WASHINGTON – Sen. Joseph McCarthy used closed-door sessions to winnow out witnesses who might challenge him in the sensational anti-communism hearings of a half-century ago, transcripts unsealed Monday show. The senators who oversaw the project, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Carl Levin, D-Mich., unveiled the transcripts… Read More
    CARIBOU – Daniel Bondeson, the man who police believe was involved in the arsenic poisoning of 16 people nine days ago at a New Sweden church, died of a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to police officials Monday. An autopsy was conducted Monday… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Despite a full-court press by Maine teachers, Democratic Gov. John E. Baldacci will not alter the state’s current school fingerprinting law and vowed Monday to veto any bill that does if it reaches his desk. The determined stand by the administration was taken… Read More
    Blethen Maine Newspapers, the company that owns the Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal and Central Maine Morning Sentinel newspapers, is launching a new business that will focus on weekly newspapers. Maine Community Publications will form under the Central Maine Newspapers umbrella, which includes the Kennebec… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Bar Harbor Bankshares has reported net income of $1.3 million, or diluted earnings per share of 41 cents for the quarter ended March 31 compared with $963,000, or 30 cents per diluted share for the first quarter of last year. Included in prior year earnings… Read More
    CAMDEN – Camden National Corp. has reported net income of $4.3 million, or $0.54 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2003. This compares to earnings of $3.6 million, or $0.44 per diluted share recorded for the first quarter of 2002. Total assets were… Read More
    BANGOR – Merrill Merchants Bancshares, Inc., the parent company of Merrill Merchants Bank, reported record quarterly net income of $1 million or $0.30 diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31. This represents a 10 percent increase over $927,000 or $0.28 diluted earnings per share… Read More
    It is heartening to see the Bush administration join the global battle against AIDS, which has killed millions in Africa, leaving much of a generation without parents. For once turning against hard-line conservatives who want to advocate for abstinence solely, the president acknowledged that condoms and family planning… Read More
    The reaction was predictable. An out-of-state group announces it has put together a star-studded panel to advocate for a Maine Woods National Park. Local residents say they don’t need any Hollywood types telling them what’s good for them: The likes of Robert Redford, Jane Goodall, Walter Cronkite, Buzz… Read More
    Dr. Phil Grant (BDN op-ed, April 26-27) is crying about the imminent tax cuts which will result in large gains for the few and the favored, and relatively little or negligible dollars for the majority. The states are in dire financial straits and will need to increase tuition,… Read More
    I was very pleased to read the op-ed piece by Rep. Sean Faircloth and Rep. Marie Laverierre-Boucher (BDN, April 29). The cuts to the Maine programs which serve mentally ill and developmentally delayed children were indeed draconian. I am the president of the board of one such program,… Read More
    Congressman Tom Allen believes we should pay higher taxes to support monstrous programs. Our 1st District representative claims the president’s proposed tax cuts would be disastrous for Maine because, in part, our state taxes are tied to federal taxes and reducing one reduces the other. Read More
    If we want to encourage companies to move to Maine we must have low energy cost. Maine has the fourth highest price in the nation for electricity, thanks to the Democrats and the 10th highest price in the nation for natural gas, thanks to the Public Utilities Commission. Read More
    The faculty of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension represented by our Faculty Committee for Peer Responsibility strongly supports the Associated Clerical, Office, Laboratory and Technical Staff of the University of Maine (ACSUM) contract bargaining position. The most recent contract offer of the University of Maine System’s administration… Read More
    Progressives complain that economic gains during the 1990s went disproportionately to the rich. As government’s tax and regulatory role diminished, wealthy Americans achieved unprecedented growth in their relative and absolute affluence. Poor and working-class citizens witnessed economic stagnation or even declines in their net worth. Read More
    It’s time for the White House to enforce a 25-year-old law requiring cleanup of coal-burning plants that generate more than a third of our electricity. Why now? Because the plants are the most outdated in the United States. More than 80 percent were built before… Read More
