It’s one of the oldest and most often repeated tales in Maine. The tourist stops a local in Searsport and asks for directions to Rangeley. After long and hard thought, the Down Easter replies, “Well, sir, ya can’t get there from here.” The United States… Read More
Next week at Sunday River in Newry and Black Mountain in Rumford, the NCAA Skiing Championships will be hosted by Bates College for the first time since 1976. The Lewiston-based Bobcats are an unlikely host for the March 10-13 meet, given they are a small,… Read More
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The University of Maine scored five runs in the top of the third inning and five more in the fifth to defeat the University of Dayton 12-5 in baseball action Tuesday. Mike Ross hit a grand slam in the third, and added… Read More
MAC WOMEN First Team Colleen McCrave (Bates), Emily King (Bates), Lauren Myers (Bowdoin), Rebecca Fletcher (UM-Farmington), Kelly Dow (Husson) 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
Much like hotel rooms during Maine’s summer tourist season, the “vacancy” signs for varsity baseball coaching positions have been disappearing quickly. As fast as the recent rains have washed away the snow, local schools have been hiring coaches in preparation for the spring season. And… Read More
HERMON – Larry Perkins of Alton bowled his second career perfect game Monday night as part of a 716 series at Heritage Bowling Center. Perkins’ 300 was the third this year at Heritage Bowling Center. He was bowling with his team, the Heritage Bears, which… Read More
The Maine Speak Out Project (MSOP) is back in the news again, the beneficiary of a fawning media elite eager to portray Maine as a bigoted backwater of rampant homophobia. Timing is everything in politics, and the latest gush of publicity is calibrated to coincide with legislative debate… Read More
“Do you know what black ice is?” I ask. My son is fiddling with the radio, preoccupied as always with finding the perfect music to cruise by. The question catches him off guard. He peers out his passenger-side window to check the road conditions. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
PORTLAND — A Waldoboro fish dealer was charged Tuesday in federal court with buying elvers he knew were illegal because they were harvested in Massachusetts. Christopher Martin Fiore, 34, was accused of buying nearly $1,500 worth of the translucent baby eels that fetch high prices… Read More
MACHIAS — Green eggs and ham were on the menu Tuesday at the Rose Gaffney Elementary School. And the kindergarten class at Fort O’Brien Elementary School in Machiasport had a pajama party. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
A Portland man arrested Feb. 24 after a South Thomaston car crash in which 2.5 ounces of cocaine were seized faces federal charges after more than 600 grams of the drug were found in his residence. Juan Chunga, 49, and his wife, Noreen Chunga, 45,… Read More
ROCKLAND — Good news poured into City Hall on Tuesday regarding the flow of Lindsey Brook. City Manager Richard Michaud got word from Harold Doughty, deputy warden at Bolduc Correctional Facility, that work crews from the minimum security prison in Warren can help clean up… Read More
CAMDEN — Peter Gross announced this week he will not seek re-election as selectman. Gross has served for four years on the Board of Selectmen, which he chairs. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
CAMDEN — Knox County Greens plan a meeting at 6:30 tonight at the Wellness Center, 71 Elm St., Camden. Call 236-7709 for details. Read More
UNITY — University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Seed Saving Network will sponsor a seed swap and educational gardening program next week at Unity College. The event will feature 18 garden workshops along with the seed swap. The program will run from 10… Read More
THOMASTON — The Humane Society of Knox County will be host of a rabies clinic from noon to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 7, at the shelter at the end of the Dexter Street Extension. Rabies vaccines are $8 each and must be paid for in… Read More
BUCKSPORT — Officials at Consumers Maine Water Co. in Bucksport don’t expect any problems with the water supply after a pickup truck spent a day underwater in Silver Lake, the town’s water supply. The pickup truck went into the lake about three-quarters of a mile… Read More
VAN BUREN — SAD 24 will hold a pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 23, at Gateway Elementary School. Children must be 4 years old by Oct. 15 for prekindergarten, and 5 years old by Oct. 15 for kindergarten. Read More
PRESQUE ISLE — From pulling mustard weeds in potato fields in Fort Fairfield to running two multimillion-dollar companies, Larry Mahaney, president of Webber Energy Fuels in Bangor, says the lessons he learned as a child in Aroostook County have served him well in the business world. Read More
SWANS ISLAND — In a nearly 12-hour annual meeting, island voters nixed an option to acquire some waterfront property by eminent domain, choosing instead to continue negotiations with the landowner. The decision came during a day of voting and discussion that began at 10 a.m. Read More
Darrell Sterling, vendor pay, directorate for finance, received a promotion to technical sergeant under the Stripes for Exceptional Performers, an Air Force program presented by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. Only a limited number of promotions occur under the program, and to receive one,… Read More
