News in Bath/Topsham/Harpswell

No injuries in Bath house fire; repairs possible

BATH — No one was injured March 30 in a fire that gutted a 1270 High St. house. According to Fire Chief Steve Hinds, the building may be repairable, too. Bath firefighters received the call at 4:17 p.m. and arrived two minutes later. They were joined by units from Brunswick an...

Alex Lear • News •

Monday, April 1, 2013 at 11:10 am

The Universal Notebook: Cooperate or perish

Have you noticed the propensity of television producers to turn everything into a game these days? Other than the occasional "Jeopardy," I don’t watch any of the popular programs based on contests between people vying for everything from who can lose the most weight to who will becom...

Edgar Allen Beem • Opinion •

Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:20 am

Short Relief: Charter school rivalry does education a disservice

I attended private schools in New York and New Jersey. My wife attended public schools in Maryland. We both went on to private colleges and graduate schools. She’s smarter and more accomplished. You can draw your own conclusions about what that says about the relative virtues of a public ve...

Halsey Frank • Opinion •

Monday, April 1, 2013 at 10:00 am

Letter: Fed up with the president's vacation habits

Once again our illustrious president sees fit to go on another vacation golfing in Florida with Tiger Woods to the paltry tune of $1 million. It makes me feel so good when he has no conscience about spending this money on himself and has the audacity to tell us to inflate our tires to save money....

• Opinion •

Monday, April 1, 2013 at 9:30 am

Letter: Disappointed with Collins' stance on tar sands

I am a retired high school science teacher who has followed climate science for the past 40 years. I write to express my disappointment with Sen. Susan Collins' vote to endorse the Keystone tar sands pipeline. My question for her is: Do you believe in climate science as presented by the overwhelm...

• Opinion •

Monday, April 1, 2013 at 9:10 am

Portland lawyer credited as 'mastermind' behind landmark gay rights court cases

PORTLAND — Opponents and admirers alike have called Mary Bonauto the Thurgood Marshall of gay rights. For decades Bonauto, 51, of Portland, has been a force at the center of many landmark cases dealing with gay rights, from Augusta to the chambers of the U.S. Supreme Court. In...

Noah Hurowitz • News •

Monday, April 1, 2013 at 8:20 am

North Yarmouth Academy to merge with Freeport Montessori school, add lower grades

YARMOUTH — North Yarmouth Academy will expand its grade offerings for the first time in its nearly 200-year history to include instruction below fifth grade. NYA announced Thursday that it will merge with Freeport's...

Will Graff • News •

Friday, March 29, 2013 at 2:30 pm

Harrison Jack Wakely, 89

TOPSHAM — Harrison Jack Wakely, 89, of Topsham, died March 6 at d'Youville Pavilion in Lewiston. Wakely was born Sept. 15, 1923, in Lisbon Falls, a son of the late Charles J. and Genieva Wakely Jr. He attended schools in Topsham and graduated from Lisbon High S...

Obituaries •

Friday, March 29, 2013

Norma Wise, 85

TOPSHAM — Norma Wise, 85, died March 21 surrounded by family. She was born in Pembroke Sept. 17, 1927, to Russell and Emma Carter. She attended local schools and graduated from Pembroke High School in 1944. She moved in 1945 to South Paris, where she met and married Ronal...

Obituaries •

Friday, March 29, 2013

Joseph Edgar Wilson, 46

ORR'S ISLAND — Joseph Edgar Wilson, 46, of Orr's Island and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., passed away March 17 at Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick. He was born April 30, 1966, in Brunswick, a son of Edgar and Leneler Wilson. He graduated from Mt. Ararat High School in 1984. At th...

Obituaries •

Friday, March 29, 2013