AUGUSTA – This fall, thousands of migrant students in Maine will be redirected to educational programs that are available under federal Title I funding until the state can certify the eligibility of participants over the last three years. State Education Commissioner Susan Gendron briefed members… Read More
AUGUSTA – The head of the state Department of Human Services told a panel of lawmakers Wednesday his agency will begin the next fiscal year about $13 million in the red. Speaking with members of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee, Human Services Commissioner John Nicholas said… Read More
BREWER – A former Brewer man working as a civilian security contractor died on Monday in Iraq saving the lives of his co-workers when insurgents ambushed the vehicle he was driving. Rex G. Sprague III, 39, a graduate of Brewer High School, was killed when… Read More
AUGUSTA – If you are looking for a female roofer, petroleum engineer or mason in Maine, don’t bother. There are no women in those occupational categories, according to census figures, and the same is true in 27 other occupations. “It takes about a 30 percent… Read More
A headline in Tuesday’s From Police Files published in the final edition incorrectly stated that Bangor police arrested two teenagers in connection with a car break-in. Only one teenager was arrested; the other was charged and released to his father’s custody. Read More
PORTLAND – The owner of a high-speed ferry line wants to bring a 300-foot catamaran to Portland to offer tourists a faster ride to Nova Scotia than the traditional overnight cruise aboard the Scotia Prince. Bay Ferries Ltd. wants to expand south from Bar Harbor… Read More
BELFAST – Abraham Lincoln was still practicing law and this city on the Passagassawaukeag River was only a year old when Spencer Wolcott Mathews opened his sawmill here in 1854. One hundred fifty years later, Mathews Brothers is keeping well, thank you, with more than… Read More
AUGUSTA – Maine mortgage regulators have revoked the loan broker license held by Rockland Financial LLC of Bridgton, citing a lack of financial responsibility as the principal complaint. According to an order issued by the Office of Consumer Credit Regulation, Rockland Financial ordered two appraisals… Read More
ORONO – The University of Maine Business School has made changes in its MBA program to include an international consulting project as part of course requirements. The revision is designed to help respond more quickly to the expectations of business and industry and also will… Read More
WASHINGTON – Congressional investigators found that prescription drugs obtained from Canadian Web sites pose fewer risks than medications purchased from online pharmacies elsewhere. In some instances, Canadian pharmacies had stricter standards than those in the United States, according to the report by the General Accounting… Read More
The U.N. resolution legitimizing Iraq’s interim government gives lie to President Bush’s earlier assertion of the United Nations’ “irrelevance.” Doesn’t this (desperate) reliance on the United Nations constitute a major flip-flop? Michael F. Garrett googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
There has long been hand-wringing over the large number of young people leaving Maine. In fact, newly elected Gov. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain cited business attraction and youth out-migration as his top two priorities in his inaugural speech in 1867. Now, more than 130 years later, the fretting has… Read More
In an annual exercise that became more urgent after severe acute respiratory syndrome – SARS – spread disease and fear, President George Bush this week signed legislation that would bring Taiwan into the World Health Organization, an endorsement that is both crucial and merely a first step to… Read More
Now that the voters have passed Question 1 to raise the state’s share of funding education, Gov. Baldacci says in one sentence that the voters have spoken and in another seems to think it is all right to phase this increase in. That is not what Mainers voted… Read More
The Bangor Daily News’ recent coverage of President Bush’s remarks about Iraq noted that the president was speaking to a largely military crowd at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. However, the article didn’t describe the visuals or the mood as seen during the live broadcast… Read More
In 1944, my father-in-law, Calvin Sutcliffe, was in the 10th Mountain Division in northern Italy. His patrol came under heavy fire from a German machine-gun nest holed up in an old farmhouse. They were pinned down by enemy fire. Sutcliffe saw the situation as untenable,… Read More
Reading Brian Sabbath’s letter, “Judicious recusal absent” (BDN, June 14), it was difficult to understand what conflict I had concerning the human rights case against H.O.M.E. Inc. I have been on this commission for 14 years, appointed by three different governors: a Republican, a Democrat… Read More
In response to the letter, “Free education in jail” (BDN, June 9). It is my understanding that anyone in Maine may work toward a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) at no cost. College-level courses are not offered in jail but are available in our prisons. However,… Read More
