Barrett Named Sailor of the Year

SAN DIEGO/YORK—

A Fleet and Industrial Supply Center (FISC) Norfolk Sailor from York has been named Sailor of the Year (SOY) for 2009 by Commander, Fleet and Industrial Supply Centers (COMFISCS).
Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Korilyn C. Barrett (Aviation Warfare) was recognized by Rear. Adm. Mark Heinrich, COMFISCS, for her outstanding achievement as the leading petty officer for FISC Norfolk’s Logistics Support Center New London, in Groton, Conn.
“I am very proud of LS2 Barrett and congratulate her on receiving this well-deserved award,” said Heinrich. “Under her leadership, FISC Norfolk’s New London site has earned the reputation for being one of the best full service logistics centers in the Navy.”
“Winning this award is such a compliment. I have worked hard all year not for an award, but because I had goals I wanted to accomplish before I go back to sea duty at the end of 2010,” said Barrett. “I am just speechless that my efforts are recognized with such a prestigious award. Wow!”
Barrett was recognized for leading a team of 25 logistics specialists and two civilians in providing logistics support to 15 nuclear submarines and 10,000 personnel from 57 tenant commands on board Naval Submarine Base New London. Under her supervision, her team processed more than 15,000 requisitions with a 99 percent on time rate, which had a direct impact on submarine mission readiness.
“There are people I work for as well as those who work for me that I had to set a good example for and, most of all, I have to be a great role model for all three of my children,” Barrett said.
The FISC Norfolk Sailor, who received a Navy Achievement Medal in 2009 for her performance coordinating logistics services for the Italian submarine Scirè, is highly praised by her chain of command for her professionalism and management qualities.
“Petty Officer Barrett is a brilliant, hard-charging and consummate professional who epitomizes all that the Navy is looking for in leaders,” said Capt. Ruth Christopherson, FISC Norfolk’s commanding officer. “She combines that perfect blend of exceptional leadership and superior technical talent to accomplish any assignment given to her.”
Off duty, Barrett is just as committed to serving her fellow shipmates and the community. She was the driving force in developing the Groton Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions, a program which is spreading throughout the Navy. She also helped raise $18,000 through the Caring and Sharing program to feed needy Sailors and their families, and is a volunteer reader for youth at the base Child Development Center. Among other community involvement activities, she participated in the New London County Earth Day event and Multiple Sclerosis Walk-A-Thon.
“It’s amazing what a person can accomplish when you have an incredible support system—God, my family, my chain of command and my military and civilian co-workers,” said Barrett. “Cmdr. [Steven] Hartzell and Chief Logistics Specialist [Michelle] Skilbred have taught me to never be satisfied with (mediocrity) and always believe that you can do better. They have shown me that with great leadership and support, self-determination and dedication the sky is the limit.”
LS2 Barrett is the oldest of five children and daughter of Kevin and Lori Barrett of York. She is a 1999 York High School graduate and has been serving in the U.S. Navy since 2002.
Photo caption: York Native Korilyn Barrett has been named Sailor of the Year for her work in Groton, Conn. (Courtesy photo)

