The buildings on the corner of Turner and Court streets on the lot upon which the National Shoe and Leather Bank is to be built were sold at auction Wednesday forenoon. The cobbler shop was bid in by D.P. Andrews for $8. The other buildings were sold to Charles Greenleaf for $94.

• The old saying that lightning never strikes twice in the same place is seriously doubted by Leonard Jones of Hallowell whose buildings have been struck three times this summer, and the season is still young.

50 years ago, 1958

AUGUSTA – A total of 55 men will be called in Maine as the state’s July Selective Service quota. The quotas by counties as announced Monday are Androscoggin, 3; Aroostook, 12; Cumberland, 11; Hancock, 1; Kennebec, 8; Knox, 1; Lincoln, 1; Oxford 3; Penobscot, 3; Sagadahoc, 1; Somerset, 2; Waldo, 1; Washington, 2; and York, 6. Franklin and Piscataquis had none.

25 years ago, 1983

The world’s leaner appetite for energy is eating away at OPEC, changing the cartel in a way that may open a new era of cooperation between oil producers and users.

The transformation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has been slow and quiet. Although OPEC averted an outright collapse earlier this year by agreeing on lower prices, it has become increasingly clear in recent weeks that OPEC leaders are worried they may be crushed by the momentum of falling oil prices.

• Two little words may be the key to a longer life. They are, according to two eminent scientists: “Eat less.” That’s the conclusion the two reached after dramatically lengthening the lives of laboratory animals by cutting caloric intake to 60 percent of normal.

They described their process to the Health Insurance Association of America as using “undernutrition without malnutrition” to lengthen lifespans. On the restricted diet the animals lost a quarter to a third of their body weight – then stabilized there. If humans respond similarly – and the two scientists believe it’s possible – the average lifespan could reach 120 years.