BELFAST — City Hall has told the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad of its plans to terminate the railroad’s lease of the city-owned waterfront rail yard. The City Council notified the railroad of its plans during a four-hour closed meeting Monday night. The council invited… Read More
Editor’s Note: An advance story on the Pittsfield council meeting that appeared in Tuesday’s paper inadvertently contained five paragraphs from another story on the Swans Island town meeting. The NEWS apologizes for any misunderstanding the error may have caused readers. PITTSFIELD — Representatives of three… Read More
PITTSFIELD — With approximately 17 seventh- and eighth-graders in danger of failing this year, SAD 53 directors want to know what proactive measures the district is taking to help these children succeed. During February, all of the at-risk children — those who are in danger… Read More
St. Agatha — Sonja J. Lavoie, a senior at Wisdom Middle-High School, has been selected to receive the 1999 Principal’s Award, Principal Lester Michaud announced. The award, sponsored by the Maine Principals’ Association, is given in recognition of a high school senior’s academic achievement and… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT — A Piscataquis County deputy is fighting to get the health insurance coverage to which he says he’s entitled. Five years after Dale “Chip” Clukey Jr. was kicked in the knee by an intoxicated motorist and 18 surgeries later, the part-time police officer is… Read More
PITTSFIELD — Last year, nearly eight of every 10 students at Maine Central Institute were accepted at colleges across the country. MCI’s goal this year is to surpass that rate of placement, Head of School Douglas Cummings told SAD 53 board members Monday night. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
BEAVER COVE — The Maine Land Use Regulation Commission is reviewing a Beaver Cove man’s request to expand his marina. Rodney Folsom has filed an application with LURC to make improvements at Beaver Cove Marina, including the construction of breakwater, an expansion of the marina… Read More
NEWPORT — Four candidates would like Jim Brann’s seat on the Newport Board of Selectmen, including Brann. It is the only selectman’s seat up for election in Friday balloting in Newport. Polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Newport Fire… Read More
GUILFORD — The plans for the Rite Aid store in Guilford are in process and construction is expected to begin within 60 days, town officials learned Tuesday. Town Manager Robert Littlefield said he had heard little of the plans for the new store so he… Read More
BINGHAM — The new municipal budget went up 11 percent from last year’s financial plan after 40 voters at the annual town meeting Monday approved a $478,181 warrant. In the only local political contest, voters re-elected two incumbents to the SAD 13 board of directors. Read More
STETSON — Nomination papers are available at the Stetson Town Office for three elected positions. The deadline for returning the papers is March 30. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
FAIRFIELD — For a second year, Fairfield has failed to win a federal grant to improve its downtown. A $400,000 Community Development Block Grant would have allowed the town to remove eyesores and expand parking along Main Street. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
BELFAST — City Councilor John Cheston has apologized for creating the false impression that he violated council policy. Cheston offered his apology to his colleagues and the public during Tuesday night’s meeting of the council. He asked forgiveness for causing “confusion for some people” about… Read More
MOUNT DESERT — The Seaside Takeout is afloat, now that voters opted not to renew a lease for the operation, formerly located on the town’s waterfront property. By 2-to-1 margins, residents twice voted not to renew a lease with Otter Creek resident Steve Smith, who… Read More
FAIRFIELD — A fire started by food left unattended on a stove damaged the kitchen in a Kelley Street apartment Tuesday afternoon, the town’s fire chief said. The fire broke out about 4:30 p.m. atop the stove in a second-floor apartment at 1 Kelley St.,… Read More
SKOWHEGAN — Three indictments were returned Tuesday when the Somerset County grand jury rose in Skowhegan. Jamie Davern, 19, of Canaan and Lucas Flanders, 19, of Hartland both were indicted in connection with a burglary and theft on July 18, 1998, in Fairfield. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
MACHIAS — The Washington County Democratic Committee will take a look at its organizational structure during a meeting at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 7. Treasurer Norman Nelson said Tuesday the group has been without a chair for more that a year. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
CALAIS — Thieves got away with cash and sporting goods merchandise during several downtown burglaries during the weekend. Around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Donna Wade, who operates Four Seasons Sports on Main Street, arrived at her business to find that the back door had been pried… Read More
Two incidents of operating under the influence were recorded by the Bangor Police Department on Monday evening leading into Tuesday morning. At 5:30 p.m. Monday, a Howland man was charged with OUI and operating without a license. Dana M. Banta, 36, was pulled over for… Read More
