BOSTON – The eighth-seeded Merrimack College Warriors were the darlings of the Hockey East Tournament. But Boston College ended the Warriors’ impossible dream in the second period of their Hockey East semifinal at the FleetCenter Friday night 7-2. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
GORHAM – The University of Southern Maine women defeated Mount Union 79-66 on Friday night to advance to the NCAA Division III national championship basketball game. The Huskies will play Washington University of Missouri, a 66-51 winner over Rowan University, in Saturday’s 7 p.m. final… Read More
For most of the members of the 1998 Maine McDonald’s Senior All-Star teams, postseason play was as sure a thing as gum under the seats in study hall and homework. But for Adam Peters from Lee Academy and Andrea Marquis of Fort Kent, the Eastern… Read More
Hebron Academy’s Justin Payson has been selected to the Northern New England High School Hockey All-Stars. Payson, 18, hails from Veazie. Payson will play for Team Northern New England at the 14th annual Chicago Showcase Tournament in Chicago, Ill. on April 14-19. The team will… Read More
BANGOR – From now on, you can call Old Town’s Andrea Pardilla and Greely’s Austin Ganly Miss and Mr. Maine Basketball. Both players capped amazing seasons by winning the awards, presented annually by the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches to the best male and female… Read More
Hank Lyons was perusing a display of salmon flies at the Sportsman’s Show when his perennial opening-day fishing partner Bill Rand sidled up and said, “I suppose you’ll be whipping the pool to a froth come April Fool’s Day.” The reference was to the Bangor Salmon Pool and… Read More
BOSTON – Three down and one very big one to go. The University of Maine’s hockey team received superb 23-save goaltending from sophomore Alfie Michaud and goals from six different players en route to a 6-2 victory over UMass-Lowell in their Hockey East semifinal at… Read More
The vote totals aren’t in, but chances are pretty good that a person with Maine ties will be named the NCAA Division III women’s basketball coach of the year next week. Gary Fifield of the University of Southern Maine is one candidate by virtue of… Read More
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. – Canadian Ed Podivinsky, savoring perfect racing conditions, edged Californian Daron Rahlves on Friday in a NorAm downhill that served as a tuneup for the downhill in the U.S. Alpine Ski Championships. In a women’s FIS downhill, 20-year-old Kirsten Clark of Raymond,… Read More
MAINE vs. BRYANT COLLEGE Time, site: Sunday (2), noon; Providence, R.I. 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
College HOCKEY EAST ALL-STARS First team: goalie, Marc Robitaille, Northeastern; defense, Mike Motau, Boston College and Tom Poti, Boston U.; forwards, Chris Drury, Boston U.; Jason Drog, UNH and Marty Reasoner, Boston College; second team: goalie, Michel Larocque, Boston U. ; defense, Chris Kelleher, Boston… Read More
BOSTON – When University of Maine center Marcus Gustafsson took the faceoff in UMass-Lowell’s zone in the second period of his Hockey East semifinal game, it was a chance he had prepared for – and a chance Maine needed in its 6-2 win. With sixth-seeded… Read More
“The air was filled for hours with the rifle report of snapping branches followed by the crash of ice-laden branches smashing to the ground.” That line from a publication on trees and ice storms could have described much of Maine 10 weeks ago. But it… Read More
CORINNA — Two Corinna men were in custody early Thursday morning in the Somerset County Jail in Skowhegan, with one of them charged with assault and both charged with burglary and criminal mischief in connection with a home invasion in Harmony. They later were released on bail. Read More
HERMON — The Town Council voted Wednesday night to accept a federal grant which will allow them to hire two new part-time police officers. The grant, administered through the U.S. Department of Justice’s COPS Universal Hiring Program, will allow Hermon to expand the total hours… Read More
Calais High School students placed fourth in the Maine State Academic Decathalon held March 7 at Deering High School. More than 200 Maine students attended the daylong event and were tested in 10 academic areas, including math, literature, science, social studies, economics, art and music. Read More
BATH — Federally endangered shortnose sturgeon are resting or feeding in the area where Bath Iron Works intends to expand, raising concerns for state environmental officials. “A number of sturgeon are concentrated there,” said Tom Squires, a marine scientist with the Department of Marine Resources. Read More
More than 600 people will arrive armed with their pledges and a determination to bowl their best as they take part in the annual Downeast Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl-a-Thon at two sites today. BBBS Executive Director Tom Godfrey visited our office Friday and told… Read More
BANGOR — A big step in the proposed redevelopment of the old Waterworks on State Street will take place Monday night if the City Council approves a purchase option agreement with Eastern Maine Healthcare. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. The tentative… Read More
