BANGOR – Gov. John Baldacci likely will not support the proposed development of a parking lot and trail for canoe access to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway at John’s Bridge that his predecessor pushed during his tenure. Instead, the governor is expected to announce this morning… Read More
A man walking home after a night of drinking tosses a rock at a neighbor’s house, shattering a window. The homeowner calls police, and officers summon the man for criminal mischief. In a decision with ramifications for public knowledge of neighborhood crime and the off-hours… Read More
AUGUSTA – Federal investigators have seized documents from the Maine Department of Education and are probing an alleged misuse of funds in the state’s migrant worker education program. Education Commissioner Susan Gendron confirmed Tuesday that the U.S. Office of the Inspector General was conducting an… Read More
Maine hospitals forecast financial disaster if Gov. John Baldacci’s proposed health reform measure becomes law, and the insurance industry says it may pack up and leave the state. But consumer advocates say the plan is flexible and well thought out, while its primary architect stands… Read More
A story in some editions Tuesday about the SAD 1 budget gave the wrong location for tonight’s board meeting. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, in the school board conference room at Presque Isle High School. — googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
AUGUSTA – As many as a quarter of Maine’s dairy farmers could go out of business, with at least some of their land for sale in the next year, if milk prices remain low, Agriculture Commissioner Robert Spear says. Spear told the governor’s 19-member dairy… Read More
BURLINGTON, Vt. – HP Hood Inc. has abandoned plans to merge with the nation’s second-largest dairy company, officials said. Instead, Hood of Chelsea, Mass., will enter into a scaled-down deal with Dallas-based National Dairy Holdings and the Dairy Farmers of America. DFA is a national… Read More
Ike Morgan’s op-ed (BDN, May 1) paints an appalling picture of evil emanating from the Maine Statewide Civil Rights Team Conference for thousands of middle and high school students. According to Morgan, “Exclusion and divisiveness ruled the day – victim groups and their grievances vs. the ‘evil’ of… Read More
Donated human tissue is used in more than a half-million procedures a year in the United States, saving the sight of patients needing cornea transplants, helping burn victims, enabling others to walk again. In the 54 years since the Navy Tissue Bank in Bethesda, Md., was established the… Read More
It has been known for years that secondhand smoke is dangerous. Slowly, smoking has been banned in offices, airplanes, restaurants, even bars in some places. The argument for preventing people from lighting up is that second-hand smoke imperils the health of people who work in these places. It… Read More
I write in response to the May 3-4 article about the U.S. post office in Sargentville. There are four significant errors that were introduced by other people in their comments on the Sargentville proposal. First, no U.S. Postal Service capital spending would be required. All… Read More
People like Sue Salm (BDN letter, May 2) should get a life. They can’t find it here in the great USA, so they should go to places like Afghanistan or Iraq and live happily ever after. To call Donald Rumsfeld a barbarian could only mean… Read More
I oppose the proposed 3EIK-2 connector route between I-395 and Route 9. This highway will run just a few hundred yards from my home, but I learned of it only from a Bangor Daily News article the day before the April 30 Public Advisory Committee meeting, where it… Read More
Poor, maligned Sen. Snowe. So now she’s a liberal. Just in time for election, too. Only in Maine could a U.S. senator be considered a friend of the working people for only wanting to give a $250 billion tax break to the very rich. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Ann Rivers of the Acadia Wildlife Foundation raises concerns about using recycled furs to help the animals she rehabilitates (BDN, April 8). The Humane Society of the United States has taken in donated fur items and given them to wildlife rehabilitators across the country for more than 10… Read More
Last month’s editorial titled, “Health care’s want ads,” was clearly well intentioned but unfortunately missed the mark. There is no shortage of nurses in Maine. There is, however, a nursing crisis in Maine brought about by nearsighted hospital health care policies that drive nurses into other professions. Read More
The people of Maine will be making a trip to the ballot box this June to pass judgment on a $60 million bond proposal recently approved by the Legislature. We are being told that we cannot pass on this opportunity to invest in our economy and bring matching… Read More
