BAR HARBOR – For 13-year-old Scott Bracy, getting a laptop was a momentous occasion that shouldn’t be consigned merely to memory. So there he was Thursday with his father’s camcorder, documenting the broad grins and exclamations of “Awesome!” as the computers were handed out to… Read More
    MACHIAS – Two Washington County high school students charged last week in a burglary have withdrawn from Saturday’s McDonald’s East-West Senior All-Star basketball game. Jim Ray, president of the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches, said Thursday that Morgan Drew of Calais and Sarah Snider of… Read More
    ROCKLAND – A Rockland District Middle School teacher has been charged with assaulting three female pupils, police said Thursday. Warner Vaughan, 54, of St. George, who has taught in SAD 5 for 25 years, was summoned on three counts of simple assault, said Deputy Police… Read More
    The television stations that have procured the rights to televise the University of Maine’s NCAA regional hockey games were identified incorrectly in Thursday’s editions. They are WABI-TV (Channel 5) of Bangor and Maine Public Broadcasting. Read More
    BIDDEFORD – A University of New England senior has sued the college for eliminating her major and is seeking reimbursement of her $16,000 tuition and an apology. In a case believed to be one of the first of its kind nationally, Tina Ruggles, 25, alleges… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Members of the Legislature’s Business and Economic Development Committee want to replace Gov. Angus King’s $31 million economic bond issue proposal with a smaller package that has different priorities. The panel and two other groups that are seeking economic development bonds made their… Read More
    BANGOR – After a little more than six months at the helm, Carroll Lee has notified Bangor Hydro-Electric Co.’s 425 employees that he is retiring as president by the beginning of summer. It’s been a difficult six months for Lee and the utility, something the… Read More
    WINSLOW – A new rope company has begun production in the rope-making plant formerly owned by Crowe Rope Industries. Orion Ropeworks has taken possession of Crowe’s assets in Winslow and should be operating at full production in the next month or two, said James Edgerly,… Read More
    Congress is ready to consider an extension of Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This extension would make it possible for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. indefinitely. Each illegal alien would only have to find a legal U.S. resident or… Read More
    Two prominent Americans recently have heard their off-the-record words come back to haunt them. Both Treasury Secretary Paul H. O’Neill and the Rev. Billy Graham thought they were speaking privately. The similarity ends there. The contrast in their behavior may hold lessons for other public figures. Read More
    The good news this week was that Maine lands simultaneously earned certification from two major audits, a national first. Equally good – and potentially more far-reaching – news is expected in a month, when the results of the two auditing standards are judged against each other. The comparison… Read More
    Your editorial of Feb. 13 assesses the risks of partially privatizing Social Security. In addition to being risky, such a change would be enormously costly. Social Security relies on today’s collections to pay yesterday’s retirees. Brookings Institution researcher Henry Aaron estimates this cost to pay… Read More
    Aroostook County originally budgeted $200,000 to operate a 9-1-1 system with the knowledge that the cost would increase over the years. Since the Maine State Police submitted the only bid of $300,000 per year, the excess cost will have to come from somewhere – especially since the county… Read More
    I’m a sixth-grader (soon to be seventh-grader) at Monroe Elementary School. I am writing to to talk about laptops for seventh- and eighth-graders. There are many different opinions about this bill. My opinion is that it is a good idea. If all seventh- and eighth-graders… Read More
    I am a sixth-grader going on to seventh next September. Laptops are OK, but they’re not that important to me. I think the government could put the money to better uses than laptops. If the money isn’t used for laptops it could go to rebuilding… Read More
    In response to Cal Thomas’ column “The best and worst of TV” (BDN, March 15), we watch three game shows, news and some of the older repeats. During these shows we mute the commercials and/or turn to QVC during them. When there’s nothing on or a program with… Read More
    My eyes still sting from reading the front page of the paper on Thursday, March 14. I almost never cry. I remember distinctly both times I shed tears in the last four years. Thursday made it three times in recent history. I walked into a… Read More
    After years of groundwork and months of negotiations, the state of Maine, The Nature Conservancy and numerous local partners are on the verge of protecting lands along nearly the entire length of the Machias River. While the Atlantic Salmon Commission is leading the effort in fulfillment of the… Read More
    According to conventional wisdom, immigration is an undeniable boon to the United States, with millions of diligent new workers pumping money into our economy. Guess what. It’s a myth. Present immigrants pay far less in taxes than they consume in services, so much so that six states (California,… Read More
    AUGUSTA – After a week of review, a seven-member Senate panel concluded Thursday that Michael Brennan won his southern Maine Senate seat by 10 votes. The Portland Democrat’s slim victory over Sally Vamvakias, a Falmouth Republican, ends more than two weeks of ballot recounts in… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – With his four accusers sitting in the front row of the courtroom gallery Thursday afternoon, Travis White denied he has ever sexually molested or assaulted anyone. More than 50 people sat in the courtroom as White, 31, testified Thursday afternoon in his trial… Read More