SKOWHEGAN — The Skowhegan assessor’s office has at the town office new application forms for homestead exemptions Exemptions will continue for taxpayers who applied for and received a homestead exemption last year and have not moved from one home to another. Individuals can check their… Read More
WATERVILLE — Ron Singel, the city manager of Old Town, was confirmed Tuesday night as Waterville’s new administrator. Singel, Old Town’s manager for five years, was awarded a two-year contract at a starting salary of $64,000 a year, plus benefits. He is expected to start… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT — A controversial plan to develop 28 residential lots on Schoodic Lake is now under consideration by the Land Use Regulation Commission. Lakeview Realty Trust of Bangor has submitted its plans for the creation of a 28-lot residential subdivision on the lake’s west shore… Read More
BANGOR — The Institute for Quality Improvement will hold a breakfast lecture from 7:30-9 a.m. Wednesday, March 10, at Rangeley Hall’s Room 501A, Eastern Maine Technical College. Bob Collins of Quality Assistance Inc., Kennebunk, will explore the nature of a quality culture and sustaining that… Read More
ORONO — Three candidates will run for two seats on the Town Council at next week’s election. John Bradson, Philip Drew and Janeen Teal will vie for the two seats vacated by outgoing Councilors Terri Hutchinson and Dana Devoe. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
ROCKLAND — A Warren man was indicted Tuesday by a Knox County grand jury on 48 counts involving gross sexual assault and furnishing marijuana to a boy. Virgil L. Simmons, 29, was charged with 24 counts of gross sexual assault alleged to have occurred between… Read More
BANGOR — The Penobscot Valley Chapter of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Maine will hold an open forum on “Builder Licensing Bills Before Maine’s Legislature,” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, at Geagan’s Roundhouse, Penobscot Inn. Two bills on registering or licensing of… Read More
GLENBURN — A veterans forum will be held from noon to 3 p.m. March 6 at the town office. Sen. Susan Collins, Reps. John Baldacci and Tom Allen or their representatives may be there, as will state Sen. Mary Cathcart. The first focus will be… Read More
BANGOR — The Maine Region of the Arthritis Foundation, Northern New England Chapter, will present a community forum on “New Advances in Arthritis Treatments,” at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 20, at the Mason Auditorium at Eastern Maine Medical Center. The forum will feature three rheumatologists, Drs. Sidney Block,… Read More
BANGOR — A Maine Driving Dynamics Course will be held 6:30-9 p.m. on two Thursdays, March 4 and 11, at Bangor High School. Those completing the course will receive a three-point credit on their driving records. The Maine Driving Dynamics Course covers accident-avoidance techniques through… Read More
LEVANT — Selectmen have set budget and town meeting schedules for the year. Budget meetings will be at 7 p.m. Tuesdays, March 16 and 30, at the Town Office, with open dates for additional budget meetings on April 6 and 20. Absentee ballots will be… Read More
BANGOR — Tracy Willette has been named recreation superintendent for the Bangor parks and recreation department, beginning March 15. He is recreation coordinator for Waterville and was among 42 candidates considered. Willette has nearly 10 years of experience in parks and recreation. He was park… Read More
CORINTH — Nomination papers for municipal offices in Corinth have been returned. George Buswell, selectman, has been nominated assessor and overseer of the poor for a one-year term. Nominated for assessor and overseer of the poor for three years is Selectman Kenneth E. Buswell Sr. Read More
BANGOR — The Hilltop School will hold an informational meeting for parents of kindergarten-age children at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 18. The full-day program will include before and after child care, and is open to children from Bangor and surrounding communities. Hilltop School, located at 218 Ohio Street,… Read More
CORINTH — Residents here will meet on March 16 at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall on Main Street to discuss and vote on the 1999 town budget. The proposed $1.25 million annual budget is broken up as follows: $613,000 will be spent on education;… Read More
STETSON — Nomination papers are available at the Stetson Town Office for three elected positions. The deadline for returning the papers is March 30. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
Just watching the “Spinoza Bear” videotape provided by Jim Umble of Carmel brought tears to my eyes. So, is it any wonder that when he delivers a Spinoza Bear to a child, he chokes up, too? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
AUGUSTA — The state Judiciary Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend the reappointment of Justice Daniel E. Wathen as the state’s chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. The vote by 13 committee members came after an hour-long hearing filled with praise for the… Read More
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved grants, loans and loan guarantees totaling $7,202,400 for towns and cities in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, according to Rep. John Baldacci, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee. The federal money, which is being made available… Read More
