Thanks to advances in technology (and all the sixth-graders who can teach us adults how to use it), it’s now possible for a local newspaper in Bangor to have a global reach.

Over the past few years I’ve shared examples of that phenomenon in the form of e-mails from readers who tap into our Internet Web site to catch up on happenings back home.

A few weeks back I received a couple interesting electronic greetings from a former Maine resident who has relocated to a place I’ve always wanted to visit: Australia. Since you’re reading about it in this space, you can imagine that outdoor pursuits are still important to Claudia Murray and her husband.

Here’s some of what she had to say: “Gidday from the land down under. First off, thanks for the Pushaw Lake fishing derby article. It brought back a lot of good memories for my husband and myself,” she wrote.

“Two years ago I convinced my husband Derek Murray (a life resident of Pushaw Lake [in] Hudson) to move to Australia with me.

“He greatly misses the fishing, hunting and the cooler climate. Before moving I lived with him on Whitmore’s Landing Road for two years and I can remember catching many great fish in Pushaw (a 24-inch bass which I have mounted is sitting on our lounge room wall).

“Since moving here I have introduced my husband to ocean fishing, which he at first thought was a little slow … until he caught this huge milk fish, which brought a smile to his face and a few aches in his arms the next day. I am still the leader in ocean fishing, catching a beautiful mahi mahi.”

Claudia Murray included photos of the fish she and Derek caught, and later that day she sent another e-mail with a couple more pictures.

These showed that Derek hadn’t forgotten his hunting heritage, either.

“Gidday, John. Just me again, your mate down under,” she wrote. “I thought you might like a picture of my husband’s red deer. A little different than the whitetail back in Hudson.”

Claudia Murray said many people in Hudson knew her husband as “Dee the Hunter,” and would get a kick out of the photo.

Salmon rule may be forthcoming

The latest development in the ongoing Penobscot River salmon saga likely will play out this morning in a conference room in Augusta.

The Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission will hold its regular meeting beginning at 9 a.m., and the 11th item on the agenda will be of particular interest to local salmon anglers.

Labeled simply “Recreational fishing – draft regulation,” the agenda item is the next required procedural step toward reopening a river that’s been closed to recreational salmon fishing since 1999.

The expectation from many is that the ASC will unveil a fall-only, catch-and-release fishery for the Penobscot, and that public hearings on the matter would then begin as soon as legally possible.

The potential fall fishery hasn’t been greeted enthusiastically by everyone, as some anglers feel that the traditional spring fishing season is a viable option.

Compared, however, to sitting on the riverbank as the seasons pass and holding ceremonial “Opening Day” breakfasts for a season that isn’t actually opening, a limited fall recreational fishery seems to be a step in the right direction.

Stay tuned.

Nation’s best coming to Maine

If you’re a skier who sat riveted during the Turin Olympics, you likely were disappointed when the U.S. Ski Team failed to meet its own lofty goals.

Though many only tune in for televised ski events once every four years, ski racing goes on … sometimes closer to your front door than you thought.

Later this month, you’ll get the chance to watch in person as the best U.S. skiers converge on Sugarloaf/USA in Carrabassett Valley for the U.S. Alpine Championships.

The event will run from March 25-29. The schedule:

. March 25, opening ceremonies, men’s and women’s downhill.

. March 26, men’s and women’s super G.

. March 27, men’s and women’s slalom.

. March 28, men’s giant slalom.

. March 29, women’s giant slalom.

Also being billed as the 35th anniversary “Tall Timber Classic,” the event marks Sugarloaf’s return as host venue for top-notch competition.

Sugarloaf also hosted the U.S. Alpine Championships in 1996 and 1997, and a World Cup event in 1971.

Among the racers expected to compete are Kirsten Clark of Raymond and New Hampshire’s Bode Miller, both of whom attended nearby Carrabassett Valley Academy.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.