I would like to express my concerns regarding the power outage this past week. Again many of the citizens of Addison are not happy with the response from Bangor Hydro to restore service. More than half the town remained in the dark longer than most other areas. Some… Read More
    It would be great to report that Hollywood knocked audiences dead at the cineplex this year, but instead, they were more intent on delivering a ring full of sucker punches. Indeed, time and again, audiences were hammered with a whirlwind of dreck. Bad performances, reformulated… Read More
    Waiting for the seasons to change is kind of like watching paint dry, isn’t it? To help you while away these longer evenings, I’ve come up with a list of Web sites for outdoor gearheads to explore while waiting for the ice to freeze or the snow to… Read More
    Another Christmas is fading into the distance, and the sweet aroma of freshly cooked pies around the dinner table now has become an extra hole punched in your belt. Many of the new treasures you unwrapped on Christmas Day already have been tested, and found their way among… Read More
    PORTLAND – Christmas may have come and gone, but the work isn’t over for a Santa Claus from Maine. Sgt. Scott Durst, a U.S. Army reservist with the 94th Military Police Company of Saco, played Saint Nick to a group of orphans in Bosnia last… Read More
    The Santa’s Helper Fund now stands at $42,000, just $8,000 short of its goal. These final days of the year 2000 will decide the outcome of this year’s charity. Regardless of the monetary result, thousands of people in the region will benefit from the generosity of contributors, volunteers… Read More
    BOSTON – New federal regulations that require use of different fishing gear to protect the endangered northern right whale fail to address the real culprit in the death of most of the whales, fishermen say. The regulations approved Thursday by National Marine Fisheries Service require… Read More
    GEORGETOWN – Town chronicler Carolyn “Billie” Todd says she never really felt that the 42-acre mountain she inherited from her late husband, William, belonged only to her. So Todd, 86, donated Higgins Mountain to the Lower Kennebec Regional Land Trust, ensuring that its summit and… Read More
    BREWER – Sara Guppy of Brewer was awarded the Girl Scout Silver Award, the highest award a Cadette Girl Scout can earn. The award was presented during a ceremony at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer earlier in the month. The Girl Scout Silver Award recognizes excellence… Read More
    BANGOR – The Maine Department of Transportation has completed the majority of work on the Franklin Street bridge that crosses the Kenduskeag Stream downtown. The street is now open to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The project replaced an aging and deteriorating bridge. The reopening of the street restores… Read More
    BANGOR – An 18-year-old man has been charged with the robbery last summer of an employee of Wendy’s restaurant, and authorities believe others may have been involved in the nighttime robbery. Chad Umbro, 18, was arrested Friday and held over the weekend in Penobscot County… Read More
    HOULTON – Police are investigating a burglary that occurred over the long holiday weekend at the main office of the Community Living Association on School Street. The association operates a number of residential and training facilities in the town to provide assistance and training to… Read More
    DETROIT – Drifting snow and a buildup of ice were blamed Tuesday morning for an accident on a Route 220 curve in Detroit. Stephanie Cyr, 38, of Detroit suffered back and abdominal injuries when her 1995 Saab rolled over just before the intersection with Basford… Read More
    SKOWHEGAN – The Somerset County commissioners will present their proposed $4.6 million budget Wednesday night, a budget that is considerably higher than last year’s, yet $150,000 smaller than what was originally proposed earlier this fall. Many of the increases were propelled by one-time expenditures, including… Read More
    Bangor District Court Joan M. Robertson, 50, Bangor, operating motor vehicle while under influence of intoxicating liquor, $500, license suspended 90 days. 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
    Several men were arrested in connection to fights at Barnaby’s lounge, a Bangor night spot, late Friday night. The most serious of the charges involves a California man who reportedly punched and kicked another man and threw a beer bottle at him at close range. Read More
    CAMDEN – Coastal Mountains Land Trust will sponsor a New Year’s Day hike to the Mount Battie summit to celebrate the first sunrise of the 21st century. Mount Battie has one of the earliest sunrise views in the nation. The hike will begin at 6… Read More
    ROCKPORT – Two physicians will join the Penobscot Bay Medical Center medical staff in early January. Dr. Joel D. Lafleur will join Dr. Gordon Paine at Surgical Associates, and Dr. John W. Karod will join Drs. Craig Hawkins and Richard J. Leidinger at Penobscot Bay… Read More
    DEXTER – SAD 46 Adult and Community Education will offer a certified nursing assistant course from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning Jan. 23 at Dexter Regional High School. Interviews are required and will be conducted at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at DRHS. For information, call… Read More
