Joy emerged out of tragedy as the new year, 2015, started when the Boothbay Region High School boys basketball team showered young Sullivan Rice with new basketball clothing after his clothing was destroyed in the Christmas night fire at his home in West Boothbay Harbor.

After "Surviving the Winter of 2015," the year's top story occurred in mid-year. An even greater tragedy shocked the region the first week in July when a double murder-suicide occurred in Boothbay Harbor. A father and husband, Sven Jorgensen, 71, shot his wife and son, Carol Pratt Jorgensen, 75, and Eric Jorgensen, 40, before turning the gun on himself. Police said Svend Jorgensen had left a note behind, but it gave no explanation for the killings, only financial details. A community vigil of prayers for healing was held on the Boothbay Common on July 11, with between 175 and 200 people attending.

Between the two tragedies, and while the snow was still falling, the town of Boothbay said good-bye to four-year town manager James Chaousis, who accepted a job as Rockland's city manager in February. After he left for Rockland, it was found out that he had added two unapproved cell phone lines to his municipal account. The Boothbay Board of Selectmen sent Chaousis a registered letter on May 28 requesting payment for $4,388.38 in unauthorized charges. Other charges were found out later and, according to new Boothbay Town Manager Dan Bryer, Chaousis has paid for the unauthorized charges.

Also while the snow was still falling, workers began refurbishing the area's main grocery store, Hannaford, while shoppers worked their way around displaced shelves to find items — with the help of signs and staff answering questions. The store's facelift was completed in June.

The local school union, the Boothbay Region Educators Association, continued negotiations with the school committee about a renewed contract, which had expired in August 2014. In February, the high school students got involved by holding a "sit-in" in the gym. By mid-May, the impasse ended when the drafted contract was signed by the school committee. The contract will continue until the end of the 2016-2017 school year.

Winter sports highlights

The Boothbay Region Elementary School eighth grade girls basketball team capped its undefeated season by winning the Busline League large school championship, 54-25, over Oceanside Blue.

The BRHS boys finished the basketball season at 16-2 and were the top seed in the tournament. Their only losses were at second-seeded Dirigo and at fifth-seeded Madison. The BRHS girls finished the season at 17-1 and were seeded second behind 15-3 Maranacook. Their only loss was a 50-44 game at Oak Hill. Unexpectedly, both teams lost in the quarterfinal round of the tournament, with the boys losing to Maranacook, 57-54, and girls losing to Madison, 43-41, at the buzzer.

In BRHS wrestling, Antonio Maulolo and Howie Carter were state Class C runners-up.

John Hepburn finished the basketball season as the school’s fourth all-time scorer. He scored 1,189 points in his career. He was a First Team All-Conference selection. He was also named to the senior McDonald’s All-Star team.

In BRHS girls basketball, BRHS also won the MVC championship for the first time, senior Morgan Crocker was named as a First Team All-Conference member and also named to the McDonald’s All-Star team.

It did stop snowing

And when the snow finally stopped falling, the National Weather Service reported that, although it wasn't a record snowfall for Maine (the winter of 1970-71 with 141.3 inches of snow recorded at the Portland Jetport holds the record), the winter of 2014-15 was one of the worst. Over 110 inches of snow fell in Bangor and snowfall records were shattered throughout the Northeast. And let's not forget how cold it was, either.

Good-byes, milestones and retirements

• To Evelyn Amelia Hartung Keene, Boothbay Harbor's oldest resident and physical education teacher in area schools for over three decades, who died April 11 at the age of 107.
• The Boothbay Playhouse closed after 10 years under the ownership of Dean and Susan Domeyer. A grand closing party was held in late June with approximately 160 actors/singers, backstage assistants, and friends in attendance.
• The Boothbay Railway Village celebrated its 50th year with a summer-long schedule of special events and displays. And Bob Ryan, after 31 years, retired as BRV's executive director.
• It was "Happy 50th" too to the Boothbay Region Art Foundation in 2015.
• The Boothbay Region Land Trust entered its 35th year as a nationally accredited land trust. A week-long schedule of events celebrated the milestone.
• Dolphin Mini Golf celebrated its 25th year in business.
• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens' first ever “Gardens Aglow” event premiered to around 200 special guests on Thursday, Nov. 19. Gardens Aglow is the largest light display in Maine, according to Kris Folsom, director of marketing at the Gardens. Over 200,000 LED lights were strung for the display which was to be open from November through Dec. 31.
• I.J. Pinkham — perhaps better known for his basketball coaching — retired as a mathematics teacher at Boothbay Region High School, a job he began in 1976. Much to the chagrin of other Mountain Valley Conference basketball coaches, Pinkham is still coaching — and is closing in on 600 wins in his 40-year career.
• Joyce Sirois, another BRHS teacher, retired in June after 33 years of teaching social studies.

