WASHINGTON – The Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling more than 770,000 children’s products, including the largest-ever recall of strollers. Century Products of Macedonia, Ohio, is recalling about 650,000 strollers after receiving 681 reports of strollers collapsing or the carrier portion breaking loose, the safety… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Comair and its striking pilots reached a tentative contract agreement Thursday to end a 21/2-month walkout that has shut down the nation’s second-largest regional carrier. The deal between Comair and the Comair chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association came after three days… Read More
    PORTLAND – L.L. Bean is changing its sexual harassment policy after a federal jury found the company failed to protect a Wales woman from sexual harassment. The jury of six men and two women awarded Eileen Crowley $215,000 in compensatory damages Wednesday. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    WASHINGTON – The Northeast Dairy Compact was dealt a blow Wednesday when a New York congressman abandoned his attempt to get the price-support alliance attached to a spending bill. Republican Rep. James Walsh had hoped to get dairy compact legislation attached to the $74.2 billion… Read More
    NEWRY – American Skiing Co. on Wednesday posted a 66.5 percent drop in net earnings for the third quarter despite increased skier visits and per-skier revenue. The Newry-based company earned $7.2 million, or 19 cents per diluted share, in the three months that ended April… Read More
    BANGOR – Merrill Merchants Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: MERB), the parent company of Merrill Merchants Bank, on Thursday declared a cash dividend of 7 cents per share on common stock for the second quarter of 2001. The dividend represents a 17 percent, or 1 cent per… Read More
    BATH – The parent company of Bath Iron Works took exception to remarks this week by the chairman of a defense program review panel who expressed doubts about the Navy’s next-generation destroyer. The panel did not recommend killing any programs, but its chairman suggested the… Read More
    The revised bill to restrict the use of mandatory overtime to fill the nursing shortage is one of the better examples of thoughtful compromise likely to come out of the Legislature this session. Rather than merely object to the original proposal and threaten veto, Gov. King laid out… Read More
    Unless you see the magazine Editor & Publisher, you probably have not heard of a significant First Amendment issue involving the leading American Indian newspaper. The newspaper, a weekly called Indian Country Today, has been trying for a year and a half to get its… Read More
    I find the coverage of the president’s European visit, and the criticism of his rejection of the Kyoto accords, curious. The vote in the Senate was 95-0 not to adopt the accords. Advisers from the last administration say the accords are unworkable. In Europe only one nation, Romania,… Read More
    Jonette Christian’s latest hate letter on immigration (BDN, June 12) is so full of factual errors as well as her usual thinly veiled racism that I must speak out. Christian is woefully ignorant about history. Our economy was built on the backs of immigrants and… Read More
    I am writing in response to recent editorials and letters regarding the bill LD 1277 to establish single-payer universal health care. I applaud our representatives and senators who recently passed this bill for realizing that Maine’s health care crisis cannot continue. Currently the United States… Read More
    I am writing in regard to the story in the Bangor Daily News, June 6, “Flap over flag irks state prison guard.” Officer James Quarles was right in correcting the error of Warden Jeffrey Merrill in raising the American flag from half staff. Officer Quarles… Read More
    The root of the current ruckus over the proposed boat launch at John’s Bridge on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway goes back to the 1960s. At that time Chief Justice William O. Douglas, a well-known naturalist, took a canoe trip down the Allagash and was so impressed with the… Read More
    The Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) recently launched a negative advertising campaign aimed, it said, at compelling many of Maine’s forest landowners into having their forestry practices certified according to the standards set by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). To read the ad, one would think that… Read More
    I am writing in response to the column, “Perversity of Irish voters scrutinized,” by Gwynne Dyer (BDN, June 12). Having just returned from a three-week visit with relatives and friends in Ireland, I have a considerably different view of the so-called “perversity of Irish voters” than those expressed… Read More
    BELFAST – If the city’s moratorium against big-box stores already had dimmed Wal-Mart’s plans to do business here, this week’s vote to cap the size of retail projects has put out the lights. A spokesman for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. confirmed Thursday that the nation’s No. Read More
    BANGOR – Maine Sen. Susan Longley, D-Liberty, today will announce the formation of a committee exploring a possible candidacy for her party’s nomination to the 2nd District congressional seat. Longley, a four-term lawmaker from Waldo County, joins a host of potential candidates looking to fill… Read More
    PORTLAND – Medical equipment dealers are threatening to cut off Medicaid clients if the state does not increase reimbursement rates for wheelchairs, oxygen apparatus and other home medical equipment. Members of the New England Medical Equipment Dealers Association, who supply the bulk of the home… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The gulf between House and Senate Republicans over Part 2 budget priorities widened Thursday as legislative leaders continued to refine the precise mix of taxes needed to fund the $57 million package. Lawmakers headed home for a long weekend leaving only the Appropriations… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A Winthrop man charged with endangering the lives of his wife and two children by setting his house on fire has been committed to the Augusta Mental Health Institute for treatment. William Hudson, 42, contended he was not criminally responsible because he set… Read More