President Bush likes to invoke President Reagan’s legacy while justifying his own policies and beliefs. We should all contemplate Ron Reagan’s eulogy of his father on June 11. He said that his father considered it his God-given responsibility to make the world a better place. Responsibility, but “never… Read More
It’s difficult to believe that it has been more than a year since we asked the state of Maine and the city of Bangor to find out what smells so bad in Griffin Park. It seems like yesterday that we had to call the fire department to investigate… Read More
As I travel across the state, I meet too many Maine workers who are now ex-workers. They’ve watched their jobs and equipment unbolted before their eyes and shipped overseas. More than a million Americans who were working three years ago have lost their jobs – and nearly 15,000… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Piscataquis County Sheriff John Goggin has a recommendation that could save state, county and municipalities time and money. With all the talk about consolidation under way, Goggin plans to recommend to Gov. John Baldacci that the state offer universal training, uniforms, jurisdiction and… Read More
MILLINOCKET – The Penobscot Nation received a $63,790 grant Wednesday to study the feasibility of creating a historical and cultural center. The center would have two locations, one at the Stearns Assisted Living Center in Millinocket and another at Indian Island. The assisted living center… Read More
MACHIAS – A more perfect, homegrown docent could not have come the way of the Burnham Tavern Museum this summer than Katie Kurz. A recreation management major at the University of Maine at Machias, the 22-year-old Kurz exudes a perky personality that puts zip into… Read More
Gannon Therrien, 6, of Presque Isle is one of the three youngest participants in the 20th annual Trek Across Maine – Sunday River to the Sea, sponsored by the American Lung Association of Maine. He and his parents will join approximately 1,600 trekkers on Friday as they leave… Read More
PORTLAND – A divided Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Wednesday upheld a 50-year prison term for a former Lewiston man convicted of abducting and raping a Winthrop woman nearly four years ago. In its 5-2 decision, the justices concluded that the trial judge acted within… Read More
PITTSFIELD – Two brothers headed home from an evening of fishing were struck by a pickup truck as they crossed Central Street on their bicycles Tuesday night. Police said Wednesday they were seeking a witness who allowed one of the boys to use her cell… Read More
BANGOR – Bangor police have received several complaints in the last few days from residents who say they’ve been targeted by a telephone scammer asking for money. The caller poses as a federal employee, requesting the resident by name and saying the resident has been… Read More
A Holden man allegedly assaulted a woman driving a Good Humor ice cream truck Wednesday afternoon while telling her to turn off her music and leave his trailer park. Holden police Sgt. Eugene Fizell said that at about 2:45 p.m. the woman called police, saying… Read More
BANGOR – A city committee approved design plans for construction of a 20,000-square-foot office building on Telcom Drive Wednesday night, which developers hope to begin in July. The business and economic development committee determined that the proposed building, developed by Stillwater Realty LLC of Bangor,… Read More
HOWLAND – Residents of the towns that make up SAD 31 remain torn on the issue of consolidating with SAD 67, but the State Board of Education has given SAD 31’s board of directors until July 30 to make a decision. Chairman Paul Laforge made… Read More
CAMDEN – A deadlock over a union contract with school support staffers is expected to be resolved within days. On Tuesday, the Five Town Community School District board voted to ratify a contract with the Megunticook Educational Support Association, which represents education technicians and clerical… Read More
BLUE HILL – Voters at a special town meeting Wednesday approved two waterfront improvement projects. Without discussion, they voted to accept an $85,000 grant from the Maine Department of Transportation Small Harbor Improvement Program and to appropriate another $85,000 from undesignated town funds as the… Read More
BAR HARBOR – After months of discussion and debate, the Town Council on Tuesday adopted the town’s first ethics ordinance to establish standards of conduct for elected and appointed officials. Passage of the ordinance was anticlimactic after the long and sometimes testy debate that started… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – A Caribou man on Wednesday made his first appearance in Presque Isle District Court on burglary and theft charges after the local police department’s bloodhound tracked the suspect from the scene of the crime, according to Detective Sgt. Bill Campbell of the Presque Isle Police… Read More
BANGOR – A Penobscot County Superior Court jury on Tuesday found a Corinna man guilty on all charges stemming from two burglaries, including a break-in at Penobscot Valley Country Club. Eugene Young, 39, is already serving a two-year sentence in Penobscot County Jail for an… Read More
