AUGUSTA – If Maine had been collecting the sales tax it was owed on Internet and mail-order sales, it is projected the state would have collected another $58.9 million in sales taxes in 2003. A national study also estimates that loss in tax revenue could… Read More
    RIVIERE-DU-LOUP, Quebec – Maine residents from Presque Isle to Fort Kent felt the rattling effects of a 5.4-magnitude earthquake that emanated from Riviere-du-Loup, early Sunday morning, according to reports received by local police departments across Aroostook County. The moderate earthquake was felt throughout the Canadian… Read More
    In Page One stories published March 1 and 3 concerning problems with the computer system at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the name of Christine Gianopoulos, acting director of the Bureau of Medical Services, was misspelled. Read More
    I did so much wrong that in retrospect, I’m amazed it didn’t happen sooner. And I’m still putting out the flames. It was September 2002. I was working as a freelance journalist, living in Connecticut at the time. I was an Internet junkie and I… Read More
    The following petitions for bankruptcy have been filed at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor: Gregory M. Ray, floor finisher, Audrey J. Ray, disabled, one dependent, Rome: assets, $106,729; debts, $106,295. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
    Snake oil salesmen used to arrive in town selling bottles of miracle cures from the back of a horse-drawn wagon. In the 21st century, these charlatans arrive on the screens of late night TV, on pages of newspapers and magazines, in your mailbox, and increasingly on the Internet. Read More
    A couple of issues compel me to write. The first is Sunday hunting which will add a small amount of money to state coffers at a great expense to citizens. It will put landowners and hunters at odds when for years they have accommodated each… Read More
    What will finally motivate each one of us in this state, and ultimately this country, to say no to the continuing occupation of Iraq? Is it considering the number of dead and wounded – 1,479 U.S. soldiers killed as of last month, close to 11,000… Read More
    In contemplating our worries about Social Security I wondered if the outsourcing of our jobs to foreign countries with economic advantages to corporations is robbing us of future benefits for retired American citizens. In addition to that advantage, American corporations are transferring their headquarters offshore… Read More
    Losing our freedom is something that we hear people frequently speak about. I can understand this. My problem has to do with the use of seat belts and the loss of our freedom. In the Feb. 26-27 issue of the Bangor Daily News the author… Read More
    Bush administration officials have been badmouthing Mohamed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, publicly and privately for years and have just lost a campaign to prevent the Egyptian lawyer’s re-election for a third four-year term. Other candidates, including some recruited by the United States,… Read More
    The plague of methamphetamine addiction has already gripped other parts of the country, and it is now headed for Maine. “We think it’s the beginning of an epidemic,” says Kim Johnson, director of the Maine Office of Substance Abuse. She likens it to the explosion of OxyContin abuse… Read More
    As the debate over Social Security begins to heat up, it’s a good idea to agree on a few fundamentals. First, there is the demographic issue of increasing retirements of the baby boomer generation. Somewhere between 2018 and 2020, Social Security will be paying out more than it… Read More
    The Energy Information Administration (EIA) posts energy consumption data by state. If we rank states in the order of the per person use of oil, Maine ranks 10th from the top. Annually, oil consumed in Maine for all its purposes (everything from road tar to jet fuel) is… Read More
    Maine Transportation Commissioner David Cole says he would rather be cursed now then cursed later. How poignant. The citizens of Penobscot Bay would rather preserve a jewel than try to reclaim an industrialized site two generations from now. The difference between these points of view is that the… Read More
    BANGOR – Diana Collins and Dale Quimby have done many crazy things together during their 43-year friendship, but they have never jumped out of a birthday cake. The 5-foot-tall cardboard cake-shaped sled had two wedges that the Orrington residents slid into Saturday before setting off… Read More
