After more than a year of deliberation, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has chosen to duck a difficult – and sure to be contested – decision, by asking the U. S. Department of Justice to help it decide how much say Maine Indian tribes should have over… Read More
AUGUSTA – A coalition of health groups and legislators said Wednesday they will fight a proposal by Gov. Angus King to plug part of the state’s Medicaid shortfall with money previously set aside for illness-prevention programs. Speaker after speaker at a Wednesday press conference at… Read More
WASHINGTON – For the first time in history, a Republican woman – Sen. Olympia J. Snowe – has been tapped for a full term on the Senate Finance Committee. Snowe will give up her seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, but in a dramatic… Read More
A survey by a national education publication gives Maine a mediocre C grade when it comes to educational standards and accountability, ranking the state 28th in the nation. However, Maine is “struggling with the right issues” when it comes to applying academic standards and holding… Read More
A Jan. 10 story in Maine Day about a proposed drug program for Washington County referred to Carrie McDonald as a substance abuse counselor. McDonald is a substance abuse prevention coordinator. Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – North Meets South, a restaurant offering a combination of local fare as well as food with a Southern flair, has opened in the former Spencer’s Family Restaurant on North Street. Sue-Ellen and Armand Ruest, owners of the restaurant that opened Monday, have hired… Read More
BANGOR – The State Street Rite Aid in Bangor, slated to close later this month, is being shut down because of poor profit performance, a company spokesperson said Wednesday. The store’s prescription database will be transferred to the company’s Union Street store, the spokesperson said. Read More
SEATTLE – Seattle Times employees who agreed to a contract that guarantees jobs for all 800 strikers began returning to work Wednesday, ending a seven-week walkout. Guild members voted 359-116 on Monday to accept a contract offer. The strike was watched closely in Maine, where… Read More
BANGOR – A one-day workshop, “Listening to Your Business,” will be presented Jan. 13 by John Massaua, a founding officer of Staples office supply. The workshop is part of the nationally recognized FastTrac business training program for entrepreneurs and small-business owners. The training is designed… Read More
United Parcel Service, the world’s largest express carrier and package delivery company, has reached an agreement to acquire Fritz Companies Inc. for $450 million in UPS stock. Fritz, which has seven employees in three Maine towns, is a freight forwarding and customs brokerage firm. It… Read More
PORTLAND – Gale warnings kept some fishermen in port but the hardy ones didn’t let the wind and waves stop them from taking advantage of the start of the northern shrimp season this week in New England. Strong wind gusts marked the beginning of the… Read More
Ah, another round of wealthy southern Maine-Massachussetts environmentalists whining about the lack of federally owned lands suitable for their “playgrounds.” I knew they couldn’t stand being out of the limelight for long. I have a problem with them demanding their “right to access of privately owned land.” It… Read More
Linda Chavez assured her own departure as nominee for secretary of labor when she failed during the initial vetting process to tell George Bush’s team about her harboring and, essentially, employing an illegal alien in the early 1990s. But she was correct Tuesday about the “search and destroy”… Read More
With new supporters, a filibuster-beating head count and momentum on his side, Sen. John McCain says he will make campaign finance reform the Senate’s first business after the presidential inauguration. President Bush, though cool on the subject, would do well to listen to the Arizona senator on this… Read More
I saw an ad on television that features a voiceover that begs and pleads for an end to gun violence through the use of trigger locks. It ends with the image of two children in their parents’ dresser greedily handling the handgun contained there. Judging from the news,… Read More
The Bangor-Brewer area lost a great man, dentist and a true giver to the people on Jan. 7. I knew Dr. Bill Cutler Jr. from when we were in grammar school, junior high, high school and at the University of Maine. We played ball together… Read More
In the Jan. 6-7 Bangor Daily News, you have two articles side by side. The first is about three settled lawsuits from a 1996 car crash, in which a 20-year-old man, a legally drunken driver, killed three people and seriously injured a fourth. He pleaded guilty to and… Read More
A front page story (BDN, Dec. 26) on teaching health workers how to treat patients suffering from pain can be a serious challenge. Narcotics, called opioids, such as morphine, codeine, Fentanyl, when used improperly, cannot only kill pain, but also can kill you. Health care… Read More