    Bangor District Court Cynthia Moore, 44, Brewer, aggravated assault, jail four years, all but nine months suspended, probation four years; assault, dismissed; operating motor vehicle while under influence of intoxicating liquor, $400, jail 48 hours, license suspended 90 day; violating condition of release, dismissed; criminal… Read More
    CAMDEN – Police followed footprints in the snow early Tuesday, but were unable to apprehend the person who broke into a Main Street jewelry store. Lt. Cameron Campbell said an alarm sounded at Russell’s of Camden at 2:30 a.m. Officer Allan King was at the… Read More
    DEXTER – Mayo Regional Administrative Services Corp. will close the adult psychiatric practice of Dr. Mary Marshall Overstreet on Jan. 5. Overstreet’s practice shared an office with another physician and was called Dexter Internal Medicine and Psychiatry when MRASC opened the service in 1998. After… Read More
    MACHIAS – After more than a quarter-century as building supervisor for the Washington County Courthouse, Norris Manchester is returning to the job he loves best. He will leave his county job Friday to work full time on his Kennebec village farm, just south of Machias. Read More
    BANGOR – The next meeting of Children and Adults with Attention Deficit disorder will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, in the Penobscot conference room at Acadia Hospital on Stillwater Avenue. The meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each… Read More
    BREWER – Staff at City Hall and the Brewer Middle School collected 1,226 nonperishable food items and $100 in cash for those in need during their annual holiday food drive, which concluded Friday. According to Economic Development Director Drew Sachs, who initiated the food drive… Read More
    NORTHPORT – Johnny Hoy and the Bluefish will bring their blues and roots music to the midcoast on Jan. 13 at the Blue Goose Dance Hall. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the band will play until midnight to benefit the Knox County Green Party. Read More
    RUMFORD – An apartment house fire that killed a boy last month has claimed another life. The State Fire Marshal’s Office was informed Tuesday morning that a man who was critically burned died in a Boston hospital, said Stephen McCausland of the Maine Public Safety… Read More
    The Abri Pregnancy Consultation Center in Rockland is “operated by a Christian board and staff and volunteers who work, particularly, with unexpected pregnancies,” explained Abri volunteer Meg Sawyer of Tenants Harbor. Abri is open from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday at its 389B… Read More
    ORONO – After turning the third period into their own personal air hockey game, the Houlton-Hodgdon Black Hawks came away with an emphatic 9-1 high school ice hockey victory over Old Town at Alfond Arena Tuesday night. The Black Hawks’ top line of center Luke… Read More
    Mario Lemieux will return to the ice tonight for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He comes out of retirement to try and re-establish a Hockey Hall of Fame career. He has much at stake. Lemieux clearly has a fire to play again. He has young children who… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Maine’s unemployment rate appears to be headed for a historic low in 2000 following a record monthly low in November, a state Labor Department official said Tuesday. Maine’s unemployment rate dropped to 2.5 percent in November, the lowest seasonally adjusted rate on record… Read More
    EVERBLADES COLLEGE CHRISTMAS CLASSIC MAINE vs. CLARKSON 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
    It is all my fault. Having been out of state for three weeks, I was unaware that my failure to return the member opinion form caused Maine Public Radio to cancel the Metropolitan Opera, “Pipedreams” and afternoon classical music. I would like to have my vote counted. Read More
    I read the Dec. 23-24 letter by Carol Tiffin James, who is frustrated by grammatical and spelling mistakes in the media. She is not alone; I agree with her 100 percent. I complain to whoever is present each time I see these mistakes. What a… Read More
    NORWAY – The Norway spruce may be from the faraway country, but the Norway pine owes its name to the town in Maine. That’s according to the Maine Forest Service’s official guidebook to the state’s native plant species. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Bryan Cox broke his season-long boycott of the media Tuesday without ever indicating that he’d re-signed with the New York Jets. Mo Lewis wasn’t even around to comment on his new contract with the team. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Justin Libbey scored five goals and teammate Bobby Leavitt scored the game-winning goal with three minutes to go as Bangor earned a 7-6 high school hockey win over Cony at Kennebec Ice Arena on Tuesday. John Huhn added a goal for the 3-2… Read More
    George W. Bush’s nomination of John Ashcroft for attorney general probably will be confirmed, despite the controversy it has triggered and despite the knife-edge party division of the Senate. Presidents usually get their way with Cabinet appointments. The Senate usually respects the decision of a… Read More
