A grass fire fed by winds of up to 25 miles per hour raced through Addison on Friday afternoon, burning more than 200 acres and destroying two seasonal homes, a camper trailer and a boat. As of 6:30 p.m., Maine Forest Service spokesman Jim Downie… Read More
AUGUSTA – “It is a great day for the working people of Maine,” said House Majority leader Patrick Colwell on Friday after the House passed an increase in the minimum wage from $5.15 to $5.75 in January 2002 and to $6.25 in 2003. But outside the State House… Read More
BANGOR – The New England power grid was being watched for a possible “capacity shortage” this week as temperatures – and electricity usage – soared. Twice this week a “capacity shortage” bulletin was posted on the Web site of ISO New England, the organization that… Read More
LINCOLN – The federal government does not have any evidence that the Lincoln Pulp and Paper mill has harmed the environment, the company said Friday. And, a notice of claim filed by the U.S. Department of Justice Wednesday in federal bankruptcy court was simply a… Read More
A headline on Thursday’s Page One erroneously said that Lincoln Pulp and Paper Co. is being sued by the U.S. government over dioxin. No such suit has been commenced; however, the story was correct in saying that the U.S. government has filed a claim against the paper company… Read More
PORTLAND – The longtime captain and two other former officers of the Scotia Prince have filed a lawsuit against the new owner of the luxury cruise ship. The captain, Hartmut Rathje, engineering officer Kenth Persson and chief engineer Rolf Sjostrom say they were forced out… Read More
MOBILE, Ala. – Sappi Ltd. said Friday it plans to close its paper mill here in phases over the next several months. About 500 people will lose their jobs as a result. The mill – once home to Scott Paper – has been a division… Read More
RED HEAD, Prince Edward Island – A 35-year-old man died after a series of explosions tore through a fish plant in this small, picturesque fishing community. An autopsy was being conducted Friday in Charlottetown on the body of Brian Eugene Campbell of Lorne Valley, Prince… Read More
SUMMERSIDE, Prince Edward Island – About 150 employees at a Prince Edward Island fish plant arriving for work Friday were confronted with a padlocked door and a notice stating the company was out of business. The notice from the Seafood Supreme plant in Summerside said… Read More
CINCINNATI – Elected union representatives for striking Comair pilots said Friday they would submit a proposed contract settlement to union members for a vote but are not endorsing the proposal. The proposal from the National Mediation Board is not the result of a negotiated agreement,… Read More
Thank you very much for the recent history of the Acadians, some of whom were my forbears and, of themselves, are of great interest to me. I visited the Acadian Museum in Van Buren (Keegan) a few years ago and was struck by how Evangeline… Read More
Why is it necessary to build a new Wal-Mart superstore that would be 10 times the size of Circuit City? The present Wal-Mart is just right for a city the size of Bangor and the surrounding towns, plus we also have a Sam’s Club. Is… Read More
Cigarette butts and elephants? What is our Legislature doing in Augusta? Five of our local women legislators voted for this foolishness. It looks like they are all following personal agendas, one that started from a 5-year-old’s question about carnival elephants. There are many more such questionable bills being… Read More
Congratulations to James Kavin (BDN, April 30) for having raised his children without day care to be respectful, obedient and civilized human beings. My husband and I have also raised our two children to have the same qualities, and with the help of day care. Read More
Because Jeff Murphy’s confused letter (BDN, April 21-22) contains several incorrect and unsubstantiated allegations about The Independent Institute and the signatories to its open letter critiquing health price controls, please allow me to set the record straight. The open letter was organized entirely by the… Read More
Dr. Paul Donohue’s report/response on chlorinated water (BDN, April 25) bears repeating, and I quote him: “Adding chlorine to water has been one of public health’s greatest achievements. Chlorine kills germs that were responsible for many serious past epidemics. I can’t think of one bad thing ascribed to… Read More
I’m a little sick of hearing gloom and doom from some of the uninformed public. A letter to the editor on May 2 talks about all the changes that will come about in the Allagash if people are allowed to put in a primitive launch site at John’s… Read More