I dislike the changes made in Maine Public Radio programming. If MPR will change back to programming more music, I will double my yearly contribution. The bottom line is dollars. If there are enough people who will join in pledging more money for more music,… Read More
Several months ago my husband and I took a relaxing drive to the White Mountain National Forest. I marveled at the size of this preserve vs. the size of New Hampshire. I thought, what is all the fuss about in Maine about the proposed Maine… Read More
Inauguration festivities for George W. Bush begin precisely one week from today with a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial. This opening event will celebrate this nation’s two-century tradition of peaceful transitions of power, a proud record that has stood unbroken despite war, domestic strife, economic calamity, even Florida. Read More
WASHINGTON – Confirmation hearings for Defense Secretary-designate Donald H. Rumsfeld open Thursday with Maine’s outgoing Armed Services Committee member, Olympia J. Snowe, and incoming Armed Services Committee member, Susan M. Collins, both offering support. Snowe, the state’s senior senator, said she is saddened to see… Read More
BELFAST – A jury of seven women and five men has found that Natachia Ramsey was not criminally responsible for the death of the infant son she smothered nearly two years ago while she was depressed. The 26-year-old Rockland woman wept audibly when the verdict… Read More
AUGUSTA – Legislative leaders rallied around a new initiative Wednesday they promised would provide the most significant infusion of state resources into domestic violence programs since 1986. The $4.8 million proposal far exceeds the $500,000 Gov. Angus S. King has allocated for domestic violence programs… Read More
WASHINGTON – Electric rate increases for Maine residents and businesses were temporarily frozen Wednesday when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decided to reconsider a recent order allowing rates to rise sharply. “It’s an excellent decision,” Rep. John Baldacci, D-Maine, said. “No bills will be issued… Read More
AUGUSTA – The Maine Republican Party violated state election laws in 34 House and Senate races with a mailing by its Maine GOP Victory 2000 political action committee, the Ethics Commission ruled Wednesday. Commission members said the PAC mailing endorsed specific candidates but did not report expenditures, as… Read More
BANGOR – An accused murderer from Corinth came face to face Wednesday with the powerful and damaging evidence of DNA. Two discarded cigarette butts left in the ashtray at the murder scene ultimately convinced police that Franklin A. Higgins II was the prime suspect in… Read More
SEARSPORT – The MBNA Foundation in Maine has awarded a $600,000 challenge grant to the Save Our Schools organization to help fund construction of an addition to the SAD 56 high school. Members of Save Our Schools made the announcement of the grant at a… Read More
NEWPORT – Facing a 23 percent increase in health insurance premiums for town employees, selectmen here will meet next week with representatives of the Maine Municipal Association health care plan, trying to avoid additional costs for the town and employees. Such close scrutiny of the… Read More
UNITY – Horror struck this town a year ago when fire claimed the lives of triplet brothers and the county sheriff who was helping put it out. But hope is rising from the ashes as the community has banded together to build a memorial park on the site… Read More
Bangor District Court Richard A. Meffert Jr., 28, Middleton, R.I., failing to register motor vehicle operating on public way, $100. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
BLUE HILL – The spring season is still a few months off, but members of the sailing team at George Stevens Academy spent a morning recently getting ready. They unloaded six new 420 class sailboats bought through the joint efforts of the academy and the… Read More
CLINTON – The Clinton Town Office and Clinton-Benton Transfer Station will be closed Monday, Jan. 15, for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The office will reopen at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16. Read More
Bangor District Court Vaughn Stevenson, 28, Bangor, assault, not guilty; criminal threatening, not guilty. 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
FORT KENT – Water conservation by the 600-plus users of the municipal water system has dropped drastically over the last quarter century, especially in the last 10 years. The Fort Kent Water Department is pumping 54 percent less water today than it was in 1976. Read More
An injured lynx that was caught in a trap in Aroostook County in October and underwent surgery and treatment at the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine was released back into the wild Tuesday. Canada lynx are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act,… Read More
HAMPDEN – Residents begged the planning board Wednesday to deny Sawyer Environmental Recovery Facility’s request to expand, complaining that the landfill was ruining the town’s scenic character and creating a nuisance with constant noise and noxious odors. A handful of people asserted during the site… Read More
