PORTLAND – Buying booze just got easier. Thirty-one stores around Maine have begun selling liquor, or soon will, after receiving state-issued licenses in the past couple of months. The deluge of licenses is possible because of a new law that eliminates distance restrictions on who… Read More
BANGOR – Veterans of many wars were out in force Monday, attending parades, ceremonies and student essay readings to commemorate Veterans Day. Some veterans observed that patriotic sentiment among the general public is felt more deeply now, more than a year after the terrorism attacks… Read More
BATH – The Navy’s newest destroyer bearing the name of the late Rhode Island Sen. John Chafee was christened Monday with champagne and fireworks as his wife and four of their children observed the Veterans Day ceremony. “In loving memory we christen the USS Chafee. Read More
In the Style section for Monday, Nov. 11, a review of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra concert was incomplete due to a graphics department error. The concert program also included a performance of Beethoven’s “Egmont Overture” and Brahms’ “Variations on a Theme by [Joseph] Haydn.”… Read More
WASHINGTON – Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. The Bush administration plans to allow more snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks on average, while cutting numbers on the busiest days. The decision reverses one taken during the Clinton presidency that would have banned… Read More
MILWAUKEE – Northland Cranberries Inc. has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Ocean Spray, alleging the cooperative has monopolized the cranberry products industry to the detriment of its competitors and consumers. Ocean Spray said Monday it competes fairly and would defend itself in court. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Like it or not, we have entered a new era in the war against terrorism. The CIA last week used an unmanned plane to track a carload of people judged to be terrorists across the vast “Empty Quarter” of northwestern Yemen. The plane wiped them out with a… Read More
Maine Republican Party leaders are upset about recorded phone messages Secretary of State Dan Gwadosky made in behalf of Democratic candidates for the Legislature, claiming the partisan solicitations were a breach of trust by the state’s chief elections officer. Mr. Gwadosky, an unabashed Democrat elected to his position… Read More
“Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, … put out my hand, and touched the face of God.” 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
BATH – The christening of the USS Chafee marked a milestone for Bath Iron Works as the first warship to be built at the shipyard’s $240 million land-level transfer facility. The new facility, which includes a new dry dock, cranes and other equipment, allows a… Read More
MONTPELIER, Vt. – A small pack of wolves might be living in the Quebec wilderness within about 20 miles of the U.S. border on the south side of the St. Lawrence River. If it’s proved true, it’s almost certain the wolves or their offspring will… Read More
KITTERY – Cianbro Corp. said Monday it was mobilizing equipment to salvage the upper section of a crane that toppled into the Piscataqua River near the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. No one was injured in the Sunday afternoon accident, which was blamed on a failure in… Read More
HARRINGTON – The sixth-graders at Harrington Elementary School are returning from an assembly when they see Jerry Hatch making his way down the hallway. Running to the classroom Hatch just left, the four 12-year-olds begin pleading with Cpl. Rodney Merritt, the D.A.R.E. officer for the… Read More
CASTINE – The schooner Bowdoin, Maine’s official sailing vessel and the flagship of Maine Maritime Academy’s sailing fleet, needs a new mast. Routine maintenance on the 88-foot wooden vessel revealed a section of rot on the mast, according to Heather Stone, the Bowdoin’s captain. The… Read More
TROY – Neighbors in this Waldo County town were heartbroken to learn that a rare albino deer that delighted them for months apparently was shot by a hunter. The nearly all-white yearling was believed to have been shot Saturday near Webster Cemetery Road, not far… Read More
BLUE HILL – The biggest threats to Maine’s coastal waters and to the Gulf of Maine itself may boil down to people and money. That was the assessment of one group of area students participating in a youth forum on the gulf last week. The… Read More
Police on Monday were investigating a weekend burglary at the Veazie wastewater treatment plant on Hobson Avenue and began processing physical evidence found at the scene. At least one burglar was able to unlock a window to the facility from the outside and to steal… Read More
FORT KENT – Despite some communications and technical glitches, last week’s districtwide evacuation drill in SAD 27 is being hailed as a learning experience by school and emergency response officials. “I had told the principals last spring I would be calling a drill at some… Read More
RUMFORD – Two flags retrieved from a New Hampshire landfill were burned and then buried in a Veterans Day ceremony that ended a chapter in the town’s history that many residents want to forget. “It was a nice ceremony,” Town Manager Robert Welch told the… Read More
BUCKSPORT – A New York developer has passed the first hurdle in his plan to turn a 150-year-old former seminary building into luxury apartments. The board last week granted Aaron Gleich’s application for a subdivision for Wilson Hall, a three-story brick building with views over… Read More
HANCOCK – A smoke detector is being credited with saving the life of a resident whose house was destroyed Monday evening by fire. Firefighters got a call at about 3:30 p.m. reporting a fire at the Carter residence on Cross Road. According to Hancock Fire… Read More
