The best part of Cindy Blodgett’s career at Maine is just how long it will endure. The question for the women’s basketball program is how it will endure now that she is gone. First, Ms. Blodgett. Could the university or the state have asked for… Read More
Cindy Blodgett of the University of Maine is not destined to claim her third straight NCAA Division I basketball scoring title. The Black Bears senior closed out her career with a 19-point performance in Maine’s 89-64 loss to North Carolina State in Friday’s first-round NCAA… Read More
ORONO – Junior center Bobby Stewart hadn’t had a two-goal game in his 67-game University of Maine career until Saturday’s 5-3 win over New Hampshire that gave the Bears a sweep of New Hampshire in their Hockey East quarterfinal series. He had four goals in… Read More
High school CLASS A HOCKEY ALL-STATE TEAMS First team Goalies: Brian Gagne, NYA; J.D. Hadiaras, Thornton; Defensemen: Nick Meintel, NYA; Brian Carpenter, Lewiston; Brooks Boucher, St. Dom’s; Chad Hart, Waterville; Forwards: David Clifford, Lewiston; Bostjan Koljaric, Cony; Mike Viscarelli, St. Dom’s; David Lisnick, Bangor; Casey… Read More
TAMPA, Fla. – Dan Curtis stroked a two-run double and Chris Pickering knocked in two runs with a pinch-hit single during an 11-run, seventh-inning rally Monday, leading Husson College of Bangor to a 14-3 baseball victory over Fitchburg State (Mass.). Brian Malo paced Husson with… Read More
Mark Savage, who directed the Brewer High School boys basketball team for 11 seasons, has resigned as the Witches’ coach. The Brewer School Committee voted Monday night to accept Savage’s resignation, with regret, according to Brewer High athletic director Dennis Kiah. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
BANGOR — The founder and chief executive officer of the second-largest video-store conglomerate in the nation Monday vehemently denied misleading leaders of a Maine video-store chain that merged with his corporation two years ago. The allegation that the head of Movie Gallery Inc. failed to… Read More
AUGUSTA — After a public hearing in which speakers said, “The time is right now,” most of the members of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee endorsed a bill that would allow the state to borrow about $52.5 million to renovate the State House, the State Office Building… Read More
Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Cutler has announced the Civilian of the Quarter and Civilian of the Year. Chet Armstrong, planner and estimator in the Navy’s public works department, has been selected as the Civilian of the Quarter. Armstrong’s selection was based on his overall… Read More
EASTPORT — The medical examiner ruled over the weekend that 68-year-old Mary Wentworth accidentally drowned after she fell 30 feet from a rocky cliff into Passamaquoddy Bay Friday. Police found the body of the Eastport native at around 5 p.m. Friday, after her daughter reported… Read More
PALMYRA — Heavy fire and smoke were the first evidence Monday morning of a destructive fire in Palmyra. Pittsfield firefighters were the first on the scene when flames erupted at a mobile home on the Square Road, just off Route 2, about 11:30 a.m.. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
BANGOR — Doctors, nurses and police officers testified Monday against accused rapist Vincent Robinson, but it was perhaps the determined identification of him by his alleged 10-year-old victim that prosecutors hope will convince a jury to convict him. After hearing testimony from an emergency room… Read More
AUGUSTA — Last week was Maine Transportation Commissioner John Melrose’s best week on the job. After the U.S. Senate passed a $214 billion, six-year highway funding bill last week, the Maine Department of Transportation completed its own road improvement plan which just about doubles the… Read More
BANGOR — Two by two, young men and women in dark-hued jumpsuits grabbed sheets of plywood and hoisted them in the air, where each was grabbed by a duo who in turn passed the material to yet another pair inside the new soup kitchen under construction for Manna… Read More
NEWPORT — Visions of $149,000 in state grant money headed for their town brought a lot of smiles Monday to the staff at the Newport Town Office. The potential grant award is a small part of $3.5 million that the Department of Economic and Community… Read More
CHELSEA — Linda Campbellton can’t help but wonder if her husband, John, would be alive today had an ambulance responded sooner to her emergency call. Campbellton dialed 911 in January to report her husband was having breathing problems. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
Two teen-age boys from Plymouth were arrested Monday morning after an all-night crime spree that swept from Etna to Hampden, leaving two convenience stores and several stolen cars heavily damaged in its wake. Hours after their capture in a wooded residential area on the Bogg… Read More
PALMYRA — It took 4 1/2 hours, but Palmyra’s annual town meeting is now part of history. On Saturday, voters scrutinized and debated every aspect of every article, all 71, according to Town Clerk Joan Bradley. In the end, voters had eliminated the town’s debt,… Read More
EAST MACHIAS — Police, sheriff’s deputies and marine patrol agents from across the state will join their fellow Washington County officers for a basketball tournament on Saturday to benefit the 12-year-old daughter of a Maine state trooper. The Washington Academy Jobs For Maine’s Graduates Program… Read More
