Darlene Blake stood outside the dance tent at the Great Lakes Folk Festival last weekend in East Lansing, Mich. Le Vent du Nord, a bouncy Quebecois group, was playing fiddle music, and people were learning step dancing from one of the singers. Blake, a retired operating room nurse,… Read More
BANGOR – A Caribou physician pleaded not guilty Friday to 118 counts of health care fraud, obstructing an investigation, making false claims and other charges. Bail for Dr. Osama El-Sayed Abdella El-Silimy was set at $200,000 in U.S. District Court. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
ATHENS, Greece – Michael Phelps swam the race of his life – then topped himself again. Capping a magnificent Olympics with a magnanimous gesture, Phelps matched Mark Spitz’s record of four individual swimming gold medals and then gave up a coveted spot on the 400-meter… Read More
A story in some editions of the State section Thursday about Old Town’s negotiations with Bangor Savings Bank for temporary city office space gave the wrong size of the property. It totals 2,700 square feet. Read More
BERWICK – The National Weather Service issued a rare tornado warning Friday afternoon for parts of York County. But there were no reports of damage. There was a report of weather spotter seeing a funnel cloud near the Sanford Airport, said Tom Hawley of the… Read More
The Maine Chamber of Commerce recently printed a handy map of the governor’s new Pine Tree Zones, with the surprising result of highlighting the fact that Maine barely has a place, outside Portland and environs, that is not a Pine Tree Zone. One hundred and three towns and… Read More
Now that the majority of voters on the Passamaquoddy reservation at Pleasant Point have approved a proposal to build a liquefied natural gas terminal on their land, the real work begins. The small community in Washington County is the first in the state to welcome such a facility. Read More
Regarding Glenn Adams’ article, “Dems look back on Muskie’s win” (BDN, Aug. 14-15): One question lingers: What was it about Edmund Muskie that resonated so well with mid-century Maine voters? After examining thousands of newspaper articles, speeches, internal memos and interviews at the Muskie Archives… Read More
There have been many articles and editorials predicting that horrific damage will be done to municipalities should the tax cap pass. We’ve been told of the drastic cuts in services that would be necessary. Our schools would be overcrowded, police and fire response to emergencies could be slowed,… Read More
Vietnam haunts us as a nation, the unpopular war that we “lost” – an inconceivable notion to America, used to winning. It is now almost 30 years from those incredible sights and sounds of our Huey’s lifting off the roof of the Saigon embassy and… Read More
A doctor recently praised the new Medicare prescription plan and criticized Democrats for suggesting that it’s inadequate. The doctor may know about medication, but he seems unfamiliar with the realities of this plan and the day-to-day struggles that seniors go through to fill their prescriptions. Read More
The failure of a long effort to reach agreement on a bond package for the November ballot is discouraging, but it didn’t have to be that way. The nearly four months following adjournment was certainly the longest, but also the most frustrating and baffling negotiation… Read More
Kids still have another week or so before they transform – agonizingly, tragically – back into students, but teachers must undergo the transition to their professional selves again in the next several days. When they return to their classrooms, they’ll sort through a summer’s worth of mail and… Read More
There’s something romantic about bush pilots. They fly into places without landing strips or runway lights. Into the wilderness. Into the wild. 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
After last Saturday’s column about the Aug. 14 anniversary of V-J (Victory over Japan) Day had hit the streets I received a terse e-mail message from fellow Alfond Arena back-bencher Dave Budge of Brewer. I had written that famed World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle… Read More
The endgame for countless failed hardware and building-supply stores begins with three words. The Home Depot, an Atlanta-based retailer, expanded from four stores with $22 million in annual sales in 1980 to claim title to more than 1,700 stores and $64 billion in sales last year. In January… Read More
BANGOR – A little Yankee ingenuity and a successful marketing strategy have put a seasonal hot-dog stand on the map – a city industrial park map, that is. Abby McCue, 26, of Holden, the informal boss of the flourishing endeavor, and her friends Amy Martin,… Read More
BANGOR – The oversight board of New England’s power grid believes a proposed high-volume transmission line for Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. will improve electricity reliability in the six New England states. So it has concluded that all of New England’s 6.5 million ratepayers should share in… Read More
