2025: A year of new opportunities and moving forward
Reviewing what happened over the past year is always a significant opportunity for all of us to assess and reflect on what has been achieved in the Windham and Raymond communities and to determine the direction of where our towns may be heading in 2026. |
| Windham High School won a second consecutive Gold Ball by defeating South Portland, 55-52, and winning the 2024-2025 Class AA State Boy's Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 1 at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA |
Following a thorough review of all issues of The Windham Eagle from 2025, we’ve chosen to highlight the top story for each edition as featured in the newspaper and we wish everyone a healthy, safe, and prosperous year ahead in 2026.
JANUARY
Jan. 3’s top story was about preparations under way for the Dr. Richard Nickerson Annual Scholarship Concert on Jan. 4 at the Windham High School Performing Arts Center. Back in the spring of 1997, Dr. Nickerson and his choral students called the Windham Chamber Singers went to Vienna to participate in a music festival and won the most prestigious award of the festival. They were very thankful for all the work that Dr. Nickerson did to bring the group to that place and to show their gratitude and give back, they decided to start a scholarship specifically for choral music. Daniel Griffin is a Windham High School alumnus and was a Windham Chamber Singer back in the day. His daughter, who also attended RSU 14, was fortunate enough to also be a Windham Chamber Singer, making it a full circle. Now, Griffin is a part of the Scholarship Committee setting up the annual fundraising concert. “We have a small committee that meets throughout the year and plans the one fundraising event, the scholarship concert, which happens on the first Saturday of every January,” says Griffin. “We have been doing this for 28 years and we have all musical alumni from Windham High School come back for this. It is a great type of family event that we are trying to keep on going.” A $1,000 scholarship is awarded each year to a high school senior that is planning to make choral music a part of their college experience. “This gives them an opportunity to find their people in the college or university that they are going to and start making friends,” Griffin said. “Choral music or being part of some sort of music program is very similar to sports teams; everybody comes together for one particular purpose to improve and work together and harmonize to produce something wonderful.”
The top story for Jan. 10 was a visit by a new Maine organization which trains service dogs, therapy dogs, and facility dogs for those with disabilities as it made a stop in Windham, showcasing its work for veterans and their families at the Windham Veterans Center. Based in Oxford at a 10-building facility on a 12-acre site, Mission Working Dogs was founded by Christy Gardner as a non-profit to help Mainers in need. Gardner was serving in the U.S. Army overseas when she was attacked and sustained a serious a brain injury, facial fractures, internal injuries, a spinal cord injury, and the amputation of both of her legs in the line of duty. Her initial diagnosis was that she would be 100 percent disabled and never lead a normal life. Spending more than a year and a half in the hospital, doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. paired her with a service dog named Moxie to help her recover. That act boosted Gardner’s confidence, and it eventually led her to return home to Maine, to reestablish her life, and to become a member of the United States National Sled Hockey team, and an alternate for Team USA in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. She had been involved in training puppies in Maine for about 10 years before founding Mission Working Dogs in July 2020. “My own service dog, Moxie, made me want to start Mission Working Dogs,” Gardner said. “She was incredible and allowed me so much more independence than was imaginable after I was injured in the Army. I had volunteered at a Labrador breeder and helped other organizations temperament test puppies for possible service work and eventually became a puppy raiser.” Gardener said Mission Working Dogs has partnered with the Maine Department of the American Legion for a year-long project to support service dogs for Maine veterans and she traveled with several of her dogs to Windham to promote the effort.
Jan. 17’s top story reported that repair work on Babb’s Bridge has started in Windham, and sooner than expected. The historic crossing over the Presumpscot River has been closed to traffic since the previous summer after sustaining damage in an accident and typically carries more than 360 vehicles per day over the wooden Queenspost truss structure. At about 12:45 p.m. Aug. 23, 2024, police say a Ford F750 truck loaded with 36,000 pounds of crushed gravel attempted to cross Babbs Bridge from Gorham east into Windham on Hurricane Road. The truck’s excessive weight caused planks on the wooden bridge floor to collapse and sent the truck crashing into the Presumpscot River below. The posted weight limit for traveling across the Babbs Bridge span is 3 tons, or 6,000 pounds, and police said the truck weighed roughly six times the legal limit for crossing the bridge. The truck was owned by The Driveway Guys Company of Biddeford and was driven by Joshua Polewarzyk of Limington, 37, who was able to free himself from the truck in the water and sustained minor injuries in the crash. He was cited for excessive truck weight in crossing the bridge and was fined $2,500. Maine Department of Transportation engineers were tasked with evaluating the structural status of the bridge for public safety and come up with a plan for repairs and restoration of the structure. A note posted on social media by the Windham Town Manager’s Office on Jan. 10 said the MDOT has launched repairs to Babb’s Bridge about four months ahead of schedule. MDOT estimates it will take about six weeks to complete repairs on the bridge at a cost of $110,000 before it can be reopened to the public.
