ORONO – Aiming to give faculty a stronger voice in everything from academics and research to admissions and financial aid, a group of professors from all seven campuses in the University of Maine System on Friday unanimously approved a proposal to create a systemwide faculty senate. Read More
    FORT DRUM, N.Y. – Two Army Reserve units from New England whose extended tours in Iraq exasperated relatives landed on home soil Friday after more than a year overseas. A plane carrying more than 300 combined members of the 94th Military Police Company headquartered in… Read More
    A story on Friday’s Style page about the resignation of Arcady Music Society founder Masanobu Ikemiya contained an error. Ikemiya came to Maine in the 1970s as a pianist for the renowned French conductor Pierre Monteux, who founded a conducting school in Hancock. — googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Leaders of the Sept. 11 commission urged senators Friday to embrace their politically sensitive proposals for massive changes to the nation’s intelligence structure, warning that bureaucratic wrangling leaves America dangerously vulnerable to another terrorist attack. The unusual hearing – coming during summer recess… Read More
    I have spent my summers in Lubec for many years and each year read the Bangor Daily News. I see editorial cartoons from many U.S. and foreign papers. The July 21 cartoon depicting the Iraqi cemetery was the most moving of any cartoon I have… Read More
    If information about a person’s criminal history is not available to a judge making, in some cases, life or death decisions about jail time or bail conditions, the information may as well not exist. That’s why it is distressing to Gov. John Baldacci and others that efforts to… Read More
    As a means for introducing Sen. John F. Kerry to America, the final night Thursday of the Democratic National Convention was a solid success. His speech conveyed the hoped-for strength, his message on war and the U.S. role in the world were unmistakable, his delivery, if not eloquent,… Read More
    Recently, Secretary Tom Ridge, director of Homeland Security, suggested that if there were a massive terrorist attack in the United States prior to the November elections, the elections would be postponed. This is not a good idea. It shows weakness and fear, and demonstrates that… Read More
    I was pleased to read Mal Leary’s timely article, “A la carte cable may be on table/Congress wants study on TV bundles” (BDN, July 12), on the many problems TV subscribers are going through in order to enjoy the main channels they want to watch. This is especially… Read More
    A few years ago there was a humanitarian disaster in a developing country and I wrote to my bank suggesting that it, along with other banks in Maine, could collect money to send to a humanitarian agency such as the International Red Cross or Oxfam America. I had… Read More
    Word has it that the state is dropping the theory that Dennis Dechaine is a manipulative psychopath in favor of the idea that he was a normal man who was turned into one by drugs. Never mind that before the trial the state attorney general’s… Read More
    The interesting article, “Free-ranging in Maine/A Jefferson businessman devotes a 400-acre ranch to raising buffalo” (BDN, July 24-25), by Sharon Kiley Mack, with excellent photos by Gabor Degre, referred to the North American behemoths as buffalo; a common misnomer. They are bison. The commonly domesticated… Read More
    When I read Thursday morning’s newspaper headline reporting that Democratic vice-presidential nominee Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina had promised delegates to the Democratic National Convention at Boston that “hope is on the way” I was hoping the man was fixing to do something about the lousy weather… Read More
    Joe Verdi gestures to a patch of trees outside his office windows in Scarborough. “This isn’t the Salk,” he says, referring to the renowned Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, “but a place like this could become the Salk.” He means it, though as… Read More
    JACKMAN – An agriculture specialist has been transferred temporarily from Miami to Jackman to avoid truck diversions to Calais and Houlton after Maine’s congressional delegation pressured U.S. Customs and Border Protection to fill the position. “It’s kind of a vacation for him,” U.S. Customs and… Read More
    LIBERTY – A Waldo County man drowned Friday while taking a midnight swim in Lake St. George. Calvin A. Eggen, 27, of Liberty was pronounced dead by medical personnel after being taken by ambulance to Waldo County General Hospital. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    AUGUSTA – He had a great time this week in Boston at the Democratic National Convention, but Gov. John Baldacci’s return to the State House Friday was heralded by testy Republicans and fallout from a misguided pie thrower. If that weren’t bad enough, one of… Read More
    FORT FAIRFIELD – State fire officials said Friday that a volunteer with the Fort Fairfield Fire Department has been charged with arson stemming from a July 7 fire at his home. Sgt. Stu Jacobs of the State Fire Marshal’s Office said Andy Rasmussen, 26, of… Read More
    PALMYRA – Even as the small grass-roots group, Committee For Reasonable Taxation, prepares to call for a second “no” vote next week on the proposed $17 million SAD 48 budget, its leaders are stating that the problem isn’t a local one. Hadley Smith, one of… Read More
    Penobscot County Superior Court Cases April 1-30, 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
    HERMON – A July 12 fire that gutted a Fuller Road mobile home was “intentionally set and the result of arson,” Sgt. Stu Jacobs of the State Fire Marshal’s Office said Friday. Jacobs said the investigation into the fire is continuing. Asked if he anticipated… Read More