EXETER – Kristin Dillon had some help from Thomas Jefferson when she won a national essay competition this summer. The 12-year-old Exeter girl received a first-place medal and a $250 check as the sixth-grade national winner of the Daughters of the American Revolution’s national essay… Read More
BANGOR – The race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District seat picked up steam this week with a Friday visit from President Bush’s top aide and particularly barbed exchanges between the two campaigns. With Labor Day – the unofficial start of the fall election season –… Read More
ELLSWORTH – The town of Bar Harbor has reached a court-approved agreement with hotel developer Thomas Walsh that will allow a computer expert for Walsh to copy the hard drives of several town computers. In a letter to the Town Council on Friday afternoon, Town… Read More
NEWPORT – Protected by rubber waders and gloves, a half-dozen biologists and environmentalists were thigh-deep Friday morning in the East Branch of the Sebasticook River, nets poised to catch fish stunned by an electrical charge sent through the water from a special backpack. Four hundred… Read More
BANGOR – As staff members at the Spruce Run Association struggle to find desperately needed housing for victims of domestic violence, an administrative disagreement between two agencies appears to be holding up funding for a Bangor project that would provide such housing for seven families. Read More
Every time a devious new scheme comes skulking up the information highway, my first reaction is to assume there is no one foolish enough to get bilked by so transparent a fraud. I’m always dead wrong, of course, which probably makes me as naive as… Read More
BANGOR – The 11th annual “Guns and Hoses” charity baseball game between the Bangor police and fire departments has been rescheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, at Mansfield Stadium. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for kids ages 6 through 12. Kids under… Read More
SHIRLEY – Old Home Sunday will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 22, at the Town Hall with a worship service. At 12:30 p.m., after the church service, a home-cooked dinner will be served which will include baked ham, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, homemade… Read More
SKOWHEGAN – Free college planning workshop for adults considering college will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the following locations and dates: . Monday, Aug. 23, at the Skowhegan Career Center, Skowhegan. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
BANGOR – The Katahdin Area Boy Scout Council will hold a pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at John Bapst Memorial High School on Broadway to help raise money for the National Boy Scout Jamboree to be held in Virginia in July 2005. Read More
NEWPORT – State tax experts will be at Nokomis Regional High School for a session designed for senior citizens who need assistance in completing and filing their applications for property tax and rent refunds. The session will be from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – The Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at the meeting room at Thayer Parkway. Historian Lou Stevens will speak on the building of the Dover-Foxcroft water system. The public is invited to attend. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – An orientation program for the free “Incubator Without Walls” small-business course will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, at Penquis Community Action Program. The classes themselves will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays from Sept. 9 to… Read More
DEXTER – Nomination papers for candidates to fill the following positions will be available at the town office through Sept. 20: . Three three-year terms on the Town Council; googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Senior citizens interested in learning about ways to eat more healthfully are encouraged to attend a session sponsored by University of Maine Cooperative Extension at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 16, at the Extension office in Dover-Foxcroft. The session will cover topics such as… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – A voter registration drive will take place at the Cup and Easel at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15. Participants will have the opportunity to register to vote, as well as ask questions about the voter registration process. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
BANGOR – A free diabetes support group meeting will be held at 1 p.m. the first Thursday of each month. The Sept. 2 meeting will feature guest speaker Jake Nelson, diabetes specialist for Bayer Health Care. The topic will be “Know Your Healthy Steps -A… Read More
BANGOR – An exhibit by landscape and environmental designer Rachel Collin Therrien will be shown in the lecture hall at the Bangor Public Library in September. The exhibit will feature pastels and mixed-media works. Therrien will speak about her works at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. Read More
