MACHIAS – Maine’s 2001 wild blueberry crop is shrinking by the day. July’s hot, dry weather took its toll – eating away at a harvest that many growers believed would rival last year’s 110 million pound record-breaker. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    Maine’s fourth- and eighth-graders are treading water in mathematics, according to results of a national test known as “the nation’s report card” released Thursday. Three-quarters of fourth-graders and two-thirds of eighth-graders in Maine scored at or below the basic achievement level on the exam, called… Read More
    Because of an editing error, Kevin Raye’s first name was dropped from a story about campaign funds for 2nd Congressional District candidates. Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Bar Harbor Bankshares will pay a 19 cent per share cash dividend Sept. 15 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 21, according to John P. Reeves, chairman of the board. Bar Harbor Bankshares’ two wholly owned subsidiaries are Bar Harbor Banking… Read More
    PORTLAND – A class action suit was filed on Thursday against DeCoster Egg Farm and Northern Transportation on behalf of 50 truck drivers who claim they were denied overtime pay. The suit, filed by labor lawyer Donald Fontaine, alleges the Turner company violated state wage… Read More
    Recent press coverage regarding last-minute legislative changes to Maine’s Clean Election Law should raise a red flag for the citizens of Maine. The Ethics Commission, in an honest attempt to adjust state law to be more merciful to politicians who committed minor ethical breaches, has… Read More
    For turning a fire hose on the sputtering twigs that fuel Maine’s economic furnace, there’s nothing like consecutive national news stories showing that that state has the highest tax burden and ranks a dismal 48th in business friendliness based on those taxes. Embarrassing as these stories may be,… Read More
    I believe in being a true American, not to stand by doing nothing while a sick, aging veteran suffers alone. My heart reaches out to the proud heroes who just need a helping hand. Sadly, not everyone feels the same way. They enjoy our freedom and safety, but… Read More
    While visiting the Bangor State Fair on Wednesday, I saw all ages and types of people; most were courteous and respectful of others, some were not. One of these was a young man who appeared to be about 12 or 13. He walked through one… Read More
    Fifty-six years ago this week our government used nuclear weapons to destroy the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since then, our government has bought into the insanity of nuclear weapons, has killed, maimed or diseased more than 1.3 billion people in mining uranium, and in the testing, production… Read More
    I wish to thank Roxanne Moore Saucier for her expert reporting of the Lyme disease problem in Maine (BDN, July 25). She, along with Geoff Beckett of the State Epidemiology Office and patient Bill Chinook, have given your readership a good look at this devastating illness and how… Read More
    To answer the letters of Bill Malloy’s “Chinese Christians” in the Bangor Daily News of July 19 and that of Sharon I. Rideout’s “Boycott China products” in the BDN of July 21-22, I am writing this commentary. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    POLAND – The state park system on Thursday unveiled its first beach-to-water wheelchair ramp at Range Pond. The ramp leads into the pond so that someone with a non-motorized wheelchair can head right into the water to cool off on a hot day like Thursday,… Read More
    ROCKLAND – A judge Thursday overturned a city-approved tax break for the Samoset Resort that would have triggered $14 million in development. Superior Court Justice John Atwood ruled that Rockland’s city attorney had no excuse for failing to meet a filing deadline with the court. Read More
    SKOWHEGAN – The Somerset County sheriff and district attorney are usually on the same side. But when it comes to telephone music, they have a difference of opinion – if not taste. That disagreement led to the plug being pulled on phone music when callers… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Maine House Speaker Michael Saxl issued a written warning to Rep. Stavros Mendros following a complaint that the Lewiston lawmaker harassed the spouse of a state employee where he worked. Mendros said Thursday the complaint by Human Services Commissioner Kevin Concannon is baseless… Read More
