WASHINGTON – The release of President Bush’s fiscal year 2002 federal budget proposal Monday morning is a mixed bag for the state of Maine, said lawmakers. While the president’s budget proposal includes full funding for the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve and money for U.S. Read More
ELLSWORTH – Blue Hill may be turning gray. “We’ve become kind of a retirement community,” says Selectman Gordon Emerson, who suspects the latest census numbers for his town would have been higher if the 2000 count had been after June 1 instead of early spring. Read More
SULLIVAN – Glistening in Monday’s sunshine, Ted and Joan Petterson’s three-story home looked as though it had been hit by a freak spring ice storm. But the sparkling shards that paved the roof and littered the wooded yard were not ice, but glass from more… Read More
BREWER – A makeshift bomb exploded in a Wilson Street parking lot Monday morning after a garbage truck driver discovered the device in the back of his truck. No one was hurt as a result of the incident, which prompted a police investigation into the… Read More
Monday’s regional page story on winners in the Skills USA-VICA Championships, held March 16 in Bangor, should have listed John Goss as a first-place winner in Promotional Bulletin Board. Goss is a student at United Technology Center and Bangor High School. A story in Friday’s… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – The Canadian potato industry would lose more than it would gain if it retaliated against its U.S. counterparts in the border dispute regarding potatoes from Prince Edward Island, Maine potato officials said Monday. Last week, P.E.I. politicians approved a resolution that called… Read More
PORTLAND – The founder of the now-defunct BroadcastAmerica.com is readying for a new venture in Maine. John Brier, 34, said he is in the process of developing computer software that will design personalized exercise programs and nutritional plans for people. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
Maine-based Mid-Maine Communications has just expanded its Internet service statewide to home and business computer users in towns served by Verizon Telephone Co. Mid-Maine Communications provides facilities-based DSL and is a competitive local exchange carrier providing dial tone to businesses. The company also is a… Read More
BIDDEFORD – Union workers at the Westpoint Stevens blanket mill have begrudgingly approved a new labor contract that averted a strike. Members of the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees voted 76-54 Sunday to accept the three-year contract but they were not thrilled with… Read More
AUGUSTA – Some 20 representatives of environmental, labor and peace groups from across Maine gathered in the Capitol on Monday to express their opposition to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas. The proposal would create a free trade agreement for nations in the… Read More
The Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee takes up three bills this week that address the two most emotional issues of the hyper-emotional debate over genetically engineered food – whether people have the right to know what they’re being fed and how nature can be protected from the… Read More
I am writing to commend you on the quality of Mal Leary’s April 5 article relative to the Maine State Retirement System investments. Your paper approached the subject in a very responsible manner and I would like to thank you and Leary on behalf of the board of… Read More
I concur with Sen. Olympia Snowe in her March 27 Bangor Daily News letter in which she advocates for tax relief and for a trigger to link tax cuts and spending to actual surpluses. I am troubled, though, by her lack of criticism of President Bush’s $1.6 trillion… Read More
Our senators should consider President Bush’s tax plan very carefully. I hope they will examine the budget first to make sure he hasn’t been too stingy with programs that help people in our country. Bush keeps saying, “It’s your money,” but it’s also your national debt, your water,… Read More
Bravo to the city planning board, Department of Environmental Protection and Bangor Area Citizens Organized for Responsible Development for rejecting and fighting Wal-Mart’s bid for a larger store. It’s wonderful that the Penjajawoc Marsh will be saved. Everyone realized that the traffic on Stillwater Avenue… Read More
Once again in the news is a case of first-degree murder and the defendant gets a slap on the wrist. I am referring to the Vella Gogan case. Here we have the wife, who not only shot her husband three times in the head while he slept, but… Read More
I am not employed by Sawyer Environmental Recovery Facilities and am not on the Hampden Citizens Coalition. I will apologize in advance for offending anyone. I am curious as to how many people on the coalition moved to Hampden prior to 1974 when SERF opened. And for those… Read More
A family member of mine recently had to have a prescription filled. This person has no insurance, so we decided to call around to check prices. We called three major pharmacies and received quotes from $127 to $245. With all the controversy over the price of prescription drugs… Read More
In spite of seeming the alarmist, I must tell you that we are in crisis. The use of drugs and dangerous pharmaceuticals in the local area, especially in the schools, is increasingly alarming. Such usage is said to be doubling every year. My recent association… Read More
Maine citizens respect Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins for their independence. President Bush came to Maine last month to rally support for his tax policy not only from citizens but also from these two important swing votes. Now it is our turn. We need to… Read More
