Much of the time, he sits in his golf cart, driving to and from the four ballparks that make up the Red Sox player development complex in Fort Myers, Fla., as he surveys Boston’s youngest and rawest prospects from behind dark sunglasses. The man most… Read More
AUGUSTA – Brad Nadeau of Bangor kissed his gay partner in the parking lot of the company where he worked as the two parted after a lunch date three years ago. The kiss, viewed by an executive with the company, was followed by an afternoon… Read More
AUGUSTA – For most of the House Democrats who met Tuesday evening at the state armory, concerns over their party’s state budget proposal tended to focus on the understandable as opposed to the incomprehensible. While a proposed $450 million state revenue bond represents one of… Read More
BANGOR – The state’s only residential facility for severely mentally disabled children has failed its annual Medicaid survey and faces the potential loss of crucial public funding. The 20-bed Elizabeth Levinson Center on Hogan Road in Bangor has a newly appointed acting director who is… Read More
An article published Tuesday in the Final edition about Clifton’s annual town meeting should have stated that at the meeting, the town allocated the final payment for a loan against its SAD 63 school account for funds borrowed several years ago for the construction of a salt shed. Read More
Not the needle-tracks-in-the-arm type of user. You’re probably not even a smoker. But your addiction for petroleum products is costing you a pretty penny these days. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
Maine beer makers are reporting that production in 2004 jumped about 15 percent over 2003, giving them their best year since the mid-1990s. Collectively in 2004, Maine breweries and brewpubs made nearly 100,000 barrels of beer, or 3.1 million gallons. The growth in Maine was more than double… Read More
L.L. Bean will keep its call center at JFK Mall that employs 225 full-time year-round workers. The company announced Monday that while it is committed to maintaining the call center in Waterville, it plans to open a new call center in a location it is not yet ready… Read More
AUGUSTA – Closing out a second term as head of one of Maine’s most prominent regulatory panels, Chairman Thomas Welch is stepping down from the Public Utilities Commission. “It has been a great privilege and honor to be able to serve the citizens of Maine… Read More
BANGOR – Eight out of 10 flights left Bangor International Airport on time last year, a rate that was on par with the rest of the country and slightly better than other airports in the region, according to federal statistics. Highlighting what a BIA official… Read More
A group of laid-off workers demonstrating Monday outside an office building in Brewer wore DHL jackets and carried signs that blamed DHL for their job losses, but apparently were targeting the wrong employer, DHL’s director of corporate communications said Tuesday. DHL, a global shipping company… Read More
On March 10, Bishop Richard Malone addressed the Husson College Business Breakfast. He explained the many challenges facing the Diocese of Portland and how he and his staff are studying and planning to meet them. His comments were wide-ranging and enabled those present to appreciate the difficult decisions… Read More
A governor’s bill, expected to be introduced today by Republican Sen. Karl Turner to the Judiciary Committee, adds “sexual orientation” to the Maine law that makes it unlawful to discriminate against people in the areas of housing, employment, public accommodation, credit and education. Though nearly half the nation… Read More
The Department of Marine Resources last year slashed the number of days when urchin harvesting is allowed, but DMR believes the species remains in decline. Fishermen, on the other hand, say that urchins are plentiful and they should be able to spend more days looking for them. Both… Read More
Finally the budget committee in Augusta has come into the light and reasoned that selling off 10 years of income to balance one two-year budget is not a good idea. However, like a groundhog after a minute in the light, they promptly turned around and… Read More
Twenty-nine unfunded mandated tests will cost SAD 63 taxpayers approximately $100,000 according to district busi-ness managers. How many students are taking these tests? What are we paying the teachers who administer? Do other schools face monetary dilemmas like SAD 63? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
The people of Maine have voted against sexual orientation as a special class of citizens. They did this at the ballot box. Since the people do not want a special class, Sen. Karl Turner has introduced a bill, LD 1196, for the governor, to extend civil rights to… Read More
I become increasingly bewildered, incredulous and scared by the direction our once great nation is going under the leadership of George W. Bush and his Congress. What has finally propelled me to write is the tragic case of Terri Schiavo. Finally, a Florida judge ruled that her feeding… Read More
A new group called the Coalition for Health Care Access and Liability Reform wants to take away our constitutional rights and ignore the medical injuries and deaths occurring in Maine. This is the latest tort reform effort targeting the wrong people, victims of medical malpractice, instead of those… Read More