    As many readers may be aware, L.L. Bean recently announced its opposition to the casino gambling referendum. Approval of this ballot question in November would give the go ahead to a large scale, Las Vegas-style gambling casino proposed for southern Maine. I would like to address the important… Read More
    Gov. John Baldacci’s health reform plan has three major goals: to broaden access to health care, hold down rising costs and ensure the quality of health care in the state. The specific proposals include: . Create Dirigo Health to provide affordable health coverage through private… Read More
    Every time a legislator submits a proposal to ban the use of cell phones while driving, opponents rise up to attack the bill as onerous and ineffective. “What’s next?” they say. “If we ban cell phones because they’re a distraction, then we might as well… Read More
    BANGOR – Passengers at Bangor International Airport will soon see changes in security measures at screening checkpoints. The Transportation Security Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, recently announced that local law enforcement officers no longer would be required at each security… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A state crackdown on schemes to cash in on Maine’s returnable container law has resulted in a $10,000 fine against the owner of Thirsty Dawg II redemption centers in South Berwick and Kittery. State agriculture officials recently trailed truckloads of bottles and cans… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – SAD 53 Director Barbara Pomeroy, chairman of the district’s budget committee, credited administrators with bringing in a tight budget this year. “They did a superb job, considering what we were asking of them,” Pomeroy said Monday night. “It was a hard, hard job,”… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – The Department of Motor Vehicles has moved its operations from the Piscataquis County Superior Courthouse to a location across the street. Those who want to renew their driver’s licenses or who need to take a driver’s test now must go to the rear… Read More
    HAMPDEN – Town councilors formalized Monday what they had endorsed last week, condemning two trailers at the Crestwood Mobile Home Park, but giving the park’s owner a chance to restore one of them to code. Voting 6-0 with one abstention, the council gave park owner… Read More
    HERMON – Voters will be asked Wednesday to approve transferring up to $35,000 from a town reserve account to fund a new salt storage shed on the Fuller Road. The special town meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the municipal building. Such a meeting… Read More
    BANGOR – A child passenger safety checkup event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. today at the Bangor Wal-Mart. This event is the final part of the 32-hour child passenger safety training taking place in Bangor. Some of the organizations that have sent… Read More
    ORONO – Free tickets are available for a lecture featuring former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The lecture will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 9, at the Maine Center for the Arts. The lecture is the university’s fourth William S. Cohen Lecture and Cohen, a former… Read More
    BANGOR – Kelli Wong, daughter of Charles Wong and Gail LeClair of Bangor, has received a William Fulbright grant and a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Wong, who attends Colgate University, plans to use the Fulbright grant for chemistry research in Germany and the Watson Fellowship to pursue a… Read More
    LINCOLN – Adrian Fox of BFT International will present “Marketing isn’t just necessary … it’s vital!” from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at the Region III technical school. Topics to be covered include media planning and buying, branding, sales promotion and new product development. Read More
    GLENBURN – Kindergarten registration will be held Thursday, May 8, and Friday, May 9, at the Glenburn School for children who will be age 5 on or before Oct. 15. A parent or legal guardian should accompany children. A screening is required by state regulation and will be… Read More
    MILO – The Three Rivers Kiwanis Club of Milo and Brownville will hold its third annual Kiwanis Variety Show, “Lost in the Fifties Tonight,” at 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, at Wingler Auditorium in the Milo Town Hall. Refreshments will be… Read More
    NORTHPORT – Realizing that more work needed to be done before a credible comprehensive plan could be adopted, residents attending the annual town meeting tabled the proposal until September. More than 150 attended Monday night’s meeting at the Blue Goose. Some were there to learn… Read More
    Belfast District Court Cases April 28-April 2, 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… Read More