By abandoning the Kyoto Protocols and reneging on his promise to cut carbon dioxide emissions, President Bush has recklessly chosen a shortsighted version of U.S. economic well-being over global long-term physical and economic health. The International Panel of Climate Change has warned of catastrophic climate… Read More
AUGUSTA – Frustrated with “lenient” sentences for child-murderers and husband killer Vella Gogan, the Legislature’s Criminal Justice Committee on Monday voted unanimously to form a study commission to investigate appropriate sentences for child-murderers. Then the panel members threatened to replace judges and prosecutors “to get the message across.”… Read More
AUGUSTA – With the jobs of nearly 100 members at stake, the Maine State Employees Association is urging state lawmakers to support the Senate’s amended version of the state budget. The 10,000-member MSEA is not the only organization twisting arms in the State House. Legislators… Read More
WATERVILLE – Distinguished judge and legal scholar Guido Calabresi will receive the first Morton A. Brody Distinguished Judicial Service Award in a ceremony April 18 at Colby College in Waterville. Calabresi, a federal judge in the 2nd Circuit (New York area), is best known for… Read More
AUGUSTA – With the governor’s $50 million laptop computer fund in jeopardy, an array of educators and business leaders used a legislative hearing Monday as a platform to voice their support for the proposal to give portable computers to every public-school seventh- and eighth-grader in the state. Read More
AUGUSTA – Christian activist groups began organizing Monday for a possible referendum to overturn Maine’s new policy of providing domestic partner benefits for state employees. The Ad Hoc Committee for Marriage and Family, whose formation was announced at a State House news conference, is also… Read More
AUGUSTA – Maine Consumers for Affordable Health Care, a consumer advocacy group, has joined with similar groups across the country in what they claim is the first of many lawsuits against drug companies that are trying to keep generic versions of brand-name drugs off the market. Read More
CARIBOU – The Caribou United Baptist Church will hold its Good Friday service at 7 p.m. April 13, at 74 High St. in Caribou. The Easter Sunday service schedule is as follows: 9:30 a.m., Sunday school for all ages; 10:45 a.m. Resurrection worship and believer’s… Read More
ORRINGTON – The community will mark the completion of its recent $6.2 million school consolidation project Wednesday night at Center Drive School. The event begins at 6 p.m. with tours of the new wing. A dedication ceremony will follow at 7 p.m. in the school’s new gymnasium. Read More
ELLSWORTH – Swift commercial growth should continue in this gateway city, councilors said Monday, following a heated debate at a city council meeting that was filled to standing room only. A June citizens’ vote on whether to place a moratorium on large-scale commercial development, as… Read More
ORLAND – By a 29-vote margin Monday night, voters here rejected a proposal that would have sent the town’s seventh- and eighth-grade pupils to the new Bucksport middle school beginning in 2003. The vote was 103 in favor of the measure, 132 opposed. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
PITTSFIELD – Something is clearly wrong with the process when a resident trying to develop his property is repeatedly shuffled back and forth between the zoning board of appeals and the planning board. “The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing,” commented… Read More
WASHINGTON – Noting that 220,000 Americans die each year of sudden cardiac arrest, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has introduced the Teaching Children to Save Lives Act, a bill designed to teach children the lifesaving skill of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. “The American Heart Association estimates that about… Read More
FORT KENT – A local police officer was stationed Monday at Fort Kent Community High School while officials continued to investigate a possible Internet threat against students, according to Fort Kent Police Chief Kenneth Michaud. Police have one suspect, a male juvenile from Fort Kent,… Read More
NEW LONDON, N.H. – Though piles of snow outside his home still stubbornly refuse to melt, Dan Allen has closed the book on a winter that, for him, lasted 10 years. Last month, he reached the summit of Springer Mountain in Georgia, apparently becoming the… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – The following divorces were granted during March in Maine District Court by Judge David Griffiths on the grounds of irreconcilable marital differences. Duane Rideout of Mars Hill and Anna Marie Rideout of East Haven, Conn., married Oct. 24, 1958, in New Haven,… Read More
BANGOR – Pupils in Mary Graham’s fourth-grade class at Zippel Elementary School in Presque Isle are some of the best back-seat drivers in the state. On Monday, the group traveled to Bangor to accept their first-place award in the Maine Department of Transportation’s Backseat Driver… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – The Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce will combine an Employee Appreciation Luncheon and Miss P.I. Pageant Preview and Fashion Show with National Secretary’s Day at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 25, at the Connection at the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center. Read More
