ST. ALBANS – Local road maintenance will get more attention in 2001, if voters support the selectmen’s budget proposal in March. “The ‘Band-Aid’ approach to road maintenance is not something this board ascribes to,” Board Chairman Larry Emery said Tuesday. “We need a comprehensive plan… Read More
BAR HARBOR – With a twice-deadlocked vote Tuesday, members of the zoning appeals board voted by technicality not to allow the Criterion Theatre to appeal the proposed expansion of Reel Pizza Cinerama. Betty Jean Morison, owner of the Criterion, had filed three separate complaints appealing… Read More
BUCKSPORT – It won’t be as bad as you expected. That was the message from a state transportation official who was in town Tuesday to try to allay local concerns about the major renovation project on the Waldo-Hancock Bridge. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
ELLSWORTH – The Down East Family YMCA will have a dance for fifth- through eighth-graders. The event will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15. Rob Eaton and the Street Party DJs will provide music. The cost is $3 with a donation… Read More
ELLSWORTH – After months of talk about mystery accounts and a lack of financial accountability within the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, an auditor hired to scrutinize the county’s finances said Tuesday that the records in question were “meticulously maintained.” Ron Smith, a certified public accountant,… Read More
LUDLOW – Two people were arrested Tuesday after they fled from an Aroostook County deputy sheriff who stopped to question them. Dennis Daly, 24, of Houlton has been charged with criminal trespassing and operating a motor vehicle after suspension of his driver’s license. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
BELFAST – The planning board has scheduled a special executive session to discuss the legal fallout from earlier secret meetings involving board members. The closed-door session will be held tonight, before the board’s regularly scheduled business meeting. The executive session was requested by board Chairman… Read More
HOULTON – It’s a topic that has been in the back of the minds of school officials across Maine for years, but no one wants to talk about it. In the face of declining enrollment and greater difficulty funding programs, school officials often have been… Read More
MACHIAS – A Washington County Superior Court jury Tuesday found a 34-year-old Baileyville man not guilty of assaulting a woman he knew. In August 1999, William “Willie” Berube had been charged with unlawful sexual contact, assault and criminal threatening. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
CORINTH – Fire heavily damaged a home but firefighters working against a backdrop of chilling, buffeting winds prevented flames from spreading to a nearby barn that serves as the Little Paws Animal Shelter. No one was inside the West Corinth Road home at the time… Read More
FORT KENT – The Town Council approved a change in the town’s wastewater billing Monday night that will make the owners of mobile home parks responsible for the bill, instead of owners of individual mobile homes. The unanimous decision brings the town in line with… Read More
Bangor District Court Chad McAvoy, 22, Benedicta, operating motor vehicle while under influence of intoxicating liquor, $500, jail two days, 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… Read More
THOMASTON – The town may give in to a change some residents have fought for years: regional emergency dispatching. At a special town meeting Jan. 30, 2001, voters will consider shifting dispatching services to Knox Regional Communications Center, a move that appears to save the… Read More
HOULTON – The Town Council at its meeting Monday night voted to take $65,000 from the undesignated fund balance to cover the cost of continued litigation with the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, even as some members suggested that it was time to end the dispute. Read More
BREWER – Though councilors addressed many issues during their nearly 31/2-hour meeting Tuesday night, one of the topics that generated the most debate was a bid to open a new nightclub in a building that has housed many over the years. After hearing from residents,… Read More
ROCKLAND – A paramedic-firefighter was charged with assaulting her police officer boyfriend last month after allegedly breaking into his e-mail at the Police Department and concluding he was cheating on her with a friend, according to court documents obtained Tuesday. Dianna Kenney, 37, was released… Read More
LINCOLNVILLE – From the perspective of the town’s school committee, it’s a no-brainer: The now-closed Lincolnville Central School should be demolished to make way for a new building. The school committee voted unanimously last week to recommend that course, Chairman Edmund Hartt said this week. Read More
DEXTER – Saying he needs a break after 38 years in education, Raymond Poulin Jr. tendered his resignation last Wednesday as superintendent of schools in SAD 46 (Dexter, Garland, Ripley and Exeter). Poulin said he would remain as SAD 46 superintendent, a job he’s held… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – The University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer master gardener classes early in 2001. Master gardeners receive 40 hours of horticulture training in return for 40 hours of volunteer time spent helping others – friends, neighbors or students – to be better gardeners. Read More
