Thumbs up to Capt. Adam Cote, a Sanford native, who is currently serving with the Maine Army National Guard 133rd Engineer Battalion in Bagram, Afghanistan. Cote was recently awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan. His military career included previous tours of duty in Bosnia and Iraq. Cote is due to return home in the next couple of weeks to his wife and their five children. We thank Cote for his service, and wish him a safe and happy return home to his family and friends.
Thumbs up to Saco City Administrator Richard “Rick” Michaud for his many years of service to the city. After being at the helm of city business for 15 years, Michaud will retire at the end of the year. He made the announcement earlier this month in a letter to city staff and leaders, saying he “enjoyed working with mayors and councils who are visionaries, leaders, stewards of the public trust, and who did what was best for the city. As well, I have enjoyed working for elected officials who were business-friendly, innovators, early implementers, goal-driven and results-oriented.” We wish Michaud the best of luck in the future.
Thumbs down the owners of former Mexican restaurants in Maine ”“ including one in Biddeford ”“ for taking advantage of foreign workers by bringing them into their businesses illegally. Brothers Guillermo Fuentes, 38, of Westbrook, and Hector Fuentes, 40, of Waterville, finally admitted the actions, via their guilty pleas to knowingly hiring 10 or more illegal immigrants in a 12-month period and making false statements. The brothers pleaded guilty to the charges in federal court last week involving their restaurants the Fajita Grill in Westbrook, Cancun Mexican Restaurant in Waterville and the Cancun Mexican Restaurant ll in Biddeford. According to an affidavit written by Special Agent James Bell, with the Department of Homeland Security, some workers said they temporarily resided, rent-free, in the basement of the Fajita Grill, where they slept on cardboard and blankets and used buckets of water to bathe.
Thumbs up to all the volunteers and supporters of the Seashore Trolley Museum who have contributed to its efforts to preserve local transportation history for 75 years. It is a costly venture and the machine shop there gets plenty of work, buts thanks to the dedication of many volunteers and few staff, the nonprofit has preserved trolleys, buses, train cars and other vehicles for the enjoyment and education of area residents and visitors alike. It’s always said to see a piece of history demolished or left to deteriorate over time, and thanks to the foresight of a group of railway enthusiasts back in 1939, the museum is here today for all to enjoy. To celebrate the milestone birthday, on Saturday, July 5, the museum will host its 75th Anniversary Celebration. One of the highlights will be the rededication of Montreal’s “Golden Chariot,” one of the famous observation cars that operated in that city before trolley services slowed to a halt in the middle of the 20th century.
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Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via email at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford office.
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