ORONO – John Winkin, University of Maine baseball coach for 20 years, didn’t have to deliberate long. In thinking back on his 40 years as a college baseball coach, he can’t remember having a team as young as the one he will take to California… Read More
Tom McLellan scored 14 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter as the Presque Isle Wildcats defeated the Bangor Rams 61-51 for the Big East boys basketball championship Monday night at the Bangor Auditorium Matt Casavant and Tate McPherson also paced Presque Isle with… Read More
Judging by the efforts made by other New England Division I universities, former compliance officer Woody Carville was correct when he warned his superiors the University of Maine was lagging behind when it came to the process of living by NCAA rules. In a telephone… Read More
PORTLAND – Just call the University of Maine-Farmington Beavers the comeback kids. On two different occasions – once in the first half, then once again in the second – Coach Len MacPhee’s team had to overcome double-digit deficits en route to Monday afternoon’s 55-53 win… Read More
PORTLAND – Twenty minutes does not a college basketball game make. But St. Joseph’s College played so well during the first half here Monday that a second-half letdown was unavoidable, and completely survivable. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
PORTLAND – The year was 1974. The country was in transition, working itself from the peace and love era that was the ’60s into the “me decade” of the ’90s. In Maine small college basketball, that year, 20 years ago, signified the last time the… Read More
The North Atlantic Conference-Maine women’s basketball fiasco bothers me. Why does the University of Maine seem to get the short end of the stick when it comes to life as it should be in the NAC? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
To no one’s surprise, the North Atlantic Conference athletic directors have upheld their original decision to bar the University of Maine’s women’s basketball team from the NAC tournament for scheduling one more game than is allowed under NCAA rules. So Northeastern, which will probably wind… Read More
Champion Products Inc., presented $5,000 to Bowdoin College in honor of Eileen Hunt of Island Falls – Maine’s 1993 NCAA Woman of the Year. The award honors student-athletes for academic achievement, athletic excellence, community service and leadership. The award, which was designed to support and… Read More
SHREVEPORT, La. – Calling former Maine Maritime Academy head coach John Huard “the quintessential football coach in North America today,” J.I. Albrecht, Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Shreveport Pirates, introduced Huard on Monday as the Canadian Football League expansion franchise’s first head coach. Read More
Now that the Brady Bill eyewash is in effect, the nation’s millions of responsible, law-abiding gun owners are bracing for the next volley that President Clinton and his gun-control cronies are sure to fire in the not-too-distant future. Forewarned is forearmed: during interviews on Monday morning’s television newscasts,… Read More
Can Winslow High School’s Raiders shut down or at least handle the explosive Darren Beers and rugged sniper Aaron Boone? Can Brewer survive the three-line wave of aggressive forechecking by Winslow? Will Winslow’s superior depth wear down the Witches? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
PORTLAND – Raymond Alley knows his storied basketball career is almost over. Husson College’s senior sharpshooter cleared a huge mental hurdle Monday night, finally exorcising the ghost of struggles past in postseason play at the Portland Expo. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
I applaud the NEWS editorial of Feb. 7, “Doctors and Nurses,” especially regarding the comments about advance practice nurses and their education. There are several issues that come to my mind about the upcoming LD 1185, An Act to Increase Access to Primary Care by Redefining the Practice… Read More
DEXTER — A bucket of hot ashes left too close to a building started a fire in a shed on Railroad Avenue in Dexter Monday afternoon. Fire Chief Melvin Wyman said that when firefighters arrived at the scene at about 12:25 p.m. Monday, the shed… Read More