And the winner is ...

Author and educator Nancie Atwell of Southport, and founder of the Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb, was named the first-ever winner of the Global Teacher Prize, also being called the Nobel Prize for teaching. There were over 5,000 nominations from 120 countries for the award, narrowed down to just 10 finalists. On Sunday, March 15, Atwell's name was called as the winner. The prize was $1 million. Atwell announced that all $1 million of her win will go to support the school. The money will be given in increments of $100,000 a year for 10 years.

U.S. News and World Report published its list of the best schools in the United States and each state individually. In Maine, Boothbay Region High School came in at number nine, which earned the school a silver medal.

Mary Dodge Brewer, a name forever connected with this newspaper where she worked as a reporter, editor and managing editor for 50-plus years before retiring in 2012, was totally surprised when the Rotary Club gave her its 2015 Lifetime Service Award on Thursday, April 16.

Former Lady Seahawk basketball standout Katie Sibley was among the seven new members inducted into the University of Southern Maine Husky Hall of Fame when the USM Department of Athletics hosted the 30th annual Husky Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 26 at the Brooks Student Center on the Gorham campus.

Laura Honey, after her 50-year career at Fisherman’s Wharf ended with retirement in 2014, was awarded a Lifetime Membership Award from the New England Inns and Resorts Association (NEIRA) and was inducted into the Maine Innkeepers Association (MEIA) Hall of Fame.

Peter A. Gilchrist and Lee Stoddard were inducted into the U.S. Pro Mini Golf Hall of Fame.

New places to go

LincolnHealth hosted a grand opening ceremony for the new Coulombe Center for Health Improvement at the St. Andrews Campus in Boothbay Harbor on May 18. The center is dedicated to social and behavioral support for a wide variety of ages, with special focus on adolescents and those aged 50 and up. The center was possible through a gift of $1.1 million from Paul Coulombe, who attended the opening ceremonies with his wife, Giselaine Coulombe.

The Community Center, under the direction of the Boothbay Region Health and Wellness Foundation, opened in the Meadow Mall. The center is envisioned to be a place where seniors teach and help each other. As a result, volunteers and teachers may be area seniors who have an interest or expertise in a particular subject. Classes may include crafts, knitting, quilting, languages, cribbage and a variety of other subjects.

Crime

Drew Bibber, 23, convicted of Class B theft in connection with the August 2010 burglary of Enchantments in Boothbay Harbor, was apprehended in Arcata, California on April 17, after three years as a fugitive. In October, Lincoln County Superior Court Justice Jeffrey Hjelm sentenced Bibber to five years in the Maine State Prison for his November 2011 conviction for theft of over $60,000 in merchandise from Enchantments in Boothbay Harbor. Bibber pleaded guilty to three other charges and was also sentenced to one year for failure to appear for sentencing in March 2012, six months for a Class C theft, and six months for violation of conditions of release. These additional sentences will be served concurrently with his five-year term.

A prominent Boothbay Harbor woman was accused of stealing from the Boothbay Region High School Boosters Club. Heather O’Brien, 43, of Boothbay Harbor was arrested by Boothbay Harbor Police on Thursday, Aug. 13. She has been charged with theft by unauthorized taking or transfer. Police did not release the amount of money allegedly taken.

Willy freed and Westward ... still here

Eric Graves, general manager at the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard, along with Dan and Theresa Williams, of Dan’s Auto Repair Service in Boothbay, rescued a minke whale near Squirrel Island that had been caught in a pot buoy's line and was struggling to remain above water on Halloween.

The FV Westward, which has been moored in Boothbay Harbor for over two years, was seized by the U.S. Marshals Service on June 18. In September, Justice Nancy Torreson ordered the vessel’s sale and the Westward was put on the auction block in late October. Fuller Marine was the successful bidder and now intends to do what so many in the harbor have been hoping for for a very long time ... “Our plans are to get it out of here as soon as we can,” Chuck Fuller said. “We are going to try to sell it and we have it advertised. If we cannot sell it soon, we will take it somewhere nearby and take it apart.” As of this writing, the derelict vessel was tied up to the pier at Hodgdon's facility at Mill Cove in Boothbay Harbor.

Bragging

The Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper won five awards during the 2014 New England Newspaper Press Association’s Better Newspaper competition in February. In addition, the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper’s other sister paper, the online-only Penobscot Bay Pilot, based in Camden, took home three awards.

The Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper received 14 awards at the 2015 Maine Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest at the MPA's fall conference held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bangor on Oct. 17.