MONSON – This past weekend, an anonymous person sent the Monson Town Office a check for $2,500 to be applied to the Buckshot reward fund. The fund, which now totals $3,080, will be paid to whoever provides police with enough information to apprehend and convict… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Selectmen were told Monday that the town was in good financial shape but that less reliance should be placed on the surplus account because it has become harder to replace the funds. The town had $356,880 in uncommitted surplus funds in the bank… Read More
This marks the 53rd year that the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve has been making Christmas brighter for everyone through its Toys for Tots & Teens program. For the past several years, The Maine Real Estate Management Association has been working with the Marines to make… Read More
When Bangor High’s Jay Jeffrey wanted to play travel soccer against the toughest competition in the state, he had to go south. And southern Maine high schools have long dominated interscholastic soccer in championships and statewide awards. But this year, Jeffrey is one of three local… Read More
ORONO – A quick glance at a stat sheet told John Giannini everything he had to know about Tuesday night’s America East showdown with Boston University. One look showed him the equation that led to a disappointing 79-67 loss by his University of Maine squad. Read More
BELFAST – Anyone looking for the inside story to Tuesday night’s Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B clash between Mount View of Thorndike and Belfast had only to look in the paint. Belfast won its first game of the season by decisively winning the the battle… Read More
There is a story here, and not a very pretty one. The Philadelphia Flyers fired head coach Craig Ramsay on Sunday and replaced him with former player and assistant coach Bill Barber. The mess in Flyer land continues. Last year Roger Neilson was their head… Read More
BANGOR – All the ballots are in and there’s no need for a recount, Stearns’ Justin Cummings and Winslow’s Chris McCabe are the LTC Players of the Year. Awards for the high school football players and coaches of the year were presented at the annual LTC… Read More
ORLAND – Police said Tuesday they believe a driver may have fallen asleep before a Route 1 crash that killed an 85-year-old Orland woman. Minnie Bowden was in a 1996 Oldsmobile that strayed into the oncoming lane of traffic at about 3:30 p.m. Monday and… Read More
SOUTH PORTLAND – Barbara Winthrop used to regard her health insurance coverage as a fundamental entitlement, a benefit she could not imagine an employer failing to provide. But since she became the owner of a small business, she cannot afford to provide insurance for her… Read More
STANDISH – Detectives investigating last month’s report of an armed robbery and arson at Sebago Village Variety concluded Tuesday that the store manager set the fire and concocted the report that she had been robbed. Rebecca Lavallee, 28, of Topsham, was arrested at the store… Read More
PORTLAND – It’s an image police want to avoid: a hostage situation where the hostage taker sits in front of a television watching live coverage that shows the positions of police officers outside. On Tuesday, Greater Portland media representatives met with law enforcement officials to… Read More
NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – A judge on Tuesday refused to release or reduce bail for three members of a religious sect accused of starving the sect leader’s infant son last year. Calling the baby’s death slow and deliberate, prosecutor David Frank said sect leader Jacques… Read More
ASHLAND – Increasingly depressed lumber prices have forced the Canadian woodlands giant J.D. Irving Ltd. temporarily to close its Pinkham sawmill in Ashland, according to a Tuesday announcement. The closing, which affects 110 employees, will take effect on Jan. 12, said Mary Keith, Irving spokeswoman. Read More
FAIRFIELD – The Bangor Daily News announced Tuesday the closing of its Fairfield bureau office, which it opened just over two years ago to serve southern Somerset County. The reporter’s position has been eliminated. Speaking for the NEWS, Mark Woodward, executive editor, cited soft business… Read More
BATH – The Machinists union continues to be at odds with Bath Iron Works over cross-training, a major sticking point in the 55-day strike at the Navy shipbuilder. The new 42-month contract, ratified in October, eliminates provisions requiring workers to perform duties outside their regular… Read More
FREEPORT – David D. Gregory, a law professor who helped oversee state compliance with a federal court order governing rights of residents of a state institution for the mentally retarded, died Saturday of cancer. He was 59. Gregory taught at the University of Maine School… Read More
CONCORD, N.H. – Northeastern states trying to lower prescription drug costs met for the fifth time Tuesday and expressed hope that their efforts will pressure Congress to act. “The states are really carrying a tremendous burden,” said Jane Kitchel, secretary of the Agency of Human… Read More
Before she became the director of athletics at the University of Maine, Suzanne Tyler had established a reputation as a highly successful college field hockey and lacrosse coach at the University of Maryland. Tyler has been recognized for her coaching prowess by being included in… Read More
WATERVILLE – Robert Pilsbury poured in a game-high 23 points and Quinson Lancaster backed him with 21 more Tuesday night as Husson College of Bangor posted a 98-83 Maine Athletic Conference men’s basketball victory over Thomas College. Randy Fletcher contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds,… Read More
