BANGOR – Most hospitals in Maine are stopping short of the state’s call to vaccinate teams of medical workers against smallpox. Instead, they are taking a wait-and-see approach, concerned that the known risks and liabilities of the vaccine program outweigh the benefit of vaccinating against… Read More
BANGOR – Before filing for bankruptcy in early January, Great Northern Paper Inc. was one of the most expensive companies in the country to operate, according to a recently published report by a paper industry newsletter. And the chief executive officer of the Canadian company… Read More
It’s 18 degrees below zero when Egide (pronounced ee-jid) Dostie II steps into his Skowhegan barn at 5:30 a.m. First task: get a newborn calf on its feet. It’s a male, a disappointment. “Boys don’t make milk,” Dostie says wryly. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
BANGOR – An obscenity found hidden in the winning design of Bangor High School’s spirit week T-shirt has resulted in its designer being suspended from school and required to repay the shirt’s printing costs. Bangor High School sophomore Joe Mucia designed the T-shirt, depicting a… Read More
A first reading of the latest serious attempt at tax reform in Maine is encouraging. Formed by Speaker Michael Saxl last year, a group of distinguished Mainers from across the political spectrum have produced a draft report that quickly gets to the core problems of Maine’s tax system. Read More
Hard to believe it’s been just 12 years since Maine and, specifically, Bangor were the toast of patriots everywhere for the rousing round-the-clock welcomes given to troops passing through Bangor International Airport as they returned home from the Gulf War. Today, we are just toast. Read More
In Julia Bayly’s article, “Loggers’ lair” (BDN, Feb. 22-23), Clayton Lake is placed “Sixty miles southwest of Allagash in Piscataquis County…” When driving logging roads in even the best of weather, 60 miles can seem like 100 miles, but it is nonetheless surprising that it caused Bayly to… Read More
As a taxpayer in Waldo County, I am infuriated that the county commissioners will build a jail regardless of whether they are supported (BDN, Feb. 26). In these tough economic times, I would much rather address a need for additional space by spending $100,000 a year to board… Read More
I strongly object to the Feb. 24 op-ed by Neal Grover asserting that the movement to prevent war in Iraq is about opposing Rush Limbaugh. This is not about liberals who are worried about the Democratic Party. On the contrary, one million British citizens and nearly a half… Read More
In 1938, when I was 15, I heard radio broadcasts of news that Great Britain’s prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, and France’s Edourard Daladier had met with Hitler and agreed to a pact giving Hitler Sudetenlanda, then a part of Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain then went on to Germany trumpeting that… Read More
Will all due respect to Sandra Smith’s suggestion that we always buy American (Feb. 20 letter), I would like to say that, in order to meet foreign competition, our factories need to be free to hire and fire without government interference. But they can’t. If… Read More
In an article on a public hearing regarding proposed legislation to ban snaring (BDN, Feb. 26), Misty Edgecomb wrote, “… and The Wildlife Society, a professional organization for biologists, [all] lent their support to banning the snare as a means of predator control.” While the… Read More
The story making the rounds of the Internet is probably apocryphal, which is a 50-cent way of saying that – like a lot of anonymous stuff ricocheting around cyberspace these days – there is a good possibility it may be bogus. But it sure is timely. And too… Read More
Everybody’s saying “schadenfreude” these days. An example of the efficiency for which Germans are famous, this combination of their word for harm, loss or damage and their word for joy concisely describes the sprawling concept of deriving malicious satisfaction from the misfortune of others. For… Read More
Famously spiritual, Hindu India also has a long history of Muslim mystics. Most came originally from Central Asia, many from Afghanistan. Here in Delhi their tombs now hide among slums and skyscrapers, but their tradition of Sufism (see “Another Islam,” BDN, Feb. 6, 2002) lives on. Its basic… Read More
PORTLAND – The Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Friday set aside an alternative regulatory process that was used to raise local telephone rates for more than 500,000 Verizon customers in the state. Although it found that the Public Utilities Commission acted within its discretion in… Read More
