PALERMO: Pair pays $20,000 in fines with pennies

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by Jonathan Strieff

Palermo residents will no longer be able to use loose change to make payments to the town office exceeding $100. The decision came following a months long dispute between the town council and residents Kurt Sherman and Dusty Haskell regarding a shore land zoning ordinance violation.

Earlier this year, Sherman and Haskell were fined $20,000 in civil court for failing to comply with the towns land use statutes. Last week, the pair made good on a threat to pay off the fine entirely in pennies. Town employees arrived at work in the morning to discover buckets of coins left outside the office, along with a request for a receipt.

“Our lawyer told us we had no obligation to accept this as payment,” said Select Board member, Bob Kurek. “We could have just called it litter and told them to come back and clean it up, but we didn’t want to stoop to that level.”

“I think they were trying to personally inconvenience us,” said Chairman Ilene McKenney, “but they must not have realized that, as select board members, we are not allowed to physically handle any money paid to the town. So, it’s just been the clerk and the assistant treasurer who have had to deal with this.”

As of last Thursday, officials from the local Bangor Savings Bank branch where the town office does its banking offered the use of their coin counting machines to process the payment. The receipt requested by Sherman and Haskell will be available following a final tally.

Palermo’s Riley Reitchel earns All-American status at nationals

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Riley Reitchel

University of Southern Maine Junior Riley Reitchel, of Palermo, a graduate of Erskine Acedemy, in South China, earned All-American honors at the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, in Geneva, Ohio. Reitchel placed fourth in the javelin to earn First Team All-American status.

Reitchel recorded a throw of 41.23m to place fourth. The distance came on her second throw of the day. Reitchel, who placed 22nd at the 2023 National Championship meet as a freshman, is the fourth athlete in program history to earn All-American honors in the javelin.

CAREER RESULTS

2025: Earned First Team All-American honors by placing fourth in the javelin at the NCAA DIII National Championships with a throw of 41.32m* … LEC champion in the javelin with a distance of 41.48m … DIII New England champion in the javelin with a mark of 41.09m … Placed second in the pole vault at the LEC championships with a height of 2.95m … Member of a 4×100 relay team that placed third at the LEC Championships … Earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors in the javelin.

2024: Com­peted in three meets … Set a season-best mark of 3.10m to tie for third in the pole vault at the Coast Guard Spring Invite … Had a season-best javelin throw to 36.95m to place fifth at the SNHU Penmen Relays … Named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.

2023: Placed 22nd in the javelin at the NCAA Division III Track & Field National Championships with a throw of 32.97m … Named the LEC Field Rookie of the Year after winning the javelin at the conference championships with a throw of 38.52m … Placed third in the pole vault (2.95m) and eighth in the 200m (27.90) at the LEC Championships … Placed second in the javelin at the DIII New England Championships at 38.52m … Won the NEICAAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a throw of 45.49m that ranks as the second-best in program history … Earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors in the javelin.

Indoor Season Awards and Honors: 2024 LEC champion in the pole vault … Member of a 4×200 relay team that placed second at the 2024 LEC Championships … Member of the 2023 LEC champion 4×400 relay team … Earned All-Rookie honors in the pole vault after tying for second place in 2023.

Academic Awards and Honors: Earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete honors in 2023 … Named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.

Before USM: Varsity soccer and varsity track went to state freshmen year/Rookies Award … Varsity soccer, coaches award, varsity track went to state and coaches award sophomore year … Varsity soccer, coaches award, All-state, varsity track coaches award and went to state junior year … Varsity soccer, coaches award, All-state, Senior Bowl, Varsity track, coaches award KVAC All-Academic, All-star, State champions, Eagle award senior year … KVAC All academic, Top Ten, National Board Award … Student council, Girl-up, AFS, AFS, International outreach

Personal: Majoring in Linguistics … Attended Erskine Academy, in South China, … Daughter of Richard and Daniellle Reitchel … Has one sibling, Alexander … Also a member of the USM women’s soccer team and has earned All-Region and All-LEC honors on the pitch.

* A meter is equal to 3.28 feet.

PHOTOS: July 4th boat parade at Sheepscot Lake

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(contributed photo)

The Sheepscot Lake Association held its sixth annual boat parade on July 4, with 35+ boats joining the parade, and several residents cheering the parade on from the lakeshore.

