What an uplifting delight to read Doug Wright’s “Country Wedding.” (“View from over the Hill” LCN, 8/27/09, page 11B) Then when I looked at the history item above (“Damariscotta History”), there was a house on the right that my grandmother Marion Newell once owned. Across the road from her was Uncle Paul and Aunt Catherine Stevens.

I would like to say a big thank you to the CHIP volunteers who came to my old house for Community Cares Day on Sept. 12.

I’d like to address the accusatory tone of last week’s article on the Oyster Creek project. (Belvedere Rd. project delayed by rain and vandals,” Page 1)

The Damariscotta River Association bids farewell to our Director of Lands and Stewardship of six years, Steven Hufnagel.

This November’s State Ballot will include Question 3 (Citizen Initiative): “Do you want to repeal the 2007 law on school district consolidation and restore the laws previously in effect?”

State issues

Public hearings to be held on Comprehensive Land Use Plan

The Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) has scheduled three public hearings regarding its proposed Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

Domestic violence educators often talk about the importance of the community’s response as a critical and valuable tool to help end intimate partner violence. Collective voices stating clearly, “Violent behavior in a relationship is never acceptable,” is not only the right action, it is a necessary one.

Apparently a few years back, back in the days when Maine was truly part of the American frontier, a dispute raged among local homesteaders and people from away who claimed legal title to land Mainers had claimed with muscle, blood and sweat.

Predictably, the put-upon rose to defend their claims with humanity’s age-old standby… violence.

Last Thursday I attended a presentation on tax reform convened by the group Fed Up with Taxes. The event featured a presentation by Al DiMillo, an accountant and self-proclaimed Democrat. DiMillo is no fan of the recently passed proposal that effectively creates a flat income tax rate of 6.5 percent and broadens the sales tax to increase revenues from non-residents and stabilize revenues over time.

I’m responding to last week’s letter to the editor, “Get the Bypass Built,” written by Dick Chutter from Round Pond.

As a downtown business and resident of Wiscasset, I am in total agreement with his letter and concerns except the part about boycotting the local businesses. As far as I know, most of the local business owners here are and have been in favor of this long over due bypass. If we had it our way, the bypass would have been built yesterday.

I was really interested to note that there were three submissions of Letters to The Editor in the August 20, 2009 edition of `The Lincoln County News. I suspect, the recent heat wave coupled with long drive times due to traffic backups in Wiscasset heightened the level of frustration for many people trying to get somewhere that required passing through Wiscasset.

Hardly a week goes by without some sort of a car accident to report.

In particular, as of late, there seems to be a rash of accidents involving motorcycles in Lincoln County.

The children’s summer reading program at the Wiscasset Public Library came to an end on Aug. 6 with a pizza party held on the lawn outside the Children’s Room. Over 60 children and adults attended the party.

We recently spent some time visiting a dear friend, Faye Hauck, in Waldoboro. We were looking for a good restaurant in your area and Faye highly recommended 995 Main.