    CARIBOU – Work has started on a 1,400-square-foot building at Cary Medical Center that will house Aroostook County’s first fixed-based magnetic resonance imaging center. The MRI is a medical diagnostic technique that creates images of the body using magnetic resonance. The new equipment will use… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE – Sixteen educators were recognized May 24 during the annual banquet for the Northern and Eastern Maine Tech Prep Consortium. Jerry White, SAD 33 superintendent in St. Agatha, received recognition for 10 years of service as chairman of the School-to-Careers steering board. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – Pittsfield councilors will hear public comments Tuesday about a proposed dog waste ordinance, a land purchase to expand the public library and a liquor license and amusement permit renewal. Dubbed the “pooper-scooper” ordinance, the new local law would affect all property within the… Read More
    NEWPORT – Names have been chosen for the two new middle schools under construction in SAD 48. The Hartland school will become Somerset Valley Middle School, and the Newport school will be known as Sebasticook Valley Middle School. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – A Pittsfield man was charged with three counts of assault Wednesday after he allegedly shot a paintball gun at pedestrians, striking four teen-agers. One 16-year-old girl was struck twice in the head. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
    CAMDEN – The 40 or so residents who attended the annual town meeting Wednesday night made short work of the warrant, approving all spending items with a few small modifications. Residents also voted to adopt a 180-day moratorium on issuing permits to build telecommunications towers. Read More
    WALDOBORO – Town meeting voters practically breezed through the 30-article warrant presented Thursday, stopping only a few times to ask for explanations. The end result was a $2,655,325 budget for 2002, which represents a 3.52 percent increase. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    HOPE – A one-vehicle crash Wednesday on Route 17 damaged a pickup truck and another vehicle, Knox County Sheriff Dan Davey said Thursday, calling the accident “unusual.” Corwin A. Olds, 21, of Rockport was driving a 1984 Chevrolet pickup truck west on Route 17 at… Read More
    HOLDEN – During their annual town meeting Wednesday night, voters here approved a $1.5 million municipal operating budget for the year ahead, as well as a series of amendments to their land use and subdivision codes. According to Town Manager Larry Varisco, all warrant articles… Read More
    LEVANT – The town dedicated a new rescue truck Tuesday to replace a 1976 truck it had purchased more than 25 years ago. Members of the Levant Fire and Rescue Department put the truck into service with the traditional practice of pushing the truck into the station rather… Read More
    EDDINGTON – Laundry placed too close to a heat source was blamed for a fire Thursday morning that caused thousands of dollars in damage to a Merrill Road residence. According to Eddington Fire Chief Arnold Grover, the fire apparently began atop a gas range in… Read More
    MEDWAY – Residents approved town and school budgets totaling $3.3 million during Wednesday’s town meeting. Administrative Assistant Kathy Lee said she does not expect the town’s new tax rate to go up. Lee said she hopes the tax rate will go down as the result… Read More
    ORRINGTON – Orrington Public Library will offer its summer program, “Summer Stories and Crafts,” for children who will be enrolled in kindergarten through third grade in the fall. The program is held from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, June 19 through July 24. This summer’s… Read More
    HOWLAND – Keith Cook, a Waterville man who has a doctorate in education, will assume his new duties as SAD 31 superintendent on July 1. SAD 31 comprises the towns of Burlington, Edinburg, Enfield, Howland, Lowell, Maxfield, Passadumkeag and Seboeis Plantation. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    BANGOR – Evoking the past and celebrating the future through photography is the focus of the Historic Downtown Bangor photo contest and exhibition. The Bangor Center Corp. is sponsoring the show and most entries must be taken within the geographic area known as historic downtown… Read More
    BANGOR – The fourth annual Greater Bangor Rubber Duck Race will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 16, in downtown Bangor. The race will start on the Central Street Bridge and will end at the footbridge behind the Pickering Square parking garage. About 2,000… Read More
    ACADIA NATIONAL PARK – Rescue crews at Acadia National Park removed an injured hiker from Dorr Mountain on Thursday. The hiker, Bryan Cornelius, 36, of Stevensville, Md., fell while hiking the trail on Dorr Mountain, one of the high peaks near Cadillac Mountain. Cornelius injured… Read More
    University of North Carolina, Charlotte, N.C. Dean’s List, 4.0 GPA 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
