Next week, famed mountaineer Ed Webster comes to Skidompha Library in Damariscotta for a talk and book signing. The amiable Webster will discuss his five years in Tibet and highlight his pioneering of a never-before-climbed route up Mt. Everest.

To read the national headlines, it seems 2009 could be the year that the newspaper industry goes the way of the Dodo.

However, now would be the time for us to raise a shaky finger and say something like, in our best Monty Pythonesque voice, “But we’re not dead yet.”

It’s hard to tell how fitting it is that we lose two local icons within days of each other this past week, but our losses are certainly in keeping with the tone of the current times.

I want to take the time to thank Barb Bowers, the Board of the Lincoln Theater and those that generously contributed in order to bring the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD to Damariscotta.

We citizens of Wiscasset have tried the town manager form of government for half a decade.

As a taxpayer, I think we voters should go back to a three person select board comprised of people who comprehend the particulars of an historical coastal town intersected by major arterial routes.

Hagar Enterprises Inc. would like to thank the plowing crew of John Prior Inc., for their help with the storm of Feb. 23-24. During this storm a tree fell down blocking the Lessner Rd. at the Biscay Rd. end. John and his drew offered to plow Lessner Rd. for us until the tree could be cleared away and the road opened.

In the last week or so I have come across a true life incident right here in Lincoln County that illustrates the absurdity of our current health insurance system.

On behalf of the Bristol Area Library, I want to encourage the residents of Bristol to show their support of our library by voting in favor of the proposed budget of $13,000 at the Town Meeting on March 17.

It is difficult to quote individuals accurately, and certainly it was more arduous than usual to quote any of the participants in the March 9 Newcastle Board of Selectmen’s meeting.

Newcastle voters will have the opportunity to make some serious and important decisions regarding how Newcastle is governed and spends its hard earned tax dollars next Monday, March 30. The polls will open at the Newcastle Community Room at the Fire Station on River Rd at 10 a.m. and will close at 6 p.m.

I endorse Casey Stevens of Newcastle for Selectman.

Casey firmly believes that taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely and our town government must be truly transparent. Casey believes that Newcastle residents deserve a monthly accountability of funds spent by posting what is spent each month on the town’s web site and available as a handout at the town office.

As a former Trustee of the Waldoboro Public Library, I wish to thank you for your excellent article in last week’s The Lincoln County News. All of us are very proud of our new library and the ever increasing use of this building.

Being an independent voter I followed your campaign very closely and came to the conclusion that I would support you if you were running for President of my college fraternity. Your charm and charisma would certainly attract an ample supply of ladies to our parties and your glib oratory would keep us from harms-way with college officials when we drifted into Animal House activities.

The time has come to do something about the bottleneck traffic situation in Wiscasset. It should and could be done now.