The gap between what the top 20 and bottom 20 school districts spend on elementary pupils widened slightly between the 1999-2000 and the 2000-01 school years, despite substantial increases in state school aid in recent years, according to a Bangor Daily News analysis. In its… Read More
Trying to interview the Mills family is like trying to corral a stubborn donkey – or elephant, depending on your political affiliation. Just when you think you’ve got everything reined in, a leg or head pops free, and the critter takes off in a direction of its own… Read More
BANGOR – A national study ranks Maine below average in high-growth entrepreneurial companies. That isn’t a bad thing, the report’s authors say. If that’s the way the state wants to be, who are they to argue with that? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
KITTERY – The border dispute between Maine and New Hampshire over the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has taken several strange turns over the years, but perhaps none as strange as the latest. Retired shipyard worker Victor Bourre announced that he has assembled a militia, declared himself… Read More
A birth announcement in Aug. 9 editions incorrectly spelled the name of the baby. The correct spelling is Hillary Grace Redmond, whose parents are Darcy and Tony Redmond of Dover-Foxcroft. Read More
BANGOR – Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. (NYSE: BGR) has reported a loss for the quarter ended June 30 of 4 cents per common share compared with earnings of 17 cents per common share for the same quarter a year ago. Earnings were negatively affected in the… Read More
AUGUSTA – A new online service provides businesses and financial institutions throughout Maine with constant access to Uniform Commercial Code lien information and documents. UCC Interactive Search is the latest e-government service from the Maine Secretary of State’s Office. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Maine Public Broadcasting has hired Christopher Stevens as its traffic specialist. Working out of the Bangor office, Stevens will be responsible for scheduling program and promotional logs, fund raising and special events. He worked previously as a master control operator at WVII-TV in Bangor. MaineGeneral… Read More
Robbi Bunten and Lake Larsson have launched Maine Essentials, which will provide rental space for workshops, seminars, group meetings, other events and vacation rentals in a farmhouse setting at 1452 Coastal Road in West Brooksville. Maine Essentials hosts its first workshop, “A Weekend of Iyengar Yoga,” Aug. 25-26. Read More
BANGOR – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is being accused of overstepping its authority by ordering the formation of a 12-state power market system, but the consumer advocates pointing the finger at the national board may not have any say in stopping it. In papers… Read More
It has been two months since CIA Director George Tenet, dispatched to the Mideast by President Bush, returned with an accord designed to re-establish the security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority required for peace talks to resume. The horrifying events of the past week claimed many… Read More
Twenty-nine years ago, Congress passed the Rural Development Act, which directed federal agencies to look first to less expensive places outside urban areas when building new facilities, both to distribute more evenly the economic and social benefits of federal development and to save money. Long term, the policy… Read More
Last week during the severe regional heat wave, the electrical power grid serving the southern New England states was strained to maximum capacity. There was an excess of electrical capacity in Maine that could have eased the situation greatly had it been able to be shipped south. Read More
My wife and I visit Maine when we can and love it. We eat lobsters on the coast and relax by the lakes. Having a large national park in Maine would be wonderful thing. The eastern part of the US needs more parks for recreation, wildlife habitat and… Read More
Recently an editorial complained of the fact that a local restaurant had changed from a place where you could get good chowder and coleslaw and become fancy with table cloths, napkin rings etc. Would you ask the author of that piece the name of the restaurant? I’d like… Read More
Every once in a while we hear of someone inventing device that will provide our modern vehicles to get 100 or so miles per gallon and the big oil companies buy them out so they may continue to reap their exorbitant prices. The providers of those bits of… Read More
The story (BDN, Aug. 10) about fundraising costs is a great reminder that all charitable donors need to do their homework before they make a gift decision. As a community investment volunteer for United Way of Eastern Maine, I know that our United Way does this homework for… Read More
Forty years ago as a college student, I worked at the Jackson Lab and fell in love with Mount Desert Island. Later, my husband and I bought land on beautiful Sand Point Road. We lived in a community of people who cared for each other. It is incomprehensible… Read More