The compromise announced Wednesday on FPL’s Wyman Station was an important example of the state putting reasonable standards ahead of strict controls. Like all compromises, it demanded that both sides – in this case, FPL and the environmental group the Natural Resources Council of Maine – give up… Read More
It has been 21/2 years since Maine voters passed a citizen-initiated medical marijuana referendum. The argument in favor was strong – compassion demands that people suffering from pain and nausea associated with treatments for such diseases as cancer, AIDS and glaucoma be allowed to use a drug that… Read More
Every 10 years, the United States conducts a Census of its people permitting us to take stock of how we are faring as a nation. From March 10 to April 3, the Bangor Daily News analyzed the Census results for Maine. For the northern two-thirds… Read More
A few weeks ago, a young woman called me desperate to find a way to help her parents. Retired people who had worked hard all of their lives, their health was failing and they rely on a regimen of expensive drugs to survive. This woman… Read More
Though hardly a new concept to true fans, the hockey game they played Monday in Falmouth was, to those of us ambivalent to the sport, more than just a game. The Maine-Japan International Classic, hosted by the Department of Economic and Community Development, had some of this state’s… Read More
When the bugler sounds the call shortly after 6 p.m. today for the 127th running of the Kentucky Derby at storied Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., 17 high-spirited thoroughbred horses, led by the favored Point Given, will snort and paw their way to the starting gate to begin… Read More
ELLSWORTH – A West Gardiner woman was flown to Bangor with serious injuries after an early-morning collision that demolished two vehicles on Route 1A Friday. Dawn Novey, 24, was driving south on Route 1A at about 7 a.m. when she suddenly crossed the centerline into… Read More
ROCKPORT – A clearing atop a 530-foot-high hill with stunning views of Penobscot Bay was conserved this week, thanks to the efforts of two land trusts, MBNA New England, the Land for Maine’s Future program, and the former owners of the property. Maine Coast Heritage… Read More
Just as a new skateboard park was coming to life in Bangor, its forerunner across the river in Brewer was being declared dead after a brief and problem-filled existence. Which proves, in a skateboarding twist on the “Field of Dreams” theory, that if you build… Read More
HOULTON – What started out Friday morning as a peaceful demonstration at Houlton High School, in support of a teacher whose contract reportedly will not be renewed, turned into an egg-throwing, swearing session, and three students were arrested. At the start of classes at 8:30… Read More
CALAIS – For more than a year members of the county’s Public Advisory Committee have helped map the future of this border community by offering comment on where the state should build a new bridge that would connect the city with St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Read More
AUGUSTA – When Duane “Buzz” Fitzgerald hears about someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, he’ll pick up the phone and give that person a call. Even if it’s someone he doesn’t know. “It does more for me than it does for the cancer victim,”… Read More
OLD TOWN – Justin Davis knows what can happen when teen-agers start drinking. His older brother was in detox almost before he could drive. “If I go to a party where there’s drinking, I usually don’t stay more than five minutes,” the 19-year-old said recently. 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
Jerome, 13, is a friendly, personable young man with dark brown eyes and hair. He is quick with compliments and strives to please the people in his world. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
BANGOR – Dr. Paul Shapero, allergist, and the New England Chapter of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America are sponsoring a free Asthma and COPD Awareness Night from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 9. The program will be held at the Abraham Lincoln School, 45 Forest… Read More
BUCKSPORT – As the building committee prepares to take its plans for a new middle school to the state, it is also seeking help from the town to include in the project an auditorium with more than 500 seats. On Thursday, Superintendent of Schools Marc… Read More
