Beer, wine license approved for Spruce Mountain Ski Slope

For the past nine months, the Wilton-Jay Police Consolidation Committee has studied cost-effective ways to provide shared law enforcement in the two towns.

The committee, which includes each town's chief of police — Ethan Kyes of Wilton and Joseph Sage of Jay — has focused on exploring shared services and developing concrete options as the towns wrestle with staffing shortages, rising policing costs and the complexity of public safety work.

Members were scheduled to make a presentation on four final options Tuesday, but decided it would be better to first bring the options to their respective select boards separately to give elected officials a first look before scheduling community meetings.

Presentations are scheduled for Feb. 3 in Wilton and Feb. 9 in Jay, with decisions expected later in the month.

Please read our story for more details on policing options under consideration.

In the meantime, Monitor Local is hosting the first of what it hopes will be a series of coffee hours from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Jan. 21, at Twice Sold Tales at 155 Main St. in Farmington.

There is no agenda. We just want to hear what you think about local news in your community and how Monitor Local can serve you in western Maine.

I will be there, along with Executive Director Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm and some of our reporters who have been covering Franklin, Oxford and Somerset counties.

I look forward to meeting many of you.

As we continue our commitment to covering local news, we are interested in working with people who want to cover local news in their communities but need some journalism training to get started.

The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting is joining Journalism New England’s Career Lab on a three‑month local journalism program to provide hands‑on training for aspiring community reporting fellows who will contribute to The Maine Monitor’s Monitor Local coverage for our western Maine and Downeast newsletters.

The training program is a great opportunity to learn the foundations of journalism and have an opportunity to work directly with an editor on reporting, interviewing, writing and story revisions.

Fellows will cover town council meetings, school budget debates, zoning discussions, tax deliberations and more. Their work may be published by Monitor Local and Journalism New England during the training period, with the potential for continued paid contributions to Monitor Local.

More information about the program, along with a link to apply, is available here.

We hope you are enjoying this newsletter and encourage you to share it with family members and friends. They can sign up on our website to have their own delivered each Saturday.

Know of a Western Maine story The Maine Monitor should look into? Click the banner to contact the newsroom.

Wilton-Jay Police Collaboration Committee reschedules presentations: The committee looking at joint policing has decided to present four options Feb. 3 to the Wilton Board of Selectpersons and Feb. 9 to the Jay Select Board. Read this story by Bob Neal

Maine State Library Commission to start rulemaking process for new standards: After abandoning a set of controversial standards proposed last year, the board will take a new approach to revising its rules and criteria for public libraries. Read this story by Judith Meyer

Beer, wine license approved for Spruce Mountain Ski Slope in Jay: Slope officials say revenue from alcohol sales should help limit future increases in skiing fees. Read this story by Bob Neal

Bids for Farmington fire truck higher than expected: A decision is needed soon; even if ordered now, delivery could take 5 years. Read this story by Ben Hanstein

Norway Commons residents ask Select Board to consider rent stabilization moratorium: Norway to hold a public hearing Thursday on a request to demolish dilapidated sections of the former Advertiser Democrat complex on Pikes Hill Road. Read this story by Jon Bolduc

Waterville approves Fire and EMS Advisory Committee: Plans call for a seven‑member committee charged with evaluating and recommending strategies to enhance fire and EMS functions. Read this story by Charley DiAdamo

Waterville makes progress on Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization Ordinance: The City Council is expected to take its second and final vote on the measure Jan. 20. Read this story by Charley DiAdamo

banner that reads in-depth from the maine monitor

Building trails with stronger storms in mind. The state saw more than 100 applicants for the first round of the Maine Trails Program, and awarded funds to 44 projects that will help communities better prepare trails for storms, protect against erosion, increase accessibility and more. Read this story by Julia Tilton.

banner that reads other news we're monitoring"

While The Maine Monitor does not place its content behind paywalls, some newsrooms we link to in this newsletter may.

The Maine Monitor’s new reporting initiative in western and downeast Maine is the topic of January’s Maine Radio Hour. | The Maine Monitor

Franklin County is mulling asking voters to switch from an elected to an appointed treasurer, as western Maine reacts to Washington County’s fiscal issues. Voters rejected the change in 2021. | Sun Journal (Maine Monitor context: Washington County audits reveal years of unbalanced books, chronic overspending)

Livermore Falls is considering a moratorium on cannabis businesses. | Livermore Falls Advertiser

Maine should do more to support mobile home parks and keep them affordable, panel says. | Maine Public

Sugarloaf lost several lifts and some of its snowmaking capacity in December when a transformer blew. The resort anticipates replacing it this weekend. | Rangeley Highlander

Dixfield will hold a special town meeting on Jan. 26 to amend an ordinance and potentially fund a project for the historical society. | Rumford Falls Times

The NECEC transmission line is set to begin commercial operations this weekend. | Portland Press Herald

Three women who drowned in Flagstaff Lake over the summer were trapped under the capsized pontoon boat. | Rangeley Highlander

A new law has modified the Land Use Planning Commission, adding two commissioners among other reforms. | Daily Bulldog

Madison-area residents aren’t necessarily in favor of installing a four-way stop at a troubled intersection on Route 148. | Morning Sentinel

University of Maine at Augusta will shut down its Rumford location after the spring semester. | Rumford Falls Times

Skowhegan board declines Maine Grains’ offer to buy industrial space | Morning Sentinel

Land Use Planning Commission will increase number of commissioners from 9 to 11 under new state law; Wabanaki Nations to have representation. | Maine Public

January 21: Join Monitor Local editor Judy Meyer and some of our Monitor Local reporters for coffee and conversation at Twice Sold Tales, 155 Main Street in Farmington, from 10 a.m. to noon. We want to hear about what’s happening in your town and what you need from our reporting.

Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom. You can reach Monitor Local editor Judy Meyer directly via email: judy@themainemonitor.org.

The Maine Monitor is a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit news organization that produces investigative journalism. We believe news is a public good and keep our news free to access. We have no paywall and do not charge for our newsletters. If you value the reporting we do for Maine, please consider making a donation! We cannot do this reporting without your support.

DONATE NOW

banner that states the maine monitor is part of the trust project, an international consortium of news organizations implementing transparency standards. tap to learn about the monitor's editorial standards.

Manage preferences | Update email address