AUGUSTA

Four historic properties named to national register

The Maine Historic Preservation Commission selected four Maine properties, from Cumberland, Kennebec, Oxford and Piscatiquis counties, for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Joseph’s Academy and Convent in Portland, the North Monmouth Library in Monmouth, the Canadian Railway Depot in Greenville Junction and the Rumford Commercial District in Rumford have been documented, evaluated and considered worthy of preservation and protection as part of the nation’s cultural heritage.

St. Joseph’s Academy and Convent, known as the Motherhouse, served a number of purposes over the years, most notably as a Catholic School for girls from 1882 to 1969 and as the principal residence for the Sisters of Mercy, stationed at the Diocese of Portland, from 1909 to 2004. The buildings serve as well-preserved examples of Second Empire and Classical Revival styles of architecture.

The North Monmouth Library, built in 1926, is a one-room Colonial Revival-style building, designed by Harry Cochrane. It was selected based on its importance in education and its period architecture, which includes Palladian windows, portico, interior finishes and design.

Erected in 1889, the Canadian Railway Depot is a Queen Anne-style construct that once served as a junction between Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad and Canadian Pacific Railway. It is being recognized for its local significance and its association with social history regarding gender separation during the Victorian era, as well as for its role in tourism and the growth of the Greenville area.

The 33-building Rumford Commericial Historic District is receiving the designation as the most intact remaining section of the historically dense commercial downtown of Rumford, representing from 1892 to 1967. The architecture of the buildings includes Italianate, Romanesque Revival, Beaux Arts and Colonial Revival styles, with examples of the Art Deco style.

SCARBOROUGH

Register before May 5 for 5K walk/run

Registrations are being accepted for those wishing to participate in the John Andrews Memorial 5K Walk/Run, to begin at 9 a.m. May 20 at O’Reilly’s Cure, 264 Route 1.

Register before May 5 to receive a free draft beer or glass of wine, for those over 21. Free T-shirts for the first 100 registrants. Cost is $20 in advance, $25 after May 5.

Checks should be made payable to Eastern Trail Alliance and mailed to P.O. Box 250, Saco, ME 04072. On-site sign-ups begin at 7:30 a.m. race day.

The scenic route includes views of Scarborough Marsh and a section of the Eastern Trail.

For more details, go to www.oreillyscure.com.

WELLS

Wrestling champ named student-athlete of month

Wells High School junior Michael Wrigley has been honored as the school’s Student-Athlete of the Month Award for December 2016.

Wrigley received the award for his academics, sportsmanship and performance on the WHS wrestling team.

Wrigley earned 49 wins this past season in his class of 170 pounds, bringing his high school career total wins to 116.

During the season, he became South Regional champion at 170, Mid-State League champion at 170, and State Class B runner-up. He was a member of the state championship wrestling team and winner of the Sean Sheehy Award for the top Wells wrestler at the Atlantics Invitational in December. He is his team’s co-MVP.

In February, the WHS wrestling team won the State Championship in Bucksport for the first time since 1996.

PORTLAND

Humanities council wins $220,000 federal grant

The Maine Humanities Council has been awarded a $220,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support programming that will create opportunities for Mainers to discuss matters of critical civic importance.

Literature & Public Life is a three-year, statewide initiative scheduled to begin this fall. The initiative is designed to bring together Mainers of all backgrounds to engage with public policy issues that shape Maine communities – such as health care, education, end-of-life and domestic violence – using fiction, poetry, film and other texts as an entry point for discussion.

For more details, call Ian Watkins at 773-5051.

Foster grandparents, senior companions wanted

The Opportunity Alliance has openings for foster grandparents and senior companions in Cumberland, York and parts of Oxford counties.

Adults age 55 and older can make a difference while serving as mentors and supporting the academic achievement of children.

Senior companions provide companionship, local transportation and respite to elders who want to remain in their homes.

Income-eligible volunteers who commit to at least 15 hours a week receive a tax-free stipend, mileage reimbursement and other benefits, including monthly training.

For more information, call 773-0202 or email fgp@opportunityalliance.org.

BANGOR

Bank contributes $75,000 toward LifeFlight helicopters

Bangor Savings Bank has invested $75,000 in LifeFlight of Maine to ensure that Mainers have access to critical care and medical transport when needed.

The grant will go toward replacing LifeFlight’s two original 2004 helicopters with new aircraft that have “next generation” capabilities. LifeFlight is the only air rescue and transport organization serving Maine.