BAR HARBOR – Residents will consider a municipal and school budget of $11.6 million when they gather for the annual town meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, in the Municipal Building Auditorium. Despite substantial increases in school and county spending, the budget actually decreased… Read More
SOUTHWEST HARBOR – Voters will consider a $4.9 million budget when they gather for the annual town meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, in the Pemetic Elementary School gymnasium. Voters are invited to visit polls at the American Legion Hall on Monday, May 7,… Read More
GARLAND – The Garland Fire Department will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 6, at the fire station on Route 94. Featured will be the new Freightliner tanker-pumper and the old 1951 tanker, which is used primarily for parades. Read More
WALLAGRASS – More than two dozen animals were seized from a Wallagrass home last week after state animal welfare officials found that the caged dogs and cats allegedly were kept in filthy conditions. Charges are pending against the owners of the two-story house where the… Read More
SKOWHEGAN – Somerset County commissioners asked this week for proposals from architectural firms to provide planning assistance for a study of what is needed to repair or replace the county jail. A new jail study committee, including the three county commissioners, the sheriff, jail administrators,… Read More
HOULTON – They’ve renamed streets and renumbered their houses, but unless Aroostook and Hancock counties come up with a way to pay for Enhanced-911, they won’t get it. During a workshop session held Thursday in Augusta, the Legislature’s Utilities and Energy Committee voted that LD… Read More
CARIBOU – A local businessman received a suspended six-month jail sentence and a $500 fine this week for receiving a stolen car from Connecticut in 1997, according to records at the Aroostook County Superior Court. Milo Haney, 49, also was ordered to pay $1,000 in… Read More
Easton High School Third quarter honor roll 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
MACHIAS – Washington County is ready to take the first step to expand Superior and District court, but it will be two years before a shovel hits the dirt, according to the state court administrator. “We’ve contracted with Lewis and Malm to do an on-site… Read More
BATH – Gov. Angus King led middle school pupils on a virtual visit to the Battle of Gettysburg to bolster support for his own campaign to bring laptop computers to Maine’s classrooms. Fourteen pupils from Rosanne Graef’s computer class clicked along with King on a… Read More
Dover-Foxcroft District Court Joshua S. Conner, 22, Sangerville, operating unregistered snowmobile on public way, $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
PORTLAND – Community policing efforts might lose momentum with the expiration of a federal program that has put hundreds of officers in Maine neighborhoods. A program called Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, has helped put about 300 officers in community policing positions since 1994. Read More
A Corinth woman reported that her ex-husband, who had returned to living with her, threatened to kill her and assaulted her Thursday night, including throwing her on the ground. Taken into custody was David Spellman, 40, who faces charges of criminal threatening and domestic assault. Read More
Bangor District Court Eric L. Martin, 26, Orono, owner of dog chasing deer or moose, $75. 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
THOMASTON – A Tenants Harbor man lost control of his car Thursday night when he rounded a corner on Beechwood Street, traveling “a little too fast,” according to police. Brent Black, 24, was driving a 1973 AMC Matador south on Beechwood Street when he came… Read More
THOMASTON – A three-alarm fire in the woods off Beechwood Street on Wednesday afternoon started near a path, which is about 200 to 300 yards from a gravel pit owned by George C. Hall & Sons Inc., according to a state forest official. “We’re still… Read More
NORTHPORT – The community has two code enforcement officers and some feel the town isn’t big enough for both of them. In a move to get rid of one, the Northport Board of Selectmen has filed suit against the Northport Village Corp. claiming that its… Read More
Rockland District Court Michelle A. Borodawka, 23, Rockland, criminal mischief, $100, restitution $150. 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… Read More
