Others have testified to Frank Avantaggio’s contributions to the community and the hospital, and they were immense; and to his surgical skills, which were formidable.

Recent transplants to the Damariscotta area may best know Dr. Avantaggio, if at all, as the kindly old man who tended Skidompha’s Secondhand Book Shop in recent years. By then, Dr. Avantaggio was long established as a pillar of the community.

It is unfortunate that Mr. Craig Elliot felt compelled to send a rant to the LCN (“Is this the change Obama promised?” LCN, 2/15/15. Page 4), just because one young man and his hard working family pursuing the American dream were able to acquire affordable healthcare.

The Internal Revenue Code now contains 3.8 million words, or the equivalent of 13,000 pages of a 300 words per page book. The Internal Revenue Service Rules and Regulations are about twice that size. With all the exemptions, deductions and incentives, this vast tax code is much too complicated and makes it very difficult for citizens and corporations to calculate and pay their taxes without computer software, or an accountant, or lawyer.

For those of us from away who have chosen to make our home here, there is a process that happens over a period of years that transforms the community from a new home to a home to just home.

The recent accident in Edgecomb where the vehicle involved was taking a left-hand turn into the pottery business was upsetting to me. As a longtime instructor, now retired, for the AARP Driver Safety program, we always suggest avoiding left turns if at all possible.

The holidays have come and gone and the people of Waldoboro have been amazing once again. As always, I feel very privileged to be part of such a wonderful and generous event. This year’s Waldoboro Toy Program went very well, with a lot of help from a lot of you.

The letter from Susan van Alsenoy (“Rightfully protesting,” Dec. 11) regarding the protests and her suggestion that the “decisions” from grand juries have permitted police officers to kill black men with impunity, surprised me.

The other day my friend and I were discussing what was happening in the world of inequality.

I am working on my family genealogy and would like to know if anyone has information on Lucy E. Rumrill: born December 1843; married Uriah Lowell, March 19, 1861; died June 19, 1871. She is buried in the Foye Cemetery in Wiscasset. Any information on the Rumrill or Lowell families would be appreciated.

Some things in life transcend dollars and cents. The feeling of home is one such thing. A home is more than lumber, plumbing, and assorted nests of wires – it’s a personal expression of our intimate feelings.

People like to complain about the media and we understand that. Given the state of our industry these days, it’s too easy to do. (Looking at you, MSNBC, Fox News, et al.)

Congratulations to those of us who survived this most recent Storm of the Century; Stormageddon, the Snowpocalypse, the latest, biggest, baddest threat to life as we know it … or something like that.

Like so many others, my wife and I moved from Boston to Maine in 2013 for the improved quality of life. We didn’t want to raise our newborn daughter in a crowded and expensive city, but rather a beautiful, peaceful place surrounded by a community of caring people. We moved to a quiet town in the Midcoast and haven’t looked back.