David Barnes of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory has been awarded a $221,631 grant by the Maine Technology Institute for his proposal “Establishment of Permanent Cell Lines of Model Marine Tissues.” Barnes is the laboratory’s director of the marine cell lines and stem cell… Read More
Shead High School, Eastport First quarter honor roll 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
DOVER-FOXCROFT – The Agriculture Networking meeting rescheduled from Oct. 28 will be held 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the Piscataquis County Extension office. The meeting is sponsored by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Natural Resource Conservation Service and local farmers. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
DEXTER – Local police were successful in recovering some of the approximately 15 street signs that were stolen from locations in town over the past month. The street, directional and snowmobile route signs were removed, and in some instances the posts were destroyed, according to… Read More
GREENVILLE – Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund board members have approved funding for a new search, rescue and patrol boat for Moosehead Lake. Just how much funding will be allotted for the project will be determined when the board meets Friday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
DEXTER – Employees of the town are pushing forward an effort to establish a bargaining unit, much to the dismay of town officials. Dexter Town Manager Robert Simpson learned late last week that the Maine Chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal… Read More
ROCKLAND – A sprinkler system contained an early-morning fire Monday at the Grace Fellowship Church. Church members discovered the fire when they arrived for a meeting at the Sherer’s Lane church at about 6 a.m., according to Assistant Fire Chief Adam Miceli. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
CAMDEN – A routine stop for speeding gave police a few tense moments Sunday night, followed by a strange situation at the local post office. Camden officers stopped a speeding vehicle on Elm Street at about 11:40 p.m. near the Camden-Rockport town line, according to… Read More
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Heroin has become more of a problem in Pittsfield and all across Berkshire County in the past year, law enforcement authorities say. “I’m very, very concerned,” Berkshire District Attorney Gerard D. Downing told The Berkshire Eagle. “It’s become a major problem.” googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
SOUTH PORTLAND – For more than three decades, Gary Toppi tried not to think about the death of his big brother Chris in Vietnam. It felt like torture when South Portland High School, in 1986, honored Chris and the city’s other veterans who were killed… Read More
LEWISTON – A group that held a book cutting a year ago to protest a Harry Potter movie is back at it again. The ministry of the “Jesus Party” will hold an Anti-Harry Potter Conference on Thursday in Lewiston. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
ORONO – Fans of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” may think the show’s blond executioner of demons, werewolves and vampires is just another violent vixen who swings her sword and asks questions later. They would be wrong, according to an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Maine. Read More
When boogie-woogie pianist Michael Kaeshammer and his trio performed last Friday at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono, the audience was wowed by the speed with which Kaeshammer’s hands moved across the keyboard. His fingers were a blur of motion. He whipped out jazz melodies with… Read More
The odds and ends of venison given to us last season are mounded in one unmarked package; that’s how we know they’re odds and ends. The foreleg was labeled, as were the neck roast and loin chops. The last of the Magic Marker packages went into a tasty… Read More
Dear Jim: I want to add a decorative wood-burning fireplace to my living room to warm that room and nearby rooms. I would like to do much of the work myself to cut costs. What are the best models to consider? – Ronnie S. Dear… Read More
The University of Maine men’s basketball team is garnering some attention in national circles as well as New England and the state. Most publications who do so predict Boston University to defend its America East conference title, but Maine is picked no worse than fourth… Read More
ORONO – If University of Maine men’s basketball coach John Giannini had a checklist of things he wanted to see in Monday night’s exhibition game against the Canadian G.T. Express team, there wasn’t much left unchecked. “I was just pleased with broad picture. I thought… Read More
The more time I spend outdoors, the more I realize that I love it. All of it. Even when it’s pouring, and I’m wondering if my theoretically water-tight tent will work as well in a deluge as it does in my living room. Even when… Read More
Even though the Woodland volleyball team was a likely preseason favorite, the Dragons still had to deal with some trash talk – as in, can Woodland win despite graduating six seniors, including standouts Ashley Marble and Julia Knights? “People were saying we couldn’t win without… Read More
ORONO – University of Maine freshman goalie Jim Howard can’t explain it. He has already broken the school record for consecutive shutout minutes with 187:23 entering Friday night’s game at Northeastern University. His three shutouts have tied the school single-season record set by Alfie Michaud… Read More
BREWER – Russ Nealey didn’t win Monday’s individual knockout portion of the World Team Candlepin Bowling Championships, Chris Hollett of Halifax, Nova Scotia, did that. But that’s OK with Nealey. He was bowling and that’s all he really wanted to do. Nealey, a six-time Maine… Read More
MPBC is turning its back on donors As a longtime supporter of the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, I must speak out to protest recent decisions made with regard to its programming. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More