The heat gun was left atop a pallet of combustible materials inside a walk-in freezer, leading to the fire Thursday that damaged offices and a production area at Gifford’s Famous Ice Cream, according to Skowhegan fire Chief Ronnie Rodriguez.
Amy Calder
Staff Writer
Amy Calder covers Waterville, including city government, for the Morning Sentinel and writes a column, “Reporting Aside,” which appears Sundays in both the Sentinel and Kennebec Journal. She has worked at the newspaper since 1988, including a stint as bureau chief for the Somerset County Bureau in Skowhegan, and has covered a variety of beats. A Skowhegan native, she holds a bachelors in English from University of Hartford and completed post-graduate work at the School of Education at University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She has received numerous of awards from the Maine Press Association and New England Associated Press News Executives Association and is author of the book, "Comfort is an Old Barn," a collection of curated columns published by Islandport Press. Calder lives in Waterville with her husband, Philip Norvish, a retired Sentinel reporter and editor.
Posted inMaine
Fire damages Gifford’s ice cream production facility in Skowhegan
A company official said the fire began Thursday morning in a processing area where milk and cream are mixed for the company’s well-known ice cream.
advertisement
Posted inMaine
Snow followed by rain tamps down snowfall totals in central Maine
The most recent storm to move into the region left about 6 inches of snow in places such as Jackman and Manchester, but when people got up Thursday morning the totals had diminished due to the following rain.
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime
Former Waterville couple arrested on sexual assault charges involving children
Davina Petchonka and Charles H. Frost, believed to now be residents of Pittsfield, were arrested Dec. 1 and continue to be incarcerated at the Somerset County Jail in East Madison.
Posted inMaine
Homeless in Maine: Struggling to survive even with a paying job
Those who interact most closely with the homeless say it’s a misconception that they don’t want to work or try to help themselves.
Posted inColumns, Maine
Reporting Aside: ‘Devastation visible everywhere’
Covering the ice storm of 1998 in the Waterville area seemed like being a war zone, Amy Calder writes.
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime
Waterville woman with loaded AR-15 in vehicle taken into custody
The woman, who has mental health issues, led police on a chase throughout the city early Monday before they stopped her on a dead-end road on the Colby College campus and took her into protective custody.
Posted inMaine
Body recovered from North Pond in Smithfield after ATV breaks through ice
Jeremiah Meader, 42, of Smithfield was driving his side-by-side UTV across the pond with his wife and two other adult passengers at about 1 a.m. Sunday when it broke through the ice, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.
Posted inMaine
Body recovered from North Pond in Smithfield after ATV breaks through ice
Jeremiah Meader, 42, of Smithfield was driving his side-by-side UTV across the pond with his wife and two other adult passengers at about 1 a.m. Sunday when it broke through the ice, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime, Schools & Education
Police, school officials investigate racist graffiti painted on Waterville elementary school
Peter Hallen, assistant superintendent of Waterville Public Schools, said it is important to find those responsible for the graffiti, but having the schools and Waterville community address the issue is critical to spreading awareness and effecting change.