From our Files – Week of November 20, 2021

50 Years Ago — Nov. 24, 1971

   SAD 24 gains money for school jobs  — SAD 24 has received just over $3,000 to fund 10 new jobs, Orrison Moody, director of vocational education and federal special projects, said on a Friday in 1971.

The money, obtained under the Emergency Employment Act through the Northern Maine Regional Planning Commission, will fund the jobs through 10 months. This is the second round of grants for applications filed in October 1971. The total second-round allocations for Maine amounted to about $2 million, according to Moody.

25 Years Ago — Nov. 20, 1996

Big Marc — McDonald’s owner Jean Marc Albert was ready for the grand reopening of his Madawaska restaurant. In addition, Albert owns the McDonald’s  in Edmundston, New Brunswick, and Fort Kent. 

Despite efforts, Gerber will close — Gerber Childrenswear Inc., despite the valiant efforts of Gov. Angus King, Fort Kent Gerber Plant Manager Peter Pinette, Community Development Director Carl Theriault, Town Manager Don Guimond, the employees and other state and local officials, will close on schedule after the offer of a cost-reduction plan was rejected by Gerber’s upper management.

10 Years Ago — Nov. 30, 2011

Area candy gets shipped to troops — The SAD 27 District Wellness Team held a “Halloween Candy Return” from Nov. 1 to Nov. 4, 2011. The team encouraged all students, staff and parents to donate their Halloween candy. The team sent nine large boxes of candy to deployed soldiers. Greta Martin donated $117 to the team to cover the cost of postage, and the remaining candy that was collected was given to the Freeport Flag Ladies, who travel to Bangor and New Hampshire to greet troops at the airport and send care packages to deployed soldiers weekly.