Hard-nosed sophomore center Brendan Walsh, who left Boston University’s hockey team in February due to philosophical differences with head coach Jack Parker, has transferred to the University of Maine. Maine has also received a verbal commitment from its first Finnish-born player, winger Tuomo Jaaskelainen from… Read More
High school AT READFIELD Camden-Rockport boys 3, Maranacook 2 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 () {… Read More
BELFAST – Rachel Ervin struggled against Maranacook of Readfield Wednesday. By coach Ed Mazurek’s recollection, she walked nine and hit six batters in a 12-0 whitewash. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
Usually, my perusal of the morning paper doesn’t extend much beyond the sports, obituary, and editorial pages. Last Saturday morning, though, while watching the trees behind my house bowing deeply to the demands of the wind – fishing would have been self-inflicted punishment – a section of the… Read More
Not all winners show up in the headlines. Tim Kelley plays for Brewer’s varsity tennis team, as the Witches’ No. 3 singles tennis player or in their first doubles pairing. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
HERMON – The hit-and-run was on but Justin Perry took it one step further. Hermon High School’s senior catcher belted a two-run homer on a hit-and-run with two outs in the first inning and senior designated hitter Scott Potter hit a two-run single in the… Read More
CAMDEN – Mike McDonald and Jon Moro drove in two runs each to help lead the Camden-Rockport Windjammers to a 9-2 schoolboy baseball win over the Oak Hill Raiders in schoolboy baseball action Friday. McDonald whacked a single and double and Moro slapped two singles. Read More
There was some snickering going on around eastern Maine Wednesday after John Bapst Memorial High School announced plans to begin playing Class A basketball and hockey in 1998. Basketball fans and coaches who have any experience following local schoolboy basketball know better than to take… Read More
HOULTON – Shiretowner Joe Husted’s RBI single in the bottom of the seventh put Houlton past Fort Fairfield 7-6 in schoolboy baseball action Friday. Fort Fairfield had tied the game in the top of the seventh on a two-run triple by Ryan Houghton. John Hayes… Read More
MADAWASKA – Erica Drake ripped a two-out double to knock in Darcy Howe with the winning run in the top of the eighth inning Friday as Houlton rallied to post a 7-4 schoolgirl softball victory over Madawaska. Houlton tied it in when Becky Goodall scored… Read More
I was extremely proud of the entire House delegation from Aroostook County on May 15. I sincerely hope our efforts in the Maine House will persuade the State Department of Transportation to fix Route 11 so that the road can be used year round. State… Read More
HERMON — Although the municipal budget is down and the school budget is up by less than half a percent, residents here still can expect an increase in the mill rate from 12.93 to 13.57 for the next fiscal year. Officials said the tax hike is the result… Read More
Who’s running the Taxation Committee? Legislators or extremist environmental groups? More than 20 individuals had driven three or more hours to testify in opposition to LD 1820, An Act to Establish a Penalty on Gains from the Sale or Exchange of Land from Which Timber… Read More
A short time ago, we were exposed to the debate on the partial-birth abortion ban as it was discussed in the Maine Senate and House of Representatives. I was struck by the argument put forth by one or more of the state senators to the effect that one… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE — The controversial Dr. James Benjamin has lost the final round in his battle against The Aroostook Medical Center. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston found that Benjamin, who is African-American, was not a victim of discrimination. The court also… Read More
It is a quiet campaign, but that does not detract from the fact that it makes a major difference in the lives of many people, especially the young. From April through early June, concerned and dedicated supporters and friends of the Bangor YMCA have been… Read More
I have been reading many letters recently praising the 1992 Workers’ Compensation changes, and urging that the Legislature resist tampering with the law currently in force. I would like to present my view, as a practicing chiropractor who has treated patients both before and after the 1992 law. Read More
BLUE HILL — Police are looking for information on a hit-and-run driver who struck a local pedestrian near the bottom of Green’s Hill Thursday afternoon. Walter Warner, 33, was walking alongside Route 172 near the Blue Hill Yarn Shop around 2:30 p.m. when he was… Read More
