Every month, like clockwork, we make the journey north — or possibly west — to fill our water jugs at the Cooper Spring in Buckfield. Or possibly South Paris, it depends on which map you’re using. The ride to the spring is half the fun. The journey takes us down the winding roads of Minot, through bucolic […]
Mark LaFlamme
Posted inMark LaFlamme, sj-web
Talk of the town: Hits from the '70s
Lights out The previous weekend was marked by repeated and sustained power outages across large sections of Lewiston. I should point out that in the case of an electrical outage, a battery-powered toilet light faithfully remains working, saving God only knows how many people from accidentally doing their business in bathtubs and sinks. Not to […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: Lights out in Lewiston
Call me crazy, but every time the power goes out, I get excited. Not just excited – exhilarated. Enthralled. Energized by a new sense of adventure and an absolute certainty that this is it. This is The Big One. The end of the world has come ’round at last and I’ve got to get my […]
Posted inMark LaFlamme, sj-web
Talk of the town: They went that-a-way
It happened over there On Wednesday, we reported about an attempted break-in at a home on Moreau Avenue in Lewiston. In a photo taken at the scene, one cop can be seen pointing while a second cop stares off into the distance. Have you ever noticed that in 95 percent of police photos, one cop […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: A gift of inches and seconds is the difference between life and death
To this day, I’m not sure if the Trans Am rolled once or twice before rocking back onto its tires in the middle of that field in Oakland. We had been trucking down Fairfield Street at twice the speed limit, beers between our legs, when some fool suddenly slowed in front of us. Brakes screamed. The […]
Posted inMark LaFlamme, sj-web
Let's blame the shadowy figures
What evil lurks in the hearts of men? Police were sent to East Avenue in Lewiston last week after a woman reported she came home and spotted a “shadowy figure” moving around at one of her windows. Nothing much came of the call, likely because the correct terminology was not used. It has always been […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: When good scanner calls go bad
Over the police scanner, it sounded like the real thing. Four shots had been fired near an Auburn hotel, according to the caller, and at least one person had been struck. The man who reported the shooting further advised police that he was locked in the trunk of a Buick. He was thumping around and […]
Posted inMark LaFlamme, sj-web
Talk of the town: You can say that again
Save the date Show of hands. How many of you are still writing 2017 when you mean 2018 in your checkbooks, time sheets and personal diaries? Aggravating, ain’t it? To me, the years have been flying by so fast, I’ll occasionally write 2007 in the date field. Ah, 2007. Those were the days. I totally […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Mark LaFlamme
Street Talk: The scourge of the winter walker
All summer long, they hunker down in sweaty apartments, waiting for winter. “Gentlemen,” their hand-rubbing leader will assure them. “I know it’s hard right now, what with the sidewalks all clear and what-not, but don’t you fret. Soon the snow will come and when it does, the roads will be ours!” This pronouncement is generally […]
Posted inMark LaFlamme, sj-web
Talk of the town: Chris Matthews said something weird
It happened on New Year’s Eve A nice and possibly deranged fellow approached me at Shaw’s on the big night, heartily shook my hand and said, “Put me in the paper, won’t you? Report that Chris Matthews said something weird.” Congratulations, Chris Matthews. That’s a pretty weird thing to say. I usually only experience that […]