Bangor Hurricanes swimmer Kim Rice can remember a 13-year-old Ian Crocker, making the cutoff times for the Junior National swim championships but was unsure of himself, worried about whether he could beat the the 17- and 18-year-olds. Relax, Rice remembers Hurricanes coach Tim Babcock telling… Read More
    The St. Albans Fire Department is sponsoring a Snowmobile Grass Drag to be held in St. Albans Aug. 19-20. Competition starts saturday with registration from 2:30-4:30 p.m. and racing starts at 5:30. Sunday’s registration is from 8-10 a.m. with racing at 11. The races will… Read More
    HERMON – Ellsworth’s Danny Overlock posted his first win of the season in Wednesday night’s Tiger Division race at Speedway 95. Andy Migliore of Newport finished second with Cherryfield’s Chuck Hall in third. Shane Phippen of Bar Harbor notched fourth while Steve McLeod of St. Read More
    Bates College student Mike Ferry qualified for the 2000 United States Olympic Rowing team. Ferry and Crewmate Henry Nuzum will compete in the double sculls. Ferry and Nuzum are now in Switzerland for a month, where five more boats have an opportunity to qualify for… Read More
    The state’s first facility built exclusively for kart racing is alive and well and exceeding expectations. The Sebasticook Valley Karting Komplex in St. Albans is in its second full season and Marti Anderson of Lamoine, who owns the track with her husband Nate, said “we’ve… Read More
    Skowhegan Fair has two racing days left — tonight and Saturday. Tonight’s 11-race program features three divisions of Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes 3-year-old colts and geldings, each division racing for a $5,371 purse. Post time is 7:30 p.m. Skowhegan returns to afternoon racing on Saturday… Read More
    PORTLAND – The company that operates the Scotia Prince ferry between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, is being sold to a company that plans to upgrade service with a newer, bigger vessel, officials said Thursday. Prince of Fundy Cruises searched long and hard to find… Read More
    ROCKLAND – An 11-year-old girl struck by a car Thursday escaped serious injuries. Assistant Fire Chief Darren Davis said the girl, Ashley Flaherty of Rockland, was the victim of a “low-speed collision” at 2:42 p.m. on Main Street near the True Value hardware store. Flaherty… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Maine should consider making it tougher for activists to propose referendum questions, which require straight up-or-down votes on complex issues without letting lawmakers make improvements, Gov. Angus King said. Ballot questions resulting from the referendum process can be poorly worded and deceptive, and… Read More
    STANDISH – Bonny Eagle High School hopes to use an electronic version of a hall monitor to put an end to bomb threats and other disruptions. The school this week installed 14 video cameras to monitor hallways and school parking lots. The cameras are connected… Read More
    MACHIAS – TV viewers from California to Calais have been able to see fleeting images of events tied to this weekend’s Wild Blueberry Festival in Machias, and a AAA travel magazine waded in this summer with a three-page spread on the annual event. It was… Read More
    MILFORD – All schools in Union 90, which includes students living in Milford, Bradley, Greenbush, Greenfield and Alton, will begin regular classes on Wednesday, Aug. 30. New students should register before Aug. 30 and must bring a birth certificate and verification of immunization. Prior records… Read More
    OLD TOWN – The City Council voted 6 -1 Thursday night to keep emergency dispatching local rather than switch to the Penobscot Regional Communications Center in Bangor. City officials estimated the decision will cost taxpayers more than $100,000 per year plus a start up cost of $19,500. Read More
    UNION – More than $6,000 in cash, plus checks, has been reported stolen from the Common Market, a sheriff’s lieutenant said Thursday. Knox County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the theft, Lt. Reginald Walker said, noting that there are possible suspects. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    ROCKLAND – City Councilor Elizabeth Gifford Stuart said Thursday that she will not seek another term. Stuart, who has served one term, said, that her role in city government has been rewarding but that she wants to devote more time to her family. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    BANGOR – Despite a faulty indicator light, a Piper Navajo plane made a safe landing Thursday at Bangor International Airport. According to BIA Director Bob Ziegelaar, the pilot of a small aircraft alerted airport authorities that there could be trouble after a landing gear indicator… Read More
    CAMDEN – The first day of school for students at Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport has been delayed by six days. The school has been under construction since spring of 1999. It was scheduled to be completed to allow students to start school… Read More
    BIDDEFORD – A nine-month investigation into the sale of a prescription narcotic has resulted in 11 arrests and is the first step in slashing the illegal use of OxyContin, said U.S. Attorney Jay McCloskey. The 11 have been charged with illegally obtaining and selling OxyContin,… Read More
    NEWINGTON, N.H. – Massachusetts Port Authority officials are exploring ways to use Pease International Tradeport to relieve some of the congestion at Boston’s Logan Airport. Massport officials toured the tradeport and Pease Airport on Wednesday. According to Pease Development Authority director George Meyer, Massport is… Read More
