RUMFORD — The NewPage Corp. paper mill was recognized Tuesday afternoon by county, local and state officials for its “outstanding” safety efforts over the past year. Paul Ouellette of NewPage accepted the Facility of the Year 2012 award in Rumford Falls Auditorium from Teresa M. Glick, chairwoman of the Oxford County Local Emergency Planning Committee of South Paris. Glick said the LEPC commends NewPage “for their continued efforts to keep their workplace and the surrounding community safe.” “It’s an honor,” Ouellette, the mill’s manager of Safety, Security and Emergency Response, said. He said NewPage has participated with the Oxford County LEPC for a long time. Its rapid response team serves not only the county and the mill, but also the state. The Rumford mill previously won the LEPC Facility of the Year for its efforts in 2010. (read more at Lewiston Sun Journal)
RUMFORD — “Best ride ever!” and “Awesome!” were the top exclamations from a few hundred riders who rode 700-foot zip lines Saturday. They flew side by side at an estimated 20 to 30 mph while dangling 65 feet above the Androscoggin River during Envision Rumford’s daylong, debut Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Festival. The zip-line ride was the main attraction for many. “It was a little bit scary at first, and until I got down, I just, whoo! had fun with it,” said Casey Saisi, 15, of Rumford. She said she’d ridden a smaller zip line strung between trees at Bryant Pond, but this was her first ride on a much longer line. She rode down beside her father, Kevin Saisi, who was on the other line. “It was terrifying,” Casey Saisi said of flying over the river. “Because I’ve never, never gone across the river like that in my life. Yeah, I screamed.” (read more at Lewiston Sun Journal)
RUMFORD — Selectmen met with the Board of Assessors and their industrial appraiser Thursday night to learn how they determine the tax assessment for the NewPage paper mill. NewPage officials initially asked selectmen recently for a tax break, but were told that’s not something selectmen can do. They were told they have to apply for an abatement from the Board of Assessors. That’s why selectmen asked to meet with the assessors’ board to discuss its roles and responsibilities and how that relates to Maine’s taxation laws regarding the mill’s valuation. William Van Tuinen of Madison, the industrial appraiser who helps other towns assess paper mills and hydroelectric facilities, explained a history of types of assessments that Rumford has used in the past to determine tax amounts for these industries. Van Tuinen said determining an assessment formula for a paper mill is a bit harder than doing the same for a hydroelectric plant, because the plant’s income is not as variable due to the recent decline in natural gas prices. (read more at Lewiston Sun Journal)
RUMFORD — A lengthy investigation into the theft of more than $40,000 from an elderly Rumford woman led to the arrest of three local residents. Detective Sgt. James Bernard, who was in Paris on Friday morning for grand jury testimony, arrested David J. Hodgkins, 33, in Paris on charges of forgery, theft and home repair fraud, Chief Stacy Carter said Friday in a news report. Late Thursday night, Rumford police arrested Hodgkins’ wife, Angela Hodgkins, 29, and Henry F. Ross, 35, on the same charges. Bail is still pending on David Hodgkins, who is currently at Oxford County Jail in Paris, an officer at the Rumford station said Friday morning. Ross and Angela Hodgkins were released Thursday night; Angela on $2,000 unsecured bail and Ross on $1,000 cash bail. Both will be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. June 14 in Oxford County Superior Court in Paris. Carter said the arrests came after a lengthy investigation by Cpl. Donald Miller and Bernard. In late 2012, an elderly Rumford woman contacted Rumford police, saying she believed someone was stealing money from her, Carter said. (read more at Lewiston Sun Journal)
RUMFORD — About 84 excited fifth-grade students graduated Tuesday night from the Rumford Police Department’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Several also won cash prizes, grabbing the cash as it flew past them inside a vinyl wind tube on stage at Muskie Auditorium in Mountain Valley High School. It was a debut event by Matt Kaubris of the Oxford Federal Credit Union in Mexico. Additionally, DARE equipment that was raffled off was tossed to students by Rumford police Chief Stacy Carter and Sgts. Tracey Higley and Douglas Maifeld. In between the prize raffles, Maifeld, a longtime DARE instructor, spoke about the program and introduced selected students whose DARE essays and colorful license-plate artwork were recognized. Maine Attorney General Janet Mills, the guest speaker, traveled from Augusta to greet the students and talk about the DARE principles. “I came all the way to Rumford to say special thanks to you because I know the hard work you put into this program,” Mills said. “And I know that you’ve taken great responsibility for learning an awful lot of things that a lot of people across the state are not learning as well as you are.” (read more at Lewiston Sun Journal)
