Suspensions for four members of the University of Maine men’s basketball team, including two starters, were announced by the university prior to the Black Bears’ game at Northwestern Tuesday night. Starters Fred Meeks and Marcus Wills and backup forward Linnell Marshall were suspended for last… Read More
    What do writers, outside of New England, think about Boston’s failure to re-sign Red Sox slugger Mo Vaughn? “That the Red Sox should have reached the point where they are interviewing [Albert] Belle for Mo Vaughn’s job is incomprehensible. They had a year to sign the team’s most… Read More
    When the 43-year-old Bangor Auditorium floor was retired to make way for a new one last February, cheers were heard from Madawaska to Waterville: A bright, shiny new floor – and no more dead spots! But 10 months later, the new floor has been more… Read More
    OLD TOWN _ Kids in grades K-12 across the state have the opportunity to compete in the fifth Federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest, where they will create designs featur- ing ducks, swans, or geese in their natural habitat. Designs will be judged in four age categories, with… Read More
    Local SPEEDWAY 95 Division Champions Sport-Four: Jim Robichaud; Strictly Street: (co-champions) Paul White and Deane Smart; Super Street: Duane Seekins; Limited Sportsman: Scott Modery; Late Model Sportsman: Peter Melanson Rookie of the Year googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
    BRUNSWICK _ Senior goaltender Dana Krueger, the sec- ond field hockey player in Bowdoin College history to be named a First Team National All-American, has been invited to the United States Field Hockey camp to try out for Team USA. The tryout will run Dec. Read More
    AUGUSTA — For the second day in a row, a recount of an election for the Maine House of Representatives upheld a Democratic candidate as the winner and disappointed Republican challengers hoping to whittle away at the Democrats’ 79-71-1 majority in the new House. State… Read More
    ELLSWORTH — The Friendly Ice Cream Corp., a Wilbraham, Mass.-based company, opened a new restaurant here Monday. “Friendly’s has retained the old-fashioned ice cream shop heritage and tradition our guests have come to expect from every Friendly’s visit,” said John Cyr, district manager for the… Read More
    PLYMOUTH, Mass. — It’s been more than 20 years since a family’s bicycle outing ended in a bloody attack. On Tuesday, a 71-year-old Maine man was formally charged with the 1977 stabbing death of Ruth Masters as her husband and daughter rode, unaware, through the… Read More
    AUGUSTA — The temperature is going down and, oddly enough, so is the price of heating oil in Maine. The State Planning Office reported Tuesday that the average price per gallon fell one penny to 75 cents. That is 17 cents lower than what it… Read More
    CALAIS — A Danforth man who has been charged with murder after he allegedly shot and killed his ex-girlfriend’s new lover last week appeared Tuesday in 4th District Court, where his attorney told the judge his client would not seek bail at this time. Randy… Read More
    Potatoes for People could well be the name of the agricultural class program conducted by Nokomis Regional High School teacher Buz Buzanoski in Newport. If you, like me, have ever wondered what grows in the fields across from that school, now you know. They’re potato… Read More
    PORTLAND — A dispute over the speed at which passenger trains can operate between Boston and Portland has threatened to further delay the service, which has already been held up five years. State transportation officials want the trains to go 79 mph so they will… Read More
    Living across the street from a middle school, as I have for years now, I’m in an ideal position to observe the restless tides of adolescent fashion. From my seat on the runway, I have witnessed transformations in everything from sneaker styles to clothing to… Read More
    NEWBERRY, Fla. — A Maine native who owned a rare white Bengal tiger was killed by her pet six weeks after the animal fatally attacked its trainer. Doris Guay, who moved to Florida from Biddeford, Maine, was leading 3-year-old Jupiter back into its pen Friday… Read More
    BANGOR — With fall elections out of the way, U.S. Rep. John Baldacci is gearing up to push several bills dealing with mental health in the coming session. During a forum held at Acadia Hospital in Bangor Tuesday afternoon, Baldacci outlined what he sees as… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT — A Brunswick man who drew a handgun on a deputy during a traffic stop in January was sentenced Monday to two years in prison with all but 60 days suspended. Ronald Marsh, 63, had pleaded guilty in July in Piscataquis County Superior Court… Read More