    CAPE ELIZABETH – Two gray seals were released into the wild Monday with satellite transmitters that will give researchers information about the animals’ migratory patterns and movements. Marine Animal Lifeline, a nonprofit Westbrook group that rehabilitates sick and injured marine animals, glued the transmitters to… Read More
    BANGOR – The third of three Sangerville men arrested in March in connection with a home invasion in LaGrange was indicted Monday by a Penobscot County grand jury. Walter S. Cobb II, 36, was indicted for robbery, burglary, possession of a firearm by a prohibited… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – Pittsfield councilors will be asked tonight to allow Maine Central Institute students to use cable television franchise fees to fund a local-access, student-run television station. The meeting is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Town Council chambers of the municipal building. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    A Bangor man left a trail of blood from his crashed car Sunday night. Bangor police Officers Jim Hassard and William Lawrence went to West Broadway late Sunday night after receiving word of an accident. They found a white Honda Civic crashed into a telephone… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – City councilors on Monday set the date for a public hearing requested by City Manager Tim King on the nonrenewal of his contract. The hearing will be held during a special council meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, May 19, at the Ellsworth High… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Two former town councilors won new three-year terms in annual municipal elections Monday. Voters also endorsed changes to the town’s land use zoning ordinance by wide margins, according to town clerk Patricia Gray. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    SOUTHWEST HARBOR – The Chamber’s Centennial Committee has launched a 2005 centennial logo contest for the town beginning this week. The contest is open to all Southwest Harbor residents. The committee will look for designs symbolic of the history and future of the town. Entrees… Read More
    SULLIVAN – The Sumner Memorial High School Music Department will present its annual spring concert at 7:30 tonight in the Clint Ritchie Gymnasium at the school. There is no charge, and the public is invited. A reception will follow. Read More
    SEARSPORT – Registration and screening for the SAD 56 2003-2004 kindergarten class will be held this week at the elementary school in each town. Children who will be 5 on or before Oct. 15 are eligible for the fall class. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    PENOBSCOT – Kindergarten registration and screening will be held in the morning Tuesday, May 6, at Penobscot Community Elementary School for children who will be 5 years old on or before Oct. 15. Parents should bring their child, the child’s birth certificate and a record of immunizations. For… Read More
    THOMASTON – Police recovered a 1991 Dodge Dynasty on Monday morning that had been stolen from a Pleasant Street residence in Rockland. Thomaston Police Chief Kevin Haj said the owner of the car was unaware it was missing when police were called to an Amelia… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – The American Diabetes Association is holding a volunteer information night from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 7, at Ellsworth High School. A session will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. for people interested in volunteering for the Tour de Cure cycling… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – The Hancock County Soil and Water Conservation District is offering rainbow and brook trout for sale. The ordering deadline is Thursday, May 8, and pickup is at noon Tuesday, May 13, at the district office, 190 Bangor Road. For more information, call 664-7496. Read More
    EAST ORLAND – The Downeast Regional Envirothon will be held 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday, May 8, on the grounds of the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery. This annual competitive learning event tests students in the subjects of forestry, wildlife, aquatics, soils and the current issue… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – The James Russell Wiggins Downeast Family YMCA is taking reservations for summer camps. Programs include day camp for grades one to six, adventure camps for seventh- to 10th-graders, golf for grades four to six and soccer for ages 5 and older. Slots can… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Chris Hedges will speak at 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, at College of the Atlantic, Gates Hall. Hedges was a member of the team of reporters that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. His book, “War is a Force that… Read More
    BROOKSVILLE – Kindergarten screening and registration will be held Tuesday, May 13, at Brooksville Elementary School. Registration is for children who will be 5 on or before Oct. 15. Appointments are necessary. For more information and to make an appointment, call 326-8500. Read More