Children’s Musicians Celebrate The Power of Music in Children’s Lives

By Jim Kanak
Staff Columnist
SOUTH BERWICK—
Like many young mothers, South Berwick’s Sammie Haynes started to create songs to entertain her son when he was born in 1989. Little did she know at the time that her song writing would lead to a life long pursuit of children’s music. Nor did she realize that it would expose her to a nationwide network of people, many like herself, that devote themselves to creating children’s music and supporting the wide range of people that use it. That group is known as the Children’s Music Network.
“Many of us started doing children’s music when we had kids,” Haynes said. “I would sing to my son at night before bed. I started making up short, little songs. Later, when he was in school, I ‘d go to his classroom and sing.”
Eventually, Haynes produced a CD. That’s when she got involved with the Children’s Music Network, a group whose membership includes musicians, teachers, librarians, song leaders and choral directors, social workers, parents and others who care about kids’ music.
“I joined in 2005 because I had just released a second children’s CD,” Haynes said. “Someone from CMN wrote to me. She said she liked my new CD and I should become a member. I did. Soon thereafter, they had a regional gathering in Amherst, Mass. I instantly felt that I belonged to this fabulous group of people. They were very positive and welcoming. It was a wonderful experience.”
Haynes estimated that about 100 people in New England belong to the network, which has its headquarters in Evanston, Ill., near Chicago. Liz Buchanan of Massachusetts is a representative on the national board. She said the network is driven primarily by volunteers.
“There’s one staff person,” Buchanan said. “Otherwise it’s all volunteer run. People do it out of the goodness of their hearts.”
Buchanan got involved with CMN around 2000, after following a path into children’s music that paralleled Haynes.’ “I started when my kids were little,” she said. “They grew up but I kept making music.”
She said the network serves an important function. “It’s a great resource for anything related to children’s music,” she said. “It’s a national network that has great gatherings, with singing and workshops (on a variety of topics). It benefits children because it helps provide support to people who work with music and kids.”
Buchanan and Haynes have been involved recently in helping to plan the network’s regional conference, which will be on March 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. The program is titled The Power of Music in Children’s Lives and features Ruth Pelham, a noted singer and songwriter from Albany, N.Y. Pelham will offer the keynote address. “Ruth is an icon in children’s music,” Buchanan said. “She’s a fabulous talent and individual.”
There will also be several workshops available to attendees, and the day will end with a CMN tradition, known as the Round Robin, where attendees have a chance to share a children’s song or musical activity with the group.
“The Round Robin is the highlight for me personally,” Haynes said. “I get all charged up to try new songs.”
That, Haynes said, is the essence of the network. “It enables people like me to get together and learn more and share more,” she said. “People come of all grades of performing and teaching. I’ve learned a lot. It’s a vital force for me.”
For more information, email Haynes at sammiekids@aol.com.

New Rules for Credit Card Companies Take Effect

WASHINGTON, D.C.—
Every Maine family with a credit card will be protected by new rules that went into effect Feb. 22, according to Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. The rules are designed to stop the worst practices of the big banks and credit companies and give consumers more control over their finances.
“These big credit card companies have been running roughshod over consumers for too long,” Pingree said. “These new rules are going to give card holders the protections they deserve.”
The rules will ban rate increases on existing balances in most cases, require 45 day advance notice of future rate increases, make it more difficult for credit card companies to charge “over the limit” fees and prohibit credit card companies from charging card holders when they pay online or over the phone.
Pingree was the first to speak on the Credit Card Holders Bill of Rights on the floor of Congress last year, saying that credit cards have become a necessity for most Americans, and at the same time the playing field has been tipped in favor of the credit card companies.
“Everywhere you turn, it seems the credit card companies have dreamed up a new fee or another clever scheme to raise your interest rate,” Pingree said. “Basic fairness has been replaced by deception and greed.”
“These days, using a credit card is like going to a Las Vegas casino—no matter how clever or responsible you are, 9 times out of 10 you’re going to lose and the company is going to win,” Pingree said. “Managing your finances shouldn’t be a gamble. The deck shouldn’t be stacked against you.”
During her speech, Pingree said the tough economy has forced more people to turn to credit cards to pay for basic necessities. “Last weekend in Maine I was talking with one of my constituents who told me a credit card is the only way she can pay her medical bills,” she said. “And last winter, with skyrocketing heating oil prices, a credit card was the only way many people in my state were able to stay warm.”
Some provisions of the bill: (more details available at www.pingree.house.gov)
Bars rate increases on existing balances unless the cardholder is at least 60 days behind in paying the bill. If a person does fall behind and the rate on past buys is increased, lenders must restore the lower rate after six months if the cardholder has paid monthly bills on time. Requires that customers receive 45 days notice before rates are increased. Prohibits over-the-limit fees unless a cardholder signs up for them in advance. Requires lenders to apply payments to highest interest-rate balances first. Requires lenders to say how much time it would take and how much money in interest would be paid if only the minimum monthly payments are made. Bans “pay-to-pay” fees, which are charged when someone pays the bill by phone or on the Internet. Requires lenders to post their credit card agreements on the Internet. Require banks to give customers a reasonable time, such as 21 days, to pay the bill before it is considered late.