AUGUSTA — Lawmakers, bureaucrats and reporters played the waiting game this week in hopes that the governor’s supplemental budget would mysteriously emerge from the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. It didn’t and on Friday, there wasn’t any good reason to suspect next week will be significantly different. Read More
CASTINE — One warrant item that may draw discussion at this year’s town meeting Monday is a proposal to spend $25,000 from surplus to fix and restore Dyce Head Light. The annual town meeting begins at 7 p.m. Monday at Delano Auditorium on the Maine… Read More
LEWISTON — Police say a group of brazen burglars has been entering homes in broad daylight and walking out with items while neighbors look on unaware. “A lot of the people they target are those who are on vacation or who are perceived to be… Read More
JAY — Town officials are worried they could lose $3.2 million in property taxes soon. International Paper Co. has filed for a $226 million abatement to its taxes, contending the town has overvalued its mill. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
These people must live in parallel universes. Not long after Kathleen Willey’s “60 Minutes” tale of being sexually groped in the Oval Office on the same day her husband committed suicide, Sen. Susan Collins emerged from a GOP luncheon in the Capitol and was surrounded… Read More
BANGOR — A prisoner best known for having been shot by the brother of Secretary of Defense William Cohen pleaded not guilty this week to two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. Michael L. Chasse, 23, also waived his right to a… Read More
SANFORD — A pedestrian was killed by a passing car in almost the same spot he was struck last August, police said. Glendon Smith, 68, died at the Maine Medical Center after he was hit at 7:37 p.m. Thursday while standing in a turning lane… Read More
BANGOR — A young couple from Greenbush was arraigned Friday in 3rd District Court on separate felony drug counts stemming from an undercover drug bust March 17 at their residence. Drug agents searched a home shared by Christopher Rizzo and Rachel Gurley, both 21, after… Read More
LUBEC — Since March 9, the day Frederick William McClure was to be buried next to his wife of 53 years, his remains have been sitting in a cement vault outside his former country store in this Washington County town. Ann Marie McClure brought her… Read More
ORONO — He’s one of the most powerful people in the world, having recently seen the United States to the brink of war and back, but on Friday Secretary of Defense William Cohen returned to a tamer role — that of teacher. Giving the first… Read More
BANGOR — A three-year extension of Bangor Historic Track’s lease for harness racing will be up for a vote Monday night during the City Council meeting at City Hall. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. Doing business as Bangor Raceway, the group will have the… Read More
Government programs are often criticized for costing too much and delivering too little, but it is the rare government program that manages to spend both too much and too little at the same time and still not deliver the services that are needed. Yet this is exactly the… Read More
Although potatoes are common garden crops, here in Maine sweet potatoes are seen much less frequently. With some care, this potato kin can indeed be grown here during our short gardening season. The flesh of the sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, is white, yellow or dark… Read More
Augusta — Northern Lights Metropolitan Community Church will meet at its new location at 1040 Riverside Drive just over the city limit in Vassalboro. Northern Lights MCC is part of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church, a ministry of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and questioning community. Read More
BANGOR — What do tuberculosis patients and homeless teen-agers have in common? At different times in history, both populations and their problems have been forgotten. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
Willard Hillier has been principal of the McGraw School in Hampden for more than three decades. And he really likes his job. He’s unusual, according to a recent report by the University of Maine College of Education. The study, conducted by two UM professors, found… Read More
Churches are invited to list their Holy Week activities in the Bangor Daily News. The list will be published on Saturday, April 4. In order to be included, churches must send their notices to the NEWS by Monday morning, March 30. Include a telephone number… Read More
BANGOR — In a development that adds a rare Maine voice to a major economic policy board, the president of Merrill Merchants Bank has been elected by his New England peers as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Edwin N. Clift was… Read More
People who enter Grace United Methodist Church for the first time do not realize that they are entering a new zone. There are no pulsing lights, no weird music, no Rod Serling imitator announcing to newcomers that they have entered “a place of transformation and… Read More
WOODSTOCK, New Brunswick — If you’ve ever dreamed of singing in a 300-voice choir, you soon may have that opportunity. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is looking for choir members for its “Celebration ’98” crusade at the Carleton Civic Centre in Woodstock. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
