In his two years as director of Maine’s second-oldest road race, Mike Lucas has seen one constant: It’s been a rainy reign. When runners toe the starting line in front of the Bangor Parks and Recreation building on Main Street Monday, Lucas is hoping Mother… Read More
Frankfort’s Wendy O’Brien admitted that she was scared when she first climbed into husband Mike’s Sport Four Renault Alliance at Hermon’s Speedway 95. Not any more. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
ORONO – For the University of Maine football team, it may seem as though its three-week preseason training camp has flown by. The process might appear to begin dragging as of today, when the Black Bears continue their two-day trip to Hamilton, N.Y., for Saturday’s… Read More
It’s the only time of the season when everyone’s undefeated, each team is tied for the lead, and hope springs eternal. It’s opening night for the 1999 football season. Several intriguing matchups dot the opening night schedule. Here’s a look at a few of them:… Read More
When Jason Stern left for his trip around the world, he was a second-year law student with a passion for photography, an only child used to living with adults and who used his family’s house in Seal Harbor as his home base. Now back in… Read More
High school AT BIRCH POINT, Madawaska, par 35 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
HOULTON – Melissa Hendrickson converted an Amanda Belden cross with 5 minutes, 6 seconds remaining in the game to give Presque Isle a 2-1 win over Houlton Thursday in high school soccer action. Jen Hallett made five saves on 10 shots for the Wildcats, who… Read More
Hole-in-one HAROLD SEARS ROCKLAND – Harold Sears used a 7-wood to ace the 136-yard fifth hole at Rockland Golf Club Thursday. The feat was witnessed by Tom Damery. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
High school AT CARIBOU, 3.04 miles Caribou boys 16, Limestone 67, Presque Isle 70, Washburn 95 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… Read More
This is crunch weekend when the demand for Standardbred racehorses over the three-day Labor Day weekend is greater than at any other time of the year. This weekend, three Maine tracks will vie for enough horses to fill their racing programs. Windsor Fair and Blue… Read More
Most of Maine’s premier schoolgirl basketball players have been expected to continue their careers at the University of Maine. Julie Veilleux of Augusta decided early on that playing at UMaine wasn’t going to be a foregone conclusion and the she would explore all her options. Read More
ORONO – Brian Scott exudes confidence and intensity as he calls out the play to his huddled University of Maine teammates. There is determination in the authoritative growl of his cadence as the 22-year-old from Waterville prepares for his debut as the Black Bears’ starting… Read More
AUGUSTA — Mainers who are convinced their driver’s license photos show them in the worst pose possible can now smile: They’ll soon get a choice of pictures. Maine’s motor vehicle chief on Thursday unveiled new state drivers’ licenses that will be issued starting in October. Read More
PRESQUE ISLE — A student at the University of Maine at Presque Isle was killed Thursday morning when her car went off the road and hit a tree, according to Maine State Police. Amanda Orr, 18, of Mapleton was late for class at the university… Read More
ROCKLAND — The Courier Publications building is on the sale block for $1.8 million, and a potential site for a new building is on city-owned property. “We definitely plan to build a new building,” owner Jeremy Halbreich said Thursday in a telephone conversation from Dallas. Read More
PITTSFIELD — The University of Connecticut telephoned the University of Maine Cooperative Extension last week, looking for 10,000 bales of hay to feed its dairy herd. “I had to tell them that we don’t have it either,” Dick Brzozowski, Extension educator in Cumberland County, said… Read More
WASHINGTON — Proposed fuel efficiency standards could leave Maine residents without vehicles powerful enough for hauling and traveling rough terrain, automakers claim. Car and truck manufacturers started a campaign last month against raising the mandated fuel efficiency of cars and trucks after a few senators… Read More
BOSTON — Vice President Al Gore announced new initiatives Thursday designed to protect the country’s shorelines and oceans, and he also said the federal checkbook would be opened for struggling New England fishermen. “They’re not just part of the environment, but they’re an engine of… Read More
ROCKLAND — Officials at the Maine Correctional Institution, also known as the Supermax, are ready to turn a video camera on inmate Richard Moloney today when medical personnel draw his blood for state-mandated DNA analysis — using reasonable, nondeadly force, if necessary. A Knox County… Read More