EAST MILLINOCKET – A physics teacher at Schenck High School who devised a homemade indoor pyrotechnic device for a school musical, was summoned to court Monday for failure to obtain a fireworks display permit. Peter Faloon, 44, will make his court appearance on the Class… Read More
SKOWHEGAN – During a two-hour videotape made of Derek Finn Wilhelmsen’s interview by Maine State Police detectives the day after he allegedly killed Portland cabdriver Nunzi Mancini in a Pittsfield driveway, Wilhelmsen admits shooting the man but says he believed he was killing his ex-girlfriend, Amy Towle. Read More
MACHIAS – “You can’t get there from here.” It’s an established joke here in Maine, where the back roads are potholed and convoluted, the small towns few and far between. But in many areas, the old saw is taking on a new edge. The recently… Read More
MACHIAS – The top academic officer at the University of Maine at Machias was named interim president Tuesday after the sudden death of President John H. Joseph. Joseph, 60, died of an apparent heart attack just before the start of commencement exercises Saturday. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
ELLSWORTH – A Gouldsboro man apparently went all the way through the local court system on a drunken driving arrest and conviction while using another man’s identity, authorities said Tuesday. Only when an Oregon man was refused a driver’s license renewal because of his supposed… Read More
LINCOLN – A local woman whose business was destroyed in an arson fire in January 2002 faces criminal tax offenses. Susan E. Custis, 36, majority shareholder and president of In Over My Head Inc., operating as AMB Video, a Maine corporation, was summoned to court… Read More
GREENVILLE – Local police are investigating a scam by telephone that has been targeting the elderly in the Moosehead Lake region. A Canadian firm reportedly is calling elderly residents and telling them they have won an “enormous” amount of money. But the winners are told… Read More
Houlton District Court Cases May 5-9, 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
Ellsworth plans skateboard park YMCA requests city to contribute $12,000 for paving at proposed site
ELLSWORTH – City and YMCA officials are hoping a plan to build a skate park on State Street will help keep skateboarders off downtown sidewalks and give them a safe place to ride their boards. City Manager Tim King told councilors Monday that the Downeast… Read More
HANCOCK – Voters at the annual town meeting approved an overall 2003-04 budget of $2.6 million. Of that amount, $1,790,232 is designated for school expenses, town administrative assistant Stacey Clement said Tuesday. Clement said there were no major capital expenses included in the town’s budget… Read More
CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy is considering expanding its random drug-testing policy to include all of its students. The academy already tests 80 percent to 90 percent of the nearly 700 students at the academy, according to President Leonard Tyler. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
LAMOINE – Barbara Welch, executive director of the Frenchman Bay Conservancy, will speak about conservation efforts at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, at the town office. Welch will speak about habitats in Lamoine and explore ways to preserve them. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
MANSET – Residents of Cranberry Isles and friends from Mount Desert Island are invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the first phase of work at the Cranberry Isles property in Manset at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 15. After brief remarks… Read More
MACHIAS – Down East Community Hospital is inviting the public to an open house to celebrate completion of the hospital’s new digital X-ray room. The open house will be from 10 to 11 a.m. and from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 15, in the… Read More
BROOKSVILLE – The Conservation Trust of Brooksville, Castine and Penobscot in inviting the public to a trail-opening party at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 18. It will begin at the Old Ferry Landing Natural Area and proceed to the Maude and Eugene Snow Natural Area, both… Read More
BAR HARBOR – The Abbe Museum will hold spring orientation for volunteers and staff Monday and Tuesday, May 19-20. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer is encouraged to attend. To preregister or for information, call Cynthia Crowe at 288-3519. Read More
ELLSWORTH – The Ellsworth High School Alumni Association will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, at the Ellsworth High School auditorium. A spaghetti supper will be served before the meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased at Larry’s Pastry, the… Read More
SULLIVAN – Kindergarten registration for children in Sullivan, Sorrento and Franklin will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, May 20-21, at Mountain View School. Children must 5 by Oct. 15. To schedule an appointment, call the school at 422-3200. Read More