BANGOR – Historian Deborah Thompson, author of “Bangor, Maine 1769-1914: An Architectural History” will speak on her research at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, at the Bangor Public Library. Read More
Belfast District Court Cases Aug. 2-6, 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 Slot… Read More
LAMOINE – The town is considering imposing new rules for use of the town’s three public beaches, including requiring special permits for large gatherings. Selectmen agreed Thursday to send the proposed new parks ordinance to voters at the March 2005 annual town meeting. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
ORONO – A $4 million appropriation in the new federal budget will fund a joint effort by the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center at the University of Maine and Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay to build a prototype special operations boat for the U.S. Navy using composite materials. Read More
COLUMBIA – As friends prepare for today’s memorial service for Krystal Higgins, the teenager who died Aug. 14, Debra Skeate clarified Friday that donations in the 17-year-old’s name will go first toward a Krystal Lee Higgins Scholarship. Once an appropriate amount is reached, additional contributions… Read More
DENNYSVILLE – The Dennys River Watershed Council and Management Plan Workgroup will hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7, at the EDM Youth Center. Scott Williams of the Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program will discuss water quality of the three major lakes… Read More
PROSPECT – The last Civil War re-enactment of the year at Fort Knox will take place Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 28-29. The re-enactors will be doing drills, demonstrating camp life, firing rifles, and skirmishing. A replica Civil War cannon will be fired as well. For… Read More
ROCKPORT – Penobscot Bay Medical Center’s “Baby’s First Birthday Party” will be held 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 22, on the hospital lawn. Those thinking of attending should note the event’s new date. All midcoast families with babies born in the last year, August 2003 to… Read More
CAMDEN – Jane’s Trust has awarded the Community School a $75,000 grant, which will be disbursed in December. The grant will help bolster organizational sustainability by building development capacity and addressing rising operating expenses. Jane’s Trust supports projects in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and… Read More
HAMPDEN – Letters went out this week to residents and owners of the two trailer parks in town, telling them about a meeting Monday to discuss a proposed trailer park ordinance. It will be the second such meeting in a week. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
HOULTON – Registration for college courses at the Houlton Higher Education Center will take place from Monday, Aug. 23, to Thursday, Aug. 26. Classes open for registration include psychology, accounting, and computer classes. Other adult education classes will begin in the weeks following at Katahdin… Read More
A man arrested for driving drunk was also in possession of marijuana and painkillers Friday, according to the Orono Police Department. Officer Scott Lajoie responded to a report from the Maine State Police that a young man had been seen pumping gas at the Big… Read More
PITTSFIELD – The controversial public sale of 73 acres of prime woodlands and fields, a tax-acquired property owned by the town of Pittsfield, has interested four bidders. But some residents are lobbying to have all bids rejected and for the town to investigate more closely… Read More
BREWER – The Public Utilities Commission has suspended the effective date of a 15 percent water rate increase in Brewer to give the board time to complete its review. “Because sufficient time does not exist prior to the effective date of the proposed schedule to… Read More
GLENBURN – The council voted Thursday to create a committee to explore the possible impacts of the proposed Palesky Tax Cap. “I expect that at [the council’s] next meeting in two weeks, which is September 2, they will actually make appointments and give the committee… Read More
INDIAN ISLAND – The Penobscot Nation Boys & Girls Club will host Penobscot Indian Day on Sunday, Aug. 22. The event, which features activities, contests and entertainment, is a daylong celebration of the Penobscot community and its culture. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
BREWER – The Brewer Days festival planning committee is accepting nominations for Citizen of the Year. The award will be presented at the Brewer Days celebration in September. It will recognize a resident for community service performed in the past year. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
PITTSFIELD – With a month to go before nomination papers are due in the town clerk’s office, six Pittsfield residents have expressed interest in positions on the Town Council and the SAD 53 board of directors. Robert Stackhouse is seeking re-election for District 3 councilor… Read More
