Roland Sanborn, 83, of Fort Hill Road in Gorham, is a dowser. He says he can find water and clear up polluted wells with his dowsing rod. “I’m different., I know I’m different, but it’s for a good cause,” he said. “Certain people have the talent for dowsing. I know that. It’s a God-given talent.”

Three Gorham juveniles who fled to Illinois during the investiation of four separate bomb threat incidents against Gorham High School have returned voluntarily to face charges in the case. The three male students, all 17, were brought into the Gorham police station by their parents Saturday to be charged with terrorizing, a class C felony. The boys have been released to their parents pending a Nov. 18 arraignment. Gorham Police Chief David Kurz said extortionary tactics accompanied the bomb threats. The boys demanded an amount of money and threatened to blow up the school if they didn’t get it, Kurz said.

The Westbrook School Committee will get the figures next week on holding Westrook High School’s graduation exercises next June in the Cumberland County Civic Center instead of the traditional high school gym. Committee member Arnold Gaudet suggested the civic center at the request of a constituent. He said a preliminary rough estimate is $1,500. If another school held graduation there the same day, they might share some of the costs of setting up.

The old Richardson place, 510 Main St., Gorham, has been transformed into the medical offices of Gorham Health Associates. The house, built in 1808, was the home of the Richardson family, who farmed in that area for many years. Renovations have retained the spirit of the early 19th-century farmhouse, according to Scott Benson, an architect who did the restoration.

Westbrook resident Michael P. O’Donnell, a USM professor and former high school teacher, is the 1987 recipient of the Maine Reading Association’s “Celebrate Literacy Award.” He is the founder of the USM Reading Academy, an adult literacy program that has served more than 600 people during the past three years. He also wrote a reading series titled “In the Know,” and just completed the book, “The Development of Literacy,” with Margo Wood, USM associate professor of education.

Carl and Linda Mattson of Gorham are asking for help in naming their golden retriever puppy. In fact, they’re offering their three-bedroom home to the person who comes up with the name they like the best. Submit a name for their puppy, the reason for choosing it in 50 words or less and $100. Then in December the Mattsons will select their favorite and give whoever submitted it the keys to their house, along with the 11?2 acres it sits on. Linda Mattson said her husband got the idea after a bad ecperience with a real estate broker. “We wanted to move,” she said, “but we didn’t want to go through another broker.” A minimum of 1,700 entries must be received.

Nov. 5, 1997

James Bennett announced to a City Council committee last week that the city of Westbrook is working with a new corporation that will sell cut-price electricity from a proposed gas-fired generating plant to customers who will be urged to buy their oil, natural gas and gasoline from it, too. He said he and other officials have been meeting with John Tompkins of Connecticut and Brian Chernak of York Harbor. The state won’t let power companies sell directly to consumers after March 1, 2000, he said, and the city can help customers and help the proposed gas-fired plant by helping set up a new middleman company. Bennet said Tompkins and Chernack helped develop the proposal for a city-owned electric utility company that Westbrook voters rejected in 1994. No City Council action is necessary, Bennett said later.

Westbrook High School’s renowned marching band lost the state championship to Biddeford High School Saturday by a tenth of a point – 99.25 Westbrook, 95.35 Biddeford. So 1997 goes down as only the second year in 13 that Westbrook hasn’t been state champion among high school marking bands of more than 55 members (Westbrook has 90-plus). “We’ll be back,” said George Bookataub, Westbrook school music director.

James Dyer went before the Gorham Planning Board this week to ask for a reconsideration of the vote on his firewood cutting operation off the Mitchell Hill Road. He was turned down again. Clark Neily made the motion to reconsider the unanimous vote in October which turned down his efforts to make his business legal. Monique Myers seconded it. But when it came time to vote, Neily was the only one to approve allowing the public to comment. Dyer wasn’t allowed to talk about his operation.

Glenn and Polla Semple, Osborne Road, Gorham, had a wonderful nine-day trip to Hawaii this fall. After a short layover in Honolulu and a view of Diamond Head, they went on to Wailea on Maui and enjoyed some beautiful swimming and the warm ocean waters. A helicopter took them to Ataui the rain forest, where they viewed the area that was the setting for the movie, “Jurassic Park.”

New officers for the Gorham Historical Society are David Fogg, president; David Hutchins, vice president; Janet Couture, treasurer; Emma Gilman, secretary; and Jane Nelsen, executive secretary.

Peter Beckwith, formerly a bilingual pastor for a multi-ethnic congregation in Tokyo, will be installed as the new pastor of the South Baptist Church on Nov. 9. Beckwith is the 21st minister to serve at South Gorham this century. He received his master’s of divinity from Andover Newton Theological Seminary in 1982. He was pastor of the First Baptist Church in Houlton before going to Japan.

At 152 Main St., the W. J. Winters Co. operated out of a small building located at the rear of a parking lot for several years before moving to 155 Warren Ave. The Birdland Restaurant was the next tenant for a short time. A-1 Steak Pit took over the building, which later became the Chez Plaza Restaurant & Lounge. A spectacular fire destroyed the building in the early 1970s.Thomas Sing purchased the lot and constructed a new building closer to Main Street. Sing’s Restaurant specialized in Cantonese, Polynesian & American menu items. In 1976, Victor Lo and Henry Ko purchased the building and business and changed the name to the Polynesian Village Restaurant & Lounge featuring the the same food specialties.The Polynesian Village operated under several different owners before closing years ago. Rowe Special Credit occupies this site. To see more historical photos and artifacts, visit the Westbrook Historical Society at the Fred C. Wescott Building, 426 Bridge St. Inquiries can be emailed to westhistorical@myfairpoint.net. The website is www.westbrookhistoricalsociety.org.