The federal General Accounting Office may have set a milestone for optimism last week with a report called “Lessons Learned from Electricity Restructuring,” a sentiment that suggests a level of understanding that probably exists somewhere but certainly not with the general public and perhaps only tentatively with the… Read More
    It is unfair that a new governor handed a billion-dollar shortfall – one that unsurprisingly turns out to be closer to $1.4 billion – also must confront an immensely popular referendum that would significantly shift school funding from local to state responsibility. But such a measure has attracted… Read More
    Recently it has been reported that a family in Ohio convinced their daughter she was dying of leukemia. As if that wasn’t devastating enough for this little girl and her classmates, they took advantage of a caring, hard-working community and scammed them out of $10,000. Read More
    This letter is addressed to the people of Millinocket. St. Martin of Tour’s Social, Justice and Peace Committee runs the food pantry at the church center located on Main Avenue next door to the manor, across the street from our church. We are open Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Read More
    In the Jan. 13 story about the pro-diversity march in Lewiston, the Bangor Daily News quotes a young woman who says, “As a Mainer, I don’t want to see this epidemic [of hate] in my state.” What epidemic is she talking about? Only 32 people… Read More
    Here is a thought for those of you who may be thinking of a weekend getaway. How about a trip to the Millinocket region for an overnight in one of the plentiful accommodations? While there, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, winter hiking… Read More
    What percentage of the world’s known and reasonably recoverable oil is in the United States? Answer: 2 percent. What percentage of the world’s oil do we use? Answer: 25 percent. Can drilling in the Arctic or anywhere else increase American oil production more than twelvefold?… Read More
    In 1952, as a civil engineering student at the University of Maine, I, along with others, was assigned the task of preparing a report on the Bangor Waterworks. My report stressed three features: the pump, Atlantic salmon and filter plant. The giant pump was run… Read More
    The article, “Something old, something new,” by Ruth-Ellen Cohen about Jeff Wheeler (BDN, Jan. 21), should be mandatory reading for all school systems in Maine. [Wheeler is the Hermon school system technology coordinator who modifies out-of-date computers for use in the classroom.] It is enlightening to see someone… Read More
    We respect every citizen’s right to express their opinion, such as the one expressed in the op-ed piece titled, “Brownville needs public dialogue,” in the Jan. 6 Bangor Daily News. However, we feel it is imperative to clarify facts related to the operation and administration of the Brownville… Read More
    While the administration continues internal debates about whether to invade Iraq, it intensifies another war – the “war” on drugs. Fearing that the behavioral and cultural battle has been lost, the office of the drug czar’s has written a letter to prosecutors asking them to redouble their efforts… Read More
    It’s a sign of age, I suppose, but I’ve come to a point in my life when technology doesn’t thrill me like it used to. This is a curious admission, and one that I never thought I’d make. Up until a few years ago, after… Read More
    HARMONY – A trooper who rescued four dogs from brutally cold outdoor conditions last Wednesday said Monday he had been assured last summer that the dogs’ owner would be investigated regarding the care the dogs were receiving at that time. Maine State Trooper James Medeiros… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A Maine State Police trooper was legally justified last month when he shot and wounded an escaped prisoner during a standoff in downtown Ellsworth, Attorney General Steven Rowe said Monday. Rowe was required by law to investigate Trooper Clifford Peterson’s use of deadly… Read More
    EASTPORT – The federal government has reversed itself and has given the Passamaquoddy Tribe the green light to lease the former Gates Fiber Extrusion office building on Route 190 to a Lexington, Mass., firm that wants to open the area’s only kidney dialysis center there. Read More
    Belfast District Court Cases Jan. 20-24, 2003 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 () { // Define Slot… Read More
    A Bangor man was arrested for drunken driving early Saturday morning after he crashed his car into a utility pole on Valley Avenue and fled the scene on foot. Stephen Curtis Jr., 26, wasn’t injured in the accident. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    CORINNA – Even with an increase in the county tax and school-support payments, town officials in Corinna believe that an anticipated increase in valuation will balance the ledgers, providing for a stable tax rate this year. Town Manager Judy Doore said Monday that using an… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – Selectmen agreed Monday to help a local business in a dispute with the Department of Transportation over curbing. The DOT plans to reconstruct West Main Street next fall and intends to install curbing in front of the businesses, including Mountain’s Market. Owners Janet… Read More