BUCKSPORT — AmeriCorps will provide free pesticide training, according to Career Advancement Centers Training and Development Corp., which cited a 1995 federal regulation that blueberry growers teach pesticide safety to workers. Members of AmeriCorps, a national service program, offered training in Washington and Hancock counties… Read More
STONINGTON — A 38-year-old local man has been arrested for assault after a shoving incident that left his girlfriend unconscious. Police said Samuel P. Falzarano and the woman were arguing early Thursday morning when he pushed her and his 13-year-old daughter out the door of… Read More
BELFAST — The American Red Cross in Eastern Maine will hold a lifeguard instructor course from 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at the Belfast Pool; from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday, June 1 and 8, and from 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 7, at the… Read More
ELLSWORTH — An area hard hit by burglaries last year has seen a resurgence over the past two weeks. A half-dozen break-ins since May 15 have targeted summer camps and homes at Phillips Lake and Green Lake in Dedham and Ellsworth, said Detective Steve McFarland… Read More
ETNA — A town meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 7, at the Etna Community Hall. The meeting date comes three months after the regularly scheduled meeting was canceled in March when town records were reportedly confiscated in connection with an arson… Read More
MONSON — Bradley Joe Ray apparently didn’t take kindly to being asked to leave a party in Monson. He returned with a rifle. Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department deputies were looking for Ray Friday after he eluded their attempts to search for him late Thursday. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
KITTERY — Travel counselor Percy Blaisdell has no problems helping tourists find the L.L. Bean store or locate the perfect Maine lobster, but some requests stump this seasoned pro. Families intent on seeing Maine — all of it — in two hours. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
CAVENDISH, Prince Edward Island — This island’s No. 1 tourist attraction, the house that helped inspired the novel “Anne of Green Gables,” was badly damaged by a fire early Friday. The fire, which broke out about 4 a.m. at the back of the building, caused… Read More
GRAND LAKE STREAM — Nearly two years after residents of this small vacation community united to protect a 110-acre conservation easement along the west side of the stream, neighbors are fighting over an effort to build a hiking trail on the pristine property. Steve Takach,… Read More
Sen. Susan Collins this week presented Congress with a way out of its labyrinth of campaign finance reform. Her guidance on a major re-write of legislation that has been dying slowly for the last two years should give real hope to people working toward reforming the way members… Read More
VAN BUREN — Brother Joseph Jacques Fernand LaPointe, Order of Friars Minor, The Franciscans, was ordained to the priesthood at the hands of Auxiliary Bishop Peter Rosazza on Saturday in St. Patrick/St. Anthony Church, Hartford, Conn. Brother Jacques, born Aug. 6, 1952, in Van Buren… Read More
John Rohman sorted through a cardboard box in a corner of his Bangor office last week. Inside were tile and carpet samples, paint swatches and sample bricks headed for Presque Isle, where next week members of Grant Memorial United Methodist Church will make final decisions on the interior… Read More
Snow in May does not a happy gardener make, but it hasn’t stopped me from getting a little jump on the vegetable garden. One blustery day in late April, when I was desperate for some promise of spring, I wandered up to a small plot… Read More
BREWER — Scott D. Cleveland was ordained at a service of ordination and intallation at Second Congregational Church on Saturday, May 17. The Rev. Dr. James Haddix, the Rev. Stephen Burkett and the Rev. Nathaniel Pearson took part in the service. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
By these late days of May, it has already reared its ugly head. With unfurling red leaves, thick, succulent stems, and a robust root system second to none, bamboo is working overtime to thwart another season’s worth of gardening plans. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
Architect Sam Woodward once shared many of his clients’ views about the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act. He thought it was another federal mandate that cost municipalities and private companies too much money. So in order to stretch his customers’ limited dollars as far as possible,… Read More
BRENTWOOD, N.H. — A judge will consider setting bail for Stratham lawyer Seth Bader, who has been held without bail since he was arrested last month on charges he murdered his ex-wife. The judge also could compel Seth Bader’s 15-year-old adopted son, Joseph, to testify… Read More
