John Glenn told high school and college students alike Tuesday that having an “inordinate curiosity” is the key to uncovering and developing the new products and methods that improve the world. Because Americans are a “questing, curious” people, the United States is in the vanguard… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Thousands of Mainers will benefit from the $100 million settlement of a class action lawsuit brought against Pittsburgh-based Mylan Laboratories Inc. by Maine and 32 other states for overcharging users of lorazepam and clorazepate. The prescription drugs are anti-anxiety medications and are widely used in the… Read More
    BANGOR – Belva Morris, in her 90s and proud to be able to do her own banking, was having trouble a couple years ago climbing the concrete steps to the Limestone branch of Peoples Heritage Bank. A fractured ankle made it even worse. Bank employees… Read More
    Penobscot County court listings that ran in the Maine Day section on April 16 contained incorrect information supplied by the court. The listing should have stated that a charge of possessing marijuana against Eric W. Proctor, 22, of Bangor was dismissed. A story in some… Read More
    Supermarket chains and dairy processors in New England have been gouging milk buyers ever since a price control program was created to keep small dairy farmers from going out of business, according to a University of Connecticut study released Tuesday. The report, conducted by the… Read More
    HOULTON – Gray skies turned blue Tuesday for Prince Edward Island potato farmers as spud-laden trucks began rolling across the U.S.-Canada border bound for markets along the East Coast. Media from both sides of the border were lined up to watch trucks hauling tablestock potatoes… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Asserting that their bill would have a tremendous environmental impact, Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced legislation Tuesday that would raise the fuel economy standards for light-duty trucks, including sport utility vehicles, to match those set for cars. “This legislation… Read More
    COLLEGE America East Championship 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]… Read More
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    Members of Congress know that in their zeal to balance the budget in 1997, they cut funding to home health care so severely that they nearly wrecked a service that millions of people depend on. Now with a sizable surplus and the ability to repair some of the… Read More
    As a senator, John Ashcroft was utterly opposed to the federal lawsuit against the tobacco industry. As attorney general, he is entitled to that same opinion. As the boss at the Justice Department, he should know better than to trash his employees. If Mr. Ashcroft… Read More
    The editorial, “Genetic giants” (BDN, April 10), failed to mention an important new report. The Wall Street Journal published on April 5 a study of 20 food products labeled GMO-free or non-GMO. Of the 20, 16 contained evidence of genetic material used to modify plants. Read More
    Rich Hewitt’s excellent photo of Gov. Angus King, Cooper Friend and Ruth Foster (BDN, April 28-29) perhaps has more significance than the well-deserved “Top Drawer Award” to Friend. Over a period of quite a few years, I’ve gone to Ruth Foster’s children’s shop in Ellsworth to find gifts… Read More
    My wife received a letter from AT&T informing her of my passing away. I know other people have probably received the same type of letter, but can anyone tell me how they ever get such misguided information as to a person’s name, who is surprisingly dead, but very… Read More
    A lawsuit is under way to block John Martin’s bid for access to John’s Bridge on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. If the lawsuit fails, the AWW could have more administrative buildings, more access points, a perimeter road around Allagash Lake, commercial rafting on Chase Rapids, more sporting camps,… Read More
    An editing error changed Tuesday’s letter by William P. Robertson III. The opening paragraph should have read, “In the April 25 issue of the Bangor Daily News, the column by Dr. Paul Donohue is incorrect. Chlorine does cause cancer, as evidenced by documentation and my own personal experience.”… Read More
    I agree wholeheartedly with James A. Kavin (BDN, April 30) that “uncontrollable, aggressive behavior comes from insecurity, instability, poor or no discipline, limited parental guidance, lack of inbred self-discipline, and weak moral and/or behavioral standards.” Where my opinion differs, however, is with his implication that parents who send… Read More
    Pardon me for being contrary, but ad campaigns by dairies to publicize that their milk does not contain the artificial growth hormone BST is neither good for consumers, good for dairy farmers or good for common sense. Heck, it’s not even good for the environment. Read More
    Two months after my 18th birthday, I arrived in Vietnam. The long plane ride had given me abundant time to imagine the nature of what was about to befall me. I thought that I was ready for anything. I would die for my country and come home a… Read More
