MILO – A Florida-based railroad company is rumored to be considering buying or merging with the struggling Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. B&A reportedly faces unpaid tax and electric bills. The railroad, which operates 858 miles of line in Maine, Vermont and Quebec, has been struggling… Read More
    A news story in some editions Jan. 20-21 gave the wrong gender of one of the people involved in a head-on collision in Orland. The crash involved a man, Tracy Eldridge, and a woman, Linda Handzel. The accident occurred on Route 175. Read More
    The name of the Mount Desert Island freshman in a caption under a Sports page photo in Monday’s [Saturday’s] paper was spelled incorrectly. The correct name is Marisa Buyers-Basso. Read More
    BANGOR – The Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce plans to celebrate its 90th year of service to the community Wednesday with its annual awards dinner. Candy Guerrette, chamber director, said Monday the chamber first organized in 1911. There are no special events planned to mark… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Monday tabled its consideration of a projected $4.3 million loss by the end of February by Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. The anticipated shortfall is created by the difference between what the utility is paying for power and the… Read More
    Of course Raoul Wallenberg is a hero. I concur with Bert La Chance (BDN, Jan. 18) in his opposition to Paul Levine’s Jan. 12 commentary on Wallenberg. What surprises me is that there wasn’t a huge outcry at Levine’s assessment. I recommend Elenore Lester’s book,… Read More
    A 25 percent discount for prescription drugs for 225,000 Mainers without insurance is a significant step forward in this state’s attempt to help all residents obtain affordable health care. Human Services Commissioner Kevin Concannon and his staff deserve credit for putting together the federal Medicaid waiver needed to… Read More
    The Senate Judiciary Committee last week heard the pros and cons of the most contentious of the nominations for the Bush Cabinet, that of John Ashcroft for attorney general. How should a senator vote, in order to exercise properly his or her constitutional duty to advise and consent?… Read More
    The creation of Israel in 1949 has resulted in the development of apartheid conditions for Palestinians. Because they did not practice the state-sanctioned language and religion, Palestinians lost their land. The Israeli Kibbutz has been the primary means by which property has been seized. The… Read More
    I am a substitute teacher in the Bangor school system. I was reading the paper during lunch, more thoroughly than is habitual, since there was a stack of them delivered to the classroom for the continuation of the Newspapers in Education story, “The Secret School.” I was appalled… Read More
    I am happy that Richard G. Emerick of Orono (BDN, Jan. 19) has written to you voicing displeasure with recent programming changes at Maine Public Radio. I agree about the sad absence of live opera broadcasts, and I, too, decry the reduction of classical music programming. Read More
    Travis Michaud’s letter of Jan. 13-14 prompts me to remind him that much of northern Maine’s current residents are from Europe, so outside of the state as well. Try asking the natives, especially the displaced ones, how they feel about the Maine Woods National Park. So that “local… Read More
    Our senators and congressmen do not pay into Social Security and, therefore, do not collect from it. Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. Many years ago they voted in their benefit… Read More
    As a Christian ethicist and ordained minister, I felt a mixture of gratitude and alarm Jan. 22 as we marked yet another anniversary of the historic U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade. Why gratitude? Because I’m persuaded that a free society should protect… Read More
    Imagine a house on fire and firefighters throwing gasoline on it with the hope of extinguishing it. The United States does just that in Colombia. The gasoline, in this case, is a controversial aid package that goes by the name Plan Columbia. Last year Congress… Read More
    Proposed laws to ban cell- phone use while driving should be approached with great deliberation and care, if only because driving while talking on the car phone identifies you as a moron and a public menace, and I do it regularly. As an advocate of healthy behavior I… Read More
    BOSTON – Einar Gustafson, whose battle with cancer when he was a young baseball fan more than a half-century ago inspired the organization known as The Jimmy Fund, has died. He was 65. Gustafson suffered a stroke and died Sunday afternoon at a hospital in… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Two female workers at the Madison House of Pizza told the Human Rights Commission Monday that their supervisor routinely threatened to cut their hands off and beat them, said women should be beaten routinely and called them vulgar, sexist names. The commission heard… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The negative testimony hasn’t changed. The good news for the Maine Trappers Association is neither has the sentiment in the Legislature supporting one of Maine’s oldest outdoor traditions. While the proponents for a bill to ban all trapping spoke before the Inland Fisheries… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – Marilyn Morse announced her retirement this week after more than 20 years of service at the Pittsfield Community Theater, 19 years as its manager. Formerly called the Bijou, the theater is the only town-owned, taxpayer-backed theater in the state and possibly the nation. Read More
    OLD TOWN – The superintendent of the water district here had an alarm installed Monday that will alert staff to potential filtering problems before discolored water has a chance to reach businesses and residents. The Old Town Water District serves the municipalities of Old Town,… Read More
    BANGOR – It would have been quite a bargain. However, a federal judge on Friday rejected a Bangor businessman’s $5,000 offer for the River Dog cruise boat, which has an appraised value of between $125,000 and $175,000. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    CARIBOU – In a letter simply tacked to a bulletin board at the Aroostook County Superior Court, Justice Paul T. Pierson of Stockholm announced his intention to retire after almost 20 years as a state judge. The letter, addressed to Gov. Angus King Jr., said… Read More