We recently observed National Nurses Week, which brought to mind issues of nurses, patient needs and managed care. In some parts of the country, managed care has been the primary system for delivery of health care for several years, but in Maine, managed care is just arriving, amid… Read More
The Maine Legislature, with enthusiastic support from Gov. King, has strongly endorsed legislation barring discrimination against homosexuals and lesbians. It is unfortunate that these elected official fail to exhibit the same regard for the rights of Maine working women and men. The May 3-4 edition… Read More
What a fine mess the spineless politicians who invented the phony three-day weekend have gotten us into this year, what with the bogus Memorial Day falling on this coming Monday and the legitimate Memorial Day checking in on Friday. Now, instead of a single three-day… Read More
Passing naughty notes, potty jokes, name calling, rough stuff in the halls. What’s with kids today? Oops. Sorry, kids. What’s with legislators today? The Legislature that brought us the chickadee license plate but not tax reform has distinguished itself in one area — churlish conduct. Read More
Presque Isle District Court: Erlin G. Perley, 40, Perth Andover, New Brunswick, operating motor vehicle after suspension, $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
Mary Leach Ganzel, RFD 1, Box 28, Penobscot 04476, will celebrate her 85th birthday June 11 and would like to get 85 birthday cards. Gail Lawless, 9 Spencer Court, East Hartford, Conn., 06108, is searching for her brother, Richard, whom she has not seen for… Read More
Dianne Hire of Belfast grabs two small pieces of material, irons them, then quickly scoots her chair to her sewing machine nearby. The sewing machine whirs away as she stitches the pieces together. “You put two together then find another piece and stitch it to… Read More
The first major biography to be written on poet, journal writer, feminist, and lesbian May Sarton begins aggressively even before you read any text by its author, Margot Peters. In the stunning jacket painting by Polly Thayer Starr, a young May Sarton, cigarette in hand,… Read More
If you don’t kill yourself in an accident between the ages of 10 and 25, you stand a good chance of seeing 80. This is because by 25, most people have outgrown those wonderful but unrealistic I-am-invulnerable nothing-can-kill-me years. The Maine Legislature’s pro-second-hand smoke vote… Read More
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series examining problems and promises facing the University of Maine as it prepares to hire a new president. ORONO — It’s amazing what $4 million will do for morale. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
A recent survey suggests the summer will hold plenty of promise for job seekers in the Bangor area. Manpower Temporary Services said 40 percent of the firms it contacted in Greater Bangor plan to increase the size of their work forces, 6 percent intend to… Read More
AUGUSTA — EnvisioNet Computer Services will add 120 jobs to its central Maine work force during the coming year with help from Kennebec Valley Technical College and the state-funded Maine Quality Centers program. Gov. Angus King, House Speaker Elizabeth Mitchell and Maine Technical College System… Read More
National Starch & Chemical Co., which has an operation in Island Falls, recently was sold to Imperial Chemical Industries of Great Britain. Unilever Group, the Anglo-Dutch consumer-products giant that owned National Starch, reportedly sold its entire specialty chemicals unit to ICI for $8 billion. In… Read More
BANGOR — A battle of epic proportions is shaping up near the Bangor Mall, where the nation’s leading home improvement center, Home Depot, is constructing a major retail outlet within spitting distance of its rival, Home Quarters. While the competition between the two retailers likely… Read More
You may recall, it was Congress’ last major investigation of a scandal — the Iran-Contra hearings — that launched George J. Mitchell’s career as U.S. Senate majority leader. That investigation chased after gunrunners, foreign money and charismatic figures such as Ollie North. What goes around… Read More
Editor’s note: The mother of the newborn taken by Nicole Yablonka from Eastern Maine Medical Center tells the convicted East Corinth woman her feelings on the crime in this letter. The mother wishes to remain anonymous. Nicole Yablonka, googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
BANGOR — An East Corinth woman who snatched a newborn baby boy from Eastern Maine Medical Center last November was sentenced to one year in prison Friday on a felony kidnapping conviction. With time already served in jail and automatic “good time” reductions, Nicole Yablonka… Read More
Mount Desert Island High School Third quarter honor roll Seniors, high honors: Andrew Burns, Darcy Coopersmith, Alma Delic-Ibukic, Christopher Tracy and Joshua Veatch; honors: Augustine Algre, Brianne Barker, David Blaney, Ember Brignull, Jeff Church, Shane Cole, Daren Cross, Benjamin Davis, Joshua Davis, Melissa Davis, Sara… Read More
