DEAR SUNSPOT, For the last few months we noticed that while watching shows on our 32-inch TV lots of time we have a piece of the head missing or the top part of a program is not there. Is there a way to correct this?

We haven’t received our new telephone directory from FairPoint. Last year we received it on Nov. 20. Are they just late or did they forget our section of town, which is South Lewiston area?

Thank you for answering everyone’s question, I’m sure we all appreciate it. — Lewiston via email

ANSWER: There are settings on your TV that allow you to change how the picture fits in the screen. Use the menu button on your remote to look for something that says “picture mode” or something similar. Just try the different options until you are happy with the results.

As for the phone directory, FairPoint subcontracts out printing and distribution of the directories, and Sun Spots has no way of obtaining information about the distribution of directories in your part of town.

However, in the past when Sun Spots has ordered extra directories on the phone (an IVR system) and a volume was out of stock — as, coincidentally, Lewiston was last year for a while, the recording told her that.

Advertisement

(Readers may not know, but you can get phonebooks for other Maine cities beside your own, but you have to be a FairPoint customer.)

According to her Augusta phonebook, which Sun Spots just received, Dex Media at 877-243-8339 is the current contractor.

(In last year’s book it said the company was called Super Media. Sun Spots doesn’t know if the company changed its name or a different company took over. The old phone number, 888-266-5765, is also answered by Dex Media.)

At any rate, you can call and try to order the book to see if it will be delayed. Sun Spots couldn’t do that for you. Because she no longer has a landline, she can’t get through the IVR to see what it says about the Lewiston book.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I teach math at Lewiston High School. I wrote to you a few months ago asking for help in finding local grants and/or local businesses willing to help fund a purchase I wanted to make for my students. I was hoping to find help in purchasing 25 copies each of the books “Freakonomics,” “Super Freakonomics” and “Think Like A Freak.”

I am writing here to thank you for publishing my letter, and to thank the WalMart Distribution Center in Lewiston for responding to it. They reached out to me and made a very generous donation, which has so far allowed me to purchase 50 books,  with funds still available for me to purchase the last 25 books!

Advertisement

A friend pointed me to the website Abebooks.com, and I was able to get gently used hardcover copies of the books for less than half of typical retail, which helped me to maximize the value of WalMart’s donation.

My students and I are very grateful for the community support, and it started here with your column. I’ve never seen you publish a photo in your column, but I am attaching one here, just in case.

Thank you, Sun Spots and WalMart! — Jennifer Michaelis, jmichaelis@lewistonpublicschools.org

ANSWER: Sun Spots doesn’t use photos often, but they do appear occasionally, as with this column.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: For the person looking for cattle pounds (Nov. 19, Dec. 1), there is an excellent and well-taken care of cattle pen in Turner. I can’t tell you the name of the road it is on, but someone at the town office could. Hope this helps. They are interesting. — No Name via email

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.