    NORTH BERWICK – A Teamsters representative said he planned to file a complaint with federal labor officials over the response of Pratt & Whitney’s management to labor-organizing efforts. The company that employs 1,200 people in North Berwick has threatened to fire employees who refuse to… Read More
    Customers of Maine’s largest provider of individual health insurance will face premium increases of one-quarter to one-third Jan. 1, if a new rate request is approved by the state. A 23.5 percent increase would affect the 23,000 Mainers in Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Chef Rosemary Conners of Pasta Vino in Bangor won a silver medal in the Great Taste of Maine Lobster Governor’s Tasting. Chef Charles Butler of the Waterfront Restaurant in Camden won the gold. Conners was honored for her recipe Lobster Stew with Vine-ripened… Read More
    An Associated Press story in Thursday’s Maine Day section about Topsham town employees naming a panel to investigate their town government contained incorrect information about Houlton. It was the Town Council in Houlton that failed to reappoint the town’s fire and police chiefs, not the town manager. Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Department of Labor has announced that it is experiencing temporary problems with its computer system. As a result, unemployment benefit checks will be delayed. According to Carol Webb, director of the benefits division, staff are working around the clock to restore the… Read More
    LEWISTON – U.S. Rep. John Baldacci has announced that he has expanded his campaign organization by hiring a field director. Kristina Lunner joined the staff in July and is working in the campaign’s Lewiston office. Lunner, who previously worked for the Maine Medical Association, will… Read More
    BANGOR – New Brunswick-based Prexar, an Internet access company formed in December, has reached an agreement with Web Worx in Waterville to provide Internet service to its 2,200 customers. Prexar is not buying Web Worx but is buying its customer base, said Kelly Cotiauux, a… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Republican Caucus of the Maine House says it will participate in the national Legislators’ Back to School Day on Sept. 15. The 50-state program, coordinated by the National Conference of State Legislatures, involves problem-solving exercises in the classroom. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – An 8-year-old girl reached out to touch a large mixed-breed dog on the town pier Friday and suffered a serious bite when the dog lunged at the side of her face, according to Bar Harbor police. The dog was being walked on… Read More
    It has been suggested that any link between intelligence and wealth is somewhere between tenuous and nonexstent. The invasion of Maine by the RV lifestyle seems to support the nonexistent end of the scale. Perhaps any Social Security reform should include a DNA test to try to determine… Read More
    Septic tank waste is landspread in every state in the nation. The most economcal way to dispose of septic tank waste is by landspreading. In the Bangor Daily News of Aug. 5-6, Victor Vere of Houlton writes that dumping of raw, untreated septic sewage can and does cause… Read More
    In response to a letter by Kenneth Sawyer (BDN, July 29-30) and his concerns over the deer population, and his opinion that deer are a hazard, and gardens, flowers, trees are being damaged, I beg him, please, stop blaming the deer. The current system of… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – A retreat especially designed for women will be offered by Maine Coast Memorial Hospital. The daylong retreat is designed to address issues surrounding stress, managing health and quality of lifestyle. The program is planned Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Unitarian Universalist Church. Attendees… Read More
    The editorial, “Fires out West,” in the Aug. 10 issue of the Bangor Daily News, needs further explanation. A reader of this editorial is not certain to which federal agency the author is referring. I surmise the agency is the National Park Service and not the National or… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – The Ellsworth Public Library will host the Steadman Fountain Exhibit. The art show will be on exhibit Tuesday, Sept. 5, through Monday, Oct. 2. The presentation will highlight day-by-day life and scenes of coastal Maine. Call the library for information, 667-6363. Read More
    FRANKLIN – A recent study on horseshoe crabs will be presented at the Friends of Tauntan Bay meeting. The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, at the Franklin Community Center on Route 182. Sue Schaller, fish and wildlife biologist will provide a… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Telephone tune sheet music will be on display as part of the fourth annual telephone fair. “All Alone with the Telephone” and “Hello Central, Give Me Heaven” are songs in the collections of the Bagaduce Lening Library that will be on exhibit at The New England… Read More
    However real and deeply moving were the emotions of North and South Korean families reunited this week in Seoul and Pyongyang, the events themselves were a well-scripted gesture in public relations for the leaders of two countries whose half-century standoff seems badly dated in a post-Cold War world. Read More
    RUMFORD – A granite monument to Edmund S. Muskie, the town’s most famous son, will be unveiled and dedicated Saturday at a site overlooking the Androscoggin River. Muskie, who died four years ago at age 86, served as Maine governor, U.S. senator and secretary of… Read More
    BANGOR – A Pan Am 727 headed for Portsmouth was forced to return to Bangor International Airport on Thursday night when a warning light malfunctioned, indicating there was a fire in one of the plane’s three engines, according to Bob Ziegelaar, BIA director. Only five… Read More
