If George Bush loses the presidency, he lost it in Kennebunkport on a Labor Day weekend 24 years ago. Should the country continue its headfirst plunge into a political toxic waste dump, a Mainer can take the credit. That’s not my view. It’s an opinion… Read More
    PORTLAND – If Police Chief Michael Chitwood gets his way, Portland will become the first community in Maine to make it illegal to talk on a cellular phone while driving. Chitwood plans to ask the City Council’s Public Safety Committee to support an ordinance that… Read More
    Caribou District Court Andre W. Begin, 19, Limestone, operating a motor vehicle after suspension of driver’s license, $150. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++)… Read More
    In order to eliminate any confusion between fact and partisanship, I have waited until after the election to write this commentary. I am writing about HoltraChem Inc. in Orrington and concern over the fate of approximately 260,000 pounds of elementary mercury on the premises. As… Read More
    BANGOR – What do you get when you cross three angry deer hunters with three game wardens trying to track poachers in Penobscot County? A civil lawsuit spiced with enough backwoods drama and animal anatomy to thrill the most seasoned hunting veteran. Throw in a… Read More
    Aroostook County grand jury HOULTON – The following individuals have been indicted by the Aroostook County grand jury: googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++)… Read More
    Bangor District Court Heather McEwen, 23, Milford, operating a motor vehicle after suspension of driver’s license, $300; failure to give correct name and address to a police officer, $100. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
    ORONO – Eleven months after a national drugstore chain abandoned downtown, an independently owned pharmacy is scheduled to open Monday in the same Mill Street location. An 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony will mark the culmination of a collaborative effort among city officials, community leaders, area… Read More
    FRENCHVILLE – The board of directors of the Northern Aroostook Regional Incinerator Facility looked at future projects Thursday, before developing an annual budget this spring. Included in the future projects are hot-topping, loading-ramp renovations, solid waste hauling contracts, purchase of cardboard trash containerss, and the… Read More
    It is regrettable that settling the presidential race is being characterized as something that should be acceptable only to the candidates. What of the interests of citizens and voters? What of the millions who voted for Gore and may have contributed time and money as… Read More
    If George Bush loses the presidency, he lost it in Kennebunkport on a Labor Day weekend 24 years ago. Should the country continue its headfirst plunge into a political toxic waste dump, a Mainer can take the credit. That’s not my view. It’s an opinion… Read More
    BREWER – Satisfied that all his questions and concerns about local elections this year had been laid to rest, Councilor Bruce Johnson decided Friday to forgo a physical inspection of the ballots cast in the Nov. 7 local elections. Johnson, a local businessman who last… Read More
    MACHIAS – A 35-year-old former Levant man was sentenced Friday to 18 months in prison after a jury in August found him guilty of manslaughter in a December 1997 car-truck collision that killed a 1-year-old child in Baileyville. “I will never see my son grow… Read More
    Your reporter was so carried away gurgling over Democratic lawyer Tony Buxton’s electoral adventures in Florida (BDN, Nov. 15) that she apparently forgot to ask him which section of the Constitution, which he repeatedly invoked, makes the “intent” of people who can’t follow instructions on proper use of… Read More
    BANGOR – An Eddington man remained in critical condition Friday after surviving a Thursday morning crash that claimed the life of a local woman. Merton Merry, 71, remained hospitalized at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor with injuries he sustained when his 1992 Dodge pickup… Read More
    CALAIS – Municipal officials in Washington County are waiting to see how their towns and cities will be affected by the federal indictment of the county’s largest ambulance service for Medicare and Medicaid fraud. A 214-count federal indictment against McGovern Ambulance Service and owner Dana… Read More
    Regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, it cannot be ignored that no matter how many times the votes are counted, the outcome will be incredibly close. I have tried (mostly in vain) to keep my caustic comments in check over the past couple of days and… Read More
    Bangor District Court Lisa Baker, 23, LaGrange, theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, $200; theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, $200. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Peter D. Chase might start a whole new trend in political campaigning. Chase, a former Glenburn town manager, won a recount in House District 122 on Friday, ousting Democratic incumbent Daniel B. Williams of Orono by only 9 votes. Chase won the race… Read More
    A letter published Nov. 16 stated that George W. Bush should have disclosed his OUI conviction before he entered politics or the presidential race. Now tell me – here it is 24 years after the OUI charge and people are worrying about it now. Why?… Read More
