Making news this year in central Maine were, clockwise from top left, the Northern Lights, the closing of Big G’s in Winslow, the police busts of suspected illegal cannabis growing sites, the legal troubles of former Manchester Fire Chief Frank Wozniak, the problems with electric buses in Winthrop, and a strong “American Idol” showing by Mainer Julia Gagnon.

The past 12 months have brought stories in central Maine that touched many lives.

School systems struggled with failing electric buses. Local governments dealt with tax increases and sudden resignations. Some businesses closed, and others sprang up.

Here’s a roundup of some of the most interesting stories and investigations of 2024.

A police photo, top, shows hundreds of cannabis plants growing in the basement at 571 Thurston Hill Road in Madison. Below, a photo from a real estate listing for the property shows the basement now. Former grow houses throughout the state are being refurbished and put back on the market, with no obligation for sellers to disclose prior histories. Collage by Photojoiner

Illegal cannabis 

Early in the year, indications emerged that homes across central Maine were being used to grow cannabis outside Maine’s regulatory system. A series of raids, starting in January in Belgrade, China and Lincoln County led to the discovery of thousands of marijuana plants growing in homes stripped of walls and interior fixtures to make way for the cultivation operations. One of the tell-tale signs for law enforcement at the suspected grow houses were the enormous monthly electric bills for the heat pumps and grow lights required to grow cannabis.

Officials have said the rural single-family homes, many in central Maine, are often bought with cash and are run by Chinese criminal organizations. Conditions inside the houses have been described as “abhorrent,” with only limited living space for those tending the plants. In some cases, law enforcement agencies have moved to seize those properties, but in others, they have been rehabilitated and have been listed for sale.

The cannabis could also be making its way into the medical market across the state. Under current regulations, the sale of cannabis tainted with harmful chemicals used in the growing process can only be stopped by budtenders.

Electric school buses

In December, problems continued for school districts that received Lion Electric Co. school buses supplied for free through the federal Clean School Bus Program and used by nine school districts across Maine. Canadian-based Lion Electric Co. reported financial troubles and laid off nearly half of its staff in late 2024, soon filing for credit protection to restructure to pay back $411 million in debt.

A bus from Lion Electric Co., one of four acquired by the Winthrop Public Schools under the federal Clean School Bus Program, is parked Dec. 8, 2023, near Winthrop Middle School. Lion Electric, based in Canada, is reportedly on the brink of bankruptcy. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file photo

Problems with the electric school buses from Lion Electric Co. were first reported by the Kennebec Journal about a year before the December update, including the failure of systems not related to their electric motors. In February, the Maine Department of Education ordered the buses to be taken off the roads after a series of brake failures were reported by bus drivers in school districts that received the buses.

Breaking news 

Authorities responded to two fatal crashes within 24 hours on  a tragic day in early June — one in Waterville and one in Augusta. Hunter Davis, a 21-year-old substitute teacher at Cony High School, was one of the victims. In an email, Superintendent Mike Tracy said Davis’ mother, Karen Davis, who teaches science at Cony, shared with him her son’s love for the school.

“She wanted to share how much he loved Cony and being part of our Augusta community,” Tracy said.

Authorities in Somerset County say they will not pursue charges against Clifford “CJ” Warren, who attacked Jason Servil during Servil’s sentencing April 12 in Skowhegan, above. Servil was sentenced to 45 years in prison for the murder of Warren’s sister, 20-year-old Alice Abbott of Skowhegan. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel file

In April, a Somerset County sentencing hearing turned into a brawl after a man leaped across a barrier to attack his sister’s convicted killer. Clifford Warren, 34, was stopped by a county corrections officer, and was escorted away in handcuffs and issued a summons for assault. In the end, Warren was not prosecuted.

Several murders were reported in 2024. In October, a video obtained by the Morning Sentinel captured the sound of what appeared to be 18 gunshots at Mount Joseph at Waterville around the time of the murder of Stephen Killam, 47, of Fairfield. Richard Hatt, 57, of Clinton, was charged in the case.

Tyler Quirion, 20, of Waterville, was charged with murder in October, eight months after the killing of Justin Iraola, 22, outside a home on South Grove Street. In November, 21-year-old Spridal Hubiak, who pleaded guilty to killing his co-worker in late 2023, was sentenced to 65 years in jail. In December, Sidney resident Megan McDonald was arrested for the murder of a 14-year-old boy and made her first appearance in court.

In Readfield, family and friends grieved the death of Andrews “Andy” Tolman who was struck and killed by a pickup truck while walking across Route 17 in October. Tolman was a board member of the Readfield Historical Society, the treasurer of the 30 Mile River Watershed Association and served as the chairperson of the town’s budget and cemetery committees.