Wells Reserve Receives Visionary Award

WELLS—
The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve was recognized recently by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, which presented the Wells Reserve with its 2009 Visionary Award. The Council praised the Wells Reserve “for sustained excellence in science, communication, partnerships, education, and stewardship of the Gulf of Maine ecosystems.”
“The Wells Reserve is honored to receive a Gulf of Maine Council Visionary Award,” said Reserve Director Paul Dest, who accepted the award on behalf of the organization. “It recognizes the great work and many accomplishments of our staff in the areas of science, education, and conservation. And it intensifies our commitment to protecting and restoring ecosystems around the Gulf of Maine.”
The Gulf of Maine Council cited the Wells Reserve for fostering “an environment of coastal understanding and awareness through numerous programs that have been effective in training many stakeholders in the region, and enlightening marine professionals about the scientific dynamics of estuarine and coastal ecosystems.”
The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment was established in 1989 by the governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts to foster cooperative actions within the Gulf watershed. Its mission is to maintain and enhance environmental quality in the Gulf of Maine to allow for sustainable resource use by existing and future generations.
Each year, the Gulf of Maine Council gives Visionary Awards to two individuals, businesses, or organizations within each state and province bordering the Gulf. The awards recognize innovation, creativity, and commitment to protecting the marine environment.
The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve expands knowledge about coasts and estuaries, engages people in environmental learning, and involves communities in conserving natural resources. The Wells Reserve is headquartered at historic Laudholm Farm. Its work is supported by Laudholm Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. FMI www.wellsreserve.org.
Photo caption: Kathleen Leyden, Maine representative to the Gulf of Maine Council, presents the Council’s 2009 Visionary Award to Wells Reserve director Paul Dest. Joining them is Diana Joyner, chair of the Reserve Management Authority and president of Laudholm Trust. (Courtesy photo)

Noah Farrington Wins York County Spelling Bee

YORK COUNTY—
A student who is home schooled and from Alfred, Noah Farrington, won first place in the Annual York County Spelling Bee at Wells Junior High School on Feb. 9th. Reed Vanderlinde of Berwick Academy came in second and Macy Morrison from Marshwood Middle School came in third. All three are in the eighth grade.
The contest lasted 29 rounds. After the first couple of rounds no one had been eliminated, but after the mid-point of the competition, Farrington, Vanderlinde and Morrison were left to go back and fourth to the podium to face increasingly harder words. The contest eventually came down to Reed and Farrington and ended much later when Farrington spelled the words “vulnerable” and “colloquial.”
Noah Farrington will now represent York County at the State Spelling Bee in Portland on March 20th.
According to co-Governor of the York County Spelling Bee Vicki Aldridge, this is the twelfth year that the York County Spelling Bee has been held at Wells Junior High School. As in past years, two students were picked to represent each participating school. This year, nine area schools were represented. In addition, there were two home schooled students present.
Judges for the spelling bee were Rachel Kilbride, Marilyn Zotos and Anne Meadows. Wells Junior High School Assistant Principal Johanna Reinke was the event’s Spelling Pronouncer.
Co-Governors of the York County Spelling Bee are Aldridge and Lynn Mercier.
Twenty students qualified to participate in the 2010 York County Spelling Bee. Schools represented included Berwick Academy, Biddeford Middle School, Noble Junior High School, Saco Middle School, Marshwood Middle School, St. James School, Acton Elementary School, Notre Dame School and Wells Junior High School. Those representing WJHS included Tim Finley and Adrienne Perron.
Photo caption: From left to right are Reed Vanderlinde, Macy Morrison and Noah Farrington who placed in the 2010 York County Spelling Bee. Farrington, the winner, is holding the event’s mascot, “Spelling Bee.” (Reg Bennet photo)