The top story for Jan. 24 was about the debut on YouTube of the “Early Bird Show,” an interview program sponsored by the Raymond-Casco Historical Society. It is the brainchild of Raymond-Casco Historical Society member Greg Plummer and features a different town celebrity on each episode. During the show, Pummer chats with guests in his makeshift studio, complete with a host’s desk and chairs. The “set” is decorated with local historical pieces, and the place appears quite cozy. “The Early Bird Show is designed to have the appearance of a low-budget late-night talk show parody. The host is yours truly and each month I will interview a featured guest, a senior member of our community and someone with a story to tell,” Plummer said. “My vision is to document and share as much history and local lore as I can from the people who have lived in this area for decades. Plus, I like talking with old people. Old people rule.” Plummer aptly kicked off a conversation by telling his guest, Wayne Whitney, “This will be perfect. It’s just you and I, it’s all it is. That’s what we’re gonna’ do.” That seemed to summarize the tone of the entertaining and witty conversation. Known primarily as a poultry farmer, Whitney explained how his family got into farming and highlighted some memories from his childhood on Raymond Cape Road. The next episode of the Early Bird Show will feature the one-and-only iconic Raymond resident Trudy Files. The show is sure to include many laughs and witty stories. “Trudy is a hoot,” said Plummer. “She is a dear friend and will be the featured guest on Episode 2 of The Early Bird Show. Born and raised in Raymond, Maine, Trudy has quite a collection of interesting stories and anecdotes to share. It’s hard to choose just one, and I won't give away all the details, but let's just say that she may have been involved in a high-speed chase pursuing Elvis Presley.”
The top story for Jan. 31 was about a Windham resident searching for a kidney transplant donor. Katie St. Pierre was diagnosed with IGA nephropathy last April. It is a chronic kidney disease characterized by deposits of immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies in one of her kidneys, leading to inflammation and damage to the glomeruli, tiny filters that remove waste products from the blood. “I was first diagnosed with IGA in April 2024,” St. Pierre said. “My case is considered hereditary, and I've probably had it my whole life, although I do not have any close family members with a similar condition.” The biggest issues St Pierre has been experiencing are the extreme exhaustion that comes with IGA neuropathy and the buildup of fluids it causes. “Imagine jumping in a pool fully clothed then walking around the rest of the day like that,” St. Pierre said. “I wake up every morning feeling like my limbs are made of lead.” St. Pierre is a familiar face to many in the area, having worked in the bakery department at the North Windham Hannaford store since 2019. Born in South Portland, she is married and has lived in Windham since she was 5. Upon receiving her IGA diagnosis last year and immediately starting on dialysis, doctors have advised St. Pierre that a kidney transplant is her best option for survival and to improve her quality of life. “I was told I needed a transplant on the same day I got my diagnosis. I ended up being hospitalized for a little over a week after some blood work came back,” she said. “During that time, I had many tests done but for a definitive answer they had to do a kidney biopsy, basically taking a small sliver of your kidney and putting it under a microscope to see what's wrong.” According to St. Pierre, she chose to undergo home dialysis treatment, called peritoneal dialysis or PD for short. “At first I was doing five days a week but now I am doing a treatment every day,” she said. ““If you or someone you know is willing to consider being a living kidney donor, I would be deeply grateful,” she said. “A living donation is a life-saving gift, and you could make all the difference in my journey or even someone else's. This experience has shown me the difficulties that so many are going through right now. All potential donors will be fully evaluated by medical professionals to ensure safety for both the donor and the recipient.”