Lynda Pound, (top photo, standing) founding member of the lake association, with 10 years of service on the board, was Grand Marshal of the parade this year. (contributed photo)

contributed photo

LETTERS: CMP and the ospreys

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To the editor:

My friend Marty and myself are convinced that CMP – Central Maine Power, is responsible for placement of the osprey nests on the power line poles. Have you ever noticed that these nests are typically adjacent to the road? You can look through the clear cut area and see multiple poles, but the nests are on the pole immediately next to the road. There are numerous examples of this on Turner Ridge Rd., the 105, and along Highway 95. south before Fairfield. With all these options … Why would an osprey build a nest on the exact pole next to the road ?

You may say that it’s close to the road to allow these birds to eat road kill. To my knowledge osprey catch live fish and it’s typically crows or vultures that eat road kill. My wife Margaret talked to the CMP crew that was installing new power poles about this question and they just had a good laugh at our expense. I have Googled the question and there are some examples of CMP intervention to relocate Osprey nests that could cause harm to the birds or cause power outages. It shows some type of human intervention but it still does not answer the question about CMP placement of nests adjacent to roads.

The purpose of this letter to the editor is to solicit feedback on whether it’s true or false that CMP is responsible for the placement of these osprey nests.

Okay, I know I’m retired and I have extra time on my hands to ponder these types of questions. So please if you have any facts on this subject please write your own letter to the editor to The Town Line with the information. Please help us in this debate!

Gary Mazoki
Palermo

PHOTOS: Flag retirement in Palermo

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Post Adjutant Duane Alexander placing the first flag in the fire. (contributed photo)

American Legion Post #163, in Palermo, held a flag retirement ceremony on Flag Day, June 14.

Post #163 worked in collaboration with the Palermo Fire Department, Cub Scout Pack #609, American Legion Auxiliary, and the Sons of the American Legion. (contributed photo)

Cub Scout Pack #609, led by pack leader Shawn McFarland, assisted in folding the flags in preparation for the ceremony the week before. (contributed photo)

PHOTOS: Memorial Day in Palermo

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Taps was played by Erskine student Sabrina Studholme, right. A brunch at the Palermo Historical Society wrapped up the day’s events. (contributed photo)

Malcolm Glidden Post #163, in Palermo, visited four local cemeteries on Memorial Day to honor fallen comrades. A prayer and poem, “Decoration Day,” was read by Commander Paul Hunter, above, volleys were fired by the rifle squad. (contributed photo)

Area students named to All-Maine Academic Team (2025)

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Five area Maine community college students have been named to the All-Maine Academic Team in recognition of their outstanding academic achievement, leadership, and service.

Area students receiving the award and a $500 scholarship from the MCCS Board of Trustees are:

Stephanie Wright, Oakland, Eastern Maine Community College.
Skye Havey, Somerville, Kennebec Valley Community College, in Fairfield/Hinckley.
Andrea King, Unity, Kennebec Valley Community College.
Jaikari Rada-Gonzalez, Palermo, Kennebec Valley Community College.
Jasmine Sanders, Augusta, Kennebec Valley Community College.

Palermo Historical Society celebrates 30 years

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PHS volunteer Michelle Glidden looks on with pride as Sawyer Cotter-Hayes works the grain grinder, full of Palermo-grown dent corn. (contributed photo)

by William Armstrong,
PHS President

To live in Palermo is to live among history, and this is true whether you know the history or not. It’s in the name and shape of our roads – Turner Ridge, Banton, Parmenter – and of the families who have lived here for generations. It’s in the houses, like the ones that survived the Branch Mills Fire of 1908 or the camps that surround Sheepscot Pond. It’s in the people, like local sons Millard Howard and Milton Dowe, who had so much love for this town that they each wrote a comprehensive history of it. That love and pride brought townsfolk together 30 years ago to found the Palermo Historical Society, and keeps us celebrating and preserving that history today.

We recently got to celebrate some local history with the third graders of Palermo Consolidated School, restarting a fond tradition. It was a delight to see the excitement and wonder in these kids’ eyes as they contemplated a 19th century life without electricity or iPads. Our intrepid volunteers demonstrated homesteader techniques like grain grinding, hand and loom weaving, and log cabin construction, and told stories of settlers working together to erect sawmills, grain mills, and churches (in that order!).

Our Society meets in the historic Worthing House, at 54 North Palermo Rd, right in the Branch Mills village. We love to collaborate with other local organizations, and are hosting Palermo’s American Legion Post #163 for a Memorial Day commemoration, starting at 11 a.m., on the May 26.

The society’s vice-president, Paul Hunter, is leading a popular monthly series on ancestry and genealogy in partnership with the Palermo Community Library – see their Facebook for more information. Later in June, we celebrate the anniversary of Palermo’s founding with our annual Founder’s Day Cookout, scheduled for June 21.

August means Palermo Days and the return of the 20th Maine Company B Civil War reenactors, camping out on our lawn. Our 30th anniversary season concludes in October with a new apple festival, organized in collaboration with PHS member and renowned apple expert, John Bunker. Mark Saturday, October 11, in your calendar for what is going to be a fun and hands-on celebration of all of what the humble apple provides us. All of our meetings and events are family-friendly and all are welcome.

The cornerstone of the Society’s achievements over the past 30 years is our dedicated membership, and there’s never been a better time to join us! Annual dues are just $5, and to commemorate our anniversary all new members receive a gift copy of Millard Howard’s definitive “An Introduction to the Early History of Palermo.” Members receive our seasonal newsletter, support our collection of antiques and artifacts, and guide our future. Our work in maintaining the historic Worthing House and grounds is never done, and we are always open to partnering with local businesses in pursuit of that goal.

The Palermo Historical Society was founded in 1995 with the express mission of preserving and cataloging our town’s history. That mission has taken many forms over the past 30 years, and our collection now includes books, maps, diaries, mementos, furniture, clothing, plateware, tools, all available to be viewed at our gifted home, the Worthing House, at 54 North Palermo Rd. We also have some especially rare treasures, like an antique barn loom (gift of Elsie Adams), one of the oldest telephones in Palermo (gift of Miriam Keller), the homemade diving helmet Milton Dowe used to walk across the bottom of Branch Pond, a working Edison phonograph with a collection of wax cylinder recordings (gift of Janet Potter).

To view any of our collection, please contact palermohistorical@gmail.com or join a meeting on the fourth Tuesday, at 6 p.m., March through October. You may get in touch with William Armstrong, PHS president, directly at armstrongpalermo@gmail.com.

Time to order Vidalia Onions!

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Down in Vidalia, Georgia, the Vidalia onions are ripening. They are big, sweet, and juicy, and are just waiting for you to order a bag. A 25-pound bag of these beauties costs $30 and will arrive at the Palermo Community Center around Mothers Day. To order, please call Connie Bellet at 993-2294 or email pwhitehawk@fairpoint.net and leave your name, phone or text number and the number of bags you want. Save money and order four bags for $115! Connie will get back to you to confirm, and as soon as we learn the exact date of arrival, we will let you know.

The proceeds from this sale will be used for much-needed maintenance of the Community Center, at 26 Veterans Way. New nut trees and thornless blackberries are going in the front yard, and the seedlings for the Community Garden are coming up. If you are interested in volunteering, there is a lot of planting to be done. We are also building a new lighted sign with reflective letters! That will be going up in early summer. The parking areas are also being expanded to accommodate the nearly 250 people who use the Food Pantry every Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to noon. All are welcome!

Thank you very much for your support. To donate or to pay for your onions when you order, please send your check to LCF (Living Communities Foundation), P.O. Box 151, Palermo, ME 04354. We appreciate all that you do to help our community.

Vidalia onions coming to Palermo (2025)

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Spring has sprung, and it’s time to order Vidalia onions! There hasn’t been a shipment since Covid struck, but now they are back, and as sweet and juicy as ever. A 25 lb. bag costs $30.00 and can be ordered by calling Connie Bellet at the Palermo Community Foundation, where they will arrive around Mother’s Day. Connie’s number is 993-2294, or text to (207) 242-0431.

The deadline for orders is April 27. Since there is time, you may want to save money by getting together with friends and neighbors and order four bags for $115.00. To order by email, go to pwhitehawk@fairpoint.net. Please be sure and leave your phone or text number for confirmation. If you can pay for the onions when you order them, it would be helpful.

Please make your check payable to LCF (Living Communities Foundation). As a Charitable Foundation, one-third of your cost is tax-deductible – if you get your order in before April 15. You can also pay with cash or check when you pick up your onions. The Community Center is across from the ball field at the intersection of Turner Ridge Road and Veterans Way. There is an orange tractor by the corner.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward much-needed maintenance of the Palermo Community Center, which also houses the Food Pantry. We are also looking for able-bodied volunteers to help with tree-planting, sign-raising, gardening, Food Pantry, and painting the deck. If you would like to do some community service, please contact Connie Bellet at one of the numbers above. Your volunteerism is what keeps towns like ours alive! Volunteers are always appreciated and welcomed.