A surge in feed grade soybean prices is skimming profits from dairy producers across the United States, just as milk prices recover from a devastating two-year slump. Producers of organic milk, who require organically grown soy-based feeds, are paying the largest increases. “The price of… Read More
    BANGOR – Connecticut-based First Paper Holding Corp. LLC on Monday offered $23.725 million to purchase abandoned Eastern Pulp and Paper Corp., with only $3.225 million in cash and the rest in long-term promissory notes to creditors and lenders. Even though the offer is 35 pages… Read More
    A story about the Hope Spinnery in some editions of the State section Monday incorrectly identified painter Shanna McNair. McNair lives in Montville. Read More
    ST. AGATHA – Breaking up Nexfor Fraser Papers Inc. into two companies will aide Fraser in the long run, and in turn will be good for the Madawaska-Edmundston complex, Fraser’s president said Monday. In July, Fraser Papers Inc. will become a separate company with its… Read More
    I, as a citizen of the United States, am affronted by the unacceptable attitude of 9-11 Commission member Jamie Gorelick, former deputy attorney general under President Clinton. Gorelick was exposed by Attorney General John Ashcroft as being the author of a memorandum which, according to Ashcroft, was “the… Read More
    As complicated as it is to re-write the tax law at the federal level, the need for doing so is simple locally. Though Maine’s unemployment rate remains a relatively modest 5 percent, the shift in the kinds of jobs beneath this number has been substantial and damaging to… Read More
    The dramatic loss of manufacturing jobs to countries with lower labor costs gives the demand for higher barriers new emphasis. But if the United States is to continue trading with other nations it has no choice but to honor trade agreements, a responsibility that is not easy, as… Read More
    Regarding Dottie Melanson’s column, “Bad federal policy bad for Maine” (BDN, April 10-11), it’s so easy to blame others for the difficulties befalling this state when all we need do is look in the mirror. It doesn’t take rocket science to recognize that manufacturing jobs… Read More
    Time after time I have heard people on television say it’s time to bring the troops home from Iraq. They are angry with President Bush. Sen. John Kerry is not the answer for you, folks. In the debate a few weeks ago, he said even… Read More
    To an important degree, countering international terrorism is about intelligence. It is appropriate that the 9-11 Commission is examining how failures in the collection, analysis and distribution of intelligence contributed to the U.S. government’s failure to prevent the horrors of Sept. 11, 2001. It will be interesting to… Read More
    Even though I am not a fan of Stephen King, I have read some of his books. My wife is an ardent fan and she has read all that he has ever written. One bookshelf in my house is set aside exclusively for the works by Stephen and… Read More
    Sam Patten’s column (BDN, April 12) caught my eye. The Arabic word “mun’kin” is used in the headline and it can be spelled various ways. I spell it Mumkin and it is the name of my sailboat. I spent three years in Saudi Arabia as… Read More
    Some Democrats think the Bush administration may suffer from increasing public doubts about its anti-terror initiatives. Yet the Democrats are taking a risk if they merely sit around awaiting further revelations about Sept. 11. Second-guessing won’t cut it, especially with an administration that could deliver… Read More
    When the excavating equipment started digging into the charred remains of the Masonic Hall building in Bangor two weeks ago, Ed Fowler began visiting the site every day in hopes that something might be salvaged from the shoe-repair shop that had been a part of life for four… Read More
    BANGOR – Members of the 1136th Transportation Company returned to Maine on Monday after spending a year in the Middle East. More than 400 people cheered as the hangar door opened at the National Guard base and 100 soldiers walked off buses to be greeted… Read More
    ROCKLAND – The departure of credit card giant MBNA’s chief executive officer with strong ties to Maine has alarmed midcoast nonprofits who rely on the corporation’s generosity, but the company has offered assurances that its charitable contributions will continue. Carolyn Marsh, a company spokeswoman in… Read More
    PEMBROKE – The state has taken 25 dogs and five cats from the home of the town’s animal control officer, citing the “extremely filthy conditions” at the officer’s home. One of the animals, a white Chihuahua named Tabitha Jolene, was so dirty she had to… Read More
