June 20, 1984

A swarm of bees canceled classes at Westbrook’s Prides Corner School Wednesday. The swarm collected on the outside of the building. Administrators sent the children home about 12:30 p.m., fearing that the bees would attack children on the playground or would get into the school, and knowing that some children are allergic to bee stings. School personnel went to the telephone and called the home of every student in school, which has grades kindergarten through 2, to let someone know that the child will be home early. Then they called Robert Lister, a Saccarappa School teacher and beekeeper, to come get the bees.

The Westbrook Housing Authority is proposing to relax its rule forbidding elderly tenants to have pets. But it won’t make pet owning easy. Authority members, meeting last week, were warned that the rules ought to cover the maverick tenant who (as one did in California) brings a cow and goat as pets. Some of the conditions proposed are: Only one pet per household. If it’s goldfish you can only have one aquarium. Only “common household pets” permitted. Written permission required. No pet bigger than 20 pounds at full growth. No aquarium bigger than 20 gallons. A security deposit of $500 or two month’s rent, whichever is less, against pet damage.

Seven Westbrook policemen, one with drawn gun, surrounded a man in woods off the Methodist Road and caught him with silver and jewelry stolen in a burglary at the home of Arthur Gordon Jr., 790 Duck Pond Road. The 28-year-old man was taken to the county jail on a charge of burglary. Police were called when someone spotted suspicious goings-on at the Gordon house. As they arrived, the man ran into the woods and escaped.

The Gorham Town Council voted June 11 in favor of raising their annual salary from $600 to $1,200, the first raise since 1972.

The Gorham Arts Council is presenting a concert by the band Schooner Fare as the closing entertainment of the Celebrate Gorham ’84 festival at 8 p.m. The band members, Steve and Chuck Romanoff and Tom Rowe, have been performing together since 1975.

The Westbrook Junior High girls track team completed its league schedule undefeated, with victories in both Junior and Intermediate Divisions, and captured the overall team title by defeating their nearest rival, (South Portland’s) Mahoney Middle School.

June 22, 1994

Kenneth Lefebvre won election as Westbrook’s mayor last week and “barring unforeseen circumstances,” he said, will take the oath of office Monday. Immediately Monday, the City Council will face two decisions: Who will succeed Lefebvre as alderman at large, and who will succeed him as council president? Ronald Usher, Arnold Gaudet Jr. and Martin Pizzo all have friends on the council who support them for the council seat. Others may enter the picture, too. Lefebvre said that he is not supporting anyone for alderman. One possibility is a 3-3 stalemate that would leave the seventh seat vacant until some alderman changes his mind.

Suspended city policeman Peter Blanchette has agreed to resign in exchange for the city’s payment to him of $17,832. It’s the fourth time he has been separated from the police force in 19 years of service. Blanchette has been under suspension for months. Recently retired Police Chief Ronald Allanach said last year: “He’ll never be back.” Blanchette, 43, has had some stormy years on the force. He resigned in 1978 after he broke into locked police files; Mayor William O’Gara hired him back two months later on grounds he had no criminal intent. He was fired in 1983 after Portland police arrested him for shoplifting. An arbitrator ordered him rehired after a psychiatrist recommended it. He was fired again in September 1988 by Mayor Philip Spiller. This time, three arbitrators ordered the city to rehire him the following April on grounds that the city failed to prove that he tipped off a State Police suspect.

Westbrook Police Notes: A car ran into the ice machine at the Big Apple. A man was ordered to court for hitchhiking at night at 125 Bridgton Road. A car and a skunk met at 119 Forest St. Von Herten’s reported a larceny by an employee. The loss was more than $200. Koala Child Kare called for help after a 2-year-old child was locked in a car.

The man who spearheaded the recall of Gorham’s 1995 municipal budget has not paid his property taxes for 1993 and has said he is holding back his tax payment as a statement of his disgust with Gorham’s tax rate. According to Gorham Finance Department records, Mark Faulkner, 5 Shaws Mill Road, and his wife, Margaret, owe $1,782.39 in property taxes plus interest, on their house and property.