100 years ago: 1925

Sam E. Conner reported from Augusta that ever since the hearing on the ice fishing in Belgrade lakes bill a couple of weeks ago, there has been a bitter wrangle in progress about the Augusta House at night. It will be recalled that some question was raised as to the honesty of fishermen. It grew out of the provisions of the bill which would allow pickerel and smelts to be caught through the ice in those lakes. The question was put as to what would be done with trout, togue or salmon so caught. Friends of the bill said they would be put back into the water. Exceptions were taken to this. Charles A. Hill doubted their doing any such thing. Others took a like view. They said they did not believe any fisherman would do any such thing. He would take the such as that home. They didn’t say right out in plain, common, everyday United States that all fishermen were poachers, but intimated that in so far as throwing fish back, they were not always 100% honest.

50 years ago: 1975

The unemployment rate continues to climb, outpacing both rising state and national figures.

According to the latest available state figures, there were 5,360 men and women out of work in Androscoggin County last month in a total work force of 40,200 people, close to one in eight workers, for a February unemployment rate of 13.3 percent.

The state rate is 11.7% and the national one is 9.1%.

25 years ago: 2000

Marco’s Restaurant [on Lisbon Street] is under new ownership, but the veal parmigiana will still taste the same as it always has, the new owners said.

Marco Giancotti, who started the trademark Italian restaurant with his wife Carmen 22 years ago, handpicked new owners Steve Taylor and Duane Arnold like his Aunt Carmella did the tomatoes for her sauce.

The recipes for Marco’s food came from Carmella.

The quoted material used in Looking Back is produced exactly as it originally appeared although misspellings and errors may be corrected.