The Lincoln County News

Drought drove Laurel Banks to leave her native land in Northern California in search of lush, green pastures to raise her flock of grass-fed Gotland sheep. Maine’s growing reputation as a haven for independent, small-scale farms directed her to Whitefield, where she and her husband Josh established Shepherds Craft Farm on Townhouse Road last year.

After a sound check and a few pre-interview bits of advice from “Spotlight on Seniors” host Steve Raymond, 74-year-old Corea resident Beth Parks was ready for the June 28 taping of her appearance on the Lincoln County Television interview series produced and hosted by Raymond at LCTV’s Newcastle studio. Raymond is also the director of home care and community outreach at The Lincoln Home in Newcastle.

The Pemaquid Watershed Association recently welcomed Jennifer Hicks as the organization’s new executive director.

After about a year out of town for repairs, the Wiscasset Fire Department’s ladder truck is back in service. The truck made its public comeback in Wiscasset’s Fourth of July parade. The truck had been out of service since losing a rear wheel during a June 2015 training exercise.

A cellphone company has begun the process of building a tower in Whitefield after voters overwhelmingly approved amending the wireless communications facility ordinance at the June 14 election. The Whitefield Board of Selectmen reviewed a letter from Black Diamond Consultants, which is representing U.S. Cellular, on Tuesday, July 5.

An invasive moth is on the rise throughout parts of Maine, including Lincoln County, according to local scientists and doctors.

Walter Hilton, the unofficial mayor of Damariscotta, a former longtime selectman, and a die-hard Lincoln Academy supporter, passed away unexpectedly June 20 at the age of 67.

About 75 Westport Island voters attended their annual town meeting Saturday, June 25, at the historic town hall.

After making a name for himself in the worlds of architecture, robotics, and solar energy, a Newcastle man has embarked on a new business venture: manufacturing ornaments.

A local World War II-era veteran was recently able to travel to Washington, D.C. thanks to the efforts of a national organization that flies veterans to the capital to see the memorials honoring their service. Ralph Bond, 92, a U.S. Air Force veteran who lives in Jefferson, left Portland International Jetport on June 10 and spent the next couple of days in and around the nation’s capital thanks to Honor Flight Maine. Bond’s daughter, Julie Stegna, of Walpole, accompanied her father on the trip.

The Wiscasset Fire Department is preparing a petition to bring the question of whether volunteer firefighters can wash their personal vehicles at the station to a townwide vote. While the language on the petition is still in development, community members are already calling the fire station to ask where they can sign, Fire Chief T.J. Merry said.

Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap presented a centennial award to The Bristol Village Improvement Society in front of the Bristol Mills water trough June 22.

The Illinois city of Zion has asked Wiscasset to back federal legislation that would compensate municipalities where spent nuclear fuel is stored.