FEBRUARY
Feb. 7’s top story detailed a last-minute Board of Selectmen meeting in Raymond conducted on ZOOM for select board members to vote on making a warrant available for easements requested by Sebago WIFI LLC during a Special Town Meeting. An oversight regarding a Sebago WiFi project was discovered by the Town of Raymond’s attorney, and it came to light last week. However, Raymond Select Board members were able to pull together an emergency meeting and voted to approve a Special Town Meeting Warrant authorizing a Special Town Meeting. Raymond Town Manager Sue Look explained the oversight details prompting the meeting. “In talking to our attorney about the Broadband Contract, I found that the Select Board does not have the authority to grant the easement needed to allow Sebago Fiber to build the proposed building on the Public Safety property for the broadband project, only (a) Town Meeting can do that,” she said. The Special Town Meeting Warrant was approved with the required votes of at least three Raymond Select Board members. There was no opposition. Look said this will allow for the Special Town Meeting to be called so it can be voted on by residents. The town is hoping to move forward with the project, so the broadband installation doesn’t get held up. The Special Town Meeting Warrant stipulates a town vote to authorize the Select Board to grant to Sebago Fiber & WIFI LLC a perpetual easement over and under a portion of town-owned property identified as Tax Assessor’s Map 04 Lot 106A support the installation of a fiber optic network ring connecting all municipal buildings and public safety radio towers and for the purpose of erecting, installing and maintaining a structure of about 400 square feet to be used as a central office, two new utility poles and underground conduit, and solar panels.
The top story for Feb. 14 reported on the efforts of a Windham hairstylist who was vying for the title of “United States of America Mrs. Maine” and seeking to raise awareness about infertility issues affecting women during the upcoming statewide pageant. Nichole Burke, 41, and her husband moved to Windham in November 2023, and in March 2024, they became the parents of a son. “Something many people may not know about me is that after four years of struggle, I became a first-time mom at 40, welcoming a beautiful son just 10 months ago,” Burke said. “My husband and I had a whirlwind year – we got married in June 2023, bought our first home five months later, and then, just four months after that, became parents.” She was asked by the director a few months ago to join the pageant. “I have some friends who have done pageants, so I talked with them and got a lot of encouragement,” Burke said. “I decided that this experience would be something just for me, where I could step out of my comfort zone and grow personally. A motivation to get back into self-care and regular exercise, something that I miss. Also, an opportunity to get more acquainted with our new community and be of service. Doing service work has been very fulfilling for me, and I am looking forward to it again. Another important part of my journey is that I have been in recovery for almost 16 years, a path that has shaped me into the resilient and compassionate person I am today.” If honored as the pageant winner, Burke hopes to use this platform to amplify the conversation around infertility, breaking the stigma and fostering a community of support for women facing similar struggles.
Feb. 21’s top story was regarding the Windham Police Department as a new K9 officer has joined its ranks. K9 Zeus is a 16-month-old Belgian Malinois who is partnered with his handler, Windham Officer Sam Pattee, a four year-veteran of the department. They are currently involved in training for Zeus to become a fully certified patrol dog, meaning he'll be certified in tracking, article searches, apprehension work and narcotics certification. “I grew an interest in being a K9 handler almost as soon as I got started on the road with Windham PD,” Pattee said. K9 Zeus came from Boston Police Department’s training barracks and was selected by him with the help of K9 trainers from both the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and Scarbrough PD. “I was looking for a dual purpose K9, meaning a K9 fully capable of patrol work and narcotics detection,” Pattee said. “I viewed multiple possible K9s. but when I met Zeus, I quickly knew he was the one. He was full of energy, fearless and I felt a bond with him from the start.” According to Pattee, K9 training is not an easy task. “It takes a lot of time, dedication and patience. It takes a level of commitment that you can’t truly understand until you’ve done it yourself. I train with the group called Law Enforcement Dogs of Maine (LEDME) and it requires at least 480 hours of training with a certified trainer before a K9 team can be certified in patrol work,” he said. “In training we work on tracking, article searching, which is locating items that someone may have dropped or thrown, and suspect apprehension. We also conduct scenario-based training which puts both the K9 and the handler through real world situations and helps us be better prepared to make the right decisions on real deployments. The group has a great team of trainers with years of combined K9 experience to learn from and I appreciate everything they’ve taught me.” The Windham Police Department last had a K9 team about four years ago.