    On May 19, when Edward Chappell stands in front of the small gathering of old Army buddies from World War II, he’ll open the program the way he always has as master of ceremonies for the last 26 reunions of the 103rd Infantry Regiment. Chappell… Read More
    ROCKLAND – First he was arrested. Then he sat in jail for 486 days without trial. 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… Read More
    The sick have to fill out too many forms too many times, and they shouldn’t have to take it anymore, Blue Hill Hospital CEO Bruce D. Cummings said at a press conference in Washington, D.C., yesterday. To illustrate his point Cummings spoke in a room… Read More
    AUGUSTA – With its mirrorlike ebony finish reflecting the noonday sun, the Cadillac hearse solemnly pulled into the State House parking lot Tuesday where it was greeted by about a dozen mourners. Accompanied by a prerecorded dirge, the pallbearers opened the hearse’s rear door and… Read More
    Ellsworth High School Principal Martha Witham is not a big believer in surveillance cameras to keep students and staff safe. After all, she pointed out Monday, she worked at another Maine high school, in Gardiner, where authorities took pains to install cameras in a new… Read More
    HOLDEN – For the first time since they began meeting regularly last fall, members of the Interstate 395, Route 9 public advisory committee tonight will get a chance to begin eyeing some possible routes for a proposed connector road. Because the group’s usual work space… Read More
    BANGOR – Bail was set Tuesday for a 46-year-old man accused of threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend and forcing her to drive to Bangor with her 5-year-old son in the car. Gary Smith of Bangor faces charges of kidnapping and criminal threatening with a firearm… Read More
    HAMPDEN – A leaky roof and other structural problems at the Reeds Brook Middle School have prompted SAD 22 to bring a lawsuit against the architect and general contractor. SAD 22, which consists of Hampden, Winterport and Newburgh, is seeking an estimated $600,000 in damages… Read More
    BANGOR – Sixteen-year-old skateboarder Chris Ballesteros isn’t a construction foreman, but he spent most of Tuesday morning playing the part while directing a forklift driver and municipal workers in the construction of the Bangor Skate Park at Paul Bunyan Park on Main Street. The Bangor… Read More
    BANGOR – A 32-year-old Bangor man shot three times by police after allegedly charging at an officer with a wooden stake remained in critical condition Tuesday at a local hospital, with gunshot wounds to his chest and arm. Meanwhile Tuesday, Bangor police continued to compile… Read More
    ROCKPORT – U.S. Rep. Tom Allen and Peter Forbes of the Trust for Public Lands will speak at the Maine Land Conservation Conference from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at Camden Hills Regional High School, Route 90. A Topsham couple will be… Read More
    MOUNT DESERT – Camp Beech Cliff, a 50-acre camp located on the western shore of Echo Lake, is seeking volunteers for its annual camp cleanup day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 5. Camp Beech Cliff offers summer programs for children 8-14, environmental… Read More
    BLUE HILL – Burglars broke into the Maine Coast Veterinary Hospital on South Street over the weekend, making off with a metal lockbox containing prescription drugs, police said. Hospital owner Jayne Thibodeau reported the theft to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department early Monday morning. No… Read More
    STONINGTON – About $200 in damage was done to the garage at a summer cottage when vandals broke in sometime last month, police said. Alvah Hannaford of Hallowell discovered the damage Sunday morning when he made his first visit to the property on Greenlaw District… Read More
    LAMOINE – A local man was charged with driving to endanger Tuesday after his ex-girlfriend told Hancock County sheriff’s deputies that he had tried to run her off the road. Rachelle Johnson, 18, claims that Timothy Sprague Jr., 21, whom she described as an “estranged boyfriend,” was following… Read More
    DEER ISLE – Investigators worked Tuesday to learn the cause of a weekend fire that destroyed a large storage and workshop building at a boatyard and an estimated $5 million to $10 million worth of boats inside. Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office were… Read More
    GREAT POND – Brunswick Naval Air Station will get control of a 400-acre recreation area in northeastern Hancock County used during the Cold War era as a retreat for military personnel. The Air Force has control of Dow Pines Recreation Area, but abandoned it about… Read More
    Rockland District Court Judith Newman, 41, Warren, allowing dog to be at large, $50. 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
