Two council, four
school seats available

Six candidates have taken out nomination papers for Town Council seats with two available, according to Town Clerk Laurie Nordfors.

Additionally, one School Committee candidate has papers out with four openings – three for three-year terms and one to fill a vacancy for a year.

Council candidates so far are John Frank, James Hager, Chris Kelley, Charles Simms, George Vercelli and incumbent Suzanne Phillips, seeking three-year terms. The available seats are those of board Vice Chairperson Ronald Shepard and Phillips.

School Committee Chairperson Sarah Perkins has taken nomination papers out. Expiring terms are those of James Brockman, Nicole Hudson and Perkins.

Completed nomination papers must be returned by 5 p.m. Sept. 7 to the Town Clerk’s Office in the Municipal Center.

The municipal election is set for Nov. 7.

Local documentary
to air on Public TV

A locally-produced documentary about the history of Maine’s gunpowder mills will be available to watch at 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31, and 2 p.m. Sept. 2 on Maine Public Television.

Patrick Bonsant, executive director of Saco River Community Media, and Georgia Humphrey, manager of Gorham Community Access Media, produced the documentary, “Gunpowder Mills of Gorham and Windham.” Humphrey narrates the film.

The documentary was based on the book, “The Gunpowder Mills of Maine,” by the late University of Southern Maine chemistry professor Maurice Whitten of Gorham.

The mills were large employers and major suppliers to Union troops during the Civil War.

50 years ago

The American Journal reported on Aug. 29, 1973, that Cynthia Gray, daughter of Sherman Gray, returned home after attending a 4-H conservation camp at Bryant Pond.

U.S. taxpayer debt

The U.S. Treasury Department reported on Aug. 17 that the U.S. public debt was $32,703,692,544,630.03.