ELLSWORTH – The Ellsworth School Department will hold its kindergarten registration and screening makeup May 22 at the Dr. Charles C. Knowlton School. To enroll, children must be 5 by Oct. 15. Registration and screening are by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call 667-8074. Read More
THOMASTON – An early-morning fire at a Thatcher Street home left one man injured. Assistant Fire Chief Mikial Mazzeo said the blaze was reported at 3:55 a.m. Tuesday at 16 Thatcher St., the residence of Mary Polk. Polk and two other adults at the house… Read More
ROCKLAND – The City Council gave its approval Monday night to a lease with credit card lender MBNA America for the former Courier Publications building on Park Drive. City Clerk Stuart Sylvester said Tuesday that the council conducted its second and final reading of the… Read More
CAMDEN – A pair of bald eagles has prompted the town to close Curtis Island to public access. The eagles are believed to be nesting on the town-owned island, which sits at the mouth of Camden Harbor. The island, which includes a lighthouse and lightkeeper’s… Read More
FORT KENT – An SAD 27 foreign language teacher has been told that his job will be terminated at the end of the school year. Daniel Fishman, 53, had been teaching French and Spanish at Fort Kent Community High School for two years. His name… Read More
WASHINGTON – The United States Border and Transportation Security Directorate announced Tuesday it will expand hours of operation for border crossings at Orient and Forest City. U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins called the move by the new Department of Homeland Security “a step… Read More
AUGUSTA – A 180-mile hut and trail system may run through the Carrabassett Valley instead of the Bigelow Preserve. The agreement by the state, the Friends of Bigelow and the Western Mountains Foundation calls for the trail to be built on land owned by the… Read More
PORTLAND – Police arrested a Cape Elizabeth man in connection with a bank robbery after he paid for a motel room using cash stained by red dye. Steven W. Conway, 34, was checking out of the Super 8 Motel in Westbrook when he was taken… Read More
HOULTON – Cleanup of the debris from a downtown fire last November began in earnest Tuesday with a large-tracked backhoe filling dump trucks. Shortly before 9 a.m., abatement workers clad in white protective suits and heavy black gloves began pulling back the black plastic tarpaulins… Read More
HOULTON – Town councilors took strongly opposing views Monday about whether meeting agendas should include time for them to make general comments about items not on the agenda. The proposal to eliminate the councilor remarks time from future agendas came May 4 during a daylong… Read More
LEVANT – Relief for residents bothered by barking dogs may be in sight as town officials look to provide more bite in their animal control ordinances. A public hearing to discuss the proposed barking dog ordinance will be part of Wednesday’s regular Board of Selectmen… Read More
HOLDEN – Questions about a proposed new position for a business manager punctuated a two-hour hearing Tuesday night on the 2003-04 school budget for SAD 63, which includes Holden, Eddington and Clifton. About 50 residents of the school district attended the meeting at the Holden… Read More
BANGOR – Shaw’s Supermarkets has filed an application for a state site location permit it needs in order to construct a 10,000-square-foot expansion at its Main Street store, which opened in 1996. According to corporate spokesman Terrence Donilon, the expansion is part of a companywide… Read More
BANGOR – City councilors are concerned about the effects that state budget cuts could have on some of the community’s most vulnerable residents, namely uninsured and homeless people in need of mental health services. During their meeting Monday night, councilors unanimously adopted a resolve urging… Read More
BANGOR – A mental health workshop to help families and friends of people with mental illness cope with the job of caregiving is being offered by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Bangor, from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 18, at Acadia Hospital in the… Read More
OLD TOWN – With the shutdown and restart of portions of Georgia-Pacific Corp.’s Old Town mill, city officials have spent more than a month juggling numbers in an effort to nail down a final budget for the year. The Old Town City Council reviewed its… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – “Making Family Memories,” an event to create memories of special people and times, will be offered from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, May 22, at Penquis CAP, 50 North St. Families are asked to bring a few pictures with them that bring smiles… Read More
BANGOR – Maine Initiatives, a statewide foundation that supports organizations that cultivate economic, environmental and social justice at the grass-roots level in Maine, has awarded grants to two local groups. Each will receive $40,000 over the next three years. Bangor’s Peace through Inter-American Community Action… Read More
