Buffeted by the devastating economic winds that have steadily uprooted manufacturing jobs, labor unions are striking back, expanding their reaches into new and nontraditional areas. In Maine, where more than 2,000 paper industry jobs have disappeared in the last two years alone, the Paper, Allied… Read More
    Editor’s Note: The Bangor Daily News is profiling people age 70 and older who choose to remain in the work force, examining why they still feel the need to work and how they feel about their jobs. The profiles will run occasionally. MILFORD – Each… Read More
    The sidebar to a story on the construction of a new Kingdom Hall in Bucksport that ran in Saturday’s edition on Page A7 stated that in their door-to-door evangelism Jehovah’s Witnesses leave their literature in mailboxes. They do not. It is a violation of federal law to place… Read More
    KEY WEST, Fla. – A herpes-like virus has infected up to 10 percent of baby lobsters in the Florida Keys, leading some fisheries experts to wonder whether the disease explains recent dips in lobster catches. Biologists doubt the disease can be transferred to humans but… Read More
    Editor’s Note: States from coast to coast are dealing with the worst budget crisis in decades. This is the latest installment in “Tough Times-Tough Choices,” an ongoing series by The Associated Press examining the consequences of the decisions being made by state leaders. It looked… Read More
    Even legitimate, well-known companies will throw customers for a loop on occasion when they refuse to issue refunds, honor warranties, or simply have rude or unresponsive customer service. Such companies can run, but they cannot hide, from tenacious COMBAT volunteers who ring the truth about law and consumer… Read More
    Keith Trembley Builder Inc. and Paul Davis Restoration of Maine, which is based in Milford, was recently recognized as one of the top 500 remodeling businesses in the country by Qualified Remodeler Magazine. The award is based on criteria that include sales, company growth, customer… Read More
    I’m a Democrat and I voted for Gov. Baldacci in the last election. I am also a displaced worker; I lost my job at Eastern Fine Paper Co. in June. I am currently employed in a temporary position with the responsibility of tracking the 125 people who also… Read More
    Ever since President Grover Cleveland signed an act in 1894 making the first Monday in September a legal holiday to honor America’s workers, Labor Day has been a holiday of conflicting themes, an odd mixture of the somber and the frivolous. Even 19th century labor organizer Peter J. Read More
    Evidence is mounting that the routine use of antibiotics to promote growth in farm animals is unnecessary and can pose a threat to humans. At the same time, momentum is building to change farming practices to grow healthy cows, pigs and poultry without using drugs. So far the… Read More
    Last Thursday I read with dismay the headline story regarding the Bush team’s weakening of the Clean Air Act. As a parent, I’m worried that over time the dirtier air will harm the lungs of my children and their children. As a physician, I’m confident… Read More
    I had the great opportunity to be a buddy for the Colombian band at the National Folk Festival. Every artist or group I spoke to raved about Bangor and the warm welcome they received. The festival provides an opportunity for everyone to experience the beauty… Read More
    I have been a resident of Parkman since the turnout was built in the 1960s. I was upset one day when I drove by and saw this turnout had been closed by the state road crew because a complaint from one homeowner forced them to place Jersey barriers… Read More
    It’s time to end the blame game in the Middle East, where Israelis blame Palestinians for the current violence, Palestinians blame Israelis, and many in the United States blame one side or the other. Both Arabs and Jews have suffered tremendously in that region and around the world… Read More
    I’ve lost track of how many columns I’ve read by Dr. Erik Steele in the Bangor Daily News that hit the proverbial nail on the head. His calm, no-nonsense writing makes sense and has caused me to change my mind many times on subjects I had been pretty… Read More
    The U.S. economy is in decline, people are being laid off from their jobs, millions are out of work and our jobs are flying overseas. Recently, there was a vote in Congress to provide unlimited visas for high-tech workers from Chile and Singapore. Prior to… Read More
    I have been following closely the debates about coyote snaring in Maine because of my own interest in coyotes stemming from 30 years of studying these amazing, adaptable carnivores. Snaring is morally repugnant; that goes without saying. As I travel around the country giving talks… Read More
    MILO – A Dover-Foxcroft woman died in a boating accident Saturday night on the Sebec River. Shirley Carrier, 48, was killed when she was tossed from a boat driven by David Worster of Brownville which collided with a boat driven by Joe Warren, residence unknown,… Read More