The top story for Feb. 28 was about the Town of Windham restricting public access to the three electric vehicle charging stations at the Windham Town Hall. During a scheduled meeting for Windham town councilors, Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts discussed posting signs and installing locks on the EV chargers after town employees could not charge their municipal EVs because the public was using them. Tibbetts said that the town obtained grants in 2015 to install two charging stations at Windham Town Hall and added a third one several years later. Through the years the town has been working to increase its fleet of municipal electric vehicles and decrease its dependence upon gas-powered vehicles, Tibbetts told the council. He said that as more residents purchase EVs, finding places to charge them has led them to use the charging stations at Windham Town Hall. “I thought it was important to bring this before the council,” Tibbetts said. “When municipal vehicles are unable to be charged because all three stations are in use by the public, we need to do something. It’s like in essence that they’re getting a free tank of gas.” A high-speed charger typically can add 200 to 250 miles of range per hour to an electric-powered vehicle. Tibbetts said without the council objection, he will order restricting use of the three EV charging stations at the town hall, posting signage that they are for municipal vehicle use only and securing them with locks.
MARCH
March 7’s top story was about Windham High School’s boys’ basketball team defeating South Portland at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland on Saturday, March 1 to win its second straight Class AA state basketball championship, 55-52. South Portland had led most of the game but late in the fourth quarter Windham turned things around before a foul shot by Creighty Dickson tied the game at 47-47. As the clock ticked away, and the game tied at 52-52, Windham’s Tyrie James sank two crucial free throws to give Windham an edge and the victory. “At the Edward Little game I missed four free throws,” James said. “In practice I started taking them more seriously, working on my breath; I had the coaches help me with that. Last year we started off strong and then Gorham came back. This year I felt like we were behind and kept moving the ball ... we just kept going. The only difference (between last year’s team and this year’s) is people are stepping into different roles. The week leading up we each had to focus, and I feel like we did that. I feel like in the second half, we boxed out more and got more rebounds ... we started to understand where they were getting their points, and we started to stop that from happening.” Windham Coach Chad Pulkkinen said he was super happy for his players. “As a longtime resident of Windham, I’m just really proud of the young men ... we get to coach every day. South Portland ... didn’t want to go away ... we knew they weren’t just going to lay down for us – we wanted it the hard way, the guys enjoy those challenges and was just a testament to what this group is capable of. These guys had to answer the bell every night ... and that’s really hard to do as a teenager and really hard to do when the target is on your back. It was a collective effort, and we take a lot of pride in that.”
The top story for March 14 reported on the Town of Raymond establishing a selection process to choose a new town manager following the resignation of Raymond Town Manager Susan Look. She had been serving in that role since January 2024 but quit, citing more than an hour’s commute from her home in Richmond. Look had been working as the Raymond Town Clerk when she was appointed by the Raymond Select Board to replace Don Willard as interim town manager in July 2023. Willard officially retired in January 2024 after being out on Paid Medical Leave and Look took over as permanent town manager at that time. Look had worked as Raymond Town Clerk for more than a decade prior to her serving in the town manager’s position. The Town Manager job is a full-time position and appointed by the Raymond Select Board. The town manager is responsible for administering policies as established by the Select Board and the Town Charter. The Town Manager serves as the chief administrative officer and head of the administrative branch of the town’s government. To fill in until a new permanent town manager can be hired, the Raymond Select Board has appointed Raymond Parks and Recreation Director Joe Crocker as Raymond’s interim town manager.
March 21’s top story was about RSU 14 expanding its early childhood education services to reach more young families and support early learning opportunities for children in Windham and Raymond. This expansion includes increasing Pre-K offerings in elementary schools in Windham and Raymond and strengthening partnerships with community organizations. The district currently serves 66 Pre-K students, providing them with essential early learning opportunities. Yet as the school district continues to grow, school officials say that its early childhood programs must also grow to provide more families with access to high-quality preschool education, helping set a strong foundation for future academic success. “The district currently provides Pre-K services at Raymond Elementary School and Tu Casa Childcare in Raymond, as well as A Child’s World Preschool Center in Windham,” said Christine Frost-Bertinet, RSU 14 Assistant Superintendent. “For the 2025-2026 school year, we are hoping to expand these services to accommodate 59 more children from Raymond and Windham with a funding gap of just $1,604 per student for the entire school year.” She said that in total, RSU 14 would need to invest about $102,700 beyond what state funding provides, what she calls “a modest investment in our youngest learners' futures.” To support this growth, the district will introduce new Pre-K spaces at Windham Primary School and partner with A Space to Thrive, a newly established childcare center that broke ground last month at 184 Pope Road in Windham. By working with community partners such as A Space To Thrive, Tu Casa, and A Child’s World, this school and community mixed delivery system can better provide high-quality, affordable Pre-K options for local families, Frost-Bertinet said.