BANGOR – The brother of an Aroostook County man killed two years ago when he was struck by a Schwan’s food delivery truck has filed a lawsuit against the national corporation for wrongful death. John F. Prescott of Washburn seeks $150,000 plus payment of interest,… Read More
BANGOR – A plan to establish a methadone clinic in the city took another step forward Wednesday as the state’s top substance abuse official accepted a report on the Down East region’s growing problem with heroin and prescription painkillers. The Special Committee on Opiate Addiction,… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – Citizen of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award nominations are being accepted for the year 2000. Applications are available at all financial institutions in Presque Isle, area service clubs and the Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce. Deadline for applications is Jan. 26. Read More
HOULTON – Property taxes for 2001 could jump by 1.75 mils, based on a proposed budget of $7.1 million. The increase of $1.75 per $1,000 of property valuation would push the town’s tax rate to 27 mills. For a home valued at $50,000, that represents… Read More
OLD TOWN – The Eastern Maine Diecast Association will hold its regular monthly meeting at a new time and place, from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5, in the Older Adult Center of the Old Town YMCA on Stillwater Avenue. EMDA is a nonprofit… Read More
HOLDEN – A free developmental screening for 3- and 4-year-old children, and for 5-year-olds not yet eligible for kindergarten, will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, at the Holden Town Office. Vision, hearing, fine and gross motor skills, speech and language, social-emotional and cognitive… Read More
BELFAST – A city man was jailed this week after being arrested on charges that he forced anal and oral sex on a 9-year-old boy. Donald G. Pacheco, 48, of Belfast was arrested on a charge of gross sexual assault after an investigation by Waldo… Read More
LITTLE SQUAW TOWNSHIP – A Lincoln man suffered leg and chest injuries Tuesday evening when he fell from a snowmobile on a steep incline on the ITS 86 snowmobile trail. Corey Taylor, 23, was taken to the Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville and… Read More
BANGOR – Former troop greeters and other interested people are invited to a meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, in the main conference room of the Maine Veterans Home, 44 Hogan Road. Veteran greeter Everett Steele and others will discuss plans to commemorate the… Read More
BANGOR – A space heater caused a Tuesday afternoon fire that damaged an unoccupied home on Holland Street, fire officials said Wednesday. The blaze started when the heater overloaded electrical wiring, which caught fire in the wall, according to Ed Archer, an investigator with the… Read More
HAMPDEN – The Hampden Goodwill Riders Snowmobile Club will hold a public baked bean supper from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Snowmobile Club House on Route 9. For information, call 862-3973. Read More
ROCKLAND – The attorney for a group of Thomaston residents has asked the court for an extension to file an amended appeal in its lawsuit against two gravel pit owners. The residents have appeals pending in Knox County Superior Court against George C. Hall &… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – An association that claims during telephone calls that it is raising money for law enforcement now is working the Piscataquis County region. Police say residents should be leery of any call from the Police Athletic Association, whose actions have been investigated by law… Read More
ARLINGTON, Va. – Bath Iron Works on Wednesday unveiled its proposal for the Navy’s next-generation stealth destroyer, a futuristic design intended to strike at targets far inland and operate at reduced cost with a bare-bones crew. Officials from the Maine shipyard, parent company General Dynamics… Read More
MEDWAY – A Libby Street man was free on $100,000 single-surety bail Wednesday after a weekend seizure of cocaine and marijuana from his home. On Jan. 5, special agents with the Houlton Task Force of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency obtained a search warrant for… Read More
BANGOR – A burglar smashed through the passenger-side window of a 1994 Ford Taurus on Tuesday night at an Odlin Road parking lot and made off with a handbag belonging to an 18-year-old Bangor woman. The car reportedly had approximately $300 damage. It was parked… Read More
Houlton District Court Shawn D. Campbell, 30, Houlton, possessing loaded firearm in motor vehicle, $100. 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
BAILEYVILLE – The federal government may not be eager to supply $1.6 million to this mill town for a new commercial park and trade center, but the venture remains on track. The proposed commercial park envisioned for the area near Routes 1 and 9 could… Read More
OLD TOWN – AMVETS, American Veterans Post No. 9, of Old Town will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the VFW Bingo Hall on South Water Street. For information or to become a member, call Don Plummer at 827-6575 or Ron Pooler… Read More