ROCKPORT – For a second time, the state supreme court has sent the dispute between Patricia Lewis and the Maine Coast Artists gallery back to the town. Lewis, who owns a house next to the gallery in Rockport village, which her parents rent in the… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Two adults and a juvenile were arrested Friday after drug searches at two apartments on Depot Street in Greenville. Jarod Copeland, 26, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a usable amount of marijuana and for domestic abuse. The domestic abuse… Read More
DEXTER – The monthly meeting of the Alzheimer’s Support Group will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 10, at Dexter Health Care, 64 Park St. For information, call Dianne Coppola at 924-5516. Read More
BIDDEFORD – A man and woman were taken to a hospital for emergency surgery after a shooting Friday night on Pine Street, police said. Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said he did not know how the shooting happened, but said… Read More
DEXTER – SAD 46 officials were elated this week to learn that the district had received approval for state revolving loan funds for the new furnace installed last winter at the Tri County Technical Center. School officials had no choice last winter but to install… Read More
GUILFORD – Because of the soaring costs of supplies and labor, SAD 4 directors on Tuesday will discuss charging a small fee for the now free breakfast program offered to students throughout the district and will talk about increasing the cost of other meals. The… Read More
CUSHING – A judge’s decision that the Cushing Nature and Preservation Center must pay 1998 and 1999 property taxes to the town has been appealed. In April, Knox County Superior Court Justice John Atwood signed an order that allowed the town to keep the $37,226… Read More
The nonprofit Food for Life program run by Samaritan Inc. of Kenduskeag needs your help. A long-standing program that distributes thousands of pounds of food to hundreds of families each year, it has volunteers who help meet the needs of their less fortunate neighbors. Those… Read More
WASHINGTON – The Bangor Rodeway Inn Inc. will receive a $1,076,200 loan guarantee by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be used for acquisition and improvement of a 98-room motel, according to U.S. Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan M. Collins. “We applaud the Department… Read More
WASHINGTON – The White House announced Friday that Michael W. Aube of Bangor will serve as state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Administration, and David R. Lavway of Washburn will serve as state director of the USDA Farm Service Agency. Both appointments will become… Read More
With some final tweaking left, the Maine Principals’ Association will introduce its new regional realignment for soccer, field hockey and football playoffs this fall, and the rest of the Heal Point sports for next winter and spring. According to the realignment, schools will be placed… Read More
ORONO – Rusty Tucker first toed the pitching rubber as a high school junior in Gloucester, Mass. Four years later, as a junior at the University of Maine, Tucker has polished his pitching skills well enough that he’s virtually assured of being taken in June’s… Read More
BANGOR – Over the past four years, Kathryn Laverdiere’s athletic pursuits have followed a predictable path. Autumn is for cross country, where the personable Laverdiere is a standout for the Old Town Indians. Winter? Laverdiere hops in the pool and swims the 200 individual medley… Read More
There are, I figure, a few things you have to do before you’re a genuine, official, full-fledged Mainer who is allowed to say words like “ayuh” and “dooryahd.” High on my list are these: You’ve got to get stuck in the mud (either on foot… Read More
High school intramural bowling teams from Waterville, Cony of Augusta and Messalonskee of Oakland will compete for the first high school state competition title today at the Interstate Bowling Center, 115 Whitten Road in Hallowell. The competition, which is being held to encourage bowling for… Read More
HIGH SCHOOL At Presque Isle 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… Read More
HIGH SCHOOL At Bangor 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
COLLEGE Little East Conference Tourney 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… Read More
The Maine Sports Hall of Fame will hold its 2001 induction and awards banquet June 3 at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland. Sportscaster and NEWS columnist Gary Thorne of Old Town is among eight inductees this year. Also among the group are Olympic skier… Read More