If you are a taxpayer like me – or if you simply own a kayak – you may feel a little confused and a bit fearful about the upcoming legislative floor debate on Maine’s vision for the next two years, also know as the “Budget Bill.” With 560… Read More
AUGUSTA – State government should consider the economic impact of new environmental laws, but not to the level of detail that they cripple those laws’ intentions, members of the Joint Standing Committee on Natural Resources said Tuesday, rejecting two bills calling for precise analyses. Consideration… Read More
PORTLAND – The Maine Supreme Judicial Court will consider today whether the Maine Sea Coast Missionary Society is exempt from paying unemployment benefits because its goals and mission are based in religion or whether its mostly secular charitable activities require it to pay the benefits. Read More
BANGOR – The Bangor Theological Seminary’s proposed move across town to Husson College poses some interesting challenges, for both seminary and municipal officials. The seminary, which has occupied a site close to the city’s downtown for the last 190 years, is considering the move as… Read More
BELFAST – The former owners of the Bluenose Inn in Bar Harbor bought two downtown properties from the troubled National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped at foreclosure auction Tuesday and said they want to convert them into a 22-room hotel and restaurant. Ed and Judy… Read More
AUGUSTA – Regardless of how many miles from the sea you live, water affects your life. Global cycles link oceans, streams, even the puddles of melting snow in your driveway, into one massive, fantastically complex system that amazes scientists and bewilders policy-makers. As understanding of… Read More
Even the most fastidious housekeepers are likely to be breathing in a frightening cocktail of harmful chemicals, according to a new report released Tuesday by a coalition of environmental and public health groups nationwide. Substances such as flame retardants, pesticides and components of Teflon and… Read More
ROCKPORT – In J.D. Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye,” teen protagonist Holden Caulfield imagines his place in life as standing in a field of rye, catching playing children before they fall off a nearby cliff. The reader comes to see Holden’s vision as… Read More
BANGOR – Congregation Beth El will celebrate Purim beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at 183 French Street. A children’s fair will feature Ziggy the Clown and games and entertainment for children of all ages, and will be followed by a dramatization of “The… Read More
LINCOLN – A free developmental screening for area 3-, 4- and 5-year-old children not in kindergarten will be held 8-9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 6, at the Ella P. Burr Elementary School. The screening, which will check a child’s overall development, is co-sponsored by the SAD… Read More
ABBOT – A six-year winter road maintenance contract was approved Monday by residents at the annual town meeting. The lengthy contract is a departure from past practice when three-year contracts were the norm. Farrin Bros. and Smith Inc., the town’s contractor, offered to do the… Read More
BANGOR – An environmental cleanup is under way at a former chroming facility on Perkins Street. Roughly half an acre, the former Cobb’s Custom Chroming site at 37-41 Perkins St. includes a two-story cinder block facility and a garage. Owned by Cobb’s Auto Body Inc.,… Read More
BANGOR – If the City Council votes to merge its dispatch services with the Penobscot Regional Communications Center, efforts should be made to prevent Bangor’s dispatchers from losing their jobs, Penobscot County commissioners said Tuesday. “I don’t want to see Bangor dispatchers laid off,” Commissioner… Read More
EDDINGTON – The vote was close, with five hands in the air making the difference, but residents authorized the sale of alcohol seven days a week at licensed businesses during Tuesday’s annual town meeting. While the State Liquor Commission issues liquor licenses for consumption of… Read More
EASTPORT – A ship that belongs to the Washington-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society may have hit an iceberg and is now in port for repairs. The ship is tied up at the city’s downtown breakwater and is expected to leave Friday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
SULLIVAN – A new funding mechanism for education will make the budget process more complicated than usual this year, and Union 96 Superintendent Donald A. LaPlante hopes to explain during an informational meeting this week how some of those changes will affect residents. “Everything is… Read More
SEARSPORT – Police Chief James Gillway will serve as interim town manager when Sandra Blake leaves the post at the end of April. In a meeting with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Blake said selectmen voted to name Gillway to the position at a meeting Monday night. Read More
LUBEC – Town residents are miffed about drug use in town, and they want to face the problem head-on. Several concerned citizens, including the five selectmen, are eager for more people to get involved. They have called for a public meeting at 6 tonight at… Read More