    For 13 years I have shared my home, life and many of my activities with a cherished dog. The idea of someone purposefully causing this loving companion pain or harm is inconceivable. The young people involved in the shooting of two horses, and those involved with torturing a… Read More
    WASHBURN – Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook sprinted out to a 21-4 lead after one period and cruised to a 68-50 schoolboy basketball win over Washburn on Tuesday. Jordan Shields and Corey Shields scored 16 points apiece for Southern Aroostook. Lucas Nadeau and Devon Wilkins… Read More
    I would like to register my dissatisfaction regarding the current plans to locate a methadone clinic in Bangor. Our law enforcement authorities are correct when they state that the locating of this type of facility in our community will increase crime. The clinic has the potential for dramatically… Read More
    I loved your Dec. 20 editorial, “Pier without peer,” which viewed the “rich fighting the rich” over rights in Somes Sound as one would a sporting event. It did not go far enough, however, in its analogy that “a big house or a big pier shows, among other… Read More
    Here we are at year’s end, and riding out the storm of stock trades that have seen fortunes melted like snow on a poorly insulated roof. Many are wondering where all that wealth they built last year has gone. Priceline.com has lost William Shatner and… Read More
    Long after the Christmas tree has succumbed to the warmth of our winter homes, the poinsettia lives on. Its cheery show of color is a reminder of the winter holidays well into the new year. Some people may consider the poinsettia a disposable decoration that should be tossed… Read More
    How does The Salvation Army reach so many towns across Maine? Individuals or groups of people living in small towns are the arms and legs of the Salvation Army’s outreach. For example, if the Santa’s Helper Fund or the Bangor Salvation Army unit hears from… Read More
    SURRY – The Maine Warden Service today hopes to recover the body of a man believed to have drowned Monday morning when the snowmobile he was riding broke through the ice on Lower Patten Pond. Warden Calvin Hale said Monday that he couldn’t release the… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A group of animal control officers has proposed an overhaul of Maine’s animal welfare laws, including a new bestiality measure. Donald Harper, president of the Maine Animal Control Officers Association, said his group has a waiting list of legislators willing to co-sponsor the… Read More
    LIMESTONE – The U.S. Air Force is preparing to transfer the title of 2,500 acres of the former Loring Air Force Base to the Loring Development Authority, clearing the way for the property to become part of the local tax base. More than 50 years… Read More
    WATERBORO – A young man was in jail Monday, charged with arson and seven counts of attempted manslaughter. Dylan DeWitt, 20, is accused of setting fire to a home on Main Street on Saturday night while seven people were inside. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    HOULTON – The following divorces have been granted in 2nd District Court in Houlton on grounds of irreconcilable marital differences: Joshua A. Sennett, Linneus, and Joy Sennett, Houlton, married Aug. 10, 1999, at Houlton. Custody of one child awarded to the mother. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    CALAIS – The state Department of Conservation said a Charlotte man was fined last week in Calais District Court for cutting down seven trees without an adjacent landowner’s permission. He cut the trees to improve his satellite television reception, the department said in a news… Read More
    Aroostook County Superior Court 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
    BAR HARBOR – The Maine Sea Coast Missionary Society says it recently received $48,450 from the estate of Caroline E. Bruhn for the mission’s scholarship endowment. The gift is the final distribution from a $400,000 bequest received in October of last year. Bruhn died at… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – A meeting that is open to the public to discuss the development of a cod-tagging program for the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, at the Holiday Inn, 215 High St. The… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – A bright red 1989 Plymouth Sundance is making its rounds in Washington and Hancock counties these days, thanks to an anonymous donation to the Washington Hancock Community Agency transportation services division. The five-seat vehicle will be used to help transport area people to… Read More
    JONESPORT – The Coast Guard cutter Point Hannon will be decommissioned at the beginning of the new year after 33 years of service in the Gulf of Maine. After the decommissioning ceremony at Jonesport, the Point Hannon will depart for Florida, where the craft will… Read More
    Bangor District Court Amanda Hutchinson, 16, Brewer, operating motor vehicle without driver’s license, $100. 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()) {… Read More
    WARREN – The state has added 14 conditions to Steamship Navigation Co.’s rifle-range permit to construct berms on its Route 90 property. The state Board of Environmental Protection issued the conditions last week after finding that Steamship Navigation had violated its permit, said Michael Parker,… Read More