    ELLSWORTH – The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has recommended that the state buy a small parcel on Route 1A that was contaminated with waste oil more than 20 years ago. The DEP staff plans to clean up the site, which likely will involve excavation… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Officials at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital announced Tuesday that the hospital has paid more than $1.2 million in back taxes owed to the state. That early payment of the back taxes, owed to the state from the now-defunct state tax-and-match program with hospitals,… Read More
    A vehicle fire that occurred Monday morning at the Al Groder residence on Turner Avenue in Skowhegan demolished an all-terrain vehicle, a pickup truck and a nearby shed and heavily damaged a garage. State fire officials said faulty wiring in the ATV caused the fire. Read More
    SKOWHEGAN – A month after Somerset County commissioners and Rockwood Fire Chief Joe Munster reached a “gentlemen’s agreement” for fire protection in the unorganized territory, a formal contract is still in negotiation. Commissioners are scheduled to discuss the latest contract proposal today in Skowhegan. The… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – The history of bad blood between the Pittsfield Police Department and the town’s fire department goes back a solid 20 years. “There is absolutely no working relationship between us,” said Pittsfield Police Chief Steven Emery on Tuesday morning. “They won’t work with us,”… Read More
    Bangor District Court Justin M. Iwaniszek, 26, Bangor, driving to endanger, bound over for jury trial. 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… Read More
    NEWPORT – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded grants and low-interest loans to support projects in Newport and Mexico, U.S. Rep. John Baldacci announced Tuesday. The funding, which totals nearly $1.2 million, is being made available through the USDA’s Rural Development Agency. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    NEWPORT – Taxidermy students from Nokomis Regional High School returned this week from national training and competition at Piedmont College in Roxboro, N.C. Senior Jessica Bell’s mounted harbor seal took a first-place ribbon for Best in Category, for life-size, small mammals. Bell was recognized as… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – A recording of a recent telephone call to the Pittsfield Police Department dispatch service is frightening to hear. A mother is screaming into the phone, calling for an ambulance for her 7-year-old son who has been struck in the head with a club and is bleeding… Read More
    FORT KENT ? Employees at Northern Maine Medical Center have planned a full week of activities May 6-13 that will highlight the human touch in an age of advanced medical technology to celebrate National Hospital Week. Activities throughout the St. John Valley include three free… Read More
    FORT KENT ? Northern Maine Medical Center has announced the following June events: . Diabetes Support Group meeting, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 12, at the NMMC Inservice Room. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
    WALLAGRASS – SAD 27 pupils joined together to get information about what life was like in the early 20th century. The project, funded by a $2,000 grant from MBNA, was presented to pupils by volunteers of the Allagash Public Library. Pupils were challenged to gather… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A rally will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 3, at Capitol Park across from the State House for people who believe their children have been wrongfully taken by the Department of Human Services. The rally is planned to continue into the… Read More
    ENFIELD – Dr. Bill Davis, director of the University of Maine Institute for the Study of Children at Risk, will present “A Conversation about Preventing School Violence” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 3, at the Enfield Station School gymnasium. An open discussion about… Read More
    BANGOR – The attorney representing James F. Kotredes, former Millinocket town manager and former Brewer city manager, was in court Tuesday seeking information on his client’s case that has been compiled by the Penobscot County District Attorney’s Office. Daniel Pileggi, Kotredes’ lawyer from Ellsworth, had… Read More
    BREWER – Site plans for two key components of the city’s waterfront redevelopment plan – namely a marina and a boat-building museum – will be pitched during a mock planning board meeting from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at City Hall. Though the panel that’s… Read More
    BANGOR – A Leeds, England, man was sent home Tuesday, less than a day after he was removed in Bangor from an international flight headed to Jamaica. Held overnight at the Penobscot County Jail, 52-year-old David Kernachan was accused of creating a disturbance for the… Read More
    HOWLAND – After more than a year of contentious negotiations, members of the Pentagoet Teachers Association and SAD 31 have settled a contract dispute. The association and the school board recently ratified a new three-year contract. The contract is retroactive to Sept. 1, 2000, and… Read More