BANGOR – The NARFE Downeast Chapter 0485 will hold its monthly luncheon meeting at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the Ramada Inn. U.S. Rep. John Baldacci will be guest speaker. For information, call Jackie Campbell at 884-7259. Read More
CHESTER – A Sunday fire that destroyed the main building of the Walpole Manufacturing mill was caused by an extension cord left plugged into heating tape on the building’s roof, fire investigators said Wednesday. The electricity overloaded the wiring in the building’s wall, according to… Read More
PORTLAND – The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on a motion to dismiss a lawsuit arising from a longstanding dispute over whether the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is in Maine or New Hampshire. Those who favor changing the border said the court’s order was… Read More
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – A man who authorities say lived in a 15-year-old girl’s bedroom closet before her mother found out and had him arrested may have had a similar relationship with a teen-age girl in Maine. Knox County prosecutor John Baker said Tuesday that… Read More
The Wednesday morning mail contained a letter from Harold Conners, director of social services for The Salvation Army in Bangor. Conners wrote on behalf of The Salvation Army and those it serves to thank all who have contributed to its Oil Fund for the Needy. Read More
WISCASSET – Maine Yankee and anti-nuclear activists are awaiting a Nuclear Regulatory Commission report on the risks of storing spent fuel at nuclear power plants that have been taken off line. The report could raise new questions about radiation dangers posed during a catastrophic event… Read More
OTTAWA – Government and potato industry representatives from Prince Edward Island made a pitch to federal officials Wednesday, seeking compensation for lost markets caused by a U.S. ban on Prince Edward Island spuds. Bureaucrats said they will present the case to Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief,… Read More
FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – The strike by New Brunswick doctors is over, but there are fears the problems that started it will only get worse. The New Brunswick Medical Society threw in the towel Wednesday in its dispute with the provincial government over wages and… Read More
WASHINGTON – No other GOP Senate team proved as independent minded last year as Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan M. Collins of Maine. Snowe opposed GOP majority positions 29 percent of the time; Collins opposed Republican ranks 26 percent of the time, ranking fourth… Read More
BRUNSWICK – A New York lawyer and former trustee has been tapped to become Bowdoin College’s 14th president. Barry Mills, a 1972 Bowdoin graduate, was unanimously chosen by trustees and a presidential search committee. He will replace Robert Edwards, who will step down June 30… Read More
WATERVILLE – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be observed with a community breakfast 7:30-9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 15, at Senior Spectrum’s Muskie Center, 38 Gold St. Colby College professor Robert Weisbrot, a historian of the civil rights movement, will be the featured speaker… Read More
Ironically, one of the Christmas carols I remember well but forget to sing contains this refrain: “Snow was falling, snow on snow … In the bleak midwinter, long, long ago.” I’ve been humming the melody this week – over and over in automatic rewind –… Read More
Watching the artistry of Rudy Galindo on the ice, it’s hard to fathom all the skater has gone through in his life. The breakup of a highly successful pairs team. Subsequently struggling as an amateur solo skater. The deaths of his father and brother. And now,… Read More
Between the glossy (read waterproof) covers of “Snowmen: Snow Creatures, Crafts, and Other Winter Projects,” inspiration jumps off the pages. Well, actually, if you lived in Florida, you probably wouldn’t find much of value in there, but since we’re here, in the tundra, well into our first foot… Read More
PORTLAND – Will and Joanne Cook underestimated the strong demand for their 2001 calendar featuring photos of the Bachelor Lobstermen of Maine. The 6,000 calendars the Rockland couple ordered from the printer have been sold out for weeks and there are no plans to put… Read More
The Gulf War, now a decade in the past, made Americans suddenly aware of the threat from biological weapons when reports surfaced that Iraq had targeted Israel with scud missiles carrying warheads loaded with anthrax. If true, the threat never materialized and many complacently believe that it vanished… Read More
HERMON – With all eyes on Lindsey Duplisea as the sharpshooting senior guard continues to make a comeback from her knee injury, a 5-foot-8 junior forward sparked the Hermon girls basketball team Wednesday night. And for Stearns fans … well, it was hard to watch… Read More
Louis Janicki of Hampden, who was fired from his position as boys varsity soccer coach at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor last August, has filed a lawsuit against the school, several school officials, and the parents of a student at the school. The… Read More
