ORONO – Three of the state’s research institutions teamed up to win a $6 million National Science Foundation grant so they can work together to understand better the genetics of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer and glaucoma, officials announced Friday. Awarded to the University of… Read More
OLD TOWN – Thanks to an economic plan forged with the state, Georgia-Pacific Corp.’s Old Town paper mill plans to rehire nearly half of the 300 workers laid off last month, company and union officials announced Friday. “By this time next week, most of the… Read More
NEW SWEDEN – This isn’t just the kind of town where everyone knows your name. People also know your grandmother’s maiden name, your natural hair color and who you took to the senior prom. But today, this town of about 600 people is facing the… Read More
NEW SWEDEN – Maine State Police investigating the death of a New Sweden man and the poisoning of 15 other people from arsenic found in brewed coffee served at a church gathering also were investigating Friday the shooting death of a Woodland man at his home. Read More
A caption under the photograph on Page B1 of Friday’s editions contained incorrect information. Sgt. Eddie Barnes is married to Blanche Barnes of Robbinston. The couple has two children, Heather Stanhope and Melissa Carver. — googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
BANGOR – The medical team attending to the seven poisoning victims at Eastern Maine Medical Center is preparing to try an experimental drug in an effort to remove the arsenic from the patients’ bodies. Heidi Smith, a clinical pharmacist at the hospital, said at a… Read More
WASHINGTON – The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on Friday released all of the previously closed transcripts of executive sessions held during the chairmanship of Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy from 1953 to 1954. The release of the Senate records, which were sealed for 50 years,… Read More
Lately, I have seen a lot of press about tax reform. It seems strange that only after some citizens group got 100,000 signatures that the folks in Augusta now want to tackle the issue they have avoided for decades. This is with people screaming for property tax reductions… Read More
Time, says the Baldacci’s administration budget chief, creates opportunities for new savings and sources of revenue that are not apparent now, but time, like money, is in short supply in Augusta as lawmakers try to close a $48 million gap in the next budget. Everything the administration has… Read More
John Baldacci has been acting a lot like Jimmy Stewart lately, rushing about solving everyone’s problems – patching a massive hole in the state budget, helping to negotiate a deal to keep the paper mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket in operation. Now, less than a month after… Read More
I performed in smoky bars for 17 years. I hated having to cut through the smoke to reach my audience, but I had no other options. I’m a musician and that’s where the work was. Imagine trying to maximize your breathing so you could hit a high part,… Read More
On Thursday, I read an article in the Bangor Daily News about Anthem’s quarterly earnings doubling. The article said this is the second consecutive quarter posting record customer and revenue growth. It also stated that the company had profits of $99.8 million. The forecast remains unchanged for future… Read More
I am happy to hear that there is finally an effort to rid our state of the unsporting bear “hunting” methods known as bear baiting and hounding (BDN, April 23). With family members who hunt, I was shocked when I learned that 80 percent of bears killed using… Read More
On May 1, Matt Cummings of Houlton wrote, “… I fail to see why moving to Portland would offer me more expendable income,” in response to the six-part Bangor Daily News series called “Maine Drain.” He quoted that the per capita income in Portland is only 44 percent… Read More
Ah, another amusing column from our own Kent Ward (BDN, April 26-27). I knew the first time I set foot in the office of the now defunct Limestone Leader that he would be a great writer and he has not let my family and me down. Read More
Before I retired, I spent most of my adult life working in advertising, marketing and some public relations, so it wasn’t difficult to recognize a well-tuned campaign to market the product called: war in Iraq. Our nation’s capital is well stocked with slick operatives and, apparently, real blood… Read More
There comes a turning point in any tragedy when the full horror of a situation hits home and heartbreak sets in where shock left off. That happened for me Wednesday night when our beloved village of New Sweden became the focus of a story on CBS Evening News. Read More
For the past five years the Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business at Husson College has filled a niche by providing Maine family businesses with assistance in succession planning, transition issues, managing organizational change and strategic planning. Times are changing and not for the better. In the… Read More