    CALAIS – The Calais Free Library has gone high-tech and installed a bar code computer system that makes checking out a book as simple as buying a pound of coffee. The 110-year-old library has made a cyberleap forward. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE – The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Student Organization of Social Workers, along with the university’s social work program, is organizing its sixth annual workshop for area social work professionals, agencies and providers. This year’s program, “The Effects of Divorce on Children,”… Read More
    FORT KENT – The University of Maine at Fort Kent will honor members of its faculty and staff who have reached milestones of service to the campus community during a luncheon at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 13, in Nowland Hall. Employees who have been at… Read More
    FORT KENT – Twenty-one University of Maine at Fort Kent nursing students will receive their nursing pins, signifying their official entrance into the profession, during a ceremony at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 8, in Fox Auditorium. The number of students marks the second-largest class in… Read More
    FORT KENT – The University of Maine at Fort Kent will hold a satellite broadcast session, “Concealed Weapons: The Hidden Danger,” from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 15, in the Nadeau Hall teleconference room. The broadcast is sponsored by the Multijurisdictional Counter Drug Task… Read More
    Written in her still firm longhand, the annual letter from Anna Waring describing the next Y-Players production is always a delight to receive. “Our show, this year, is about the Gay ’90s,” she wrote, “quite appropriate for me as I have finally reached that important… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Forest rangers fought more than two dozen wildfires throughout southern, central and coastal areas of the state last weekend, according to the Maine Department of Conservation. Property owners burning brush and grass were responsible for the majority of the fires. Gusting winds Sunday… Read More
    ANDREWS, Texas – If she could, Peggy Pryor would simply pick up and move her Andrews home from near the route low-level radioactive waste would travel on its way to a proposed disposal site. “They’re bringing this stuff on roads,” said Pryor, a retired cardiac… Read More
    SOUTH PORTLAND – WGME-TV in Portland and WZON-AM in Bangor took “Station of the Year” honors Saturday night in the annual Maine Associated Press Broadcasters Association contest. WGME-TV won first place for best newscast. Its five other first-place finishes included public affairs for its reports… Read More
    PORTLAND – State winners in the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen program and American history and Christopher Columbus essay contests were honored during the organization’s annual conference April 25 and 26. The state-winning Good Citizen is Joy M. Longfellow of Farmingdale. She is… Read More
    PORTLAND – A Friendship man is training for a marathon bike ride that starts next week in eastern Maine and finishes in Washington, D.C. Leonard Jahnke, 65, plans to ride 50 miles a day as lead rider in a long-distance event aimed at promoting the… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Citing her achievements and leadership as an elected official, the University of Maine Stillwater Society honored U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe on Friday night with its “Presidential Achievement Award.” Snowe is a 1969 graduate of the University of Maine, with a degree in… Read More
    ALFRED – A two-car collision early Monday on U.S. 202 left a woman dead and a man injured. Jennifer Luneau, 26, of Lyman was pronounced dead at the scene of the 12:30 a.m. crash, the York County Sheriff’s Department said. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    ALFRED – A 14-year-old boy who was rescued from the Littlefield River after a car crash last month has died from injuries suffered in the accident. Bradley P. Bates-Allaire, who was a freshman at Massabesic High School, died Friday at Maine Medical Center in Portland. Read More
    ELLSWORTH – A jury was seated Monday in the trial of Allen Barber, the Kennebunk resident charged with theft after he allegedly used an advertising scam to trick several Hancock County businesses out of approximately $10,000. The jury of 10 women and three men, with… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Key legislative budget writers expressed reservations Monday about using a measure designed to offset a $48 million revenue shortfall and produce $15 million for additional spending as a vehicle for creating a long-term budget stabilization fund as Gov. John Baldacci has proposed. On… Read More
    ANSON – Bridge maintenance workers from the Maine Department of Transportation have begun repairs this week to the Robert Garland Bridge, carrying U.S. Route 201A and Maine Route 16 over the Carrabassett River in Anson. Alternating one-way traffic will be regulated by a traffic light. Read More
