"Congress shall make no law.... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press....." 1st Amendment US Constitution

Writing and Photography by Lee and Connie Rand

Are you witnessing news or local events? E-mail us the info and photos. Photo credit given if used. TEXT ANY BREAKING NEWS YOU SEE TO THE LINCOLN AREA WEBSITE AT 413-853-2327

Weather alerts will be posted here. *

November 12 - Smart's True Value Hardware in downtown Lincoln has a new look today. A new sign was installed this morning on the front of the store. 

- Photo by Lee Rand

November 11 - A small crowd attended today's Veterans Day ceremony at the Lincoln Veterans Memorial on Goding Avenue. Heartfelt appreciation of the sacrifices of veterans and active-duty troops were voiced by veterans' groups and political figures. The ceremony finished with a traditional salute fired by the color guard and the playing of Taps. We were privileged to be there to bring you coverage of this important event. CLICK HERE for our photo slideshow.

Most of us have had loved ones serving our country through military service. The memorial pictured above is covered on both sides with the names of men and women who served this nation well. As was mentioned in some of the speeches this morning, our very right to gather for the ceremony was paid for by the efforts of those who gave their time, and sometimes their lives, to serve. Someday when you can spare a quiet moment to reflect on the names inscribed on the monument, see if you can find those of people you know or even family menbers. 

- Connie Rand

November 11 - Just before Lincoln's Veterans Day ceremony began this morning, I witnessed a special flyover. A majestic bald eagle soared over the Veterans Memorial! I took the photo above as it passed overhead.

- Connie Rand

November 7 - The above pictured Penobscot Valley Explorer is the last edition of that newspaper to be published, it was learned today. The free newspaper that was started last March never really took off, and lasted only 31weeks. The publication listed Robert Pushard as "Publisher" and Steve Brown as "Explorer In Chief". It listed a Main Street address in Bangor as its address.

Steve Brown, the paper's "Explorer In Chief", wrote in his prepared statement "…I was not expecting it to close." Ad revenue " didn't grow enough to support the paper" he said in the statement released today. Their main competition was The Lincoln News, a popular local hometown paper that has served the Lincoln area well for over 50 years. Brown has been involved in a Facebook page and website that many feel tried to compete with www.WelcomeToLincolnMaine.com, Lincoln's comprehensive area website that generates over 6,500 hits every week, and has been online for several years. Lee and Connie Rand own and operate that website and its very active companion Facebook page, Welcome To Lincoln, Maine.

After being turned down twice by the Rands (who did not want to get into the newspaper business), Robert Pushard turned to Steve Brown and the two of them launched The Penobscot Valley Explorer earlier this year. Pushard has published several area newspapers in the past, including one in Millinocket.

There have been a couple attempts to compete with The Lincoln News over the years, the last being in the 1990's. None were successful, and they only lasted several months at best. The Lincoln News itself has been preparing to make its presence known on the Internet with its new "News" website being designed by Connie Rand of RAND ADVERTISING LLC, a Lincoln-based advertising agency. Rand Advertising has been in business since 1988 and, as mentioned above, maintains the popular Lincoln area website WelcomeToLincolnMaine.com.

David Whalen, general manager of The Lincoln News, said "We have a dedicated team developing our web site and we're very excited about it." The Lincoln News site will be launched in the very near future, so keep your eyes open for it!

For complete, official voting results from Lincoln, CLICK HERE.

"From November 1 to April 1 between 12:01 am and 6:00 am all vehicles are prohibited from parking upon any public way in the Town of Lincoln except in cases of emergency. The Police Chief or any police officer may cause any vehicle so parked on any public way to be moved and placed in a suitable parking space off the publc way street, at the expense of the owner of such vehicle, and without the Town or any of its employees being liable for any damage that may be caused by such removal.

Winter night-time parking permits may be issued to tenants of residential apartments located on Main Street between Lake Street and Burton Street where there is no off-street parking with the building. The permit will allow night-time parking in the Veterans Memorial Square, rows 2 and 3 on the side adjacent to Mechanic Street. Any permitted vehicle must be removed by 7:00 am to allow for snow removal. No vehicles will be allowed to park in the front or rear rows of the parking lot. Each apartment will be entitled to no more than two parking permits. Permit holders shall be responsible for moving any snow in and around the permitted vehicle in order to move said vehicle from the parking area.