HARRINGTON – The Narraguagus Knights battled Lubec back and forth before the Knights stepped up their defense and pulled away in the final five minutes Tuesday night for a 75-60 schoolboy basketball victory. Luke Shaw posted 28 points, about 10 above his average, to pace… Read More
PITTSFIELD – Amanda Leavitt hit five 3-pointers on her way to 27 points while sparking Maine Central Institute to a 58-40 girls basketball victory over Oak Hill Tuesday night. Meredith Susi added nine points for the Huskies. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
Certainly, Gov. Angus King and the Maine congressional delegation are right to press a reluctant Congress to substantially increase heating assistance for the poor, as they have done in recent weeks. But Maine can do even more to ensure that the money it does receive goes further. Read More
Just a few years ago, U.S. Senate centrists seemed like a warm-up act for “Survivor” – more and more of them were disappearing from the island of bipartisanship and it was hard to see a point in their rituals of meeting and policy discussions. Earlier this week, however,… Read More
Hooray for the vindication of Tim Caverly, former manager of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (BDN, Dec. 8). It’s remarkable that someone with his dedication to protecting the Allagash, the very basis of his position within the Department of Conservation, was terminated for doing his job. I’m encouraged that… Read More
“Opera-free airwaves sorrowful,” indeed, as Tom Weber put it so eloquently in his column of Dec. 6. We in Castine and most of the state south of us are fortunate. We receive the Metropolitan Opera on a strong signal from WBQX in Rockland, as do those Mainers who… Read More
As soon as I read the story (BDN, Dec. 7) about the man who beat his son with a crowbar because of the son’s sexual relations with a dog, I knew someone would attempt to lump this in with gay rights. And in her letter of Dec. 9-10,… Read More
Although I’m a fan of Christopher Smith’s film reviews, I must take exception with his harsh assessment of director Robert Altman’s latest release, “Dr. T and the Women” (BDN, Dec. 7). It’s been an especially lamentable year at the neighborhood cineplex which is why an… Read More
The hemorrhaging of taxpayers’ money never stops. The Washington Post (AP) reported on Dec. 8 that a dinner in Hollywood at the exclusive Beverly Hilton Hotel in honor of movie industry lobbyist Jack Valenti cost the Pentagon (taxpayers) $295,000. About 350 Hollywood celebrities, Pentagon officials and lawmakers attended… Read More
I have followed the debate in the Morning Sentinel newspaper regarding the Spencer Lake boat ramp. As a retired forester for S.D. Warren and Sappi for 32 years, and as the timberlands manager for Sappi during the time the boat ramp was proposed, I was a participant in… Read More
Maine’s reputation as a national environmental leader did not come by accident. It’s the fruit of years of labor to address past neglect and abuse, of forging ahead into pollution prevention, of rethinking how we go about our business and daily lives to assure that future generations can… Read More
Rus Peotter (BDN op-ed, Dec. 8) should check his calculator as well as some of his conclusions regarding the reduction in the Maine Public Radio classical music service. To begin, 69 hours is 41 percent of 168 hours, not “well over half of our schedule.” More important, 35… Read More
About the father who tried to kill his son for having sex with his dog: As an animal lover who feels animals often get the short end of the stick and are often abused by humans, this is the last straw. I don’t blame his… Read More
I read your Dec. 11 editorial on the Army Corps of Engineers with interest and agreement. To bring it to a local level, it is worth noting that the Corps has performed in a less-than-professional manner in Maine as well. I just published a report, in Maine Policy… Read More
Thank God for clean and good water. Don’t believe anyone who says you can live cheaply in Lubec. Those days are long gone when one could catch a fish off a pier, get a free can of sardines or stop at the smoke house and get a feed… Read More
Gwynne Dyer’s column on Dec. 5 was one of the most thoughtful and objective that I have read in many years. What made it notable in my opinion was that it portrayed the Palestinian people as human beings and not as a ragtag mob who can’t wait to… Read More
Like many other people in Bangor, I have appreciated Rep. Jane Saxl’s good work in the Maine Legislature. She has helped countless people to resolve their problems and has established a thoughtful and compassionate voting record in Augusta. In addition, Jane Saxl deserves credit for… Read More
The stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas. Well, that $3.35-an-hour minimum wage isn’t too big and bright. Gov. George W. Bush thought it was too big. Also, ask some of those retired school teachers in the Lone Star State about Bush. Read More
Former President Jimmy Carter has in recent years become the dean of monitoring elections for fairness for aspiring democracies around the world. Where was he when we needed him? Philip Sultz googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
BANGOR – Major League Baseball player and Bangor native Matt Kinney will be appearing at the Bangor Mall on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for an autograph signing. Kinney made his Major league debut last season for the Minnesota Twins, starting eight games… Read More