    PORTLAND – The Labor Day holiday weekend brought a chill to the air as a subtle but sobering reminder that Maine’s summer tourist season is at an official end. Maine Turnpike officials braced for a big southbound exodus on Monday, Labor Day. The bulk of… Read More
    The case of a Norway man convicted of possession of child pornography will be heard for the second time in three years when the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston get backs to work Wednesday after its summer recess. More than 70 cases… Read More
    ACADIA NATIONAL PARK – The church ceiling was the sky and the walls were evergreen, birch and maple trees as almost 20 campers gathered in the sun and shade at Seawall Campground for a Sunday service in the park. Led by a small ministry of… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Committee clerks, researchers and other nonpartisan staffers in the Legislature have formed a union, and their elected bosses’ term limits are a major reason they’ve taken a step unheard of in other states. Negotiations between the fledgling union and managers to establish pay… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A former Augusta woman who died in February has yet to be buried because of a legal dispute among her seven children over whether an autopsy should be performed. Leita O. Maxim was 77 when she died in a Las Vegas hospital. The… Read More
    WINDHAM – A man who was asked to leave a party returned with a handgun and was shot in the head during a scuffle, Maine State Police said Sunday. No arrests have been made in the shooting of Charles Huntington of Windham. Huntington, 33, was… Read More
    LEWISTON – A South Paris man this week begins a 414-mile ride across Maine in his electric wheelchair to generate support for stem cell research. Patrick Harris, 45, has been a quadriplegic since November 2001 when his car skidded on black ice and crashed into… Read More
    For the past 15 years, Peter Panagore has preached to a live congregation. Now he addresses a TV camera. Panagore is the new host of the nation’s oldest continuous ecumenical show, which is viewed by an estimated 75,000 Mainers during the early morning news shows… Read More
    PORTLAND – Mainers with connections to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York had mixed reactions to the release last week of transcripts of radio transmissions and emergency calls at the scene. Michael Clarke, a captain with the Bath… Read More
    OWLS HEAD – Harley-Davidson motorcycles have maintained powerful appeal for 100 years because they are “quality made in the USA,” say two Maine bikers. Lou Brunelle, 54, of Lisbon Falls and Peter Bergeron, 55, of Poland Spring showed off their motorcycles on Sunday at the… Read More
    ACADIA NATIONAL PARK – The Acadia National Park Advisory Commission will meet at 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, at the park headquarters on McFarland Hill Drive in Bar Harbor. The commission consults with the U.S. secretary of the interior regarding the management and development of… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Opponents of Maine’s newly enacted law to ban smoking in bars and bingo halls as of Jan. 1, 2004, have announced a change in their strategy to erase the statute. The Maine Freedom Committee, which has been collecting signatures in taverns, grocery stores,… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A coalition of nine Maine colleges and universities has received a $190,899 federal grant to help prevent and reduce high-risk drinking and violent behavior among college students. The coalition members are the University of Southern Maine, University of Maine, University of Maine at… Read More
    WEST ENFIELD – A Penobscot County sheriff’s deputy suffered minor injuries when his cruiser was involved in an accident Sunday morning. Deputy David Duplisea, 43, was heading north on Route 2 at 9:12 a.m. when his cruiser collided with a vehicle being driven by Judith… Read More
    Bangor police summoned a man Saturday night after restaurant patrons downtown complained he was flashing a knife. Officers James Hassard and Rob Angelo were dispatched to Broad Street at about 9:30 p.m. on a report that somebody was displaying a knife near the Whig &… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Mount Desert Island Regional High School will launch the much-anticipated late bus program when the new school year begins Tuesday for all classes. Three buses will run at 5 p.m. each school day, giving students without transportation a chance to participate in… Read More
    LIBERTY – A permitted brush fire got out of hand Saturday evening and destroyed a small barn on Route 73, Fire Chief Elise Brown said Sunday. The barn is owned by the estate of the late Reginald and Evelyn Andrews, Brown said, noting the couple… Read More
    FORT FAIRFIELD – An Aroostook County Sheriff’s Department patrol car collided with a moose early Sunday morning on Forest Avenue in a sparsely populated area of Fort Fairfield. Deputy Forrest Dudley suffered minor injuries in the accident that occurred about 3 a.m. Sunday while he… Read More