Downeaster’s Planned Expansion Highlights Its Popularity

By Jim Kanak
Staff Columnist
MAINE—
Recent news that the federal government is funding an extension of Downeaster train service from Portland to Freeport and Brunswick underscored the popularity of the rail service that connects Maine with Boston. One of the key stops in that system is the Wells Regional Transportation Center.
“The extension to Freeport and Brunswick will boost things here,” said Brent Marriner of Marriner Marketing, the group the town contracts with to coordinate management and staffing of the center. “With all the seasonal campgrounds and condominiums here, people will park here for free and take the train to Bean’s.”
The Downeaster is only one of several transportation modes using the center, albeit an important one. In 2009, for example, the station handled 46,082 total passengers, not surprisingly divided almost equally between boardings and alightings. Among other Downeaster stations in Maine, only Portland surpassed that total. An informal survey of boarding passengers at the Wells station indicated that over 80 percent of the people were traveling for leisure, with nearly 8 percent commuting to work.
“This is a transportation center, not just a train station,” Marriner said. “There’s about 5,000 people a month that go through the building. We have buses that go to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, the WAVE from Sanford, the Trolley, Mermaid Transportation, cabs, and bicycles. Our long term goal is to re-establish the intercity bus service.”
A short-term goal is beefing up the volunteer and revenue supported staff that work at the center. “We’re in the process of recruiting volunteers,” he said. “Since August, volunteer hosts have averaged 120 hours per month. Our goal is to cover 105 hours per week with revenue supported staff. That’s 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, which covers all the trains except for the last one at 1 a.m. The Wells Police department is pretty good about meeting that one.”
In addition to the plans to expand service northward, Marriner, who attends monthly operations meetings with system representatives, said other improvements are under study as well. “The goal is to see double track construction between Portland and Plaistow to allow an increase in trains,” he said. Currently, the first weekday northbound train doesn’t depart Wells until 10:49 a.m. That essentially precludes commuters from southern Maine to Portland using the train to get to work. The double track could address that issue.
“The greatest need is an early morning trip to Portland,” Marriner said.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Marriner at 646-4793 or email bmarrine@maine.rr.com.