The commercial e-mail, or “spam,” that clutters so many personal computer systems is fast becoming such a pain in the butt for computer users that nearly 30 states have passed or are considering legislation outlawing or severely restricting such unsolicited offerings. Invasion-of-privacy horror stories abound… Read More
PORTLAND – L.L. Bean is considering the purchase of all or part of rival outfitter Eddie Bauer as the chain goes through bankruptcy reorganization with corporate parent Spiegel Inc. The purchase of Bauer would double the sales of Freeport-based Bean and provide a huge boost… Read More
A Virginia-based milk cooperative that represents 60,000 milk producers across the country and at least 250 in Maine will vote next week on a farmer-led, farmer-funded program to increase wholesale milk prices. The National Milk Producers Federation has proposed the Cooperatives Working Together program, which… Read More
COLUMBIA FALLS – Zane Emerson has spent the better part of two years trying to solve a very expensive problem for small blueberry growers. His efforts and a $90,000 grant from the Maine Technology Institute have paid off. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
MOOSE RIVER – The largest dimension-lumber mill in Maine has laid off 18 of its 85 employees as it struggles to compete in a market glutted with imports from western Canada. Moose River Lumber Co., which makes two-by-fours and other lumber used in house construction,… Read More
SANFORD – The former owner of a machine shop that did $14.5 million in business a year and had a 130-member work force when he sold it two years ago has resurrected the company from bankruptcy. Robert Martin blames the collapse of Atlantic Precision Products… Read More
AUGUSTA – The Maine State Housing Authority is lowering the interest rate on its popular first-time home buyer program loans to a record low 4.875 percent effective May 1, MSHA Director Michael Finnegan announced Friday. “This very low rate should provide an extra incentive to… Read More
Chris Whitaker is the new sales manager at Imagistics International and will be working out of the firm’s Portland and Hermon offices. He was formerly with Valcom of Portland, and most recently returned from Arizona, where he worked for Qwest. Imagistics sells office technology, including… Read More
BANGOR – Gospel singers and Irish balladeers, Franco fiddlers and a klezmer band, Korean dancers and a Russian trio will join legendary Louisiana bluesman Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown this August at the 65th annual National Folk Festival here. The 80-year-old Brown has been blending blues, country,… Read More
MACHIAS – A Princeton man made an initial court appearance Friday on a charge of aggravated attempted murder of the Indian Township police chief after he allegedly tried to stab the officer with an arrow. Machias District Court Judge John Romei set bail for Albert… Read More
ETNA – No life was lost – human or animal – in an early morning electrical fire that destroyed a wooden farmhouse Friday. A young girl sleeping in the house at the time of the fire was taken out by her grandparents, who spotted the… Read More
AUGUSTA – Lacking the legal standing of a “spouse” in state probate proceedings, members of Maine’s gay and lesbian community turned out Friday to support a bill that would confer those same inheritance rights to “partners” in committed relationships. Sponsored by Rep. Ben Dudley, D-Portland,… Read More
It’s almost a journalistic cliche for our time, as familiar as the quotes from shocked neighbors who always say that the person who committed the murder in their midst seemed like such a nice guy. An act of violence occurs in a small community, Anywhere,… Read More
AUGUSTA – A bill triggered by two Maine Indian tribes’ successful casino referendum effort received a mixed reception Friday from members of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee including two lawmakers who support placing a competing measure on the November ballot. With four members absent, six of… Read More
BANGOR – Kate Garceau never planned on being a junkie. At 14, she was a “normal kid,” she told an attentive audience Friday at a daylong conference on opiate addiction. She’d grown up in an upper middle-class family in southern Maine with plenty of support and supervision. Read More
BANGOR – The Maine Department of Transportation’s I-95 Kenduskeag Stream bridge rehabilitation project is almost halfway complete. Early next week, work will shift from the completed southbound bridge to the northbound bridge, which will mean serious traffic slowdowns while the changeover occurs. Wendell Harriman, Maine… Read More
DIXMONT – The Dixmont Scholarship Association is sponsoring a baked bean and casserole supper from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. today at the Dixmont Snowmobile Clubhouse. Admission is $5 for adults and $2.50 for children age 12 and under. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
