Morning Sentinel from Waterville, Maine • 1

Red Sox rally past Devil Rays Cl Bl C6 NORRIDGEWOCK: Repairs to start Monday on deteriorated 1928 bridge NEW WAYS: Century old Bath Iron Works tradition to end after launch ECONOMY: Northeast median family incomes fell during '90s boom 50 Cents RIDAY JUNE 22 2001 Copyright 2001 Serving Northern Kennebec Waldo Somerset and ranklin county communities iHnrmtm Sentinel 50PAGES A Blethen Maine Newspaper ounded Man 3 1904 un in the sun restored Staff photos DAVID LEAMING Stefanl Barnett left and Tammy arnham watch from Bangs Beach as children swim at the Messalonskee Lake vacation spot i mu WCTEKKSMMBWMBMMMMMMMinaMMW i 1 i T4 Hmbw' 'u Bangs Beach Owners open Messalonskee spot to Sidney residents on trial basis By JONATHAN HUMPHREY Staff Writer SIDNEY Stefani Barnett often swam at Bangs Beach on Messa lonskee Lake when she was a girl but she moved away from the area and never got the chance again until Thursday closed the beach the year I moved back Barnett said as she lounged on the sand is the first time been Sidney residents now have swim ming privileges at the scenic lake spot on Sundays Tuesdays and Thursdays thanks to a deal sanctioned by voters inMarch In return for $8400 owners James and Agnes Milligan have opened the beach for 10 weeks this summer under a trial arrangement that could become permanent if voters agree Walter Stephenson is a member of the committee that orchestrated the deal and believes the shallow sandy beach is a bargain for the town started looking five years ago fir a place and there were some spots available but they just safe for Stephenson said The beach has a fascinating history according to James Milligan whose family has owned the property since before Maine became a state in 1820 used to be pasture land out here before they put the dam in in Milligan said pointing to the sandy swimming area can still see old stone walls under the water when Bangs Beach became a public swimming spot during World War II when grandparents turned the property into a business but it closed 13 years ago when his grandfa ther Robert McCormick died His maiden name was Annette Bangs Milligan said By the time the Milligans began at tempts to revive Bangs Beach a decade ago all privileges for use of the property had been lost and the couple began an uphill battle to reacquire rights to open it again The marina at the property opened last year and thanks to the deal with Sidney the beach finally reopened this summer Milligan said Bangs Beach owners Agnes and James Milligan shown at their lake front property In Sidney Xi wivrTZMDKillEBI jgaE ral WmrT SSof gWsjai 1 it for the fact that the town is renting from us we beopen as we are Milligan said The couple plans more parking pic nicking areas recreational areas a full catering hall and concessions at the site Some of the additions are already complete and many more will be added this summer Sidney residents overwhelmingly approved spending tax dollars to ac quire the beach rights A survey in 1996 that showed strong public sup port for the idea prompted the search for a beach Although its work in finding a beach is done Stephenson said the town swim committee needs new members now that some of the original people are no longer active on it Maine has miles of lake and ocean frontage but most is privately owned making places like Beach very valuable to communities Stephenson said so very few places where the public can he said The beach is open from 10 am 7 pm Pets are not allowed To reach Jonathan Humphrey Phone: 861 9252 mail: jhumphreycentralmainecom 7 graduates of Thomas lose appeal By AMY CALDER Staff Writer BOSTON The US Court of Ap peals has ruled against seven former Thomas College students who filed a lawsuit against the organization that accredited the college In the appeal the students alleged that the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Inc (NEASC) was at fault because it accredited the college which had a two year medical assistant program that failed to deliver the education or the job offers they were promised Jamie Ambrose Kimberly Bonneau Monica Bryant Heather Cool Loma Goodwin Laurie Pelletier and Brenda TYacy attended the college between 1994 and 1999 They said they expected to be qualified upon graduation for entry level positions as medical assis tants Six of the seven were unable to find work according to the case An independent nonprofit organiza tion the NEASC is based in Bedford Mass and accredits high schools col leges and universities The former Thomas students filed the lawsuit against the association in 1999 The case was heard by a magis trate who recommended denial A fed eral district court judge ultimately also ruled against the students They appealed to the US Court of Appeals which issued a denial June 8 An association spokesman said Thursday that officials were very pleased with the decision obviously delighted with the outcome Charles Cook direc tor of the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education said from his Bedford office think both at the level the district court level and the court of Appeals lev el the association has been vindicated We think The former students alleged that the statements about accreditation that appeared in the course cata log were false or misleading The court found that the students were unable to show that the statements were false In 1999 11 former Thomas students including the seven mentioned above