It started in Bangor at exactly 12:00:00 p.m. By 4:56 p.m., Mainers had purchased $175,472 worth of Powerball tickets as the megamillion-dollar lottery game made its Friday debut in the state. At the state Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery operations in Augusta, officials were… Read More
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
AUGUSTA – Dozens of gay and lesbian couples filled out domestic partnership forms in the State House on Friday as a state law creating a registry for those relationships took effect. “This is phenomenal. I wasn’t expecting this kind of turnout,” said Ralph Cusack of… 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
The first time Jeff Kaley traveled to Asia, he went as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching villagers sustainable agriculture, cooking techniques and nutrition. Though he had traveled the world extensively, the visit to Nepal in 1967 changed his life. “I began living in communities where… 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
SEARSPORT – A young moose on the loose Friday created a bit of excitement on Brock Road. The yearling bull spent the better part of three hours gamboling and lounging in the yard of Everett Gilmore before a group of neighbors helped a wildlife rescue… Read More
MOUNT DESERT – Two men who allegedly talked their way into Martha Stewart’s local estate Thursday and were given a tour of her mansion under false pretenses might have been out to add another celebrity home to their list, a prosecutor said Friday. Joseph Moretti,… 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
AUGUSTA – The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled Friday that it does have the authority to review disputed ballots in primary elections and then also resolved the outcome of three legislative contests that have been in limbo since June 8. As a result, state Senate… 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
Elsie Johnson of Machias felt very fortunate Friday. “How lucky can you get?” Johnson said, standing in the kitchen of her house on the outskirts of Machias. “I don’t mind the noise at all.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… 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
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Local business owners will notice a decrease in their property taxes after the Board of Selectmen voted on Thursday to eliminate paving as a component in the valuation process. During their meeting, the board members also set the mill rate at $19.86 per… 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
HOULTON – Inside Carol’s Country Yarns, owner Carol Horner paused Friday between rushes of customers at her newly opened business in Market Square. Surrounded by a kaleidoscope of colorful fiber, Horner admitted to a little fatigue and considerable excitement about the patrons who have flocked… 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
TOPSFIELD – The descendents of Whilemina and George Thornton will gather on Sunday, Aug. 1, at the reunion grounds on Farror Lake. Participants should bring items for an auction. 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
PORTLAND – A jury has awarded a woman $900,000 in damages after she sued surgeons that botched a surgery on a noncancerous but painful breast condition five years ago and left her disfigured. Deanna Vincent sued surgeons Melinda Molin and John Cederna in Cumberland County… 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
BANGOR – A Calais man was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on drug possession charges. Jessie Ulvila, 19, is scheduled to arraigned next Friday in U.S. District Court in Bangor for possession of OxyContin with intent to distribute. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… 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
BANGOR – Even after riding the entire Atlantic coast by motorcycle, Joe Nolfo’s trip is just beginning. Nolfo, 41, of Dunedin Fla., is riding a 2003 Aprilla Atlantic 500 motorcycle around the perimeter of the United States to raise money for charity. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… 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
CASTINE – The Trinitarian Congregational Parish of Castine is thriving, in part, because its pastor has ignored the advice of his seminary professors. “Creativity will kill you, they told me,” said the Rev. Bill Friederich. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… 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
BANGOR – While playing catch as they attended a Senior Little League game three weeks ago, East Biddeford Little League All-Star shortstop Alec Luro suggested to teammate Trevor Fleurent that he try throwing a curve. “His curves were pretty good,” said Luro, who suggested to… Read More
CAPE ELIZABETH – Runners will soon be taking over this coastal community and there is a buzz of excitement for those involved with Sunday’s seventh annual Peoples Beach to Beacon 10-kilometer road race. Race founder and Maine running legend Joan Benoit Samuelson and defending champions… 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
The winner of the 5-kilometer run at the U.S. Olympic trials last month, Tim Broe, booked his ticket to Athens on Friday when he achieved the Olympic A standard at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix at the Crystal Palace in London. Broe finished seventh… 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
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologists were surprised to find smallmouth bass recently in an Aroostook County trout pond that was reclaimed from another invasive species just two years ago. According to a DIF&W release, the bass are not holdovers, but are a new… Read More
Along with work and unending yard care chores, I manage to fit in a good bit of fishing. Among regular trout brooks and lakes around home, I make an occasional jaunt to Quebec or New Brunswick for Atlantic salmon, drive to the coast for stripers and blue fish… 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
Meredith Alex bounds out the door of her office at the Arts Center at Kingdom Falls in Montville and heads toward a pine grove. As she weaves among the trees like a sprite, she stops and points a polka-dotted fingernail in the direction of the parking area. 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
DECORATING WITH FUNKY SHUI: HOW TO LIGHTEN UP, LOOSEN UP, AND HAVE FUN DECORATING YOUR HOME, by Jennifer and Kitty O’Neil, Andrews McMeel Publishing, Kansas City, 2004, 133 pages, $14.95. It seems like you just can’t turn on the TV these days without bumping into… 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