FORT FAIRFIELD – Railroad cars, silenced 10 years ago by the abandonment of rail lines, again will rumble along the tracks from Fort Fairfield to Easton thanks to $1,775,000 in grants the town has acquired. The final $400,000 for the project came Wednesday morning from… Read More
MADAWASKA – Residents took less than 90 minutes Tuesday night to approve municipal and education budgets totaling $11,762,251. Of that amount, $4,565,987 is for municipal expenditures, and $7,196,264 is to operate the two schools in the Madawaska School Department. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Aroostook County Superior Court Cases March 1-31, 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
EDDINGTON – Joan Brooks was selected Tuesday chairwoman of the town selectmen for another year during a regular meeting, and Charles Grover Jr. was picked as vice chairman. New member Brian Glass, who earned a spot on the board during June 8 local elections, also… Read More
BELFAST – The City Council has taken the first step toward rezoning the downtown waterfront to allow mixed-use development. The council on Tuesday approved first reading of a so-called “contract” rezoning amendment that attempts to deal with development issues on the strip of waterfront along… Read More
BAR HARBOR – Town Councilor David Bowden admonished his peers Tuesday for failing to resolve the age-old dispute over “weekly rentals.” The town continues to be almost evenly divided over whether homeowners should be allowed to rent their property by the week during the busy… Read More
CALAIS – Property owners who soon may have a methadone clinic in their back yard were miffed when they learned in May that they could not stop the city’s code enforcement officer from issuing a permit. But tonight they will have a chance to learn… Read More
BELFAST – Anti-drug crusader Jan Anderson was given a go-ahead by the City Council to establish a committee to study the area’s growing problems with heroin and other drugs. Anderson, accompanied by a strong contingent of supporters, outlined her proposal to the council on Tuesday. Read More
ORRINGTON – Assistant Chief Mike Spencer has been elected as the new fire chief by members of the Orrington Volunteer Fire Department and will be sworn in for the one-year post at the July 12 Orrington selectmen’s meeting. Brian Smickle retained his post as chief… Read More
MILFORD – Residents approved the town’s $6.4 million budget at Tuesday’s annual town meeting. Based on budget figures, the mill rate is estimated at $21 per every $1,000 of valuation, but that number may decrease, according to Town Manager Jim Hancock. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
ORRINGTON – Kay Allcroft became the new Union 91 school committee chairwoman during Tuesday’s regular meeting, and Nancy Fnyder was selected as vice chairwoman. Newly elected member Kyle Casburn and Richard Jordan also were sworn in during the meeting. Afterward, the committee meeting schedule was set for the… Read More
BLUE HILL – The Katahdin Area Council Boy Scouts of America will hold the 15th season of the Downeast Antiques Fair next month in Blue Hill and August. The sessions will be Friday Saturday, July 18, and Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 17-18, at the Blue… Read More
BANGOR – Erin Hunter, 19, of Clinton was sentenced on Monday in U.S. District Court as an accessory after the fact to a July 2003 robbery of a Skowhegan pharmacy, U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby announced Tuesday. Hunter provided an automobile that was used in connection… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Residents of Dover-Foxcroft, Charleston, Sebec and Monson approved a nearly $7.8 million operational budget for SAD 68 for 2004-2005 at a district budget meeting Monday. Some Charleston residents tried to reduce the operational side of the budget by $50,000 – the amount set… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Possible conflicts of interest were raised on Monday when Dover-Foxcroft selectmen awarded a contract and discussed the facade grant program. The town received a $100,000 facade grant to help downtown businesses and property owners make physical improvements to the exterior of their buildings. Read More
NEWPORT – The recently released results of a unique survey of Nokomis Regional High School students attending the University of Maine in Orono has SAD 48 Superintendent William Braun encouraged about the local school’s success. “I looked at this data and said ‘Wow!’ It answers… Read More
AUBURN – Jurors weighed the evidence for a second full day Wednesday but failed to reach a verdict in the trial of a Lisbon Falls woman accused of shaking her 21-month-old son so violently that he died hours later at a hospital. The jury, which… Read More
AUGUSTA – Maine residents who have hazardous waste in their homes, such as DDT, lead arsenate, 2,4,5-T and chlordane, can call the Maine Board of Pesticides Control to dispose of the chemicals. This is a once-a-year service. To have a state agent remove unwanted waste,… Read More
ELLSWORTH – An Orrington man was released on bail Tuesday after he wrecked his car on Route 172 Sunday and later slapped a nurse, according to police. Charles Corey Howard, 33, allegedly fled into nearby woods Sunday morning after crashing his 1995 Dodge car into… Read More