The top story for March 28 was about Windham Middle School’s alternative pathway program called Altitude using maple syrup collection to teach students. Altitude focuses on service, experiential learning, and community building, aiming to create more hands-on learning opportunities for students who may find the traditional school setting challenging. As maple syrup season drew closer, Altitude teachers Lisa Anderson, Autumn Carlsen Cook and Allison Muir decided to use this opportunity to teach their seventh grade Altitude students a variety of lessons, some of which include science, math, history, and the natural world. Prior to going outside, students learned about the sugaring process and had guest speaker Scott Dunn from Dunn Family Farm speak to them about the task of collecting and boiling maple syrup. They learned about how to identify healthy maple trees, understanding the timing of sap flow, proper tapping techniques, and basic sap handling and boiling procedures to ensure a good quality syrup. Then, the students walked around campus, marking off and tapping 15 maple trees and plotting their locations on a map. Mathematics was used as students collected data from the amount of sap they got from each tree and learned about how many taps a tree can have depending on its diameter and size. While outside, Altitude students set up a “kitchen” of four propane heaters to boil the sap for it to become maple syrup.
APRIL
April 4’s top story reported how Windham High Windham senior Tayla Pelletier has set nine indoor track and field school records, competed in four Pentathlons since her sophomore year and navigated five championship meets in a row to finish third nationally in the Adidas Track Nationals at Virgina Beach, Virgina. She exceeded her goal and scored 3,241 points in the pentathlon; an event which consists of hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump and an 800-meter run. Pelletier is the first Windham High School athlete to qualify for a Nationals Pentathlon competition. “I was definitely nervous,” said Pelletier, about competing in the Adidas Track Nationals. “I wanted to keep a positive mindset because if you think positive, you can do good and you got to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, you’re not going to do good. I wanted to do the best I could do on the given day; I knew I could reach 3,000 points, which was my goal.” Pelletier’s Pentathlon score from the 2025 New Year’s Invitational at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham in January earned her entry to compete in the Pentathlon at the 2025 Adidas Track Nationals. “Tayla’s accomplishments and her medals truly represent what no one ever sees behind the scenes,” said Windham High indoor track and field coach Jeff Riddle. “That’s where the magic happens. The symbol of the medal, the place in the podium and the state championships is a validation of all of her hard work put in, her work on her mindset to build that capacity. It was an honor to watch her perform it.”
The top story for April 11 was about the television series “Hearts of New England” to debut a third season on Amazon Prime later in the year. The series is a drama based in Maine and filmed using Windham locations with an all-New England cast. “Hearts of New England” is created, written, and directed by Justin Fortin and he also stars as a soldier who returns to his Maine home after serving in a war, only to become embroiled in a war at home as he learns that his father is deeply connected to the mob. He’s also caught in a love triangle between characters played by Caitlynn McCauley and Kris Salvi, and it seems like his quest for peace in his life turns out to be a never-ending war. When not filming “Hearts of New England,” Fortin works as the Assistant Director for Shaw’s Supermarket in Windham and formerly worked for the Windham Walmart as a manager. “We film in Windham all the time. Local businesses here in Windham have been very good to us,” Fortin said. “Filming here honestly feels like returning home. I have lots of friends here between the Walmart in Windham that I previously worked for, and the Windham Shaw’s I currently work for.” According to Fortin, the “Hearts of New England” series has been very popular with Maine viewers since its inception, originally airing on Great Falls TV on YouTube, and now has found a nationwide audience when it was selected to air on Amazon Prime in 2023.
For April 18, the top story detailed how a Windham Lions Club member was awarded the highest form of recognition possible for a Lions Club member. Evelyn Brissette was presented with the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award during its April meeting for her humanitarian qualities such as compassion, concern, and generosity to the Windham community. The award is named after the original founder, secretary and treasurer of Lions International who established the organization to improve health and well-being, strengthen communities and support those in need through humanitarian services and grants that impact lives locally and globally, and encourage peace and international understanding. Brissette served as president of the Windham Lions Club for several years and created the club’s Adopt-A-Family program that provides Christmas gifts to families in need in the Windham Community. She also has participated in community meals and the RSU 14 Backpack Program and volunteers for the Windham Parks and Recreation Department and at senior citizen luncheons. She’s active in the Lions Club’s eyeglass screening, Touch-A-Truck, the Windham Lions Annual Craft Fair, Stuff the Bus, and many other community activities. “I have always enjoyed doing whatever I can to make life as good as possible for others,” Brissette said. “The Windham Lions Club has given me the opportunities that I needed to get out there and do even more.”