    The following divorces were granted in 5th District Court in Bar Harbor in May and June on grounds of irreconcilable marital differences: Walter Freeman Leeman IV of Brunswick and Jamie Ann Laura Leeman of Swans Island, married May 6, 1999, at Lincoln. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    Houlton District Court John S. Belyea Jr., 18, Houlton, operating motor vehicle without license, $75; speeding 30 plus mph more than posted limit, case filed at no costs; possession of drug paraphernalia, $100; possession of tobacco products by minor, dismissed. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    MADAWASKA – It’s been a long time in coming, nearly three decades, but on Thursday morning Dionne Park was dedicated, much to the enjoyment of the nearly 200 people in attendance. In 1976, Louis Philippe Dionne Sr. gave the town nearly 3 acres of land… Read More
    FORT KENT – Many St. John Valley residents believe they will never see the opening of an Interstate 95, four-lane highway to Maine’s northern border, yet they still attend meeting after meeting on the possibility. About 80 residents, from Fort Kent to Van Buren, attended… Read More
    SKOWHEGAN – The Skowhegan Area High School Drama Club is holding a basket sale at the high school from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4. Baskets of various shapes and sizes will be available. The club also will have a booth at… Read More
    CORINNA – Just in time for weekend traffic, Route 7 in Corinna – the new Route 7, that is – opened Thursday afternoon. The roadway was rerouted as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund project, which has obliterated Corinna’s downtown and given the… Read More
    BLUE HILL – A steak barbecue, cowboy trading post and live music will be featured at the next Cowboy Action Shooting event, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, at the Blue Hill Rifle and Pistol Club. Cowboy Action Shooting is a fast-growing sport in… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Two people were ordered held on a probation revocation Wednesday night after police here issued them a summons for criminal trespass. Lisbeth Perry, 18, of Ellsworth and Paul Johnston, 20, of West Enfield were found showering in the employee shower room at the… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Four teen-agers face drug charges after police searched their home on the Christian Ridge Road on Wednesday afternoon. Police obtained a search warrant after an incident earlier in the week at the residence in which another person was issued a summons on drug… Read More
    SULLIVAN – A section of Route 200 between Sullivan and Franklin was closed for more than three hours Thursday after an excavator tipped off the trailer that was towing it. According to Trooper James Batchelder of the Maine State Police, Jarrid Farren, 21, of Hancock… Read More
    HOLDEN – The community’s first town charter is ready for review. In the works for the past several months, the 23-page document drafted by a nine-member citizen commission will be the focus of a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Municipal Building. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    BANGOR – A Glenburn couple was sentenced Thursday in Penobscot County Superior Court for setting fire to their Hudson Road home in February 2000. Blake and Karen Langley were convicted of arson in June. Justice Jeffrey Hjelm accepted the plea agreement that Penobscot County prosecutors… Read More
    The following divorces were granted during June in Bangor District Court in Bangor on the grounds of irreconcilable marital differences: William S. Walker, Brewer, and Christine R. Walker, Brewer, married Dec. 5, 1981, at Brewer, shared custody, of one child. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    ALEXANDER – The elementary school’s new teaching principal has a familiar face. The school committee has hired former Union 106 Superintendent Peter Harvey, and he began his new duties this week. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    Following are divorces granted recently in 4th District Court in Machias on grounds of irreconcilable differences: Suzanne Attaei of East Machias and Mohammad R. Attaei of Pelham, N.H., married in Salem, N.H., on Oct. 10, 1984. Mother to have sole parental rights and responsibilities for… Read More
    GUILFORD – The Maine Department of Transportation’s Guilford Highway Maintenance Crew received the Teamwork Excellence Award for 2001 during ceremonies held May 30 at Augusta. The maintenance crew was honored because its members “start early and work late, made their own repairs when equipment broke down, produced a… Read More
    THOMASTON – A West Rockport man suffered minor injuries Wednesday night when he made an emergency landing in a field near Buttermilk Lane and his ultra-light plane flipped over. Dale Leland, 56, escaped with only a few cuts and bruises, his wife, Faye Leland, said… Read More