FORT KENT — Most people who live in the Pinette Hill area of Route 11, just south of Fort Kent, attended the initial public hearing last week on a road reconstruction project that could result in 1.6 miles of new road. At the present time,… Read More
QUEBEC — The Quebec government is planning an intense campaign to score economic and political points in the United States this year, starting Tuesday with Premier Lucien Bouchard’s visit to Maine. Bouchard has been invited to speak to Maine politicians by Gov. Angus King Jr. Read More
PITTSFIELD — Registration for next year’s SAD 53 kindergarten pupils will be held Thursday and Friday, April 16 and 17, at the Manson Park School for children who start school in September and who live in Burnham, Detroit or Pittsfield. All children will be screened in general readiness,… Read More
The Finance Authority of Maine, working in partnership with the Maine Commission for Community Service, will be offering a $1,000 National Scholars Program scholarship for one student from every high school in Maine to recognize high school seniors for outstanding community service. To be considered,… Read More
CAMDEN — The concept of business ownership is the topic at the fifth annual Girls Conference in Camden from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28. Sponsored by WITH Girls, the event will feature Joline Godfrey, president of Independent Means, a company offering economic… Read More
BANGOR — A measure directing city staff to develop a proposal for a municipal energy cooperative will be forwarded to the City Council on Monday. The concept could help Bangor, other municipalities and their citizens get the best possible rates for electricity and natural gas once the deregulation… Read More
National cancer rates are down, but the incidence of the disease and the death rate from cancer among Mainers continue to climb, albeit at a slower pace than a decade ago, according to a report released Sunday by the Maine Cancer Registry and the state’s Bureau of Health. Read More
PRESQUE ISLE — Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community has expressed thanks to all those who submitted nominations recognizing women of Aroostook County for their contributions to family and community. While only 12 women are selected countywide for the “Celebrating Women of Aroostook” calendar… Read More
FORT KENT — Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent has announced that there will be a community family nutrition program offered in St. Agatha, beginning March 31. Connie McLellan, dietitian at Northern Maine Medical Center, will conduct the eight-week course, titled “Cook To Move… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE — Aroostook County Action Program has received nearly $1.2 million in funding for the 1997-98 Home Energy Assistance Program and has issued more than $800,000 in benefits to nearly 3,100 households this season, according to an ACAP press release. ACAP expects to provide assistance to nearly… Read More
A little more than a year ago, Maine lost one of its most famous summer folk when Dr. Benjamin Spock sold his Camden home to carry on his fight against failing health and mounting medical bills. On Monday, the world lost one of its most inspiring citizens, a… Read More
First of three parts When the state of Maine faced financial problems in the 1990s, the Legislature and governor disproportionately reduced spending for education, and particularly spending for local schools. Real (that is, after-inflation) spending on local schools (grades kindergarten through 12, or “K-12”) fell… Read More
AUGUSTA — Maine Paper Expo ’98, a two-day trade show devoted to Maine’s paper industry starts today at the Augusta Civic Center. The doors will be open today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesday, March 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary William Cohen ordered the Army, Navy and Air Force to house male and female trainees in “separate areas, if not separate buildings” to cut down on improper activity. He also demanded tougher physical training. Cohen said Monday that he would not… Read More
The filing period for signatures closed today for gubernatorial candidates and it’s clear that one political party had better things to do. Democrats should be embarrassed by their failure to field a strong candidate. Gov. Angus King, an independent, is ready to run. The Republicans… Read More
A Feb. 18 story on full-day kindergarten in Bangor should have said students in an extended kindergarten program at the Asa Adams School in Orono were making significant improvement, not surpassing their peers. Read More
I appreciate very much the front page attention the Bangor Daily News paid to the University of Maine’s new action plan, which we call BearWorks. I would only add a few points so that readers can understand the totality of our plan. BearWorks is much,… Read More
Last month’s “people’s veto” of civil rights for gays and lesbians has occasioned discussion both in Maine and nationally about the backlash against this cause. These concerns are well taken, but I believe progressives can draw several positive lessons from defeat: 1. Money doesn’t always… Read More
A friend of mine called the other day. He was in the process of mounting new tires on his mountain bike in anticipation of getting out for a ride the next day. The weather had been mild and much of our snow was gone. The streets were dry… Read More
SAN DIEGO — When a whole generation of kids started growing their hair, having sex, protesting the war and questioning authority back in the ’60s, one man alone was held accountable by some: Dr. Benjamin Spock. Practically the entire baby boom generation was raised according… Read More
