Articles by Scott Taylor
Councilors get update on Lewiston building demolitions, new rules
By Scott Taylor, Sun Journal on May 08, 2013, at 6:15 a.m.
LEWISTON, Maine — Three more of the buildings damaged by fires over the last 10 days should come down by next week, councilors learned Tuesday. Councilors agreed to move the demolition of 116 Pierce St. ahead at their meeting Tuesday. Code Enforcement Officer Tom Maynard said the city likely will ...
Lewiston police inspect abandoned tenements
LEWISTON, Maine — A broken door, shattered windows, a floor covered with trash and walls ripped open to show where the copper plumbing once was. Jeff Baril, Lewiston police and code enforcement officer, said there are hundreds of buildings just like that downtown right now. This week, the city is ...
Lewiston and Auburn city councils seriously consider merging
By Scott Taylor, Sun Journal on May 02, 2013, at 5:54 a.m.
LEWISTON, Maine — The Twin Cities might be able to skip past merely consolidating services and departments and begin the work of merging into a single city, according to several Lewiston and Auburn city councilors Wednesday night. The two groups didn’t settle anything at the special joint workshop meeting, but ...
Lewiston-Auburn Transit Committee now have Citylink buses under video scrutiny
AUBURN, Maine — Drivers and passengers are under equal surveillance when they ride Citylink buses. Members of the Lewiston-Auburn Transit Committee got a demonstration Thursday of how the system’s video cameras work and what they are meant to do. “It’s pretty amazing the coverage we get from camera angles that ...
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Fraud investigation targets Lewiston welfare cheats
LEWISTON, Maine — Mayor Robert Macdonald announced a city effort to cut down on welfare fraud and waste Tuesday that includes kicking 84 people off the city’s General Assistance lists, 50 of them for fraud. It’s part of a larger campaign aimed at cutting down on welfare cheats in the ...
Don’t stop: High-speed E-ZPass lanes set to debut in Maine
NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine — Don’t stop. That’s the single most important message Maine Turnpike Authority spokesman Dan Morin said he has for drivers who use the new high speed E-ZPass lanes beginning next week. “It’s about the convenience, the safety, the emissions,” he said. “But at the same time, the ...
Greene boy killed by plow truck ‘wouldn’t stop until he went to bed’
GREENE, Maine — Nathan Capponi was a typical 6-year-old. That meant he was always in motion, according to his uncle, Adam Capponi. “He was a character, full of energy,” Capponi said. “He wouldn’t stop until he went to bed at night. He loved riding his bike; it didn’t matter what ...
Greene community mourns first-grader
GREENE, Maine — Students at Greene Central School, classmates of 6-year-old Nathan Capponi, remembered their friend Thursday with cards and drawings attached to a tree at the back corner of the school’s playground. School officials said grief counselors were on hand as the community dealt with the child’s death. “Nathan ...
Phosphorus caused fish-killing Lake Auburn algae bloom, but what caused chemical spike?
LEWISTON, Maine — Higher-than-normal phosphorous levels in Lake Auburn were behind a fish-killing algae bloom this past summer, but water engineers Tuesday were still working to determine what caused the phosphorous levels to spike. Water-quality engineers said phosphorus levels could be blamed on runoff into the lake’s feeder streams and ...
Elders told to get educated about fraud, scams
AUBURN, Maine — Clover Manor resident Linda DeStefano said she learned her lesson about getting taken by scams the hard way. She watched Thursday morning from the balcony as U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and Derick Rill of the Federal Trade Commission presented a seminar on avoiding scams and frauds to ...
Auburn to decide fate of Ingersoll Ice Arena in capital plan
AUBURN — Councilors will decide whether to mothball Ingersoll Ice Arena, tear it down or pay to turn it into something else. City Manager Clinton Deschene said the fate of the city’s ice arena will be one of the questions councilors will face in the Capital Improvement plan he has ...
