The home improvement season has started, and COMBAT is already receiving calls from suspicious consumers who have been approached by door-to-door solicitors offering to do a “free estimate” of roof, driveway or structural repairs. These unsolicited visitors might be legitimate and competent or legitimate but not competent. Or… Read More
    The following petitions for bankruptcy have been filed at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor: Christopher R. Cole, police officer, Devin A. LaChance Cole, homemaker, four dependents, Manchester: assets, $27,494; debts, $113,130. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    On March 28 voters in Perry will make a crucial decision. Some people planning to make a lot of money for themselves are waging a very clever campaign to bring a liquefied natural gas terminal to this now beautiful and unspoiled area in eastern Washington… Read More
    In regard to your saying that legislators should have an alternative before we are critical (BDN, Feb. 28), I suppose one could argue that options should be considered before determining that robbing a bank is wrong. Personally, I tend to believe that one should know robbing a bank… Read More
    March 19 marked the two years since the start of the second Iraq war. Groups in Washington and Hancock counties have joined in a project that remembers soldiers from the United States who have lost their lives in Iraq. Cedar shingles bearing the rank, name… Read More
    AARP Maine applauds Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe who voted in favor of the Smith-Bingaman amendment to create a bipartisan Medicaid commission and prevent $14 billion in arbitrary funding cuts. The cuts in the budget committee report ($14 billion to $15 billion nationally) would… Read More
    I have agreed with Mary Callahan often in past foster parent issues but disagree with her latest letter, “Maine foster parent pay” (BDN, March 11). Here’s why: All families are different and have different circumstances. Everyone I have met in my 10 years of foster… Read More
    A plan by the Federal Aviation Administration to close control towers at dozens of small airports, including Bangor’s, needs to be re-examined. In the case of Bangor, the nightly closure would slow Air National Guard operations, potentially harming military missions. It would also harm operations at the commercial… Read More
    Put articulate physicians on one side and articulate attorneys on the other and the result is long, elaborately reasoned arguments for and against, in this case, restrictions on awards in malpractice cases. Here’s something considerably less freighted with detail: In his new book “Blink,” author… Read More
    I believe deorganization is the right solution for a wrong problem. The wrong problem originates at state level with mandates that force small towns such as Cooper, in Washington County, to take on more and more responsibilities at great financial cost with less assistance from the state. Read More
    Schools today are bureaucratic institutions where educational reform is promoted through a supposedly integrated system of standards-based curriculum, instruction and assessments. The premises of this agenda are straightforward. The curriculum is expected to provide a framework as to what knowledge, skills and attitudes are deemed important understandings. Instruction… Read More
    ROCKLAND – Imagine 700 kids roaming the halls of adjoining schools with their imaginations and pent-up anticipation running wild. Excitement soared among schoolchildren from kindergarten to senior high Saturday as they practiced and prepared for the big moment they’d worked toward for months – Destination… Read More
    CHARLESTON – Residents decided at Saturday’s annual town meeting to discontinue the process of withdrawing from SAD 68 by a narrow vote of 34-32. The town has been exploring the idea of withdrawing from the district, which includes Dover-Foxcroft, Sebec, Monson and Charleston, for about… Read More
    ORONO – Baxter, a 500-pound Maine black bear, was one of the favored attractions at this weekend’s 67th annual Sportsmen’s Show at the University of Maine. The three-day event, sponsored by the Penobscot County Conservation Association, draws 10,000 to 15,000 people of all ages each… Read More
    AUBURN – One might think that the Placebo Journal’s outrageous humor detailing the weird-but-true foibles of the medical profession should be confined to the privacy of the doctors lounge. But Dr. Douglas Farrago, the journal’s creator and editor, wants to expand his readership to a… Read More
    HOULTON – When Town Council meetings were first broadcast live over the town’s public access channel seven years ago, some residents believed the move would benefit taxpayers by giving them a better picture of their government at work. A few years later, however, some people… Read More
    WINTERVILLE PLANTATION – At a contentious town meeting Saturday morning, residents elected a new treasurer, opted not to give the town’s first selectman a raise, and overwhelmingly defeated a measure that would have allowed assessors to appoint representatives to some town positions. The Route 11… Read More