PORTLAND — Dozens of firefighters battled a four-alarm blaze Monday that police said was started by juveniles at a warehouse filled with old paper and cardboard earmarked for recycling. No injuries were reported in the fire at Mainely Recycling on Bishop Street, near Morrills Corner. Read More
HAMPDEN — The Hampden Town Council approved Monday a proposed modified waste disposal agreement with the Penobscot Energy Recovery Co. that would stabilize member towns’ tipping fees, decrease their overall costs and alleviate some of the costs for Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. Under the revised contract… Read More
Brewer police found a white pickup truck stuck on the railroad tracks shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday, more than six hours before it was reported missing by the truck’s owner. The truck had last been seen before midnight, the owner told Bangor police. He suspected… Read More
ORONO — More than 300 residents want this university community to be the first in Penobscot County to enact an ordinance safeguarding the rights of homosexuals. Though Mainers voted to keep sexual orientation out of the civil rights law in a February referendum, several communities… Read More
Cliffs of crystal. Tiled blackness. Kitchen light like pale honey. A shiver of ivy above the traffic. The landscapes of Robert Pinsky’s poems took shape Sunday night in the Olin Arts Center at Bates College, becoming as real as the 300 lecture hall chairs packed… Read More
Dear Jim: I have to wait forever to get hot water at the bathroom faucet in the morning and the water never gets really hot. Is there any low-cost, do-it-yourself method to get hot water quicker? — Mike H. Dear Mike: I know how annoying… Read More
PALMYRA — A burning telephone pole was blamed Monday night for a power outage that knocked out three-fourths of Pittsfield and part of Palmyra. The fire was burning on a pole on Route 152, or Outer Hartland Avenue, and once it burned through the wires,… Read More
SULLIVAN — With the ominous name The Firm, Sumner Memorial High School’s new school store sounds like it should be selling contraband term papers or military secrets from the nearby Navy base. Actually, the new store simply sells school supplies, school-spirit paraphernalia such as sweatshirts… Read More
SOLON — A woman accused of abandoning her baby outside Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts does not remember placing him on the ground as the temperature hovered around freezing. Deborah Somers said her daughter told her she remembers some details before and afterward. But she… Read More
BANGOR — The school committee got its first look Monday at a proposed $27 million budget to run the city’s schools in the coming year. The budget proposed by Superintendent Jim Doughty calls for an $890,000 increase in spending over last year and would translate… Read More
ELLSWORTH — After buying two houses on School Street last month, the city continues to debate what to do with a business tenant housed in the battered brown building. After a lively debate at Monday night’s City Council meeting, the council decided to try to… Read More
VEAZIE — After a public hearing with no public comments and a brief executive session, the Town Council unanimously approved plans Monday night for a proposed tax-increment financing district and a $221 million natural gas-fired power plant. Discussion on Casco Bay Energy Co.’s proposed electricity-generating… Read More
WALTHAM — At Waltham’s annual town meeting Saturday, March 21, selectmen will ask residents to prepare for the emergency-911 dispatch service. The selectmen are requesting authorization to name roads. Waltham has only four town-maintained roads, but many private ways, such as camp roads and logging roads used by… Read More
Arrivals at Lauris Boylan’s 100-acre farm on the Stetson Road in East Newport get the beagle in the back and the black dog in the house barking. The cat comes to the window to see what’s up. The two sheep kept for lambing down back of the barn… Read More
The March 4 Bangor Daily News article titled, “Togus’ troubles persist, say staff,” contains inaccuracies pertaining to the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder lodger program. The article states, “No one-on-one therapy is available to patients in the hospital’s overnight program for Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome.” The program referred to is… Read More
While some may see the recent upheavals in Maine’s Green Party as sure signs of disintegration, from my perspective as an active Green for six years, it looks a lot more like spring plowing. A lot of manure is being dropped on the field, and seeds are being… Read More
I wrote to our senators asking them to vote no on the confirmation of Dr. David Satcher for surgeon general. I outlined how he used hard-working taxpayer dollars to conduct studies on firearms. The results of these studies were never subjected to peer review and were kept secret… Read More
The AFL-CIO is very concerned about the proposed Maine Department of Environmental legislation on mercury. While we understand that strict regulations are important to the health of our environment, the casual attitude of the DEP about using regulations to shut down business goes too far. Read More
The 1998 national education topic of the American Heart Association is Women in Heart Health. For Maine women, it should be a daily topic, especially when you consider heart attacks are the single largest killer of women in Maine and the nation. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