PORTLAND — Spring officially arrived at 2:55 p.m. Friday. But the signs have been around for weeks, says Peter Vickery. Vickery, who lives with his family 300 feet from the Kennebec River in Richmond, heard ice crack and break up on the river on Feb. Read More
Maine holds the dubious distinction of being 49th in the country in state spending on research and development. This is ironic because Mainers need only look to the mid-1980s to realize the benefits of money spent on R&D right here in Maine. Since many here were considered land… Read More
The jovial elderly gentleman sat bellied up to the counter at the Pearle Vision Express place at the Bangor Mall, trying on a new pair of eyeglasses and the lady technician in charge asked him, “So. How are they?” “It’s more like it is now… Read More
It’s one, two, three terms and she’s outta here. Rep. Julie Winn, a Democrat (which is a debatable point among some members of her party) and Glenburn’s contribution to the Maine House (another debatable point considering the dismal share of her hometown vote in 1996),… Read More
Dover-Foxcroft — Four-session program to quit smoking by Mayo Regional Hospital, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 31; Thursday, April 2; Tuesday, April 7; and Thursday, April 9, at the Piscataquis Regional YMCA in Dover-Foxcroft. Call 564-8401. Dover-Foxcroft — Piscataquis Regional YMCA and American Red Cross blood… Read More
Mrs. Lester Gray, 1185 North Main St., Brewer 04412, is looking for a 1991-92 Sumner High School yearbook she can give as a present to an alumnus. Benjamin G. Smith, 148 Capisic St., Portland 04102, telephone 879-0879, is looking for letters, diaries, photographs or other… Read More
A front-page story in Thursday’s edition incorrectly stated that accused murderer Albert P. Cochran of Stuart, Fla., served 11 years in prison for killing his first wife. Cochran served nine years. Read More
AUGUSTA — Gov. Angus King signed into law Friday a measure that allows mental health officials to take over the Jackson Brook Institute if it cannot overcome financial problems. The Senate sent the bill to the governor’s desk on a 27-0 vote after the measure… Read More
ROCKWOOD — A Searsmont resident suffered a crushed hip Friday afternoon when the snowmobile he was riding hit a crack in the ice on Moosehead Lake, knocking him off his sled, according to V. Paul Reynolds, spokesman for the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Read More
BLUE HILL — By a 51-vote margin, residents have rejected a controversial building moratorium that might have thwarted Rite Aid’s plans to build a megastore here. Blue Hill was the second Maine town in recent weeks to consider such a measure. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
A Brewer man was arrested in Bangor early Friday morning after he allegedly called police and reported that a local bar was on fire. Shortly after 4 a.m., an apparently intoxicated caller told the Bangor police dispatcher that downtown Bangor’s Tavern had been set on… Read More
BANGOR — The John Bapst Crusaders and Deer Isle-Stonington Mariners became chess co-champions on the state level Thursday by winning four rounds each during the scholastic tournament held Friday at John Bapst Memorial High School. Winning first-place trophies and the opportunity to go on to… Read More
The lighthouse on the cover of Linda Hall’s latest novel, “Margaret’s Peace,” is not in Maine, even though the book is set in the fictional coastal community of Coffin’s Reach. With her publisher located in Sisters, Ore., the Canadian-based author believes the lighthouse must be located on the… Read More
LEVANT — A sharply divided town voted narrowly Friday night not to use the old Levant Consolidated School for a community center or a post office. That means the town selectmen will begin discussions at their regular meeting next week on plans to sell the… Read More
OLD TOWN — Commissioner of Education J. Duke Albanese and Sen. Mary Cathcart will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, March 23, at the Old Town Library. The public forum will focus on state educational issues. Read More
CAMDEN — Concerts, plays, art exhibits and lectures top the list of presentations available during Cultural Connection Weekend in the midcoast area this weekend. Part of the three-week Frost Heave Frolic initiated by the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce, the weekend celebrates the arts during mud season in Maine. Read More
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Police and school officials have identified the teen-ager who brought mercury into Springfield High School a week ago. Springfield police Officer Norman McCart said Thursday the case will be referred to the Windsor County state’s attorney. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
AUGUSTA — Maine maple producers are celebrating the 15th annual Maine Maple Sunday, opening the doors of their sugarhouses to the public to join them in their rite of spring — making maple syrup. Most sugarhouses offer free tasting and a live demonstration of how… Read More
CASTINE — Anne Romans of Hamilton, Mont., was appointed director of the Witherle Memorial Library by library trustees. Romans will replace Pat Fowler, director of the library for 17 years. Romans received her master of library science degree from the State University of New York… Read More