    NORRIDGEWOCK – An early-morning fire Saturday that started in a commercial laundry and swept through the unoccupied building, ruining two other businesses, is the “result of human element and remains under investigation,” according to state Fire Marshal Stu Jacobs. On Sunday, Jacobs said fire officials… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – About 180 elementary school pupils will remain on extended summer break Tuesday when more than 1,600 other students from Mount Desert Island go back to school. While Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor and Tremont elementary schools begin classes Sept. 2, Mount Desert Elementary… Read More
    MADRID – Two people from New Gloucester were injured Saturday afternoon while climbing a steep embankment on an all-terrain vehicle. Melissa Whynot, 29, who was driving the 2000 Honda four-wheeler, and her passenger, Michael Gamarsh, 26, were taken by ambulance to Franklin Memorial Hospital in… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Police arrested two motorists over the weekend on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants, Sgt. Tim Bland said Sunday. Heath Demarco, 30, of Bradenton, Fla., was arrested at 11:30 p.m. Aug. 28. His blood alcohol level was 0.18, Bland said. Read More
    ISLES OF SHOALS, N.H. – As a fish rancher in a watery pen, Michael Chambers hand-fed 1,200 halibut Friday. Nine miles out from Portsmouth in a 50-foot University of New Hampshire research boat, Chambers filled a garbage bag with fish pellets, pulled on a wet… Read More
    ORONO – One vehicle spun off the road and another ended up lying on its windshield in an accident Sunday afternoon on Interstate 95. Maine State Trooper Seth Edwards said Dale Braley, 29, of Bangor was traveling north in his Chevrolet pickup at about 4:25… Read More
    While the newly formed union for nonpartisan legislative workers seeks its first contract, renewed contracts for several units representing Maine state government employees are also being negotiated. Among them are Maine State Employees Association units representing marine patrol officers and wardens, and operations, maintenance and… Read More
    An Osborn man was critically injured in an early morning accident Sunday on Route 179 in Waltham, according to police. John Reed, 22, was airlifted to Eastern Maine Medical Center by LifeFlight helicopter after crashing his GMC pickup truck into trees at 1:45 a.m. Sunday,… Read More
    AUGUSTA – As the state prepared to salute the gains of organized labor today, three employees of the union that represents Maine’s 10,000 state workers were handed pink slips. The layoffs, effective Oct. 17, were criticized Saturday in a press release by Todd Ricker, president… Read More
    BELFAST – A Sunday morning blaze gutted Winston Cup racer Ricky Craven’s store in Belfast. Fire departments were alerted at about 7 a.m. and stayed at the Searsport Avenue site until about noon. Nobody was in the building at the time. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    HERMON – Turner’s Ben Rowe, the defending Pro All-Stars Series points champion, figured he’d win four or five races on the PASS tour this season. Maybe six. How about seven? And there are three races remaining on the 15-race schedule. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    CHICAGO – The Milwaukee Brewers didn’t waste any time getting a new winning streak going as former Bangor High School star Matt Kinney won his 10th game. A day after their 10-game run ended, Richie Sexson homered and drove in four runs and Scott Podsednik… Read More
    LOCAL At Camden 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
    HIGH SCHOOL At Hidden Meadows GC, Old Town, par 35 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
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    Former University of Maine linebacker Stephen Cooper, a two-time Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, was one of five undrafted free agents to make the San Diego Chargers’ opening-day roster. Cooper was listed as a back-up outside linebacker on the Chargers’ website. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    UNITY – Matt Lee of Albion started on the pole and led to the checkers to take his fourth Pro Stock win of the season on Saturday night at Unity Raceway. Scott Albee of Norridgewock finished second, third was Sidney’s Gary Thorne, Craig Anderson of… Read More
    Editor’s Note: Maine Bound is a column featuring new books that are either written by Maine authors, set in the Pine Tree State or have other local ties. THE SINNER, by Tess Gerritsen, Ballantine, New York, 2003, 352 pages, hardcover, $24.95. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    In theaters MAN ON THE TRAIN, directed by Patrice Leconte, written by Claude Klotz, 90 minutes, rated R. In French, with English subtitles. Now playing, Movie City 8, Bangor. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More