100 years ago, 1913
Lisbon street was alive with crews of workmen Thursday, when the old wooden poles began to come down preparatory to installing Lewiston’s new ornamental electric lights. The first of the new iron poles was erected in the afternoon in front of the Russell & Geary store. The work will be continued on Lisbon street before Main or Pine street are touched. It is proposed to complete the work in a month or six weeks. One hundred iron poles have been received. These are 30 feet long and will stand 24 feet above ground, with the four electric lamps hanging about 14 feet from the sidewalk. These lamps will be 150 kilowatt, or twice the power of the lamps used in Portland.

50 years ago, 1963
At a tiring, four-hour budget session, Auburn’s city council succeeded in adding $116 to the city’s proposed operating budget last night and found little comfort in announcement that four municipal departments will be overdrawn by some $50,000 when the books are finally closed this year. In addition, the councilmen face numerous requests for pay increases, need to find the money to pay for a $22,000 fire truck and an additional $1,500 appropriation for the county tax.

25 years ago, 1988
Seven fifth- and sixth-graders from Lewiston’s Montello School won third place last week in the statewide competition of the international program Odyssey of the Mind. The competition was the group’s final performance after more than six months of preparation in problem-solving and creative thinking exercises that took them before audiences in their school, Montello Manor Nursing Home and at a regional event.

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