ORONO – For the past three years, ever since his University of Maine team made the step from “building” to “contending”, John Giannini has made a couple of points perfectly clear. Winning teams defend. Winning teams rebound. Winning teams get to the loose balls. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Fifteen years ago Caribou High School had an enrollment of about 1,300 students. Today that number has dwindled by 750, and the Vikings often have struggled against much larger Class A opponents. The drop in enrollment prompted Caribou athletic director Dwight Hunter and principal David… Read More
COLLEGE At Gorham 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 () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
PORTLAND – The Portland Sea Dogs will be hosting a Hot Stove Luncheon on Friday, Jan. 26 Sea Dogs’ Manager Rick Renteria and Marlins Farm Director Rick Williams will be the guest speakers at the luncheon. The luncheon will be held at the Indian Heritage… Read More
BREWER – The Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby will begin accepting registrations for the 2001 Soap Box Derby Race on Saturday, Jan. 20th from 8 a.m. to noon at the Brewer Auditorium’s Senior Room. Registrations will be accepted on a first come-first serve basis. Registrants should bring a… Read More
At Waterville, Sam Clark scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Colby to an 85-60 men’s basketball victory over Thomas College. David Forsyth scored 13 points and Damien Strahorn netted 11 for the White Mules. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
HAMPDEN – Justin DiFrederico scored 18 points Wednesday night to lead the Hampden Academy Broncos to a 59-54 Class A basketball overtime victory over his father’s previously unbeaten Nokomis. Ben Keller went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in overtime en route to 11 points… Read More
GUILFORD – Backup guard Karoleanne Emery scored 11 of her team-high 14 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday night, including a shot from the lane with two seconds left, lifting Piscataquis to a 44-42 victory over Central. Sandi Haskell scored 13 points for the Pirates,… Read More
Hockey East and Fox Sports Net New England have renewed an exclusive, multiyear deal that will ensure Hockey East games will be seen on FSNNE for a fourth straight season. The deal, which extends the contract through the 2001-2002 season, includes nine regular season games,… Read More
MAINE vs. STONY BROOK Time, site: Thursday, 7 p.m.; USB Sports Complex, Stony Brook, N.Y. 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
Karen Droog wasn’t sure what to expect when she stepped onto the ice at the University of Maine’s Alfond Arena for the first time in her career. The only thing the freshman right winger did know was “I would do my best.” googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Moosestompers 2001 will come to the crown of Maine from Feb. 2 to 4 in Houlton, complete with hockey games, poker runs (one of which begins 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, with more than $500 in prizes), snowmobile light parade, sleigh rides, bonfires and breakfasts. For information, call… Read More
Pantera will travel north to perform with Soulfly and Morbid Angel at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 16, at the Central Maine Civic Center in Lewiston. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $28.50 and are available at the CMCC box office and all Ticketmaster locations, by calling 775-3331… Read More
Ani DiFranco and her band will return to Portland after two years at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, at the Merrill Auditorium. Tickets go on sale at noon Friday, Jan. 19, for $26.50 and can be obtained at the box office, by calling 842-0800, or online at www.porttix.com. Read More
BANGOR – A night of Maine humor will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, in Peakes Auditorium at Bangor High School featuring Joe Bennett, Gary Crocker and Clyde Folsom. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for students and senior citizens. Bennett has been… Read More
All the leaves are brown (under a white coat of flurries) and the sky is gray – just the type of winter’s day to inspire a bit of California dreaming. But on this snow-blown, frigid afternoon, actor Jason “Jake” Hodgdon is glad to be home… Read More
I was sitting at my desk last Tuesday, the first day back at work after vacation, feeling overwhelmed by the seeming mountain of things to do, when the phone rang. The cheery voice on the other end of the line asked me to “guess where I am.”… Read More
Bird-watching in winter can yield delightful and unexpected results, as reports from readers have proved. A highlight over the past week includes a sighting of a varied thrush at a feeder in Etna. Because it is primarily a Western bird whose range extends down the… Read More
Fire up your snowmobile and hook on your tote sled, the latest snowstorm delivered a present to areas that were cheated out of all the white stuff in the previous storm. This winter is shaping up to be one when the dusty cross-country skies and snowshoes get to… Read More