Bob Roy BREWER – Bob Roy of Levant used a 9-wood to sink a hole in one on the number five hole at Pine Hill Golf Club in Brewer. Witnesses were Dennis Allen and Dick Webber. Read More
Squinting through a sift of rain, the angler eased the boat away from the landing and maneuvered through shards of honeycombed ice. With a shiver reminding that the lake had shed its winter coat only a few days earlier, he shrugged into his hood thinking, “Ol’ Man Winter… Read More
Bangor Raceway opens its 30-day extended race meet in a little more than a week on Sunday, May 13. Sunday, however, the thundering sounds of hoofs in competition will be heard for the first time since last year as Bass Park holds the first of… Read More
ROCKLAND – Chris Langlais smacked a two-run home run in the fifth inning that propelled Winslow to a 4-2 high school baseball victory over Rockland Friday afternoon. Dave Hamann rapped a solo homer and Wes Zemrak stroked an RBI single to back the four-hit pitching… Read More
It has been the ordeal he had expected. The one his doctors told him to anticipate. But popular Brewer High School athletic director Dennis Kiah hasn’t let the cancerous tumor that was removed from his neck on Jan. 24 and the ensuing 42 radiation treatments,… Read More
CALAIS – Katie Frost tossed a one-hitter as the Calais Blue Devils downed the previously unbeaten Lee Pandas 5-0 in high school softball action Friday afternoon. An outfield error that allowed two runs in the third and Frost’s two-run double in the fifth propelled the… Read More
STANDISH – Senior transfer Rob Worcester fired a six-hitter as Husson College beat Thomas College for the first time this season, 3-2 in the NAIA New England Championship Tournament opener at Larry Mahaney Diamond Friday. Husson junior first baseman Tony Creek snapped a 2-2 tie… Read More
MAINE baseball vs. VERMONT Time, site: Saturday (2), Sunday (2), noon; Mahaney Diamond, Orono 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
When Nichi Farnham moved to Maine in 1991, she quickly joined the Sub 5 Track Club … for one popular reason. “We all start out joining that club to find out when the next race is, and then we keep getting a little bit more… Read More
A familiar face has reappeared on WABI-TV, beginning with Thursday night’s newscasts. Chris Ewing, a fixture at Channel 5 for a decade, has come back to be the meteorologist at 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m. He returns from WMUR in Manchester, N.H., where he moved… Read More
STEAMBOAT LORE OF THE PENOBSCOT by John M. Richardson, privately republished by Sally Richardson Rice, Stonington, 2001, 208 pages, $20. For a couple of real treats, turn to the dramatic tales of the wreck of the Portland and the loss of the Pentagoet. Both steamers… Read More
There are certain times when it is obvious that life is passing you by. Like trying to do the wave. Three porkers and the curiously thin Walter actually made it to Fenway Park on Saturday to see the Red Sox lose by committing five flagrant… Read More
One thing I remember well – hundreds of snakes.” Ed Turner, North Penobscot native and rookie e-novelist, is describing his boyhood in the town that has inspired many of his short stories, a town that would be surprised to know of his career as a… Read More
Bill and Joe Lawlor, formerly of Southwest Harbor and now of Bangor and Pittsfield, remember what it was like when they were among the only Catholics in Southwest Harbor. In the mid-1930s, there was a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp on the Old Seal Cove Road… Read More
For Della and Michael Gleason of Bangor, it’s just a few hours’ drive to take them from modern city life to another time, another era. The Gleasons have been going to Kings Landing Historical Settlement, Kings Landing, New Brunswick, near Fredericton, for about 17 years,… Read More
Bill and Sally Arata of Veazie recently took a photographer’s tour of Kenya. They brought back heart-stopping images, in words and photos, of nature’s greatest life-and-death dramas: migration, predation and family life of Kenya’s spectacular wildlife. Sally Arata has been a serious photographer for only… Read More
ROCKLAND – Michael Heath will speak at 6 p.m. Friday, May 11, on “Cracking the Shell of Church and State” at the Conservative Baptist Association of Maine Annual Conference on May 11-12 at the First Baptist Church. Heath is executive director of the Christian Civic… Read More
ORONO – Jon Wilson did not set out to be a peacemaker, but his work in prison mediation has made him that. He didn’t plan to print a successful magazine either, but he built “WoodenBoat” from 9,000 subscribers in 1975 to more than 100,000 today,… Read More