BANGOR – No one was hurt Friday when a wheel came loose from a pickup truck, crossed a median strip and struck another vehicle on Interstate 95. Wade Rackliff, 47, of Prentiss was driving his 1989 Ford Ranger in the southbound lane between the Stillwater… Read More
GUILFORD – SAD 4 directors have contracted with an Old Town firm to do a facility assessment of the district’s buildings. The assessment, to be done by James W. Sewall Co., is required by the state if the district should apply for revolving loan funds,… Read More
GREENVILE – Llewellyn “Lew” Wortman is retiring after serving the Moosehead Sanitary District as operations manager for 26 years. Wortman, who will retire later this month, will be replaced by Eric Ward of Harford’sx Point. Ward, an engineer, will receive a salary of $85,000 for… Read More
CARIBOU – A former secretary and office manager of the Limestone Community School was sentenced Friday to serve five days of a six-month jail sentence for misdemeanor theft of $31,972 from the school’s student activities accounts while she was an employee there. Beverly Edgecomb, 55,… Read More
SMYRNA – In Aroostook County, whispers about what the potential Palesky tax cap proposal could do to this vast rural area are increasing in strength. Officials in small towns and bigger cities in the northern part of the state are expressing fear about essential programs… Read More
HOULTON – In just a few short weeks, residents will have one more dining option when Governor’s Restaurant & Bakery opens in town. “We are tentatively planning a Sept. 8 opening date,” Tony Sullivan, the restaurant’s owner, said Friday. “We are trying to hold to… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – A free workshop on pediatric mood disorders will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20, at Edmunds Conference Hall on the Northern Maine Community College campus. Dr. Carlo Carandang, a member of the child psychiatry faculty at Maine… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – The overall low gross winner for the 18th annual McCain Foods Charity Open was Steve Clark of Presque Isle, who shot a 148 for the two days of the golf tournament, which featured 177 golfers from Maine, New Brunswick and New England. Read More
People who help others are going to get something in return, thanks to the staff of Circles, The Salon, in Pittsfield. Owner Janet Sawyer wrote she was “pleased and proud” that her staff suggested an “Ultimate Makeover Contest” to honor and thank folks who give… Read More
PORTLAND – A new network of centers around Maine aims to combine treatment for people who have both substance abuse problems and mental health issues. The Co-occurring Collaborative of Southern Maine has developed the Centers of Excellence with $200,000 in funding from the Maine Health… Read More
Editor’s note: This story ran incompletely on Friday’s Style page. ORONO – It was just a bag full of tiny fans, but it gave Renaud Petard, a student at Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Arts de Paris in Cergy, France, a big hassle at the airport. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
PORTLAND – While negotiating the treaty that ended their war over Manchuria and Korea, Russian and Japanese delegates attended ballgames and cocktail parties in Maine, and even paid a visit to York Beach. A series of events that begins this weekend will mark the 100th… Read More
They’re the baking friars of Bangor, Brother Don (photo) and Brother Kenneth. While they run the Friars’ Bakehouse on Central Street downtown, their mission as Franciscan Brothers of St. Elizabeth of Hungary takes them wherever there is need. And on Nov. 1, they will travel to Haiti for… Read More
At the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor, faces are weary. Voices are strained. The smell of cumin and black beans permeates bodies and breath – and the countdown is on. “Eight pounds down, two to go.” “Ten pounds down, 15 cakes to go.” “Five cakes… Read More
Christian parody band ApologetiX headlines AcadiaFest 2004, a Christian outdoor music festival in Ellsworth. Other bands will include The Rock Show, Neally’s Corner, Unspoken and The King Pin Wrecking Crew. The music starts at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, in a tent behind Family Bible Church on Route… Read More
John Ward of Blue Hill Congregational Church has received professional recognition by passing with distinction the associate examination of the American Guild of Organists. Ward, a member of the guild’s Bangor chapter, also won the Associateship Prize for highest score on that examination, along with the S. Lewis… Read More
Rodrigo Rodriguez began playing guitar when he was 8 years old in his native Quito, Ecuador. “I came from a family of musicians,” he recalled last week. His father played guitar, and his uncle was known around South America for his six-string. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
GORHAM – The mother of a 23-year-old Gorham woman who will appear on this fall’s edition of the reality TV show “Survivor” says her family has disconnected their home phone after being deluged by calls about the program. But relatives of Julie Berry, a youth… Read More