NEWPORT — The speakers at the March meetings of the Newport chapter of Kiwanis will be: March 3, Karen Hayden of Consumer Credit Counseling Services; March 10, a representative from the Ronald McDonald House; March 17, Cheryline Parson of Operation Liftoff; March 24, Brenda Early of Central Maine… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT — A 19-year-old Bradford man was summoned to 3rd District Court in Bangor for receiving stolen property in connection with a snowmobile taken from the Dover-Foxcroft Shopping Plaza earlier this month. The snowmobile, owned by Scott and Winston Harmon of Dover-Foxcroft, was recovered Monday… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT — A Dover-Foxcroft woman accused of embezzling more than $38,000 from Rowell’s Garage in Dover-Foxcroft over a two-year period made an initial appearance in 13th District Court on Monday. Bail was set for Nancy Taylor at $5,000 unsecured bond and her case was continued… Read More
WEST ENFIELD — Tech. Sgt. Deanna L. Rancourt, stock control supervisor for the 101st Resource Management Squadron, Bangor International Airport, has been chosen as non-commissioned officer nominee for the Maine Air National Guard Outstanding Airman of the Year. Sgt. Rancourt lives in West Enfield with… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE — A blood drive by the American Red Cross on Feb. 15 at Gould Memorial Hospital in Presque Isle resulted in the record-setting collection of 169 pints of blood. The collection was the largest by any community organization in Aroostook County, according to… Read More
DEXTER — After a three-year battle, the town of Dexter’s insurer has agreed to provide coverage in a suit brought by a Corinna couple seeking compensation for damages and injuries incurred in an accident on town-owned property in 1991. A 1991 tort claim filed by… Read More
LIMESTONE — A partnership between Aroostook County flax farmers and Androscoggin County textile workers to revitalize Maine’s textile industry is being proposed by Jean Hay of Blue Hill, a candidate in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. Another proposal by Flax America Inc. of Rowayton, Conn., seeks… Read More
ST. AGATHA — The owners of a construction company started in Madawaska 36 years ago were named Madawaska’s Business Persons of the Year at the annual meeting of the Greater Madawaska Area Chamber of Commerce Friday night at the Lakeview Restaurant. David Pelletier, treasurer of… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT — A 19-year-old Bradford man was summoned to Penobscot District Court for receiving stolen property in connection with a snowmobile taken from the Dover-Foxcroft Shopping Plaza in February. The snowmobile, owned by Scott and Winston Harmon of Dover-Foxcroft, was recovered Monday at the home… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE — Amnesty International USA has designated Tuesday, March 8, as International Women’s Day to draw attention to human rights abuses suffered by women. The organization will focus on different cases of women imprisoned, tortured, threatened or killed by their own governments or by… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE — Senior Airman Stephen N. Fields, historian specialist assigned to the 101st Air Refueling Wing, Bangor International Airport, has received the 1994 Maine Outstanding Airman Award. The award was presented by Maj. Gen. Nelson E. Durgin, adjutant general, Maine ANG. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
LIMESTONE — The fourth annual Aroostook County Special Olympics “Winter Training Day ’94” will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, March 4, at the Loring Air Force Base Ski Chalet. Ten county agencies plan to assist in the event. During the last… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE — The Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance has awarded a $70,000 grant to the University of Maine at Presque Isle to establish a science and mathematics academy. The university joins Unity College, University of Southern Maine, Bates College and University of Maine as… Read More
EASTPORT — Authorities in Eastport are continuing to investigate the Feb. 14 incident in which two tugboats were untied from the city pier. Owned and operated by Passamaquoddy Towing Services Inc. of Eastport, the tugs are used to nudge large cargo vessels safely into the… Read More
CALAIS — Washington County is preparing itself for the socioeconomic changes expected from a Passamaquoddy casino, almost as if a weather forecaster had predicted “Hurricane Casino” would come ashore at Calais. Although the casino “storm” may miss the county, and blow itself out at sea,… Read More
EASTPORT — A presentation by the Shead High School Student Assistant Team regarding the holding of a drug and alcohol awareness week at the school tops the agenda for the Eastport School Committee at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, in the library at Shead High School. Read More