You’re nipping at the wrong heels. Forget the Maine Christian Civic League (MCCL). Start chasing the King administration and Democrats in the Maine Legislature. Had there been a public hearing on domestic partner health benefits there would almost certainly be no referendum drive. But the… Read More
Three recent thoughtful letters to the BDN have been interrelated. Two referred to Shays’s Rebellion, which occurred in late 1786 and early 1787; the author of one of those letters moved from that rebellion to the Second Amendment to defend the right of Americans to own guns. The… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Elvira Hobart of Blanchard placed her fingers strategically on the chest of the doll she cradled in her arms. Placing her mouth over the small opening on the doll’s face, the SAD 68 school bus driver alternately blew air into the doll while… Read More
LINCOLNVILLE – The main drag through Lincolnville Center may be a numbered state highway, but it also has all the trappings of Smalltown, U.S.A. Stately old oaks and maples, some that may have been planted during the Civil War, line Route 173 between the intersections… Read More
LINCOLN – Despite a New England-wide moratorium on the development of new veterans health clinics, military veterans groups in the Lincoln area are not giving up their efforts to bring a new clinic to Penobscot Valley Hospital. Veterans organizations have collected more than 1,000 signatures… Read More
PORTLAND – A prominent criminal defense lawyer charged by Portland police with operating under the influence says he suspects the summons was issued in retaliation for a suit he may file against the department. Daniel G. Lilley faces a charge of operating under the influence… Read More
BANGOR – A nurse who formerly worked at the Northern Maine Juvenile Detention Facility in Charleston is suing the company that provided medical services to the prison, alleging she was fired because of her age and complaints she made about problems with the medical services offered at the… Read More
AUGUSTA – Gov. Angus King said Tuesday his administration is moving forward on his laptop computer initiative and that requests for proposals for a prototype are expected to be sent out next month. Meeting with reporters, King said the challenge to the computer industry would… Read More
ELLSWORTH – A group of parents said they want the atmosphere at Ellsworth High School to improve, and they want it to start with the school rules. Two parents appeared before the school committee Tuesday night to voice their concerns that students have been treated… Read More
Houlton District Court Steven Brown, 26, Monticello, operating all-terrain vehicle 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
PORTAGE LAKE – Personal protection gear for firefighters is an expensive proposition for small towns in Maine, and municipal officials here were ecstatic Monday when a $37,452 federal grant to buy equipment was approved. The grant is more than double the annual municipal outlay for… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – A Smyrna woman suffered minor injuries when her car was hit from behind Tuesday morning on Route 1. Marguerite Lawler, 48, was injured when her 1989 Buick was struck by a 1988 GMC pickup truck operated by Kegan Dufour, 16, of Westfield. Read More
HOULTON – Despite some concerns about the size of a rate increase for trash services, the Town Council at its meeting Monday approved the full request made by Boyd Solid Waste to handle the town’s residential solid waste. With that action, drop-offs at the Boyd… Read More
WARREN – Calvary Baptist Church will hold a Deaf Family Bible Conference Aug. 19-24. The featured speaker is John Clark, one of the country’s best-known deaf evangelists. For 29 years, Clark has preached to deaf and hearing people around the world. Clark and his wife,… Read More
LINCOLNVILLE – Friends of the Tranquility Grange will hold a public bean supper at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Grange on Route 52, one mile north of Lincolnville Center. The supper will feature Peg’s beans, Nancy’s chili and Melissa’s homemade bread, casseroles, salads… Read More
ALFRED – A Sanford driver accused of killing a pedestrian last year has agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges. Jury selection was to begin Monday in the manslaughter trial of George Marcoux, but the trial was canceled after he agreed to plead guilty to… Read More
Caribou District Court Tyler D. Anderson, 19, New Sweden, burglary, 90 days in Aroostook County Jail; theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, 90 days in jail. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
STANDISH – A nighttime collision involving two powerboats on Sebago Lake left two people injured. Joseph Wadsworth, 46, of Standish and Janet Byers, 44, of Massachusetts were taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland. Byers, whose hometown was not immediately available, was in serious condition,… Read More
