Nov. 1, 1995

With nowhere to go in Gorham, skateboarders have been clashing with businesses, schools and police this fall, prompting officials to propose turning the ice rink by the Narragansett School into a skate part in the warmer months. “None of them are bad kids,” Officer John Reed said. Police say the ice rink could provide skaters with a space out of Main Street businesses’ hair.

The New Westbrook City Hall in the York Insurance building will be open for business Jan. 2. The city and the 40-person York staff will share the space until York can move to new quarters in downtown Portland.

With vocal South Gorham residents out in force at a public hearing, the Town Council Monday put off its final decision contract zoning for Hans Hansen’s proposed Route 22 business park. They will take it up again Nov. 14.

Ray and Judy Drouin of Gorham entertained Ray’s sister, June Mathiot of Miami, Florida, for a five-day visit in October. Mathiot had not been in Maine to see her family in 38 years and had a lot of catching up to do. She said she’d almost forgotten how gorgeous the fall foliage and weather can be.

Heavy absentee voting foreshadows a big voter turnout Nov. 7 as Westbrook chooses almost its whole city government. An unusually spirited contest for mayor accounts for part of the interest. It pits Kenneth Lefebvre, who was elected in June 1994 to succeed the late Fred Wescott, against Alfred E. Porell, an Independent. It’s a rematch of the 1994 election with one important missing element – a Republican candidate.

Nov. 2, 2005

Little Paws Animal Shelter in Buxton could be forced to close after it received a foreclosure letter from a bank last week. Eva Allen, the shelter’s director, said she needs to raise $270,000 within two to four months to halt the foreclosure after falling behind on payments. An anonymous donor who had been helping can no longer contribute to the mortgage. The shelter’s pet population has dwindled to two dogs, nine cats and five puppies. Hannaford is donating all the pet food, but cash donations from the community have dried up.

Nine people have been left temporarily homeless after an electrical fire caused severe damage to a three-story house on Longfellow Street in Westbrook Thursday morning. Only two residents were home at the time and they both escaped uninjured. Four cats were also rescued. Fire Chief Gary Littlefield said the fast-moving fire was caused by a defective electrical junction box in a ceiling on the second floor.

The vote on gay rights next week will be addressed in the pews this Sunday as churches across the state try to articulate why voting yes or no on Question 1 is the morally right thing to do.

From the Gorham Police Notes: A deputy sheriff reported that someone lost a refrigerator on Oct. 14 on Mosher Road. A man on School Street believed that his nurse stole his medication on Oct. 15. Golf clubs were reported stolen on Oct. 16 from a garage on Dow Road.

Comments are not available on this story.