    MOUNT DESERT – The Mount Desert Island Water Quality Coalition is accepting applications for high school student interns and middle school apprentices for summer 2003. Students will spend two to three days per week collecting water samples and running lab tests under the supervision of… Read More
    BROOKSVILLE – A federal health agency has released a final assessment of the former Callahan mine site that confirms initial findings released earlier this year that the site poses a limited health threat. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an arm of the… Read More
    My mother’s name was Amma, which to my way of thinking, was Mama spelled inside out. The two names were synonymous, at least to me. They still are, even though half of my life has been spent without her – a fact I find hard… Read More
    Remember macrame? Don’t panic. It isn’t making a comeback – or maybe it IS – I did see a macrame handbag on the shoulder of a woman walking in a parking lot. In a recent issue of Harper’s Bazaar, I also saw a photo of a pink chiffon… Read More
    Dear Jim: I would like to build a home with safe, strong steel framing instead of lumber and I know many companies produce them. Is living in a steel-framed home like being in a warehouse and are they efficient? – Ed H. Dear Ed: Using… Read More
    BANGOR – Offense has been scarce lately when the Bangor Rams and Brewer Witches get together for a little baseball. Monday afternoon was no exception as Bangor starter Josh Young outdueled Brewer’s Chad Gomm and the Rams took advantage of two Brewer miscues for an… Read More
    David McDermott stood on the banks of a former Dover-Foxcroft swamp last Friday, huddled with contractors and state officials, and plotted his club’s next good deed. A few years back, visitors to the same Kiwanis Park site would have found a streambed full of mud… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL At Calais 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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    COLLEGE Jenna Merchant 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
    ORONO – The University of Maine baseball doubleheader scheduled against Central Connecticut State for 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6, has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict. A makeup date has not been announced. Read More
    MILLINOCKET – Dana Somers cranked a two-run, ninth-inning homer to power the Stearns Minutemen to a 13-11 high school softball victory over the Sumner Tigers Monday. Casey Popp and Jordan Legassey each singled and doubled for Stearns while Hilary Arsenault tripled and singled. Holly Franck… Read More
    LINCOLN – Brian Dupuis’ run-scoring double with two outs in the fourth inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Mattanawcook Academy Lynx to a 3-2 high school baseball win over the Dexter Tigers Monday. Winner Steven Whitney allowed went the distance, allowing four hits… Read More
    BUCKSPORT – Junior Nikki Smith no-hit the Hermon Hawks 3-0 to lead the Bucksport Golden Bucks to their sixth straight win in high school softball action Monday. Smith struck out eight and allowed only three walks in her first no-hitter. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    WOODLAND – Scott Flannery slammed a two-run home run and doubled and Richard Byers drove in five runs on three singles to power the East Grand Vikings to an 18-12 high school baseball win over the Woodland Dragons Monday. Darius Parker chipped in with a… Read More
    MARS HILL – Bryan Grew gave up only one earned run, two hits, and three walks while striking out five to lead the Central Aroostook Panthers to a 6-4 high school baseball victory over the Hodgdon Hawks Monday. Kyle Larrabee hit a RBI double for… Read More
    MADAWASKA – Natasha Ritchie pitched a three-hitter in seven innings and Aimee Guy recorded a one-hitter in five innings to lead the Houlton softball team to 9-3 and 28-0 wins over Madawaska Monday in a high school doubleheader. Ritchie struck out 15 and was backed… Read More
    NORWICH, Conn. – Tim Kester scattered seven hits in a complete-game win as the Portland Sea Dogs beat the Norwich Navigators 7-1 in the Eastern League Monday night. Kester (2-1) struck out four and walked two. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    The Portland Sea Dogs have been reaping a bumper crop of publicity – even more than usual – since switching affiliation from the Florida Marlins to the Boston Red Sox. . In addition to having a few games broadcast by Portland-area television station WMTW, the… Read More
    It’s an issue of equality, Bangor High athletic director Steve Vanidestine said, that has the Ram softball team playing its games at the Union Street complex instead of the high school field this year. With the Bangor baseball team playing regular games under the lights… Read More