WELLS — The trucker whose trailer jumped a median and caused a collision that decapitated a motorist on the Maine Turnpike had a clean driving record, according to his Kansas employer. Michael Rogers, 45, of Kansas City, Kan., has no history of safety violations since… Read More
AUGUSTA — The small, black-and-white price signs on top of gasoline pumps in Maine could go the way of wide whitewalls and big tail fins if a bill up for a Senate vote keeps cruising through the Legislature. For years, state law has required gas… Read More
BIDDEFORD — A York County prosecutor says a case involving two teen-agers charged with conspiring to kill a Lyman man highlights the increase in violence and the potential for violence among juveniles. “That disappointment of the heart should lead to a plan that called for… Read More
PORTLAND — After five weeks of testimony from about 80 witnesses, the prosecution has rested in the fraud trial of Catherine Duffy Petit and three co-defendants. The defense begins its presentation today, after a one-day break to allow U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby to… Read More
BANGOR — As police on Tuesday resumed their investigation into the head-on collision in Bradley which claimed the lives of two Orono High School students, the medical conditions of the four people who were injured continued to improve. Though he had no new information to… Read More
The University of Maine System has received a $400,000 gift from the estate of Katharine O’Brien of Portland. The money will be used to improve library holdings at UMaine campuses. O’Brien, who taught mathematics at Deering High School in Portland for more than 30 years,… Read More
ORONO — Maine farms are being sought for participation in the annual Open Farm Day, a July 25 event to celebrate the strength and productivity of the state’s agricultural community, which comprises less than 2 percent of the population in Maine. Sponsored by Maine farmers… Read More
AUGUSTA — Washington-based physician and forest conservationist John Osborn will speak on forest and development practices of Plum Creek at two events. Plum Creek, which purchased nearly 1 million acres of Maine forests in October, is new to Maine but has operations in Washington, Idaho… Read More
ORONO — The Maine Education Opportunity Center has announced the dates and locations of its introductory workshop, MEOC 101. It is the first in a series of informative workshops that help Mainers achieve higher education. The program is offered to low-income, first-generation college adults not… Read More
KENDUSKEAG — Police continued their search Tuesday for the person who killed Katherine Poor, a 40-year-old woman who was found dead in her Route 15 apartment Sunday evening. Maine State Police detectives continued to work out of the Kenduskeag Fire Department as they tried to… Read More
BANGOR — A federal judge has upheld the heart of a lawsuit filed by a Clinton woman who alleges two police officers violated her civil rights when they entered her apartment twice without her permission or a search warrant, handcuffed her to a piece of furniture and subsequently… Read More
ROCKPORT — The 24th annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum opens today at the Samoset Resort. The forum provides the opportunity for fishermen, scientists, seafood processors, elected officials, aquaculturists and others to discuss issues vital to the industry. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
ROCKLAND — A woman who gave birth to her baby in a toilet in December was indicted on three charges Tuesday by a Knox County Superior Court grand jury. Jennifer M. Ames, 22, of Rockland was indicted on two counts of aggravated assault and one… Read More
WASHINGTON — Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo announced this week that the federal government will give Maine and other northeastern states the chance to apply for more disaster relief money for repairs made in the wake of the January 1998 ice storms. In… Read More
CALAIS — A 4th District Court judge agreed Tuesday that the $100,000 bail he imposed on a Princeton man was the highest he had set in a misdemeanor case, but Judge John Romei said he was afraid the man might kill somebody with his driving. Read More
PORTLAND — A former gym teacher at Greely Junior High School in Cumberland has agreed never to teach again to avoid a trial on assault charges. Doug Self, 43, of Brunswick was supposed to go trial Monday for allegedly touching the breast of one 14-year-old… Read More
BREWER — Thanks to new federal and state child welfare laws, foster parents have something they never had before: a voice during court proceedings. “This is a huge shift — now you have a chance to get up there and say what needs to be… Read More
AUGUSTA — A bill which would ban the collection of petition signatures within 250 feet of voting places was supported by the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee on Tuesday, but just barely. At a work session on a number of bills concerning election issues, the committee split 6-4… Read More
SKOWHEGAN — A Superior Court justice threw out a contempt of court complaint Tuesday against Michael Heath and awarded the Christian Civic League of Maine executive director $500 in attorney fees. After announcing his decision at the close of a three-hour hearing in Somerset County… Read More
