PORTLAND – The problem of Maine’s rapidly growing female prisoner population will serve as a backdrop for a national conference in September when corrections experts will explore why more women are living life behind bars. Denise Lord, associate commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections,… Read More
Editor’s Note: NEWS staff writer Alicia Anstead left Iraq late last week and filed her final dispatch from Amman, Jordan. She has been traveling with fellow journalist Peter Davis of Castine, who is on assignment for The Nation magazine. AMMAN, Jordan – The farewell to… Read More
INDIAN ISLAND – Among Bishop Joseph Gerry’s most cherished possessions is an eagle feather given to him long ago by a Penobscot Indian woman. He received the gift from a tribal elder, who told him that to give someone an eagle feather meant the giver valued the life… Read More
A congressional panel last week earmarked $3 million for the Waldo-Hancock Bridge in a spending bill for next year amid efforts by the state Department of Transportation to try to speed the federal process to help pay for a new structure to carry Route 1 traffic over the… Read More
A Page A1 photo caption with a story Saturday gave the wrong military service for the man pictured, Clifford O’Brien of Bangor. As the story correctly reported, he was in the Air Force. Read More
Ab Energizer of California gave our COMBAT mediation volunteer a workout when she worked on behalf of Maine consumer, Ms. P of Kenduskeag. After seeing an ad that promised sleeker, toned abs like those sported by the svelte models on TV, Ms. P’s saga began. Read More
WASHINGTON – A possibly illegal cost-saving scheme by MCI is the subject of a federal investigation and could intensify questions over its contracts for work throughout the U.S. government and in Iraq, lawyers and others with the probe said Sunday. The fraud investigation involves MCI’s… Read More
AUGUSTA – As baby boomers start approaching retirement age, the state of Maine is gearing up for the potential loss of more than one-quarter of its work force over the next five years. Donald Wills, director of the Bureau of Human Resources, is crafting a… Read More
THOMASTON – A former vice chairman of the Nasdaq stock exchange predicted Saturday a decline in Americans’ standard of living. Alfred Berkeley, who stepped down earlier this month after working for Nasdaq for the last seven years, spoke to the Friends of Montpelier group. Berkeley… Read More
Doug Kesselli’s report on the Hampden “Bubble” (BDN, July 22) is the biggest piece of fluff I have seen in quite some time. What transpired in the courtroom was not a show of support; it was a protection of two companies’ financial interests. Kiser &… Read More
Manageable” is the Bush administration’s word for the federal deficit, now predicted to be $455 billion, twice what was assumed in February. Many other words will probably come to mind when Americans hear that the government is the deepest in the red it has ever been. Astounding, maybe. Read More
Maine has leapt some two-thirds of the way to competitive electricity prices and has had sufficient time in the last six years to consider the chasm below were it to stop now. Fortunately, the New England region overall seems determined to complete the jump to deregulated markets, but… Read More
As we were going to play bridge at a friend’s cottage on Green Lake with three other women recently, we noticed smoke pouring out from the front and back of the car. The woman who was driving quickly pulled over and we all scrambled out. Read More
If I could vote for the proposed SAD 48 school budget on July 31, I would vote yes. I am a resident of SAD 38 and my son attends Nokomis Regional High School as a tuitioned student. SAD 38 pays approximately $500,000 yearly in tuition… Read More
The recent articles about the Waldo-Hancock Bridge and the op-ed by Carl Osgood of Surry about the Deer Isle Bridge (BDN, July 23) brought to mind a conversation I had with a politician who promised to take up the concerns with the appropriate people in Augusta more than… Read More
The second paragraph of the July 17 article by Aimee Dolloff states: “All federal employees have a benefit package that includes health and life insurance, as well as a retirement investment program similar to a 401(k).” That statement is inaccurate and misleading. Federal employees have… Read More
I want to drink hormone-free milk. I have a right to know which milk is hormone free. For the courts to rule in favor of Monsanto, against the labeling of hormone-free milk by Oakhurst Dairy, would be a complete denial of our civil rights and… Read More
It was 10 or 15 minutes into waiting to cross the doomed Waldo-Hancock bridge one recent weekend that I found a single question nagging at me. I happened to have been stopped at a point on the road where I could see the entire span of the bridge,… Read More
The column the Bangor Daily News carried July 17 by Elaine Chao, secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, reminds me of the “bait-and-switch” tactic used by unethical businesses to ballyhoo one product while insisting that you buy something else when you get to the store. Read More