The Town of Lincoln shall issue a permit for all authorized vehicles. Permits shall be displayed on the rear driver's side window of the vehicle. Any vehicle not displaying a permit shall be subject to removal in accordance with Section 1407.3.7 of this ordinance."

My name is Dolores King Phillips, but everyone knows me as Dolly.  I grew up in Lincoln, moved to the Portland area for 18 years and moved back to Lincoln 9 years ago.  I lost my husband to cancer 7 years ago and have been striving to raise my 4 boys, with the help of family and friends, since then.  One of my sources of joy is to volunteer in my sons’ classrooms.  I have been doing this since my college sophomore son was in Kindergarten.  I have dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours to our school system in the classroom and in other areas such as the booster clubs.  For 4 years, I served as treasurer to the Athletic Boosters.  I have also worked with the music boosters for the past 2 years.  Although never holding a “leadership” position, I was active in the Boy Scouts program when the boys were involved.  I served on the Drop-out Prevention Committee during its time here in RSU 67, working to help bring an alternative education program to Lincoln.  This ultimately resulted in the opening of the Carleton Project.  I am a member of the Parent Advisory Committee that works to bring workshops to families in the community on such subjects as “Cyber Citizenship” (coming up on Thur, Nov 8^th).  I have also been very active in my home church, doing whatever I can to be supportive.  I believe my track record in volunteerism speaks for itself.  Serving on the school board is just another avenue for me to serve my community.

Why are you seeking election to the board?  

As a parent in this community, I have been actively involved in the schools.  Over the past year, I have become more interested in how the school board functions.  I believe I can do valuable research that can aid in better communication between the school board, the taxpayers, and the district staff. I see the needs of the kids, teachers, school, and the community and am willing to give my time and energy in service to meet those needs.

What are you goals if elected?

My main goal is establish a more transparent communications between the board and the community.  I would like to see more open dialogue about decisions being made.  I would like to see more questions being asked about what is taking place in our district.  Over the past few months, we have seen more of this happening, but under the current stress our district is in, I believe, it must happen regularly, until we are back to a  “business as usual” climate.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the district and how can the district improve?

One of our greatest assets is our quality staff.  They are a dedicated group of people who strive to provide a caring environment for all students.  The moral in our district is at an all-time low.  We need to spend some time and energy into rebuilding trust and supporting the staff.  We, as a board, need to provide strong, compassionate, caring leadership and bring some unity to a much divided community. 

Do you favor the repurchase of the Dr. Carl Troutt School in Mattawamkeag?

I do not support this purchase.  Although great figures are being provided regarding what the costs will be, there is too much conjecture and speculation on what the revenues will be.  We have been told that there is a waiting list of up to 60 students waiting for a place to go.  While this might be true, the conversations I’ve had with another district, don’t hold up to this speculation.  In these economic times, I’m rather leaning towards being more fiscally conservative then being a speculator.  I fully support the Carleton Project, but I don’t support the vision of making RSU 67 a “regional” Carleton Project. 

What are the key issues facing the district and how would you help solve them?

One of the key issues is the FACT that the community doesn’t feel any trust in the leadership of the school board of the superintendent.  We have to find a way to restore some sense of TRUST.  I, honestly, don’t know what the answer is to this question, other than to say we all need to work together and find the answer.  I don’t think “those in the know” have been listened to (teachers, staff) and that people who haven’t set foot inside a classroom have been making decisions based on trust in the wrong person.  I believe, we need to take a step back, listen to the quality staff that have been in the trenches and do some of our own research.  I will not just take at face value information given me, but check for accuracies and other options.

In closing, I’m going to just refer to a piece that I put on my website, dollyphillips.com, that kind of sums me up.  I am an emotional person, but I try very hard to not respond EMOTIONALLY.  I feel things (especially people's pain) deeply, but try to give myself time to pray and think BEFORE reacting. However, I am human and sometimes get a little caught by a knee-jerk reaction. I can promise to do my best....to not slack once elected to the board, but to continue to bring out the FACTS and let people decide for themselves based on complete information. I will always be honest, and I will work very hard to treat those, even when we disagree on something, with respect.