RUMFORD — The effort for a dual zip line for May 4 moved a bit closer Thursday when the Board of Selectmen gave approval that town property can be used for the two 600-foot-long zip lines to carry near the Rite Aid street-side parking area over the Androscoggin River to the town snow dump. Jim Rinaldo, part of the zip line committee that includes Glen Holmes, Jim Sysko and Tom Carey, told board members that that area will actually be closed off for three days, from May 2-4. The first day will be for the set up; the second day for the fire marshal to inspect and approve it; and the third day for the riders. This event is part of the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Festival which is being organized by the Envision Rumford! group. Rinaldo said they will try to find some flashing lights so they can run the zip line at night. He also looked at Police Chief Stacy Carter and said they would like to be able to have use of a radar gun for a competition to see who could rider over the zip line run in the fastest time. (read more at Rumford Falls Times)
FARMINGTON — A Wilton woman and a Rumford man were acquitted Thursday of aggravated assault charges related to an alleged ax and meat cleaver attack on a Farmington man and his girlfriend on April 4, according to Franklin County Superior Court documents. The woman, Shari Dupree, 32, was also acquitted of lesser charges related to the incident while the jury remained deadlocked on the misdemeanor crimes the man, Brian Sweeney, 32, was charged with. Justice Michaela Murphy declared the jury deadlocked on Sweeney’s two misdemeanor accounts of assault and the charges will be put back on the docket in June if prosecutors decide to pursue them. (read more at Kennebec Journal. Bring a banjo)
RUMFORD — Hardly a day goes by when you don’t hear someone talking about what downtown Rumford used to be. And while there remains good things to see and do on The Island, it is in need of improvements. Some 50 people gathered in the Rumford Falls Auditorium on Jan. 29 to set goals for those improvements, with the hope the help for the follow through efforts will be enhanced by becoming a Maine Downtown Network Community. Business owners, residents and downtown shoppers joined selectmen, the town manager and members of Envision Rumford for a presentation by Maine Downtown Center Director Roxanne Eflin, who has invited this town to apply for the program, which stimulates new ideas, develops leaders, and provides common ground for solving problems and advancing issues. Town Manager Carlo Puiia began the two-hour session by noting, “I’ve seen this Envision Rumford group over the last year accomplish a number of items and at every meeting, there’s this nice energy in the room from a dozen people or more. I think everyone here has that same interest; they want Rumford to be better than it currently is. We love what we have, but we know we need to improve it some.” “The people who have been coming to the meetings and talking about this, it’s a breath of fresh air and when you live in Rumford, you always need a little more fresh air, don’t you? Little humor!” he added. (read more at Rumford Falls Times)
A Rumford Public Works truck, left, turns off Routes 2 and 17 in Mexico to plow and sand Railroad Street during Thursday’s nor’easter. A plow truck follows at right. (read more at Lewiston Sun Journal)
RUMFORD, Maine — Anxiety over the unknown led selectmen Thursday night to unanimously reject a request from a Los Angeles filmmaker/actor to close a few side streets later this month for filming. Neither Gavin Peretti nor anyone representing him came to the meeting, as requested, to provide the board with details, Town Manager Carlo Puiia said. Peretti sent the town an email on Nov. 26, saying his crew would be shooting the film “all over the area from Rangeley to Jackman” and wanted permission to close a few streets for a day in Rumford. He said the date would likely be between Dec. 14 and 20. The crew would also shoot footage at a private residence in Rumford on another day, but Peretti said that wouldn’t affect the public. Peretti provided the premise of his movie, “The Guide,” saying it is about a hunting guide who takes a couple of rich New York stockbrokers on a deer hunt. (read more at Bangor Daily News)
RUMFORD — The NewPage Corp. paper mill was recognized Tuesday afternoon by county, local and state officials for its “outstanding” safety efforts over the past year. Paul Ouellette of NewPage accepted the Facility of the Year 2012 award in Rumford Falls Auditorium from Teresa M. Glick, chairwoman of the Oxford County Local Emergency Planning Committee of South Paris. Glick said the LEPC commends NewPage “for their continued efforts to keep their workplace and the surrounding community safe.” “It’s an honor,” Ouellette, the mill’s manager of Safety, Security and Emergency Response, said. He said NewPage has participated with the Oxford County LEPC for a long time. Its rapid response team serves not only the county and the mill, but also the state. The Rumford mill previously won the LEPC Facility of the Year for its efforts in 2010. (read more at Lewiston Sun Journal)
