Hodgdon girls basketball coach Phil Faulkner claims he had nothing to do with Monday night’s 52-40 victory over Washburn. But some of his coaching techniques must have rubbed off over the years, because Monday’s win was the 400th of Faulkner’s 28-year career. “I didn’t get… Read More
Bangor diver Brooke Hayes has been dominant on the state diving scene for almost as long as she has been competing on the boards. As a sophomore she won the Penobscot Valley Championship and last year took the state championship – but she has never… Read More
Charles Milan III and Val Joy lead the field after four stops on the Maine Pro Candlepin Tour. Milan felled 3,863 pins in the best three-of-four tournaments so far, while Joy racked up a 3,542 pinfall in her best three stops. The final tournament is at the Beacon… Read More
After landing, our plane turned 180 degrees and began to taxi back down the airport’s only runway. I wondered out loud as to the safety of such a maneuver. My fears were soon laid to rest when I was informed there was only one flight a day to… Read More
TOPSHAM – Nokomis of Newport sprinted out to an 18-6 first-quarter lead and never looked back to gain a 62-27 victory over Mount Ararat in schoolgirl basketball action Tuesday. Kristy Pine and Tanya Cray tossed in 14 points each for the Warriors, while Adrienne Nickerson… Read More
ORONO – That unmistakeable smile was back on Cindy Blodgett’s face Tuesday afternoon. Blodgett sported the same triumphant grin one might expect to see right after the senior guard buries a 3-pointer providing the coup de grace in a Black Bear victory. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
BANGOR — Methamphetamine is a powerful, illegal drug that can cause violent tendencies in its users. Use of the stimulant is on the increase in Maine, according to concerned state and federal officials. A federal grand jury Tuesday indicted five people on various counts of… Read More
PITTSFIELD — In Albion, dairy farmers trucked a portable generator from farm to farm throughout the recent long-term power outage. The driver, Albion farmer Peter Dorr, slept in the truck that brought the generator while farmers milked their cows. This traveling power center continued night after night, all… Read More
AUGUSTA — The Maine Democratic Party will hold municipal caucuses Feb. 8 throughout the state. All cities and towns may hold caucuses. Chris Hall, state Democratic Party chairman, said that the municipal caucus is the foundation of the party in Maine. “It is the beginning… Read More
AUGUSTA — Maine residents probably will get some help unraveling the mysteries of managed health care, but the proposed consumer resource will have closer ties to government than originally planned. The Legislature’s Banking and Insurance Committee held a public hearing Tuesday on LD 1848, An… Read More
DEXTER — Two calves were killed Tuesday morning when a roof weighed down by heavy ice and snow collapsed on a barn owned by Dale Robinson on Airport Road in Dexter. A cow also had to be destroyed because of injuries it received when the… Read More
AUGUSTA — Absentee ballots are available for the special election to be held Tuesday, Feb. 10, on the People’s Veto drive to repeal the anti-discrimination law passed by the Legislature in the last election. Secretary of State Dan A. Gwadosky encourages everyone to vote, including… Read More
BANGOR — When the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee convenes at 9 a.m. today at the Capitol in Augusta, representatives of groups that have signed on as part of the engine for an east-west highway will be there. Ready to speak their piece on a $25 million… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE — Three Fort Fairfield residents were treated Tuesday morning at The Aroostook Medical Center and released after suffering injuries in a three-car crash on Route 167 east of Presque Isle. All three injured people, Wendell Monson, 56; his wife, Sandra Monson, 51; and… Read More
BANGOR — Doesn’t all that ice on the streets just frost ya? Well, it bothers city councilors, too. Those on the finance committee told City Engineer James Ring Tuesday evening to go ahead and order an “Ice Buster,” a grader attachment that will break up ice on the… Read More
PITTSFIELD — On Christmas Eve, the staff of the Bangor Humane Society found a dog tied to the front door. They weren’t surprised. “Unfortunately, this happens all the time,” humane society worker Laura Dow said Tuesday. As she spoke, she cuddled two kittens that also… Read More
EAST MACHIAS — An investigator for the Maine Human Rights Commission has recommended the commission dismiss a complaint by a former Elm Street School teacher who charged she lost her job because she participated in a child-abuse investigation involving the school’s former principal. The Maine… Read More
HAMPDEN — Nomination papers are available at the municipal building for people interested in running for Michael Hastings’ seat on the Town Council. The term will expire in November 1999. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
“What a piece of work is a man,” observed Hamlet, soliloquizing upon the noble reason and infinite faculties of the species shortly before he and his entire circle of acquaintances poison and stab each other to death. “What’s a piece of work, man?” asks Random… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Suspected kidnapper Richard Edgar Allard of Guilford will make his initial court appearance Wednesday in Millinocket District Court. The 25-year-old man evaded police for about 17 hours Monday while reportedly holding his ex-girlfriend, Angela Alfonso, 19, of Abbot against her will at gunpoint. Read More