    STAMFORD, Conn. – A juvenile court judge found sufficient evidence Thursday to try Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel in the 1975 slaying of a neighborhood girl, but ordered an investigation into whether the 39-year-old man should be tried as an adult or a juvenile. Skakel is… Read More
    MOUNT DESERT – As far as Martha Stewart’s concerned, a few unwelcome visitors to her Seal Harbor summer home can be anything but “a good thing.” Police on Thursday confirmed that a Crystal Limousine Service limo driven by Richard Anderson pulled onto Stewart’s driveway at… Read More
    RANGELEY – A New York man died after collapsing during a hike on Saddleback Mountain about noon Wednesday, authorities said. Neil Owen, 48, of Rye, N.Y., was with a group of eight hikers about half a mile from the summit at the time, according to… Read More
    ATTLEBORO, Mass. – A judge awarded a former member of a fundamentalist Christian sect custody of his five children Thursday but determined that an infant daughter of parents still in the sect should be put up for adoption. The decisions ended two days of hearings… Read More
    The word is that much of the community is getting involved with the Winterport Woman’s Club Mile-Long Yard Sale, which is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 19. And, the word is that you will get involved, too, if you pass through the town… Read More
    HOULTON – A disaster drill held Thursday morning as part of the training for local emergency medical personnel was termed very successful. “I think it went well,” said Milton Cone, the town’s fire chief and ambulance director. “It gave us a chance to go through… Read More
    OWLS HEAD – The state Board of Environmental Protection has agreed to take on the review of improvemnts at the Knox County Regional Airport. In a rare move, the board voted 7-2 Thursday to take over the permitting process from the Department of Environmental Protection… Read More
    GREENVILLE – Although community development block grant funds can’t be used to pay for vinyl siding on the side of the Community House, the project will continue as planned, paid for by a small group of volunteers. The Ready Workers, who operate the Community House,… Read More
    MEDFORD – When a Medford man returns home next week he’ll be arrested or summoned to court for cultivating 42 marijuana plants, according to police. Acting on information provided by a concerned citizen, deputies from the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant Thursday… Read More
    NEWPORT – A Massachusetts man was missing and presumed dead late Thursday after swimming into Sebasticook Lake to help his 9-year-old son reach the shore, authorities said. Richard Porter, 43, of Groveland, Mass., swam out among the large waves at about 4 p.m. when he… Read More
    GREENVILLE – Greenville Steam Co. has made every effort to reduce costs in preparation for a future made uncertain by deregulation, but high property taxes offset the savings, town officials learned Wednesday. Scott Hersey, general manager of the 15-megawatt steam plant that burns wood for… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield will hold student registration for all-day students from 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Aug. 23, and Thursday, Aug. 24, at the main office of Weymouth Hall. Updated student schedules, homeroom assignments and student handbooks will be available at that time. Students… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Jury selection is scheduled Monday in the trial of a Newport woman accused of killing her fiance in a drunken-driving crash two years ago. Margaret Davis, 41, has been charged with aggravated drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter. She could face up to 20… Read More
    HOULTON – Community Health and Counseling Services will host an open house to celebrate the expansion of its children’s services office from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, in the Houlton Trust Company building on 2 Water St. The additional space is adjacent… Read More
    LUDLOW – More than two dozen chickens were killed Thursday in an early morning fire on Hemore Road. The fire in a small storage barn owned by Lansing Jones was reported to the Houlton Fire Department shortly after 2:30 a.m. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    AMITY – The A.E. Howell Conservation Center and Spruce Acres Wildlife Refuge on Lycette Road in Amity will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19 and Sunday, Aug. 20. Among the animals that can be seen this year is a purebred wolf… Read More
    OAKFIELD – A United Cerebral Palsy benefit supper will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Oakfield Community Center on the Smyrna Road. The supper is sponsored by the Oakfield Fire Department. All proceeds will benefit United Cerebral Palsy. Read More
    When anyone asks me what it’s like to be a family doctor in a small, rural community, I have a ready reply. The medicine is the easy part, I say, only half joking. The had part is making sure my patients get appropriate health care. Read More
    Five University of Maine undergraduates this weekend will present their research and analysis of genetically engineered foods at a prestigious conference in Italy, the first time that work by students has been accepted at the convention. The paper is a noteworthy accomplishment at an international level for the… Read More
    An op-ed commentary appearing Thursday by Harold Johnson should have referred to the number of uninsured Americans as 43 million and stated that the health-insurance plan outlined could be put into effect by 2001, not 1993, as printed. Read More