MACHIAS — A proposed 45-lot mobile home park subdivision behind Riverview Heights in Machias is expected to receive final approval at a meeting of the Machias Planning Board at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, in the Machias Town Office. Prescott Estates received preliminary approval from… Read More
MILBRIDGE — Milbridge residents will vote at 7 p.m. Monday, March 7, at the elementary school on a proposed annual municipal budget of $486,320 for 1994-95. The proposed budget, $80,811 less than the current year, would not result in a higher property tax rate, according… Read More
LUBEC — Nomination papers for eight Lubec town officers, including two selectmen, a budget committee member, two SAD 19 directors and a town clerk, are available at the Lubec Town Office. Completed papers containing at least 25 and no more than 75 signatures, must be… Read More
NEWPORT — Police Chief Jim Ricker is frustrated and outraged by a recent rash of child sexual abuse cases in Newport. “In the last six months, I have investigated or initiated investigations of child abuse cases, all of them sexual abuse, involving 11 victims,” he… Read More
CAMDEN — Knox County sheriff’s deputies wired a Camden child molester Monday for home electronic surveillance, the first time the department has used the new monitoring technology. Edward Skarren, 70, pleaded guilty in early February to two counts of unlawful sexual contact with a young… Read More
ROCKLAND — If the trains run as smoothly as did Monday’s meeting on bringing rail service back to Rockland’s South End, invest in buggy whips. More than 200 residents turned out for a presentation by the Maine Department of Transportation on its plan to rebuild… Read More
BELFAST — Ward 1 City Council candidate Bruce MacLaren is back in the race, and City Attorney John Carver has egg on his face. Spurred by a ruling by Carver that the City Charter prohibited teachers from running for the council, MacLaren announced his withdrawal… Read More
ROCKLAND — Two Rockland Democrats, Hilda Lokocz and Paul Chartrand, who have announced their candidacy for the Maine House of Representatives seats in District 62, will present their views on the issues at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, at the Stella Maris House on Broadway. The public is… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Gifts of approximately $100,000 each have been bequeathed to the Thompson Free Library, the Dover-Foxcroft Fire Department, Mayo Regional Hospital and Foxcroft Academy. Dover-Foxcroft selectmen learned Monday that the funds were bequeathed by the late Foster H. and Theodora Gray of Dover-Foxcroft. Town… Read More
ELLSWORTH — The Down East Family YMCA will sponsor its annual Frostbite Road Race at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 19. Awards for the 5K (3.1-mile) race will be given to the top three finishers in each age group. Registration is at the YMCA. Read More
BELFAST — A Waldo County Superior Court jury deliberated for 42 minutes before finding Raymond Morrison guilty of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon. Morrison, 33, of Belfast was convicted of threatening Waterville sign hanger Robert Hanson with a bat and a club on two… Read More
ELLSWORTH — “Take Care of Yourself,” a two-day conference for mothers of children with special needs, will be presented by Hancock County Parent Awareness on March 19-20 at the Ellsworth Holiday Inn. Workshops will be held on nutrition, family activities and special programs for women. Read More
BLUE HILL — “Good Music, Good Humor, Good Times, Good Government” is the theme of a series of fund-raisers being held by the Jean Hay for Congress Committee, beginning March 3. Jazz musicians Brad Terry and Patti Wicks will open the first event at 7… Read More
Land trust activity spurs new state organization> More affordable housing is goal of growing network
ORLAND — Affordable housing projects such as the one H.O.M.E. Inc. is near to completing in Bucksport will continue to proliferate, an organizer says. Projects that land trusts are pursuing in several counties range from the conversion of a 13-unit mobile home park in Augusta… Read More
ELLSWORTH — Area working women are invited to a luncheon meeting of Ellsworth Business and Professional Women at noon Wednesday, March 9, at the Hancock County Technical School on Boggy Brook Road. The group is a local chapter of BPW/USA, a national organization dedicated to… Read More
ELLSWORTH — The Ellsworth Center of the University of Maine System will celebrate Women’s History Month in March with a series of public lectures and interactive television presentations. The program offers three public lectures: “Risk Reduction, It’s Better Than Weight Reduction,” 7 p.m. Thursday, March… Read More
