A majority of the Westbrook School Committee objected Wednesday to putting an extra adult on every school bus, but a decision was put off until Sept. 28. Other ideas considered included having bus drivers report by radio every 30 minutes and training volunteers or high school students to ride on each bus. Prompting the discussion was an incident the occurred on the first day of school, in which a bus driver took 65 first- and second-graders on a frightening ride before being arrested for operating under the influence of prescription drugs.

Jeff Grossman, administrative assistant to the major, said he has switched Westbrook’s advertising away from the American Journal and over to the Suburban News. Lionel Dumond, chairman of the City Council’s Finance Committee, will ask his committee to review that decision, probably next week. Grossman said he did it to get a better price. He told Dumond he has sent a directive to every department head telling each, no more AJ ads. Harry Foote, publisher, said it’s an obvious attempt to suppress information about the City Hall thefts.

For the first time in its history, the Gorham School Department will pay a private contractor for some high school maintenance work. The School Committee last week approved a $77,144 contract with the Don Foudrait Co. of Gorham to provide custodial services augmenting those done by the 10 full-time and two part-time school employees. The need for additional help occurred because the high school expansion project is ahead of schedule. As the year progresses, more space will open. For one year it was believed less costly to hire out the additional work rather than to add personnel as the workload increased.

Roger W. Maloney Sr., Marilyn Avenue, Westbrook, accompanied by his youngest son, Roger W. Maloney Jr., recently flew to Tennessee for a reunion of the 483rd Army Aircraft Artillery Battery. Roger Sr. entered the Army in 1943, and served nine months on Iwo Jima. He was discharged Jan. 1, 1946. He and his wife, the former Virginia Mackie, moved to Marilyn Avenue on Christmas Day 1956. She died in 1993.

Jennifer Verrill of Westbrook, a senior at Rhode Island College, was named one of the top college gymnasts in the country for the third consecutive year by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastic Coaches for Women. Verrill’s perfect 4.00 average was matched by only 12 other collegiate gymnasts.

Julie Berry and her tribe, Yasur, have survived the first episode of the CBS reality show, “Survivor.” Berry, 23, of Gorham was chosen for the Yasur tribe on the tropical island of Vanuatu. Her tribe earned the immunity challenge by winning an obstacle course that included a maze and balancing across a beam. Sue Thurston, Berry’s JV softball coach and a physical education teacher at Gorham High School, said she admired Berry’s performance. “I thought she did great. She was below the radar. The less airtime that anybody gets early on is good.” Heather Nelson, Berry’s summer employer at Beal’s Ice Cream, said Berry “showed initiative. She’s very friendly. She got along really well with everyone.”

After just one year of cheese making, Silvery Moon Creamery of Westbrook has placed second in three categories in a national competition sponsored by the American Cheese Society. Its three award-winning cheeses are Rosemary’s Waltz, Tally Ho with Peppercorn and French Herbed Curd. Silvery Moon Creamery is owned by Jennifer Betancourt in partnership with the Knight family of Smiling Hill Farm. Betancourt, who studied agriculture at Cornell, first learned to make goat cheese at an inn near Wiscasset. Moving to Portland, she bought milk from Smiling Hill Farm and continued cheese making in her apartment. Roger Knight, who began making cheese at the farm, offered her an opportunity to join the cheese business. Betancourt and her husband, David, now live in an apartment above the barn that houses the Smiling Hill herd of cows. The cheese is made in vats at the farm’s dairy plant.

The $4.2 million renovation of Westbrook’s Congin School is getting great reviews as the new school year is underway. “This is more than 100 percent better,” said Principal Peter Lancia. “It’s clean, it’s bright and it’s attractive.” The building, which opened in 1974, was remodeled to allow as much natural light as possible. The inside was completely gutted and just one interior wall in the gym remains from the original interior. Lancia said the building now has plenty of room for its 340 students and enough room for expansion.

Come November, the Whitney Rose Garden will have a new home. Due to the sale of the old police station and its land, the garden will be moved from its home next to the old station to a new site at the intersection of Route 25 and Main Street. Ellie Saunders, whose family donated the money for the garden and still pays for its upkeep, said she is satisfied with the new site. She said the garden was given by her family in memory of local dentist Dr. Ralph Whitney and his wife, Mildred. She and her sisters all worked for Whitney, and her family became close to his.

The Gorham Town Council will discuss the possible implications of a statewide tax-cap referendum at a workshop this week. At a Sept. 8 meeting, the council approved a resolution encouraging residents to vote against it.