Happy Saturday, Auburn!
I enjoy connecting with you each week via these newsletters, and I'm pleased to now be doing so in two other ways.
To help with the load of letters we receive during election season, I'm once again editing missives from the Sun Journal region. It's great to read the viewpoints of many of you with whom I enjoyed working in recent years; it's sort of like Old Home Week.
I'm also excited to take part in my company's newsroom listening tour, the next stop of which will be at the Lewiston Public Library from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15. I've gotten to know many of you via email or phone, and I'd love to meet you in person ... so
come on by!
As always, I encourage you to email me with submissions about upcoming events or other community contributions to be included in this newsletter.
In this week's newsletter: L-A 911 eyes move to Auburn Hall; MDOT seeks input on dangerous intersection; haunted theater; and Auburn letters.
Thanks for reading. Until next time,
- Alex Lear
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MORE NEWS
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Vehicles cross Washington Street, center, recently at the intersection of Danville Corner Road, right, and Beech Hill Road, left, in Auburn. The Maine Department of Transportation is hosting a virtual hearing and public comment session on a plan to install a traffic signal at the intersection. The formal public comment period and “on-demand” public meeting runs through Wednesday,
Oct. 22. Go here to learn more and submit comments and questions that will be answered by MDOT staff. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)
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Officials in the Twin Cities look to be on board with a proposal to move Lewiston-Auburn 911 Emergency Communications to Auburn Hall. The dispatch center, operating out of Auburn’s Central Fire Station on Minot Avenue, was originally planned to remain there following the property’s upcoming overhaul into a combined police and fire public safety facility for Auburn. But officials say the cost to keep it there, along with the need to relocate the facility during construction, led the 911 committee to explore alternatives.
The sheriffs of Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties propose to join forces in operating a regional jail. Facing overcrowding and rising costs, Sheriffs Eric Samson, Scott Nichols Sr. and Christopher Wainwright, in a joint letter to each county government, call for a regional correctional facility to be created to house inmates from all three counties. The initiative, in its early stages, will go before county commissioners for discussion. No location
has been discussed, and there's no cost estimate.
An Auburn man was found dead last Saturday morning following a vehicle theft in Auburn the prior day, according to an Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office press release. The 36-year-old was found in an overturned 2011 Toyota Highlander SUV just off East Hebron Road in Turner.
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THIS WEEK'S MYSTERY PHOTO
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If you can identify where this photo was taken, contact us at bmail@sunjournal.com with your answer, your name, town and phone number. Correct entries will be put into a drawing for a $25 gift card courtesy of Hannaford Supermarkets.
(P.S. Did you guess last week's Mystery Photo correctly?)
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COMMUNITY VOICES/AROUND TOWN
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This year's round of Auburn Farm & Forest Tours runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18. Attendees can explore trails, learn about farms and forests,
meet chickens, rabbits and other farm animals, visit local crafter's booths, check out a potato tunnel and buy pumpkins. Click here for a list of tour locations.
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SUBMIT YOUR NEWS: Whether it's an upcoming event, municipal update or something else entirely,
we're always looking for local happenings to feature in this newsletter. Send us the details for consideration.
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THINGS TO DO
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All aboard! The Great Falls Model Railroad Club will hold its 2025 show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at Edward Little High School, 77 Harris St. in Auburn. Admission costs $5, but children younger than 12 get in with adult admission. Learn more here.
A chili cook-off fundraiser runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the First Universalist Church of Auburn, 169 Pleasant St. Tickets cost $10 per person and $20 per family. Award-winning chili cook Mason Pratt and the Auburn UU Hospitality Committee will provide the spread, and there'll be a variety of meat and vegetarian chilis, plus side dishes and beverages. Attendees can vote for their favorite chili. Click here for more info.
The L/A Community Little Theatre will host "Shadows on Stage: A Haunted House," from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight at 30 Academy St. in Auburn. This fundraiser for CLT returns Oct. 17 and 18. Promotional materials note that "This is not a guided tour — this is your journey into fear. Follow a marked path through the theater’s most haunted spaces. Beware: scare-actors and unexpected jump scares lurk around every corner. No one can shield you from the terror waiting in the dark." Learn
more here, and get tickets here.
The Great Falls Comedy Club, 34 Court St. in Auburn, features Adam Hatch and Ryan Waning tonight from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Sam Miller takes the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, followed by Erik Scott at 7:30 Saturday, Oct. 18. Get tickets for all shows here.
The First Universalist Church of Auburn will present "About Love: Grief & Loss," a panel talk exploring the role of faith and community in dealing with personal loss, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12. Click here for more info on this 169
Pleasant St. talk.
The Auburn Public Library, 49 Spring St., will host a Fall Slow Flow Yoga series for adults from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 14 and 21. Registration for each class closes at 4:30 p.m. that day. Learn more here.
Unlocking the Myths of Grief, a talk given by Susanne Murphy, will be held at the Auburn Public Library from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20. Murphy — a grief recovery specialist, life coach and founder of Whole Heart Coaching — shines a light on the most common myths of grief, revealing why they hold people back and how to break free. Click here to learn more.
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YOU'RE INVITED: NEWSROOM LISTENING SESSION
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Our journalists are traveling around Maine to hear from citizens about what they want most from their local news sources. Join us and
Maine Public on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at the Lewiston Public Library. Get the details.
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Oct. 9, 1965: “Cleo is a mighty lucky little beagle. She's back with her owners now, and well on her way to regaining her health, but if it hadn't been for two eight-year-old Auburn boys her life would have been much shorter.
“The two youngsters rescued Cloe Thursday afternoon from the bottom of a well where she had been trapped for nearly two months.
“At the time the dog was found, she was down to half her former weight, and another few days probably would have been too much.”
Click here to read more of this story from 1965. Subscribers enjoy exclusive access to search and browse our digital archives on Newspapers.com.
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Alex Lear is a lifelong Mainer who has spent about 25 years in journalism, the first 20 as a reporter for newspapers in Damariscotta and Falmouth, and the rest as the opinions section editor for the Sun Journal. He and his wife
Lauren are kept young by their 8-year-old daughter Alaina. Send feedback and suggestions to Alex. You can support this newsletter by encouraging friends and family to subscribe and sign up for the companion newsletter, Lewiston
Now. Read more news at sunjournal.com.
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