    Rockland District Court Cases June 14-July 13, 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
    BLUE HILL – Faced with a few unanswered questions about local access channels, selectmen on Friday postponed approval of a new cable contract with Adelphia. At issue was the $5,000 charge from Adelphia to provide three broadcast locations in town for the local access channel. Read More
    ACADIA NATIONAL PARK – An 11-year-old boy suffered minor injuries Thursday afternoon when he fell off a small cliff near the park’s popular Thunder Hole site, according to a park ranger. Grant Bean of Marietta, Ga., suffered facial injuries when he fell 15 feet onto… Read More
    MACHIAS – Operation Community Support announced Friday that free tickets to the Bangor State Fair and other statewide attractions are available for Washington County dependents of deployed U.S. service people or recently returned service people and their direct dependents. In addition to the state fair,… Read More
    BANGOR – Halifax (Nova Scotia) International Airport’s offer to work cooperatively in several areas of mutual economic interest received good reviews Friday from the Bangor committee designated to examine the issue. “I am pleased because Halifax has really responded to signals we’ve been sending and… Read More
    ISLAND FALLS – In Aroostook County, it is no secret that the bleak clouds of winter linger a lot longer than the blue skies of summer. In recent years, however, business owners have discovered that along with the snowflakes comes an increasingly lucrative tourism industry. Read More
    BREWER – Brewer Youth Hockey League is looking for a new home because the manager of the community’s only indoor ice arena plans to expand his own youth hockey league. The nonprofit Brewer league has been told to remove its banners from the T.J. Ryan… Read More
    Following are divorces granted recently in 6th District Court in Rockland on grounds of irreconcilable marital differences: Malcolm Robbins and Lottie Robbins, both of Camden, married Feb. 23, 1974, at Rockland. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    Ellsworth District Court Cases June 3-July 12, 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
    GUILFORD – Susan Robinson will be installed as the new postmaster by taking the oath of office at 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 5, at the Masonic Hall. Robinson, who most recently was the postmaster of Cambridge, will be responsible for five other employees. She will… Read More
    NEWPORT – Newport residents are invited to attend “Taking Action for Youth: A Newport Community Dialogue” from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 9, at the Inner Mission Cafe. The discussion will focus on the issue of teen alcohol and substance abuse. The group will… Read More
    BANGOR – The deadline is nearing for residents involved in a petition drive to keep the city’s police station downtown. To bring the issue to a citywide vote, the group must gather at least 2,274 signatures from registered Bangor voters – or 20 percent of… Read More
    A Bangor woman was summoned for assault early Friday after allegedly attacking several women outside of Benjamin’s Tavern. Officer Michael Jewett of the Bangor Police Department responded to an assault complaint at the tavern after midnight Friday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    This year, perhaps more than any other, it is important that the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter’s ninth annual Hike to End Homelessness is a resounding success. That is because the shelter, according to program manger and hike leader Michael Andrick, has been “either at capacity,… Read More
    Maine homeowners who have trampolines on their lawns may be in for a surprise when they get cancellation notices from their insurance companies. A new state law that took effect Friday allows insurance companies to cancel homeowners’ policies if customers who are asked to remove… Read More
    EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – The family of Connie Bellefleur, a native of Madawaska, Maine, has filed a civil lawsuit against the driver and owner of the car that struck and killed her two years ago. The family specifies no monetary damages in the action, leaving… Read More
    OLD TOWN – The City Council is expected to vote Monday night to hire a new city manager. Peggy Daigle has served as Houlton town manager for the last three years, but resigned earlier this week after accepting the city manager position extended to her… Read More
    KENNEBUNK – A bridge that passes over railroad tracks used by Amtrak’s Downeaster was found to be beyond repair after buckling and will have to be replaced with a temporary span. A prefabricated, military-style bridge should be in place within two weeks, restoring traffic on… Read More
    AUGUSTA – One of Maine’s most outspoken advocates for the mentally ill and their families has taken over as the head of one of the nation’s largest advocacy groups in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, Michael J. Fitzpatrick was appointed executive director of the National Alliance… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – If Carol Palesky’s tax cap is passed in November, life as Pittsfield residents know it now will cease to exist. Have a fire in your kitchen? You may have to pay a fee for the fire department to respond. That’s if they show… Read More