PORTLAND — Opponents of a new 10,000-seat arena in the Bayside neighborhood cheered a decision by city officials to turn down the Libra Foundation’s offer to donate land and money for the $46 million project. The Portland Pirates, who are looking to move out of… Read More
LEWISTON — Maine’s 124 game wardens will have more firepower starting this fall. Wardens are discarding their old .357-caliber Magnum revolvers that have been used for 20 years. The new sidearm will be the semiautomatic .357-caliber Sig Sauer 226, which has a 12-shot magazine. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
HARTLAND — An unidentified Hartland man earned himself a ride home Thursday afternoon, courtesy of the Maine State Police, but he hadn’t done anything illegal. The man was seen on Elm Street about 15 minutes before the Hartland Consolidated School was due to release children… Read More
BANGOR — Nobody questions the benefits a baby gets from suckling the breast milk of his or her mother. Nobody questions the benefits a baby derives from knowing the biological father. A judge Thursday decided the rights of one parent could not outweigh the other… Read More
KITTERY — The U.S. Navy has decided to pay what it owes to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for submarine overhaul work. Navy Secretary Richard Danzig ordered the Naval Sea Systems Command to transfer $9 million to the Kittery shipyard Thursday for uncompensated work done to… Read More
AUGUSTA — Maine experienced a 21 percent increase this year in campsite reservations at 12 state parks, nearly doubling the number of reservations processed just over a decade ago and reaching the highest level ever recorded by the central reservation office. The Maine Bureau of… Read More
BREWER — City officials unveiled plans Thursday for a multimillion-dollar deal expected to result in at least 106 new manufacturing jobs. According to Economic Development Director Drew Sachs, the city is working out an arrangement with Lemforder Corp. aimed at helping the German-based auto parts… Read More
ROCKLAND — Police released few new details in their investigation of the slaying of Hope Harford, a 22-year-old mother of four who was buried Thursday. State police investigators, with the assistance of two Rockland detectives, have interviewed dozens of people who either knew the victim… Read More
ORONO — This fall’s University of Maine freshman class will be the largest since 1991, school president Peter Hoff said Thursday in a new academic year press conference held annually. There will be 1,647 freshmen when classes start next week, a 15 percent increase over… Read More
PHIPPSBURG — Archaeologists at the site of the historic Popham Colony have dug up artifacts that support the accuracy of a map of one of the first English settlements in the New World. The map, which surfaced just over a century ago, is purported to… Read More
In their op-ed piece of Aug. 28-29 (“Museum to engage young minds”), Rick Schwiekert, Frank Farrington and Marc Berlin made a point worth repeating — the rebirth of Bangor’s downtown requires “a concerted joint effort with many steps.” Happily, the children’s museum is a giant step in the… Read More
We said goodbye during a lull in the afternoon rainstorm. Our feet sank into the soft, wet earth by the side of a newly paved road, dirtying my new white sneakers. She clung to me like she did when she was 3; her arms were wrapped around my… Read More
In Thursday’s Sound Advice column, the reviews of albums by Mark Isham and Bill Laswell were written by Bruce Kyle. His byline was inadvertently dropped during the editing process. Read More
Because of an editing error, a story in some editions Thursday on the Machias school budget said that Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School Principal Mitchell Look resigned last year. Look was hired last year and continues as principal of the school. Because of an editing… Read More
With summer behind us and the spirit of autumn settling into the air, we need something on the calendar to look forward to that isn’t a holiday or a ski trip. From September to April, the Maine Center for the Arts hopes to fill that slot with a… Read More
Superior Court Justice Margaret Kravchuk correctly supported Wednesday a Maine law requiring state prisoners to submit blood samples as part of a DNA data bank. Though the thought of state government keeping blood records of a certain class of citizens is creepy, the restrictions on the use of… Read More
I thought Susan Young’s two-part report on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (BDN, Aug. 7-8, 9) was very interesting When I was a youngster, I had the run of a large area of land behind our house. It contained ponds, woods and no houses, just a large standpipe. One… Read More
With dismay we saw the full page ad in last week’s edition of the Bangor Daily News from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (all except Honda) telling people to call their senators opposing increasing mile per gallon standards for the light trucks, minivans and sport utility vehicles. Is… Read More