What means the most, perhaps, to the individual organizing a benefit for Fletcher Simpson, a kindergartner at Asa Adams School in Orono, is that it took only four hours to put the event together. Dr. Ken Johnson of Orono said he was amazed at the… Read More
PORTLAND – One of triple murderer Steven Oken’s victims brought home abandoned kittens and nursed them to health. That image of Lori Ward as helping the underdog – abandoned animals – is the image her family chooses to focus on, rather than images of her… Read More
PORTLAND – It sounds like something out of a horror movie. But concerned scientists are saying sudden oak death, a fungal disease that already has killed thousands of oak trees in California, could spread to Eastern states including Maine and devastate existing forests. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
PORTLAND – A cardiologist who was ordered to pay $1.6 million in a medical malpractice lawsuit will appeal the York County Superior Court judgment, the doctor’s lawyer said. Chris Nyhan, who defended Dr. Alan Hymanson, said he would appeal last week’s jury verdict to the… Read More
WASHINGTON – The AARP, the nation’s largest senior advocacy group, endorsed a bipartisan drug importation bill Wednesday co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe. The bill would allow residents of the United States to import prescription medications from other countries such as Canada where price controls… Read More
CASTINE – Equipment failure caused a power outage Wednesday night affecting the Castine area, according to Central Maine Power. An employee said the first report of an outage came in at 7:48 p.m. and that the problem was because of a malfunctioning regulator. Workers hoped… Read More
PORTLAND – The owner of a Biddeford apartment building has agreed to pay the Environmental Protection Agency more than $24,000 for violating lead paint disclosure rules. The EPA said the property owner, 94 Cleaves Street Corp., violated federal law by renting an apartment to families… Read More
What’s blue and green and red all over? Lobstah, deah. 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
Jason Mills, a physical education teacher at Penquis Valley of Milo for the last three years, has been named the school’s new boys varsity soccer coach. Mills, a former soccer official from LaGrange who also coaches boys varsity basketball at John Bapst of Bangor, was… Read More
BANGOR – The members of the Brewer High School softball team know all about late rallies, which helped the Witches win the Eastern Maine Class A title earlier this month. It happened again, in a way, during Wednesday evening’s Penobscot Valley Conference All-Star game. Kim… Read More
Billy Swift has never seen Mark Rogers pitch. But he will be pulling for him when the Mount Ararat High School of Topsham phenom eventually signs with the Milwaukee Brewers, who drafted him in the first round with the fifth overall pick. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Watching her husband cope without coaching football for just a year was enough for Sally Sinclair to set into motion the events which led to Orono High School’s hiring of Bob Sinclair as the school’s new varsity football coach. “She told me I was miserable… Read More
Matt Dunlap has been to plenty of moose permit lotteries. He remembers 500 folks packing a meeting room in a suburb of Portland, each of them hoping … wishing … that they’d finally get the chance to hunt a moose. He remembers watching an elderly… Read More
Ricky Craven’s troubles continue, but the Newburgh native is adamant that better days are ahead for him, the PPI Motorsports team, and their Tide No. 32 Chevy Monte Carlo. Craven is currently 33rd in the Nextel Cup NASCAR points standings and there are only two… Read More
ORONO – The University of Maine’s construction on the Shawn Walsh Hockey Center at Alfond Arena is under way. In the project’s first phase, the locker rooms will be renovated and an addition housing a weight room, office space and athletic training area among other amenities. Read More
TORONTO – Georgia Pacific, partially owned by Bangor’s Bill Varney, is the favorite to win the North America Cup on Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack, according to a press release from Harness Racing Communications. The purse for the race is approximately $1.2 million and is… Read More
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Former University of Maine assistant men’s ice hockey coach Matt Thomas has been named the second head coach of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies of the ECHL. “I’m thrilled for the chance to have this kind of opportunity at this stage… Read More
BOSTON – A Maine man sailing in a 50-foot vessel has completed a trans-Atlantic solo race in record time. Kip Stone sailed into Boston Harbor on Tuesday to complete the small boat division of The Transat. His vessel was flanked by three water taxis carrying family and friends… Read More
HOLE-IN-ONE Chad Blake 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
HERMON – Jesse Smith of Carmel battled early with Artie Maguire Jr. of Bucksport and then finished strong for the final 15 laps to capture the Little Enduro feature at Speedway 95 Wednesday night. Smith battled with Maguire for the first five laps and through… Read More