ELLSWORTH – City officials are going to begin looking for possible sites for a new wastewater treatment facility. Saying that the current facility seems to have reached its capacity, City Council members on Tuesday voted unanimously to begin the preliminary work associated with finding a… Read More
ROCKLAND – Area business leaders got the rundown Tuesday on business big and small coming to Camden Street – and what’s in store for summer traffic. Applebee’s, Quiznos Subs, Tim Hortons, Arby’s and perhaps Old Navy are some of the national chains trying to get… Read More
Allagash Roy Gardner, first selectman, and Joel Jackson, second selectman, were re-elected to their positions at the annual elections March 18. Frank McBreairty was elected third selectman with 57 votes, over Clayton McBreairty with 38 votes. Nola Begin was re-elected town clerk and treasurer with… Read More
LITTLETON – There were no bumps in the way of progress at the annual town meetings in Littleton and neighboring Monticello on Monday evening, as residents quickly approved municipal budgets and elected representatives to fill several municipal positions. “Our meeting went very smoothly,” Littleton Town… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – The Northern Maine Regional Airport is moving closer to securing a heated space for corporate aircraft after city councilors at their Monday night meeting awarded a construction contract for a specially designed hangar. The council awarded the contract to Cyr Construction Co. Read More
HOULTON – Although they did not solidify a plan to bring more economic development to the area, town councilors agreed at a special work session Monday evening that they are going to need assistance from the entire community to make it happen. The sentiment was… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – The stakes are high at this year’s competition bowl for electrical program students at Northern Maine Community College as they contend this week for honors. Students are vying for a mentorship-internship at Maine Public Service Co. in Presque Isle and for one… Read More
HOULTON – Town councilors know that there are no easy answers and no quick solutions, but the group gathered at a special meeting Monday evening to start mixing a theoretical elixir they hope will mend the town’s ailing economy Five councilors gathered for the informal… Read More
FORT KENT – A Fort Kent man was arrested by officers of the Fort Kent Police Department Monday on charges of unlawful sexual contact. David R. Jandreau, 51, of 900 South Perley Brook Road was arrested on a warrant held by the Maine State Police. Read More
The following divorces were granted in 1st District Court in February by Judge Ronald A. Daigle on grounds of irreconcilable differences. Mark A. Farr, Ashland, and Jennifer L. Farr, Washburn, married in Rochester, N.H., June 11, 2001; two children live with the mother. Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – Councilors continue to move forward with a “parallel path” in considering their options for the reuse of Cunningham Middle School as they wait for more details on both the proposed city use of the building and the sale of the Third Street property. Read More
BREWER – A $15,000 Community Development Block Grant from the state to be used as planning funds to refurbish the defunct Eastern Fine Paper Co. mill site has been doubled by Minnesota-based developer Michael Stern. The city accepted the grant funding – which comes from… Read More
HAMPDEN – Deputy Public Safety Chief Mike Andersen likes the heat. He’s been fighting fires for more than 30 years, and now he’s retiring and moving to Florida. “It’s been an excellent place to work,” Andersen said Tuesday. “The town has got a growing and… Read More
BANGOR – Police and drug agents raided two apartments on Third Street late Monday night, arresting three people and summoning a fourth, all on drug charges. Acting on search warrants, authorities recovered prescription medications, cocaine and drug paraphernalia from the two apartments at 97 Third… Read More
Atkinson About 40 residents approved the annual town meeting warrant as proposed Monday after making only one funding change. 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;… Read More
LEE – Residents elected a new selectmen, passed a $243,938 municipal budget and reaffirmed their incumbent SAD 30 representatives Monday night during their annual town meeting. Newcomer Kirk Ritchie defeated Selectman Robert House 84-56, to assume his first political office, Town Clerk Nancy Noyes said. Read More
GUILFORD – Residents narrowly approved a yard sale and flea market ordinance Monday after more than 30 minutes of discussion at the annual town meeting. The ordinance, which will require permits to hold yard sales and flea markets, was approved by a written vote of… Read More
ORONO – A local developer is seeking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ permission to place fill material in wetlands in order to create an access road. Sunset Development Inc. is proposing to fill approximately 20,226 square feet of freshwater wetlands in conjunction with construction… Read More
DEXTER – A man who accomplished much in the seven years he served as town manager tendered his resignation this week. Robert Simpson, 59, is leaving his post in late April to begin a new job May 1 as town manager of Wrightville, N.C. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