WASHINGTON — Three California companies are recalling more than 900,000 cans of extremely flammable party spray string after one child was seriously burned. When sprayed near an open flame the string catches fire, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
ALFRED — A 63-year-old woman who accidentally sawed off her left hand has regained feeling in her fingers two days after a 14-hour operation in which the hand was reattached. Shirley Stone could return home from Massachusetts General Hospital as early as Friday, her husband,… Read More
BANGOR — Brothers Tony Randall and James Randall of Bradley, along with their nephew David Carver, also of the Bradley area, were sentenced Thursday in federal court on mail-fraud charges related to their roles in multiple staged automobile accidents. All three had pleaded guilty to… Read More
AUGUSTA — In addition to the heavy Labor Day weekend traffic, motorists can expect delays at several construction work zones around the state. The Maine Department of Transportation says drivers can expect delays in the following areas: I-95 Augusta to Waterville, both north and southbound,… Read More
Recently, the Brewer and Bangor city councils met with Gov. Angus King where we identified education and economic development as our top two priorities. The reasons were simple: The future of our region depends on our continued investment in both areas. We were encouraged to hear Gov. King… Read More
WEST PARIS — Police were looking for a man who robbed a Big Apple convenience store with a machete. A clerk in the store was not hurt during the robbery, which happened about 2:20 a.m. Wednesday, police said. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
LEWISTON — A sex offender who failed to show up for sentencing more than six months ago has been caught in Boston, authorities said. Douglas Lane, 36, of Lewiston was nabbed Wednesday on Boylston Street after agents from the Central Maine Violent Crimes Task Force… Read More
ELLSWORTH — The Grand Auditorium of Hancock County will hold auditions for the fall musical “Anything Goes,” at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11 and at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13. There will be eight male leads and eight female leads along with chorus and tap-dancing. Read More
AUGUSTA — A dispute between the state and Maine Yankee over soil sampling outside the defunct nuclear power plant has simmered as both sides try to find common ground. Clough Toppan, director of the Division of Health Engineering in the Bureau of Health, wants to… Read More
CALAIS — If this city wants a $6 million cultural heritage center in time for the 400th anniversary of the settlement of St. Croix Island in 2004, it better make its own effort and not depend on the feds. It was clear at a meeting… Read More
Machias District Court Dennis L. Knox, 37, Lubec, violating release conditions, jail 72 hours. 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()) {… Read More
MILO — Eighteen months ago, SAD 41 decided to combine the administrations of Penquis Valley High and Middle schools, housed in the same facility. One week after the start of the new school year, board members expressed concern that there was too much contact between students in the… Read More
SHERMAN — The Sherman alumni will hold their annual banquet at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, at the Sherman gym, followed at 8 p.m. by a dance featuring Mainly Country. Read More
SHERMAN STATION — The SAD 25 board at its meeting Wednesday night adopted more stringent rules against smoking. The new smoking policy prohibits the use of all tobacco products in school buildings, on school grounds, on buses and at school functions. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
MACHIAS — Superior Court Justice Donald Marden denied bail for 52-year-old Harold Hayman on Thursday, telling the former Danforth man that the court was unwilling to take the chance he might kill his ex-wife and himself. Hayman is charged with kidnapping, gross sexual assault, criminal… Read More
FORT KENT — A logger has pleaded guilty to illegally cutting down nearly 1,000 trees in Fort Kent. James Desjardins, 52, of Soldier Pond must pay back the owner of the wood lot, Norman Lavertu of Bristol, Conn. The amount was not disclosed. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
BANGOR — City councilors on the community and economic development committee voted Wednesday to approve a purchase option for the former U.S. Naval Reserve Center on Essex Street. Nightingale Communities Inc. of Norwich, Vt., will pay $225,000 for the property in order to build a… Read More
EAST MILLINOCKET — Residents may consider a proposal to increase the number of people elected to the Board of Selectmen. Selectman Bill Brunette this week proposed the town consider expanding its current three-person board to a five-person board to improve service to the public. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