ORONO — The University of Maine isn’t going to sell itself, so a new group of advocates began meeting Tuesday to talk about helping the school meet its fund-raising and enrollment goals. The 16-member Board of Visitors, which includes heavy hitters from education, business and… Read More
CHICAGO — A computer system for double-checking Pap smears was no better than humans with microscopes at finding possible early signs of cervical cancer in a new study, and the automation costs far more, researchers say. The technology might be worth the cost in laboratories… Read More
The first two or three days of the recent power outage were rather festive. The giddiness was well-conveyed over the propane-driven airwaves. There was, at first blush, something romantic about the sudden disappearance of televison, eating by candlelight, and the warmth of a steadily pulsing woodstove. Read More
SOUTHWEST HARBOR — Lights! Camera! Roll the Potato Flakes! Despite the fact it’s wintertime and it snowed all day here Tuesday, production crews weren’t willing to rely on Mother Nature to supply the white stuff needed in the blizzard scene of the ABC miniseries “Storm… Read More
When the wind, ice, snow and bitter cold of January have chilled you to the bones, you want a hot dinner that will warm you to the bones. Nothing fits the bill like homemade soup and bread. Every component of the effort is deeply soul-satisfying:… Read More
Understanding sexual orientation is important for all of us, and especially now as we approach the February referendum on the anti-discrimination law. It became a vital issue for me personally when someone in my extended family “came out” as a lesbian this past fall. Since there are 28… Read More
Congress returns to session with a problem similar to one faced by the Maine Legislature: an abundance of tax dollars and no agreement how to spend it. Unlike, Maine, however, the federal government has strict guidelines for the potential surplus, and members would be wise to stick to… Read More
Every weekday around noon we hear it. We’ve been at our desks for four hours. We’ve seen enough of the boss. And the growl begins. It’s deep and low and hungry. Feed me, it says. Ah, lunch time. Such a civilized time of day. It’s… Read More
MONMOUTH — After spending the past week at work at a shelter for townspeople whose power was cut off by Maine’s epic ice storm, Rick and Tonya Grant found themselves in need of help themselves. The couple lost their house to a fire Monday morning. Read More
Walter St. John (BDN commentary, Jan. 19) has missed the point of celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This day is not designed for “one race,” as he stated. This is a day that should be a reminder to us all, as the human race, to reflect on… Read More
I suspect the sight of the vice president in his designer jacket tugging on that electrical cable triggered some unkind, and possibly unprintable, comments in several Maine households, particularly those still without power. The things some politicians will do for a photo op. Susan Clement Brooklin… Read More
In 1893, the Supreme Court found income taxes unconstitutional. But, left liberals began a “soak the rich” campaign, which set the economic classes against each other. Left liberal Democrats introduced bills to tax the incomes of the wealthy, but Senate Republican conservatives stopped them, enabling Democrats to brand… Read More
The members of the Maine Emergency Management Committee should be commended for their action. After the failure of their system, they followed the best bureaucratic procedure. They blamed the failure on someone else — the Legislature. They then said that because of the Maine Emergency System failure it… Read More
I am writing concerning the special election planned for Feb. 10. I am concerned about the confusion that is being promoted by those people who would restrict civil rights to limited segments of our state’s population. If the citizens of Maine would like for all people — whether… Read More
BANGOR — As if 14 days of dealing with the most devastating storm to hit Maine in decades were not enough, emergency workers and public works and power crews were back at it Tuesday dealing with a powerful snowstorm that dropped up to 10 inches of snow on… Read More
When there was a shortage of federal funds to help people pay their heating costs two years ago, WABI-TV (Channel 5) in Bangor established the Good Neighbor Fund to raise money for people in need who might not qualify for certain aid programs. WABI-TV news… Read More
WASHINGTON — For Gordon Grinnell, the worst part was that damned street light. For two weeks the street light was the only light in the Razorville section in this town of 1,200. It seemed like the street light was mocking the residents whose homes were… Read More
AUGUSTA — The Public Utilities Commission decided Tuesday to examine the response by Maine utilities to the recent ice storm that left more than 600,000 people without power, many for several days. The three-member commission unanimously approved a notice of inquiry into the utilities’ response… Read More
