NEW GLOUCESTER — Residents of New Gloucester will be treated to a special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus on Christmas Eve as part of a tradition that has spanned 52 years. This year, the Clauses will visit Thompson’s Orchard, Town Hall and Upper Village to meet children and distribute goodie bags. John Kiley’s family began […]
Jane Vaughan
Jane Vaughan has been a reporter with the Lakes Region Weekly since 2018. She covers nine towns in the Lakes Region and a variety of topics, including local politics and education stories across five school districts. She has experience working in print, digital, and radio journalism and enjoys telling stories across platforms. She holds a BA in English from Wellesley College. Outside of work, Jane enjoys swimming, boxing, and spending time outside. She lives in Cape Elizabeth.
Posted inLakes Region Weekly, Southern Forecaster
‘Superhero Scarlett’ collects 50 pounds of food for pantry
GRAY — A 7-year-old Gray resident recently gathered 50 pounds of food for the Gray Community Food Pantry to help “make kids happy and families happy.” It took Scarlett Booth, who also held a food drive last year, only three weeks to collect the food. Her mother, Christina Booth, owns Learning Garden Childcare in Gray, and […]
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Posted inLakes Region Weekly, Southern Forecaster
Windham council debates cluster subdivisions
WINDHAM — Town councilors vigorously discussed cluster subdivisions at their meeting Tuesday night, going beyond a discussion of the ordinance amendments proposed by the Planning Board, which were “not good enough.” Cluster subdivisions permit a reduction in lot size in exchange for half of the available property being preserved as open space. Since last year, the […]
Posted inSouthern Forecaster
Moratorium not unfair to Copps, town attorney says
WINDHAM — Elvin Copp and his son Randy Copp have filed written arguments in their lawsuit over the town’s mineral extraction moratorium, and the town has four weeks to respond. The Copps, of CSG Properties and Copp Equipment, filed a lawsuit against the town in May after the Town Council passed a 180-day mineral extraction moratorium in […]
Posted inSouthern Forecaster
Loon Echo closing in on Peabody-Fitch Woods purchase
BRIDGTON — A $50,000 match grant from an anonymous donor “has provided assurance” to Loon Echo Land Trust that it can purchase the 252 acres of Peabody-Fitch Woods. Loon Echo, a nonprofit organization that protects nearly 7,000 acres across seven towns in the Lakes Region, is running a fundraising campaign to purchase the Peabody-Fitch Woods. The […]
Posted inSouthern Forecaster
Windham hopes to draw more candidates for town manager
WINDHAM — The Town Council will re-open its search for a town manager in January in order to “go back out and get a larger pool of candidates.” After reviewing applications in an executive session Dec. 4, the Town Council decided “they won’t interview anybody from the group right now,” interim town manager Don Gerrish said. […]
Posted inSouthern Forecaster
Community center designs presented
WINDHAM — Planning firm Harriman presented three design concepts for a future community center, a project “that Windham deserves,” at a community forum last week. The Dec. 3 forum, held in Town Council chambers, was hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department. Representatives from Harriman — Senior Urban Planner Emily Innes, Project Architect Sharon Ames and Principal […]
Posted inLakes Region Weekly, Southern Forecaster
Raymond extends manufactured home moratorium
RAYMOND — The Selectboard voted Tuesday to extend an existing moratorium on manufactured, or mobile, homes in order to allow the Planning Board more time “to work on definitions.” The 180-day moratorium was instituted July 31 due to “an increasing number of requests regarding the placement of mobile homes” along the town’s lakes, according to the […]
Posted inSouthern Forecaster
Proposed Standish subdivision has 80 units, 18 lots
STANDISH — The proposed Highlands subdivision between Oak Hill and Route 25 includes an 80-unit village housing section and 18 single-family lots, Jeff Amos of TerraDyne Consultants said Monday. At the Dec. 3 Planning Board meeting, Amos, on behalf of Leavitt-Tompson, presented a site plan and preliminary subdivision application for the proposed project, which also features […]
Posted inSouthern Forecaster
‘Redevelopment welcome’ at Gray Superfund site
GRAY — In a recent comprehensive review of site cleanup at McKin Co., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that abandonment of residential wells within the groundwater ordinance zone is necessary to remedy the site in the long term, but “redevelopment [is] welcome.” Since 1965, the McKin Co. site has been used for a variety of […]