MACHIAS — Despite his argument that he was wrongly convicted of assault and needed drug rehabilitation rather than jail, 29-year-old Scott Ramsdell of Cutler was sentenced to one year in prison Thursday. Superior Court Justice Donald Marden said Ramsdell’s long criminal record indicates he has… Read More
GLENBURN — Town officials here adopted one of the area’s tougher sex offender notification policies last week — one which would require a special public hearing and a townwide mailing each and every time a convicted sex offender moves into town. Town Manager Peter Chase… Read More
BANGOR — For five years, Fred Hartstone has pored over printouts, talked to city councilors, met with city staff, mailed out fliers and lined up media interviews — all in an attempt to increase the share of off-the-shelf hardware purchases that goes to Fred’s Hardware. Read More
WILLIMANTIC — A campaign waged by Willimantic town officials to get the state Department of Transportation to correct the deplorable condition of Route 150 ended successfully this week. The DOT originally had planned a project on Route 150 that included shimming to remove the crowns… Read More
SOUTHWEST HARBOR — The town should acquire land and physically separate administration and public safety functions, according to a report filed by a special advisory committee formed to help the town handle its growing pains. The town’s office and public safety department now occupy cramped… Read More
I know people in Maine love their trucks, but please give us small-car drivers a break when you park next to us. Trucks have gotten bigger and longer and when you park next to a small car you obstruct our view when we back out of our parking… Read More
Thinking about flying Delta? Think again. Delta cares about you? Think again. Thinking Delta will help you out when they change flight schedules and you can’t get home? Think again. We booked our dream vacation to the U.S. Virgin Islands 10 months in advance, knowing… Read More
If there is money to be given back by way of tax reduction, I believe the first consideration should be made for married or single persons with dependent children. The government has to accept some responsibility for the many latch-key kids whose mother and dad… Read More
There have been many times over the years that I have meant to submit a salute to Galen Cole for your pages. Once again I have reason to express recognition for a great patriot. He is truly appreciative of what veterans did, and do, for our country, and… Read More
I’m interested to see the “Maine” version of the favorite board game Monopoly prominently displayed this summer. Is it, I wonder, a precursor of things to come? Perhaps the millennium version will be released in the year 2000 — “Monopoly, the World.” What is frightening… Read More
I read with great interest Rep. Richard Campbell’s, R-Holden, response (BDN, Aug. 29-29) to House Majority Leader Michael Saxl’s guest column, “Pulp and paper’s future” (Aug. 21-22). Rep. Campbell’s partisan attack on a group gathered to discuss Maine’s pulp and paper industry was nothing short… Read More
The editor’s comments in “Welcome home” (BDN, Aug. 23) refer to North Dakota’s Project Back Home. It is satisfying to know two groups from halfway across the country are thinking alike. In 1998, a handful of concerned citizens organized a regional development organization in southern Aroostook County focused… Read More
BANGOR — The Institute for Quality Improvement at Eastern Maine Technical College is hosting a series of breakfasts from September through December 1999. Breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. at Rangeley Hall on the following dates: Sept. 8, Oct. 13, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
MONTVILLE — A fire that began in an upstairs room of a home Thursday night was contained there, Montville Fire Chief Richard Peavey reported. Montville firefighters, along with firefighters from Searsmont and Liberty, answered the call at 6:50 p.m. and responded to the Marcia Hall… Read More
FARMINGTON — The twice-weekly Franklin Journal and Farmington Chronicle and the weekly Livermore Falls Advertiser have been sold to a North Carolina couple. Publisher Janet K. Warner on Thursday announced the sale of the newspapers to Bill and Ann Kirkland of Durham, N.C., who owned… Read More
Commitment by adults to keep the organization strong has been a hallmark of the Boy Scouts of America. That is why we recognize that Karl Ward of the Katahdin Area Council, BSA, is working so hard to make the third annual Penobscot Valley Golf Classic,… Read More
OWLS HEAD — More than 200 antique motorcycles, from custom Harleys to original Triumphs, are expected to gather as exhibitors at the annual Antique Motorcycle Festival on Sunday, Sept. 5. The event will be at the Owls Head Transportation Museum. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
BELFAST — Authorities said Thursday a fire along the fence between a food co-op and a neighboring coin-op laundry was arson. The fire Wednesday night on the wooden fence between the Belfast Co-op and the Belfast Coin Laundry was reported at 10:50 p.m., Police Chief… Read More
TOWNSHIP 10 — A Harrington man died Thursday after being struck by a chain that broke loose from his car carrier shortly before 10:30 a.m. David Grant, 60, suffered injuries to the head and chest when a chain broke under pressure and hurtled toward him,… Read More
CHERRYFIELD — A car accident on Route 193 snapped an electrical pole Thursday morning, starting a forest fire on both sides of the road. Sante Romano, 69, of Pennsylvania ran off the road and into the pole at 11:10 a.m. after inadvertently driving into the… Read More
NORTHEAST HARBOR — The cause of an early morning fire that leveled the main residence of a Northeast Harbor estate may never be determined due to the extensive damage. Charred ruins of the Aug. 27 fire which destroyed a 1946 residence designed by renowned architect… Read More
A California man and former Mainer who recently moved to Bangor is calling the Penobscot County Jail his home, at least temporarily, after his arrest early Thursday morning. A Penobscot County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested Gregory Coffey, 36, on two warrants that dated back 16 years… Read More
WINTERPORT — Now that the rebuilding of the Monroe Road is about finished, the town office is turning its focus to Winterport’s other streets and byways. Town Manager Leo LaChance and road maintenance supervisor David Nason have begun inspecting the approximately 46 miles of paved… Read More
ROCKLAND — Tourists exploring Knox County in recent days might have thought they’d wandered into a Frank Capra movie come to life. At several key intersections, handwritten signs on bright orange paper pointed the way to Bedford Falls. Bedford Falls is the fictional town in… Read More
BANGOR — The Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce will kick off its season of Early Bird Breakfasts with the panel discussion: “The State of Healthcare Today.” It will take place at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, at Jeff’s Catering in the East-West Industrial Park in Brewer. Read More
Christopher Nadeau, a science teacher at Thornton Academy in Saco, has been named Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club’s Teacher of the Year for 1999 for the Saco-Biddeford area. Nadeau, a Saco resident and son of the late Betty Davis of Guilford, was awarded a $500 enrichment… Read More
ELLSWORTH — The latest step in distance banking has arrived in Hancock and Washington counties. Union Trust Co. has announced that beginning Tuesday it will offer NetBanking, which will allow the bank’s customers to conduct banking business over the Internet. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
LAKEVIEW PLANTATION — Bob Gates and his Dixielanders will entertain the public at 2:30 p.m. Labor Day in the new gazebo-bandstand on the park in Lakeview Plantation Village. Park benches have recently been added to the park, along with the bandstand, reminding older citizens of… Read More
DETROIT — A special town meeting has been set for next week to allow townspeople to direct the future of the Detroit Meeting House. Operated for decades as the Detroit United Methodist Church, the 133-year-old meeting house was closed three years ago due to lack… Read More
FAIRFIELD — At the urging of residents, state environmental authorities have agreed to test fish taken from a stream near an old paper mill dump for elevated levels of dioxin. In recent months, several people who live within a few miles of the former Central… Read More
FAIRFIELD — To Michelle Pratt, a Lawrence High School freshman, a new arts and sciences center will mean never having to sing over the echoes in the gym as family members listen from the bleachers. To senior Elizabeth Baker, the center will mean her younger… Read More
HARTLAND — By 2002, Consumers Maine Water, Hartland Division, must stop drawing its water supply from Starbird Pond or start filtering it. Consumers officials expect a report at the end of the month aimed at a long-term improvement plan for the Hartland water service, according… Read More
HARTLAND — Truckloads of paving materials were backed up Thursday morning on Academy Street as Route 152 to St. Albans was being resurfaced. Across town, trucks were delivering fill to the site of the town’s new fire station. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT — The first week of middle school in Dover-Foxcroft went well despite the fact the pupils had to take their classes in portable classrooms instead of the school with which they were familiar. SeDoMoCha Middle School is in the midst of renovation to correct… Read More
FAIRFIELD — Rusty Bell, a Benton businessman, is sick of the bad publicity that has dogged neighboring Fairfield in recent weeks. First the police chief was suspended for mismanaging his budget and misusing a town credit card. Then a fire department volunteer was charged with… Read More