April 25’s top story reported on Windham’s Pearl Grant being presented with the Boston Post Cane by Windham Town Clerk Linda Morrell as the oldest town resident. Grant turned 100 in June and remains an active churchgoer and hosts a bible study group at her home every week. She graduated from Windham High School in 1943 and says that her family and God are key elements of her life as she’s about to reach the centenarian milestone that only 0.027 percent of Americans live to. “Now that I’ve lived this long, I honestly can’t see a big difference from being 99 and being 100,” Grant said. “It’s about the same to me. God has certainly blessed me to live this long.” During her visit with Grant, Morrell read a citation recognizing Grant’s longevity and Pearl recalled that she was present when Morrell gave the cane to her mother Ethel in 2001. Ethel Verrill had the cane as Windham’s oldest resident until she passed away in 2007. Windham’s first Boston Post Cane recipient was Elijah Cook in 1909, and now that distinction belongs to Grant, who succeeds the late Hazel Gilman as the cane recipient. Gilman died last October at the age of 106.
MAY
May 2’s top story was about Windham High School graduate Robyn Hurder, who stars in the new hit Broadway musical “Smash” that opened at the Imperial Theatre in New York City on April 10. It’s a role that secures her place in Broadway history after years of performing in the cast of 22 Broadway shows and receiving a Tony Award nomination in 2020 for her part in “Moulin Rouge.” She graduated in 2000 from Windham High School and is a former member of the Windham Chamber Singers and studied dance at the Maine State Ballet. Her mother enrolled Robyn at age 7 in a dance studio in Scarborough. She says that she liked the tap and ballet lessons there but by age 8, she wanted out to spend time playing with her friends from school. When the dance studio added jazz dance that spring, her interest in choreography intensified. Dr. Richard Nickerson, the director of the Windham Chamber Singers, said Hurder was a special talent. “There are some students that, from the moment you meet them, you know they are destined for greatness,” Nickerson said. “Robyn was one of those students I knew that she could do whatever she set her mind to. She is as genuine a person as you will ever meet. She has a positive energy about her that lights up a room. She always worked incredibly hard yet never complained. She is the kind of person that everyone wants to be around because she always makes you feel like a better person. I remember her singing voice, but what really sticks out in my memory is her laugh. She truly loves life.”
For May 9, the top story was The Pat Moody Foundation offering a $2,500 scholarship to a graduating Windham student-athlete. It will be given to someone who knows and displays the meaning of community, volunteerism, school pride, work ethic, sportsmanship and is a positive influence on those around them – just like the late Pat Moody was. This scholarship is currently targeted towards student-athletes, although athletic achievement is only one of the criteria, and not the primary factor in decision making. They are looking for the most community-minded athlete who is a great role model, not necessarily the most successful athlete. While they do focus on Moody’s love of basketball, the foundation wants to support as many students in as many ways as possible. “He would be thrilled to see this opportunity provided to someone that he probably watched grow up (at least these first few years),” said Moody’s older sister Tracey Lydon, president of The Pat Moody Foundation. “He would love the fact that the community has supported this foundation in such a huge way that is allowing for these opportunities, but he was always one to do things quietly without fanfare. He would be very much supporting this from the fact that it is helping to bring about positive impacts and change in the community he loved. Imagine the community we can continue to build upon if our first thoughts were about others and how we could support them; this scholarship aims to be a catalyst for change not just to its recipients, but those that choose to apply knowing the expectations asked of them to be eligible.”
