Aug. 9, 1995

Roy Robinson, 90, was in bed upstairs in his Monroe Avenue home in Westbrook when the phone rang at midnight. He ignored it. Not long afterward, the doorbell rang. He ignored it. Then he heard noises. When he went to investigate, a burglar, who had broken in through a cellar window, fled. Westbrook police said the phone-doorbell rings are attempts to spot houses where no one is home. There has been a rash of burglaries in the Monroe and Oakland avenue area.

With $58,000 raised and $82,000 more to be raised by Nov. 1, Westbrook High School Music Boosters are pressing hard to send marching band to the Citrus Bowl at year’s end. The goal is $140,000. “We have a long way to go in a very short time,” said Susan Ford of the Boosters. Several upcoming events are planned for the next few weeks and month.

As of yesterday, no one had submitted a proposed new use of the Frederick Robie School building in Gorham. With an Aug. 15 deadline, the building again faces the threat of the wrecking ball. The Town Council gave the building a 60-day reprieve in June and requested proposals from developers and residents.

Marjorie Arnold of Gorham entertained at a birthday party for her husband Willard, who turned 80 on July 27. Their daughter, Marilyn Arnold, of Washington, D.C., arrived on the birthday and helped arrange a small party the next day for friends and neighbors.

Aug. 10, 2005

A Gorham woman, Karen Paro, is spearheading a petition drive to overturn the Town Council’s decision last week to consolidate the town’s dispatching services with Cumberland County. Town Manager David Cole recommended the consolidation, saying the move would save the town money. The council decision came after if felt assured that the county would hire their six dispatchers. Many fear that the service will decline from consolidation.

The Westbrook Community Chamber is hosting its fifth annual Business Appreciation Picnic on Aug. 18 at Riverbank Park. All Westbrook businesses and employees are invited for fun, food and networking with other Westbrook business people.

Westbrook City Councilor John O’Hara, his wife Judy and their children Kathryn, 13, Molly, 11, and John, 10, have returned from a 11,700-mile journey across the United States. Some of their stops included Washington, D.C., Florida, New Orleans, Dallas, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Niagara Falls. Judy O’Hara said it was their dream trip for several years, calling it an “everlasting, memorable trip of a lifetime.”

After 41 years, Dianne LeConte will be checking out of the Walker Memorial Library for the last time next week. LeConte, who lives in Westbrook with her husband, former City Councilor Paul LeConte, started working there when she was a young mother. She was soon encouraged by the librarian to take courses through Simmons College and became a certified librarian. She’s held several positions at the library, including interim library director for the past year.