MILO – U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe’s staff assistant Mark Kontio will hold office outreach hours from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 22, at Milo Town Hall, Pleasant Street, and from noon to 1 p.m. on the same day at the Guilford Municipal Building, 4 School St. Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – The Kiwanis Club of Dover-Foxcroft observed its 65th anniversary with a reception, dinner and program attended by more than 100 people on May 9 at Foxcroft Academy. The local club was chartered May 9, 1938, and now includes 60 members. The club is… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – The Mayo diabetes support group will meet from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, in the Piscataquis Room at Mayo Regional Hospital. Mary Kate Alphonse, a certified Reiki Master-teacher and healing facilitator, will present a program on “Energy Balance, Stress Relief and Pain Management through… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Selectmen will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, at the Thompson Free Library, to consider an amendment to the zoning ordinance to allow multifamily developments in a residential zone. The matter was addressed in the ordinance at one time but apparently was… Read More
DEXTER – Shawn Lancaster was appointed to the SAD 46 board of directors by the Dexter Town Council recently to replace Gail Jewett, who resigned. Lancaster will fill the position until the November 2003 general election. Read More
CENTERVILLE – The town’s 26 residents must move quickly if they want to deorganize by July 1, 2004, a state official says. Doreen Sheive, fiscal administrator of Maine’s unorganized territory, said the first of three votes on the proposal to deorganize will take place at… Read More
CARIBOU – Yard sales will be held throughout the city Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18. Maps of the locations of the sales are available at local businesses. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy has begun planning for construction of a 128-bed dormitory that would provide additional on-campus student housing. The academy plans to work with Capstone Development Corp. of Birmingham, Ala., which will develop and operate the dormitory on the current site of… Read More
MARS HILL – Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration will be held in SAD 42 (Mars Hill and Blaine) on Friday. Parents should contact Fort Street School at 429-8514 or 429-8515 for an appointment. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – A weather spotter training talk will be held from 6 to 8 tonight at Northern Maine Technical College in the Christie Building Lecture Hall. People interested in becoming weather spotters as well as current weather spotters are welcome. For more information, call… Read More
HOULTON – For more than a decade, the issue of where skateboarders should ride has been debated by the community and the Town Council. Monday night was no different. While no one who attended Monday’s session was opposed to having a designated area for use… Read More
Houlton District Court Cases May 5-9, 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
NEW SWEDEN – The Gustaf Adolph Evangelical Lutheran Church was packed Monday night for the funeral of Daniel Bondeson, the man police say is linked to the arsenic poisoning of 16 members of the congregation last month. The unpublicized service filled the church, including its… Read More
CALAIS – The band saws were buzzing and the sparks were flying during construction Tuesday on the $6.6 million Downeast Heritage Center. The center is expected to open next year and draw attention to the 1604 settlement of St. Croix Island. It’s also designed to… Read More
BELFAST – The window of opportunity for getting Waldo County’s new jail proposal to voters is narrowing. During their meeting Tuesday, Waldo County commissioners acknowledged that the time frame for a November referendum has reached the critical stage and that a vote on the project… Read More
TREMONT – Hazel Rich won re-election to the school board on Monday, defeating challenger Jimmy Schlaefer, according to town officials. Rich was elected with 126 votes, while Schlaefer received 44 votes. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
VANCOUVER, Wash. – A Marine reservist based in Eugene, Ore., died in a collision between two military vehicles last week in Kuwait, Pentagon officials have revealed. Lance Cpl. Cedric E. Bruns, 22, of Vancouver, Wash., was driving a Humvee pickup truck that collided nearly head-on… Read More
The Hampden Academy Leadership Team, under the direction of adviser Ruth Fitzpatrick, is conducting a very special food drive this week. Academy students and staff are all pitching in to collect nutritional foods for local pantries. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