LINCOLN – With more than two-thirds of its fund-raising goal reached, a committee looking to build a new veterans memorial in town may have the job done by Veterans Day, members said Tuesday. “We’re getting closer,” committee member Darrell Savage said Tuesday. “We’ve come a… Read More
ELLSWORTH – Because of its location and its relationship with local businesses, the Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce will serve as a liaison among the city, state and area merchants once the construction project to widen High Street gets under way. Road work for the $3.8… Read More
HOULTON – Trepidation about a portion of recently passed legislation that is purported to provide immediate property tax relief to Mainers is striking fear in the hearts of town councilors. The subject of LD 1 has come up at several meetings over the past few… Read More
BELFAST – The charter vessel owners denied a concession at the city docks have appealed the decision to the harbor advisory committee. City Manager Terry St. Peter said Tuesday the appeal of Martha Hills and Donald DePoy of Get Away From it All Sailing Adventures,… Read More
BROOKSVILLE – In the wake of a decision last week by the Board of Environmental Protection, selectmen will seek another permit to install a public boat ramp at Indian Bar on Smith Cove in the Holbrook Island Sanctuary. Selectman John Gray said Tuesday the board… Read More
MACHIAS – Main Street lost a landmark Tuesday when a bulldozer brought down the historic building known locally as the Emporium. By razing the old wooden structure, the Machias Savings Bank took the first step in its plans to build offices and a training center… Read More
TREMONT – The chances of another town providing police protection this summer to this Mount Desert Island community seem to have shrunk to zero. David Chapais, the police chief in neighboring Southwest Harbor, had been working on a proposal by which his department would provide… Read More
ROCKLAND – A Camden woman was rushed to a Bangor hospital after a head-on crash Tuesday on Old County Road. Kassandra Madore, 19, was flown to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, according to a Penobscot Bay Medical Center spokeswoman. A spokesman for the Bangor… Read More
PORTLAND – Concerned that the sale of Fox Islands could limit access to the abutting coastal state park, conservation officials in Maine have begun an effort to acquire the 5.3 acres on which the islands stand. Home to a 45-foot mound of rock that affords… Read More
Hampden Police Department Cpl. Chris Bailey has announced that the HPD and Old Town Police Department are conducting a simultaneous Pharmaceutical Drug Collection Program. The public safety event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, March 25, at two locations: Graves Supermarket… Read More
AUGUSTA – The use of explosives in Maine has nearly tripled over the last decade, a shift that points to the depletion of easily developed land in a state where stone often lies right beneath the soil. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Maine’s consumption… Read More
AUGUSTA – Gathered around a table at the Maine Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday morning, state and federal veterinarians, the state’s Emergency Response Team and officials from the Maine Department of Agriculture heard the bad news. As part of a mock exercise, they were informed… Read More
AUGUSTA – From crisp apples offered by Maine’s orchards to icy sliced salmon from the state’s aquaculture industry and spinach wraps made by Maine’s organic gardeners, Agriculture Day at the State House, celebrated Tuesday, clearly illustrated the diversity of the industry. Legislators and staff were… Read More
ROCKPORT – The second annual Spring by the Sea Fine Arts & Crafts Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at the Samoset Resort. More than 60 craftspeople, artists and artisans will display and sell Maine-made handcrafted items, including… Read More
EAST MACHIAS – With considerable reluctance and after discussing the state attorney general’s advice, the directors of School Administrative District 77 verified East Machias’ vote to withdraw from the district Tuesday. East Machias residents voted 311-22 on Monday in favor of withdrawing and forming their… Read More
Stanley R. Liberty, the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Bradley University in Illinois, on Monday was named the president of Kettering University. Liberty, a Maine native, will become the Flint school’s sixth president when he succeeds James E.A. John on July 1. He has been… Read More
Maine’s legal community joined social service groups Tuesday to ask lawmakers to help put money toward aid organizations that assist the state’s low-income residents with legal work. “No one should be denied justice for lack of money,” said Meris Bickford, president of the Maine Bar Foundation, which made… Read More
Maine’s aquaculture industry will gather April 7 for an all-day discussion of farmed-fish disease at the Washington Community College Marine Technology Center. Topics will include new research into hemorrhagic smolt syndrome and invasive salmon anemia, as well as how U.S. and Canadian agricultural agencies have responded to outbreaks. Read More
Scientists and advocates will share their experiences sustaining Maine waterways at a stream and river summit scheduled for 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, April 8, at the University of Maine’s Hutchinson Center. Aram Calhoun, a professor of wetlands ecology at the University of Maine, will serve as keynote speaker,… Read More