    Bangor District Court Matthew M. Griffin, 27, Boston, Mass., operating motor vehicle without driver’s license, $100. 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
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    Calais District Court Melvin W. Winchester, 39, Calais, illegally using migratory game birds, $85. 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()) {… Read More
    Dear Jim: We are building a large room addition. Our inefficient furnace probably should be replaced and we are considering a boiler system. Will there be any savings with a boiler? Is comfort much better? – Brenda H. Dear Brenda: The answer is yes to… Read More
    Can the University of Maine’s hockey team overcome its sluggish start and earn a third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth? How about a third straight appearance in the Frozen Four? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
    Whether or not this winter amounts to the cold and snowy season the experts predict, it will offer a potpourri of new adventures in skiing and riding here. New trails, new trends, world-class events and the adventures of Maine’s world-class natives. If you plan on… Read More
    When Congress mandated the nationwide conversion to digital television back in 1996, it was supposed to work something like this: The new standard would provide the public choices in free over-the-air broadcasts to rival cable and satellite; consumers would be so enamored of the lifelike pictures and sound… Read More
    Now that a Wal-Mart developer has decided to withdraw, at least temporarily, its plans in Bangor for a Supercenter, the city has a chance to address the concerns from a large and growing number of residents about this and similar developments. A place to start is with the… Read More
    I write to respond to Dr. Paul Romanelli’s comment during a public hearing at the Dec. 11 Houlton Town Council regarding $65,000 for the legal services needed for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians’ litigation. Referring to the band’s efforts to establish a community on tribal lands, Dr. Read More
    I found Jay Goldstein’s missive of Dec. 18, which attempts to defend the Jewish state and its record of human rights abuses, to be intriguing. His claim of ownership of Palestine based upon prior occupancy some 2,000 years ago is remarkably disingenuous. If this unique interpretation of real… Read More
    After reading the letters to the Bangor Daily News’ editorial section on Dec. 20, it’s obvious the mainstream media are effectively getting out misinformation. Two of your readers were appalled at the outcome of the recent presidential election and couldn’t help but try and make the case for… Read More
    If the Legislature is at all troubled by the Maine brain drain, the departure of 44 percent of college-bound high school graduates to institutions outside Maine, it might consider funding its own university at more than a make-do, do-without level. Elaine Ford googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    I applaud C. Robert Gridley’s letter (BDN, Dec. 20) apologizing for the years he worked to help collect pledges for Maine Public Radio, which has shamelessly betrayed its mission. The ultimate betrayal occurred the evening of Dec. 19, when, in the midst of the magnificent… Read More
    It’s not usually considered good form for a director of a theatrical production to respond to the local theater critic’s review. The old adage, “It doesn’t matter what they say, as long as they spell your name correctly!” is the policy that I usually follow. Read More
    Dear Santa, First, many thanks for the four- barrel potato gun – in my work I can use all the fire power I can get. What I really wanted to tell you, however, is what Maine needs for Christmas next year, that being health insurance… Read More
    BANGOR – Remembering Christmases past, Don Horan knew about a time when Santa Claus came to town on an elephant. During the 1950s, as a member of the foreign service in Madras, India, Horan and the rest of the American staff would put on a… Read More
    DEXTER – If there’s such a thing as the Night-Before-Christmas-Eve jitters, Wally Russell believes his Penquis girls basketball team had them early in Saturday night’s game against Dexter. Thanks to a third-quarter surge and the Tigers’ shooting woes, the Patriots of Milo emerged from the… Read More
    BANGOR – Four days after her brother was catapulted into the icy Kennebec River during a dredging accident, Tracie Ware said Sunday some relatives still cling to the hope that he’s alive. Steven Oldham, 48, of Felton, Del., has been missing and presumed dead since… Read More
    BANGOR – For the first time in three years, Amelia Jervey came home for Christmas. Unlike some of her earlier flights home from Colorado, including one that arrived 24 hours late, her Saturday flight to Bangor was right on time, and her luggage arrived intact. Read More
    DOVER, Del. – The University of Maine Black Bears erased an 11-point second-half deficit, thanks to 9-0 and 8-1 spurts and a game-ending 10-2 flurry, to overcome Delaware State 74-65 in a men’s basketball game Saturday afternoon. The Bears improved to 7-3 while Delaware State… Read More