If you’re a news junkie, 2015 was a very good year. While terrorism dominated the national and international headlines, several high-profile local stories captured our attention. The following stories leaped out at us as some of the more meaningful and impactful ones of 2015:

• Gov. Paul LePage broke the Internet a few times this year, as he’s wont to do, but will forever be remembered for his biggest offense so far – interfering with House Speaker Mark Eves’ job prospects at Good Will-Hinckley school. Perhaps more surprising than LePage’s behind-the-scenes political maneuvering is the Maine attorney general’s statement a few weeks ago that his actions aren’t an impeachable offense. Democrat Janet Mills has been at odds with LePage since the beginning, it seems, which makes her declaration of support surprising, and more weighty. We hope LePage gave her a nice Christmas gift for her seeming act of compassion, since it just may save his political fortunes.

• In Cape Elizabeth, the biggest story this past year was the saga of the Spurwink Rod & Gun Club. Finally, the club met all of the town’s requirements for an operating license in the waning weeks of December, bringing to a close a divisive battle among the club, neighbors and the town. The long, painful and drawn-out process has shown the delicate balance between individual rights (in this case, the club) and the larger community, represented by the neighbors. Neighbors seem happy now that the club is safer and less noisy even, a byproduct of an enclosed range.

• In Scarborough, we wonder if another long and drawn-out saga will continue into 2016 at Higgins Beach, where the town, pressured by fed-up neighbors, will install parking meters on the road in front of the beach in an effort to improve decorum of beachgoers. Higgins Beach has long been a battleground between residents and beach users, so we’re not sure if this new tack will work, but we’ll stay tuned to see how this Band-Aid plays out.

• In South Portland, the big news from last year was the impact voters can have on their city, and sometimes in not-so-positive a way. In 2013, the City Council banned tar-sands transport through the city, which is home to the terminus of the Portland-Montreal pipeline, as well as dozens of oil tanks. Now, city leaders are preparing for the oil industry’s departure since Canadian firms will not be able to export oil through Maine for ocean transport. The city is especially worried that the oil companies will leave without cleaning up their tank farms. Newswatchers will remember this scenario was something companies like Sprague were warning about when the council was discussing banning tar sands. We know many environmentalists in South Portland will cheer the removal of the oil infrastructure, which truly dominates the cityscape, but we wonder if they’ll cheer the removal of all the jobs that go with it. Voting has consequences, and that’s the lesson learned.

• In Westbrook, Bill Baker’s email to the mayor, meant to be private, became the big news after a Freedom of Access Act search uncovered it. Baker’s disparaging tone, which was quite degrading in its descriptions of city residents, was deeply embarrassing for him, the mayor and the city. Baker is a capable, talented and accomplished city employee and former Westbrook police chief. His case shows how dangerous online communication can be for officials. It should serve as a reminder to all officials that everything they write on email can be made public.

• In Gorham, last year’s long run of Dan Foley on the CBS program, “Survivor,” gave all of Maine a good reason to tune in Wednesday nights to see the latest Foley antics. He produced some follies, for which he was thoroughly raked over the coals, but it was all good entertainment, which is exactly why millions turn to reality TV. Going into the season, Foley said he wanted to be remembered. Mission accomplished.

• In Windham, we were startled by voters rejecting a new public works garage. The $7 million proposal, which topped $10 million when factoring in interest, was clearly too expensive for Windham’s taste. Windham has rejected several recent proposals, including a major sewer proposal and another public works garage rebuild in 1999. The takeaway is that voters are tired of expensive public projects that will mean less in their wallets come tax time. Windham voters still respond to perceived needs, such as when schools are overcrowded, but non-essentials are not getting the voters’ go-ahead.

• In Regional School Unit 14, the big news last year was a rebalance of the tax obligation between Raymond and Windham to fund the community’s combined school system. Raymond had been discussing withdrawal, but the school board offered a lower tax rate for Raymond taxpayers, and the move obviated the need for any further discussion of a split. It was a deft political maneuver that saved the union of the district.

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