    ORONO – Town officials will meet today to discuss with an attorney the potential sale of Ayers Island. University of Maine professor George Markowsky has a lease-purchase agreement with the town for the 62-acre island where he hopes to build a research and development park. Read More
    AUGUSTA – Sen. Mary Cathcart gaveled her Appropriations Committee to order Monday as lawmakers prepared for a 14-day review of Gov. John E. Baldacci’s $44 million supplemental budget bill to balance the state’s finances through the end of this fiscal year, June 30, 2003. Cathcart,… Read More
    NEWPORT – Just moments before his plane crashed while attempting an emergency landing in Newport on Sunday afternoon, pilot Jerry E. Carlyle of Winthrop radioed “mayday,” a distress call picked up by Ron Curtis, the airport manager at nearby Pittsfield Municipal Airport. “That’s only the… Read More
    MADAWASKA – HORIZONS Madawaska Regional Health Center, 188 Main St., will be open each Thursday evening, beginning Feb. 6. Debbra Babin, a family nurse practitioner who works full time at the center, will provide services until 8 p.m. each Thursday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE – The Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a business success seminar, “How to Fly Like a Butterfly Instead of Crawl Like a Caterpillar,” from 8 a.m. to noon Thursday, Feb. 13, at Northern Maine Technical College at Edmunds Conference Center. The… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE – The Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce and Barresi Financial Inc. will sponsor an Eggs N’ Issues breakfast at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, at the Northeastland Hotel. Registration is at 7:30 a.m. The guest speaker will be Catherine Gavin, executive director of… Read More
    HOULTON – The Houlton Regional Health Services Foundation has made a grant to the Patten Ambulance Service to assist with the purchase of a defibrillator unit. The grant for $7,982.50 covers half the cost of a Lifepak 12 defibrillator-monitor. The unit will provide ambulance personnel… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE – Nominations for the Presque Isle Citizen of the Year Award and the Presque Isle Lifetime Achievement Award are being considered for the 2002 award to be presented at a recognition dinner Thursday, Feb. 27. The awards will recognize two local individuals who… Read More
    HOULTON – A growing awareness of youth substance abuse in the Houlton area has prompted several area agencies to join together to address the problem. The Think Tank is an outgrowth of separate efforts last summer by Houlton Regional Hospital’s Center for Community Education and… Read More
    DEXTER – A winter carnival complete with fireworks will be held next month sponsored by the town of Dexter and Wassookeag Snowmobile Club. Weather permitting, the community will sponsor a snowmobile radar run on Lake Wassookeag, a snow-sculpture contest, sleigh rides, a public dance and… Read More
    BROWNVILLE – Brownville Elementary School launched its Read with Me: The 2003 RIF Community Reading Challenge Friday, Jan. 24. The children’s literacy program activities will run for two weeks and involve both students and community members. The challenge awards points to students for meeting their… Read More
    DEXTER – Municipal officials will act next month on a recommendation to borrow $500,000 from the Municipal Bond Bank for a major road-resurfacing program this summer. Although town officials have budgeted what they could for reserve for road improvements over the years, it has not… Read More
    BANGOR – The Bangor YMCA is offering “Battling the Post-Holiday Blues,” a seminar presented by Stephen A. Andrew, Ph.D., L.C.P.C., at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, in the Bangor YMCA Viner Room. The seminar is free to the public. January is often a time when… Read More
    BLUE HILL – A Franklin man faces charges after he allegedly ran a stop sign late Sunday night and struck a Hancock County Sheriff’s Department cruiser, injuring the deputy inside. Deputy Scott Kane received minor injuries in the accident. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    CALAIS – The director emeritus of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco will speak next week at Washington County Technical College. Rand Castile, an author and lecturer, spent more than a decade living and working in Japan as a scholar. During his tenure at… Read More
    SOUTHWEST HARBOR – The Association of Concerned Taxpayers will meet at 7 tonight at the American Legion Hall to discuss town issues, including the Feb. 10 special town meeting on the sewer bond and the Pemetic Elementary School budget for the 2003-04 school year. The… Read More