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FAIRFIELD – A Fairfield man was arrested at a Palmyra cemetery on a murder charge Friday in connection with the shooting death of a woman in Fairfield hours earlier. Gregory Warmke, 44, was taken into custody after he called the state police barracks in Orono… Read More
FAIRFIELD – A Fairfield man was arrested at a Palmyra cemetery on a murder charge Friday in connection with the shooting death of his ex-wife in Fairfield hours earlier. Gregory Warmke, 44, was accused of killing Lesley Bullock, 46, a mother of three and a child protection caseworker… Read More
DEXTER – Although town officials are reluctant to raise property taxes considering the local economy, they may have no choice in 2004. For four years, town officials have scraped by on a municipal budget that was flat-funded to offset rising education and county costs. But… Read More
THOMASTON – Silvia Moreno, the Georges Valley High School Spanish teacher who on Monday was denied re-entry into the United States during her return from a class trip to Costa Rica with 13 students, may be back in the classroom pronto. “We’re really hoping we… Read More
BANGOR – Many senior citizens in the state fall victim to fraudulent telemarketers or scam artists who try to sell home improvements door-to-door, according to authorities. For this reason, law enforcement, area organizations on aging, Gov. John Baldacci’s office and Attorney General Steven Rowe came… Read More
MACHIAS – Attorney General Steven Rowe and Commissioner of Public Safety Michael Carata will be the keynote speakers later this month at twin summit meetings on Washington County’s drug problems. Rowe will speak at the Machias summit, which will take place from 8:30 a.m. to… Read More
ELLSWORTH – The trial of an alleged con man accused of taking thousands of dollars from several Hancock County businesses is expected to begin next week in Hancock County Superior Court. Allen Barber, 40, of Kennebunk is charged with theft for allegedly taking approximately $10,000… Read More
HOULTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a $700,000 grant for projects in the Meduxnekeag watershed, a tributary to the St. John River. The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians will use the grant to improve water quality in the watershed. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Moro Plantation Nearly 20 voters in this community of 43 residents have approved a budget of $66,370 to run their town and to pay for education. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
BELFAST – SAD 34 directors have recommended passage of a 2003-2004 budget package designed to hold the line on spending. The plan would keep the budget at about the same level as last year. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
ROCKLAND – Two 14-year-old males are facing multiple charges for allegedly stealing a car Friday morning in Camden and then leading police on a chase through several towns. The chase ended when the vehicle rolled over in a ditch, a law enforcement official said Friday. Read More
BAR HARBOR – Town meeting voters will be asked next week to approve three changes to the land use ordinance to allow the planning board and its staff to focus more attention on large-scale development projects, Town Planner Anne Krieg said this week. The changes… Read More
WARREN – Taxpayers should expect to receive a notice from the town’s assessors within the next few days informing them that a general revaluation of town properties has been completed and that their property taxes may increase because of higher market values. Waterfront property values… Read More
SARGENTVILLE – Efforts to save the village post office may have run up against a stone wall of postal regulations and a spending freeze. According to a regional postal official, a proposal from residents to relocate the post office to an addition at the Eggemoggin… Read More
OTIS – Voters at town meeting next week will decide whether to adopt a townwide zoning ordinance. According to Otis Administrative Assistant Joyce Wasson, the town never has had such an ordinance. “All we’ve ever had is shoreland zoning,” Wasson said Friday. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
GREENVILLE – The Moosehead Historical Society and Museum will launch its summer and fall escorted bus trip schedule on May 21, with a day trip to Willowbrook at Newfield, a unique restoration village near the New Hampshire border. Willowbrook is a replicated 19th century village… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – The Dover-Foxcroft budget advisory committee will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 5, on proposed warrant articles for the annual town meeting. The hearing will be held at the Thompson Free Library meeting room. Two new warrant articles – an… Read More