    As a lesson in governance, threatening a legal business to pay now to avoid lawsuits by states in the future isn’t going to make it into the Proud Moments in American History textbook. Yet the proposed tobacco-industry settlement is evidence that the industry remains ready to deal to… Read More
    This commentary is in response to the escape and subsequent five hours of freedom by a known violent prisoner. As we all are aware now, Michael Chasse escaped on Nov. 6 while being escorted to a court appearance in Dover-Foxcroft, from the nearby jail. Probably… Read More
    Maybe Al Gore really should be the next president. Anything to keep him from pursuing a second career as a diplomat. The vice president was sent to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation annual meeting in Malaysia to announce a joint U.S./Japan $10 billion rebuilding plan… Read More
    America is a land of plenty. This is something we celebrate this time of year. If you doubt it (though why would you), go the supermarket and check out the aisle with the chocolate chips. “Chocolate morsels,” they’re called in the quirky world of marketing. Read More
    Picking rocks is an endangered tradition, a ceremony that is disappearing in towns all over Maine as farmland is subdivided by developers. Last spring the field behind my farmhouse in Pittsfield was tilled for the planting of alfalfa. Like generations of Mainers, I dutifully strode… Read More
    Don’t be fooled by the name of the White Barn Inn. Yes, it is constructed from a boardinghouse built in 1820. It even has “rustic Yankee ambience,” as proprietor Laurence Bongiorno might say. But the White Barn Inn of Kennebunkport is white-glove all the way. Read More
    BANGOR — By 4-1, the planning board voted Tuesday to recommend that the City Council deny a rezoning for 768 Union St. Board members George Burgoyne, Richard Fournier, Mary Ann Bostwick and Fred Costlow voted against rezoning, while Moshe Myerowitz voted for it. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    BANGOR — Installation of about six miles of pipe designed to carry natural gas is under way on the city’s east side, while the same kind of work has been going on in Brewer for months. Bangor Gas construction crews are currently working on the… Read More
    BANGOR — Officials at Phillips-Strickland House unveiled plans for a $4 million expansion Tuesday, a project that will provide 30 one- and two-bedroom apartments for active senior citizens. The announcement came five weeks after the facility for senior citizens withdrew an earlier plan that would… Read More
    A cabdriver told Bangor police Monday evening that a passenger had threatened to kill him. The passenger never brandished a knife, although the driver said the man was concealing something and police later found he had a 7-inch knife. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    ELLSWORTH — While the location of a proposed YMCA teen center drew some skeptical looks from city councilors, a study of such a facility won unanimous approval at Monday night’s meeting. Peter Farragher, chief executive officer of the Down East Family YMCA, said the proposed… Read More
    BANGOR — City councilors on the municipal operations committee voted Tuesday to increase daily room rates at the Bangor City Nursing Facility by $4 to $8 beginning Jan. 1. The increases will be: googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
    ROCKLAND — The Rockland Public Library has received a $50,000 grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation to be used for the library endowment fund. Library officials said Tuesday that the King grant could stimulate other donations from midcoast area groups. Library President Mike… Read More
    CAMDEN — It was the worst-kept secret in the Camden-Rockport area, but there was still plenty of drama as the Camden Area YMCA unveiled plans Tuesday night to build a new facility before a group of about 50 supporters. As expected, the YMCA will move… Read More
    I am as relieved as the next person that Saddam Hussein has capitulated, thus avoiding a war. But I am troubled by our country’s role in forcing the compliance. It seems our foreign policy consists of forcing countries that do not have the capacity to… Read More
    Veterans Day brings out the best people of yesteryear and of today. The media spoke true when they said the rain tapered off shortly after last week’s Veterans Day parade stepped out. The marchers, however, experienced heavy rain and wind in the staging area. There… Read More
    I have been reading with interest the recent letters about the new crossword puzzles. I thought you might like another opinion. Maybe I am in the minority, but I find the new puzzles much easier. Since the new ones have started I have been able… Read More