The prince is searching for Cinderella. He must find the perfect foot, so that he can be reunited with his true love. He knocks on every door in the kingdom until at last he finds her. Slowly, Cinderella slips her foot into the skate. It is a perfect… Read More
Bangor — Volunteers are needed for a one-year clinical trial to determine effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy by the Maine Center for Osteoporosis Research and Education, St. Joseph Hospital. Participants should be between six months and five years beyond menopause and at least 40 years old, and not… Read More
ORONO — The University of Maine 1998 class book, “The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability,” will be the topic of discussion on March 23 and 30 at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The 1993 best seller by Paul Hawken is the… Read More
This is in response to the Bangor Daily News’ March 9 editorial on the support for a $10 million dollar bond for land acqisition. I agree all of Maine should support the need to preserve land to protect the state’s precious environment. However, why should… Read More
Bravo! As an economic refugee from the Maine economy currently living in Missouri, I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Weber’s column (BDN, March ???) about Arkansas news editor John Starr and his comments on his drive through Maine. During the nearly two years I’ve spent living in Arkansas’ northern neighbor,… Read More
Clair Wood’s column, “Bacterial resistance containment strategy” (BDN, March 13), was excellent, informative, and a serious warning to the public. Here’s what we as individuals can do to protect ourselves from the real threat of these super microbes which are resistant to antibiotics: googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
With all the discussion about the relevance of Bill Clinton’s sexual conduct and his governing, with all the questions regarding Kathleen Willey’s credibility and whether or not the public feels this soap opera matters, I haven’t heard anything about real sexual harassment. However, it is apparent each of… Read More
Who is the mathematical genius behind wanting to reduce the state sales tax by 1 percent? I haven’t heard anyone debate this proposal fiscally. Politically, yes. Doesen’t the average citizen realize how little he or she would save by this preposterous suggestion? Maien has approximately… Read More
A wild pitching machine led to the loss of vision in my left eye for a number of days in the early 1980s, due to vitreous hemorrhaging. The issues Jean Tibbetts addresses in her Op-ed column (BDN, Feb. 26) are important to all participants in sports, especially ball… Read More
Thank you for allowing Dr. Ralph Townsend (BDN Op-ed series, March 17-19) to explain to Maine people the problems with the system being used to distribute General Purpose Aid to Maine schools. This is not the first time the Bangor Daily News has allowed honest research to be… Read More
Your editorial (BDN, March 7-8) advocating giving the surplus away is characteristic of the pandemic illness of irresponsible spending. No effort to reduce either the federal or state debts is being made, in spite of the realization that they will be an intolerable burden for our children and… Read More
ORONO — Francis John Vogt will present a vocal recital at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and F. Gerard Errante will present “The Clarinet of the 21st Century” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 23, at the Minsky Music Recital Hall, University of Maine. Vogt is… Read More
The Sea Winds ensemble will perform a benefit concert for the Yamaha Piano Fund 3 p.m. Sunday, March 22, at the First Congregational Church on Church and State streets in Ellsworth. The ensemble includes George Orzel, horn; Karen Dickes, flute; Susan Jayne White, oboe-cor anglaise;… Read More
“The United States Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine?” That’s what the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard would be called in a resolution being considered by Maine legislators. It would encourage the U.S. Postal Service to issue a stamp commemorating 200 years of service by naval shipyards. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
The Department of Environmental Protection and officials from HoltraChem Manufacturing Co. in Orrington agreed Friday to a “settlement in principle” of a portion of the state’s lawsuit against the company in the wake of its Feb. 20 spill of mercury-contaminated brine into the Penobscot River. Read More
AUGUSTA — An amendment to a timber-trespass bill passed Friday by the Maine House would undermine a proposed $200,000-a-year commitment by the Legislature to fully enforce the Forest Practices Act, the director of Maine’s Forest Service said. At issue is an amendment sponsored by Rep. Read More
ORFORD, N.H. — There is disagreement on whether the devastating ice storm in January will affect the state’s maple sugaring industry. The president of the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association said some maple producers are having a typical year, but others are basically out of… Read More