LIMESTONE – Max Saenger, Maine Winter Sports Center executive director has announced the appointment of Will Sweetser as Community Program director. This position was created in response to the rapid growth the MWSC has seen this year, according to a press release from the center. Read More
COLLEGE Jed Johnson 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 = [[300,250]];… Read More
HIGH SCHOOL At Caribou 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
CORINTH – When last we left the Penquis boys basketball team, the Patriots of Milo were putting the finishing touches on a Class D state championship. Monday night’s effort in the team’s second regular season game of 2000-01 was a far cry from the Patriots… Read More
BANGOR – A Bradley man linked to a complicated series of crimes Monday changed his plea to guilty for conspiracy to distribute the prescription painkiller OxyContin. Jack W. Randall, 41, faces a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine or both. Read More
WASHINGTON – By failing to provide as many free and reduced-price breakfasts as it can, Maine is losing out on $1.12 million in federal assistance, an interest group contends. And children who are eligible for the additional meals aren’t getting it, jeopardizing their ability to… Read More
Generous contributions to the the Santa’s Helper Fund have amounted to $23,000 in just 18 days. There are 20 days remaining to reach the $50,000 goal. Thank you to the many generous individuals, families and organizations that have shared a gift so far. You truly are making a… Read More
BANGOR – Though 19-year-old Scott Gagnon admitted to police that he threw a Molotov cocktail into the Extra Touch lingerie shop last April, his attorney told a jury Monday there was no evidence linking his client to the fire that heavily damaged one of Bangor’s historic downtown buildings. Read More
AUGUSTA – An anti-sweatshop philosophy that took root in Bangor three years ago may become the model for groundbreaking legislation aimed at imposing fair labor standards in state purchases of clothing and other items. The Commission to Study and Establish Moral Policies Regarding Foreign Investments… Read More
AUGUSTA – Lewiston Police Chief William Welch unlawfully discriminated against women’s advocates Carol R. Perkins and Michele Swift when he pretended to strangle them in front of dozens of police officers, the Human Rights Commission voted Monday. Welch, who did not appear at the hearing,… Read More
Gift baskets In an early “holiday gift” to the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Diana Baker donated her collection of 44 American Indian “fancy baskets” to the museum. Baker started collecting the baskets while buying folk art for galleries she owned in Cambridge, Mass., and… Read More
VENTURA, Calif. – It was not too long ago that the call to dismantle thousands of the nation’s dams, and thereby return rivers to their natural ways, was considered radical, unrealistic or downright un-American. Yet today the dam-removal movement has entered the mainstream of public… Read More
AUGUSTA – A coalition including fish farmers, blueberry growers and the forest products industry has joined the state in suing the federal government to stop the listing of wild Atlantic salmon as an endangered species. The group has raised $600,000 to finance the legal challenge,… Read More
AUGUSTA – Members of the state laptop task force were leaning Monday toward providing small computing devices to all seventh- and eighth-graders in Maine rather than all seventh- through 12th-graders, as proposed by Gov. Angus King. The panel, known officially as the Task Force on… Read More
After a half-century of making wreaths, Addie Dyer often can be heard to say she isn’t going to do it anymore, that this season will be her last. “I’m saying it now,” she said last week, on her final day of wreath-making for the year… Read More
Nokomis Regional High School, Newport First quarter honor roll 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
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Three Dover-Foxcroft juveniles who made a vacant house their living quarters have been summoned for criminal mischief and criminal trespass. The three 16-year-old boys have been released in care of their parents pending proceedings through the juvenile court system, according to Dover-Foxcroft Police… Read More
PITTSFIELD – There is no doubt that the young men and women stepping up to the barre each afternoon for ballet practice at Maine Central Institute don’t recognize their value as an economic tool. Nor do they likely give much thought to their worth as… Read More
FRANKLIN – An 18-year-old Gouldsboro woman remained in the hospital Sunday after a single-car accident on Route 200. Hancock County sheriff’s Deputy Tim Cote said Amy Logan was traveling north on Route 200 near the Sullivan-Franklin line Saturday. She was speeding and lost control of… Read More
HAMPDEN – The planning board will hear the Sawyer Environmental Recovery Facility’s overview on its proposed expansion at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, at the municipal building. This will be the first of several meetings on SERF’s proposed expansion, which consists of phases 6, 7… Read More
AUGUSTA – Maine’s nonvoting American Indian representatives would get more muscle in the State House if a rule under review is approved by lawmakers. The two Indian representatives can already introduce bills dealing with tribal matters. A proposal that has the unanimous backing of the… Read More