ROCKPORT – A New Hampshire-based business is giving new meaning to the term “surf and turf” by selling a processed cowhide for lobster trap bait. Traditionally, lobstermen have stuffed inexpensive fish into their bait bags, with herring being the popular choice in Maine. As scavengers,… Read More
At 49, Mary Kendall is buying her first home. And though she describes herself as a self-supporting single-mother, Kendall’s new home is in exclusive Camden, where the median sale price is almost $300,000. Two years ago, the coastal town topped the Maine State Housing Authority’s list of least-affordable… Read More
LAMOINE – E-mail addresses on file at the town office might be considered public information by some people, but selectmen here have no intention of releasing them anytime soon. The three-member Board of Selectmen agreed Thursday to a new policy that would protect the addresses… Read More
MEDWAY – A newly formed education association plans to offer the parents of high school students in northern Penobscot and southern Aroostook counties another education choice by creating a new private regional academy. Members of the Katahdin Valley Education Association said their plans for a… Read More
PORTLAND – Opponents of casino gambling in Maine went to court Friday to challenge the wording of a referendum question that would pave the way for a casino run by two Maine Indian tribes. The lawsuit by Casinos No! and state Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland,… Read More
AUGUSTA – A state lawmaker’s attempt to help the slumping economy in his region at the expense of another region of Maine has raised the ire of some municipal officials. Sen. Stephen Stanley, D-Medway, has introduced LD 538, which would reroute the Katahdin Trail, eliminating… Read More
AUGUSTA – Maine is stepping up its efforts to fight invasive aquatic plants such as milfoil, despite continued challenges from sportsmen and in the face of a nasty new enemy, a “perfect weed” called hydrilla. At the fourth annual Maine Milfoil Summit on Friday morning,… Read More
POHENEGAMOOK, Quebec – The 33-year-old woodsman who was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol after filling up his gas tank at an American gasoline station last October has reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he said Friday. The deal must be approved… Read More
In a world of 24-hour news, round and round a story goes and where it stops nobody knows. Such is the case concerning the recent reports that some Maine teachers have been espousing anti-war sentiments in class and, in the process, upsetting the children of… Read More
Lake Erie College, Painesville, Ohio 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
A Job Corps student was summoned Thursday evening for drug trafficking. Bangor police Officer Christopher Morley received the call about 5:30 p.m. When he arrived at the Union Street Job Corps, a staff member told him that Erwin Rodriguez, 18, of Lawrence, Mass., had been… Read More
CARMEL – Residents here will be asked Monday to approve a budget of $948,264, representing a 3.6 percent increase from last year’s budget. Carmel’s annual town meeting, where residents will take up the budget, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, in the… Read More
DEXTER – A boil water order for the town’s public water supply was lifted Friday. Consumers with the Dexter Utility District no longer have to boil their drinking and cooking water. Tests sampled by the Department of Human Services showed no evidence of bacteria, according… Read More
Wayne, 7, has blond hair, blue eyes and a grin that spreads across his entire face when he smiles. Small for his age, Wayne is energetic, curious and wiry. He would like to take a gymnastics class to channel excess energy and to enhance his already highly developed… Read More
CALAIS – Healthful eating will be the subject of three dinners beginning March 5 at Washington County Technical College in which heart disease, diabetes and cancer also will be on the front burner. Gov. John Baldacci and his wife, Karen, who is a former nutritionist,… Read More
Steuben Voters at the annual town meeting will be asked to fund a town manager position approved a year ago. 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
CALAIS – A 53-year-old Eastport man who this week was charged with two counts of gross sexual assault involving a male teenager was released on bail from the Washington County Jail on Friday. Maurice A. House appeared in 4th District Court on Thursday and Judge… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – Despite more than two months of negotiations, registered nurses at The Aroostook Medical Center and the hospital administration have yet to come to an agreement on salaries. Gary Nelson, chief negotiator for the Maine State Nurses Association, on Thursday said the two… Read More
EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Three men from Maine’s St. John Valley arrested last week in a drug bust will return to Canadian courts in March and May to face charges of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, a Canadian drug officer said Thursday. Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – A smoky house fire Thursday night sent two people to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. The Presque Isle Fire Department was called at about 7:20 p.m. to the home of Robert and Katherine Marston at 88 Higgins Road. Heavy smoke… Read More
ROCKLAND – The prisoner who walked out of Knox County Courthouse on Wednesday with his legs shackled and wearing a yellow jail uniform was captured Friday morning at a North Main Street residence. Steven E. Clarke, 38, of Rockland was outside a Superior Courtroom in… Read More
The following divorces were granted recently in 2nd District Court in Presque Isle on grounds of irreconcilable marital differences: Kevin Jay Farrar, Hodgdon, and Diane Jane Farrar, Easton, married March 9, 2002, at Orient. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
PORTLAND – An amateur dog sledder who was run over by a snowmobiler and left for dead on a New Hampshire trail last month says his mushing days may be over. Stephen Hessert has been hospitalized since the accident and has titanium rods inserted in… Read More
BANGOR – The condition of a Caribou boy who was struck by lightning last Sunday afternoon while sliding with friends was upgraded to serious Friday at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, according to a hospital representative. Steven Crowley, 15, was sliding with friends at… Read More
Colby College, Waterville Fall 2002 semester dean’s list 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
Blaine The tax rate in this town of 820 people will remain at $18.50 per $1,000 in property valuation for municipal budget expenses, education and county taxes. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
LISBON FALLS – A 29-year-old woman accused of shaking her adopted son to death told police the boy fell and accidentally hit his head several times, according to investigators. Police allege that Sarah Allen violently shook 22-month-old Nathaniel Jacob Allen on Feb. 14, causing massive… Read More
BANGOR – A U.S. District Court jury of five men and three women Friday found the owners of a Deer Isle boatyard negligent in a Dec. 31, 2001, fire that destroyed nine vessels, now valued at a revised amount of $750,000. The jury also found… Read More
PALMYRA – A two-vehicle accident at the intersection of Route 152 and Route 2 in Palmyra on Friday killed one Dexter woman and critically injured another. Winnifred Fanjoy, 81, was pronounced dead at the scene while her passenger, Barbra Williams, 76, also of Dexter, initially… Read More
Stonehill College, Easton, Mass. 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
EAST MILLINOCKET – Maine Small Business Development Centers is spearheading a collaborative program of entrepreneurial training for residents and businesses affected by the recent bankruptcy of Great Northern Paper Inc. Katahdin Entrepreneurship Education Programs is a collaborative effort by the Maine SBDC in association with… Read More
BANGOR – Former state Rep. Dick Campbell and several area veterans are asking anyone interested in demonstrating in support of U.S. military troops to take part in a rally at the corner of Hogan Road and the Bangor Mall near the Burger King from noon to 2 p.m. Read More
BANGOR – For pedestrians, crossing State Street to get from Eastern Maine Medical Center to Wing parking lot can be like taking your life into your hands. For motorists, the danger lies in the chance of unexpectedly coming upon someone crossing the street – despite the drivers’ green… Read More
BAR HARBOR – A public workshop to discuss Island Explorer routes and timetables for 2003 will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 6, at the Bar Harbor Municipal Building auditorium. The workshop will address plans for extending Island Explorer bus service into the fall. Read More
BAR HARBOR – Pulitzer Prize-winning author Philip Geyelin will respond to the question “Can the Middle East’s Cycle of Violence Ever be Broken?” in a lecture at 4 p.m. Monday, March 3, at College of the Atlantic’s McCormick Lecture Hall. The presentation is part of… Read More
BUCKSPORT – Christopher J. Hall, executive vice president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, will be guest speaker at the Bucksport Area Chamber of Commerce’s next quarterly meeting from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. Thursday, March 6, at the Bucksport Methodist Church. Hall’s topic will… Read More
CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy is sponsoring a 72-hour, wilderness first-responder, medical training course March 29-April 5. The course will enable students to deal with medical emergencies when they are miles away from help and dialing 911 is not an option. The course is recommended… Read More
ELLSWORTH – The Ellsworth Chapter of SCORE is presenting a free workshop for small-business owners on “Choosing a Business Structure: The Tax and Legal Implications.” The workshop will assess the advantages and disadvantages of the various structures now available regarding ease and expense of formation… Read More
ELLSWORTH – The public is invited to attend the Down East AIDS Network annual Cabin Fever Reliever at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 22, at the Ellsworth Middle School. The dance will feature performances by Flash-in-the-Pan steel Drum Band and the youth steel drum band Rhythm… Read More
A Belmont man died while walking home Friday night after being hit from behind by a car at 7:20 p.m. near the intersection of Routes 131 and 3 in Belmont. The car’s driver, a woman from Belfast, apparently was not speeding, Waldo County Sheriff’s Department… Read More
BROOKSVILLE – Residents will decide whether to approve a $1.8 million construction project at the elementary school during voting at the annual town meeting next week. The project grew out of a series of public meetings to review space needs at the elementary school which… Read More
Reading from a 1962 Bangor Daily News clipping celebrating its centennial, First United Methodist Church of Orrington member Sharon Gray explained where that church’s historic pipe organ came from. “The Holbrook pipe organ is a tracker instrument originally installed about 1860 in the Methodist church… Read More
SANGERVILLE – A Sangerville woman received a head injury Thursday afternoon when she lost control of her vehicle on the Doughty Hill Road and it rolled over. Sylvia L. Roettger, 71, was taken by ambulance to Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft, and later was transferred… Read More
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers won’t proceed with a proposed renovation of the Camp Ellis jetty in Saco but will consider other options to slow beach erosion in the Camp Ellis oceanside community. The corps said Thursday that the proposed work on the jetty… Read More
CALAIS – The lavender A-line dress with the plunging neckline was from Frederick’s of Baring, not Frederick’s of Hollywood. The designer was Tsunami not Armani, and the police chief who was wearing the dress did it to raise money for the eighth-grade class’s trip to… Read More
PORTLAND – Catholic Charities of Maine filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the city of Portland over its domestic partnership ordinance that restricts federal funding to the charity. In a suit filed in U.S. District Court, Catholic Charities claims the city ordinance violates equal protection… Read More
BANGOR – The former head of a now defunct hairstyling academy with a location in Brewer was sentenced in federal court this week to one month in prison and five months of home confinement for failing to refund the student loans of 15 former students. Read More
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins will follow up her introduction and passage of a Senate resolution marking Monday, March 3, as Read Across America Day with a visit to a Hampden elementary school where she will read to young pupils. On Feb. 27, the Senate unanimously passed… Read More
ORONO – Patrick Nero won’t have to change his school acronyms, should he get the job he’s seeking as the University of Maine’s athletic director, but he will have to change his job title, school colors, and mode of dress. When the youngest of the… Read More
BANGOR – At the beginning of the season, George Stevens Academy boys basketball coach Matt Mattson became a salesman. He went to work on selling a team defense concept to the Eagles. Friday night at Bangor Auditorium, Mattson received the commission on his sale –… Read More
ORONO – It was the ultimate frustration. The University of Maine’s Black Bears turned in one of their better performances during their recent struggles. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
Fishing for northern pike, Bob Motta will tell you, can be a thrilling pastime. Motta will also tell you there are times when angling for the toothy critters can be downright frustrating. “One thing about pike fishing, you can fish a few days in a… Read More
