Maine family gives up on proposal to honor veterans with the world’s tallest flagpole

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine (AP) — A family with an audacious plan to build the world’s tallest flagpole as a centerpiece for a billion-dollar project honoring veterans is abandoning the idea. An attorney said Friday that the Worcester family won’t pursue the flagpole project in Washington County or elsewhere. Instead they will look for other ways to honor veterans. The plan has divided the town of Columbia Falls, population 485. Residents are preparing to vote next month on proposed ordinances governing large-scale developments. A town select board member says a flagpole stretching 1,461 feet skyward wouldn’t meet the proposed ordinances’ height restrictions.