EAST SULLIVAN — Sumner Memorial High School has announced the honor roll for the second ranking quarter: Seniors, highest honors: Tina Bishko, Melissa Chipman, Adrienne Diver, Tim Fisher, Anna Glass, Amanda Moshier, Kendra Snurkowski, Ben Tracy; high honors: Jesse Carbone, Debbi Caswell, Kerry Garcia, Tracey… Read More
BELFAST — Justice Andrew Mead heard the following cases in Waldo County Superior Court this week: Paul Zittle, 19, of South Portland and Albert W. McLeod Jr., 18, of Belfast were each sentenced to 18 months in jail with all but 22 days suspended and… Read More
PINKHAM’S GRANT, N.H. — Two ice climbers missing for nearly two days on Mount Washington were found dead Monday, victims of extreme cold. The men had been caught by worsening weather on the mountain Saturday. On Monday, wind blew at a sustained speed of 88… Read More
Pianist Philip E. Burns of Bangor is one of seven outstanding high school-aged musicians from Maine who will perform in the 1994 Honors Recital 8 p.m. March 11 at Corthell Concert Hall at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. For more information, call 780-5586. Read More
WKIT (100.3 FM) presents the world premiere of David Lee Roth’s new album “Your Filthy Little Mouth” at 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 2. The 90-minute radio special, broadcast from Hollywood, will feature songs from the new album along with a live set including songs from Roth’s former band,… Read More
Auditions for the 1994 season at Lakewood Theater in Skowhegan will be held March 5, 6, 12 and 13 at the Margaret Chase Smith School also in Skowhegan. This season’s shows include “Great Expectations,” “Don’t Dress for Dinner,” “Accomplice,” and “The Sting.” For information, call 474-7176. Read More
The strategy for how to pursue a demolition permit for the old Waterworks complex appears headed for full City Council debate, as members still disagree over which tactic to employ. With at least five choices before them — including an appeal to the Zoning Board… Read More
The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department continued its investigation Monday into an armed robbery that took place after midnight at a Hudson residence. Michael Murphy, who lives on Route 43, was bound and robbed after two men broke into his residence around 12:30 a.m., according to… Read More
GRAND ISLE — When Grand Isle voters receive their warrant for the town meeting later this month, they will see major changes in expenditure amounts and how they are grouped. Work to restructure the municipal budget began last October, when the Board of Selectmen and… Read More
A 10-inch cylinder wrapped in duct tape was blown up Monday afternoon in a driveway on Essex Street by the Bangor Police Department’s Emergency Ordnance Disposal team. Essex Street was blocked off to traffic while police disposed of the object. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
ROCKLAND — Senior Spectrum, the Central Maine Area Agency on Aging, has chosen Paul Whittaker as home care consultant for Knox County. Whittaker will make home visits, help families develop service plans for homebound elderly people, make geriatric assessments, and monitor in-home care plans. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
The city of Bangor granted the Houlton Band of Maliseets a reprieve Monday, extending the deadline for which the Maliseet Gardens property will be taken to satisfy back taxes. By most accounts, the Bangor City Council was poised to assume ownership of the downtown retail-office-housing… Read More
The Brewer Housing Authority will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, at the authority office at One Colonial Circle, Brewer. The commissioners will review for approval, the minutes of the Feb. 1 annual meeting and the financial statement for all programs for the period… Read More
Police in Orono are investigating what they described as a “rash of similar incidents” in the Washburn Place-Dryden Terrace area of Orono in which vehicle windows were shot by BB guns Saturday. Sgt. Tim Gould said that between nine and 12 vehicles were damaged. One… Read More
Caffeine must be one of the most thoroughly studied drugs of all time. As a result, it is one of the most confusing drugs we deal with because so many of the studies have been poorly designed. Let’s try to sort out the truth. According… Read More
Patients at Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, will understand if Barbara Field is a little excited this week. The employee of the Bangor hospital picked up $250 Monday morning as a contest winner. The money isn’t the only thing Field came away with. Like 37… Read More