DEXTER – A seat on the SAD 46 board of directors is open because of the resignation of Gail Jewett of Dexter. Any Dexter resident interested in being considered for an appointment to the board to serve until November should complete a brief application form available at the… Read More
Hampden Academy Third 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
ORRINGTON – The town Board of Selectmen usually consists of five members but is operating with three due to a resignation in January and a resignation on April 29. After a special meeting May 1, the board decided to fill the vacancies left by Ernest… Read More
A Bangor man was summoned for drug charges after fleeing police early Friday morning. Bangor police Officer Christopher Desmond said he was driving down Hammond Street near West Broadway at about half past midnight while Lt. Steven Hunt and Sgt. Al Hayden were investigating suspicious… Read More
CAMDEN -The town Select Board expects to learn more details about the state Land for Maine’s Future program’s interest in a parcel of land near Camden Hills State Park when it meets Monday night. Town Manager Roberta Smith received a letter last week from the… Read More
Several activities are planned for this month as members of Elm Street Congregational Church in Bucksport continue their celebration of the church’s 200th anniversary. Bicentennial committee chairwoman Joyce Sanborn reports that during the children’s hour at 10 a.m. church services on May 4, Sunday School… Read More
AUGUSTA – The Maine Technical College System has named the 2003 students of the year for each campus. In the NEWS circulation area, they are: googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
CAMDEN – Two fires reported Thursday night and Friday morning within a mile of each other are being considered suspicious, Police Chief Phil Roberts said Friday. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of both blazes. The first fire, reported at 7 p.m. Read More
FAIRFIELD – Fairfield police are investigating an accident on Route 201 that claimed the life of a 40-year-old woman. Police said Helena Bohan of Fairfield was killed shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday when her car drifted into the oncoming lane and collided nearly head-on with… Read More
AUGUSTA – Two Maine Indian tribes that lost a lengthy court battle over access to their public records have taken their fight to the Legislature. The Judiciary Committee heard testimony Thursday on a bill sponsored by Penobscot Nation Rep. Donna Loring that would negate the… Read More
LISBON FALLS – Copies of the Lisbon High School student newspaper from the mid-1960s containing two original stories have become collectors items. That’s because the writer of the quirky tales is listed as “Steve King.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
BANGOR – An ordination service is planned today for two Episcopal lay leaders. Jessie Cookson Drysdale of Weston and Joan Nelson Preble of Ellsworth will be ordained as deacons by the Rt. Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Northern Michigan University’s president is expected to become the first female president in Western Michigan University’s 100-year history. A search committee selected Judith L. Bailey, Northern’s president since 1997, to replace Elson Floyd, who left Western in January to take over as president of the… Read More
ALFRED – Three York County Jail corrections officers have been placed on paid leave pending completion of state and county investigations of an alleged assault of an inmate. York County Sheriff Phil Cote said the alleged assault occurred last month and was reported by other… Read More
HAMPDEN – Doug Rich, amateur astronomer from Hampden, has done it again. In January he discovered a new supernova and on April 26 he discovered another one. A supernova is a cataclysmic explosion of an aged star. This particular event, called 2003dw, occurred more than… Read More
The National Federation of State High School Associations’ basketball rules committee has adopted a “mercy” rule for high school basketball games in which a running clock would be used once the point difference between the teams reaches a certain point. The rule does not spell… Read More
After dumping 2,500 or so perfectly good brook trout into three Piscataquis River pools on Friday, Scott Roy and Paul Johnson backtracked and parked at the site of the old Lowe’s Covered Bridge in Guilford. The pair – both longtime Department of Inland Fisheries and… Read More
HAMPDEN – A Minnesota company is seeking to repossess the local sports complex dome, commonly referred to as “The Bubble,” although it could be months before a judge rules on the case. Yeadon Fabric Domes Inc. filed a request last month for a forcible entry… Read More
Sharon Versyp has only been at the University of Maine for three seasons, but already it is apparent she is among the nation’s up-and-coming women’s basketball coaches. According to a report in Thursday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Versyp was among four coaches interviewed recently for the head… Read More