A Chocolate Lover’s Dream in Ogunquit

By Jim Kanak
Staff Columnist
OGUNQUIT—
There’s a buzz of activity at Harbor Candy Shop in Ogunquit these days. As Valentine’s Day approaches, owner Jean Foss and her staff are hard at work, preparing nearly 100 varieties of chocolate that have satisfied customers from near and far for over three decades.
“I started it because I wanted to live in Maine,” Foss said. “My parents had operated it as a seasonal business, open a few weeks a year. My father was very gifted when it came to making anything.”
The original seasonal shop was located near the Main Beach parking area, in the building that houses Huckleberry’s today. Foss moved it to its current Route 1 location.
“I put my mind to owning the real estate,” she said. “It grew gradually and now is open year round.”
Most people are familiar with the retail end of the operation, the shop that is a few doors north of the Village Food Market. What many people don’t know, however, is that the shop contains a veritable chocolate factory as well, where the staff creates by hand the turtles, truffles, fudge and other chocolate delights that have a national following.
“The store is known outside the state, maybe more than inside,” Foss said. “We have a mail order business from customers we pick up in the summer. 85 percent of our business is from the shop. That leads to the 10 to 15 percent of mail order and that sustains us in the winter.”
Foss said the key to producing excellent candy is a combination of things. “The recipe is important, but the ‘feel’ is watching the process as you go along,” she said. “It’s about trouble shooting. Once in a while you might notice that something might not be right, maybe the temperature or the humidity. Very few people know about chocolate. (Making it) is more complex than something like baking.”
Another key is freshness. “The shelf life varies by product,” Foss said. “Some kinds are good for two weeks, some for three, and some less. We make everything fresh. We try to keep freshness in mind all the time. Why sell something that’s really nice and then destroy it by virtue of your timing?”
The popularity of a particular variety varies by the time of year. “In the summer, people like classic, simple fudge,” Foss said. “Turtles are one of our best varieties. We make them all from scratch. There are no short cuts. That’s what brings people back.”
For Valentine’s Day, truffles take center stage. “They are the item,” said Foss. “Thirty years ago, we headed off to France to learn the basics of what a true truffle is. It must be fresh and kept cool. We throw them away after two weeks.”
Another characteristic of Harbor Candy is its ability to produce some of its chocolate without depending on traditional dairy products. That has earned the shop an award from the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). “We have a number of products that were already vegan, with no dairy or anything,” Foss said. “We developed a truffle by making it with soy milk. We have a milk chocolate made with rice milk. It is good for health reasons, for people who can’t use diary products.”
They key, though, is the care that Foss and the staff take to create their hand-made delicacies. “We’re small, not big and showy,” said Foss. “That’s how nice chocolate works.”
Photo caption: Harbor Candy Shop owner Jean Foss with a sampling of the nearly 100 varieties of chocolate the shop produces. (Jim Kanak photo)

“Shootin’ For a Cure” Wells Girls Basketball Program Raises 13K for York Hospital

WELLS —
On Jan. 16th, the entire girls’ basketball program in the Wells-Ogunquit C.S.D. participated in a special program called ‘Shootin’ for a Cure.’ When the day was over, $13,000 had been raised for the new Breast Care Center at York Hospital in Wells, which is due to be opened later in February.
Seventy-eight female athletes raised this staggering amount through donations and pledges, many of them $100 each. They also sold ‘Shootin’ For a Cure’ pink bracelets and t-shirts to fellow students and others. The various basketball teams also shot free throws from the foul line throughout the day in the Ronco Gymnasium at Wells High School. In the evening, after a junior varsity game and before a varsity game with Old Orchard Beach, a check was presented to Carol Campbell, RN, of York Hospital from Coaches Don Abbott, Kevin Fox and Pierce Cole.
Campbell is the leader for Breast Health Services at York Hospital in York and Wells. Along with Campbell, several other members of the York Hospital Breast Care Team attended including Kira Wendorf, M.D.
The idea for this fundraiser began with Coach Abbott, who is the Varsity Girls Basketball Coach. He had observed that the greater Wells community and several members of the District’s basketball community had been personally affected by breast cancer and he wanted something “civic minded” done by the athletes.
In September of 2009, Abbott formed a small committee of coaches to begin planning a fundraiser, a fundraiser that would involve all the girls in the entire girls’ basketball program. This included the 5th and 6th grade travel teams, the 7th and 8th grade teams, and the junior varsity and varsity teams at Wells High School.
Beginning at 9 a.m., and ending at 3 p.m., the various teams had the use of the gym for an hour each to allow team members to make 50 individual free throws from the foul line. The day ended in the evening with a varsity girls’ game between Wells and Old Orchard Beach.
Throughout the day, girls were dressed in pink, including pink tee shirts and shoelaces. At the varsity game in the evening, Wells team members and WHS Cheerleaders wore pink uniforms. The game was even played with a pink basketball.
“We had stuff going on all day,” said Abbott. He said numerous businesses had come in throughout the day and donated food for the players.
According to Abbott, the member from each team who raised the most money and the member from each team who scored the most free throws received prizes. Sophomore and Lady Warrior member Kelly Beisswanger made the most free throws with 47 out of 50.
Besides the many individual contributors, Abbott indicated that many groups supported the fundraising drive. For example, the Wrestling program at WHS pitched in $250 and the varsity girls’ team from OOB donated $175.
Time Warner Channel 3 in Wells recorded the varsity game and WMTW Channel 8 recorded footage for a 6 and 11 o’clock news story. At one point, radio station 98.7 FM The Bay was on site doing a live remote for two hours from the parking lot.
Webber Energy Fuels loaned their “pink” propane truck for publicity for the event.
“It was a long day but certainly a rewarding one,” summed up Abbott about the 9 to 9 day of basketball and fundraising. Abbott said, “It was great to involve girls from 10 years old and up through 18 year-olds; just to see the younger and the little kids being involved in it (was) pretty neat.”
Abbott wanted to acknowledge all who helped in this major fundraiser event. Some of those included Scott Lewia, Troy Brown, Marty Webb, Jay Audet, Judy Moody, Pat Foley (dressed as “Crusher” the lobster from the Maine Red Claws Basketball team), Karen Tufts and Nancy Colley. However, at one point in an interview, Abbott stressed that “90 percent” of the success of the fundraiser was “due to the girls.”
Photo caption: Lily Colley at left and Kelly Beisswanger at right are presenting $13,000 to Carol Campbell, RN, and leader for Breast Health Services of the York Hospital Breast Care team (at right). Holding the microphone is WHS teacher and coach Jay Audet. (Don Abbott photo)

