Four charged ?in city robbery

Four South Portland residents are charged with robbery following a disagreement over the sale of a cell phone.

According to police, the disagreement surfaced after a man sold a cell phone to one of the suspects on the night of Dec. 25. The phone was found to be unusable, and the parties set up a meeting Wednesday afternoon so that the buyer could recoup the money. The buyer brought several acquaintances to the meeting, police said.

The victim was subsequently assaulted by one of the people present at the meeting and some of the victim’s money was taken in the process. The victim received non-life threatening injuries and was treated and released from the hospital.

Charged with class A robbery were Gabriel Sobczak, 18; Meadow Collins, 19; Justin Fletcher, 38; and Elizabeth Collins, 52, all of South Portland. Bail for each person was set at $100,000 cash.

Local residents join hospice group

Hospice of Southern Maine held its annual meeting of the members of the xorporation on Dec. 14 at the Portland Country Club in Falmouth.

The event included special guests Sara Holmbom Lund from Sen. Susan Collins’ office and Ann Goodridge from U.S. Rep Chellie Pingree’s office.

Newly elected members of the corporation were Anne Jackson of Yarmouth and Heidi Hansen of Cape Elizabeth. Newly elected members to the board of directors were Kendall Reed of North Berwick and Dr. Tracey Weisberg of Scarborough.

Gym Dandies to perform in Inaugural Parade

The Gym Dandies Children’s Circus, based in Scarborough, will take part in the 57th Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C. It is the only Maine group in the parade.

“The talented groups chosen to participate in the Inaugural Parade reflect the spirit, values, and diversity of our great nation,” said President Barack Obama. “Vice President Biden and I are honored to have them join us in the parade.”

Participants in the parade will follow the traditional route down Pennsylvania Avenue from 4th Street past the White House. Obama and Biden, along with their families, will watch the parade from the reviewing stand across from Lafayette Park.

Organizations wishing to participate in the parade submitted online applications to the Joint Task Force – National Capital Region (JTF-NCR). The deadline for submissions was Nov. 30, 2012. Applications were reviewed by the Presidential Inaugural Committee with the assistance of the JTF-NCR, including members of several of the military bands, who used their expertise to help assess the presentation skill of marching bands, musical acts and drill teams.

All participants in the Inaugural Parade are responsible for paying their own lodging and transportation to and from Washington, D.C. The PIC has been working closely with area governments and civic organizations to facilitate access to affordable accommodations.

Council makes appointment

The South Portland City Council has appointed Sandy Hill Road resident Brian Wilson to replace Linda Cohen on the Civil Service Commission to Dec. 31, 2014. Cohen had to resign her spot following her election to the council.

Wilson, a warehouse worker at Park Edge Inc. has lived in South Portland for three years. He is a 2000 graduate of the law enforcement program at Southern Maine Community College.

Library closed until Saturday

The Scarborough Public Library closed for three days starting Jan. 2 to complete inventory. Parents are asked to make other arrangements on those days for students who visit the library after school. Cardholders can still access the Minerva online catalog on the library website, www.scarboroughlibrary.org. The eBook Cloud Library also will remain accessible using compatible eReader devices. The library will reopen to the public at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 5.

Meadow ?CollinsElizabeth Collins
Justin FletcherMiranda Page of Scarborough, seen here doing research earlier this year, has graduated from the 16-week semester program at Coastal Studies for Girls in Freeport, a science and leadership school for girls from around the country who, the school says, have “a love for learning and discovery, an adventurous spirit and a desire for challenge.” Page will return to Scarborough High School this spring to finish her sophomore year.