University of Southern Maine senior guard Julie Plant of Gorham was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division III Kodak Women’s All-America Basketball team. Plant, who averaged 14.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 30 games, is among the 41 finalists after earning… Read More
    CHANDLER, Ariz. – Noah Mason scored on a bases-loaded walk in the 11th inning to lift Northern Colorado to a 15-14 win over the University of Maine Wednesday. Mason doubled, singled and drove in three runs for Northern Colorado. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    I am 74 and have been involved in the fishing industry all of my adult life. When I was a young man and fished offshore, the whales arrived in June and gathered during the summer months when there was feed for them. As the weather… Read More
    Gov. King’s vision quest to put a laptop in the hands of every seventh-grader by the year 2005 probably has merit (for four-fifths of the population). This idea provides the catalyst to young minds propelling them and the growth rate of Maine’s economy into the 21st century. Read More
    Ruth-Ellen Cohen’s story regarding the use of a “squaw” remark by a local radio announcer (BDN, March 4-5) included references to both “squaw” and “squa,” and that both of these words will be removed from state geographical names (LD 2418). In a story by Dick… Read More
    I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how excited we are to have become recipients of the MBNA/Island Institute and Maine Library Association grants program. The timing could not have been better for us. Our library board recently approved a five-year plan which evolved… Read More
    On behalf of the Maine greeters I would like to say thank you for taking the time to come out to our ninth anniversary of the first Persian Gulf flight on March 8, at Bangor International Airport. The turnout was great. Special thanks to the people who helped… Read More
    AUGUSTA–Four Maine judges, including one member of the Supreme Judicial Court, receiced the state Senate’s approval Wednesday to serve new seven-year terms. The Senate confirmed the reappointment of Howard Dana Jr. of Portland to the supreme court bench, and elevated District Judge Ellen Gorman of… Read More
    Public television’s recent fund drive is a good move and is well done. I appreciate all information sources and support them as I can with my money. I believe it’s best in developing balanced perspectives. But the coverage of presidential candidates repeatedly mentioned them as… Read More
    CALAIS–A job fair is planned next week at Washington County Technical College. Maine Career Advantage, WCTC and the University of Maine at Machias will co-sponsor the fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, at St. Croix Hall at the technical college campus. Read More
    WISCASSET–A Brunswick man sought in connection with a string of antique thefts in Maine was arrested Tuesday in South Carolina, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department said. Michael P. Washburn, 21, was nabbed during a traffic stop on Interstate 20 and was taken to the Lexington… Read More
    SWANVILLE — If town meeting can be used as a gauge, support for hiring a town manager appears to be weak. Voters on Tuesday slashed an article calling for setting aside $46,467 from surplus for a town administrator and an assistant to $200. The article… Read More
    LEE — Residents will consider a proposal to convert a plow truck into a garbage truck in an effort to cut waste disposal costs and will decide how the fire chief will be selected during the annual town meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, March 20, at the junior… Read More
    WALDOBORO — Bids for a $5.5 million sewage treatment plant will be solicited within a week, and construction could begin by Memorial Day, John Fancy, Waldoboro Utility District superintendent, said Wednesday. The system, which will be about two miles north of Route 1 on land… Read More
    BANGOR — The first defense witnesses took the stand Wednesday in the case of the former Etna town clerk accused of stealing town funds and setting fire to the town office in 1996. Janice Parsons, 48, faces two counts each of felony theft and arson… Read More
    LINCOLNVILLE — If all of Maine’s salmon rivers were as protected as the Ducktrap River, federal intervention might not be necessary, a wildlife official said Wednesday. Paul Nickerson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service praised the efforts of the local Ducktrap Coalition — a… Read More
    BAR HARBOR — A marketing and public relations specialist who has worked in Hawaii, Wisconsin and Massachusetts has been hired as chief executive director of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. Clare Wood will begin work the first week in April, the Chamber announced Wednesday. Read More
    MOUNT DESERT — After a decade working as the town’s code enforcement officer, Terry Towne leaves today for a job at Winter Harbor. Towne has become a civilian employee with the Navy’s Winter Harbor facility, where he will be an environmental specialist. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    OTIS — Eighth-graders at the Beech Hill School will conduct an auction next week to raise money for their class trip to New York and to assist the school in its plan to focus on community and parental involvement. A preview of items will begin… Read More
    MACHIAS — A musician has been named Volunteer of the Month at the University of Maine at Machias. Duane Ingalls was selected for his work developing an Arts in the Schools program at Beals Island Elementary School. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    CHESTER — Residents of this northern Penobscot County town will consider a town budget of $222,825 during the annual town meeting at 8 p.m. Monday, March 20, at the Marianne Municipal Building. The total budget proposal represents an increase of $20,528.50 compared with last year. Read More