    WINTERPORT – With costs rising and replacement projects looming, the Winterport Sewer and Water District has decided to seek an increase in water rates. District trustee and treasurer Lledrew Hackett said the district is proposing a rate increase of 36 percent. It marks the second… Read More
    LEVANT – Alan Craven could have used a little help from his son’s pit crew Tuesday morning. The elder Craven, father of NASCAR driver Ricky Craven, was on his way to a livestock auction in Corinth when the engine of his Chevrolet pickup burst into… Read More
    THOMASTON – The annual dessert buffet to benefit Georges Valley High School’s Project Graduation will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at Montpelier, the Gen. Henry Knox Mansion. In its eighth year, the event features an array of desserts from area… Read More
    PORTLAND – A Rockland man remained in critical condition Tuesday at Maine Medical Center following a Sunday crash that killed his friend. Adrian Counce, 22, was taken to the hospital after the two-car crash Sunday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    ROCKPORT – The National Association of Social Workers, Branch B, will present “Hidden Victims: Children Who Witness Domestic Violence” by Kimm Collins. Collins will discuss the consequences of children seeing domestic violence. The presentation will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 10, at… Read More
    ROCKPORT – A briefing is planned later this month for potential participants in Knox County Meals on Wheels’ first gold marathon. The marathon will be June 15 at the Samoset Resort. The briefing for potential golfers will be at 7 p.m. Monday, May 14, at the… Read More
    GREENVILLE – A proposed ordinance that would prohibit certain acts of commercial exploitation of human sexuality, such as topless dancing, will be aired tonight by selectmen. A public informational meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the municipal building after which selectmen will determine… Read More
    SANGERVILLE – Selectmen plan to meet next week with residents whose land is adjacent to a 43-acre town-owned parcel to determine their interest in the purchase of the property. Residents at the annual March town meeting gave town officials approval to sell the property, which… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – An agreement to provide tower space for a weather radio antenna and shelter for transmitting equipment in the Emergency Management Agency’s bunker in Milo was signed Tuesday by Piscataquis County commissioners. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has offered to provide a weather… Read More
    PALMYRA – Selectmen will host a special workshop meeting tonight at 7 at the Palmyra Town Hall with area fire chiefs and dispatchers. The town of Palmyra relies on fire protection from its neighboring communities, Hartland, Newport, Pittsfield and St. Albans. The departments of those… Read More
    JONESPORT ?The Coast Guard cutter Moray, an 87-foot patrol boat based in Jonesport, will be placed into service during a ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday, May 4. The Moray will replace the 82-foot Point Hannon, which was taken out of service on Jan. 3. The… Read More
    CALAIS ? Claire Wood, professor of science for more than 30 years, will present a lecture, “Human Genetic Research,” from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3, at St. Croix Hall, Washington County Technical College. Wood is the author of numerous books, articles, essays and… Read More
    BATH – Exotic marine organisms attached to the hull of Bath Iron Works’ new dry dock are raising questions about the adequacy of environmental regulations to protect the state’s waters from aquatic invaders. Betsy Ham, the Kennebec Coalition coordinator for the Natural Resources Council of… Read More
    Anyone who knows and cares about the work of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine cannot help but applaud the thoughtfulness of the Maine Steiners, who volunteered to perform a benefit concert for this Camden-based nonprofit organization. The Maine Steiners award-winning a cappella band performance begins… Read More
    HAVERHILL, N.H. – The older of two teen-agers charged with murdering two Dartmouth College professors pleaded innocent Tuesday. Robert Tulloch, who will turn 18 a week from Tuesday, spoke only one word during his Grafton County Superior Court arraignment that took about one minute; he… Read More
    OSSIPEE, N.H. – The trial began this week for a Maine man accused of not stopping his car after striking a teen-ager who was directing traffic in Conway. Mark Sandler, 29, of Portland, Maine, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident and could… Read More
    GREENE – A warden spotter in a National Guard helicopter located a 75-year-old man who wandered into the woods near his home, officials said Tuesday. Rosaire Corriveau, 75, was found at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday on a power transmission route on a ridge three-quarters of a… Read More