May 16’s top story was about a dramatic successful search to find a lost dog named Pearl, who is owned by Dawn Elwell of Raymond. Pearl had escaped from a groomer in Raymond and had disappeared on April 30 and after four days of searching for Pearl and running out of hope, Elwell hired Rob Russell’s 2A TAC Air Ops Drone Services of Barrington, New Hampshire to see if he could do something to help. Russell is a former police officer and U.S. Army infantryman who was wounded in combat in Afghanistan. He now owns a drone equipped with thermal technology that can be used in searches for missing people and pets. Russell contacted Carmen Brothers of Professional Pet Trackers of Virgina to assist in the search for Pearl, and she brought along her almost 2-year-old black lab named K9 Finley whom Brothers had trained and has been working on cases with her since December. Russell said during their extensive search they had to figure out where Pearl was bedding down and hiding and Pearl was ultimately recovered roughly 18 hours after they finished the tracking activities, and the drone landed. On Sunday, May 4, she received a phone call informing her that Pearl had been found. “That feeling was something I had dreamt about for the longest five days of my life,” she said. “I do not believe I could have done this without this team of experts.”
For May 23, the top story covered plans by the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals in Windham for a new $1.5 million fundraising campaign to assist the organization in building a new intake barn for abused and neglected horses to heal and recover. Kathy Woodbrey, MSSPA’s Executive Director, said that plans for the “Safe Place to Land” intake barn have been carefully weighed and discussed for the past two years, and the fundraising campaign has already reached more than halfway toward its $1.5 million goal. MSSPA Advancement Director Peg Keyser said that in the last five years, the number of horses arriving at MSSPA has surged with many coming from cases of severe neglect, abuse, or with significant medical challenges. As the complexity of these cases grows, so does the urgency for a dedicated space where incoming horses can receive the care they desperately need. The “Safe Place to Land” campaign has already a matching gift of $500,000 from the McCulloch Family of Southern Maine who will be extended the opportunity to name the new barn. The site for the new intake barn sits on 7 acres of MSSPA’s 124-acre property on River Road in Windham. Plans call for the intake barn to be open-air with eight wooden stalls. The contractor for the intake barn project will be Jim Brown and sitework will be completed by Shaw Brothers Construction.
May 30’s top story reported on the announcement by Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts that he will step down from the position effective June 30 and the Windham Town Council appointing Assistant Town Manager Robert Burns to succeed Tibbetts as Town Manager. Tibbetts has served as Windham’s Town Manager since November 2019, first on an interim basis and then was made the permanent town manager in March 2020. He came to Windham with extensive municipal experience and experience in local government, administrative operations, budgeting, regulatory functions, and community relations and had served as the Kennebunk Town Manager through 2017. Burns joined Windham as the town’s first Assistant Town Manager in December 2021. He graduated from Yarmouth High School before obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Engineering from the University of Maine at Orono. Following college, Burns worked both in Maryland in Public Works and in Florida as a consulting environmental engineer. After that, he returned to Maine and served as the Public Works Director and Town Engineer in Gorham for 18 years.
JUNE
For June 6, the top story was about Afomiya Timerga, who personifies the definition of overcoming personal challenges to achieve joy and happiness among Windham High School’s Class of 2025 graduates. She moved to the United States at the age of 5 from her birthplace of Ethiopia, speaking very little English but embracing the endless possibilities of freedom and living in a nation free of war, poverty, disease, and a daily struggle to survive. It wasn’t easy at first to fit in, but she did her best to adapt to her new life with her mother in Portland. “The hardest part was adjusting to a new country,” Timerga said. “When you’re younger it is easier to pick up on things. I tried to make friends and learn the language.” Having attended elementary school in Portland, another huge transition took place in Timerga’s life when her mother, Abebanesh Abdela, purchased a home in Windham and her family, including Afomiya, her brother Musea Timo, and her sister Minaida Timon, relocated here when she was halfway through seventh grade. “It was like I was starting over again,” she said. “At my school in Portland I knew everyone, but here I didn’t know anybody in Windham and felt isolated and alone. But eventually I made friends at Windham Middle School and things gradually improved.” In 2015, she joined her mother in becoming a U.S. citizen during a ceremony in Portland. During her time at Windham High School, she tried to avoid the spotlight to some extent but worked to consistently make a positive impact at the school. “Whether it was through my involvement in the Black Student Union, where I worked to create a more inclusive and supportive environment, or simply by encouraging others and staying true to who I am, I’ve always aimed to lead by example,” Timerga said.
