People ask why we live here. Compare this lead news story to local leads in, say, Los Angeles or Detroit.

Squirrel wreaks havoc in Bath

news@TimesRecord.Com

06/24/2008

BATH — Bath City Hall was evacuated this morning as city firefighters and police officers were stretched thin in a chaotic brownout that affected 300 residents. Bath Fire Chief Stephen Hinds, soon after allowing city workers to re-enter the building around 9 a.m., said the evacuation was a precautionary measure after an air conditioner "smelled hot." Among the other stops for the city's public safety officials were 23 Dummer St., where a transformer was humming, 71 Denny Road, where an alarm went off, and 2 Davenport Circle, where an occupied elevator stopped between floors. All the situations were triggered when power supplies to key pieces of machinery were reduced by the brownout. "The air conditioning unit was on, and it was calling for power," said Hinds of the situation at City Hall. "It was starving for power and wasn't getting it, so it started to heat up." The unit was unplugged and power to the front section of City Hall was turned off temporarily, said Hinds. Central Maine Power spokeswoman Gail Rice said that a squirrel in a North Bath substation caused the problem, and estimated that the city's power supply should be back to normal by midday. Follow Up Is it possible that the squirrel in question was a trained terrorist operative? Imagine thousands of these squirrels attacking the US power grid. These insidious rodents could infiltrate the country without notice and at a signal attack transformers throughout the country, bringing us to our knees, without the risk of interception of more traditional attacks, now that all shoes are being checked at our airports. And it would be cheap. These fellows work for peanuts! Concert Video from St. Augustine We were recorded when we performed at Flagler College last February. Here is a storytelling segment. Thanks to John Birney, who promoted the concert, and to Josh and the crew at FCTV, who filmed it.