    BANGOR — The Bangor Humane Society will have a send-off for Dr. James Young at 2:30 p.m. today. Young is heading to Georgia to begin a six-month solo trek of the Appalachian Trail to benefit the Bangor Humane Society. Shelley Chavonelle, society director, and Young… Read More
    CONCORD, N.H. — Two people who needed rescuing because they may have acted irresponsibly have made donations to the state Fish and Game Department. Dr. Bernoff Dahl, a retired Winterport, Maine, pathologist, gave $3,000 to the department to help cover costs incurred during his rescue… Read More
    BANGOR — The Bangor Historical Society will host an open house for volunteers at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 25, at the Thomas A. Hill House Museum, 159 Union St. The Historical Society is looking for volunteers to fill the positions of tour guides, general and… Read More
    LEE — High school students at Lee Academy were evacuated from school twice Wednesday as the result of separate bomb threats. Penobscot County Deputy Quinton Goodall said police are investigating the incidents and are following up on leads. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    THOMASTON — The annual Fourth of July festivities may fizzle if volunteers do not come forward before the end of the month, a backer says. Douglas Erickson, chairman of the Fourth committee, said the event requires at least 40 volunteers to run activities adequately. He… Read More
    ST. GEORGE — A director of SAD 50 who did not seek re-election has accepted a write-in nomination for the three-year position. SAD 50 comprises Thomaston, St. George and Cushing. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
    ROCKPORT — Two intersections controlled by traffic signals have been reconfigured by the state Department of Transportation. Craig Cooley, administrative assistant at the Rockport Police Department, reported that the Route 1-Route 90 intersection has been changed so that the left lane is exclusively a turning… Read More
    STONINGTON — Selectmen have agreed to cancel a lease with Terra Nova Seafoods, a Nova Scotia company that has occupied the building located on the Pete Collins property the town purchased jointly with Isle au Haut. Selectman Evelyn Duncan said the company requested the move… Read More
    ST. GEORGE — A $1.2 million municipal budget won approval Tuesday. Besides approving all articles as proposed, taxpayers backed hiring a full-time harbor master. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
    ROCKLAND — Phillip deMaynadier of the Endangered Species Group of the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will be the speaker at Mid-Coast Audubon’s monthly meeting. The program will be at 7 p.m. Friday, March 17, at Bartlett Woods on Talbot Avenue. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    MILO — It will cost SAD 41 about $18,000 to replace all the musical instruments stolen from the band room earlier this month, according to Jack Eastman, the band director at Penquis Valley High School. Eastman discovered that some instruments were missing as students were… Read More
    NEWPORT — Forty to 50 volunteers, 2,000 children in 117 groups, lots and lots of food and miles of footwork — those are the ingredients for a successful State Jazz Music Festival, according to John Burgess, chairman of the SAD 48 Music Boosters. The annual… Read More
    HOULTON — Region 2 Vocational Education has announced the following courses: Twelve-week Class-A truck driving course, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, March 20, at the SAVE building. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
    ISLAND FALLS — Peace of mind took a back seat to peace and quiet Monday, when residents recalled a section of the town’s zoning ordinance covering obnoxious conditions. In July 1974, voters approved a warrant article covering property uses that prohibited “all uses that are… Read More
    Reed Plantation This community will hold its annual meeting at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 18, at the town hall. 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
    CARIBOU — Ted Bell will be inducted as Caribou postmaster at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 30, at the Caribou Post Office. The oath of office will be administered by Elizabeth Johnson, acting district manager, Customer Service and Sales for the U.S. Postal Service, District of Maine. Read More
    MADAWASKA — A three-session Arthritis Foundation course, “Arthritis Self-Help,” will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, April 1, 15, and 29, at the HORIZONS Madawaska Regional Health Center on 80 Mill St. Participants will learn about arthritis and fibromyalgia while practicing techniques… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE — Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development will hold its annual meeting, with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:15 p.m. Friday, March 17, at the University of Maine at Presque Isle Campus Center. The LEAD evening program will include Irish music… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE — Nonprofit groups and organizations may apply to raise funds through the 53rd annual Presque Isle Rotary Club Auction, to be held Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1. Deadline for applications is Saturday, April 15. Application forms are available from auction chairmen Bob… Read More
    CARIBOU — The Caribou Business and Professional Women’s Club offers three local Y2000 scholarships, one for a high school senior, one to a college student entering junior year, and one to a nontraditional student. The application deadline is Sunday, April 30. The Maine Federation Business… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE — HORIZONS Wellness Services will offer a massage workshop for the head, neck and shoulders from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, March 20, in McCain Room B, Gould Memorial Hospital. Celia Giles, a certified massage therapist, will lead the workshop. Participants should wear… Read More