OLD TOWN – The school committee is within $64,000 of an $11.1 million budget that would require no increase in property taxes. Superintendent Owen Maurais outlined the proposal for board members Monday night. Maurais estimated revenue would increase by $491,000 due to increases in state… Read More
BREWER – Faced with a projected loss in state revenue and increasing costs, the School Committee on Monday adopted a $13.2 million budget for the coming school year. The budget, about $620,000 less than school officials’ $13.8 million starting point and subject to final approval… Read More
HERMON – A Hampden woman died after the car she was driving collided with a pickup truck near the intersection of Bog and Newburgh roads Monday afternoon. Priscilla Burke, 69, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics from the Bangor Fire Department, according to… Read More
MOUNT DESERT – The Mount Desert Island Historical Society will be host of an oral history workshop from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at the Sound School House Museum. Pamela Dean, archivist at the Maine Folklife Center in Orono, will conduct the… Read More
LINCOLN – Despite the financial tough times facing the paper industry, the owner of Eastern Paper’s Brewer and Lincoln mills is confident the company will successfully emerge from Chapter 11 protection. The remarks from Joseph H. Torras, the owner of Eastern Pulp & Paper Corp.,… Read More
ELLSWORTH – For the first time a free Community Health Day will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, at the Medical Office Building at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital. In the interest of community health, community members will be offered free screenings… Read More
CASTINE – The Maine Maritime Academy Concert Band will present its annual spring concert at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, in Delano Auditorium, Leavitt Hall. The performance is free to the public. The band will feature pieces from “The Music Man,” “The Wizard of Oz,”… Read More
SULLIVAN – The GEAR-UP Parents Group will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at Mountain View School. The quest speaker will be Clifford “Kip” Young, who will speak on controlled-substance abuse in the school and what parents can do to help. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
BELFAST – The need to replace scores of worm-ravaged pilings has prompted the city to begin installing its floats earlier than normal. Harbor Master Kathy Messier usually waits until May to put in the floats, but the worm problem forced her to jump the gun. Read More
WARREN – The air in the Warren Community School gymnasium Monday night was thick with anger, frustration and impatience. Parents wanted answers to questions, but even medical professionals could not soothe their concerns. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
ROCKLAND – In his last chance to plead for leniency from a court, a Tenants Harbor man Monday blamed his 19-year-old daughter for the sexual abuse he had inflicted on her since she was a child. Knox County Superior Court Justice John Atwood sentenced Hupper… Read More
STOCKTON SPRINGS – After enduring cancellations caused by bad weather, residents finally had an opportunity to take care of their annual town meeting business Saturday. Two town meeting dates scheduled by the Board of Selectmen in March were postponed because of major snowstorms. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
ROCKPORT – Salim Lewis has asked Knox County Superior Court to have a neighbor’s building permit overturned. Lewis, a part-time resident of Ship Street, wants to the court to review the Rockport Board of Appeals decision on a permit for his neighbors, Marsha and Victor… Read More
DEXTER – Improving the local economy is of the utmost importance to the five candidates seeking election on May 8 to a vacant Town Council seat. The candidates, who want to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of Larry Bonneau, are Allen Ross, William… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Selectmen moved ahead Monday in their efforts to improve the local economy by voting to apply for funds to construct a building to house Creative Apparel. The Belmont-based manufacturer of chemical and protective garments for the military selected Dover-Foxcroft for its expansion plans,… Read More
GARLAND – The Garland Community Baptist Church will hold a special Easter program at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 15, at the church. An Easter breakfast will be held at 7 a.m. at the Garland Grange Hall. Sunday school for adults and children won’t be held,… Read More
ALFRED – Two of the six inmates identified by authorities as instigators of last February’s riot at the York County Jail have been indicted on charges of arson, aggravated criminal mischief and riot. Named in the indictments handed up Thursday were Christopher Todd Wynne, 20,… Read More
PORTLAND – Three years ago, Leah Estes wept as she begged forgiveness in court for the murder of a Scarborough grandmother. Now Estes is asking a judge to rescind her guilty plea and allow her to go on trial. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
PORTLAND – The hulking Bath Iron Works dry dock that has been a fixture on the Portland waterfront for two decades is getting closer to starting the long journey to its new home on the Adriatic Sea. The 80,000-ton dock was severed from its location… Read More
MACHIAS – The Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District is holding its annual tree and shrub sale. The deadline to order is April 20. A large assortment of hardy flowering shrubs and fruit trees is available and may be picked up on May 4. Read More