    PHILLIPS – Dozens of children have broken out in a rash at Phillips Middle School, the first such report in Maine following reports nationwide of mysterious rashes in schools. The school reopened Thursday after it was closed for 24 hours after about 40 schoolchildren came… Read More
    BANGOR – It may have been their second choice, but it was a choice just the same. City Councilors on Thursday were dismayed by the House of Representative’s Wednesday evening rejection of a $15 million state bond that, if eventually approved by voters in November,… Read More
    ORONO – Donna Lamb of the Piscataquis County Cooperative Extension will present a brown bag session on how to construct and use a cold frame at noon, Wednesday, April 17, at the Page Farm and Home Museum, University of Maine campus. The event is free and open to… Read More
    BANGOR – “Scenes of Maine and Britain,” works by Sandra Nestlerode-Hale, opens April 1 in the Stairwell Gallery of the Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St. Nestlerode-Hale’s watercolors and drawings represent the years 1994 to 2002 while the artist lived on both sides of the Atlantic. The exhibit… Read More
    BANGOR – Children of all ages are welcome to attend a free Easter egg hunt from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 23, at the Bangor YMCA Sports and Fitness Center on Taft Street. The event is a collaboration of the Husson College chapter of… Read More
    RUMFORD – Organizations from the Rumford area are involved in the planning of a memorial service to honor the memory of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. As part of the memorial service, a flag retirement ceremony will be… Read More
    BREWER – Brewer Parks and Recreation will host a local Pepsi Pitch, Hit and Run competition for Brewer area youngsters at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, on Doyle Field. Pitch, Hit and Run is a baseball skills competition that is open to boys and girls ages 7 to… Read More
    BANGOR – Dr. William Gallagher will present a slide show on the relationship between Penobscot County painter Waldo Peirce and novelist Ernest Hemingway at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 30, in the lecture hall of the Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St. Gallagher currently is writing a study of… Read More
    GREENBUSH – A fire that destroyed a garage and spread to a home on the Card Ridge Road early Tuesday morning started in a garage wall near a wood stove, the town’s fire chief said Thursday. Greenbush Fire Chief Ed Haverlock concluded this week that… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – It was another long night for the town’s planning board Wednesday, and by the time the members were ready to discuss the proposed 71-room Rodick Inn motel project, they’d just about run out of steam. The board did manage to rule that… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – A public meeting Thursday night may have been targeted at a different audience than one held last month for the city’s school staff, but it raised an issue identical to one brought up in February. The 35 or so residents at the meeting, like the school… Read More
    SOUTHWEST HARBOR – The fourth Equinox Celebration, sponsored by the Southwest Harbor-Tremont Chamber of Commerce will take place the evening of March 23, at the Deck House. The Deck House is located in Cabaret Theater in the Great Harbor Marina on Main Street. The social… Read More
    ORLAND – The Orland Fire Department will hold an open house from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 23. Adults interested in becoming volunteer firefighters are invited to attend, and children will be able to take part in a free Easter egg hunt and visit… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – For the second time in less than a week, burglars smashed the front door of the Corner Cupboard convenience store in Pittsfield, jumped the counter and helped themselves to cigarettes. Sunday night, a window weight was used to smash the glass door and… Read More
    Newport District Court Cases Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, 2002 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 () {… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – An arrest warrant has been issued for Doris Murray, 33, of Pittsfield, for her alleged involvement in a series of home burglaries in Pittsfield, Canaan, Hartland, Newport and Corinna. Police were still searching for Murray late Thursday but expected to locate her and take her to… Read More
    HARTLAND – As part of national nutrition month, “Foodplay”, a national, award-winning nutrition theater show, will give two performances, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Friday, March 22, at the Hartland Consolidated School. The first showing will be for children in grades four through six… Read More
    WATERVILLE – The Guerrilla Girls, a group of anonymous women artists, writers and performers, will be at Colby College at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4. They will present “Your Cultural Conscience” in the Page Commons Room of Cotter Union. The presentation is part of Colby’s… Read More
    WATERVILLE – The Colby College Chorale will perform music from the American and European traditions in Lorimer Chapel at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6, as part of the 2001-02 Music at Colby Concert Series. It is open to the public and free of charge. Returning… Read More
    Mapleton It took town meeting participants just 35 minutes Monday night to adopt a budget designed to support local government, estimated school costs and county taxes without changing the tax rate. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE – He was a compassionate physician who was deeply interested in his patients, their lifestyles and history, and was reluctant to release them after he treated them successfully for cancer. Friends, co-workers and colleagues are deeply saddened by the death of Dr. Christopher… Read More
    BANGOR – The Amicus Group will exhibit recent artwork created by participants in its art program during April in the lecture hall of the Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St. The Amicus Group offers six programs and divisions to support men and women with disabilities in the community. Read More
    Police said a transient man who went to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor looking for a psychological examination went “ballistic” inside an exam room, tearing off a faucet and swinging it at the staff. Shawab Jenkins, 25, entered the hospital shortly before 4 p.m. Read More
    AUGUSTA – Members of the Legislature’s Utilities and Energy Committee voted unanimously Thursday to forward to the full Legislature a bill that would give the city control over the community’s water system, now operated by the Brewer Water District. While reluctant to get involved in… Read More
    Ellsworth District Court Cases Jan. 4 to March 10, 2002 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 () {… Read More
    WASHINGTON – The Brewer Police Department will receive $70,770 in funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to hire an additional full-time police officer. The grant is provided under the Community Oriented Policing Services Universal Hiring Program. “This funding will bolster public safety efforts in… Read More
    BANGOR – The 2002 boating season will begin with docking of the 17th annual Bangor Boating and Marine Exposition at the Bangor Auditorium and Civic Center March 29-31. The boating season that begins in earnest in April and extends to at least Thanksgiving weekend has… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Townspeople will gather Saturday to decide the 2002 municipal budget and several articles related to adopting ordinances. The proposed municipal budget is $515,639, according to figures in the town warrant. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
    ORLAND – Voters will act on 31 articles at the annual town meeting this year, beginning with the election of officers on Monday. The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, March 25, at the Orland Town Hall. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    BELFAST – A nearly head-on collision on Route 3 Wednesday night sent occupants of two cars to hospitals. On Thursday, one of the passengers, a 15-year-old girl, remained in critical condition. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    STOCKTON SPRINGS – The Waldo County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a break-in at The Trend store on Main Street. The break-in was reported Wednesday morning and apparently occurred the previous night. Cash, cigarettes and alcoholic beverages were stolen. Read More
    WARREN – The Warren Community Day Committee is making a plea to residents to get involved in the annual town event, which is aimed this year at raising money to rebuild Payson Park. The first fund-raising event -a spaghetti dinner – will take place from… Read More
    ROCKPORT – An event called Celebration of Well-Managed Forestry will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at the MidCoast Recreation Center, Route 90, Rockport. The celebration will include an open house, displays and refreshments beginning at 1 p.m. and a series… Read More
    BELFAST – Tammy Lacher Scully announced Tuesday that she will resign her seat on the City Council in June. Lacher Scully was elected in June 1999 to a three-year term. But a change in the city’s charter moved city elections from June to November in… Read More
    GUILFORD – A partnership between SAD 4 and Head Start that brings preschoolers under the school district umbrella is being hailed as a win-win situation for both parties, as well as for the children and their families. This fall, SAD 4 will provide two district-owned… Read More
    MONSON – If school costs come in as projected and residents approve the municipal spending plan at the annual town meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, March 25, the tax rate may increase as much as $1 for $1,000 valuation. Several factors influenced the local budget… Read More
    MACHIAS – The Machias Music Boosters Quarters Carnival will take place at the Rose M. Gaffney School gymnasium from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 6. Admission is free, but each of the more than 15 games will cost participants a quarter to play. All… Read More
    EAST MACHIAS – Children who live in SAD 77 and will be 5 by Oct. 15 must register for kindergarten at one of the district’s four elementary schools during the month of April. SAD 77 comprises Cutler, East Machias, Machiasport and Whiting. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    CALAIS – Kindergarten registration for children who will be 5 by Oct. 15 and preschool registration for children who will be 4 by Oct. 15 will be held from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, at the Calais Elementary School. Read More
    CHERRYFIELD – The Downeast Rivers Land Trust is giving the town a 41-acre parcel to preserve the public use of a boat access site on the Narraguagus River. The property includes the confluence of Schoodic Brook and the Narraguagus River and is a traditional boating… Read More
    PLEASANT POINT – OxyContin and Dilaudid are still the drugs of choice, a Pleasant Point police investigator says. When used correctly, the potent narcotics help terminally ill patients battle pain. But crushed and injected, the drugs provide a powerful high. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    PLEASANT POINT – The illegal use of prescription drugs has a stranglehold on the reservation, leaders say, but now the Passamaquoddy Tribe has been awarded a $121,000 federal planning grant that could lead to the establishment of an outpatient treatment program to save lives. The… Read More