AUGUSTA — A bill that would change Great Northern Paper Co.’s state operating charter so it can sell the Millinocket mill drew almost unanimous support during a hearing at the State House on Monday. The bill got a unanimous “ought to pass” vote from the… Read More
BELFAST — With the City Council’s investigation of top-level city employees in its sixth month, the councilors now face the inopportune decision of reappointing a primary figure in that probe. At its meeting tonight, the council will consider reappointing Robert Temple as the city code… Read More
He was the Bill Clinton of Central America. And, it cannot be denied, there really was a “vast right-wing conspiracy’ trying to bring him down. A decade ago journalists of all nations were mesmerized by Daniel Ortega, the poet, guerrilla leader and first commandante of… Read More
PITTSFIELD — An open house for next year’s SAD 53 kindergartners will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, at Manson Park School. Parents are invited to bring their preschool children to the open house to familiarize them with the school and the screening process. Read More
AUGUSTA — Scarborough Downs racetrack owner Joseph Ricci met Monday’s filing deadline to become a candidate for governor, but quickly put off until next month a final decision on whether he will run. That leaves in question whether Portland lawyer Thomas Connolly will face a… Read More
SACO — Two Saco teen-agers accused of harassing a fellow Thornton Academy student because they thought he was gay have signed an agreement to stay away from him. Assistant Attorney General Stephen Wessler said Corey Gaumont and Ryan Kerry, both 16, signed consent agreements last… Read More
PORTLAND — University of Maine sophomore Casey Belanger sat down at the computer in his dorm room and typed a nasty, threatening message to a fellow student he had never met. “I’m gonna shoot you in the back of the [expletive] head if I ever… Read More
WISCASSET — If Maine Yankee dumped low-level radioactive waste into the town landfill, the best way to minimize any risk to the public may be to leave it in the ground, state officials said. Officials this week will test air and water at the town… Read More
Waldo County Superior Court David Mollison, 47, Brooks, operating under influence, $500, 96 hours in jail, license suspended 90 days. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
ORONO — The Democratic Party Platform Committee will hold public hearings in Orono and Presque Isle later this month. A hearing for Democrats from Piscataquis and Penobscot counties will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at the Memorial Union Building, University of Maine… Read More
HOULTON — Heating-oil prices in the state continue to fall this week, with the average per-gallon cost now down to 85 cents, down another penny from last week. Prices for crude oil — the base product from which heating oil is refined — are at… Read More
Houlton District Court Timothy L. Gardner, 60, Key Largo, Fla., causing operation of motor vehicle without recording current status of truck log, $250. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i =… Read More
BANGOR — Monday the Maine Public Utilities Commission authorized Bangor Hydro to participate in Bangor Gas. Bangor Hydro and Energy Pacific formed a joint-venture company in August 1997 to build, own and operate a natural gas distribution system to serve the Greater Bangor area. The… Read More
BLUE HILL — Confusion appears to reign supreme regarding this week’s referendum on a proposed building moratorium. The ballot that voters face at elections Friday, March 20, includes what selectmen have described as a nonbinding vote on a proposal to ban commercial building projects of… Read More
Kay Retzlaff is hardly a good Irish name. True, says Retzlaff, a writer and teacher. The name is German. 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;… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Donald Siviski, the newly hired SAD 68 superintendent, was presented Monday with a colorful potted plant for the brightness he’ll bring to his position. Siviski was approved unanimously as the new superintendent of schools in Dover-Foxcroft, Charleston, Monson and Sebec during a special… Read More
CASTINE — An eleventh-hour attempt to make the town wharf more user- friendly appeared to stall Monday night, as residents agreed that maintaining parking spaces should be the town’s immediate priority. About 15 people gathered at Emerson Hall to discuss options for adding green space,… Read More
BREWER — Facing less than rosy budget projections for the next school year, the school committee Monday night put a freeze on all but normal operating costs, directed school officials to prepare a prioritized list of up to $350,000 in budget cuts, and scheduled a special budget meeting… Read More
BANGOR — A Hampden man who fired into an unoccupied police cruiser during a three-hour standoff late last year was sentenced Monday in Penobscot County Superior Court to an 18-month suspended sentence and two years’ probation. Charles Hamel, 53, who was charged with aggravated assault,… Read More
GUILFORD — Taxpayers here Monday narrowly defeated a proposed building ordinance. It took three separate ballots during the annual town meeting before residents finally defeated the ordinance in a written vote of 35-32. An initial vote to pass over the article failed 36-29, and a… Read More