    Bangor District Court Travis L. Adams, 17, Glenburn, possession of tobacco products by a minor, $200. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if… Read More
    As an American voter with great respect for our democratic system, I feel that George W. Bush should call for the exercise of the greatest care to ensure that the vote in Florida is counted fairly and accurately. At the very least, ballots from certain counties need to… Read More
    Editor’s Note: Melvin’s profile first appeared in the Bangor Daily News weekend edition on Saturday, Nov. 4. Because of press-related problems, the NEWS published a limited number of editions on that weekend, and the information on Melvin did not get wide dissemination. Below is a reprint of Melvin’s… Read More
    When loyal customers read in Thursday’s paper that The Surplus Store in Bangor would be closing at the end of the year, they felt as if they were losing a trusted old friend they’d known forever. People made a point of wandering in off the… Read More
    BLUE HILL – A Bangor musician, Dr. Patricia Stowell, has been appointed the new director of the Young Musicians program, an outreach program at Kneisel Hall, according to artistic director Seymour Lipkin. Stowell holds a doctorate in piano performance and chamber music from Northwestern University… Read More
    High school PVC Cross Country Boys googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
    The interest shown in this Veterans Day parade, by all living generations, shows their gratitude for the men and women who saved our country. Let it never be forgotten. Thank you, Bangor! You do it well. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    BANGOR – Congregation Beth Israel and St. John’s Episcopal Church will exchange clergy this weekend. The Rev. Kevin Holsapple, rector of St. John’s, will speak at 9 a.m. services today at the Conservative synagogue, 144 York St. A kiddush or meal will be served following… Read More
    College NESCAC Bates googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    If everyone had voted for Ralph Nader on Nov. 7, as they should have, we would have known who the next president was to be before the day had ended, and we could have avoided all of this unpleasant, disturbing situation that is before us now. Read More
    Re: Bob Dole’s commentary (BDN, Nov. 15) asking Al Gore to “do the right thing.” As Dole pointed out, both Nixon in 1960 and Ford in 1976 chose to do the right thing and not put this country through what Gore is doing now by… Read More
    A report of smoke, the illegal kind, in an Old Town residence prompted police to investigate and to summon a 37-year-old woman for possessing marijuana and for providing it to a youth in her home. Police received an anonymous tip that a resident at 15… Read More
    PORTLAND – Banknorth Group Inc. has announced that its board of directors has authorized the repurchase of up to 4 million shares, or about 3 percent, of the company’s common stock. Shares will be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions as, in the judgment of… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Patrons were spared, but two large windows separating Uncle Jay’s House of Pizza from Main Street were destroyed Monday when a driverless car rolled across the street and into the business shortly before 4 p.m. Marjorie Crockett of Ellsworth parked the car, a… Read More
    One result of the lunacy permeating Florida in the prolonged ballot recount circus is an updating of the definitive baseball maxim coined by Yogi Berra, the wise and much-beloved old ex-New York Yankee philosopher-catcher. “The game ain’t over ’til it’s over,” or words to that… Read More
    BREWER – There was a time in Charles Milan III’s candlepin bowling career when the thought of substituting another bowler for him in a team tournament might have been considered heresy. After all, Milan’s legendary career includes 23 state championships and innumerable other individual awards. Read More
    Twenty-nine years ago, Andrew Soldati was wearing a cardinal-and-white Bangor football uniform as a senior captain. Saturday, the 46-year-old Bangor alumnus will be wearing a kelly, gold, and white jacket-baseball cap combo as he helps coach Massabesic High School to what he hopes will be… Read More
    Huggy Dye remembers the moment he heard his University of Maine men’s basketball team was going to begin his junior season on the road, in his home state, against a national-title contender. It was early summer. Dye was heading home to visit. And though he… Read More
    PHILADELPHIA – Hofstra will join the Atlantic 10 football conference beginning July 1, 2001, with competition to begin as early as next season, the conference announced Thursday. “I think it’s a great add,” said University of Maine athletic director Suzanne Tyler. “We’ve been playing them… Read More
    BANGOR – Some of the best basketball talent in Maine’s small colleges will clash Friday and Saturday in the Maine Event basketball tourney at Husson College’s Newman Gym. The University of Southern Maine Huskies will play the St. Joseph’s College Monks of Standish at 6… Read More
    MAINE men vs. UMASS-LOWELL Time, site: 7 p.m.; Tsongas Arena, Lowell, Mass. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