    MACHIAS – A local store donated U.S. savings bonds to Machias Memorial High School on Monday. Shop ‘n Save manager Todd Christiansen said the Machias store earned the bonds based on the sale of Kraft macaroni and cheese products and was one of 18 winners… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – The James Russell Wiggins Down East Family YMCA community ice skating rink is now open. A complete rink schedule, including times when the ice is available for open skate, family skate, and stick and puck skate, is available at the YMCA. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    Before I left on vacation, I wrote I would have more information about a couple of coming events I am sure you are interested in, and here is that information. Anne Gabbianelli O’Reilly of Hampden reports people in her community are working to keep the… Read More
    ORONO – The University of Maine’s Jordan Planetarium at Wingate Hall will offer two public star shows throughout February. . 7 p.m. Fridays, Feb. 7-28, “Sky Odyssey: New Views of the Universe” – A portrait of the universe as it appears through recent discoveries and… Read More
    WOOLWICH – A group of Maine teenagers will fly to Nicaragua this week to give a helping hand to the “dump children” of Managua. Peter and Jean Willard, who operate the Chop Point School, a Christian school on the Kennebec River, will bring the group… Read More
    BREWER – The Brewer Planning Board on Monday denied a proposed zone change that caused controversy in a long-established single-family neighborhood near the Pendleton Street School. The request, put forth by developer Richard Coffin, was to change zoning on a 3.25-acre parcel of land between developed lots in… Read More
    The American Cancer Society will sell fresh daffodils for $6 per bouquet at all Shop ‘n Save stores March 27-29. Funds raised will support the society’s local service programs for cancer patients and their families. Orders can be made in advance of Daffodil Days by calling the American… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – Piscataquis County gardeners are invited to participate in the 2003 Extension Master Gardener Training in Dover-Foxcroft. The sessions will be from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every other Saturday, starting Feb. 22 and ending May 17. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A former sergeant at the Kennebec County jail pleaded guilty Monday to having sex with a female inmate while he was on duty. Roger Lee Bellavance, 36, of Rome was sentenced to 364 days in jail, with all but 20 days suspended, and… Read More
    Passages from two totally disparate books kept me awake this week. My anxious thoughts couldn’t help but focus on the president’s State of the Union address tonight, in which he is expected to further set the stage for war with Iraq, and on Monday’s reports to the U.N. Read More
    Dear Jim: The air in my house gets very dry during the winter even with a furnace-mounted humidifier. I get static shocks from whatever I touch. Will also using some smaller humidifiers help, and which types are best? – Sue W. Dear Sue: Using a… Read More
    If you didn’t know him – or weren’t looking for him – you would have missed Ricky Craven on Saturday, as he milled around in the Greenville High School cafeteria. There was no entourage for Maine’s only NASCAR Winston Cup driver. There was no mad… Read More
    It’s no surprise that the Dexter girls basketball team is 15-0 with only three regular-season games left on the Tigers’ Class C schedule. After all, Dexter has what is one of the most experienced and well-rounded squads in Eastern Maine and those two 6-footers –… Read More
    ORONO – When the University of Maine men’s hockey team takes the ice this afternoon, it will begin retooling its special teams as both the power play and penalty-killing units are in mini-slumps. The power play has clicked on just two of its last 21… Read More
    COLLEGE Holly Gracie 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 () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    DEXTER – Keriann Patterson scored 15 points Monday night as the Dexter girls basketball team remained unbeaten with a 62-33 win over Penobscot Valley. Sabrina Cote contributed with 14 points while Brittany Veazie scored six points and made eight steals. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    LUBEC – Abraham Beal scored eight of his 21 points in the fourth quarter Monday night as the Jonesport-Beals boys basketball team pulled off a fourth quarter rally to beat Lubec 67-66. Derrick Beal scored a game-high 24 points and Jeremy Chandler added nine for… Read More
    LIMESTONE – Senior point guard Ashley Brooker nailed her 1,000th career point Monday night to become the first girl to reach that milestone as Limestone/MSSN rolled past Madawaska 69-32. Brooker finished with 17 points. Nikki Michaud chipped in with 14 points for the winners and… Read More
    BANGOR – Jesse Haskell poured in 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Eastern Maine Technical College to an 80-75 men’s basketball victory over Central Maine Tech Monday night. Kris Douglas scored 23 points and had 12 rebounds for the Golden Eagles, while Daryl… Read More
    Congratulations to Bangor cheerleaders It was with much dismay that my family and I read your article “Bangor captures regional crown (BDN, Jan. 25),” the Class A Eastern Maine cheerleading championship. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More