BANGOR – For much of the season the Nokomis boys basketball team has relied on seniors Ryan McLellan and Luke Hayden to carry the team. Friday afternoon at the Bangor Auditorium senior forward Jody Mullis put the team on his back and carried them to… Read More
BREWER – The Eastern Maine Baseball Umpires Association is looking for new umpires for high school baseball. Those interested in becoming certified umpires should call Mike Bordick at 947-6606. Classes for new members start Tuesday at 6:30 at Brewer High School. Read More
HIGH SCHOOL All-Aroostook 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
HIGH SCHOOL Senior Hockey All-Star Teams 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
BANGOR – It wasn’t just the game that was on the line when Dirigo’s Alyssa Burns settled in to shoot two free throws with 5.6 seconds left in overtime of Friday night’s Class C state championship game. There was also that pesky streak to think… Read More
Eastern Maine Class B boys champion Winslow will face a tall challenge when they take on Western Maine champ Mountain Valley of Rumford Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center in the state championship game beginning at approximately 9 p.m. The fourth-seeded Falcons knocked off the… Read More
Greely High’s female student athletes have had quite a run in the past two school years. The Rangers of Cumberland Center won the Class B state softball championship last spring and the school’s soccer team won the Class A state title this fall. So the… Read More
Senior center Greg Taylor said this year’s Hampden Academy hockey team isn’t the most talented of the four he has played on. “But this one plays together the best,” said Taylor who hopes to lead the top-seeded Broncos into the Eastern Maine Class B championship… Read More
CASTLETON, Vt. – Erinne Magee poured in 19 points to lead Maine Maritime Academy past Lasell 65-46 Friday in a North Atlantic Conference semifinal. The Mariners of Castine advance to Saturday’s NAC finals against Castleton. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
Women’s basketball MAINE vs. HARTFORD 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… Read More
BANGOR – A key halftime adjustment that moved center Ashley Hilton from the perimeter to the middle made all the difference for the No. 3 Skowhegan girls basketball team in Friday afternoon’s Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal. Hilton, who had a quiet four points in… Read More
As it ground its way along a snowmobile trail Monday night, the Tucker groomer felt like a combination carnival ride and bulldozer, its diesel engine straining against the 20-foot sledge behind us making pancakes out of moguls. Greg “Term” (for The Terminator) Caruso of East… Read More
It doesn’t take a trapper’s expertise in identifying tracks and reading sign to realize that if the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s proposed budget cuts, forced by the state’s financial shortfall, were approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. John Baldacci, the results would be devastating. Read More
The Penobscot County Friends of NRA is planning its fourth annual banquet and auction for May 10. The event will take place at 6 p.m. at the Bangor Convention Center on Hogan Road. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
As March begins, thoughts turn to spring and the return of migrant birds that have spent their winter in warmer climes. The question is, do birds fly south just to escape cold weather? If this is so, then why do some birds stay here? The… Read More
Trail conditions as reported by members of the Maine Snowmobile Association. For the complete report, visit www.mesnow.com Aroostook County 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++)… Read More
Editor’s Note: In Sound Advice, the first Saturday of every month, veteran NEWS entertainment writer Dale McGarrigle and a revolving stable of NEWS writers review new albums from across the musical spectrum. “We’re a Happy Family – A Tribute to Ramones” (DV8/Columbia) – Various artists… Read More
It has come to this. I can’t get enough of a balding, 50-ish, orange-haired sports personality who shows up on radio, television and newspapers with alarming regularity. Obviously, I have too much time on my hands. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
This time of year, things get pretty flaky at Paul Camp’s house. Though Camp, 83, retired from the University of Maine’s physics department in 1996, his research continues. When the skies are clear, there’s little hint of what goes on in the makeshift lab Camp… Read More
A certain party in my household has declared this “The Year of the Dry Bean.” And we’re not talking just a few of these and a few of those. We’re talking (actually he’s talking) about raising the tender plants en masse. The goal – as… Read More