STONINGTON – They had a picnic Tuesday on the coast overlooking the busy Deer Island Thorofare, just outside the studio where 97-year-old artist Emily Muir works. As friends and acquaintances honored the painter, sculptor and designer, the Island Institute announced that Muir was donating $25,000… Read More
ELLSWORTH – Two young pigs that the owner had intended to enter into the pig scramble at the Blue Hill Fair were reported stolen Monday from a farm in Brooksville. The piglets, which weighed about 30 pounds apiece, disappeared from the Sunset Acres Farm on… Read More
BANGOR – A Newport man has pleaded innocent to federal charges linked to what police characterized as a significant collection of child pornography. Dorne M. Smith, 46, appeared Tuesday in U.S. District Court to answer charges of possession and receipt of child pornography. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
ELLSWORTH – U.S. Rep. John Baldacci will be the speaker at the next meeting of the Hancock County Democratic Committee at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, at Ellsworth City Hall. All are invited to hear Baldacci speak about his intention to run for governor next year. Read More
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK – Entrance to the park will be free Saturday, Aug. 25, in celebration of the annual National Park Day, the anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916. The park service was established under President Woodrow Wilson to conserve… Read More
TREMONT – Planning board members Tuesday approved a subdivision proposal that would transform the abandoned Underwood Cannery building into a series of luxury condominiums. The brick cannery, built in 1912 in Bass Harbor, was recently named one of Maine’s most endangered historic properties by a… Read More
WINTERPORT – The town’s electrical service was interrupted for six hours early Tuesday when a truck struck a power pole on U.S. Route 1A. The outage occurred at 5:05 a.m. when Donald P. Lawrence, 53, of Bangor fell asleep at the wheel of a 2000… Read More
BUCKSPORT – Nobody was hurt Tuesday morning when a single train car loaded with paper derailed at the International Paper Co. mill in Bucksport, according to the train’s operator, Guilford Rail System. The midmorning accident caused no hazardous material spills, and neither Bucksport public safety… Read More
EDDINGTON – A fire Tuesday caused an estimated $5,000 in damage to a mobile home on the Rooks Road. According to Eddington Fire Chief Arnold Grover, the fire at 44 Rooks Road appears to have been electrical in origin. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
NORTH HAVEN – Establishment of a physician’s committee and negotiations with Dr. Maurice Pare will be the subject of a special town meeting Aug. 21. Selectmen voted Tuesday to hold a special town meeting next Tuesday to decide on one warrant article. The meeting will… Read More
ORONO – Nearly 25 people were evacuated from a campus building after a chemical spill Tuesday afternoon at the University of Maine. Around 3 p.m., someone working in a lab on the third floor of Deering Hall spilled lacto phenol acid fuchsin stain, UM spokesman… Read More
THOMASTON – A proposed 50-lot subdivision on land behind Stubby’s Service Station on Route 1 went through preliminary review Tuesday by the planning board. The 82-acre parcel, owned by Gerald Adams, is under contract with VBM Development Inc. of Naples, Fla. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
BELFAST – Following up on a process bungled five years ago, Waldo County commissioners have taken the formal step of canceling their contract with the Maine State Retirement System. Although a previous group of commissioners voted to pull the county out of the state system… Read More
GARLAND – A local man burned in an explosion Monday at his Upper Notch Road home remained in critical condition Tuesday at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Lawrence Furbush, 84, suffered second- and third-degree burns from his waist to his head after a gas grill… Read More
GUILFORD – Firefighters responded Tuesday to a report of smoke at Pride Manufacturing Co. on Route 15. Employees at the plant managed to extinguish the small fire before Guilford firefighters arrived at about 11 a.m. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
EASTPORT – Resignation of the principal of Shead High School on the eve of the opening of fall classes has prompted questions but few answers. Principal Bernie Peatman handed in his resignation on Aug. 2, but left open his departure date. At first, Peatman, who… Read More
JONESBORO – The 15th annual amateur golf tournament to provide scholarship money for Washington County high school students will take place Aug. 25 at the Great Cove Golf Course. Sponsored by Union Trust Co., the scramble-format tournament will benefit one graduating senior in the 2002… Read More
BROOKSVILLE – Holbrook Island Sanctuary will offer an evening of bats beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Backshore Trail parking lot on Indian Bar Road. After a short talk about bats, naturalist Steve Shilling will lead a short walk to a bat-foraging… Read More