A reader wants to know what the little dots, with numbers beside them, mean on the star chart. These stand for the apparent magnitude, or brightness, of stars to the naked eye. When first devised, by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus in the 2nd century B.C., a 1st magnitude… Read More
The Bangor YMCA annual Giving Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction will begin at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, at the Bangor Civic Center with UMaine hockey coach Shawn Walsh as master of ceremonies. Inductees are Willard C. Farnham and Douglas T. Mathieu, Bangor area… Read More
Republican state Rep. Stephen Zirnkilton drew first blood Monday in his bid to unseat Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell, working to portray the Democratic leader as more in touch with Washington, D.C., than Washington, Maine. During a series of statewide speeches inaugurating his campaign,… Read More
ORONO — The annual Expanding Your Horizons Conference will be held for 800 teen-age girls throughout Maine on Tuesday, March 8, at the University of Maine. The daylong conference exposes women to science- and math-related careers. One group of 300 girls wil be at Husson… Read More
ELLSWORTH — “You’re not alone,” could be the theme of the sixth gathering of Women Living with HIV to be held at Sebago Lake this month. The gathering will be a time for talking, listening, sharing, meeting new people, and having fun, an official at… Read More
Two rows of chairs, with an aisle down the middle, faced forward. A grid of clean coffee cups lay upside-down on industrial linen. Behind the lectern, two red-white-and-blue “Zirnkilton/U.S. Senate” signs hung just where the cameras would pick them up. On the other side of… Read More
Monday’s lottery numbers: 279 — 9471… Read More
ORLANDO, Fla. — Getting good advice about public schools should be easier for parents when the National Principals’ Hotline, “Principals on Call for Kids,” is offered Sunday through Tuesday, March 6-8, during the convention of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. The hot line… Read More
HERMON — A truck driver who bills himself as a working man with a common person’s point of view is the latest to enter the crowded field vying to be governor of Maine. Stephen M. Stimpson, who has been a long-haul truck driver for many… Read More
WASHINGTON — “It’s going to be close … within one or two votes either way,” said Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell, assessing the outcome of Tuesday’s Senate vote on a constitutional amendment that would force Congress to balance its annual budgets as America turns into the next… Read More
CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire received much less emergency fuel aid than its northern New England neighbors, and U.S. Rep. Dick Swett wants to know why. Spokeswoman Shireen Tilley said Swett, D-N.H., is looking into the disparity. He has requested more information from the U.S. Read More
CHICAGO — The Chicago Sun-Times, one of the nation’s biggest daily newspapers, will be acquired by the Canadian publishing company Hollinger Inc. for about $180 million in cash, the companies said Monday. The deal gives Hollinger a high-profile flagship for its U.S. division, American Publishing… Read More
Alternative Energy Inc. of Bangor will close its wood-fired electrical generating plant in Chester at the end of March. The plant opened in 1986 and started generating power under terms of a 30-year contract with Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. When the contract was negotiated, the price… Read More
HOULTON — The state Department of Audit will begin looking into charges the Aroostook County treasurer made last month that the county’s district attorney and a former district attorney misused state funds. At the Feb. 16 meeting of the Aroostook County Commissioners, County Treasurer James… Read More
HOULTON — Urban Hughes, a volunteer firefighter in Houlton, remembers well the first fire he went to. It was at a woodworking factory in his native Woodstock, New Brunswick, and he was just 16. “You could see the sky all red,” he recalled. “I got… Read More
LEE — Emergency personnel rushed to Route 6 in Lee Monday afternoon, but there wasn’t anything anyone could do to save the life of a Lee woman whose van was crushed in a log truck accident. Earl McNeal sat in a truck. Tears streamed down… Read More
AUGUSTA — The Air Force Band of Liberty will perform at several Maine cities during a tour Wednesday through Tuesday, March 2-8. Times and locations are: googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
The corrections department, prison administration, guards and their families will defend its 130-year-old walls to the end, but retirement for the state prison at Thomaston is an issue gaining momentum. A discussion of the merits of phasing out the facility, as part of a broader… Read More