A Veazie man was in jail Friday after police say he threatened to shoot his live-in girlfriend and four teen-agers. The arrest of Roger Shorey, 37, of 1030 Maple St. came after an hour-long standoff with area police, when Shorey refused to leave his home,… Read More
HOULTON — A U.S. magistrate judge ruled this week that Houlton officials did not violate any constitutional rights of a local dance club owner when they revoked the club’s nude activity permit last year. Town officials expressed pleasure with Thursday’s decision. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
More than 30 private lenders in Maine are making loans to rural homeowners guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to representative of the state’s Rural Housing Service, low interest rates and 30-year terms are available to help make home ownership affordable to people… Read More
OLD TOWN — The effort to save the onetime home of Edith Marion Patch, who began her career in entomology at the University of Maine in 1903, appears to be gathering momentum. Earle Shuttleworth, director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, evaluated the two-story wood-frame… Read More
BANGOR — A year ago today Lynn Willette was doing what families across the country are doing this afternoon — preparing for a backyard family barbecue. She had made all the arrangements, planned the menu, and offered to go grocery shopping on her way home… Read More
There’s good news and bad news for Bangor-area residents who went on a hot fudge sundae spree to celebrate the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval this month of a painless laser dental drill for filling cavities. The bad news is the new laser costs… Read More
I have a word of advice for Marcia Wheelock of Calais [BDN letter, May 10-11], who had her phone number given out. Be careful about donating money to any charity. My only income is Social Security, but I donated to the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanities which… Read More
I am a sixth grade student writing about the condition of the Kingman roads. They are very bad. There are ruts and potholes everywhere. In the winter, our bus almost rolled off the road because only half of the road was plowed. Everyone wants the roads improved, but… Read More
I wish to make a few comments about the [May 5] letter titled, “Poison in the River.” I put my hands together for [Reuben “Butch”] Phillips and his words. I hope people will read them and hear the truth in them. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
After nearly two years of negotiations, the Bar Harbor Teachers’ Association and the school board have failed to reach a contractual agreement for the current school year. We have met with mediators and fact finders in an effort to settle our differences over salary and health insurance benefits. Read More
I wanted to share some thoughts about the issue of medical waste burning at Blue Hill Hospital. According to CEO Bruce Cummings, the burnings release dioxin in small amounts. He claims one ounce, or about 453 grams a year. Perhaps this is an accurate estimate; if so, it… Read More
The letter by Harvard M. Adams of Levant (BDN, May 22) is initially laughable. It is hard to believe the Bangor Daily News chose to print such a distorted view in the year 1997. Obviously, one’s perspective of history is contingent upon one’s place in… Read More
I was disappointed to read the inaccurate information relative to the governor’s dioxin bill, written by Andrew Kekacs, in the May 13 issue of the Bangor Daily News. Kekacs states that “LD 1633 would require paper mills to stop discharing TCDD, the most toxic form… Read More
BIDDEFORD — A horse in Biddeford was killed after it contracted rabies — a disease rarely seen in domestic animals. The state Division of Disease Control said the horse had to be destroyed last month when its unusually aggressive behavior turned out to be symptoms… Read More
ELLSWORTH — The Maine Attorney General’s Office is seeking a court order to protect a black Navy man from a Gouldsboro resident who threatened him using racial slurs. A motion filed May 15 by Assistant Attorney General Thomas A. Harnett in Hancock County Superior Court… Read More
AUGUSTA — State Police Col. Alfred R. Skolfield announced Thursday that traffic enforcement efforts by state police would concentrate on finding drunken drivers, speeders and those violating child safety seat laws during the Memorial Day weekend. Because of air bag concerns, Skolfield said, children under… Read More
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a $1 million Technology Literacy Challenge Fund grant to Maine. In announcing the grant Thursday, the state’s congressional delegation said the funding will speed use of educational technology in the state’s schools. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