    For Newcastle’s St. Patrick’s parishioners, the old and the new are a match made in heaven. Disbelievers thought it couldn’t be done, the Rev. Raymond Picard said Wednesday, showing off the parish’s new $2 million church. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    Our Jewish tradition encourages debate and questioning. We are known as the People of the Book and, because of that, a people who love reading and writing and learning. Originally, the book was our Torah, our Bible (edited about 2,500 years ago). Our propensity toward… Read More
    SAN FRANCISCO – A second man convicted in the murder and street robbery of a Maine tourist more than five years ago faces 25 years to life in prison. Jurors deliberated for four hours Thursday before returning their verdict against Tremayne Collier, 33, of Richmond,… Read More
    EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – A lightning strike at a construction site affected seven men, including one who suffered a direct hit during a sudden storm. Jacques Bossie, 54, remained hospitalized in stable condition Friday after being struck by lightning while working Thursday afternoon on the… Read More
    PORTLAND – Cloudy skies and cooler climes seem to be the norm and Maine is far behind the number of hot days the summer calendar usually brings, according to National Weather Service meteorologists. Thursday was just the second day in July that the mercury reached… Read More
    HOPE – Coastal Mountains Land Trust completed the purchase of a 78-acre property on Bald Mountain earlier this week, kicking off its $9 million capital campaign for conservation of Bald and Ragged mountains. Former owner Carolyn Kelly said the sale was “best for everybody” because… Read More
    WATERVILLE – Maine is one of 15 states that will receive $937,500 in USDA funds for assisting Maine farmers with Environmental Quality Incentives Program conservation initiatives. The announcement was made by USDA State Conservationist Joyce Swartzendruber at the annual summer meeting of the representatives of… Read More
    BANGOR – Bangor and Calais both found the comeback trail to their liking during Day 2 of the American Legion Zone 1 baseball tournament Friday afternoon. Top-seeded Bangor remained undefeated in the double-elimination event, rallying from a 7-0 deficit to oust No. 3 Trenton 13-9… Read More
    BANGOR – The Bangor Lumberjacks got key efforts from unlikely candidates and a big, bottom-of-the-ninth gamble by Elmira manager Ronnie Nedset backfired as the Lumberjacks downed the Pioneers 6-5 Friday night. In his first game back after a five-game layoff with a bruised hand, Bangor… Read More
    An Old Town Canoe package and an overnight package at the Samoset Resort in Rockport are among the items that will be up for bid during the auction portion of Monday’s Bud and Barbara Leavitt Memorial Golf Tournament at Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono. Read More
    At MacLennan Lodge, tradition is more than a quaint expression, more than an abstract principle. At MacLennan Lodge, tradition is more tangible. Look at the kitchen table, and you notice it. Look down at the Upsalquitch River, and you feel it. Look inside yourself, and… Read More
    While other Mainers are firing up their barbecue grills, packing up the car for a trip to the beach or wrestling with the pull cord on their lawnmowers, at least 400 will converge on the Standish area Saturday for the 20th annual MS 150 Bike to the Breakwater… Read More
    BANGOR – Yarmouth and East Biddeford earned wins in the Little League baseball 9-10 state championship tournament Friday at the 13th Street Complex. Yarmouth blanked Waterville 17-0 and East Biddeford beat Waldo 15-2. In the first game, Marshall Brunell hit a double and two singles… Read More
    ORONO – The 2004-05 University of Maine men’s basketball schedule includes early season contests against regional powers Boston College and Rhode Island. The Black Bears will have an early road test when they travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to face Boston College on Nov. 19. Read More
    Matinicus Island, population about 50, sits in the ocean off our coast at latitude 43.862 north, longitude 68.894 west, some 13 nautical miles from the mainland (40 miles south of Castine). It’s in the Eastern Daylight Saving time zone, but you can say it’s in its own zone. Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Artists from the city of brotherly love have been coming to Maine since the 1830s. The Philadelphian Thomas Doughty (1793-1856) was among the first to paint the coast, choosing Mount Desert Rock as a subject. Among the notable Philadelphia painters to follow was American Impressionist… Read More
    Every once in a while, a girl needs to go on a resale binge. And when I say binge, I’m not exaggerating. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0;… Read More
    It seems absurd that Ray Charles has died. It seemed like he was one who would always be around. Charles, who seemed like three or four musicians rolled into one, died on June 11 at age 73. They called him “genius” because he could play… Read More
    Josh Kershner was standing near the green at the 17th hole at Waterville Country Club earlier this week, watching his fiance Abby Spector try to sink a putt during the Women’s Maine State Golf Association tournament, when a woman sidled up to him. “I cried… Read More
    It lurks in gardens among the potatoes and beans when one is absentmindedly weeding. It hides under the giant leaves of ligularia plants when the gardener is about to dig and divide them. It waits for an unwitting victim’s thoughts to dance off to delightful places where it… Read More
    Late blight is a disease that attacks potatoes and tomatoes. The disease is found in all areas where potatoes are grown commercially, and is most destructive in wet and humid weather. This disease was responsible for the Irish potato famine in the late 1840s and is closely watched… Read More