Winterport Dragway will open for the season Sunday. Doors will open for tests and tuning at 8 a.m. with racing starting at 9 a.m. and lasting until 5 p.m. A gambler’s race will start off the 28-date schedule. Admission is $10 for spectators and drivers, $5 for ages… Read More
Baseball’s Bay League is looking for players and another team to join the league. Players of high school age and older are eligible to play in the wooden bat league. The league is in its second year and begins play the second week of June… Read More
Sanford native Peter Kostis, a golf analyst with CBS-TV, will be the lone inductee into the Maine Golf Hall of Fame on Sept. 12. Kostis began his golf career as an assistant at Cape Arundel Golf Club in Kennebunkport, was a member of the Golf… Read More
HIGH SCHOOL At Bucksport 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
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DENNIS, Mass. – The Husson College golf team wrapped up a successful trip to Cape Cod Friday afternoon by winning the NAIA Region X championship at Dennis Highlands Golf Course. It was the Braves’ third regional championship in four years. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
BANGOR – The Bangor Lumberjacks continue to shape their roster and personnel list as the 2003 Northeast League baseball season approaches. Bangor has “rehired” pitching coach Kevin Pincavitch, who served as the pitching coach for Adirondack (N.Y.) last season. This year, however, the 32-year-old righthander… Read More
JONESPORT – Joe Leighton doubled and singled with an RBI to help lead the Narraguagus Knights to a 13-7 schoolboy baseball victory over the Jonesport-Beals Royals Friday. Kyle Kennedy had three singles for the Knights of Harrington and Cory Worcester hit two singles with a… Read More
ST. AGATHA – Jamie Abar tripled, singled and knocked in two runs Friday to lead Washburn to a 16-9 schoolgirl softball victory over Wisdom. Tiffany Carter hit a double with two RBIs for the Beavers and Kari Howe had two singles. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
Before last year, many local 10-kilometer enthusiasts had to venture to other parts of the state to fulfill their racing needs. Just last year, Glendon Rand and Lara Rand changed that scenario. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
I’ve been able to replace the cobwebs of winter with some sore paddling muscles as area waters shed winter’s icy crust. Water temperatures are still cold, but signs of the changing season are all around. On the last couple of outings on the Penobscot River… Read More
Last winter, for the first time in nearly a decade, my son, Jeff, and I didn’t anchor an ice shack on Hermon Pond. Actually, we decided to pull up stakes, so to speak, during the winter of 2001-02, when the decline in fishing that we noticed a year… Read More
Each year, thousands of people head to Maine to enjoy top-notch snowmobiling. Often ignored by occasional visitors is the cooperation of many people that makes that winter recreation possible. The Maine Snowmobile Association makes a point to recognize some of those helpful folks every year… Read More
Last weekend I helped get the Fields Pond Nature Center ready for summer use. I helped clear trails of fallen branches and trees, while others cleared up roadside debris and replaced footbridges that had been dislodged by snow and ice. As we worked, the day turned bright and… Read More
SOFTBALL 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
Editor’s Note: In Sound Advice, the first Saturday of every month, veteran NEWS entertainment writer Dale McGarrigle, former British music-press writer Adam Corrigan and a revolving stable of NEWS writers review new albums from across the musical spectrum. “Whip It On” (Red Ink) – The… Read More
My mother always told me I had good jeans. Oh, wait, I think she meant genes. Either way, she was right. When it comes to jeans, there are two types of people: those who live in them and those who loathe them. I am the… Read More
Since hockey is played on frozen water, it’s not a huge leap to take the game itself underwater. That’s what a small group of players do each Thursday night in the pool at the Mount Desert Island YMCA in Bar Harbor. From 8 to 9… Read More
State workers need to hire a public relations firm You have heard all the jokes about state workers. Every time the Legislature and governor prepare another disastrous budget, the first people to suffer are state workers, who face layoffs and freezes on wages and hiring. Read More
Call it running away, if you like. Running from the Maine winter that didn’t want to end. Running from the damp chill I couldn’t seem to shake from my bones. Running from the insidious pressures of work, commitments and imminent war. I prefer to call… Read More
A flurry of home and garden supplements has run with the regional, state and local newspapers lately, signaling a collective turning of thoughts toward the outdoors and the work that awaits us there. The first greenhouses have opened for the season, flinging wide their doors and inviting us… Read More