Since 1998, more than 20,000 patients have been safely transported by LifeFlight.

CAMDEN

Land trust conserves 59 acres of donated land

Coastal Mountains Land Trust has conserved a 59-acre parcel of the Ragged Mountain Preserve that was donated to the trust in February.

Known by hikers of the Georges Highland Path, the newly conserved land includes the scenic granite summit of Little Ragged, offering panoramic views of Penobscot Bay to the east and the White Mountains to the west. The parcel is blanketed by a mix of rocky heath summit habitat, dense softwood stands and mixed hardwood forests that stretch down to Gillette Road.

Negotiations for the purchase of the property began in 2003, as part of the trust’s vision to permanently conserve and provide four-season recreational opportunities on 1,400 acres of Ragged Mountain as part of the trust’s collaboration to develop the Round the Mountain Trail system.

To date, the organization has conserved 1,240 acres on Bald and Ragged mountains. The trail, expected to be built in stages from 2018 through 2020, will travel directly through the property.

WELLS

Hussey gives YCCC $30,000 and $40,000 worth of seats

Hussey Seating Co., a longtime supporter of York County Community College, has donated $40,000 of the state-of-the-art seating for the college’s new academic building’s 140-seat lecture and performance hall. The in-kind donation of seating and installation is in addition to Hussey’s $30,000 cash donation to the College’s “Changing Lives & Strengthening Community” capital campaign.

The college has outgrown its current 78,000-square-foot building that opened in 1995. The new building will provide much-needed instructional space through eight classrooms, independent and group study areas and a Developmental Mathematics Lab. The lecture/performance hall and attached flexible classroom/backstage area will allow the college to hold larger classes and host community events.

WINDHAM

Middle school’s Green Team gets grant for composting

The Natural Resources Council of Maine has awarded Windham Middle School’s Green Team with a grant to help students expand environmental sustainability through increased composting at their school.

The school’s “Operation Compost Bucket,” led by grade 7 science teacher Helen Hurgin, will encourage composting throughout the school by hosting fun, educational activities during lunchtime, including a raffle with environmentally friendly prizes. The grant helps to provide the raffle items, such as reusable water bottles and bags, and to provide T-shirts to help the club promote its mission.

The Green Team will also distribute information schoolwide to inform students about the importance of composting and how it can help protect Maine’s environment. The project aims to install a compost bucket in at least half of the school’s 27 classrooms.

The team was one of eight middle school teams awarded a grant from the Natural Resources Council of Maine. The purpose of these grants is to assist Maine middle school students with real-world environmental education projects that emphasize climate and clean energy, healthy waters, forests and wildlife, and a sustainable Maine.

To learn more about the school’s project, go to www.nrcm.org/blog.

FREEPORT

Top high school poets will be honored at festival

Twenty high school poets have been selected as honorees at the upcoming 10th annual Merriconeag Poetry Festival, to be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Maine Coast Waldorf School.

Two well-known Maine poets – Lee Sharkey and Linda Aldrich – collaborated to winnow a submission pool of nearly 120 entries down to the finalists. Three regional high schools placed multiple winners among the 20 finalists: Maine Coast led the way with seven, followed by Falmouth High School with four, and Edward Little with two. In all, 10 high schools will be represented at the festival.

This year’s finalists, in no particular order are: from Falmouth, Althea Finch-Brand, Ayden Henson, Elizabeth Seeker and Jacob Seeker; from Edward Little, Barrak Abdraba and Nasro Adow; from Maine Coast Waldorf, Cassandra Albano, Finn Dierks-Brown, Emma Goldberg-Courtney, Wilson Haims, Isabel Konstantino, Fiona Libby and Ava Teegarden; from Deering, Arlo Farr-Weinfeld; from Waynflete, Riley Mayes; from Chop Point, Ellie Pitot; from Greely, Colby Santana; from Cape Elizabeth, Raina Sparks; from Gorham, Samuella Spurr; and from North Yarmouth Academy, Cameron Woods. This is the second year that Farr-Weinfeld, Finch-Brand, Albano and Mayes have earned finalist honors.

During the festival, winning poets will meet Aldrich and hear her speak about the importance of poetry and read some of her work. They will read their winning poems, receive a booklet containing all the finalists’ pieces, and get a gift certificate provided by a local bookstore: Longfellow in Portland, Gulf of Maine in Brunswick and Sherman’s in Freeport.

The top three prize-winners will have their poems displayed on a large poster that will be distributed to the nearly 50 public and private high schools whose students were invited to submit work.