    LIMESTONE — Diversity committees from the Loring Job Corps Center will sponsor a women’s panel from 10 to 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, March 28, at the Loring Job Corps Community Center. The panel will celebrate Women’s History Month, the theme for March. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    SKOWHEGAN — A three-part series on home-based businesses will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, March 21 and 28, and Thursday, March 23, at the Somerset County Extension office. The interactive course will develop ideas, answer questions, teach market research and how to… Read More
    GREENVILLE — Local contractors trying to keep up with the growth in construction in the Moosehead Lake region in the past year say their hardest job is finding skilled laborers. But if a course proposed at Greenville High School is embraced later this month by… Read More
    CANAAN — The 62 articles set for Canaan’s annual town meeting on Saturday, if all are passed, will not affect the town’s mill rate, Treasurer Barbara Small said Wednesday. The rate is now $15 per $1,000 valuation. “We don’t expect a change,” Small said. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    GUILFORD — The Guilford Historical Society will resume regular monthly meetings at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, in the museum, corner of North Main and School streets. The society has been in recess during the winter months. Plans will be made for the annual spring… Read More
    GUILFORD — SAD 4 Adult Education and the Bureau of Highway Safety will sponsor a driving dynamics course from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, April 11 and 12, at Piscataquis Community High School. The five-hour course will offer all drivers the opportunity to… Read More
    LEWISTON — Central Maine Medical Center Health Start program will offer “Couples Massage” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, March 27, in Room I of Central Maine Medical Center, 12 High St. For more information or registration, call the CMMC Healthy Start Wellness Center at… Read More
    DETROIT — Last year was a rocky one for the Detroit Volunteer Fire Department. Citing a lack of training, proper equipment and professionalism, the town of Plymouth pulled out of a long-standing mutual aid agreement, and neighboring Pittsfield threatened to do the same. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT — James D. Annis of Dover-Foxcroft has announced his candidacy as a Republican for the state representative seat in District 112. Annis lists as his issues of concern: education, particularly the need for more effective technical high school programs; health care and reduction of… Read More
    GREENVILLE — A proposed municipal budget reflecting a 4 percent increase in expenditures was unveiled Tuesday by Greenville Town Manager David Cota. Selectmen are in the process of scrutinizing the proposed $1.18 million budget, which will be offset by $609,855 in revenues. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    BANGOR — Police detectives investigated a small fire outside a vacant residence Wednesday that was ignited by an incendiary device. It wasn’t clear late Wednesday night what exactly caused the fire that was reported shortly before 7 p.m. and blackened a section of brick wall… Read More
    The key to a map in Wednesday’s editions misidentified the on- and off-road route of a proposed Brewer-to-Calais bikeway. The map and key above give the correct information. The state Department of Transportation has developed plans for the 133-mile route and plans four hearings in towns along the… Read More
    BANGOR — The Massachusetts-based Yankee Candle Co. opened its third company-owned store in Maine on Wednesday at the Bangor Mall. Yankee Candle, the country’s leading manufacturer, retailer and wholesaler of scented candles, is expanding its presence nationwide. Located next to Lids near center court, the… Read More
    Local residents with an interest in history are invited to attend a meeting of the Maine Forest and Logging Museum at 7 tonight at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church at the corner of State and Holyoke streets in Bangor. Maine Forest and Logging Museum operates Leonard’s… Read More
    BANGOR — A measure that would have awarded the contract for the purchase of six police computers to a Virginia company was amended by the City Council on Wednesday to substitute the name of a local firm, even though it meant rejecting the low bid. Read More
    BAR HARBOR — Action was delayed Wednesday night on a proposed 87-resident retirement community called Birch Bay Village planned for Hulls Cove. Planning board members postponed action on the plan Wednesday night after learning that the applicants wanted the panel to table a public hearing… Read More
    THE GOSSAMER GREEN, by Jean G. Howard, Creative Arts Book Co., Berkeley, Calif., 190 pages, paperback, $14.95. In Jean Howard’s new book for young adult readers, we are introduced to an imaginary species of birds, the gossamer green, inhabitants of Greengoss Isles, which lie far… Read More
    Spring will be here in a few days and cold weather will be mainly just a memory for another year. What brings about the change of seasons? A commonly held belief is that we are nearer to the sun in the summer than in the… Read More
    A recent column on all those independent — and beloved — senior citizens residing in our communities throughout Maine prompted several responses, among them the following quips about growing old: “My wild oats have turned into prunes and All-Bran.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    PORTLAND — The investigation of the rape of a 46-year-old woman near a busy Portland intersection led Tuesday night to the arrest of a fugitive from New Jersey. Sean Whaley, 28, of Atlantic City, N.J., was being held without bail on a fugitive-from-justice charge and… Read More