    WARREN – A two-car crash on Route 90 on Wednesday caused a total of $3,000 in damage but no injuries to the drivers or a passenger. Claire Yackel, 49, of Waldoboro was driving in a southwesterly direction on Route 90 in a 2000 Toyota sedan… Read More
    ROCKLAND – The following is a list of events scheduled today and Saturday in connection with the 54th annual Maine Lobster Festival. The festival runs through Sunday. Friday, Aug. 3 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
    Rockland District Court Christopher Johnson, 40, Sabattus, permitting unlawful motor vehicle use, $100. 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
    STETSON – An autopsy on Thursday failed to identify conclusively the body of a man found in a wooded area one day earlier, although police suspect it to be an area man missing for two months. The findings of the cause of death also are… Read More
    EAST MILLINOCKET – Band concerts, parades and numerous other activities all will be part of East Millinocket’s Summer Fest 2001. The two-day event will begin at 5 p.m. today with a bean supper and will end Saturday with a street dance at the Poor Boy’s… Read More
    BREWER – A 66-year-old North Main St. man severed part of his thumb when a neighbor slammed the door on his hand Wednesday night, but it was drug charges, not assault, that police filed against the neighbor. Authorities determined that no assault had occurred, but… Read More
    The Bangor Daily News has won several awards from the New England Associated Press News Executives Association (NEAPNEA), in writing, photo and design for newspapers with a circulation of more than 60,000. The story “IP shutting down two lumber mills” by reporters Mary Anne Lagasse… Read More
    Once known as Crosby Gardens in Hermon, Ecotat Gardens now encompasses 51 acres of woodlands and landscaped gardens donated to the town five years ago by the owners, Howard and Ruth Crosby, who had lovingly tended the land since 1980. According to a NEWS report… Read More
    GRAND FALLS TOWNSHIP – Investigators believe the New Jersey man who was found burned to death near Nicatous Lake had told acquaintances he was visiting a friend in Maine, a state spokesman said Thursday. But Stephen McCausland of the Maine Public Safety Department said there… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Another 173 schools and 65 libraries throughout the state will share more than $2.8 million in funding under the e-rate program, which U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Jay Rockefeller, D-W.V., authored as part of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. This is the first… Read More
    LEWISTON – The city will not spike a backyard volleyball court serving neighborhood kids after all. The Board of Appeals voted 4-2 in favor of Fern Asselin after hearing two hours of testimony Wednesday night. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Medical and Regional Office Center at Togus will present a Women Veterans ONE VA Expo from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11, at the Armory on Western Avenue in Augusta. This outreach effort will provide information… Read More
    AUGUSTA – David Ames, division engineer of Maine Department of Transportation’s Dixfield Office, has been named Supervisor of the Year. Ames, a lifelong resident of New Sharon, supervises MDOT highway maintenance activities in Franklin, Oxford and Androscoggin counties. He was given the honor at a… Read More
    WASHINGTON – The Maine Department of Human Services will receive $355,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to assist rural hospitals and improve access to health services in rural communities, U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced Thursday. “Rural… Read More
    PORTLAND – A new Web site for Portland voters marks the start of the city’s effort to regain public confidence after an Election Day mix-up last November in which hundreds of voter names were accidentally purged from the rolls. By clicking on www.portlandvoters.com, residents can… Read More
    PORTLAND – Two women have sued Lewiston Police Chief William Welch for actions they say belittled efforts to curb domestic violence and led to their transfer from assignments at the police station. Carol Perkins and Michele Swift, both employees of the Abused Women’s Advocacy Project,… Read More
    Given Joan Benoit Samuelson’s stature in the world running community, perhaps it was inevitable that the race she founded in 1998, the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10-kilometer (6.2 miles), would become Maine’s premier summer road racing event. This year’s race, which gets under way Saturday… Read More