Kittery School Committee Nominates New Superintendent

KITTERY—
The Kittery School Committee is very pleased to announce that Allyn Hutton will be nominated as the new Superintendent of Schools to succeed retiring Superintendent Larry Littlefield starting July 1, 2010. Beginning its search for a new superintendent in October, the School Committee selected Ms. Hutton from a pool of nearly twenty candidates. At its regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 23 (re-scheduled from Feb. 16 due to school vacation), the School Committee is scheduled to take action to nominate and approve Ms. Hutton as Superintendent of Schools. Terms of her contract are being negotiated and will be made available when finalized.
Ms. Hutton says she is “eager and ready to be appointed as the Superintendent of Schools in a community that is focused on providing a quality educational experience for all students.” Dr. George Entwistle, a former Superintendent with whom Ms. Hutton has worked says: “Allyn demonstrates strong and effective leadership skills in guiding instruction, designing innovative educational programs and in day-to-day management in a challenging school environment.”
Ms. Hutton holds a Bachelors Degree in Social Sciences and a Masters Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Southern Maine. She earned her Superintendent Certificate from the University of Southern Maine in 2002. Starting her education career in MSAD #55, Kezar Falls, she taught at Sacopee Valley High School for 15 years before becoming the school’s Assistant Principal/Athletic Director for 4 years. Ms. Hutton then served as the Sacopee Valley High School Principal for 6 years when she became the Principal of Falmouth High School where she has been since 2002.
Ms. Hutton has been very active in her professional organizations. She has served on the Advisory Board for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, Board of Directors for the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and Management Committee for the Maine Principals Association. Ms. Hutton was honored to be selected as the 2007 Maine High School Principal of the Year.
Kim Bedard, Kittery School Committee member who led the search process for the new Superintendent, says: “We had great support from the community, parents, staff, students and the Board in this process. It’s a great feeling to know that we are on track to continue the challenging and top-notch work in Kittery schools. We were fortunate to have excellent candidates to choose from, and I believe that Ms. Hutton has the background and leadership qualities we need in the Kittery School Department.”

