DEAR SUN SPOTS: Does anyone sell cedar to be used as kindling wood? — No name, Sabattus.

ANSWER: Cedar kindling is great because it is very aromatic and burns quickly, a great way to start a fire. Sun Spots found one local business that sells cedar kindling made from repurposed cedar mill waste. Kennebec Kindling is located in Bowdoinham. While they typically sell their kindling wholesale, they would be very happy to sell bundles to local customers as well. Please call 207-512-5610 for details.

If anyone sells cedar kindling and would like to be added to the list, please write in to Sun Spots.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I found a wedding band in the parking lot at Hannaford in Lewiston on Monday, Dec. 5, around 9:15 a.m. If anyone has lost a wedding band and can describe it to me it would be my pleasure to return the ring to you. I can be reached at 207-783-9337, leave a brief message with your name and phone number and I will return your call as soon as possible. — Michael, no town.

ANSWER: Thank you for your honesty and trying to get this ring back to its owner. The best way to reunite a lost object with its owner is to turn it over to the police. They can walk you through the process of reporting a lost object, especially if it has value. Anyone missing something as significant as a wedding band would be sure to retrace their steps to see if the item was turned in at the store or seeing if it was turned in at the police station.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Thank you for your work in finding answers to many questions on many different issues. I work second shift and come home via Route 196 from Bath to Auburn around 12:30 a.m. and I have a pet peeve. Why are so many of the traffic lights still running in red-green mode instead of blinking red or yellow? Coming through Lewiston I can count the number of cars on the road at a given time on one hand, yet we must wait for the lights to cycle through. I understand that some intersections may need green-red due to clear visibility of all traffic, but it seems that many of the intersections would be best served by the blinking red and yellow lights. There is nothing worse than when you are tired and hungry to have to sit at a red light while there are no other cars at the intersection at all. I thank you in advance for any insight that you may be able to offer. — Joe Mailey, Auburn.

ANSWER: Sun Spots reached out to Denis Caron, the electrical superintendent for the city of Lewiston. He does not recall flashing lights being used in Lewiston but says that the “normal operation of a traffic signal would have the green light remain green on the arterial street, the side street would only get a green light when a vehicle approaches and is detected by the magnetic loop in the pavement, or when a pedestrian initiates a call with the push button.” This means that if you are hitting red lights on Lisbon Street, an arterial street, and there is no car on the side street to cause the red light, then there could be a problem with the signal controller. After 7 p.m. he recommends calling the city’s dispatch center, 207-513-3003, to leave a message for a technician to be dispatched the following day.

Use the QR code to go to Sun Spots online for additional information and links. 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 be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com, tweeted @SJ_SunSpots or posted on the Sun Spots Facebook page at facebook.com/SunJournalSunSpots. This column can also be read online at sunjournal.com/sunspots. We’ve joined Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/sj_sunspots.


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