AUGUSTA – A referendum proposal backed by the Maine Municipal Association to boost aid to local schools as a way to produce property tax relief has all but united elected state officials against it. And with lawmakers poised to take up anew the debate over… Read More
AUGUSTA – Maine’s pioneer Dirigo health program could be helped, or seriously hurt, by changes in the federal Medicare program being debated in Congress. “We are closely watching what they are doing in Washington,” Trish Riley, director of the Governor’s Office on Health Policy and… Read More
BANGOR – Dodging enemy gunfire, collecting the bodies of his dead comrades and hungry Korean orphans were some of the things Korean War veteran Franklin McCormack recalled Sunday, after a ceremony at the Korean War Memorial monument in Mount Hope Cemetery. The armistice signed 50… Read More
DEXTER – A popular math teacher and boys varsity soccer coach at Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford was killed in an ATV accident Friday night. Peter Nelson, 32, of Corinna was taken to Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft, where he was pronounced dead early… Read More
UNITY – All but two of the 100 specially tagged fish in Lake Winnecook laid low Sunday. The two that didn’t and decided to bite on an angler’s lure did not deliver the grand prize. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
ELLSWORTH – A local man was injured late Friday night after the ATV he was riding flipped over. According to police Sgt. Barton Tokas, Roy Jordan, 30, was riding an ATV behind the back parking lot of the Shaw’s supermarket off High Street. Jordan attempted… Read More
ROCKLAND – The people putting on this week’s Maine Lobster Festival say they must sell more than 11 tons of steamed lobster to top last year’s sales record. It’s just one of the challenges for organizers of the five-day celebration, which opens Wednesday. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
FORT KENT – Seeking to ensure skiing during Christmas vacation, four skiing enthusiasts have pooled their talents to raise $85,000 to install snow-making equipment at St. John Valley’s only alpine ski hill, Lonesome Pine Trails. While some might think northern Aroostook County gets more than… Read More
BUCKSPORT – Thousands of visitors and local residents crowded the Bucksport waterfront Saturday for the sixth annual Fort Knox Bay Festival. But not as many as last year. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
VAN BUREN – Honorary firefighter Chanel Bouchard, who fought fires in town for 40 years, proudly served as grand marshal of the parade Saturday for the 68th annual Aroostook County Firefighters Muster. Bouchard, who served as fire chief for 37 of his 40 years with… Read More
TRENTON – A tow-along camper was destroyed Sunday after it caught fire while traveling on Route 3. According to reports from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, Roderick Ronco, 53, of Winterport was traveling on Route 3 near the Ellsworth line when the camper he was… Read More
ROCKLAND – City officials dedicated a bench in Bob Gagnon’s memory Saturday, but the picture friends and family painted of him revealed a man who wouldn’t have had time to use it. Gagnon, a former Rockland councilor and civic leader, died last September at the… Read More
GREENVILLE – The C.A. Dean Auxiliary will hold its annual fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, in the Greenville School gymnasium during the annual Forest Heritage Days celebration. Forest Heritage Days will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and… Read More
DEER ISLE – Motorists using the Deer Isle-Sedgwick Bridge today should allow additional travel time, according to the Maine Department of Transportation. The department plans to conduct load testing on the bridge, according to DOT project manager Devin Anderson, which will result in periodic delays… Read More
BERWICK – A 22-year-old motorcycle passenger from New Hampshire was killed and three others were injured in a crash involving two motorcycles and a pickup truck, police said. One motorcycle struck another while attempting to pass it at about 8 p.m. Saturday, police said. The… Read More
PORTLAND – Top state election officials Sunday agreed to sponsor a youth voter education summit in the nation’s capital next winter, pushing a program aimed at stimulating political participation by a lagging segment of the American electorate. The National Association of Secretaries of State also… Read More
PORTLAND – Twenty years ago this week, Maine adventurer Bill Dunlop set sail from Portland Harbor in his tiny sailboat for a planned round-the-world voyage. The former truck driver from Mechanic Falls made it to the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean in his 9-foot… Read More
PORTLAND – Maine’s largest city is seeking help from the federal government as it confronts an outbreak of tuberculosis among its homeless population. Six active cases of TB have emerged within the last year, four of them since March. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Madawaska District Court, Cases May 23-July 23, 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
