Dear Lincoln County News Staff and Readers,

A Chicago researcher, I’m currently working on a project that includes Erastus Foote Jr., born in Wiscasset in 1851. After moving to Chicago in 1868, he opened the Dearborn Foundry Co. in 1873. Foote was president of this Chicago business until he retired and returned to Wiscasset in 1914. Upon his death in 1932, he was buried in Wiscasset. The Wood-Foote house remains standing in the town.

To the Editor:

Is it just me – or do others feel appalled and violated when, in reading a library book, they come upon comments and underlines on these sacred pages?

To the Editor:

Whereas I am very happy that the Whitefield School is celebrating diversity day by exposing our kids to examples of various other cultures, cooking, religion, and ethnic customs, I couldn’t help but notice the glaring omission of sexual minorities.

Last Sunday morning one of our Boat Shop apprentices was in a bad car accident at the Bristol Area Library. As she drove down the Old County Road on that snowy Sunday morning, she found that she was unable to stop with the icy, snowy conditions, and slid out into Rt. 130, unfortunately striking the oncoming snowplow. Both vehicles were totaled. It was a sad morning.

To the Editor:

This past week, the American Lung Association released its annual report card. This report has received significant attention across the state.

How sad to see a circa 1800 homestead on U.S. Rt. 1 in Wiscasset demolished to make way for a McDonald’s fast-junk-food restaurant. I checked out the old house awhile back and it had original nine-over-six windows, wide-board wainscoting and other details. It could easily have been saved.

To the Editor:

As thorough as the story was and with wonderful pictures of members of the Elder Power network I find it a little disconcerting that Mr. Gelarden mentions that other professionals in the area questioned the qualifications of the caregivers of Elder Power.

We would love to be the good news newspaper. We would love to be the good news newspaper all the time. Unfortunately, news doesn’t work like that.

Changing Newcastle’s fiscal year from January-December to July-June will effect the timing of the annual town meeting and the terms of elected municipal officials and appointments.

To the Editor:

When I was a child, I, like so many others, marched in parades with my little American flag, proud to be an American.

To the Editor:

About 90 Sheepscot Valley RSU 12 voters turned out Jan. 16 to discuss and adopt a budget for the current school year.

When you read a book, do you read just a sentence or two in a paragraph, selectively? Do you read just a paragraph or two from a chapter? I think not. More likely than not, you read the entire book, from prologue to epilogue. Why not pick up a Bible and read it from Genesis to Revelation? Everything is in there, from dog vomit to eternal salvation. Think of the myriad topics between those two extremes.

What a terrible start to the year we are off to.

It seems that hopes of leaving the doom and gloom of 2009 behind us with the ringing in of the New Year may have been optimistic, but there is still plenty of time left to salvage a really good year out of this really rough start.

This week, we tip our cap to Dr. Allan “Chip” Teel and his effort to provide at home care for elderly residents too healthy to need full-time nursing care and too infirm to live completely on their own.