(As reported in the Bangor Daily News)

10 years ago – Jan. 11, 1997

BANGOR – Two passengers were slightly injured when a twin-engine commuter plane nose-dived onto the snow-covered runway while taking off from Bangor International Airport.

USAir Express Flight 5326, bound for Boston with nine passengers and two crew members, was taking off shortly after 9:30 a.m. when the pilot apparently aborted takeoff shortly after leaving the ground. The plane’s nose gear collapsed as it hit the ground about 8,000 feet down the runway. The plane skidded several hundred feet before coming to a stop. There was a large gash in the fuselage just in front of the passenger cabin where a propeller had sliced into the plane.

BANGOR – In a tired stone and wood building on Bangor’s downtown Harlow Street, nuts and bolts and cast-iron stoves share shelf and floor space with garish sinks and toilet seat covers and glow-in-the-dark Christian shrines.

If you missed the 1960s or are nostalgic for what are considered cutting-edge appliances during the Eisenhower administration, you might want to check out the Better Homes Inc. auction later this month.

An estimated $500,000 worth of home improvement equipment, doors, wood stoves, lights and lampposts will go up for bid Jan. 25 as the Harlow Street business founded in 1949 by George Tsoulas closes its doors for good.

Now, an exterior wall facing the city’s federal building advertises services long since gone, such as factory-trained kitchen designers, master plumbers and electricians as well as in-store exterior home designers. A corps of 20 people employed by Better Homes at one time had dwindled to Tsoulas who served as the store’s sole salesman.

25 years ago – Jan. 11, 1982

ORONO – Manipulating diet is not an easy way for runners to win races.

“Steady training always has and always will be more important to the serious runner than diet gimmicks,” said Dr. Joseph Pechinski, director of the Human Performance Center at the University of Maine at Orono.

Some marathoners try every new technique to better their running time, including fad diets, but it seems that there’s nothing that replaces constant, hard training.

Pechinski is against the carbohydrate depletion-loading technique that athletes used a few years ago. Using this system, a runner would cut out his intake of almost all carbohydrates, the foods which give us energy to work, the seventh through fourth day before a long race. The third through last day before the race, he would load up on carbohydrates such as grains, fruit and vegetables.

OLD TOWN – Observers counted 43 species and 5,123 individual birds during the annual Orono-Old Town Christmas bird count Dec. 19.

The area covered in the Orono-Old Town count was a circle 15 miles in diameter, its center located at the intersection of Bennoch Road and Stillwater Avenue.

Among the birds observed, the group spotted one common loon, two mallards, nine black ducks, four common goldeneyes and two adult bald eagles, four ruffed grouse, five ring-necked pheasants, four Iceland gulls, one ring-billed gull, 13 hairy woodpeckers, 16 Downy woodpeckers, 406 black-capped chickadees, one boreal chickadee, one mockingbird, one cardinal and four purple finches.

50 years ago – Jan. 11, 1957

BANGOR – A Hungarian refugee will be welcomed to America by a Bangor cousin, whom he hasn’t seen for 20 years, through a unique electronic hookup.

The refugee will appear on a nationwide television show originating in New York City. He will be shown telephoning his cousin, Dr. Andrew Fergus, a Bangor psychiatrist. The program, the Arline Francis show “Home” will appear on WABI, Channel Five.

Dr. Fergus, who makes his home at 247 Larkin St., said that he had not seen his cousin August Forgacs since he was last in Hungary 20 years ago.

The doctor said he had few details concerning his cousin’s escape from the Iron Curtain country. He did say that the refugee, his wife and six-year-old child fled 25 miles by foot from Hungary before reaching safety in Austria.

The doctor does not know whether his cousin will be coming to Bangor. He said that the refugee had at one time worked as a bookkeeper.

BANGOR – “How about that!”

Sport fans throughout the country certainly need no introduction to that familiar trademark. It belongs to one of the most famous sportscasters in the business, a fellow who for years has covered such major events as the World Series and New Year’s bowl games.

We’re speaking, of course, about Mel Allen, probably even better known as the “Voice of the New York Yankees.” Mel will be the cleanup speaker at the Sixth Annual Bangor Daily News Sports Award Dinner.

The 175 lucky people who attend this year’s event will be listening to the nation’s No. 1 sportscaster. He was reportedly the most listened to man in the country during 1956.

As the voice of this favorite ball club, Mel is held in great esteem by the players and fans alike. In 1950, fans staged an unprecedented event, “Mel Allen Day,” when he was blanketed with gifts.

100 years ago – Jan. 11, 1907

BANGOR – Bangor and Biddeford have been disputing as to which had the larger standpipe. Biddeford finally admits that the Bangor pipe is 15 feet larger in diameter and has a capacity of 1,650,000 gallons against Biddeford’s 1,067,000. Also, that Bangor has the most saloons.

BANGOR – The vital statistics of Bangor for the year 1906, as compiled by the City Clerk Plaisted, will soon be forwarded to the state bureau. As usual, clergymen and physicians are slow in sending in their reports so that only an approximate summary can be given, but not much change is expected to be evident when the returns are finally sent in. The records for 1906 are: births, 368; marriages, 307; deaths, resident, 443; deaths, non-resident, 35.

BANGOR – A dog, evidently without a home, wandered into City Hall a few days ago and thereby hangs a tale. The canine walked right in, but instead of turning around, etc., as the popular song goes, he stayed there and because of this, many of the office-holders are greatly disturbed. The dog has no visible means of support and there’s the question as to the proper department for the animal to be assigned.

Bangor had a dog constable, but business is slack at the present time, and officials assert that now the city has no dog constable. Because of the unwelcome guest, everybody’s growling. The dog, who isn’t in the best of health, has taken up residence in one of the offices and seems satisfied with his boarding house. It’s the topic of the hour at City Hall and if something isn’t done for doggie soon, the officials will become ill from worry. Meanwhile, the canine feeds upon scraps thrown to him and seems to enjoy all the trouble that he has caused.

BANGOR – “If the weather continues fairly cold we shall begin cutting ice, probably at the American house,” said Superintendent Puffer of the American Ice Co.’s operations on the Penobscot.

Mr. Puffer says the fields are now showing 10-11 inches of ice and with cold weather it will gain fast. The quality is first class. Superintendent Puffer stated that he was hiring men and teams and should want all the help he could get, especially if there comes a snowstorm.

BANGOR – Announcement was made of the awarding of the Bowdoin Quill prize for the best poem during the past year to Max P. Cushing of Bangor, a member of the Class of 1909. Last January the Quill announced that Kate Douglass Wiggin, who is one of two women who have ever received a degree from Bowdoin, had offered two autographed books to be used as Quill prizes. One, “A Cathedral Courtship,” of which she is the author, and the other an admirable book of verse, “Golden Numbers,” of which she and her sisters are the editors.

– Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin