BANGOR – On a steamy Monday afternoon, 6-year-old Keely Shorette and her visiting cousins piled out of the family car in hopes of escaping the heat at the city’s crowded west-side pool. Across town, the city’s most famous literary couple offered a cool idea of… Read More
    BELFAST – For the second time in five weeks, an inmate at the Waldo County Jail has committed suicide by hanging. John Stewart, 54, of Thorndike was found hanging in a holding cell a few minutes before 7 p.m. Sunday, Sheriff Scott Story said Monday. Read More
    Hazy smoke high above northern New England prompted health officials Monday to issue air quality warnings for most of the region. The smoke came from dozens of forest fires in Quebec that sent a plume as far south as Washington, D.C., and led state officials… Read More
    BANGOR – With President Bush poised to speak about business ethics today on Wall Street, Maine Democratic congressional candidates Monday urged the administration to crack down on corporate criminals in the wake of a string of high-profile accounting scandals. “Today if a kid steals a… Read More
    KENNEBUNKPORT – President Bush played one last round of golf Monday in the early morning mist of the Maine coast before returning to Washington for a week of ceremony and political challenge. The president said, “I’m focused on 18 holes of golf.” googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    YORK – Record numbers of vehicles traveled on the Maine Turnpike Sunday as swarms of visitors left the state. The Maine Turnpike Authority announced that Sunday set a new record for southbound traffic with 103,480 vehicles. That beat the old record of 96,028 vehicles set… Read More
    WASHINGTON – People in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island spent 15 percent more on personal health care than the rest of the country in 1998, mostly because they have higher incomes and costs are greater in cities, the government says. Utah, Idaho, Arizona,… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project’s top honor, its VLP Director’s Award, has been bestowed on David Kee of Ellsworth. It was presented at the Maine State Bar Association’s recent summer meeting in Bar Harbor. In making the award, VLP Executive Director Ann Perillo… Read More
    BELFAST – The University of Maine Hutchinson Center will offer a two-part program, College Guidance 101: A Primer for Parents, to provide first-time and veteran parents with information and strategies to assist their college-bound children in the high school to college transition. The two-day program is 7-9 p.m. Read More
    Following are petitions for bankruptcy filed at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor: Arthur Achorn, dba A.L. Achorn & Co. Inc., self-employed contractor, no dependents, Holden: assets, $122,549; debts, $457,342. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
    VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Canadian softwood lumber exports to the United States nose-dived in the weeks following the imposition of punitive American duties, trade figures show. The volume of softwood exports to the key U.S. market fell by more than 25 percent between May 22… Read More
    Following are petitions for bankruptcy filed at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor: Scott Stoddard, canoe builder, and Christina Stoddard, no occupation given, two dependents, North Anson: assets, $24,310; debts, $57,670. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    What most of Maine needs more of, according to Richard Florida, Carnegie Mellon professor and author of “The Rise of the Creative Class,” is a rising creative class. It takes creativity to attract creativity, says Professor Florida, and just as he was being interviewed about his new book,… Read More
    Congress begins debate this week on President Bush’s proposal to create a Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security. This is an enormous undertaking – at last count, some 180 different agencies, bureaus and offices will be involved, more than a dozen House and Senate committees have jurisdiction – and… Read More
    Regarding your July 2 Amtrak editorial: The profitability of Amtrak’s northeast corridor service is much in dispute by individuals and groups like the National Association of Railroad Passengers. The corridor is unique in that Amtrak owns the tracks and physical plant, unlike the situation for long-distance service. Read More
    I am almost 58 and was never fortunate enough to have children, but my heart breaks for those who are trying to bring theirs up to be God-fearing, patriotic citizens. First we had the ’50s where our children were told that white people were superior… Read More
    In recent weeks Washington Hancock Community Agency has announced the closing of its Calais child care center. I’m a parent who has children in that center and I can’t say enough about the quality of the program and its staff. The progress my children have made here has… Read More
    The “snarling, hissing, slithering, stinging, poisonous” beasts that Tom Weber discusses (July 2) are not the worst thing about Southern weather. Having lived in Texas for more than 50 years, I can assure Weber and other Mainers that Southern heat is an even more serious problem. Read More
    It is a sad farewell to Mace’s store that has been on the hill in Aurora for 150 years. Left in the hands of real estate brokers, the store is on its way to a landfill via the Department of Transportation. Memories hold us. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    I am writing in response to the letter, “For self-sufficiency” (BDN, June 21), to clarify several issues regarding the Bush administration’s welfare reform reauthorization proposal currently before the Senate. We are aware that achieving self-sufficiency takes more than just getting a job. One of the… Read More
    Imagine 50 children from across the globe, arm in arm, singing out: “Drop the gun! Drop the gun!” That promises to be a highlight of the Concert for Our Future, Thursday, July 11, at the Bangor City Waterfront Park. Eleven-year-olds from Brazil, Chile, El Salvador,… Read More
    “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” – Declaration of Independence – the Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States… Read More
    I didn’t sob, didn’t actually cry, nor was I overcome by any true sense of actual grief, but as I sat in a darkened home office reading line after line about the legendary Splendid Splinter on my computer and watching choppy images of his exploits on television, a… Read More
    PORTLAND – Two men have died in what police say were apparently the city’s 19th and 20th fatal drug overdoses this year. Ulysses Grant Collins, 47, was found dead Sunday afternoon inside his room at the YMCA on Forest Avenue, said Lt. Joseph Loughlin of… Read More
    There probably is not a responsible parent alive who doesn’t fret each time the newly licensed teen-ager in the family hops into the car and pulls out of the driveway alone. With all the perils that await these most-inexperienced drivers on the road, out of… Read More
    NEW GLOUCESTER – After 37 years as dean of students and community life at the University of Maine in Orono, Dwight Rideout has decided to ease into retirement by taking a three-year position as senior associate dean of students, directing a new advocacy program. Meanwhile,… Read More
    BANGOR – DirecTV Inc., a California corporation offering digital satellite television programming to paying customers, has filed suit alleging signal piracy against businessmen in Houlton, Florida and New Brunswick. In the civil lawsuit, filed a few weeks ago at U.S. District Court in Bangor, DirecTV… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – An Iowa woman who was riding on a motorcycle when it was hit by a van last weekend was still in a local hospital Monday, officials said. A nursing supervisor at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital said Donna Douglas, 51, of Robins, Iowa, was… Read More
    HOULTON – Officials worked to control traffic for nearly five hours Monday afternoon after a tractor-trailer truck carrying a load of wooden pallets rolled onto its side, blocking both southbound lanes of Interstate 95. “I don’t think speed was a factor here,” Trooper Robert Flynn… Read More
    CARIBOU – Dana Allison, curator of the Haystack Historical Society of Mapleton, Chapman and Castle Hill, will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, at the Whittier Memorial on Route 1. The topic will be the success of Haystack’s converting an eyesore into a respectable… Read More
    FORT KENT – Secretary of State Dan Gwadosky has introduced a way for residents to pay municipal excise taxes and registration fees over the Internet. Rapid Renewal allows residents to perform renewal registrations 24 hours a day. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    The Bangor Daily News Presque Isle bureau is located at 572 Main St. For questions regarding advertising or newspaper subscriptions and delivery, call toll-free (800) 432-7964. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
    ALLAGASH – When Faye Hafford visited the old Allagash Consolidated School in 1999, she knew right away what she wanted to do – reopen the school’s library. Most of the school’s contents were auctioned off when it closed in 1995, but the library was left… Read More
    NEWPORT – The town is going to the dogs. On Saturday, July 13, nearly 500 dogs and their owners are expected to converge at the Moosehead Trails Veterinary Clinic on Route 7 for the Greatest Fun Match of Maine, a trial run for dogs and… Read More
    FRANKLIN – Franklin Days will begin from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 13, at the Grange Hall on Route 182, with a sign-up for Serve New England. Serve New England provides different food packages for various prices. Also starting at 9 a.m., and lasting until 1 p.m.,… Read More
    SOUTHWEST HARBOR – The Southwest Harbor Public Library silent auction is under way this week at the library. Items are on display and open for bidding by all until noon Saturday, July 13. The silent auction will continue Saturday evening at the library during a… Read More
    PENOBSCOT – The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department is concerned about a possible phone scam aimed at obtaining credit card numbers from unwitting victims. Hancock County sheriff’s Deputy Ken Mitchell said Monday a 66-year-old man in Penobscot received a call last week from someone who told… Read More
    FRANKLIN – Some model cars worth a total of $3,070 were stolen last week from a home on Route 200, according to police. The cars, 12 in all, are metal die-cast replicas of cars raced by the late NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Sgt. Scott Kane… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – A truck stolen from a local auto dealer has been recovered in South Portland, according to police. South Portland police called Ellsworth police Sunday after finding the truck abandoned behind the Maine Mall, Ellsworth police Officer Chad Wilmot said Monday. He said South… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – The City Council decided Monday to table a water main project on High Street so it could find out more about the state’s plans to widen the street. Ellsworth City Manager Tim King said the $18,190 water main project, which involves switching connections… Read More
    STONINGTON – The plan to sell fuel at the town’s commercial fish pier is on hold while officials review insurance costs and operational issues. In April, selectmen approved a plan from the harbor committee to sell fuel to boaters at the pier in an effort… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A single lane of the Waldo-Hancock Bridge will remain closed Tuesday, July 9, because contractors need to deliver construction materials to the site. Flaggers will work to keep traffic moving across the bridge, and the contractor, Piasecki Steel Construction, hopes to have the… Read More
    BANGOR – The Bangor STD Clinic at 103 Texas Ave. has announced new testing methods for sexually transmitted diseases involving simple urine tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea. Free treatment will be provided for those testing positive and results are confidential. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    BANGOR – A free workshop titled “Pricing Your Product” will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, at the Penquis Community Action Program office at 262 Harlow St. Made possible by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the workshop will… Read More
    BREWER – The Brewer Hometown Band will present a concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 11, at Sunset Park on Parkway South, near the Pendleton Street School. The concert is free. Donations are accepted. The rain location is the Brewer Auditorium. Read More
    BANGOR – The Bangor Public Library will hold a writing workshop, “Write Now! What Are You Waiting For?” at 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 22, in the boardroom. Presenter Kimberly Ripley will assist adults with their free-lance writing skills. Copies of “Freelancing Later in Life” and… Read More
    BREWER – A former Brewer High School English teacher soon will return as principal. James Frost, one of a dozen applicants for the Brewer High principal position, was Superintendent Betsy Webb’s nominee for the job, which opened up after Jerry Goss announced plans to retire… Read More
    ORONO – With unanimous approval, the Orono Town Council voted to give younger residents more of a voice in the operations of the Orono Public Library. Voting 6-0, councilors approved a measure that would add an extra member and associate member to the library’s board… Read More
    BLUE HILL – An all-county reception for U.S. Rep. John Baldacci will be held at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Blue Hill Farm Country Inn. The reception will cap a day of campaigning in Hancock County. Former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell will… Read More
    LINCOLN – Next month, people who feed the growing number of ducks in public areas around Mattanawcook Lake will receive one warning and then be assessed a fine. Members of the Town Council on Monday adopted an ordinance that prohibits feeding ducks within 50 feet… Read More
    AUGUSTA – East Millinocket will refund some of Great Northern Paper Co.’s 1999 tax payment. The State Board of Property Tax Review on Monday granted Great Northern a tax abatement of $33.37 million, setting the 1999 value of the company at $170.75 million. The town… Read More
    ROCKLAND – Rent payments by a major tenant at Knox County Regional Airport will increase by 5 percent a year for the next eight years, Knox County commissioners have decided. The commissioners agreed to the terms with the Knox County Flying Club late last week,… Read More
    CAMDEN – Police arrested a man at the public landing after receiving complaints that he was offering illegal drugs for sale. “He actually approached someone,” Camden Police Chief Phil Roberts said Monday. Roberts said Sgt. Mike Geary and Officer Jason Fowler went to the harbor… Read More
    CAMDEN – A 16-year-old Camden boy was arrested Sunday night at the town landing after allegedly trespassing on the outside deck of the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce building. Police Chief Phil Roberts said the boy had been arrested on the same charge within the past… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – New walking trails, a Frisbee golf course, new playground equipment and improvements to athletic fields will be funded in the Penquis region by state tobacco settlement funds. The Piscataquis Public Health Council recently awarded more than $76,000 of the settlement funds to 32… Read More
    CALAIS – A former New Brunswick man who allegedly stabbed another man 14 years ago has posted bail and is awaiting his first appearance in a Maine court on a charge of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon. On Nov. 30, 1987, Kevin McLaughlin, 37,… Read More
    ARUNDEL – A boatyard fire that caused an estimated $150,000 in damage appears to have been set intentionally, investigators said. The state Fire Marshal’s Office and local police are investigating Sunday morning’s fire at the Southern Maine Marine Center. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    SKOWHEGAN – The Skowhegan Indian still stands tall, but the mighty sculpture is showing some wear and tear. Several toes are missing. Part of an arm is rotting. His spear is rusting. And birds and squirrels are living inside him. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    ACADIA NATIONAL PARK – A Mount Desert man will face several charges stemming from an accident early Sunday morning that demolished the car he was driving. Ray M. Rumill, 25, has been issued summonses charging him with driving to endanger, leaving the scene of a… Read More
    AUGUSTA – No determination has yet been made about the cause of the July 4 deaths of an elderly Parkman couple. Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Margaret Greenwald performed autopsies Sunday on the bodies of Leon Melvin, 70, and his wife, Ruth Melvin, 76, according to… Read More
    NEWPORT – A couple from Columbia recently was found guilty of charges of promoting prostitution stemming from a scheme gone awry in Newport last March. Debra Sinclair, 33, and Michael Stanley, 41, who advertised themselves as “Harley and Hog,” were caught by undercover police officers… Read More
    WASHINGTON – The government on Monday released a new list of more than 100 airports where passenger checkpoints will be overhauled and explosives detection machines will be installed. The Transportation Security Administration faces a Nov. 19 deadline for replacing private screeners with an all-federal work… Read More
    Robert Taylor, the writer, has reading glasses slung on the tip of his nose. His tie is perfectly knotted and his hair is coiffed with Victorian punctilio. In his hands, Taylor holds a copy of his latest book, “All We Have Is Now,” a love story severed by… Read More
    BANGOR – The term “progabilly” might sound like a vaguely dirty insult, but it’s actually a broadly influenced genre of good ol’ American rock. Who knew? Dreadnaught, a New Hampshire-based band that recently added Bangor resident Tim Haney to its lineup, acknowledges the term and… Read More
    Talk about life in the slow lane. Mainers normally use this term figuratively – and affectionately – to denote the simple, stress-free, uncluttered, unhurried lives we lead around here most of the time. Nothing to get all lathered up about, we say; it’s just life… Read More
    WATERVILLE – Twenty-four etchings and lithotints by James McNeill Whistler are on display at the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville through the end of the summer. The works were created between 1858 and 1896 and depict daily life in the cities of Western… Read More
    Dear Jim: The sun’s heat and glare are uncomfortable coming through the windows and it is also fading my furniture and carpeting. Will applying clear inexpensive insulating window film minimize these problems? – Jack N. Dear Jack: New insulating window films can reduce heat and… Read More
    Old Town High may have three new varsity coaches this fall, but they’re all familiar faces to the Indians. Keith Holland, who recently coached the Old Town wrestling team, has been hired to coach the football squad; Mike St. Peter, a longtime town youth soccer… Read More
    At Ellsworth, Friend and Friend is presenting Travis Fox, a U.S. National Motorcycle Trials Champion, as part of their “Customer Appreciation Days.” Fox will be performing low speed motorcycle stunts. The shows are free to the public on Friday and Saturday, July 12th and 13th. Hotdogs and soda… Read More
    Neff missed point Columnist Andrew Neff seems to have missed the big picture behind PETA’s request that certain sports teams, such as the Packers and the Gamecocks, change their name to avoid promoting violence to animals (“Petty PETA should forget mascot battle,” 7/2/02). googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Jacob Lowell’s two-out single in the bottom of the seventh drove home Joe Cough with the winning run as Trenton edged Orono 3-2 Monday in American Legion action. Lowell had two singles and a double while Chris Sargent doubled and singled and Mark… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Seaira Robinson smacked two home runs and two singles to lead Sunrise of Milbridge to a 27-2 District I Little League softball All-Star tournament win over Acadian on Monday. Lona Sargeant pitched a one-hitter for Sunrise. Nicole Sargeant hit three triples and… Read More
    BANGOR – Erica Tweedie and Kristin Parker belted back-to-back triples in a five-run fourth inning as Bangor West defeated Orono-Veazie 21-6 Monday in a District 3 ages 11-12 Little League softball game. Tweedie knocked in a pair of runs with her triple and scored on… Read More