    ROCKPORT – A smoky fire Saturday afternoon heavily damaged parts of a farmhouse and attached barn at 690 Rockland St., but all five people inside the home escaped unharmed, Fire Chief Bruce Woodward said Saturday. On Sunday, the cause of the fire was still unknown,… Read More
    HOULTON – For more than a year, the planning board has been stymied by the number two. The figure reflects the number of meetings the group holds per month. It is also the exact number of people they needed last August, when resignations led to… Read More
    HOULTON – It no longer appears that a Nova Scotia company will bring its wares to the former Houlton International Corp. building, now that officials have withdrawn the lease they offered the company last year. The directors of the Shiretown Development Corp. took the action… Read More
    Chester Residents will gather at Marianne Municipal Building at 8 tonight to decide several questions. 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())… Read More
    HOWLAND – Residents voted down buying a new firetruck, but Fire Chief Phil Dawson won’t let it end there, he said Friday. Dawson expressed dismay at the vote during the town meeting Monday that shot down spending $170,000 for a truck replacing a 37-year-old rebuilt… Read More
    GLENBURN – A state fire official is expected to be on hand Monday at the scene of a fire that damaged a Pine View Avenue home on Wednesday. An electrical inspector for the State Fire Marshal’s Office will be at the residence to determine whether… Read More
    BELFAST – The Coastal Christian Ministers’ Fellowship will host a Maundy Thursday service at Midcoast Christian Fellowship, 21 Patterson Hill Road. It will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 24. The same group will host Good Friday worship at 6 p.m., followed by a showing… Read More
    BELFAST – A community sunrise service is planned for 5:30 a.m. Easter Sunday, March 27, at the Searsport town dock, followed by a community breakfast at Little River Baptist Church, Route 1, in Belfast. The breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    FORT KENT – The parks and recreation department will offer a ballet dance program for 5- to 10-year-olds from 4 to 5 p.m. starting Friday, April 1, at the municipal building conference room. The instructor will be Stacy Martin, an experienced children’s ballet teacher. Children must bring ballet… Read More
    FORT KENT – County Health Education Resources will host a conference on natural approaches to healing for health care providers from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 1, at Northern Maine Community College’s Edmunds Conference Center. The conference will focus on increasing awareness of… Read More
    Sherman residents will gather at 7:30 tonight at the town office to vote on a 57-article town warrant. Among many issues, voters will decide whether to borrow funds for a new firetruck and they will also be asked to approve a five-year contract with the… Read More
    TREMONT – The Tremont Congregational Church plans special services as part of Holy Week. Maundy Thursday service will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 24; Good Friday service will be at noon Friday, March 25; and an Easter “SonRise” service will be at Back Beach… Read More
    Old Town police arrested a woman Friday night for violating bail conditions after they found her hiding in a closet at a Water Street apartment. Officers Marc Egan and Thomas Adams stopped at the apartment building of Stephen Scovil, 36, of Old Town sometime after… Read More
    HOWLAND – Andrew Hallett has known of the Howland dam all his life, but he never truly understood the history, inner workings and exactitude of its design until he had to build it himself. At one-eighth scale, that is. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    MATTAWAMKEAG – The town’s efforts to lease Mattawamkeag Wilderness Park have drawn informal inquiries, but no one has applied to manage it, Town Administrator Joseph Clark said Thursday. So town officials are advertising regionally for interested parties – ideally a couple, with at least one… Read More
    BANGOR – U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud and his district office staff will conduct an open house 4:30-6 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at his new Bangor office, 23 Water St., in the KeyBank office building. Michaud’s office was formerly located in the Margaret Chase Smith Federal… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – A free seminar titled “You Don’t Need Another Stroke” will be held 5:30- 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31, in the Cianchette Conference Room at Sebasticook Valley Hospital. The seminar is designed to provide stroke patients with information to help them become effective partners… Read More
    OLD TOWN – The Old Town Public Library will be closed for shelving installation on March 31. The library will be reopen April 1. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
    CORINTH – The Corinth Baptist Church will present the musical drama “The Centurion” on Easter weekend. The musical will be presented at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 26, and 6 p.m. Sunday, March 27, at the church., 331 Main St. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    BLUE HILL – Voters at the annual town meeting approved a harbor ordinance Friday, but an error in posting that ordinance will negate those results. Voters passed the ordinance by a 149-68 vote. But because the 10-page ordinance was not publicly posted along with the… Read More
    Ellsworth District Court Cases Feb. 8-25, 2005 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
    SOUTH PORTLAND – The Learning Disabilities Association of Maine’s annual conference will be held April 8 and 9 at the Sheraton Hotel. The theme is “Education for All Individuals.” The conference will feature 24 workshops, exhibitors, book signings, videos, a silent auction and a technology… Read More
    BUCKSPORT – Penobscot Bay Orthodox Presbyterian Church invites the public to a special Good Friday service, “It is Finished!” The service will be at the church’s meeting place, the Verona Grange Hall, 54 Main St., Bucksport. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    BUCKSPORT – Firefighters were kept busy at the International Paper Co. mill this weekend. They responded to two fires at the mill, one Saturday night, the other Sunday at about noon. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    HOULTON – The president of the Southern Aroostook Development Corp. said Thursday that the group will continue to try to attract businesses to the area in concert with launching a significant fund-raising campaign to assist them in their efforts. More than 20 stakeholders attended the… Read More
    SHELBURNE, N.H. – The head of the state Bureau of Trails says New Hampshire and Maine have made limited progress in negotiations over interstate snowmobiling. Maine has agreed to let New Hampshire snowmobilers use border trails at Evans Notch and Success Road without requiring them… Read More
    Editor’s Note: Student Union is written by students at Brewer High School, Hermon High School, Schenck High School in East Millinocket, Searsport District High School and Stearns High School in Millinocket. The weekly column is a joint effort among the schools, the Bangor Daily News and Acadia Hospital. Read More
    LEWISTON – Kindergarten teachers are speaking in support of a proposed bill that would require children to turn 5 by Sept. 1, rather than by Oct. 15, to enter kindergarten. Supporters say kindergarten has become more academic in recent years, and that 4-year-olds are simply… Read More
    The following Destination ImagiNation teams take first and second place at Saturday’s event in Rockland and will go on the state competition: Down East Division googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
    SEABROOK, N.H. – A widower from Unity, Maine, wants New Hampshire to pay for genetic testing on his dead wife’s ashes. Mike Ellis, 43, said his wife, Dawn, was cremated at Bayview Crematorium in January. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    ALBION – Freeland E. Drake took a three-year break from the Board of Selectmen after serving for 17 years. Little did he know he would end up being on the board for 33 years more. Drake, 88, stepped down on Saturday after 50 years as… Read More
    The University of Maine hockey team’s long uphill climb from a 6-6 start was officially rewarded Sunday morning with its seventh straight NCAA Hockey Tournament berth. But for the second time in three years, the Black Bears will open against an opponent that will be… Read More
    WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Steve Richard pitched a three-hit shutout, striking out nine and walking two, as the Maine Black Bears won the second game 2-0 to split a nonleague baseball doubleheader against Monmouth University on Saturday. The Hawks won the opener 8-7. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    ORONO – A dozen young dancers huddled near the stage door at the Maine Center for the Arts Saturday night, waiting for members of the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre to emerge after their performance of “Romeo and Juliet.” Two girls clutched posies of glitter-dipped white roses, while others… Read More
    Good for the Maine Genealogical Society for publishing “Family Records of Sumner, Maine” in the February issue of The Maine Genealogist, available at some libraries. Originally known as West Butterfield, the Oxford County town was incorporated June 13, 1798. These records are not “contemporary” –… Read More
    In theaters THE RING TWO, directed by Hideo Nakata, written by Ehren Kruger, 110 minutes, rated PG-13. 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++) {… Read More
    Long before he reached the North Pole, Arctic explorer Robert E. Peary was a national celebrity. In Maine, where he had been raised and gone to college, he was a superstar whose every public utterance was recorded in the newspapers. So when he announced on… Read More