    AUGUSTA – With neither debate nor dissent, Maine’s House voted Tuesday to allow schools to award high school diplomas to veterans of World War II and the Korean War who left school before graduation for military service. The bill, which faced a final Senate vote,… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Senior citizens’ and consumer groups called a bill before a legislative committee a sneak attack on the state’s prescription drug law, which is being challenged in federal court. The bill, LD 1651, sponsored by Sen. Betty Lou Mitchell, would eliminate the state’s power… Read More
    RAYMOND – This town is getting more than a water line when it becomes part of the Portland Water District. A two-mile extension will hook up water to an expanding company and it will open up a stretch of Route 302 to business development that… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Several more schools and a library in Maine will share more than $231,663 in funding being released under the federal E-Rate program. Maine has received more than $9 million through the program since it began in 1998, according to U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe. Read More
    BOSTON – Buildings in Boston fell, chimneys toppled and cracks opened in the ground, spewing sand and water. Shaking was felt from Nova Scotia to Maryland, and sailors on ships 200 miles offshore felt a tremor so severe they thought they’d run aground. Scientists who… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A proposal to extend fall fishing in Maine’s eight northern counties was approved by a 7-1 vote by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Advisory Council on Tuesday. The man who helped spearhead the effort to increase fishing opportunities wasn’t even around. Read More
    BATH – The Police Department will honor an officer who died when he interrupted an attempted burglary nearly 118 years ago. On May 15, National Peace Officers Memorial Day, officers will dedicate a plaque to Constable William Lawrence, who was killed in 1883 in the… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A bill to create the nation’s first cigarette butt deposit law was overwhelmingly rejected Tuesday by the Maine House. Representatives voted 107-29 against the bill, LD 258, which also faced a Senate vote. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    PORTLAND – The Portland City Council has yet to vote but so far has expressed no serious objections to a proposal to officially recognize gay couples and unmarried heterosexual couples as families. Councilors signaled support at Monday’s meeting for the proposal that would make Portland… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The pervasive problem of the poor treatment of the mentally ill behind prison walls is too big, too pervasive, for a single bill to handle, the Legislature’s Criminal Justice Committee decided Tuesday. The committee voted to carry over the major bill dealing with the problem and… Read More
    I admit it. I was late. By the time I ran up Park Street and got inside the Unitarian Universalist Church in Bangor Monday night, The Azure Ensemble had already begun to play. And so, not being able to enter in the middle of a piece, I had… Read More
    Buy the book Cookbook lovers are a strange breed. Some of them have full bookcases in their kitchens and they don’t even like to cook. Yet they can’t resist the lure of a delicious-looking cover or the glossy, step-by-step instructions inside. Others actually collect them… Read More
    “Policies, such as raising the drinking age to 21 or tighter regulation on alcohol sales, helps to engender a norm that alcohol is not the same as soda pop, that it can be a risky substance and that it is not without hazards.” Those are… Read More
    OLD TOWN – There wasn’t much to complain about when it came to the effort turned in Tuesday afternoon by Bangor starting pitcher Joe Vanidestine. The only people complaining were Old Town’s hitters and Bangor’s outfielders. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    “We need a day or two of rain. One to two inches would be great.” Two weeks ago, that statement from Carl Brown, owner of Country View Golf Course in Brooks, might have earned him derisive catcalls from a segment of the sporting population that… Read More
    ORONO – Mike Merritt’s squeeze-bunt single snapped a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the sixth and gave the Orono Red Riots a 4-3 schoolboy baseball victory over the Nokomis Warriors Tuesday. Ron Dube singled to start the sixth and pinch runner Mike Violette was… Read More
    HOLY CROSS vs. MAINE Time, site: Thursday, 4 p.m., 9 innings; Goodall Park, Sanford 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
    CARIBOU – Andrew Bouchard singled and eventually scored from third on a double steal in the sixth inning to provide what proved to be the winning run Tuesday in Caribou’s 3-2 schoolboy baseball victory over Presque Isle. Junior righty Jerry Shanahan went the distance for… Read More
    GREENVILLE – Junior lefthander Tom Mason spaced three hits over five innings to help the Greenville Lakers beat the Bangor Christian Patriots 15-3 in schoolboy baseball action Tuesday. Richard Folsom’s two-run triple and Brian Campbell’s two-run single keyed a seven-run first inning that erased a… Read More