    PORTLAND – Health officials in the only state east of the Mississippi that has not had a confirmed human case of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus will be stepping up and refining their monitoring efforts in people and mosquitoes this summer. Dr. Kathleen Gensheimer, the… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – Police have launched a criminal investigation into the possible drug overdose death this weekend of a 20-year-old Plymouth woman in a Pittsfield house. Colleen Marie King was found dead in bed Saturday morning at a High Street residence owned by David Ring. Three… Read More
    BANGOR – Talk to Bill and Charlotte England about the last three years they spent in South Africa and they’ll tell you about the mud brick houses, the shower house they constructed outside their humble cabin, the remaining effects of apartheid, and celebrations involving the killing of cows… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – Councilors will hear a presentation tonight by a representative from SteriLogic Waste Systems Inc., which wants to locate a medical waste facility in central Maine. The company already has visited the Newport planning board, which has approved the facility location at the town’s… Read More
    ST. ALBANS – Selectmen continued Monday night to press for accountability in town government, proposing two new policies dealing with town funds. Since their election in March, the three new selectmen have begun setting up policies and procedures dealing with availability of town records, separation… Read More
    NEWPORT – Weary from 10 months of a budget crisis and tax revolt, SAD 48 Superintendent William Braun was working alone in his office Monday while his staff celebrated Patriot’s Day. “I’m setting up for tonight’s budget meeting,” he said. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    Mount View High School, Thorndike 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
    ELLSWORTH – The City Council voted unanimously Monday to give the city’s code enforcement office fast-track approval authority for projects in the city-owned business park. Earlier this month, the Ellsworth planning board voted against making changes to the city’s land-use ordinance that would not allow… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Three people sustained minor injuries Monday when three cars collided on Oak Street around 5 p.m., according to police. Jenny Davis, 21, of East Machias was driving a 1997 Dodge south when her car struck the rear end of a 2002 Saab driven… Read More
    TROY – Selectmen will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 1, at the Grange Hall to vote on an article that was omitted at the annual town meeting. Voters agreed for selectmen to enter into a 10-year loan of up to $800,000 to be used… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Parent educator and registered counselor Nancy Hathaway will present “Helping Children Cope with Stress and Feelings While Nourishing Ourselves at the Same Time” from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 1, at 75 State St. The cost of the workshop is $10, and… Read More
    DENNYSVILLE – Milton Ross Jr., senior community programs area specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development agency, presented a $15,000 community facility grant to the Dennys River Volunteer Fire Department. The money will be used to install a heating system that will aid… Read More
    NOBLEBORO – The state Department of Transportation has scheduled pavement tests for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, April 29, on U.S. Route 1 in Nobleboro near the Damariscotta town line. The section of pavement on Route 1 was designated as a test area for… Read More
    EASTON – School board members are waiting for state figures so they can approve a new budget, says Easton Superintendent Frank Keenan. The board last week was unable to approve the town’s 2004-05 budget because it had not received final numbers on state education aid,… Read More
    BANGOR – Concerns that a stray moose might pose a safety hazard for local motorists Monday prompted personnel from the Maine Warden Service to shoot it. Before it was shot, the young moose had been spotted at several locations on the city’s West Side, including… Read More
    WARREN – A recent vote by SAD 40 directors nearly terminated construction plans for a $9 million consolidated middle school and has led to a committee review of alternatives. In an interview last week, board Chairwoman Susan Wilcox said the close vote was most likely… Read More
    Calais District Court Cases Feb. 27-April 1, 2004 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