Federal campaign reform deserves local debate, say Auburn city councilors
AUBURN — Councilors may not be constitutional scholars, but they will try to tackle the issue of federal campaign finance reform. Councilors agreed to consider adopting a resolution or statement calling for a national review of how political action committees influence elections. “I think this does relate to the city ...
Developer mum as Lewiston railroad-themed cafe renovations begin
LEWISTON, Maine — Signs are up and contractors are working on a railroad-themed cafe in Lewiston’s historic Grand Trunk Railroad Depot, although cafe owner Karen Pulkkinen and building owners at the Lewiston-Auburn Railroad won’t confirm anything. “I would certainly hope something would happen at the site in 2013,” L-A Railroad ...
Couple takes Lewiston’s first marriage license under same-sex law
LEWISTON, Maine — There wasn’t any fanfare Monday morning when Jeffery Padham and Todd Severance came by to pick up their marriage license. “We didn’t know what to expect,” Severance, 43, said. “We didn’t know if there was going to be a line or what was going to be going ...
During Lewiston’s first storm parking ban, city tows 50 cars
LEWISTON — Wreckers towed 50 cars downtown Thursday in the first test of the city’s new storm-by-storm parking ban. “They tried holding back a bit on some neighborhoods since this was the first one,” police Sgt. David Chick said. “We tried to give some streets a little more time, until ...
New terminal a better ‘front door’ for Twin Cities
AUBURN, Maine — A bigger terminal at the Auburn Lewiston Municipal Airport means more to the community than just a bigger space. “The airport has always provided access for economic development,” Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte said Thursday morning. “Now, it has a more attractive front door.” Twin Cities elected officials, ...
Vandals and ‘idiots’ destroy Auburn Christmas display
AUBURN, Maine — To Leroy Walker, they are idiots — not Grinches or Scrooges, just idiots. That’s how Walker, city councilor for New Auburn and the rest of Ward 5, describes the vandals that destroyed New Auburn’s Christmas display on Sullivan Square behind Rolly’s Diner Monday night. “They’re just idiots ...
Lewiston felon says he wants to work, but record prevents him from getting jobs
LEWISTON, Maine — Angela Whitely, owner of Lisbon Street’s Ink Junkies tattoo parlor, did what she could to comfort Aaron Aldrich after the city council tabled his licensing appeal. “They’re not seeing you, Aaron,” she said Tuesday night. “They’re seeing the paper. They’re looking at your record, not at who ...
Lofts converted from Lewiston mill open for tenants Monday
LEWISTON, Maine — From the corner of Canal and Chestnut streets, the red brick walls of Bates Mill Building No. 2 don’t look much different, until you notice the gleaming silver intercom near the main entrance. Beyond that door and up the stairs, the building has undergone a massive transformation ...
Auburn startup makes compost of beloved departed animals
AUBURN, Maine — Michelle Melaragno has grown accustomed to people’s reactions when she describes her new start-up business: composting large animals, such as horses and cows, for their grieving owners. “They make a face, you know, and they say, ‘Eww,’” she said. “And then, when I explain it a bit ...
Call put out for ground search volunteers in effort to find missing Glenburn teen
More than 500 help with ground search for missing Glenburn teen Nichole Cable
Three indicted in Houlton meth bust, endangering welfare of child
One winning ticket sold in Florida in historic $590.5 million Powerball drawing
LePage not allowed to address legislators as panel works out budget deadline
Jeffrey Nugent says his brother Ted Nugent is wrong on background checks
Maine protects a woman’s right to choose
Funding isn’t everything: Education reform takes innovation, cooperation
Strengthening the schools Maine already has
Emma Libby, 15, overcomes ruling to win Sport-4 race at Speedway 95
Marcus Davis wins mixed martial arts main event at NEF VII
Promise of land brought Theriault family to ‘Acadie’ in 1630s
How do I teach my kids it’s not OK to be bullied, even by family?
Custom guitar played by two members of the Beatles sells for $408,000 at auction
I cheated; now husband wants an open marriage. Is that fair?