The AOS 93 Board recommended a central office budget of $1,373,602.49, an increase of $279,074.72 or 25.49%, after extensive discussion and a failed vote to remove a new position at its Thursday, Dec. 7 meeting.

The Alna Community Solar Farm, now 15 months past its anticipated finish line, has faced construction delays from a transmission study by Central Maine Power Co. that is expected to last well into next year.

Conversion of a downtown office building into apartments, a new business, and progress on the town’s next comprehensive plan occupied the Damariscotta Planning Board at its Monday, Dec. 4 meeting. Members also approved minor adjustments to a senior housing development site plan by DC Ledgewood to make the project more competitive for state funding.

After months of development, member towns of AOS 93 have specific options to consider for restructuring the school system, which administrators said will reduce inefficiency, improve education options, and save money.

A 102-bed nursing, rehab, and assisted living facility proposed last year for Piper Mill Road in Damariscotta is no longer in development.

Last week, a federal judge narrowed the scope of a lawsuit against Great Salt Bay Community School officials and employees that alleges the school’s transgender student policies violated the constitutional rights of a parent.

A community center for people impacted by addiction that was established in Boothbay Harbor five years ago and attempted a move to Wiscasset this summer is now finding a home in Newcastle.

Newcastle interim Town Manager Kevin Sutherland will take on the role for the long term next week following a vote by the select board on Thursday, Oct. 26.

At this time each year, dozens of heirloom bean varieties from a collection of hundreds are in their final stages of drying to prepare for another year of planting by the Friends of Sam Birch, a local seed saving network.

A historic special review district ordinance draft that has inflamed municipal meetings will not come before Newcastle voters this calendar year. On Monday, Oct. 23, the Newcastle Select Board scheduled a January workshop to review the draft ordinance with planners and legal counsel.

Litigation between the town of Alna and resident Jeff Spinney has ended after three years and three lawsuits, with a settlement agreement signed Thursday, Oct. 19 following an impassioned public hearing.

The Edgecomb Historical Society has sprung back from the brink of dissolving and taken up detailed plans for the future, beginning with a deep dive into its collections. A major donation allowed the society to hire a professional archivist, begin conversations about shaping its physical archive, and continue the search for a permanent home.