AUGUSTA — The Arts and Heritage Tourism Partnership Program is seeking proposals for 1999 planning grants. The grants may be used for planning and-or technical assistance for programs designed to attract more cultural tourists to Maine to boost the state’s economy. Cultural tourists are those… Read More
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Christmas cards were used for two hoax anthrax letters postmarked Lexington and sent to women’s clinics in other states, including Maine, according to the FBI and Planned Parenthood officials. The cards, which turned up at Planned Parenthood buildings in Spokane, Wash., on… Read More
YORK — A 21-year-old York man accused of shooting a New Hampshire man has been denied bail for the second time. Joshua Cookson is accused of shooting Robin Rainville, 21, of Portsmouth, N.H., 13 times with his .22-caliber rifle after an argument inside Cookson’s trailer… Read More
BANGOR — Mark Torres, Producing Artistic Director of Penobscot Theatre Company and Maine Shakespeare Festival, was elected to the board of directors of the Shakespeare Theatre Association of America at its annual meeting last month in Orlando, Fla. STAA provides a forum for leadership of… Read More
LEWISTON — “Teaching the Holocaust: An International Perspective,” the ninth annual summer seminar sponsored by the Holocaust Human Rights Center of Maine, will be held from Aug. 1 to Aug. 6, 1999, at Bates College. The idea for this conference originated when Professor Robert Katz… Read More
SWANVILLE — The art selection committee for Nickerson Elementary School is holding an open competition for Maine artists to design, execute and install artwork for indoor and outdoor locations. Through Maine’s Percent for Art program, $12,700 is available for the purchase of artwork for the… Read More
AUGUSTA — The Maine Arts Commission is offering its arts-education grant program, Partners in Arts and Learning, to school systems in Oxford, Franklin, Androscoggin and York counties. The program’s aim is to promote learning in and through the arts as a common practice in all schools. Read More
WASHINGTON — The Senate dedicated Tuesday to the Year 2000 computer problem, looking at threats ranging from small-business bankruptcies to Russian missile malfunctions. “Forecasting Y2K is a lot like predicting weather,” Sen. Christopher Dodd said: “You can only track the storm and watch the effects.”… Read More
I applaud Susan Young’s story (BDN, Feb. 20-21) about the school funding issue in Maine. As a substitute teacher and the mother of a high school-age daughter in SAD 9, I have seen firsthand how the current funding formula has exacerbated the affects of declining state funds on… Read More
I am delighted the Senate paid attention to the will of the electorate and decided not to override the last presidential election. I am delighted that they found the case presented insufficient for impeachment. I am delighted our senators voted as they did. What I… Read More
I came from another state to care for my ill sister-in-law in October. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I have watched her die an inch at a time. The medications prescribed for the nausea do not work, but marijuana does. The medical community knows… Read More
Thank you, Ruth-Ellen Cohen, for excellent coverage (BDN, Feb. 22) of psychologist Peter Rees’ recent comments to a Bangor-area group interested in helping promote safe schools. One additional observation made by Dr. Rees was that in schools where discrimination is prevalent, many straight teens —… Read More
I strongly object to a statement by Acadia Hospital’s eating disorders educator (BDN, Feb. 15) that such disorders are a “form of suicide.” Anorexia nervosa is not about dying, it’s about living. It’s an attempt to live as an autonomous person in charge of her own body and… Read More
I read the story (BDN, Feb. 26) about the security measures at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport. As an alumnus of the Class of ’71, I am amazed such measures are necessary. Other than a few scuffles in the parking lot, I don’t remember any major incidents… Read More
You may be feeling the blues in March, but the blueberry is anything but blue this winter. In fact, the wild blueberry is enjoying star status as of last month when Eating Well magazine named it fruit of the year. Imagine all that status in… Read More
Behind every political movement there’s a thinker who defines “the vision thing,” to borrow a phrase from George Bush. The Green Party’s big picture guy is John Rensenbrink, the Bowdoin professor and anti-Vietnam activist who glimpsed “the end of history” while visiting Poland during the early 1980s. Rensenbrink… Read More
Like so many people throughout the state, I was extremely pleased with the recent announcement that the University of Maine has been awarded a $10.3 million federal research grant. The grant — the largest single research grant in the university’s 134-year history — is just one more recognition… Read More
GREEN RIVER, New Brunswick — The 11 white, gray, and black Siberian huskies stood quietly alert while tethered to a maroon pickup truck parked a dozen feet from 25 small dog houses. They continually watched while two strangers walked around and talked with their master,… Read More
An item in Tuesday’s MaineDay omitted several names from a list of Bangor High School freshman honor students. The honor students are Joshua Taylor, Breanne Tewhey, Christopher Wardwell, Phillip Wells, Danforth West and Nicholas Wiggins. Read More