    LIMESTONE – The number of ski programs and properties managed by the Maine Winter Sports Center has expanded to the point that the youth aspirations and Olympic training agency needed restructuring. To support that effort, the center has hired Andy Shepard, retail merchandise manager with… Read More
    BREWER – A code of ethics and conduct for city councilors, proposed by a former council member, fell flat when it was presented to the current City Council last week. During the council’s monthly meeting, former council member Jerry Lewis Hudson offered a code of… Read More
    HOULTON – Faced with declining enrollments, increased property valuations and rising costs, superintendents and school board members from five school districts met last week to discuss how they might better work together to deal with the problems. “We’re all between a rock and a hard… Read More
    Ehrin Johnson of Camden is among 12 George J. Mitchell Scholars announced Monday by the US.-Ireland Alliance, a nonprofit organization based in Washington. The 12 Mitchell scholars were chosen in a nationwide competition among 200 applicants. The awards allow each student to spend a year… Read More
    CORINNA – A reactivated, and re-energized, Corinna Economic Development Association is looking for public input as it tackles reconstruction and development of the town’s business district. As the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund cleanup continues, along with the Maine Department of Transportation’s realignment of Route… Read More
    PERRY – The ocean water was 37 degrees and the air was even colder, but that did not stop 30 hearty souls from jumping into the Atlantic Ocean last week, The first Washington County Technical College Polar Bear Dip raised more than $1,000 and some… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – The top state prosecutor for Hancock and Washington counties Monday warned of the rise of moneymaking pyramid schemes in the area. Hancock County District Attorney Michael Povich said he called a news conference about such schemes after he learned of somebody who had… Read More
    PORTLAND – A Frenchville man burned in an ice-fishing shack fire Jan. 13 at St. Agatha still was listed in serious condition Monday at Maine Medical Center, according to hospital officials. Edward Eckstein, 48, of Frenchville and formerly of Charleston, suffered third-degree burns on his… Read More
    BANGOR – A 20-year-old Bangor man accused of stabbing a man outside Shaw’s Supermarket on Saturday afternoon remained in Penobscot County Jail on Monday after appearing in 3rd District Court in Bangor on Monday morning. Wayne Ceasar is charged with aggravated assault and appeared before… Read More
    BREWER – Police arrested two people Monday afternoon and charged them with breaking into a Burr Street apartment and demanding money while brandishing a gun and hammer. The two, Kelly Bryant, 20, and David Townsend, 18, were arrested at their Hampden residence at 2:45 p.m.,… Read More
    LEWISTON – G. Edward Maroon, a longtime sports columnist for the Sun Journal, died Saturday at a Lewiston hospital shortly after surgery. He was 77. Maroon began making high school football picks under the pseudonym of “Mr. Downtown,” for the Lewiston Sun in the early… Read More
    CHICAGO – A Maine native who suffered multiple gunshot wounds in a shootout at Chicago’s Union Station has died of his injuries, authorities report. Daniel Wentworth, 26, who had moved from Wells, Maine, to the Phoenix area, was pronounced dead Sunday at Cook County Hospital,… Read More
    FRANKLIN – Two men face criminal charges after an accident on Route 182 Sunday night. Authorities said Adam Thompson, 36, of Addison was following Leslie Moon, 46, of Hancock when Moon hit his brakes suddenly. Thompson’s 1995 Subaru Legacy slammed into Moon’s 1988 Honda Accord,… Read More
    BANGOR – The world never ceased to amaze W. Gordon Robertson. Endowed with an adventurous spirit and a yearning to connect with people, the former president of the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad bought his first computer when he was 86 so he could e-mail relatives… Read More
    BLUE HILL – The Brentano String Quartet is named for Antonie Brentano, believed by many to be the subject of Beethoven’s letter to his “Immortal Beloved.” This letter symbolizes deeply felt passion that was eventually kept hidden. While the quartet certainly feels the passion, fortunately, they do not… Read More
    Dear Jim: We have a reasonably priced supply of firewood and we have always liked freestanding wood-burning stoves. Are new ones more convenient to use? What features are the best to use as occasional supplemental heating? – Lisa T. Dear Lisa: With heating bills skyrocketing,… Read More
    As we pleasantly pass the hours sifting through the stack of seed catalogs building up on the magazine rack by our favorite chair, and as we begin to think about which seeds we should indulge ourselves in this year, an industry is awakening quietly across the countryside. Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL At Big Squaw Mountain Resort, Greenville 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… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL (Games played through Jan. 20. Basketball standings compiled by Bob and Gertrude Butler, York) 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
    COLLEGE Heather Ernest 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 = [[300,250]];… Read More
    STANDISH – Greg Orlicz led a balanced attack as the Bowdoin College Polar Bears recorded a 70-58 men’s basketball victory over the St. Joseph’s College Monks Monday night. Orlicz finished the game with 19 points while Greg McKinnon added 14 and Mark Gilbride had 11… Read More
    MOUNT DESERT – James Hopkins’ pull-up jumper on a drive to the foul line with 6.3 seconds left was the difference in the game as his Mount Desert Island Trojans edged the Red Riots 56-55 in schoolboy basketball action on Monday. Daryl Watson’s potential game-tying shot… Read More
    Martin needs golf cart I can’t imagine why this controversy exists on whether Casey Martin should ride in a golf cart or not. When I heard of his terrible bone disease, I didn’t have to think twice. I automatically said, “of course he should ride.”… Read More