June 13’s top story was the passage by a margin of 200 votes of the RSU 14 annual budget by voters in Windham and Raymond during an election. In Windham, voters rejected the proposed $67.8 million budget, with 651 votes in favor and 676 voting no. But 408 voters in Raymond cast ballots approving the budget and 183 voted no. The combined totals resulted in 1,059 votes to approve the budget with 859 opposed. The budget represents a 12.75 percent increase over last year’s $60,185,403 budget, with a 6.4 percent increase stemming from the construction of the new Windham Raymond Middle School. To offset that, the school district will receive an additional state subsidy to cover almost half of the increase, resulting in an impact to taxpayers of 6.5 percent. Included in the RSU 14 budget are regular operating expense increases and a Pre-K expansion program. In Raymond, two new members of the town’s Board of Selectmen were elected for three-year terms. Christopher Hanson received 350 votes, and Kaela Gonzalez tallied 328 votes to earn seats on the Select Board. Hanson is the code enforcement officer for Raymond and graduated from the University of Maine Orono. He also serves as a member of Raymond’s Budget-Finance Committee. Gonzalez is a program coordinator with the city of Portland and has a degree in Health Science. She has served on various town committees including the town’s most recent Comprehensive Plan Committee and she formerly worked for the Town of Raymond.
For June 20, the top story was about Windham’s $8.9 million municipal budget passing through a series of unexpected developments during a marathon 4 ½ hour Annual Town Meeting on Saturday, June 14. Voters questioned nearly each of the 30 town warrant articles, wanting explanations for increases in spending and sharing their opinions about budgeting proposals put forward by the Windham Town Council. Voters rejected Article 7 asking for approval of a municipal budget of $39.9 million, and that meant votes were required for each of the next 11 articles. Among those, only Article 8, asking for an increase of 11.39 percent and $8.9 million funding general government operations for fiscal year 2025-2026 was defeated by voters as determined by the moderator. Article 8 included funding for Windham Town Hall offices and services and some contractual expenses, such as benefits for town police officers. Article 22, a proposal to construct a new North Windham Public Safety Building behind Hannaford Supermarket off Route 302, involved a lengthy discussion and many questions raised by voters about acquiring the site property, housing a Cumberland County Sheriff’s Patrol Office in the building, and the need to replace the current North Windham Fire Station on Route 302, a structure built in 1960. Approving the article would add 5 cents to the town’s millage rate yet voters approved it, agreeing to its $10 million cost through a combination of $4 million in Tax Increment Financing, using $2.4 million from the town’s General Fund, using impact fees of $1.1 million and obtaining a general obligation bond of $2.5 million. After the 30 articles had been discussed and voted upon, the implications of the rejection of Article 8 would mean, including the difficulty of rescheduling and legally posting another town meeting, shutting down Windham Town Hall on July 1, potentially laying off employees and not having necessary revenue to meet contractual bills and defaulting on town obligations was reviewed. Following a discussion about amending the budget, a vote to amend the $8.9 million was voted down and then Article 8 as originally proposed was then passed by those remaining in attendance.
June 27’s top story was a celebration for Windham High School’s varsity girls’ lacrosse and softball teams, which both made program history on Saturday, June 21 by winning state championships. The second-ranked WHS girls’ lacrosse team won the program’s first-ever Class A State Title in defeating top-ranked Kennebunk 12-9 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. The second-ranked WHS softball team won its second-ever Class A State Championship in three years when it shut out seventh-ranked Edward Little 7-0 at Saint Joseph’s College. Both Windham teams had amazing seasons with lacrosse winning 17 games consecutively with only one loss during the entire season, and softball finished its season with a record of 18-2. WHS girls’ lacrosse members include seniors Sophie Allen, Grace Joly, Lauren Jordan; juniors Abby Trainor, Neve Ledbetter, Demetria Nicholas, Elizabeth Baker, Mady Donnelly, Brianna Duarte, Alyssa Cooper, Olivia McPherson; sophomores Morgan McLain, Grayson Cornish, Gracie McPherson, Charlie Scanlon, Libby Hartwell, Avery Adams, manager Allegresse Kawaya; freshmen Brooklyn Roy, Anna Bowie, Morgan Clark, Maria Rose, Madison Buzulchuck. and Lauren Valle. WHS softball team members include seniors Stella Jarvais, Kyla Harvie, Lydia Marden, Chloe Edwards, Kennedy Kimball; juniors Oakley McLeod, Jezabelle Pinto, Nola Bryant, Lacie Higgins, Addison Caiazzo, Chloe Delewski; sophomores Kaylee Napolitano, Evelyn Anderson, Kiley Card, Sarah Smyth, Abhilasha Jain and freshmen Evelyn Robinson and Yani Kostopoulos.