A Tribute to J.D. Salinger

By Chip Schrader
Book Review Editor
If only there was one more book. So cries the eternal adolescent inside who grasped at every word Holden Caulfield said by the pen of Jerome David Salinger, better known simply as J.D. Salinger. The Catcher in the Rye came out in 1951, the angry and shunned main character rode a train home after flunking out of another boarding school. All the while, his younger sister, Phoebe, was the only thing that remained pure in his young and jaded life. Pure to the point he tried to wipe away the “F” word from a wall so someone like his sister would never walk along and see it.
It was that word that set American culture on fire. Profane and subversive to many, perhaps; indeed the taboo of profanity and vulgarity had been set free, but subversion hardly seems to fit. Salinger used that word once, and in a context that ironically was a memoriam to American innocence, and now that word is etched so deeply into pop culture that it cannot be burned, blurred, or bleeped away. Now not every time can this word be masked, and no more in American Literature.
This novel was so much more than that, though. In eleventh grade English, it was the first thing that was true. In my anxious and angry adolescence, Salinger’s gentle voice reached me through those pages and said to me: “It’s okay. There are many other lost souls out there to walk beside you.” Caulfield’s anger gave me a sense of righteousness. Five years later, and I read it as a completely different novel that made me laugh at the sarcasm, wit, and indifference to society.
That is what a great novel is. The reader holds more of its meaning than the words themselves.
If only there was one more book. “Catcher in the Rye,” “Franny and Zooey,” “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: an Introduction” and “Nine Stories” are everything this man had to share before retiring from public view for over five decades. “Nine Stories,” to Salinger fans, is also essential reading containing the stories “A Perfect Day for a Bananafish” and “Uncle Wiggly in Connecticut,” where nuanced details like a careless mother resting her child’s glasses face down stir the reader with its beautiful particularity.
Salinger’s disappearance fueled rumors about odd ritualistic habits, pseudonyms (Thomas Pynchon the most famous rumor) and behavior, some of them confirmed by his daughter Margaret’s memoir “Dream Catcher.” Books like “Children’s Letters to J.D. Salinger” attempted to fill that void, and that vast market that yearned for his words. Nothing ever really did fill that void Salinger left. The person at this laptop writing you these words owes his college major, his career, and his dreams as a writer to Mr. Salinger.
If only there was one more book…but there isn’t. These four works are what he had for us, and at the very least and very most, we have that.