Numerous automobile accidents were reported in eastern Maine on Monday night when rain left many roads slick. Most of the accidents appeared to involve little or no injuries, although several people were taken to local hospitals. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
HOULTON – Three teen-agers escaped serious injury Sunday when the sport utility vehicle in which they were riding went off the road and hit a utility pole. Ashley Guy, 17, of Houlton was headed east on Lake Road about 1:15 p.m. Sunday when the 1995… Read More
BANGOR – A plan to expand and renovate Bangor High School cleared a major hurdle Monday night when the City Council approved borrowing up to $4.5 million to pay for the project. The unanimous approval did not come easily, however, as councilors peppered Superintendent of… Read More
CARIBOU – The following divorces were granted in November in Aroostook County Superior Court on the grounds of irreconcilable marital differences. Brian P. Shaw of Mars Hill and Lona Shaw of Pinehurst, Texas, married in Blaine on Oct 3, 1994. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
PORTLAND – Fifteen health care experts have been named to the board of directors of the new charitable foundation that resulted from the sale of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine. The Maine Health Access Foundation will use $82 million from the sale of… Read More
HOULTON – In an effort to determine community opinion on the annual potato harvest, SAD 29 will survey all parents of district students. The surveys will be mailed out before Christmas with self-addressed stamped envelopes included for parents to return them to the district. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
BAR HARBOR – This time of year, everyone calls Cindy Walls “Mrs. Christmas.” The slight, blonde woman in charge of the Maine Sea Coast Missionary Society’s annual gift drive runs around the attic of the mission’s palatial brick headquarters on West Street, scrambling to meet… Read More
Houlton District Court Danny Willette, 44, Winslow, possessing marijuana, $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 (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
Dear Jim: Our living room gets chilly when we watch television – especially in the evenings. I have seen some small gas space heaters at the home center store. Are they efficient, quiet, safe and easy to install? – Larry P. Dear Larry: It sounds… Read More
CORINNA – The Maine Office of Economic and Community Development won’t be reserving any money for the town of Corinna to research a new water source – at this time. The decision was announced at a public hearing Monday night. A handful of municipal and… Read More
GREENVILLE – Having completed a successful $400,000 revitalization project in the downtown, Greenville officials now are pressing forward with plans to revitalize its junction area. Because Little Squaw Township, soon to be known as Moosehead Junction Township, is so close to Greenville Junction, town officials… Read More
MONSON – The first phase of construction for a playground in memory of Bridget Burke, a local girl who was shot and killed in February, has been completed. A committee of four local women has raised $20,000 of a $50,000 goal to create a playground… Read More
GUILFORD – Rebecca Robinson, counselor for the Maine Educational Opportunity Center, will hold an informal workshop for adults interested in attending college from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, in the SAD 4 adult education office at Piscataquis Community High School. Topics to be… Read More
AUGUSTA – The Rockland man accused of killing a mother of four in August 1999 is expected to go on trial next month. Herman Baker was charged in September 1999 with the murder of Hope Harford, 22. Harford was found dead in her Rockland apartment… Read More
FARMINGTON – Four men picked up by the Border Patrol have been charged with forgery after stolen payroll checks were cashed over the weekend. Juan Diego Ospina, 21, of Los Angeles, Saul Sillas Ramos, 35, of Los Angeles, Martin Garcia, 23, of Providence, R.I., and… Read More
BELFAST – Residents of Patterson Hill in East Belfast have mounted a court challenge against plans to build an affordable-housing complex in their neighborhood. Neighbors Laura Swift, Gerald and Mary Brand and James and Linda Roberts filed their complaint in Waldo County Superior Court last… Read More
BREWER – City councilors will consider a proposal tonight to expand an access road that would ease some of the vehicular congestion on busy Wilson Street, traffic that’s expected to increase as development projects in that part of the city come to fruition. Also during… Read More
ROCKLAND – City councilors voted Monday night to table a request from the Samoset Resort for a contract zoning agreement. The zoning agreement would have cleared the way for the resort to apply to build a marina adjacent to the Rockland Breakwater. Local, state and… Read More
BARING – A 65-year-old Calais woman was killed Monday afternoon when the car she was riding in slid off the road and crashed into a utility pole. Killed in the accident was Alberta Doten, who was riding in the back of a 1986 Dodge Caravelle… Read More
WARREN – The state Department of Environmental Protection is drafting additional conditions for Steamship Navigation Co.’s permit for its Route 90 rifle range project. One of those conditions will be that the company disclose its financial records to prove it is capable of funding the… Read More