filed a separate lawsuit against Thomas College alleging they were misled into thinking they were being trained for jobs as medical assistants That case was settled out of court sev obviously delighted with the outcome We think the association has been vindicated Charles Cook New England Association of Schools and Colleges eral months ago according to the stu attorney Ralph A Dyer of Port land Dyer said Thursday that he could not reveal details of that settlement settlement is confidential and the terms cannot be disclosed but my clients seem to be satisfied with the re sult and I think that if they were to say anything they would probably say that Thomas College was honorable and fair in its dealing with the students at the Dyer said That lawsuit which was filed in Ken nebec County Superior Court alleged that the students spent between $22000 and $33000 to obtain their de grees depending on whether they re ceived room and board and that they were not provided the education and skills they were promised Dyer said the students sued the NEASC initially because the associa tion in essence issued a seal of ap proval that was printed in the Thomas course catalogs 11 people to one degree or anoth er read it and relied upon the fact that the school was Dyer said The NEASC accredits institutions not individual programs offered by those institutions Dyer said that after the students graduated and applied for jobs as med ical assistants they were told they were not qualified Only one student was hired as a medical assistant but lost her job because of insufficient training Dyer said the medical assistant course no longer is offered at Thomas Please see THOMAS A2 Make A Wish bike ride set to memorialize 16 year old By COLIN HICKEY miles on a round trip course from Staff Writer 1 1 the Batsons live to Solon BATSON Batson was killed on that same course on May 26 when he was struck by a pickup truck while bik ing on US Route 201A in Norridge wock was a passionate she said was very much into bik He used that passion as a way to show compassion for others Yvonne Batson said her son was good friends with 12 year old Isaiah Desrosiers a former neighbor of the Batsons who died of leukemia last November Yvonne Batson said Desrosiers through the Make A Wish ounda tion was able to go to Disney World before he died The joy Desrosiers experienced through his trip fueled Brendan Batson to continue his pledge rides His next one was planned for this weekend Yvonne Batson said Yvonne Batson said summer was her favorite time of year be cause the warm weather meant he could bike almost every day She hopes charity ride will become an annual event and keep alive the philanthropic pedal ing her son made a part of his pas sion WINSLOW Before his tragic death last month Brendan Batson a 16 year old Winslow High School student had been in train ing for a char ity bicycle ride of his own de vising That ride to benefit the Make A Wish oundation will still take place as a way to commemo rate Batson a devoted bicy clist who used his bike as a vehicle to help others Those who wish to participate in the 14 mile trek should meet at Winslow High School beginning at 7 a jn Saturday bicyclists can start later in the morning as well People who simply want to make donations to the cause also are en couraged to come Contributions can be sent to the Make A Wish oundation 87 Elm St Hampden Maine 04803 Yvonne Batson said her son MOI Ke raised $800 in pledges for the Make a Wish oundation a year ago In return for the donations Bat son said her son pedaled about 80 To reach Colin Hickey Phone: 861 9205 mail: chickeycentralmainecpm Inside Classified 1 11 13 14 Sports 1 5 Stock 6 TV Listings 7 Entertainment 8 4 National news 3 4 6 7 Perspectives 5 World 8 10 Local news 1 4 Obituaries 4 Calendar 5 Editorial 6 Weathers WEATHER Overcast B8 iKli Call 877 0618 in Waterville or 634 4967 in NorridgewockSkowhegan Then enter your selection number: Lottery 1002 Time 1000 Soaps 9008 Weather 1001 Horoscopes 9006 III ll 6 16198 20050 J1 6 i ather of 5 slain children rallies to murder charged support By PAM EASTON Associated Press Writer HOUSTON The husband of a woman accused of drowning their five children in the bathtub said tearfully Thursday that he wants to help his wife through the or deal blaming her actions on severe depression want to show her I love her and support Rus sell Yates said as he stood in his suburban Houston front yard filled with stuffed animals and flowers He clutched a family pho to woman here is not the woman who killed my Yates said as he pointed to the picture of his smiling wife Andrea Yates 36 is charged with capital murder Police believe she systematically drowned all five of the children ages 6 months to 7 years on Wednes day morning then called police and her husband a computer specialist at NASA Yates said his wife told him simply: need to come was afraid of her tone Her tone was very Yates said He returned home to find his children dead and watch helplessly as his wife was arrested heart just ound under a sheet in a bedroom were the wet bod ies of Mary 6 months Luke 2 Paul 3 and John 5 The fifth child Noah 7 was found in the tub Preliminary results from autopsies conducted Thurs day indicate the children drowned Harris County Med ical Examiner Dr Joye Carter said Please set YATES A2 The Associated Press Russell Yates pauses to look at a collection of stuffed bears and flowers around a tree left by well wisher Thursday.