York High Athletes Are a Special Group

By Larry Favinger
Staff Columnist
YORK—
The success of the fall athletic programs at York High School is well documented.
All but one of the teams advanced into the Western Maine Class B playoffs and two, girl’s soccer and golf, won state titles.
There were leaders on those teams, some of who won individual recognition in their respective sport.
That group includes Matt Campbell, Aaron Bailey, Emma Clark, Jared Prugar, Alex Moser, and Bill Gauthier.
“They’re an extraordinary group,” York High School Principal Bob Stevens said. “They are terrific athletes who are also terrific kids, good students and mature beyond their years.”
Over the years York has produced some great teams and individuals and this group, Stevens, who has been principal for 32 years, said, “ranks up there with some of those great dynasties. They have their priorities straight.”
“Fall athletics get your year started off right,” he said, “and impacts the students because their attitude and action shows itself clearly on the field and on the track” and that teaches “others the right way to do things. They help in no small measure to create a positive climate in the school.”
Matt Campbell, the son of Greg and Kate Campbell, was named the top golfer in Western Maine for the second year in a row and led his team to the Class B state title.
He’s been playing golf since he was seven or eight, he said, but got really serious about it when he was 10.
He plans to attend Holy Cross next year to play Division I golf. Academically at this point he’s looking at pre-business or political science.
Campbell, who is currently playing on the school’s basketball team, said one of his fondest golf memories is shooting a 32 on the front nine at York Golf and Tennis Club when he was a freshman, a score he has yet to duplicate.
Aaron Bailey captured the individual state golf title but, like his teammate, sees the team championship as a top achievement.
Bailey, the son of Ed and Heidi Bailey, is interested in a career in golf or sports management.
He first played at age five or six, he said, and took part in his first tournament at 12. One of the highlights of his career is carding a 68 at Riverside Country Club.
He has applied to several schools, noting, “I definitely want to play golf in college,” but has not made a decision as yet.
Bailey, like Campbell, is part of York’s basketball team.
The honors keep coming for Emma Clark. She has been named all-conference, all state and all-New England as well as player of the year by both the Portsmouth Herald and the Portland Press Herald.
The daughter of Laurie Knox and Jeff Clark, she will be attending Boston University in the fall on a soccer scholarship.
In her four years as a starter for Coach Wally Caldwell’s team, she has been on two state championship winners. She also plays on the currently undefeated girls’ basketball team and lacrosse.
Last season she said she scored 18 goals and had 30 assists for the 16-2 Wildcats.
Clark said her future might be in occupational therapy or as an elementary school teacher. “I love kids,” she said.
Jared Prugar was named Campbell Conference Player of the Year, leading the Wildcat football team to an 8-1 record and the No. 2 seed in the Western Maine playoffs.
He’s not sure where he’ll attend college next year but hopes to advance his football career. His academic interests are in physical therapy and biomechanical engineering.
One of his best memories of the season was the Wildcats’ upset of Mountain Valley in the regular season finals, snapping its two-year undefeated streak and its four-year undefeated record at home.
The son of Tom and Mary Prugar gained more than 1,300 yards for Coach Randy Small’s team and is currently playing for Small as a member of the Wildcats basketball team.
Alex Moser, the son of Jacqueline and William Moser, won the Maine State Class B championship in cross-country. He’s now a member of the indoor track team.
Schools on his radar for next year include the University of Maine at Orono, the University of Southern Maine, and Florida State. Wherever he goes he plans to keep running.
As to academics he said he’s “not really sure” as to what he’ll pursue. “I’m not really set on any major yet,” he said.
Moser, who is class president and president of the school’s National Honor Society, is also active in the schools’ Sober Friends, a group of over 130 students who have pledged not to use any substances.
Bill Gauthier has compiled a 37-2 record in wrestling while being named team most valuable player and captain.
The son of Ray and Mary Gauthier began wrestling in third grade “and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Colleges he’s thinking about include Drexel in Philadelphia, the Coast Guard Academy and the Air Force Academy. A possible major for him is biology.
In addition to these outstanding Wildcats it must be noted that Randy Small was named Campbell Conference coach of the year.
Photo caption: York High athletes, left to right, Matt Campbell, Emma Clark, Jared Prugar, and Aaron Bailey. (Larry Favinger photo)

Feds to Make Major Investment in Downeaster, Pingree Announces

WASHINGTON, D.C.—
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree announced on Jan. 27 that $35 million will be invested in Maine to improve the rail line between Brunswick and Portland to allow an extension of rail service to the Midcoast.
“This is a significant economic boost to Maine,” Pingree said. “It will put over 200 people to work improving the rail line and bring economic development to downtown train stations in communities like Freeport and Brunswick.”
Work will begin immediately on the rail line and train service to Brunswick is expected to start by the end of 2012.
Pingree has been urging Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to fund the project. In a letter to LaHood last year she wrote “the Portland North Project will have an immediate and significant economic impact throughout the northeast region.”
“We’ve already seen how the Downeaster has created economic growth along the existing route,” Pingree said tonight. “Now it’s time to bring that to the Midcoast.”
“This was such a competitive process,” said Patricia Quinn, Executive Director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority. “There were many, many requests for these grants and it’s really an honor that the Maine project was chosen.”
“If Maine had to borrow money to fund this project the interest costs alone would have been $18 million,” Quinn said. “This announcement means Maine taxpayers are going to save millions of dollars.”
Pingree said the extension of the rail line is “a natural tourism generator. Freeport is the number one tourist destination in the state.”
This will fulfill the dream for an awful lot of Maine people to be able to get on the train in Midcoast Maine and ride all the way to Boston,” said Wayne Davis, Chairman of Trainriders Northeast. “Nearly five million people go from the Boston area to Freeport to go shopping. That’s a big market that the Downeaster can tap in to.”