Bangor police Sunday were seeking the owner of a car that was being driven with a stolen license plate. On Saturday, Officer Daniel Herrick reported seeing an unattended parked car in a driveway on Dean Street. In its rear window was a Maine license plate… Read More
MANCHESTER, Vt. – A proposed wind energy project for Little Equinox Mountain will go forward even though Catamount Energy Corp. has dropped out, the development’s other backer said. Catamount executives said it decided to get out of the Equinox project because it was taking longer… Read More
BARCELONA, Spain – Someone named Ian was supposed to challenge the nerve of 18-year-old Michael Phelps at the World Swimming Championships, according to the pre-meet hype. Everyone just had the wrong Ian. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
BANGOR – “That was the longest [putt] of my life,” said William Link IV of Acton, Mass., of his 8-inch tap-in on the last hole Saturday that secured his victory in the 37th Greater Bangor Open golf tournament. Link’s even-par 69 at Bangor Municipal Golf… Read More
BANGOR – A year ago, the Brewer Falcons were the region’s dominant force in American Legion baseball during the regular season, but couldn’t back it up once the Zone 1 tournament arrived. This year, they left no doubt about their superiority within the zone. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
LITTLE FALLS, N.J. – The longest drought in the young history of the Bangor Lumberjacks baseball franchise reached 36 innings Sunday as the New Jersey Jackals dealt the Lumberjacks their fourth straight shutout loss. New Jersey starter Joel Bennett, who pitched against the Bangor Blue… Read More
PORTLAND – A 36-year-old Cape Elizabeth man outswam a younger three-time champion in Saturday’s 2.4-mile Peaks-to-Portland Swim. Jim Harvey defeated 18-year-old Sean Flaherty of Scarborough, covering the distance in 46 minutes, 50 seconds. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
DENVER – The Colorado Rockies optioned former University of Maine star Mark Sweeney to Triple-A Colorado Springs Sunday, two days after he had been designated for assignment. On Friday, the Rockies simultaneously designated Sweeney for assignment, which removed him from the 40-man roster, and asked… Read More
The Boston Red Sox announced Sunday that former Sox manager Joe Morgan will attend today’s Red Sox rally in Portland at Monument Square. He posted a 129-110 career mark from 1988-1991, including a pair of division titles in 1988 and 1990. Read More
WATERVILLE – Former Mount View of Thorndike field hockey coach Lisa Gibbs has been named head coach at Thomas College. She coached the Mustangs from 1998-2002, and led the team to the Eastern Maine Class B championship game this past fall. She was named KVAC Coach of the… Read More
LOCAL 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]… Read More
KNOX – Augusta recorded two victories in the state Little League all-star baseball tourney for ages 11-12 over the weekend. Augusta defeated Sunrise 2-0 on Saturday and topped Katahdin 4-2 on Sunday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
HERMON – Andy Saunders of Ellsworth took the lead in the CAM II 50-lap Pro Stock special on a lap 46 restart and went on to win the event. Paul White of Corinna made a late pass to win the Limited Sportsman event while points… Read More
BANGOR – Craig Harvey’s RBI single lifted Quirk Auto Park past Central Maine Cleaning 6-5 in the first game en route to a twinbill sweep in Bay League baseball action at the Winkin Complex Saturday. Quirk Auto won the second 5-2. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
BANGOR – The hits they just kept coming for the Calais Suns – and coming, and coming, and coming. And by pounding out 36 hits in two elimination-game victories Saturday, the Suns qualified for their first-ever appearance in the state American Legion tournament. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
LITTLE FALLS, N.J. – Saturday was fireworks night at Yogi Berra Stadium, but long before the first fuse was lit on the postgame aerial show, the New Jersey Jackals provided plenty of the offensive variety at the plate. The visiting Lumberjacks extended their scoreless innings… Read More
When director Aynne Ames does theater, she doesn’t just break down the fourth wall. She breaks down every wall. Consider the productions she did for many years in Castine, where she was founder of the now defunct Cold Comfort Theater. There was “Camelot” staged outdoors at a fort… Read More
I’ve found my tribe,” says Julia Glass, winner of the 2002 National Book Award for her novel “Three Junes.” She’s sprawled in a green Adirondack chair in a setting so perfect you figure it’s got to appear in some future novel – and, in fact, the books she’s… Read More
In theaters SEABISCUIT, written and directed by Gary Ross, based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand, 140 minutes, rated PG-13. 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
At age 9, Alice McKinstry wrote that she would like to “keep records and read books,” and so she has. Retired from several years as an elementary-school teacher, she has turned her attention to preserving family history. In doing so, Alice (McKinstry) Hawes hasn’t tried… Read More