JONESPORT – Pentecostals of Jonesport will present a live-action Easter drama, “If You Had Been There” at 7 p.m. Friday through Monday, April 13-16, at the United Pentecostal Church, Highway 187-Bangor Road, in Jonesport. The presentation is designed to dramatize Christ’s last days on earth… Read More
CALAIS – Child and Family Opportunities Inc. and the Calais School Department plan an open house to promote collaboration between the Head Start program and the public schools. U.S. Rep. John Baldacci will be the keynote speaker at the open house, which will run from… Read More
MILO – SAD 41 Superintendent David Walker associates New Year’s Day with disaster. That’s because when he was principal at Brownville Elementary School, Walker spent three of them cleaning up after near catastrophes. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
Several seriously committed volunteers are needed to help Faith In Action of Eastern Maine continue to provide services for the frail and elderly of the Greater Bangor area. For seven years, this nonprofit agency, which receives no state or federal funds, has been helping the… Read More
ELLSWORTH – The joint was really jumping at Ellsworth High School during the weekend as more than 600 young musicians from around the state performed at the annual Maine State Vocal Jazz Festival. Schools in Ellsworth and Houlton were the big winners. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
PORTLAND – Portland police have identified a body found off Forest Avenue as that of a homeless man. Police Lt. Joseph Loughlin said the man was identified as James Tremblay, 52. He said an autopsy showed no evidence of foul play. He said Tremblay’s last known address was… Read More
PORTLAND – The Nellie Mae Foundation has awarded a $148,000 grant to the Senator George J. Mitchell Scholarship Research Institute to study barriers to college education in Maine, building on research showing that Maine students face obstacles that include financial troubles in obtaining higher education. Read More
The Maine Local Roads Center is sponsoring six work zone traffic control workshops around the state in April and early May. The workshops are aimed at local foremen and crew members, selectmen, road commissioners, town managers, public works directors, utility districts, private contractors and others working on public… Read More
AUGUSTA – The attorney general’s Consumer Information and Mediation Service is recruiting new volunteer consumer complaint mediators. Training will begin Monday, April 23, in Augusta. Volunteers will mediate consumer complaints over the phone or by mail in the attorney general’s Augusta office. Training in consumer… Read More
BRUNSWICK – Bowdoin College will honor 12 Maine teachers with Distinguished Teaching Awards on Thursday, April 12, at a series of events including a reception and awards dinner with Bowdoin President Robert H. Edwards and Maine Commissioner of Education J. Duke Albanese. The award was… Read More
Newspapers hot off the press will never set Nicholson Baker’s heart racing. But when they date back to the Eisenhower and Truman administrations, or better yet to the Roaring ’20s, his passion shows. “I love newspapers, but they have to be old. They have to feel like lost… Read More
April showers bring May flowers, so they say. This April is sure to be filled with rain showers, and much to the chagrin of those who want to set out the first pansies or pea seeds, as late as the 20th, according to the 2001 Farmer’s Almanac. Read More
ORONO – The Rockefeller Foundation has given a three-year $146,000 grant to the Wabanaki Center at the University of Maine to continue language and culture revitalization in Maine Passamaquoddy communities. The grant was part of the foundation’s Partnerships Affirming Community Transformation program that supports projects… Read More
Dear Jim: With energy shortages, global warming and rolling blackouts, I need to do my part and save a few bucks, too. I want to make a simple low-cost solar water heater. What is the simplest design to build? – Paul T. Dear Paul: Heating… Read More
Millinocket’s Steve Osborne was the NAIA Region 10 Player of the Year last season when he hit .456 with six homers and 38 runs batted in for St. Joseph’s College in Standish. He led the team with 57 hits. His encore this spring has been… Read More
COLLEGE Matt Reynolds 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
The Maine Hoops sixth-grade team from the Greater Bangor area won the state championship Sunday at the Youth Basketball of America tournament in Portland, defeating the Maine Thunder of Rumford 47-44. Team members include Isaac Young, Lincoln; Adam L’Italien, Enfield; Anthony Atkins, Hollis; Jonathan McAllian,… Read More
Kate Kovenock of Orono turned in a top finish as Maine’s fastest YMCA swimmers are competing at their national championships this week in Florida, while the Bangor YWCA Hurricane Swim Club returned home Monday night from a fine effort at the YWCA Nationals in North Carolina. Read More
Two former University of Maine linemates will be squaring off when the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, open their best-of-seven conference quarterfinal series against Carolina Thursday night in New Jersey. Bob Corkum, who was traded to… Read More
Catch-and-release tips A while ago someone wrote that trout cannot be released after caught because of “soft mouths.” I do not know what that means, but a fish hooked in the mouth, properly handled, will almost always be released unharmed. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More