Mother’s Day mammograms for uninsured or underinsured women are still available through Rite Aid Corp. through May 30. The program is a national breast cancer awareness initiative of Rite Aid and the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition in 10 states, including Maine. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
ALTON — Voters here will be asked to approve a $1,097,500 budget for local education at their annual school budget meeting on Monday, June 9. According to Superintendent A. Keith Ober, the school committee’s 1997-98 budget proposal calls for an increase of $32,500, or 3… Read More
BANGOR — Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown will tour Veterans Affairs facilities beginning at 8:10 a.m. Thursday at the VA Medical Clinic, 304 Hancock St. Brown will tour the Korean War Memorial at Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor after his visit to the clinic,… Read More
BANGOR — The Bangor Symphony Orchestra will hold its annual meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, at the home of board president John A. Bradford, M.D. The corporation will elect board members and vote on amendments to the bylaws. Friends of the Symphony also… Read More
Forty host families are needed for the Up With People cast that will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, at the Bangor Auditorium. Families in the greater Bangor-Brewer area are asked to house cast members form Thursday, June 5, through Sunday, June 8. Read More
PINKHAM NOTCH, N.H. — A Maine man was killed Wednesday when his station wagon collided with a state truck near the Appalachian Mountain Club visitor center on Route 16, police said. James Schneider, 46, of Farmingdale, Maine, was heading southbound when his station wagon crossed… Read More
AUGUSTA — The Maine Historic Preservation Commission announced that three Maine buildings have been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. The entries are the John B. Curtis Free Public Library in Bradford, District 2 School in Passadumkeag and the Walter and Eva Burgess… Read More
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate, in a resounding bipartisan vote, approved the outlines of a watershed budget-balancing agreement between President Clinton and GOP leaders on Friday. The vote on the budget was 78-22, with 34 Democrats joining 44 Republicans to support the plan. Eight Democrats… Read More
Addison — Memorial Day services, 10 a.m. Monday, Mayhew Library lawn; Branch Bridge; Church Hill Cemetery. Bangor — Memorial Day parade and services begin with parade at 10:30 a.m. Monday on Exchange Street, along Harlow Street, Central Street and Main Street to Davenport Park; memorial… Read More
BANGOR — An 18-year-old Perry man pleaded guilty Friday to his role in a violent armed robbery at a Clifton convenience store in March. Travis Murphy waited in the car while 19-year-old Tolbert Choneska and 17-year-old Cote Choneska went in and robbed the store, according… Read More
ROCKLAND — The City Council has approved a municipal budget calling for expenditures of $11.9 million, an increase of 6.65 percent over last year. The $11,936,286 budget package will be unveiled officially to voters at a public hearing at 7 p.m. June 23 in City… Read More
PITTSFIELD — Voters in the three towns that compose SAD 53 — Burnham, Detroit and Pittsfield — will have three opportunities to question school board directors about the proposed 1997-98 budget. Public informational hearings have been scheduled in each of the communities. The first meeting… Read More
AUGUSTA — As lawmakers closed out what is scheduled to be the next-to-last week of their 1997 session, the Senate voted overwhelmingly Friday to reject a bill that would require kraft mills to eliminate the use of chlorine-based bleaching chemicals. Coming one day after the… Read More
PORTLAND — With its pop-up top, the Sungo looks more like a baby dune buggy than a car of the future, but its creators say this electric two-seater could end up in the fast lane. “It goes up to 75 miles an hour,” says Spencer… Read More
HOULTON — The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department is investigating burglaries at two potato houses that resulted in the loss of more than $5,300 worth of equipment. Deputy Norman Dube said the burglaries occurred Tuesday and Wednesday at potato houses owned by Wallace Pryor of Blaine. Read More
PRINCETON — A 47-year-old Waite woman was summoned for leaving the scene of an accident Friday after her vehicle struck the back of a school bus. At around 10:45 a.m. a Princeton school bus was on Route 1 about seven-tenths of a mile from the… Read More
AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s Appropriations and Finance Committee on Wednesday gave its unanimous recommendation to a bond issue request that will pump $5 million into the state’s vocational high schools for new capital equipment if it gets voter approval in June 1998. “I’m really excited,”… Read More