    FRENCHVILLE – Area students won recognition April 12 during the annual Concours Oratoire, sponsored by Le Club Francais du Haut St. Jean. The French oratorical is held to promote oral and written French among students in all St. John Valley high schools. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    CARIBOU – The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging says Vaughn “Bud” and Dae Brewer are recipients of the 2004 MetLife Foundation Older Volunteers Enrich America Award. Bud, 76, and Dae, 74, will be honored at a ceremony Thursday in Washington, D.C., for their… Read More
    FRENCHVILLE – The town has been approved for a $30,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation to be used for a recreational trail project. The trail will be constructed within the boundaries of the Frenchville Community Park and will be available for recreational walking,… Read More
    BLUE HILL – Ellen Mariani, wife of Sept. 11 victim Neil Mariani, will share her personal story at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, at the Blue Hill town hall. As part of the public forum, Mariani will explain why she is suing the Bush administration. Read More
    NEWPORT – Republican attorney Ken Fredette has announced that he is seeking election to the District 33 seat in the state Senate. Fredette served as a campaign staff member for former Gov. John McKernan and worked in the 1996 Dole for President campaign and other… Read More
    WHITING – Sarah McCabe, who has spent two summers working in an orphanage in southern Romania, is heading back for more of the same. This time she is planning to spend two years there. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
    CHERRYFIELD – A benefit dinner is planned early next month for the 80-year-old grandmother of race car driver Andy Santerre. The woman lost her house and all she owned in a fire April 3. More than two weeks later, 80-year-old Annie Santerre still can’t comprehend… Read More
    ROCKLAND – The midcoast branch of American Association of University Women will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church on Route 17. Louise Storer, a founding member of the Ellsworth-Downeast Branch of the AAUW, will be the keynote speaker. Read More
    ORONO – Kindergarten screenings will be held by appointment from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, and 8:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Thursday, May 6, at the Asa C. Adams School. Parents of children who will be 5 by Oct. 15 should have… Read More
    A Machias man escaped injury Sunday afternoon when his small plane lost power and crashed at the Old Town municipal airport. Old Town police Officer Seth Bear said that at 4 p.m. an employee at Old Town Aviation called police saying they had heard an… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A Brewer man who escaped the Holocaust as a child when he was transported to safety in Scotland shared his story with a group gathered for Yom HaShoah, the day of remembrance for Holocaust victims. Alex Wilde was part of the Kindertransport that… Read More
    Perhaps it’s the changing of the seasons that accounts for the “very big blanks” in the schedule of volunteers currently delivering Meals for Me in the Bangor area. At least that’s what I hope as those who give of themselves are recognized and honored during… Read More
    WATERVILLE – Viola “Vi” Quirion, a longtime employee of C.F. Hathaway Co. and an activist for senior citizens’ and labor issues, died Sunday at a nursing home in Waterville. She was 77. Quirion was employed at the Hathaway shirt plant for 44 years before it… Read More
    WASHINGTON – The members of Maine’s congressional delegation are among lawmakers opposed to a Defense Department push to ease environmental laws to avoid costly cleanups of military ranges and give states more time to handle air pollution from training exercises. Defense officials say lawsuits from… Read More
    LIVERMORE – In 1939, Lionel Castonguay left school in the eighth grade so he could help his father on the family’s dairy farm. “As the years went by, I realized I lost four years of my schooling and I regretted that,” said Castonguay, who is… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Forty-five student winners of Maine History Day are now eligible to participate in the National History Day academic competition, according to Secretary of State Dan A. Gwadosky. About 175 students in grades six through 12 took part in the state finals April 8… Read More
    A Maine Driving Dynamics course is scheduled for the following locations in May: . 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, May 4-5, Presque Isle High School. Call Robert Cormier at 764-4776. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
    WATERVILLE – A former trustee of Thayer Hospital in Waterville is opposed to plans to move or consolidate MaineGeneral Medical Center, saying working with current facilities is best. David Brown says instead of closing the hospital’s Waterville units to build a new facility in Sidney,… Read More
    MILLINOCKET – In honor of Earth Day 2004, Baxter State Park is holding two activities. Baxter staffers will conduct a “spring spruce-up” of park headquarters Thursday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Gov. John E. Baldacci has named the week of April 18-24 Forest Fire Awareness Week in Maine in an effort to reduce the number of wildfires during April and May. About 50 fires have occurred in the past two weeks, burning nearly 100… Read More
    WASHINGTON – The Maine Department of Labor has been awarded two National Emergency Grants to help serve workers who have been displaced by layoffs at G.H. Bass & Co., Tyson Foods Inc., Adelphia Communication Corp., American Shoe and Solon Manufacturing, according to U.S. Rep. Michael H. Michaud. Read More
    The Maine Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America will hold an open house 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 24, at its new office located at 79 Main St., Livermore Falls. As keynote speaker, Maine author and conservationist Bob Kimber will talk about outdoor… Read More
    Recently I received the Leadership Guide from the Needle Arts Mentoring Program, whose motto is “Stitching generations together.” The program got its start in the usual way – two women saw a need and started stitching. Those two women, Marilyn North and Bonnie Lively, developed a fiber arts… Read More
    In theaters KILL BILL, VOL. 2, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, 136 minutes, rated R. 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… Read More
    Hold on a minute. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which comes and goes with “protection” policies depending on how the political winds are blowing, is telling us Mainers that it’s not fog we’re engulfed in during summer months but actually smog. Get off it. We… Read More
    Dear Jim: Our electric bills are high, probably due to so many lamps being on. I have always liked natural light and skylights. Are venting skylights as efficient as standard ones and is glass or plastic better? – Rita M. Dear Rita: The natural light… Read More
    When spring arrives in Maine, it’s not uncommon to see cars, trucks and SUVs with a canoe or kayak (or two) strapped to their roofs. Canoe racers, we often think, assuming that all the people we pass on the highways are the same folks who… Read More
    LOCAL 22nd Annual Unity College 5K 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
    NORTH WOODSTOCK, N.H. – The season opener of the Pro All-Stars Series auto racing tour, the D-J Equipment 150 at the White Mountain Motorsports Park on Saturday, was halted after 27 laps due to rain. The race will be resumed on May 8 at 1:30… Read More
    University of Maine senior Claire Poliquin of Vancouver, British Columbia finished second in the university division high jump at the Mount San Antonio College (Cal.) Relays in Walnut, Cal. Saturday. Poliquin high-jumped 5-feet, 8-inches. Read More
    LOCAL At Winterport 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
    COLLEGE John Rutkiewicz 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
    MDI boys 117.17, Bucksport 106, Foxcroft 80.5, Presque Isle 69, Greenville 54.33, Mattanawcook 45, Dexter 31, Narraguagus 2 (incomplete scores, missing 4X400 relay and Javelin) 4×800 Relay: 1, MDI (Jacob Ferm, Aaron Stevens, Berkeley Wanner, Jordan Robinson), 9:32.4h. 2, Mattanawcook 10:09.2h. 3, Narraguagus 10:53.1h. 4,… Read More
    David Tims, who coached the MDI girls basketball team this year, has resigned. MDI athletic director Bunky Dow said he received a letter of resignation from Tims in which the coach said personal reasons led to his decision. Dow said the letter came about two… Read More
    MAINE vs. BROWN Time, site: 4 p.m.; Goodall Park, Sanford 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 ()… Read More
    Initial Frozen Four crease ruling was right I wish I didn’t have access to the NCAA rulebook regarding “in the crease” rulings so I wouldn’t have to write this letter, but I do and I must. I also wish I didn’t tape the game while… Read More
    Maine Maritime Academy’s Matt Clement was named the Player of the Year by the Maine College Basketball Coaches and Writers Association. Joe Reilly of Bates College in Lewiston was named the Coach of the Year. Mike Stallings of St. Joseph’s in Standish was the Rookie… Read More
    BOSTON – Krystal Bosse hit a double and three singles with five RBIs to help lead Husson College to a 12-1 win over Wheelock College in the first game. Husson also won the second game 4-3. In the first game, Alicia LaGrange only gave up… Read More
    ROCKPORT – Caleb Peats hit a pair of singles and scored a run to help lead Camden Hills to a 2-1 high school baseball win over Rockland on Monday. Casey Cates doubled for the Windjammers as Noah Burke and Michael Cummons each singled. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More