The Damariscotta Planning Board granted conditional approval Jan. 3 for a change-of-use application that will allow a Bremen woman to open a restaurant and theater space in the former home of the Christian Science Reading Room.

The four South Bristol residents who traveled to Fort Kent Jan. 14-17 to cut ice for a unique, 80-foot by 28-foot ice castle reported a successful weekend.

The Waldoboro Police report the following activities from the previous weeks:

ComplaintsDec. 20, 2010, Officer Thomas Bartunek is investigating a report from Maritime Energy of criminal mischief done to one of their work vans while in Waldoboro; $300 in damage was done.

Gregory Vrooman, the State Trooper charged with one count of unlawful sexual contact and one count of tampering with a witness, made his initial appearance in Lincoln County Superior Court in Wiscasset on Jan. 27.

The exchange between Newcastle officials and the Newcastle Fire Co. regarding the proposed purchase of a new, $300,000-plus rescue pumper continued this week.

Newcastle Publick House, LLC, the Newcastle Harbor House applicant, did not meet conditions of approval set by the Newcastle Planning Board, rendering the applicant’s permit “moot,” town attorney Peter Drum said.

The nor’easter presently moving through Lincoln County is bringing a more intense snowfall than originally forecast, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). A revised Winter Storm Warning issued by the NWS calls for snowfall rates of 2-3 inches per hour, up from the 1-2 inches originally forecast. Another factor is that the storm path appears to have altered, changing the duration of intense snowfall. The original forecast called for several hours of intense snowfall in the morning hours. Presently the forecast calls for intense snowfall to continue into the early afternoon.

Anna Belknap, a successful actor on the popular CBS television series CSI:NY playing Crime Scene Investigator Detective Lindsay Monroe Messer, is back in her hometown of Damariscotta celebrating the Christmas holiday with her friends, family, and parents Louise and David Belknap.

On Dec. 18, Somerville firefighters discovered the generator they used to power the furnace at their new fire station on Rt. 105 had been stolen.

An act of vandalism left a New Harbor couple and their Huddle Road neighborhood reeling Jan. 15.

The Wiscasset Police report the following activities from the previous weeks:

ComplaintsDec. 20, 2010, Officer Michael A Smith performed a property check for an area businesses.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has withdrawn a Winter Weather Advisory in regard to a massive storm that was forecast to drop into Lincoln County beginning Wednesday evening and hang around until Thursday morning. The NWS is now calling for only several inches of snowfall along the coastline only.

In response to a recent American Lung Association (ALA) report card that gave the state of Maine mixed reviews for its anti-smoking efforts, Rep. Les Fossel (R-Alna) has proposed raising the legal age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21.

During a meeting of the Lincoln County Commissioners Jan. 18, Lincoln County Recycling Coordinator Mike Thompson presented the Board with a 2010 recycling revenue summary that showed a total savings of $218,964.65 for the county.