AUBURN – Two Lewiston men who accused each other of running an elderly man over with his own car are both going to prison. Jurors in Androscoggin County Superior Court deliberated a day and a half before finding both Shaun Tuttle and David Lakin guilty… Read More
AUBURN – Firefighters from Auburn and surrounding municipalities battled a raging fire late Tuesday night at a downtown apartment building. The fire was reported at about 8:30 p.m. in a multistory building at the corner of Main and Newbury streets near the Androscoggin River. The… Read More
BANGOR – An Ellsworth man pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court to buying a gun for an ex-convict who was forbidden from owning a firearm. Travis Sawyer, 25, was released on his own recognizance after pleading guilty and waiving indictment to a federal charge… Read More
ORONO – The student chapter of the Society of American Foresters, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Forest Service, is presenting, “The Greatest Good: A Forest Service Centennial Film,” beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, at 100 Nutting Hall on the University of Maine… Read More
For years, the Brits have been a source of American TV programming ideas, as long ago as “All in the Family” and “Sanford and Son” and as recently as “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and “Trading Spaces.” Then came the much ballyhooed crossing of… Read More
It’s good to reach the mountaintop, especially if the climb has taken 30 years. James King, who will play at 7:30 tonight at the Union Street Brick Church in Bangor, has been called “the king of mountain soul,” a title he relishes. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
At the beginning of a cooking class last week in an upstairs room at The Market Basket in Rockport, Nancy Harmon Jenkins spread her arms wide, like an Italian mother in a movie, and welcomed a dozen or so food enthusiasts to her cooking class. “There’s almond cake… Read More
“What’s for Supper?,” a listing of public suppers and other benefit meals, appears every Wednesday in the Style section. The listings are free and must be received 10 days before the Wednesday publication date. Listings must include: name of event, location, street address, town, contact telephone number, date,… Read More
Easter feast Be sure not to fill up on jelly beans and chocolate bunnies – chef Roger Gelis of Opus will prepare a five-course Easter dinner, including roasted duckling, leg of lamb and prime rib. Dinner will be served from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday,… Read More
It has been an exciting past several days for the McCue family in Hampden. Last week, 22-year-old Jesse McCue was competing for Palm Beach Atlantic University in the National Christian College Athletic Association Division I national tournament in Frankfort, Ky. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
ORONO – After five hours of comparing notes, huddling over strategies and designing action plans, the 12 Maine school districts that are pilot sites for the University of Maine’s federally funded interscholastic sports initiative emerged from Tuesday’s orientation meeting with their marching orders. First on… Read More
Save your sympathy. Is it fair for the University of Maine hockey team to have to play an NCAA Tournament game on the home ice of its opponent like it will on Saturday afternoon against the University of Minnesota? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Mark Socoby’s transition from Class C to the large-school ranks proved to be a smooth one, as evidenced by his selection as 2005 Big East Conference Class A boys basketball player of the year. Socoby, a junior forward who transferred to Bangor after helping Houlton… Read More
PHOENIX – Adam Craig of Corinth maintained his ranking among the top competitors in the National Off-Road Biking Association after NORBA held its second meet of the season last weekend at McDowell Mountain Park. Canadian Olympian Geoff Kabush swept the men’s time trial, short-track cross… Read More
UNITY – There will be a public hearing tonight at 7:30 in the community center to discuss proposed town regulations governing operations at Unity Raceway. Discussions will surround a proposal by the Unity Board of Selectmen that seeks to regulate several aspects of the auto… Read More
COLLEGE Patrick Walsh 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
ORONO – The University of Maine men’s ice hockey NCAA Tournament game against the Minnesota on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU, which an be seen on DirecTV channel 609. The Adelphia cable system will broadcast the game on Channel 12… Read More
PORTLAND – With spring here and baseball season drawing closer, the field where the Portland Sea Dogs play has been buried by the winter’s snow. But down the street, Deering Oaks Park didn’t have quite enough snow for a cross-country ski event scheduled for Wednesday. Read More
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Amanda Roehn gave up only two hits and two walks while striking out five to lead Colby College of Waterville to a 1-0 softball victory against Lawrence University (Wis.) Tuesday. Colby also took a 7-4 win against Plymouth State College (N.H.)… Read More
OLD TOWN – