Last week I wrote about some positive things happening in the communities and this week, the trend continues.

We are so glad that people reach out to us with news that we either don’t hear about or can’t get to. Such was the case this past week.

Congratulations to Southport’s Gerry Gamage for being nominated for and receiving the 2020 Maine Municipal Association’s Ethel N. Kelley Award. The town office and fellow selectman Smith Climo let us know that it happened. I’ve known Gerry since high school and he has been a dedicated selectman, fire chief and friend of Southport residents for decades. Well deserved and glad his family and friends showed up for the award presentation.

Congratulations, too, to Vicky Bell of LincolnHealth for amassing 50 years of working for St. Andrews Hospital and LincolnHealth. She, too, is an area native and a friend and classmate of my sister. LincolnHealth’s John Martins wrote a nice article on her milestone. I remember going to or calling St. Andrews Hospital to retrieve information from her and Marie Snow when we used to print the list of people who were admitted or discharged … remember that? That News Brief went away with the passage of the HIPAA legislation in 1996.

And, thank you, to Julie Roberts and other business owners for offering to hand out candy and other goodies to the kids on Halloween as a way of making up for the loss of the Memorial Library’s annual Halloween Parade. Look for the orange and black posters in the windows or on the doors of the participating businesses. When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade!