WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – As a million visitors wend their way through the Maine building at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield over the next two weeks, they will get a glimpse of Maine tourism, art, culture and education, but the overriding theme of the Maine exhibit… Read More
AUGUSTA – The Department of Health and Human Services believes it will take at least another $9.6 million a year in state funds to meet the conditions of a 1990 agreement mandating adequate mental health services for Mainers. Earlier this year a Superior Court justice… Read More
ORONO – The University of Maine System board of trustees, receiving criticism up until the last minute Monday, unanimously approved a controversial reorganization plan that aims to set a new vision for public higher education in the state. “The strategic plan recognizes that change is… Read More
A front page story on drug reimportation in Friday’s paper inaccurately implied that the organization headed by Douglas R. Johnson is a state agency. The Maine Biotechnology Information Bureau, headquartered in Stonington, is a private, nonprofit organization. Johnson is also a partner in Green Tree Communications, a biotechnology… Read More
WASHINGTON – A presidential commission has modified its proposal for a trust fund that would use up to $4 billion in annual offshore oil and gas royalties to safeguard oceans and coastal areas. The change was to answer governors’ fears the idea might spur more drilling off their… Read More
AUGUSTA – A homeless teenager who turned her life around, won a scholarship to Harvard University and was later featured in a television movie, will address a Maine housing conference Tuesday. Liz Murray was the subject of a TV movie “Homeless to Harvard,” which appeared… Read More
BANGOR – For more than 11 years and under three governors, Laurie Lachance has been the state’s economist at the State Planning Office. On Oct. 18, she will become the new president of the Maine Development Foundation. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
I am disappointed to read that Mike Curry, the news director of WCSH-TV Channel 6, has not invited Carl Cooley, the Socialist candidate for Congress, to its debate to be held in Bangor. In these troubled times I think it is important to hear as… Read More
It is unfortunate that it took a request from the Bush administration to use more than $3 billion in funds for security in Iraq to tell some members of Congress how badly things were going there. That money was appropriated for rebuilding, but reality dictates that the money… Read More
While reducing pollution from school buses is a noble, but certainly not novel, cause, there are much bigger steps the federal government can take to clean the air in Maine. So, while the schoolchildren Michael Leavitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, meets in Portland today aren’t… Read More
After reading your story, “[Lubec] pharmacy closing…” (BDN, Sept. 18-19), regarding the end of our local pharmacy, I am somewhat astonished. In other words, the drugs that kill my friends in Old Town are profitable enough to support any number of local drug dealers, but… Read More
I read the story (BDN, Sept. 17) of the seizure of dogs and cats from Melinda Piche and Jaclyn Hager and was disgusted and saddened, although not surprised. In our state one person can sell up to 16 animals in a 12-month period without being considered a breeder. Read More
Military records are generally a joke – notoriously inaccurate, sketchy and often lost or missing. I can tell you from 30 years of trying to keep track of mine and assisting other soldiers and veterans in finding theirs. National Guard and Reserve records are the worst. Read More
Regarding the article, “Catholic school future in limbo” (BDN, Aug. 7-8). St. Agnes Catholic School in Pittsfield is one of the best elementary schools within a 100-mile radius. Bangor Daily News reporter Sharon Kiley Mack implied that St. Agnes provided a pretty darn good education,… Read More
The Bush administration markets itself as the only viable defense against terrorism. Yet its tendency to equate differences in thought and lifestyle with threats to physical security in fact makes us ever less secure. In this respect, it mimics the least savory aspects of our heritage and gives… Read More
BANGOR – Thousands of people signed up for tickets Monday to hear President Bush campaign on the tarmac at Bangor International Airport on Thursday. The outdoor event, which starts at 4:15 p.m., may draw 10,000 people, according to Randy Bumps, executive director of the state… Read More
LEWISTON – A tendency to visualize political goals through the prism of religion makes notorious terrorist Osama bin Laden and President Bush more similar than different according to the running mate of independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader. Speaking to about 50 students and supporters Monday… Read More
BUCKSPORT-With an anticipated enrollment startup date of Oct. 4, the state is taking its much-ballyhooed DirigoChoice health insurance on the road. A last-minute series of informational sessions this week is aimed at educating small-business owners in northern and eastern Maine about the benefits the Dirigo plan will offer… Read More
BANGOR – In what he called “the jobs express,” Gov. John Baldacci rode the rails from Mattawamkeag to Bangor on Monday, announcing about 75 new jobs along the way. In Mattawamkeag, Baldacci and David Fink, vice president of Guilford Rail System, stood in front of… Read More
AUGUSTA – Three years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Maine still is wrangling over how best to respond to an attack or disaster. For the second time in less than a year, Maine Emergency Management Agency officials met Monday with representatives of emergency, front-line… Read More
MONSON – It has long been a tradition in March for residents in this small Piscataquis County town to bow their heads in prayer before they act on the town’s budget for the year. That tradition is no longer. Monson selectmen voted last week to… Read More
If voters approve a property tax cap on Nov. 2, Lewiston’s school system might be left with just enough money to educate pupils through eighth grade. Portland would have to lay off 457 school employees and have one teacher for every 30 to 40 students. Read More
BANGOR – Thirty years ago, a group of eight local police officers, bound by the brotherhood of their job and a love of riding motorcycles, started a fledgling motorcycle club for law enforcement personnel. Today the Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club has grown tremendously… Read More
DEXTER – A local motorist who allegedly hit another vehicle broadside on Saturday and fled the scene on foot turned himself in later and was arrested. Lloyd Burnham, 29, was charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, operating after suspension, illegal attachment… Read More
PORTLAND – The appeal of a man who claims he was targeted for prosecution for income tax evasion because he is a graduate of Maine Maritime Academy will be heard on Thursday by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Frank C. Greenleaf, 57, of Milford was… Read More
BREWER – City leaders drastically cut the amount of capital improvement projects scheduled this year and in doing so reduced city spending, officials said. “This is over an 80 percent reduction in the amount of capital spending,” Finance Director Karen Fussell said after Monday’s City… Read More
HAMPDEN – Town councilors delayed action on a comprehensive trailer park ordinance Monday but appeared willing to loosen some of the provisions critics said are too restrictive. With some questions of their own, councilors approved taking up the ordinance at the council’s first meeting in… Read More
BANGOR – Area Dairy Queen locations are participating in the second annual Free Cone Day today to celebrate the last day of summer. Free 5-ounce cones will be served and donations will be accepted for the Children’s Miracle Network. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
ORLAND – The Historical Society will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22, in the Museum Building located on the Castine Road. The public is welcome to attend. Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – A fire in a dryer Monday caused the evacuation of Hilltop Manor, a boarding home on Essex Street. No one was injured during the ordeal, but smoke filled the building, according to Deputy Chief Mike Curtis of the Dover-Foxcroft Fire Department. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
BANGOR – Penquis Community Action Program Resource Development Center is accepting applications for the voucher program to help income-eligible families pay for child care expenses. Call 973-3507 or 1-888-917-1100 for more information or to request an application. Read More
BANGOR – The city Republican Committee will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, at Willey Law Offices, 15 Columbia St. Topics include the coming election and related issues. All Republicans are invited. Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – The Young Entrepreneurs Society is having an open house 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, at Penquis CAP on 50 North St. Youth 12 to 15 years old are invited to participate in this after-school program and learn entrepreneur skills, do team building, and… Read More
PITTSFIELD – After five years of making payments, SAD 53 now owns the Manson Park School portable classroom. The classroom was built by the Kennebec Valley Community Action Program in 1999 with the help of a low-interest loan and charitable contributions, and has been used… Read More
PITTSFIELD – The Arts Club will host a Meet the Candidates Night at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 4, in the town office council chambers. Everyone is welcome to attend and meet the area candidates for public office. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
HOULTON and BATH – Firefighter David Beals stood with his cell phone to his ear on Saturday morning, trying to hear his conversation over the din of pre-parade activities and the beat of the unrelenting raindrops that were pelting his blue parka. Beals was one… Read More
ROCKPORT – The changing sea’s many moods will be the highlight of Rockport Public Library’s fall marine talks. Sponsored by Friends of Rockport Public Library, the series is called “Sea-Faring: near shores and far.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
WALDOBORO – A man allegedly tried to pick up a teenage girl who was walking Saturday along Bremen Road, police reported Monday. The 13-year-old girl was walking home around 11 a.m. Saturday when a man in a maroon four-door sedan stopped and asked if she… Read More