QUEBEC CITY, Quebec – Eddie Lantigua’s sacrifice fly with one out in the sixth scored what proved to be the winning run in Quebec’s 4-3 victory over the Bangor Lumberjacks Wednesday night. Lefthander Danny Prata (3-1) outdueled Bangor’s Jerry Long (1-2) with seven innings of… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – The following are the 2,895 permit winners who have been selected at random by computer to hunt for moose in the 24th annual hunt beginning in September. The list of permit winners includes the name, town of legal residence, which of the… Read More
ORONO – With 25 to 35 percent of Maine residents being of French-Canadian and Acadian descent, faculty members like Susan Pinette are eager to strengthen Franco-American studies at the University of Maine. With assistance from a recent $25,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant, the… Read More
HAMPDEN – The connection between Civil War generals and the 1960 Greek film “Never on Sunday,” starring Melina Mercouri, may not be readily apparent to most of us. But for sculptor Paul Spaulding of Hampden, who saw the film at a drive-in in Tennessee when he was 10… Read More
BANGOR – Few may know about the Feldenkrais Method. But there is an opportunity right here in Bangor to learn about and experience this approach to movement education. “It’s a wonderful method,” said Grace Walker, 60, of Holden, who teaches movement education classes employing Feldenkrais… Read More
What do you remember on Father’s Day? “All the times I’ve needed help he has always been there for me. Thank you, Dad.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i =… Read More
BANGOR – Video and computer workshops will be offered July 25-30 at the 15th annual media camp at the New England School of Communications at Husson College. Media camp is for students entering their sophomore, junior or senior years in high school. Students will learn… Read More
ORONO – Retired music educator Dale Huff of Abbot was inducted into the Maine Music Educators Hall of Fame on May 21 at the Maine Music Educators Conference Banquet at the University of Maine. He was presented the award for his outstanding service to music students and music… Read More
Want to share something through School News? E-mail it to weekly@bangordailynews.net, or mail it to The Weekly, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or drop it off at the front desk of the Buck Street entrance at the Bangor Daily News, 491 Main St., Bangor. Schools… Read More
HERMON – Racing is all about family at Speedway 95. On any given weekend, fans can watch a set of siblings racing door handle to door handle or a father-and-son combination tearing up the track. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
10 years ago – June 16, 1994 (As reported in the Bangor Daily News) 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()) {… Read More
Got something for Community News? E-mail it to weekly@bangordailynews.net, or mail it to The Weekly, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or drop it off at the front desk of Buck Street entrance of the Bangor Daily News, 491 Main St., Bangor. Bangor googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Support group listings are run as space permits. Items are due one week before publication. Mail The Weekly, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; or e-mail weekly@bangordailynews.net, or drop off notices at the front desk of the Buck Street entrance at the Bangor Daily News, 491 Main St., Bangor. Read More
The bone china teacups set on each table don’t match. Yet they epitomize and complement the uniqueness of the Kalico Kitchen restaurant in Milford. “There’s a story behind the dishes,” said Gloria Thornton, 77, owner of the restaurant. “We were mostly senior-oriented, and when they… Read More
BANGOR – Hospice of Eastern Maine honored Daphne Saddler with the Patricia Jameson Award at its recent volunteer appreciation dinner. The award for volunteer excellence was presented to Saddler in recognition of her exceptional service to Bangor-area hospice patients and their families in 2003, said… Read More
BANGOR – The 2004 Children’s Miracle Network Telethon raised more than $540,000 recently for children’s services of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems. Hundreds of volunteers and miracle network “miracle families” joined together at the Bangor Mall for the 12-hour telecast aired over WABI-TV 5. Nancy Dysart,… Read More
ORONO – Stephanie LaMattina wanted to be a pediatrician. As an undergraduate at Northeastern University in Boston, she enrolled in the pre-med program and worked as an intern at the Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury. It didn’t turn out the way she expected. “I… Read More
Real estate transfers recorded with town of Orono: To Ernest C. and Valerie L. Cechetto, Bangor, from Ellis B. and Donna Sprague, Orono, Nov. 21, 143 Main St., $260,000. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
BANGOR – The Eastern Maine Native Plant Arboretum will sponsor a Landscaping with Native Trees and Shrubs Field Day at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 26. The new arboretum, created to serve citizens of Penobscot County and surrounding counties as an outdoor classroom for the study… Read More
3rd District Court, Bangor Cases May 17-21, 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 () { //… Read More