isn’t thrilled about his plans to ride his bicycle 1,000 kilometers through Africa. She wonders if he’s insane, he joked.

While some parts of Africa are dangerous, the southeastern countries are safe, Zolas insisted. You do have to be careful, he said. “Don’t wear huge diamond earrings” or flaunt signs of wealth. He found the rural villages safer than New York City.

The curious villagers asked him all kinds of questions about life in the United States and what he thinks of their country. “They’re very humble, very pleasant people,” Zolas said.

– Bonnie Washuk

Serving another round

The mood was upbeat at last week’s press conference announcing the arrival of Best Buy. In addition to the local dignitaries who hailed the arrival of the electronics giant, the managers of Ruby Tuesday and Longhorn Steakhouse extended a warm welcome to what will be their newest neighbor in Mount Auburn Plaza.

Michelle Kenney, manager of Ruby Tuesday, said she expects business at her restaurant to get a boost once Best Buy is up and running – amplifying the success it’s had since opening May 1. Success due, in part, she joked, to the two happy hours the restaurant offers.

“This is great news,” quipped Auburn Mayor Norm Guay, taking the dais from Kenney. “I wasn’t aware you had two happy hours.”

The mayor had already laid out the economic benefit of the development to date: 225 jobs, plus 25 construction jobs during the build-up phase. The 80,000 square feet of development has added $2.2 million in valuation to the city’s tax rolls. When he finished, he asked for questions from the audience. There were none.

“Don’t you even want to know the hours for the happy hours?” he asked with mock disbelief.

– Carol Coultas

Historic’ blunder

Politicians are often accused of flip-flopping or being vague.

But on Iraq, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen offers a clear position: The war was wrong in 2002 and it’s wrong now.

Allen, a Maine Democrat, recently voted against a bill saying there should be no timeline when U.S. troops are pulled from Iraq. There must be a big reduction of U.S. forces this year; the occupation should end in 2007, he said.

“I voted against the invasion in 2002 because I believed the war would be a strategic blunder of historic proportions. And it has,” Allen said. “We owe the men and women we sent to Iraq and their loved ones more than a few hours of grandstanding.”

The country must work toward a national consensus to end the war, “a war born in deception and managed with delusion,” he said. As thousands of soldiers leave for their second or third tours, the U.S. death toll surpassing 2,500 is a reminder of the danger troops face there every day, Allen said.

– Bonnie Washuk