“He knew a little bit about everything,” Bob Harris, the president of the historical society, said. “You wanted to wrap him up, but he used to call some of these old guys who knew all about everything. He’d only been here 50 years, but he knew just about everything that was going on in Readfield.”

In February, friends and former co-workers of River Englehardt grieved the loss after a body was discovered in a school bus parked at Waterville Junior High School. They described River as a bright, introspective person who had long struggled with mental health issues, loneliness and grief and who had for a time lived in a car.

“River was pretty reserved, didn’t really have a whole lot of people that they hung out with or really get close to,” said a friend, who asked not to be identified. “But if you did have a chance to get close to River, River was hilarious and smart and incredibly generous in every aspect.”

Local government 

In July, the Hallowell City Council passed a budget that raised property taxes by about 20%. Residents petitioned to overturn the budget after tax bills were delivered, and the City Council reversed its vote, hoping to completely redo the budget and lower the tax increase.

The City Council learned two months later that the budget reversal was illegal and that a tax reduction was not possible this year, since the Board of Assessors had already committed the city’s taxes. Amid continuing pushback about how they handled the process, the City Council voted to freeze some spending to pay down tax increases in the next budget — to the satisfaction of neither residents nor the councilors.

Manchester fire Chief Frank Wozniak resigned in August following several months on administrative leave after being charged with impersonating a police officer. His resignation broke open an already-tenuous seal on bubbling tension in Manchester’s town government, including controversy over a harassment case taxpayers paid $17,000 for.

Winslow Town Manager Ella Bowman also suddenly announced her resignation in November after months of what she called “hateful” rhetoric from some town councilors. Bowman, who is transgender, was the subject of an attempted — but denied — protective order from Councilor Mike Joseph, who cited an altercation after a July 8 Town Council meeting.

Culture and fun 

In April, Julia Gagnon fever was sweeping Maine. In Waterville, Mike and Doreen Haven, parents of Gagnon’s fiancé, Nate Haven, spoke about the first time they met the “American Idol” singer about 11 1/2 years ago, when Nate brought her to their camp. She was very quiet and sweet, they said.

“She is probably one of the most humble people I have ever met,” Doreen Haven said. “She’s not doing this for fame.”

Central Maine staple Big G’s closed its doors in mid-July, after nearly four decades in business. Years of financial hardship and staffing shortages led to the venerated restaurant’s closure, co-owner Joshua Michaud said.

“We held on as long as we could, but the size of the business requires a good few employees to run it,” he said. “We’ve been struggling for a long time. Two, three, four people down all the time, and the people that are here, their health is starting to go now. It’s just impossible at this point.”

Mainers got to see the northern lights several times this year, as an active solar weather pattern seen only about once every decade brought waves of green and red to the night skies.

The sign on St. John’s Episcopal Church in Dresden, a historic landmark in the Lincoln County town. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“This year is anticipated to be the best year that we’ll have until the next cycle, so at least until another 11 years,” said John Reichert, a longtime New England citizen astronomer.

In Dresden, there’s a move underway to turn the historic former St. John’s Church in Dresden Mills into a cultural center. The Friends of St. John’s Church/Meetinghouse would like the building to host events like lectures, art exhibits, religious gatherings, weddings and community events.

“We have a lot of people in town who can’t afford to go to big concerts, and people, like seniors and others, who may not have transportation, who can’t get there,” said Peter Walsh, member of the friends group and an organizer of an August concert at the facility. “We want to bring art to people who can’t afford, or don’t have the means, to go other places.”

Wait, what?

In May, Winslow police reported that a town resident had received two misdelivered packages that contained 30 pounds of pills believed to be fentanyl — a powerful synthetic opioid — with a street value estimated at $2 million. The packages came from California, and were turned over to local police.

“Just like this individual did, if you get a package like this and find something like this, the first thing you want to do is report it,” Randy Wing, deputy police chief of the Winslow Police Department, said. “Especially with the fentanyl, you don’t want to handle it. It’s very dangerous.”

Rescue agencies scrambled to help a woman who had apparently jumped from the Calumet Bridge into the Kennebec River in Augusta in March. The woman successfully swam against a swift current to the western bank of the river, where crews met and evaluated her.

Liz Latti, a fisheries biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, was at the department’s headquarters, overlooking the Kennebec River from its western bank in downtown Augusta, when she and co-worker Kory Whittum saw what appeared to be someone swimming in the river — an act that has been banned in Augusta since at least 1986.