WASHINGTON — Several rapid-fire shotguns originally designed for riot control in South Africa and Korea were ordered reclassified as “destructive devices” Monday by Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen. The designation requires registration by current owners and stiff taxes on new purchases. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
AUGUSTA — Even as the Brady law took effect Monday, police in Maine were refining a system for enforcing the new federal handgun-control law. Some details of the law remained vague to police and dealers, but they expressed confidence that the kinks will be worked… Read More
Every February, as in every December, April and June, thousands of high school students run screaming from the hallowed halls of education in an enthusiastic effort to take advantage of small units of non-class time, also known as “vacations.” For many of us, just the… Read More
Your Feb. 17 editorial, “Including home-schoolers,” makes a valid point, though I do not agree with your reasons. It seems only fair that if schooled students who participate in extra activities must submit to the academic eligibility rigmarole, the home-schooled students who participate ought to agree to a… Read More
LONG LAKE — The fish were biting Wednesday at Gerard and Adrienne Ouellette’s ice fishing cabin on Long Lake. They pronounced it one of the best days they had this season. During the peak of the feeding frenzy, they dropped fishing lines from spools on… Read More
AUGUSTA — Thousands of elderly, disabled and homeless Mainers who receive food stamps can use them to buy meals in some restaurants, state officials said Monday. The new policy is designed to help people who live alone or who lack cooking facilities to get the… Read More
BOSTON — Fishermen traveled by land and sea to Boston on Monday to protest new commercial fishing restrictions, some of which take effect Tuesday. The restrictions include new limits to the number of days fishing vessels may spend at sea, requirements that commercial boats install electronic tracking system,… Read More
WASHINGTON — Chemical toxins are possible causes of illnesses afflicting thousands of Gulf War veterans, experts told a scientific panel Monday. Sick vets urged the panel to move quickly, before it is too late to save their lives. Veterans returning from the 1991 war share… Read More
WASHINGTON — About 55,300 slots will be cut from Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps reserve units this year in line with a post-Cold War plan to reduce and reshape those forces, the Pentagon announced Monday. The changes will hit units in New York,… Read More
In this, Day Two of Michael Ploszek’s self-imposed exile from his Orono office, University of Maine officials have a damage-control problem that is not one of stopping the pain — that challenge will come later — but of ending the wounding, all of which has been self-inflicted. Read More
PORTLAND — A former employee and a current worker at Avis Rent A Car say they were discriminated against after they complained that the Portland office was providing rental cars that were potentially unsafe. Alan Darling and Diane Hurrell say office manager Keith Baylor knowingly… Read More
Police officer Chris Greeley will be making his third national TV appearance in five months when he is featured on “Sally Jesse Raphael” at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 9, on WVII TV (Channel 7). Greeley, a Bangor native now living in Greenbush, is in such… Read More
LEWISTON — A couple accused of violating confidentiality rules by talking to reporters about a baby’s death gave up their foster home license Monday after Portland’s police chief was barred from testifying on their behalf. After a two-year legal battle with the state Department of… Read More
Q. I want to build an energy efficient house, but I want it to still have character and charm. Are timber-framed houses, with the large exposed wood beams, energy efficient and suitable for the do-it-yourselfer? — H.T. A. Timber-framed construction is one of the oldest… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT — They represent six quiet voices who have come together to celebrate the arts. Virginia Preston carefully molds angels from paper. Alison Fair Bixler artfully dyes her woven pieces with extract from Maine plants. Bruce Towl calls himself an image maker of drawings. Barbara… Read More
I just read Karin Tilberg’s tear-jerking column (Feb. 1) about the north woods. She did not tell the truth until the second to the last paragraph; she simply wants the north woods to herself and other Audubon members and is willing to “lock it up” to achieve this… Read More