    FORT KENT – Shawn Graham, 30, was sitting in Bee Jays Lounge on Sunday morning when he was struck by a man with a water glass in his hand. Graham, coordinator of the Big Brother-Big Sister program in northern Maine, required 20 stitches to close… Read More
    ROBBINSTON – An investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s Office was expected today to visit the scene of a fire that destroyed a single-family home on the Sherman Hill Road. Dennis and Virginia Sterner, who were not home at the time, owned the home. Robbinston… Read More
    BANGOR – A Milford woman might get the chance to sue the state Department of Corrections in federal court if the full state legislature follows the lead of a Thursday subcommittee vote. In an unusual move, the Joint Standing Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs… Read More
    Home is certainly where the heart is, especially when it is one built with love by people whose purpose is help those in need. And when you have such a deserving partner as Brenda Helton, you recognize this home will not only be built with… Read More
    LEWISTON – A man robbed Northeast Bank at gunpoint Wednesday and fled with an unspecified amount of cash. No customers were in the bank at the time of the 12:30 p.m. holdup, and no shots were fired, police said. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    NEW SWEDEN – A 91-year-old man was in fair condition Thursday afternoon at a Portland hospital after he was badly burned in an accident in his home earlier in the day. Hampy Johnson suffered third-degree burns on about 30 percent of his body, according to… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Gov. Angus King is getting busier signing bills into law as the 2002 legislative session winds down. A bill he signed Tuesday is designed to protect the privacy of stalking victims by providing them with substitute mailing addresses. The Address Confidentiality Program will… Read More
    AUGUSTA – By a 23-9 vote Thursday, the Maine Senate gave final approval to a bill allowing people to solicit funds to benefit law enforcement officers, agencies or associations. The measure, LD 2090, was introduced after a 12-year-old Bath girl spent a year raising more… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A bill mandating the use of car booster safety seats for most children under 8 years old continued working its way through the Legislature on Thursday. The Senate voted to go along with the House and gave its approval to the bill, which… Read More
    AUGUSTA – With a drought continuing in Maine, the Legislature wants to give well-drilling trucks exemptions from municipal and county permits needed to travel over local roads to get to work sites. The exemption is in effect during periods of drought emergency declared by the… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Maine Legislature wants federal trade sanctions against Cuba to be lifted. A joint resolution that was approved Thursday by the House and Senate asks Congress to lift a trade embargo that was imposed four decades ago and to normalize trade relations with… Read More
    ORONO – Tim Whitehead came to the University of Maine under difficult circumstances. Head coach Shawn Walsh called him and asked him to apply for the assistant coach’s job with the understanding that he would be the interim head coach if Walsh’s kidney cancer kept him sidelined. Read More
    DILLON, S.C. – Bangor golfer Jesse Speirs continued his fine play last weekend when he captured the tourney on the Plantation Junior Golf Tour in the ages 14-15 division at Twin Lakes Country Club. Speirs recorded rounds of 75 and 72 and is the No. 1-ranked player in… Read More
    Maine ski teams posted strong finishes during Eastern High School championships in Nordic and Alpine last weekend. Both girls and boys teams finished in second place behind New Hampshire at the Eastern Alpine championships at Gunstock Mountain, N.H., while the Maine team finished second overall… Read More
    CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Adam Lemieux hit a two-run homer in the top of the 10th to give the University of Southern Maine a 9-6 baseball win in its opener Thursday against Ripon College. USM held off Amherst (Mass.) College in the second game 9-6. Read More
    ORONO – Defenseman Troy Barnes was set to attend Division III Plattsburgh State University (N.Y.) when he received a call from University of Maine assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Grant Standbrook two weeks before the first day of school. “He told me he liked what… Read More
    CLEMSON, S.C. – Starter Matt Henrie and two other pitchers combined on a five-hitter Thursday night to lead second-ranked Clemson to an 8-0 baseball victory over the University of Maine at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Black Bears slip to 9-3 heading into tonight’s 7:15 game… Read More
    “EVERYTHING’S EVENTUAL,” by Stephen King, Scribner, New York. 459 pages. $28 Of all the fiction writers whose works are assured a nonstop flight from the publishing house to the best-seller list, Stephen King may be the only one who consistently explores a variety of writing… Read More
    BOSTON – A spray of icy snow heralded my arrival at the New England Spring Flower Show, but it felt like May inside the Bayside Exposition Center and the fragrance of mulch and hyacinths soothed my winter-weary senses. In its 131st year, the flower show… Read More
    BANGOR – Merrill Merchants Bancshares Inc. the parent company of Merrill Merchants Bank, has declared a 3 percent stock dividend to all shareholders of record as of March 28, 2002, for distribution on April 11. “This is the seventh consecutive year the company has paid… Read More
    PORTLAND – Verizon on Thursday filed a formal application to federal regulators to provide out-of-state long distance service in Maine. Verizon, which already received conditional approval from state regulators to provide the service in Maine, said the new filing is part of its efforts to… Read More