SEARSPORT — Having rejected a plan to rebuild two privately owned piers at Mack Point, the state now wants to assist with the reconstruction of a single facility at the port. As a way of promoting port development in the midcoast, the Department of Transportation… Read More
BANGOR — Those old brick buildings between State Street and the Penobscot River must be good for something, but what? For the past couple of decades, that’s been the tough question whenever the Waterworks is discussed. Room for more parking might make the riverside complex… Read More
AUGUSTA — The King administration came out swinging Tuesday against a bill that would effectively allow agency liquor stores to set their own prices. The legislation was one of four liquor industry-related bills reviewed by the Legislature’s Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee, which will reconvene… Read More
PORTLAND — Convicted forger Carol Palesky was taken from a courtroom by stretcher Tuesday before a judge could hand down a sentence that could land the Topsham woman in prison for up to 10 years. Palesky, 57, sat slumped over at the defense table before… Read More
BAILEYVILLE — Bad weather and poor market conditions are being blamed for yet another shutdown at Georgia-Pacific Corp.’s oriented strand board plant. The closing, which will idle all 70 employees, is expected to last four months. Although there were grim faces at G-P’s administrative offices… Read More
WOOLWICH — Robert Hull counted his family’s blessings Tuesday as friends helped haul his sunken snowmobile from the 20-foot-deep bottom of Nequasset Lake. Hull, his wife and their young son escaped injury the previous day as the machine broke through the ice about 100 feet… Read More
NEWPORT — The deadline for nomination papers passed Tuesday afternoon with six candidates returning papers, according to Town Clerk Deanna Morse. John Buckland, Richard Parlee and Hal Magnus will compete for two openings on the Board of Selectmen. Buckland currently holds a seat on the… Read More
VAN BUREN — The St. John School in Van Buren has not been used by SAD 24 students since 1976. It sits on a 2-acre parcel of land along with a smaller school building, Kindle School, which has not been used for education since 1992. Read More
AUGUSTA — During a public hearing before the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday afternoon not a single person stepped to the podium in support of a bill to keep sexual predators locked up in mental institutions after they serve their prison sentences if they are still considered a threat… Read More
BANGOR — More domestic passengers used Bangor International Airport last year than ever before, Director Bob Ziegelaar told the city’s airport committee Tuesday. The total number of domestic passengers in 1997 was 455,000, a 5-percent increase over the previous year. The previous record was 449,000… Read More
BANGOR — The bill for Central Maine Power Co.’s ice storm recovery effort grew Tuesday to $55 million, while Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. estimated its costs at $5 million for storm-related expenses. The new calculations come at a time when state officials are trying to free… Read More
BANGOR — The long-anticipated state report on a Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. rate hike request recommends that the company be allowed to raise prices by 10.63 percent. The report released this week was completed by staff at the Public Utilities Commission and brings nearly to a… Read More
Despite a blinding snowstorm that blanketed much of the state Tuesday, power crews continued to make headway in their efforts to restore power to homes left in the dark by the Ice Storm of ’98. Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. reported less than 50 homes that still… Read More
PARIS — A former Norway man who pleaded guilty to molesting young boys and raping a 12-year-old boy was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday. Marc Alberi, 29, the former owner of a camp for boys, was sentenced at Oxford County Superior Court in… Read More
PRINCETON — Nomination papers are now available at the Princeton Town Office for the following municipal positions: town clerk for a one-year term; town treasurer-tax collector for a one-year term; two selectmen, each for a three-year term; and two school board members, each for a three-year term. Read More
SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick — The troubled Point Lepreau nuclear power plant had another incident of faulty workmanship last month, a newly released report shows. The Atomic Energy Control Board says the incident occurred Dec. 9 while the facility within 30 miles of the Maine… Read More
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court Tuesday rejected a challenge to the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact, an arrangement that allows New England dairy farmers to get more money for their milk. Upholding a lower court’s ruling, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals… Read More
HARTLAND — Irving Tanning Co., Hartland’s largest industry, will be a locally owned business by the end of January, according to an announcement made Tuesday by parent company Graham-Field Health Products Inc., or GFI, of Hauppage, N.Y. For months, employees of Irving and residents of… Read More