    Bangor city councilors Monday are expected to hear plans for a major addition to Bangor High School. It is a plan they should welcome as an affirmation that this successful school has many more years ahead as a leader in academics. Built 35 years ago,… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The tattered remnants of the House Republican caucus compared themselves to the winners of the “Survivor” television show Thursday as they returned to Augusta to elect Rep. Joe Bruno of Raymond as their minority leader and Rep. William J. Schneider of Durham as assistant minority leader. Read More
    MACHIAS – The Machias school committee has hired Terry Atwood of Bucksport as the new principal of Machias Memorial High School. Superintendent Betty Jordan said Atwood will be at the school Monday and will assume his position on Nov. 27, the day principal Clark Rafford’s… Read More
    Andrew Neff won his third NEWS Football Forecast staff prediction title when he posted a 4-1 record in last weekend’s five-game tiebreaker with Jessica Bloch. Bloch posted a 3-2 mark in the tiebreaker. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
    BANGOR – Three people were taken to a Bangor hospital for treatment of injuries suffered in a four-car pileup on the Penobscot River Bridge Thursday. The accident, which temporarily halted traffic on the bridge, was attributed to human error. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    INDIAN ISLAND – Indian tribes across the country pledged their support Thursday for two Maine tribes in their fight over water quality regulation. Members of the National Congress of American Indians, meeting in St. Paul, Minn., passed an unprecedented resolution supporting the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy… Read More
    HANCOCK – The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department has arrested two men they believe may be responsible for as many as 12 burglaries across the eastern half of Hancock County. Detective Stephen McFarland said that the Sheriff’s Department and Maine State Police had been called to… Read More
    No matter who is finally determined to have won the presidential election, the Electoral College will take another beating. As long as I can remember – quite a while now – we have been treated to quadrennial cartoons showing periwigged electors going off to perform their antique and… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A lone independent has acquired unprecedented power and the Maine Senate will remain equally divided between Republicans and Democrats as the result of a ballot recount Thursday. Democratic incumbent Sen. Susan Longley of Liberty actually increased her margin of victory in Senate District… Read More
    GUILFORD – A declining enrollment combined with an anticipated loss in state subsidy has prompted SAD 4 directors to begin a comprehensive study of the district and its options. Downsizing, significant increases in local assessments, consolidation of services, restructuring of academic programs and revising fiscal… Read More
    ORONO – With the approaching winter season, the town of Orono has issued a reminder of the parking ban in effect from Nov. 1 to April 15, 2001. Motor vehicles must be parked in off-street locations between midnight and 8 a.m. During a major snowstorm,… Read More
    BENTON – Six in 10 kindergartners now leave Fairfield Primary School truly ready for first grade. By the end of this year, Principal Sally Comeau hopes to have raised that figure to eight in 10 children. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    BATH – Bath Iron Works will lay off around 200 union workers effective Dec. 4, a company spokeswoman said Thursday. The shipyard remains busy but has a lack of work in some areas including the pipefitting department, said shipyard spokeswoman Susan Pierter. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    SEARSMONT – An 83-year-old local man was recuperating Thursday from injuries suffered when he was run over by a sport utility vehicle while hauling a load of manure with his tractor, authorities said. Fred Cross, 83, of the Belfast-Union Road was hospitalized at Waldo County… Read More
    ORONO – The NAACP, University of Maine Human Rights Coalition and Fleet are sponsoring a Freedom Breakfast 8-9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21 at the Wells Conference Center on the UM campus. Tickets are available at the Bangor Unitarian Universalist Society behind Bangor City Hall, the… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Women in Maine received top marks in political participation, but continue to earn less than their counterparts in half of the nation’s states, according to a state-by-state survey on the status of women released this week by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Read More
    A story published Wednesday in Maine Day about drug charges brought against John Spack of Guilford failed to note that some of the marijuana confiscated during a police search was found in a vehicle not owned or registered to him. Read More
    EDDINGTON – Driver inattention was the cause of an accident Thursday morning in which an Eddington woman died and her companion was critically injured after their pickup truck collided with a cement truck on Route 9, according to police. Barbara Arey, 58, was killed when… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE – Because of an oversupply of potatoes produced by fall-harvesting states this year, growers in some states are asking for a diversion program from the federal government. Under a diversion program, the government would purchase surplus potatoes. Although the Maine Potato Board did… Read More
