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Friday, March 5, 2021
Volume 17 • Issue No. 10
Scott Vogel By Nancye Tuttle, Staff Writer OGUNQUIT Restaurateur Scott Vogel brims with optimistic goodwill these days, especially when he talks about the restaurant industry and Ogunquit’s place in that topsy-turvy world. And that’s saying something in this year of the pandemic. “I feel very optimistic about Ogunquit and the restaurant industry as a whole,” Vogel said. “The pandemic has been the toughest challenge for any restaurant in existence, but we are all better organizations, top
The Man Behind the Menu
to bottom, because of the challenges we have faced.” Despite COVID-19’s onslaught last March, The Front Porch, his Shore Road piano bar-restaurant, survived over the past twelve months. Vogel and his team offered reasonably priced, oven-ready, take-out meals and delivery service to customers and launched a dinner donation program, with other restaurants, that provided 1,000 free meals to seniors through the local Rotary Club and Senior Center. “Our focus is always on how we as a restaurant can
support our community,” said Vogel, noting that the free meals will continue. The pandemic did not dim Vogel’s hope for the future either, and he’ll soon realize his dream to own another restaurant. Later this spring, he’ll open Crew OGT in the former Bessie’s across the street from The Front Porch. Vogel, 30, has wanted to expand his restaurant business for a while, and the conversation to purchase Bessie’s began through his long-term friendship with its owners Don Wunder and Jim Oliver.
“Ogunquit has a great downtown with many dining and entertainment options, and I love being in this business here. But I saw the need for more and was looking. I have a great team and the time is right,” said Vogel. Crew OGT will have a different look and feel than the more classic Front Porch, he noted. The 100-seat restaurant, with standing room at each bar, will have an “urban influence and foodie vibe,” he said. See VOGEL page 4...
Maine Adopts Age-Based Approach to Vaccine Eligibility AUGUSTA In an effort to save lives and ensure that health care providers can efficiently and quickly vaccinate as many people as possible, Governor Janet Mills announced that Maine will adopt an age-based approach to expanding vaccine eligibility. As a result, beginning Wednesday, March 3, Maine will expand eligibility for the vaccine to those 60 years and older. The update to Maine’s vaccination strategy, decided
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in consultation with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, reflects recent scientific data indicating that age is among the strongest predictors of whether an individual is likely to get seriously ill and die from COVID-19, even more so than risk factors such as underlying medical conditions. The straightforward strategy also replaces the prospect
of complicated eligibility rules based on types of work and medical conditions that would
be difficult to implement and verify. Such rules could inadvertently slow down the process of getting shots into the arms of Maine people, a critical goal to limit the spread of new COVID19 variants. Instead, this clear approach provides a greater measure of certainty and predictability that allows all Maine people to know when they will be eligible for vaccination and is easier to implement and verify for health care providers.
The planned schedule, which is subject to change depending on fluctuations in vaccine supply including an acceleration if supply increases, is as follows: March 3: Eligibility expands to residents age 60 and older; April: Eligibility expands to age 50 and older; May: Eligibility expands to age 40 and older; June: Eligibility expands to age 30 and older; July and See AGE page 16...
Dream Factory Working Overtime in York YORK COUNTY The Dream Factory is an all volunteer at the chapter level, non-profit organization that grants dreams for critically and chronically ill children ages 3-18. They have 35+ chapters throughout the country and headquarters in Louisville, KY. The fulfillment of dreams is not based on financial need and their gift of a dream is not given as charity. They do what they can to make a child and his/her family take time to focus their attention on something other than the illness which they face daily. A trip to Disney World, a computer, a new pool, or meeting
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their favorite television personality or sports team is a Dream come true for a child facing numerous doctor visits, surgeries, or other medical treatments. Individual, corporate donations and community fundraisers support the local Dream Factory chapters. It is important to mention that a large majority (90%) of every dollar raised by our local chapter stays with the local chapter. Their goal is to keep general and administrative costs to the barest minimum so that their funds go where it is most important- the fulfillment of dreams. 2020 marked the 40th an-
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niversary of the Dream Factory Inc. On a national and local level, they had big plans for fundraisers, and promoting, but when the pandemic hit, all was canceled. The local York chapter was forced to cancel a comedy show, annual golf tournament, selling fried dough at Harvest Fest, and many others. Having no fundraisers, means no money coming in, and no money, means no dreams being granted. As a small, local chapter, this has had a serious impact and sadly, several dreams have had to be put on hold. See DREAM page 2... Have you seen our
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