SCHOODIC POINT – Sometimes even the powerful like to have friends in high places. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, home from the halls of power in Washington for August recess, brought one of her senior colleagues to Maine in an effort to encourage $7 million for… Read More
ELLSWORTH – Residents interested in local television programming will have a chance to determine how the public access cable channels can be best put to use later this month. The city is organizing a committee to plan how it can avail itself of the local… Read More
SOUTH PORTLAND – An Attleboro, Mass., man waived extradition Tuesday and agreed to return to Maine to face murder and rape charges in the 1994 slaying of a 22-year-old South Portland woman. Foster D. Bates, 34, appeared in Attleboro District Court after his arrest on… Read More
With the potential to become a “really big reunion,” organizers are searching for anyone, anywhere, who was a member of the 26th Air Division (Defense) of the U.S. Air Force. No longer in existence, members of the 26th Air Division were the people responsible for… Read More
WELLS – Maine State Police have asked a judge for a search warrant to inspect a delivery truck involved in last week’s fatal accident on the Maine Turnpike in Wells. The truck was at the rear of Friday’s chain-reaction collision that killed Dale Caverly, 27,… Read More
If the name doesn’t give it away, the interior of Cork Restaurant in Camden will – this place is serious about wine. From the walls, painted grapey purple, to the white-zinfandel-pink chairs, the wine bottle tapestries and the painting of half-full glasses that hangs near the stairs, everything… Read More
ENOTECA: SIMPLE, DELICIOUS RECIPES IN THE ITALIAN WINE BAR TRADITION, by Joyce Goldstein, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2001, 196 pages, $24.95. I scrape myself up onto the stool next to you. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
MOUNT DESERT – “You can ask me anything,” said Dominick Dunne, looking over his trademark tortoiseshell glasses with a smile. It’s only right that a man who earned his fame weaving best-selling novels from whispered threads of society gossip should be as open and engaging. Read More
Take the cake … or the muffin, or the pie at the Union Fair’s Maine Wild Blueberry Festival. This year’s blueberry bakeoff has five categories: Melt in Your Mouth Wild Blueberry Cake, in which each entrant bakes the same recipe; Wild Blueberry Dessert Competition; Wild… Read More
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mike Dunham was the first goaltender selected for the U.S. Olympic team on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after he agreed on a three-year contract with the Nashville Predators. “It’s been a whirlwind,” Dunham said. “I’m glad it’s over.” googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Former college and high school assistant and head coach Harold Williams Jr. of Bangor has paid his dues in the coaching profession. Now he hopes to reap the rewards from 11 years of learning on the job and tutelage under other coaches as the new coach of Husson… Read More
What began as a way to while away some free time between study sessions in the University of Maine’s library has become the first, definitive written work encapsulating the 50-year history of the LTC football conference. The result is a 600-page book titled “50 Years… Read More
There may be skepticism in the Boston media about Robbie Ftorek as the Boston Bruins’ new head coach, but not from former University of Maine star Scott Pellerin, who signed a two-year free agent deal with the Bruins last month. “I played for Robbie for… Read More
WATERBURY, Conn. – Maine finished in fifth place, 19 strokes behind champion Massachusetts at the New England Junior Golf Championship at the Country Club of Waterbury Tuesday. Massachusetts’ team of George Zolotus, Evan Hahn, Sam Chud, Tim Acquaviva, Kevin Silva, and Brendon Ray shot a… Read More
ORONO – University of Maine football season tickets go on sale to the general public Wednesday at the athletic ticket office in Alfond Arena. Tickets may also be purchased by calling 581-BEAR (2327) or 1-800-756-TEAM. Adult season tickets are $54 while youth season tickets are $39. Maine’s first… Read More
PORTLAND – Florida Marlins prospect Josh Beckett combined with two relievers on Monday night to no-hit the Binghamton Mets 5-0 at Binghamton. Beckett, the Marlins first found pick in 1999, threw 89 pitches over seven innings. He allowed only three walks and struck out 12. Read More
HOLE-IN-ONE Jesse McEwen 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
Just over a week ago, Chris Preble was helping out with some odd jobs around Stearns High School while counting down the days left until his second season as the varsity football team’s defensive coordinator began. Now the 28-year-old middle school physical education teacher would… Read More
ASHLAND – Senior Amanda Martin scored three goals to power the Ashland Hornets past the Easton Bears 6-1 in schoolgirl soccer action Tuesday. Martin now has 41 high school career goals. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More