WASHINGTON – In a victory for fishermen, a federal judge in Washington has ruled that scallopers may continue to tow their dredges in a mid-Atlantic fishery where the New Bedford fleet lands approximately 80 percent of its catch. In July, the environmental group Oceana asked… Read More
AUGUSTA – An Augusta woman who was injured when an uninsured driver plowed into the side of her home has been awarded $17,000 in damages. A Kennebec County Superior Court jury Wednesday found the driver, Darci Ann Babin of China, negligent and responsible for Marian… Read More
BANGOR – The El Rio All-Stars have struggled defensively at times during the 2004 Senior Little League Baseball World Series. But with a berth in the world championship game at stake, the Oxnard, Calif., team played impeccably Friday behind left-hander Jacob Regalado, who pitched a… Read More
BANGOR – Earlier this week Jason Nardi hit a grand slam in a pool play game to lift the U.S. East team to a key win in the Senior League World Series. All the East team from Freehold Township, N.J., needed from Nardi in the… Read More
It is a touchy subject for Newburgh Nextel Cup driver Ricky Craven at this particular time. Craven, who announced last month that he was leaving PPI-Motorsports/Tide Chevy team after this season with two years left on his contract, doesn’t want to talk about his plans… Read More
ATHENS, Greece – Kevin Eastler didn’t come to the 2004 Summer Olympics favored to win a medal. Just qualifying for the Athens Games in the 20-kilometer race walk was the fulfillment of a dream for the 26-year-old Farmington native. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
ORONO – Former coaches Walt Abbott and Janet Anderson head a list of six inductees into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame. Abbott and Anderson will be joined by track athletes Baron Hicken and Patty McCormick Hurlbut, football player Claude Petteway and hockey… Read More
BANGOR – Bangor rookie righthander J.C. Huguet shut out the Aces in the first game 3-0 to give the Lumberjacks a doubleheader split in Northeast League baseball action at Winkin Complex Friday night. Eddie Gerald hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the… Read More
VAN BUREN – Andrew Martin scored two goals to lead the Van Buren Crusaders to a 3-0 schoolboy soccer victory over the Ashland Hornets Friday. Tyler Lapierre netted a goal and Ben Doucette had an assist for 2-0 Van Buren. Dustin Cyr stopped all three… Read More
BANGOR – The whispers started as Jason Nardi walked to the plate in the seventh inning. The bases were loaded, there were two outs, and the U.S. East team from Freehold Township, N.J., was clinging to a 1-0 lead against South team Dade City, Fla. Read More
Are you shopping for real estate but you don’t want to give up your weekend exercise routine? Why not combine the two and satisfy your need to get out and your curiosity at the same time. I’m not in the market, by the way, but… Read More
RILEY TOWNSHIP – Fez Abramson was hiking north on the Appalachian Trail when the route seemed to hit a roadblock. Ahead lay a cluster of jagged, cabin-sized boulders. To the left and right, the steep, rocky walls of two mountains hemmed in the trail. Then… Read More
Throughout the entire afternoon a steady wind, often directly up river, sometimes gusting and cross-current buffeted the 20-foot Lund Alaskan from which our trio was casting. I spent so much time jumping about on the remote foot pedal of the electric motor to adjust speed and direction, it… Read More
Compared to earlier in the breeding season, late summer can be a subdued time for birders. Neotropical songbirds are less conspicuous, having stopped singing and displaying over territories and mates. They are concentrating instead on fattening themselves up for migration. Birds are dispersing from nesting areas, making it… Read More
Andre Strong steps onto a large gravel court bordered on each side by railroad ties. He uses his toe to draw a small circle on the ground and tosses a tiny wooden ball – called a cochonnet – in the air. It lands several yards away. With a… Read More
Boffo for boules? Crazy for croquet? Have a hankering for horseshoes? All you need is a yard, a few friends and the desire to have fun. Oh, and a competitive streak doesn’t hurt. The following is a sampler of our favorite backyard games. Some are familiar, some aren’t,… Read More
When I was young (two years ago), I thought Maglites were the very best you could do for flashlights. They were brighter by far than anything else. You could put four D cells in the big momma and use it for a weapon against road-rage drivers, even gorillas. Read More
August arrives with a certain amount of melancholy each year, bearing the burden of a season’s near-end on its shoulders. The month signals the last bit of summer’s glory and demands that the gardener indulge the senses in whatever remnants of color, form, fragrance and texture the flower… Read More
Recently, a little voice inside my head insisted, “Go south, young woman.” So in true pioneer spirit, I enlisted my girlfriend Jess, hopped in my car, and bravely explored a new shopping frontier, Waterville, and an old favorite, Augusta. What I discovered was nothing short… Read More