PORTLAND – Activity at the Portland International Jetport came to a halt for about a half-hour late Tuesday morning when a contractor’s backhoe ruptured a natural gas line near the control tower. The control tower was evacuated, flights were put on hold, and passengers were confined to the… Read More
BAR HARBOR – The American Diabetes Association is co-sponsoring two educational events called Diabetes Management in Unique Conditions. The first will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 17, at the Acadia Inn, Route 3, Bar Harbor. The second will be held from 3:30 to 5:30… Read More
RAYMOND – Police are investigating the cause of a head-on collision on Route 85 that killed an elderly couple and critically injured another relative. Hazen Spearin, 82, of Gray was driving a minivan Sunday that collided with a pickup truck, authorities said. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
On Sunday, Yoko Ono – artist, composer, performer and wife of Beatles legend John Lennon – will deliver the commencement address at Maine College of Art in Portland. Born in 1933 in Tokyo, Ono studied philosophy before moving to America and participating in the Fluxus art movement in… Read More
“Dinner with Friends,” presented by the Belfast Maskers through May 25, is a play about marriage. It’s not about how great marriage is, or how bad marriage is. Donald Margulies’ 2000 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama is about how messy marriage is: good, bad or indifferent – all of which… Read More
When she put a lobster roll on the menu at her Greenwich Village restaurant, Pearl Oyster Bar, Rebecca Charles figured people would understand. They didn’t. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
Thinking about drinking A new exhibition at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, “Beyond Thirst: The Dimensions of Drink,” explores the cultural significance of caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. It includes decorative drinking implements, such as a seven-piece silver tea service, as well as works on… Read More
A Husson College Braves baseball team that could be a very good one may have a busy postseason next spring. They will definitely play in the NAIA’s Sunrise Conference tourney because there will be just four teams left in the conference. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
The University of Maine softball team had a disappointing finish to its season, but the Black Bears can take heart in what they have coming back for the 2004 campaign. And that’s just the way coach Deb Smith and her staff is looking at it. Read More
After eight years as the boys soccer coach and seven years coaching the boys basketball team at Hampden Academy, Andy Frace has turned in his resignation. Frace said a number of factors led to his decision, including outside pressures. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Hopefully, the folks at Saint Joseph’s College haven’t disbanded their coaching search committee yet. Only four days after hiring Andy Bedard to replace 23-year head men’s basketball coach Rick Simonds, Saint Joseph’s must begin a search to replace 16-year women’s hoop coach Mike McDevitt, who… Read More
The detractors will tell you it’s too slow. There’s not enough action. But baseball has its own unique place as our pastime. It evokes memories you just can’t obtain in other sports. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
HIGH SCHOOL At Presque Isle 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 – The Bangor Lumberjacks’ exhibition baseball game against the International Baseball Academy of Japan has had its start time and location changed. The independent Northeast League team will play at 11 a.m. today at Husson College’s Winkin Complex. Tuesday night’s game between Bangor and the IBA was… Read More
HIGH SCHOOL At Bangor Tennis, Hampden 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… Read More
HIGH SCHOOL Official standings as reported by the Maine Principals’ Association for games played through May 10. 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
BUCKSPORT – Emily McLaughlin smacked a bases-loaded double in the seventh to clear the bases and lead the Brewer High School Witches to a four-run inning and an 8-7 comeback victory over Bucksport in softball action here Tuesday. The loss was Bucksport’s first this season. Read More
Mark Shields has been named the football coach at Mount Desert Island High School. Shields takes over from George “Toogie” McKay who resigned in March after 22 years as the Trojans’ head coach. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
ASHLAND – Megan McLaughlin drove in two runs on three singles as her Southern Aroostook Warriors of Dyer Brook outslugged Ashland 15-14 in softball action Tuesday. Carmen McLaughlin doubled, singled and knocked in a pair for Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook. Nicki Lyons added a… Read More
BUCKSPORT – Dow Cain scored the winning run with no one out in the bottom of the eighth inning to help the host Golden Bucks edge Brewer 5-4 in extra-inning baseball action Tuesday afternoon. The play began with the Golden Bucks having loaded the bases. Read More