    BELFAST – Belfast Bearfest 2001 will unveil its collection of bear sculptures during a kickoff celebration this weekend. Mayor Michael Hurley and his keepers of the bears will unveil this year’s decorated bruins in Post Office Square at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, June 16. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    ROCKLAND – The $8.5 million municipal budget the City Council will bring to a public hearing June 25 represents no growth in the burden to taxpayers. City Finance Director Bob Armelin said the municipal part of the current mill rate of $25.80, which is $11.90,… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – Selectmen changed their minds again Wednesday regarding the bid process for the design and construction of a building to be leased to Creative Apparel. The board voted this week to reject the three bids submitted for the project and to rebid the design… Read More
    Dover-Foxcroft District Court Gavin Finnerty, 33, Greenville, violating protective order, jail 48 hours; assault, dismissed; obstructing report of crime, $200. 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
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – The second phase of a two-phase improvement project at the Kiwanis Park playground is under way. The cost of the new playground equipment installed at the park both last summer and this year will exceed $30,000, funded mostly by the Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis Club. Read More
    WINTER HARBOR – Maine’s congressional delegation has urged the Navy to maintain medical services at its Winter Harbor facility through next June. The Navy expects to wind up medical services this year. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – The SAD 68 Education Association now has a contract in place after months of negotiations with SAD 68 directors. Directors voted Tuesday to sign a three-year contract with the education association that covers a period from September 2000 to August 2003. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    ORONO – More than 125 high school sophomores attended a Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership of Maine seminar on issues related to school violence May 31-June 3 at the University of Maine. The following are students from the Bangor Daily News readership area who attended the… Read More
    CASTINE – The state Department of Transportation says it will make repairs to Routes 166 and 166A this summer in Castine. DOT plans to resurface both routes under the maintenance mulch program for deteriorated roadways. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    GRAND LAKE – The Land Use Regulation Commission will hold a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, at the Grand Lake Stream town office. The meeting will focus on a proposal to prohibit personal watercraft on West Grand Lake. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    MACHIAS – The Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District has been awarded $500,000 in federal matching funds by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The district must now raise $500,000 in challenge funds for the project. The district will help farmers with the project… Read More
    MACHIAS – A benefit dinner is planned next week at a local restaurant. Helen’s Restaurant will be the scene of “A Candlelight Dinner-Theatre” on Thursday, June 21, and Saturday, June 23. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    ALFRED – A Biddeford man was ordered Thursday to spend four months in jail for harassing a black mayoral candidate. Robert Kalex, 36, was convicted last month of terrorizing Rory Holland. He has filed an appeal. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Every year, dozens of interest groups rate how they think members of Congress are doing, and one of the first of this season’s score cards is out. U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a Washington-based organization founded by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, says it… Read More
    WASHINGTON – When Leon Hersom of Acton, Maine, received a phone call in 1997 informing him that he won $1 million from a Canadian lottery, he thought his problems were solved. The 82-year-old retired lumber merchant suffers from congestive heart failure and requires constant medical attention. Read More
    Is sleep deprivation worth a shot at $7,000? Bangor’s Gary Smith thinks so. So do several other pro stock racers who, like Smith, will run in the first of the five-race Northeast Pro Stock series events Saturday night at Unity Raceway. After the 5:30 p.m. Read More
    More than 1,300 athletes are expected to be on hand for the 2001 Special Olympics Maine Summer Games this weekend at the University of Maine in Orono. The athletes will represent 168 teams from around the state as they compete in 16 events in addition… Read More
    Former University of Maine winger Barrett Heisten, who was the third highest scoring rookie in the Western Hockey League (Major Junior A) this past season with 20 goals and 57 assists in 58 games for Seattle, has signed a free agent contract with the New York Rangers. Read More
    There’s a dream about to unfold, and it’s aimed at benefiting anyone who’s ever handled a fly rod or even considered it. On Aug. 1 the doors of the Kennebec River Outfitters, located on Route 201 in Madison, will officially swing open for business, and… Read More
    Sharon Versyp enjoys an active lifestyle, but she’ll be spending the summer recuperating from knee surgery. The University of Maine women’s basketball coach recently underwent surgery to remove cartilage from her right knee, which has bothered her for many years. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    BALTIMORE – The Baltimore Orioles put shortstop Mike Bordick on the 15-day disabled list Thursday and released veteran catcher Greg Myers to make room for infielder Brian Roberts, who was called up from Triple-A Rochester. The Orioles also recalled right-hander Leslie Brea from Rochester. Brea… Read More
    PORTLAND – Fragments of the very flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the national anthem will be on display in Washington after years in the collection of the Maine Historical Society. Beginning Thursday – Flag Day – the five fragments from Maine will… Read More