Dixfield News

A small earthquake rocked western Maine Thursday morning. According to the U.S. Geological Survey's Web site, the 2.5 magnitude quake occurred at 2 a.m. People living in the towns of Mexico, Rumford and Dixfield felt the earth move.

Forestry education technician Ben Welch, right, discusses various species of tree samples with Roger and Brenda LaCroix and their son, Josh, of Greenwood at Tuesday night's annual Region 9 open house.

DIXFIELD a ' Selectmen heard a presentation from Todd Presson and Tom Carroll on a proposed wind farm project at a special meeting Monday night that could add as much as $40 million to the value of the town.

Passing bag after bag of food items they had collected, about 200 students at Academy Hill School in Wilton lined Main Street Friday from the neighboring Cushing School driveway to the Wilton Area Food Pantry located at the United Methodist Church.

RUMFORD a ' Despite a lack of proposed commercial wind power development projects in town, backers calling for a 180-day moratorium on such projects still believe the action is warranted.

Dixfield Town Clerk Vickie Carrier holds one of the many boxes she shopes will be filled by residents to send to soldiers serving in the 82nd Infantry in Afghanistan.

Steve Thurston, a summer resident of Roxbury, decribes what he believes would be the noise impact of a wind farm on a ridge in Dixfield and Canton at a forum in Dixfield on Friday night.

On November 3, Maine voters will be asked, "Do you want to repeal the 2007 law on school district consolidation and restore the laws previously in effect?" It's Question 3 on the ballot, and has garnered a lot of attention from around the state.

This is in response to Bryan Dench's column against school district consolidation.

DIXFIELD a ' Police Chief Richard Pickett is beefing up patrol during Halloween events Saturday to ensure safety for all.

Terry Karkos/Sun Journal Rumford and Mexico firefighters and chiefs watch Rumford firefighter Jeff Harren soak smoking eaves after ripping boards apart to get at a hotspot at Wednesday morning's fire in one of two apartments at 25 Erchles St.

DIXFIELD a ' Three members of the Board of Selectmen along with Town Manager Eugene Skibitsky plan to attend a special breakfast meeting on wind farms next week in Paris.

Terry Karkos/ Sun Journal Garbed in his firefighter outfit, 4-year-old Samuel Benson of Dixfield smiles back at mom Patricia Benson after Dixfield Fire Co.

MEXICO a ' Selectmen on Wednesday set public hearings on two issues residents will decide at next month's election, as well as learned of plans to hike quarterly water rates by an average of 15 percent.

" With dozens of wind turbines proposed in a half-dozen towns in various stages of planning, the Wind Farm Development Committee of Rumford is planning a panel discussion on the pros and cons of such development.

While trying to determine on Saturday morning what caused Friday night's fire at Denise Letalien's vacant house at 20 Park Ave.

Firefighters from Dixfield, Mexico, Peru and Rumford responded to a structure fire late Friday night in a vacant house at 20 Park Ave.

DIXFIELD a ' Directors of the Western Foothills School District voted unanimously to allow two educational field trips in the spring.

DIXFIELD a ' A public hearing on a proposed moratorium on developing wind farms drew a capacity crowd Monday night, but it wasn't the time to argue the pros and cons of such development.

Dixfield Fire Co. volunteer firefighter Jason Hyde unrolls a banner that will soon be hung on the front of the fire station as part of the department's first open house set for Oct.