    More than a dozen advocacy groups Wednesday protested what they called “intimidation tactics” by lawmakers against the Natural Resources Council of Maine and some other organizations that supported a bill to withhold taxpayer subsidies from companies that violate environmental laws. Republican lawmakers wrote to the… Read More
    AUGUSTA — Gov. Angus King and his administration are making the hard sell, trying to gain support for his proposal to provide laptop computers eventually to every junior and senior high school student in Maine. But lawmakers aren’t buying. The proposal came under sharp criticism… Read More
    MANCHESTER, N.H. — Maine and Massachusetts Hells Angels have established a chapter in New Hampshire, and police are not pleased. “Certainly, they are cause for considerable concern,” said Manchester Police Chief Mark Driscoll. “These individuals contribute little that’s in any way to be construed as… Read More
    DEXTER — A toy poodle abandoned earlier this month on a Sangerville road with its muzzle bound by an elastic band is adjusting nicely in his new Corinna home. The black male dog, nicknamed “Puppy” by his rescuers, is “one little happy dog” in his… Read More
    ELLSWORTH — A Bucksport man previously acquitted of having unlawful sexual contact with a teen-age girl has been exonerated once again, this time in a civil setting. Last fall, four months after Michael Longo’s criminal trial, the Department of Human Services maintained that he was… Read More
    BANGOR — Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. (NYSE:BGR) has declared a cash dividend on its common stock of 20 cents, payable April 20 to shareholders of record March 31. The quarterly dividend represents a 5-cent increase over the 15-cents-per-share dividend declared in each of the previous three… Read More
    BANGOR — A Brewer man will spend at least 12 years in prison in connection with an arson fire that destroyed a Holden pizzeria last summer. Penobscot County Superior Court Justice Andrew Mead sentenced Larry Weldon Smith, 29, to 15 years in prison for the… Read More
    WASHINGTON — Greenwood pickled beets distributed in eight states are being recalled because some jars may contain bits of glass, the manufacturer announced Wednesday. Agrilink Foods Inc. of Rochester, N.Y., said it is recalling 3,500 cases of the beets distributed in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maine,… Read More
    DEDHAM — The man whose dogs and birds were found unattended and possibly neglected pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of cruelty to animals, according to the Hancock County district attorney. Mihail Koxarakis, owner of the former Mike’s Pizza in Holden, received a suspended $500… Read More
    LEWISTON — A man who forced his way into homes in Lewiston and Auburn threatened to cut off the toes of one of his victims and beat another so severely that he required hip surgery, police said. District Court Judge Paul Cote, who called the… Read More
    I have the privilege of teaching science at an incredibly wonderful local high school. The students come in every day ready to work hard and learn as much as they can. They are polite, well groomed and respectful. Their parents are concerned about the academic performance of their… Read More
    The Bangor Daily News recently published a front-page story based mostly on the Maine Toxics Action Coalition and Andy Smith, the state toxicologist. There were some points that were incorrect and some other points missing. The MTAC is not a part of the Natural Resource… Read More
    ROCK HILL, S.C. — Federal investigators trying to determine what caused a blast that killed two workers at a Bowater Inc. paper plant kept company officials away from the site Wednesday. Tuesday’s explosion shook the ground a mile away and blew out windows on some… Read More
    By the end of the first act of “The Children’s Hour,” Lillian Hellman’s once-controversial drama now at the Opera House, a mystifying portrait of a vicious boarding school girl named Mary Tilford emerges. Her malicious powers, mostly used to break rules and blackmail classmates, come to full guile… Read More
    March is National Nutrition Month. By proclamation of the governor, it’s Maine Nutrition Month. This coincides nicely with a new Centers for Disease Control study ranking Maine as one of the most overweight and sedentary states in an overweight and sedentary nation (not to mention the flabbiest in… Read More
    One sees all sorts of oddities at Maine’s State House, but depending on the conclusions of a legislative commission, lawmakers may in the near future have computers on each of their desks from which they could e-mail each other about why giving laptops to all seventh-graders in Maine… Read More
    A story in Wednesday’s paper incorrectly stated that the last contested 2nd Congressional District Republican primary was in 1972. In fact, the most recent contested race was 1994. Read More
    Certainly, tradition and rivalry are endemic to college sports — without them, the games schools play wouldn’t hold much meaning. But when traditions and rivalries escalate to violence among “fanatics,” the schools involved must take steps to impose sportsmanship and order. That’s the case with… Read More
    WASHINGTON — Get ready for more airline flights out of some of the nation’s busiest airports and a $1.50 increase in local airport passenger taxes. Both are part of a $40 billion aviation bill the House passed Wednesday. With air passengers expected to increase from… Read More
    In Theaters: “Mission to Mars” Just imagine the bickering that could have been heard around the world had audiences been allowed to sit in the back seat of Brian De Palma’s ill-fated “Mission to Mars”: googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    Last week I gave you a preview of what’s on the market for quick and easy freeze-dried foods — the kind of meals you’d take along when weight and space were a concern. This week, I’ll let you know what five people and I think… Read More