    I am writing to protest the stereotyping of United Bikers of Maine members in anti-social behavior by A. Jay Higgins in BDN (Nov. 7-8). Once again all motorcyclists in Maine have been tarred with the same brush and the thoughts invoked in readers’ minds do not lead them… Read More
    I take exception to Kent Ward’s Nov. 14-15 column, “Problem lies not in words.” Unless something has been left out of his piece, he appears to have missed the point. The Connecticut woman who objected to the use of the word “rape” in a Scrabble… Read More
    TENANTS HARBOR — Dr. Marcia L. Storch, an innovator in women’s health care, died Nov. 9 at her home in Tenants Harbor. She was 65. The cause was ovarian cancer, her family said. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
    Despite the impeachment hearings, there’s a sense on Capitol Hill that the newly elected 106th Congress may be inclined to deal with the biggest political issue of the millennia. Which is, of course, saving Social Security. We’ve been through this one before. In 1983, Ronald… Read More
    Calais District Court Robert R. Barter, 21, Baileyville, drinking in public, jail 20 days, suspended, probation one year. 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
    ELLSWORTH — Friends of Ellsworth Public Library will hold a friendship sale 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, in the library’s Riverview Room. The sale will feature gifts and stocking stuffers, and gift wrapping will be available. Proceeds are used to buy books and tapes,… Read More
    BANGOR — James Bean will present a spiritual book discussion group on “Spiritual Awakening,” by Darshan Singh, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Borders Books, 116 Bangor Mall Blvd. For information, call 368-5866. Read More
    ELLSWORTH — The Maine Community Foundation has given Coastal Acadia Development Corp. a grant to fund development of a “Community Career Network.” The network will be a database of occupationally successful business and professional people from Hancock County, and will be available on the World… Read More
    SOMESVILLE — Port in a Storm Bookstore will hold a book-signing for Mount Desert Island author Kristen Britain from 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22. Her first published novel, “Green Rider,” was released last month by DAW Books and distributed by Penguin USA. Britain,… Read More
    BLUE HILL — Hancock County HomeCare will join more than 20,000 home-care providers in the United States in celebration of National Home Care Month in November to honor doctors, nurses, therapists, aides and social workers. The theme of the event is “Home Care: Partners in Caring.”… Read More
    SOLON — The Somerset County Republican Committee will hold its November meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19. The meeting will be at the Solon Municipal Building on Route 201, opposite Griswold’s Store and behind the fire station. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    PALMYRA — The rural community of Palmyra is a divided town. Not by politics, as one might expect — but by geography. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0;… Read More
    FAIRFIELD — A Fairfield firefighter who was seriously injured one week ago while on a test run of the town’s new pumper truck remains in satisfactory condition at a Waterville hospital. Capt. Gary Michaud, who was riding in the truck’s front seat when the 15-ton… Read More
    DANFORTH — Local officials recently received word that the town has been awarded a $175,000 Community Development Block Grant from the state to complete interior renovations and restoration of Union Hall. The hall was built in 1888 and is listed in the National Register of… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE — A conference titled “Open Hearts, Open Minds: Toward Safer Communities” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at the University of Maine at Presque Isle Campus Center. The conference will address issues of HIV prevention, substance abuse… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE — No one had much to say Monday night about the 1999 Presque Isle municipal budget, which includes a 6 percent increase, according to city officials. The $8 million budget includes increases to cover the costs of such projects as paving roads, the… Read More
    HOULTON — The Southern Aroostook Tobacco-free Outreach Project, or STOP, will host The Great American Smokescream at 12:20 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, in Houlton’s Monument Park. The Smokescream is an event in which people of all ages gather together to scream out against tobacco use. Read More