WARREN – Agents seized more than $6,000 worth of heroin and cocaine during a Route 1 traffic stop Saturday made in connection with a drug investigation. Sheila Rivera-Hynd, 32, of Rockland and John J. Oliver, 36, of New Bedford, Mass., were arrested around 8:30 p.m. Read More
MACHIAS – Candace Gingrich, sister of former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich, will give a talk about youth voter mobilization at 8 tonight at the University of Maine at Machias Performing Arts Center. Gingrich, who was publicly outed by the media in the… Read More
ROCKLAND – A local driver landed in the bushes Sunday on Bog Road when she stepped on the brakes after passing a police cruiser at 75 mph in a 30 mph zone, according to city police Sgt. Kenneth Smith on Monday. Tracy Merrill, 17, of… Read More
PORTLAND – A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on sentencing enhancements could affect the time that a former child protection worker convicted of manslaughter and a Sabattus man convicted of sexually assaulting a Bates College student spend in prison. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court on… Read More
MOUNT DESERT – Selectmen agreed Monday to send a letter to the three U.S. post offices in town asking them to pay something toward the cost of picking up and disposing of their trash. The board did not favor Town Manager Michael MacDonald’s suggestion to… Read More
ORONO – Town councilors voted Monday at a special meeting to reassign a portion of its designated Pine Tree Zone area. Resident Leo Kenney recently moved to the area and wanted to locate his sales and marketing consulting business, SBK Consulting LLC, in town but… Read More
One person was injured Monday in a 5 p.m. accident on Interstate 95 in Bangor. Adam Armitage, 17, no town available, suffered a laceration when the car in which he was a passenger rear-ended a 2004 Pontiac driven by Sharon Hogan, 47, of St. Albans,… Read More
ROCKLAND – Ask a group of artists to explore a public policy problem such as Maine’s vanishing working waterfront and you get, well, art. The idea for “Mapping the Working Coast” was to use art to call attention to the fragile status of the working… Read More
ELLSWORTH – The City Council voted unanimously Monday to budget nearly $350,000 to continue with the stalled harbor dredging project. When the project might resume, however, was not determined. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
HOULTON – Richard Rhoda and his wife, Cecilia, do not want people to forget that everyone, including residents of Houlton, were touched by the events of Sept. 11. In order to assure that people remember, the couple will help dedicate a flagpole outside the town’s… Read More
ELLSWORTH – A Vietnam veteran, widower and former millworker who claims drugs changed his personality was sentenced Monday to six months in jail for helping to steal an 84-year-old woman’s purse in Ellsworth. Theodore S. Olson Jr., 52, of Lubec pleaded guilty Monday in Hancock… Read More
HOULTON – At Monument Park on Sunday morning, a small crowd watched as representatives from several veterans’ organizations slowly lowered the old POW-MIA flag and saluted as a new one was raised. This year’s flag-changing event was even more poignant, some speakers noted, now that… Read More
WHITNEYVILLE – Some of Washington County’s librarians are feeling at a loss for how they can convey to their patrons today the ultimate impact on their libraries, if the so-called Palesky proposal passes in November. Ordinarily troves of information, several of them gathered Monday to… Read More
MARS HILL – The Winterfest Committee has begun planning some seasonal fund-raisers to benefit the March Winterfest event. A Youth Hunter’s Day breakfast will feature eggs, toast, home fries, pancakes and bacon from 5 to 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Mars Hill Snowmobile… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – The Aroostook County branch of the American Red Cross will offer a pet first aid class from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25. Preregistration is required. Call 762-5671 for information or registration. Read More
CARIBOU – The Parks and Recreation Department will host a bowhunter safety course from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, at the Army National Guard building on York Street. Topics covered include proper use of archery equipment, range estimation, camouflage, tree stand safety, sport of bowhunting,… Read More
Hermon High School health, physical education and conflict resolution teacher Shelley Gavett hopes the community will respond favorably to the school’s request for auction items to benefit its Challenge Day Program. The auction will be held Saturday, Oct. 16, and individuals and businesses are being… Read More
HALLOWELL – Patricia Ryan recalls June 4, 1979, the day she became executive director of the Maine Human Rights Commission, precisely. “I told them I thought I would stay for five years,” she says with a smile. “They agreed that was a good commitment of… Read More
AUGUSTA – The Maine Human Rights Commission on Monday tabled a case it was scheduled to consider in which a Union woman claimed she was sexually assaulted by a former employee of Knox Bros.-CarQuest Inc. auto parts store in Rockland. An investigator for the commission… Read More
WELLINGTON – The body of a local man who died Sunday night in an all-terrain vehicle accident was discovered later that night by chance when a passing motorist stopped to investigate a light he had seen in a clump of trees. Police think that Daniel… Read More
While author Virginia “Dinnie” Thorndike never dreamed of writing books about the sea, the people and boats that ply its waves have lured her for decades. Although she only arrived in Maine in 1990, the Morrill resident comes from a boating family and spent numerous… Read More
When Janet Cloutier of Orono read about the Needle Arts Mentoring Program in this column recently, she got in touch with the Helping Hands Foundation, which sponsors the program, to find out how to set up a program at Orono’s Asa Adams School. “I learned… Read More
STONINGTON – When does a work of art become a work of art? How do artists know when their poetry, music or staging is completed? How do they know it works? These were some of the questions raised last Thursday when a team of artists… Read More
Dear Jim: Our carpeting is worn, so I thought about installing decorative cork tiles instead of hardwood to alleviate our kids’ allergies. Is cork a natural product and is it durable and comfortable to walk on? – Sandi G. Dear Sandi: The answers to your… Read More
To this day, I can’t iron a dress shirt for Sunday without thinking of my mother, who spent more time at the ironing board than my father did at his drafting table. With three girls in cotton blouses or pleated skirts, pajamas or pedal-pushers, Mama… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – The wait is on. Newburgh’s Ricky Craven officially ended his affiliation with the No. 32 Tide/PPI-Motorsports race team on Sunday by finishing 17th in NASCAR’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
Husson College head football coach Gabby Price taught me how to throw a football in 1966. I was 15 at the time, and Bangor High School’s senior starting quarterback was watching a bunch of sophomores playing tag football next to Peakes Auditorium by the front… Read More
Those of us who live in Maine do so for a variety of reasons. Some have never seen the need to leave. Others ended up here by accident … and never left. Still others left for one reason or another, and eventually found a way to return to… Read More
HERMON – After playing two overtime games in a row and losing both of them, the Hermon boys soccer team was looking for a spark. So were the Piscataquis boys, who haven’t won a game this year and have had trouble creating offense at times. Read More
The University of Maine football team, fresh off Saturday’s stunning 9-7 victory over Southeastern Conference and Division I-A program Mississippi State, finds itself in a position to savor the upset for a few days. Coach Jack Cosgrove’s Black Bears do not have a game scheduled… Read More
The Presque Isle golf team has had several wins this season – the Wildcats are in fact undefeated – but only one of those victories has prompted the PI team to celebrate at the local Pizza Hut afterwards. That’s just what the ‘Cats did after… Read More
LOUDON, N.H. – Cherryfield’s Andy Santerre padded his NASCAR Busch North Tour season championship lead by winning Monday’s Quick & Dirty Sylvania 125 race at New Hampshire International Speedway. The race was postponed from Saturday due to rain. Santerre started the race in the 11th… Read More
COLLEGE Jamie Morin googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
HIGH SCHOOL At Gorham googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
LOCAL Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race For The Cure 5K googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
HIGH SCHOOL At St. Croix CC, Calais, par 35 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
HOLE-IN-ONE Janice White 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
Bangor writer Ed Rice will present a public talk about Penobscot Indian and former Cleveland Indians player Louis Sockalexis – the subject of his book Baseball’s First Indian – Thursday at the Bangor Public Library. The free talk will begin at 6:30 p.m. and a question-and-answer period will… Read More
STACYVILLE – Ronnie Robinson had two goals and assisted on another as the Katahdin Cougars picked up their first win this season with a 3-0 girls soccer upset over Fort Fairfield Monday. Felicia Robinson added a goal for 1-7 Katahdin. Clarissa Gallagher had 14 saves… Read More
ELLSWORTH – Monique Boutaugh scored on a direct kick with five minutes left in the game to lift the Ellsworth Eagles to a 1-0 schoolgirl soccer win over Bangor Monday. Catie Craven made seven saves on 10 shots for 2-3-1 Ellsworth. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
BREWER – Dylan George’s second goal of the game off a Dan Malmer assist – with 33:55 left to play – proved to be the game-winner as the Bangor Rams edged Brewer 3-2 in boys soccer action Monday. Caique Lopes scored the other goal on… Read More
Dave Day knew he had a big challenge on his hands when he agreed to coach the Hodgdon boys soccer team this year. The program was coming back from a yearlong hiatus due to lack of interest last year. Jump-starting the team was hard enough. Read More
ORONO – Marie-Andree Canuel looks younger than her 19 years and possesses an infectious smile. But she doesn’t give opposing goalies much to smile about. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
Hunting ethics are referendum’s focus If I understand John Holyoke’s argument correctly (BDN, Sept 4-5), he thinks that if the bear baiting ban is passed, it will be a shame to lose all the camaraderie that happens at these hunting gatherings. Not many supporters… Read More