Waldoboro Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer said an accidental Jan. 5 fire at Prock Farm on Winslow Mills Rd. in Waldoboro, appears to have started when wood stored near an outdoor furnace ignited.

In the wake of a year marked by record high landings and low boat prices in the lobster fishery, Maine Dept. of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher will conduct a series of public forums to seek input into the state of the industry and recommendations for the future.

Wiscasset Police Chief Troy Cline arrested Michael Mingo, 35, of Wiscasset on Jan. 29 at 4:35 p.m.

The town of Bristol is looking for volunteers to staff an Olde Bristol Days Committee and help out during the August festival.

The December fire that killed a 69-year-old woman at her Bristol home was “intentionally set” and authorities continue to investigate to determine who was responsible.

Erica Baldwin said her family of five owes its survival to her young son.

The Bristol Board of Selectmen will decide whether to hire a full-time town office employee as it prepares the municipal budget for annual town meeting.

An earthquake registering 2.4 on the Richter scale hit Lincoln County at 1:20 p.m., according to Tod Hartung of the Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency (LCEMA) and other sources. There are conflicting reports regarding the earthquake’s epicenter. Two of those reports have placed the epicenter onshore between Edgecomb and Boothbay Harbor.

A meeting scheduled for Jan. 2 in Boothbay Harbor hosted by the Maine Dept. of Marine Resources to discuss the state of the lobster industry has been re-scheduled.

On a snowy day when most of Maine’s municipal and school administrative offices were closed, Gov. Paul LePage made good on his promise to curtail state spending. The Governor’s Dec. 27 order set limits on the amount of state subsidies for education and other services.

A group of South Bristol property owners who oppose a Department of Transportation-commissioned design for a new bridge over The Gut have proposed an alternative.

Sheriff Todd Brackett reports the following:

On Dec. 24, Deputy Mark Bridgham responded to a report of criminal mischief to a motor vehicle in the Somerville area. The complainant stated that someone flattened two tires of his older model Mazda. The value of replacement tires is approximately $100. Further investigation to follow if any leads develop.

The Lincoln Academy Board of Trustees will host the final two head-of-school candidates during a public forum on Tuesday, Jan. 29 and Friday, Feb. 1, at 3:15 p.m.

Among other improvements, three new traffic signals on Route 1 are in the works for the Wiscasset Village and Edgecomb, according to Gerry Audibert, a special projects engineer for the Department of Transportation.