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REGION In recent years recruitment and retention for police departments in Maine and across the U.S. has become more and more of a challenge. In Franklin and Oxford counties, local forces have fared a little better than more urban communities. But the pandemic has stalled high school and college law enforcement education, as well as the residential certifications sessions held twice a year at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro.
The academy’s programming remained in limbo for months as public gathering and social distancing restrictions made it impossible to operate. Some classes were able to continue using Zoom and other virtual technology. But practical police training must be hands-on and as real to life as possible.
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REGION COVID-19 continues to surge through Maine but Oxford Hills has been able to keep its numbers relatively stable since the beginning of the year. The region saw about a 5% rise in cumulative cases as of Jan. 10.
Oxford/Otisfield had the largest increase, going from 130 on Jan. 3 to 145 by Jan. 18.
The Maine Center for Disease Control reported that the case ranges for Hebron, Waterford and West Paris had not changed. On Jan. 3 Hebron and Waterford had between 20-49 cases of COVID-19 each and West Paris was 50-99.
COVID-19 statistics for Oxford County as of Jan. 19, 2021.
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Harrison saw an additional five cases in the first 10 days of the year, increasing from 63-68. Norway and South Paris each reported seven more cases. As of Jan. 10, Norway currently stood at 124 and South Paris 195.
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OXFORD Two months following long-time director David Dunn’s resignation from SAD 17’s school board, Oxford’s Board of Selectmen appointed Lisa Dunham to serve as director. Dunn resigned in November when his wife, Joan Davis-Dunn, took a position at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School..
Dunham came to Oxford Hills as a seasonal, third generation resident of Otisfield, where her grandparents had a vacation home. Dunham and her family moved to Oxford permanently 16 years ago.
After working several years for the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce, Dunham, along with her mother and aunt, bought Valley View Orchard Pies in 2018. They moved the business from Hebron to Oxford in 2019.
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NORWAY It should come as a surprise to exactly no one that Oxford Hills is being rocked by the coronavirus.
Last Friday state officials changed from the green designation Oxford County has maintained for most of the fall back down to yellow, meaning the Maine Department of Education recommends that schools revert to hybrid learning. One can make many assumptions about the trends and consequences.
According to Maine Center for Disease Control spokesman Robert Long, the sharp rise in the county can in part be explained by an out break at Pinnacle Health in Canton, a skilled nursing facility where an outbreak has resulted a total of 56 cases of the virus as of last Sunday; 42 residents and 14 staff. According to its website, the facility has 47 beds. An ambulance was in the parking lot late Sunday afternoon, its red lights flashing.