    ROCKPORT – Maine’s lobsters thus far have dodged the disease outbreaks that have decimated the Long Island Sound fishery and diminished harvests in Massachusetts Bay in recent years. But the “perfect storm” of symptoms that struck to our south could pose risks to the Gulf… Read More
    SWANVILLE – For the first time in years, voters taking part in today’s municipal election will encounter a ballot without a single contested race. And tomorrow night’s town meeting doesn’t look as if it will be too lively either. “Everything’s quiet this year,” Town Clerk… Read More
    PALERMO – The start of Palermo’s third century in existence will get under way at this year’s town meeting. Selectman H. Dean Potter quipped that “taxes will go up” when asked if he had any predictions for the next century. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – A second local boat ramp could be constructed and in use by the time the busy summer season arrives, according to the local harbor master. The ramp would be built at Hadley Point to help alleviate heavy seasonal use at the town’s… Read More
    LAMOINE – Though it will not affect the proposed local 2005-06 education budget, voters will be asked at town meeting this week to approve school funding for a boy whose mother racked up $98,000 in education and legal bills by sending him to school out of state. Read More
    BANGOR – The fire that destroyed a Center Street apartment building Friday morning and left eight people homeless remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office. “As far as I know, the State Fire Marshal’s Office still hasn’t come up with an actual cause,”… Read More
    Penobscot County Superior Court 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
    An argument at Ushuaia in Orono late Saturday night ended with a double stabbing. Orono police officers found that Jonathan Gardiner, 18, of Glenburn allegedly had stabbed one juvenile boy in the inner forearm and Jeffrey Marshall, 19, of Albion in the stomach. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    KINGMAN – The town’s new firetruck is on line and ready to go to emergencies, the fire chief said Sunday. With Fire Chief John Moody behind the wheel, the Kingman Volunteer Fire Department took the 1976 Maxim pumper truck from the East Millinocket Fire Department… Read More
    MARS HILL – The crowds were smaller than usual at the fifth annual Greater Mars Hill Winterfest this weekend, but with residents still recovering from Central Aroostook High School’s state basketball championship win, organizers believe there couldn’t be a better reason. After two exhausting weeks… Read More
    CARIBOU – When you want to make cross-country skiing fun for kids, John Farra believes the first thing you need to do is not make it all about racing. Farra, event director for the first Aroostook Youth Ski Festival, followed through on that thought by… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE – City councilors decided how to finance the purchase of a new $757,000 ladder truck for the city’s Fire Department during a special meeting last week, according to a city official, saving $25,000 in the bargain, but are not expected to approve financing until they review… Read More
    BANGOR – Crime did not pay for two area men arrested early Sunday morning as they led police on an 8-mile car chase, trying to get away with a stolen cash register. As it turned out, the cash register was empty, said state police Trooper… Read More
    Anyone planning to attend the third annual John Bapst Memorial High School Auction who doesn’t own a computer and is unable to check out the auction items should call a friend who owns a computer, because you’ll be amazed at the list of items up for bid. Read More
    BANGOR – Educator Wendell G. Eaton was remembered as a tireless advocate for learning who loved his community and was committed to making it better. Eaton, 86, died Thursday at the Maine Medical Center in Portland. He was associated with Bangor schools for three decades,… Read More
    FORT KENT – The late Willard Jalbert Jr. mushed dogs in Fort Kent decades before mushing was the biggest event of the year in this northern Maine town that was invaded by nearly 1,000 dogs and 90 mushers over the weekend and thousands of fans Saturday. Read More
    FORT KENT – Allan Dow, a retired postal worker and former fire chief in Maine’s capital of sled dog racing, was the dog-traffic cop Saturday morning as 90 sled dog teams looked to get to the starting line in three events as part of the 13th Can-Am Crown… Read More
    The Cold War is over and fears it engendered about nuclear war have diminished. But the state still maintains an underground shelter in Cumberland County – just in case. Maine Emergency Management Agency Director Art Cleaves said the bunker near the state prison compound in… Read More
    VESTAL, N.Y. – Northeastern University didn’t have an answer for Kevin Reed and the University of Maine didn’t have an answer for Marcus Barnes, so that left it up for someone else to tip the balance Sunday afternoon. That someone was Shawn James, a freshman… Read More
    BANGOR – Russ Bartlett was stopped by a Bangor Auditorium security guard as he tried to pass through the doors into the building’s back hallway before Saturday night’s Eastern Maine Class A boys basketball quarterfinal between Brewer and Leavitt of Turner Center. He didn’t have… Read More
    CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Maine used its home-course advantage to win the Banknorth Eastern J2 nordic ski championship Sunday, winning every race in the competition. Maine totaled 16,233 points, followed by Vermont (14,598), New Hampshire (14,417), Massachusetts (10,043) and Connecticut (199). googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    CAN-AM CROWN At Fort Kent 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… Read More
    BANGOR – The Skowhegan girls basketball team learned a valuable lesson in Saturday morning’s Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal – the Indians can win without Bethany Sevey or Nicole Paradis. Of course, both of Skowhegan’s standout guards contributed in the No. 2 Indians’ 46-26 victory… Read More
    BANGOR – The academic reputation, the tradition, the fine basketball program – there were plenty of reasons Cony senior Katie Rollins decided to play for Harvard next year. She also saw a little bit of Cony coach Paul Vachon in Harvard skipper Kathy Delaney-Smith. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Tim Stammen picked the biggest moment of his high school basketball career to stand tallest. His 29-point, six-rebound effort in Camden Hills of Rockport’s 66-63 overtime win over Gorham in the Class B boys basketball state final Saturday night was just part of… Read More
    WINSLOW – Orono will have a chance to avenge two regular-season losses to Winslow when the teams meet Wednesday night for the Eastern Maine Class B ice hockey championship. Second-seeded Orono edged No. 3 Hampden Academy 4-3 in a semifinal Saturday night at Sukee Arena. Read More
    DELAND, Fla. – Shane Jordan doubled, singled three times and knocked in two runs Sunday as Stetson rolled to a 13-2 baseball victory over the University of Maine. The Hatters eked out a 6-5, 10-inning win on Saturday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    DELAND, Fla. – Brittany Cheney knocked an RBI single while Lauren Dulkis hit two singles to lead the University of Maine softball team to a 5-4, eight-inning victory over St. Bonaventure on Sunday. On Saturday, the Black Bears beat St. Bonaventure 8-1 for their first… Read More
    ORONO – The University of Maine women’s basketball team hoped to breeze through Saturday night’s regular-season finale, celebrate “Senior Night,” then start gearing up for the America East Tournament. The Black Bears knew the University of Maryland Baltimore County, despite being the league’s last-place team,… Read More
    VESTAL, N.Y. – This was far more than a big playoff upset victory. This was one for the history books and – if nothing else – one very big one for the seniors on the University of Maine men’s basketball team. Saturday night’s come-from-behind, emotion-wringing,… Read More
    In New York City, workers are removing the last of Christo’s 7,000 orange fabric gates. In the Louvre, despite conservation measures, paint grows brittle, gravity does its work, and da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” ages. In Egypt, a few more grains of sand fall from the surface of the… Read More
    Editor’s Note: Maine Bound is a column featuring new books written by Maine authors set in the Pine Tree State or with other local ties. KAYAKS YOU CAN BUILD: AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO PLYWOOD CONSTRUCTION, by Ted Moores and Greg Rossel; Firefly Books, Buffalo, N.Y.,… Read More
    Carl E. Tefft, “the well-known Brewer boy,” was staying at his childhood home for part of the winter of 1905. While at the big brick house at 235 Center St., he had been working on a clay model for a memorial of Gen. Henry Knox, the Bangor Daily… Read More
    In September 1692, Matthew Cary of Boston wrote his wife of seven years, Elizabeth, who remained in London, that he longed for her “dear company.” No wonder Elizabeth was irritated when her husband up and married Mary Sylvester less than a year later in Bristol,… Read More