    BINGHAM – A union Thanksgiving service will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21, at the First Congregational Church of Bingham, with the Church of the Nazarene and the Solon Congregational Church participating. Those who plan to attend are invited to bring Thanksgiving readings or poetry to… Read More
    BANGOR – In an effort to beef up its ranks, the Bangor Humane Society is holding its first-ever membership drive. The theme of the drive is “Best Friends … Forever.” It emphasizes the Bangor Humane Society’s desire to be one of the community’s best friends for years to… Read More
    BANGOR – Merrill Merchants Bancshares, parent company of Merrill Merchants Bank, announced Thursday that the company had declared a cash dividend of $.07 per share on the company’s common stock for the fourth quarter of 2000. Last year’s fourth quarter dividend was $.06. The dividend… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Eight area artists have pooled their creative energies to produce a holiday art show and sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, and Saturday, Dec. 9, at Frankie’s Cafe, High Street, Ellsworth. “The 8 x 10 Holiday Art Show,” while… Read More
    In your Nov. 10 editorial titled, “Trust in Florida,” you state that “George Bush is making a mistake in pressing ahead with Cabinet announcements” and “If Mr. Bush is ultimately declared the winner, there are better ways to begin his presidency.” The ballots have been… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Maine Public Utilities Commission is warning consumers that a simple reply to a phone number with the area code 809 (Dominican Republic) may result in excessive long distance charges – $100 or more in some reported cases. Consumers may fall into this… Read More
    Aroostook County Superior Court, Caribou Christopher J. Everitt, 24, Fort Fairfield, prohibited possession of firearm, 90 days jail, suspended, one year probation. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0;… Read More
    I find it very disappointing that George W. Bush is proclaiming himself president when all the votes have not been counted and he is trailing in the popular vote. The situation in Florida is so riddled with voting irregularities, confusion, mistakes, if not outright fraud, that this situation… Read More
    BETHEL – A Maine man has bought the Mount Abram Ski Resort complex for $325,000. The man, who wanted to remain anonymous, made the winning bid Wednesday during a real estate auction. He has 45 days to complete the deal with Camden National Bank. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    ORONO – The Maine Center for the Arts and Community Health and Counseling Services are again co-sponsoring a play that illuminates the depths of geriatric dementia. Last year, the two organizations brought the one-woman show about coping with schizophrenia, “My Sister’s Sister,” to the University of Maine. Read More
    As one who was ready to dump the Electoral College as archaic and irrelevant, this presidential election has reminded me that it is the only thing protecting low-population states like Maine from the tyranny of the big-city and megalopolis-based majorities. Although I’m for George W. Read More
    Organizations that help feed Maine’s hungry are participating in Maine Ending Hunger Week, which is Friday, Nov. 17, through Monday, Nov. 27. For one organization, the Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry of Ellsworth, the event is this year’s only fund-raiser, according to agency board member… Read More
    CARIBOU – Coupling, Uncoupling and the Family after Divorce, a workshop for social workers and counselors, will be held Friday, Dec. 1, at the Aroostook Mental Health Centers in Caribou, Houlton and Madawaska, pending adequate support. The speaker will be Phoebe S. Prosky, licensed clinical social worker, Academy… Read More
    BELFAST – Just as the world is closing in on him, the nerdy editor of the Paul Bunyan High School newspaper punches himself in the jaw and turns into – CAPTAIN FAAAAN-TAAAAS-TIC. Mild-mannered Waldo Puppybreath disappears along with the bow tie, clunky black glasses and… Read More
    I believe the American process is working in this election. If we take a long view and rise above partisan politics we can learn much from the current difficulties. No matter who finally prevails in the vote the American people can “win” if we allow reason to be… Read More
    PORTLAND – Maine is ahead of schedule in its criminal background check program for school employees, according to state officials. About half of Maine’s 47,000 school employees have been fingerprinted in the past year. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
    MACHIAS – Superintendent Betty Jordan will meet tonight with the chairpersons of Union 102’s seven school committees to determine when her resignation will take effect. Jordan has been the Superintendent of Union 102 since July 1996. She submitted her resignation to the union board Nov. Read More
    A vote on whether to expand Maine’s primary sports regions from two to four and reorganize those regions’ member schools has been put off at least until mid-April. “We took a straw poll to gauge support for it,” said Scarborough High School principal Andrew Dolloff. Read More