HANCOCK — Nominations for exemplary volunteer service in Hancock County are sought by the Elder Care for Hancock Organization as part of the annual Older Americans Month celebration. ECHO will recognize an individual and group that have contributed to the quality of life of older… Read More
BANGOR — A jury found in favor of Sugarloaf USA on Friday in a lawsuit filed by a Brewer man who was injured during a fall while skiing there five years ago. James Merrill sued the corporation after suffering a badly broken ankle while he… Read More
ELLSWORTH — Evan Richert, director of the State Planning Office, will speak about the problems and economic issues facing the state’s service centers or larger communities at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at the Ellsworth Public Library. The talk before the Hancock County Planning Commission… Read More
COREA — The Downeast Lobstermen’s Association board of directors has accepted the resig- nation of Harvey L. Crowley as president. Crowley cited health reasons for leaving the post. He is well-known for his defense of the Maine fishing industry and Maine fishermen and has been… Read More
LAMOINE — The 1998 Lamoine Consolidated School grade eight auction will be held at 6:30 p.m. tonight in the school gym. University of Maine Professor Gordon Donaldson, a Lamoine resident and past auctioneer, will take bids. For information or to make a donation call 667-9471… Read More
Maybe I’m just slow on the uptake, a guy who couldn’t spot a car trend unless it crossed the center line and plowed through him like a Humvee taking out a fleet of Geo Metros. It has taken a while for me to catch on,… Read More
FORT KENT — Old school pranks, like bad pennies, can keep coming back to haunt the mind. Through the years, the gnawing can get really bad, so bad, sometimes, that something has to be done about it. A 50-year-old prank came home to roost this… Read More
AUGUSTA — Fewer people filed for unemployment in Maine last month. The state Department of Labor said Friday that February’s unemployment rate was 4.5 percent, a drop of half a percentage point from January. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
The effort to turn concern about the economic decline of northern Maine from hand-wringing into action gained two valuable allies this week: Sen. Rick Bennett, who went from skeptic to supporter of an east-west highway; and the U.S. Census Bureau, which added a new batch of predictable numbers… Read More
MOUNT DESERT — The two Mount Desert Island High School students involved in a head-on collision while driving to school Thursday morning remained hospitalized Friday and are awaiting surgery, according to hospital officials. Emily Greene, a senior, was listed in serious condition Friday afternoon by… Read More
MONSON — If residents Monday approve the 46 article warrants as proposed by selectmen, the tax rate will increase 30 cents per $1,000 valuation. The annual meeting for this Piscataquis County town will begin at 7 p.m. Monday, March 23, in the Monson School. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
AUGUSTA — Maine women want better access to health care, wider availability of services, and more information about how their health care needs change as they age, according to a report released Friday by the Maine Women’s Health Campaign. “Women’s Health: A Maine Profile” combines… Read More
Despite continuous tinkering, Maine’s school funding formula has been shortchanging the state’s neediest school districts in favor of more affluent ones for nearly a decade. The formula, once a national model, is supposed to provide all Maine children with the same educational advantages by distributing… Read More
AUGUSTA — Despite angry Republican predictions that “within two years this will be gone,” the Senate approved a package of income and property tax cuts Friday afternoon. Endorsed by Democrats and rejected by Republicans, the bill set off hours of debate and a series of… Read More
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan M. Collins are set to appear Sunday on the CBS News Program “Face the Nation” with hosts Bob Schieffer and Gloria Borger regarding the allegations raised by Kathleen Willey, and other sexual harassment issues. The show… Read More
ELLSWORTH — Wearing a denim dress, shod in Bavarian clogs, and sporting a hair wrap from a trip to Florida, Bonnie McFee bears little resemblance to the stockbroker stereotype of the type A personality, the power suits who check in with their secretaries on cell phones as they… Read More
AUGUSTA — It is perhaps the most widely used sentencing option for felony cases in Maine, yet most agree that probation is largely ineffective, with too many probationers violating their conditions with few consequences. “It’s usually just by luck if we find out these guys… Read More
Hampden Academy Second quarter honor roll Seniors, high honors: Gabriel Brooks, Tiffany Curtis, Tricia Hynds, Marjo Korhonen, Michelle Mansell, Dustan Peet, Jessie Poulin and Angela Rankin; honors: Ashley Atwood, Michael Beale, Jennifer Blake, Brianne Brassbridge, Joshua Burke, Amanda Burrill, Michelle Caron, Jason Cushman, Christopher Davis,… Read More
SANTA FE, N.M. — Studies find doctors frequently fail to prescribe some lifesaving older drugs for their patients with bad hearts and high blood pressure, while overusing newer, less effective medicines. The research is the latest to lament the slow, often erratic way that new… Read More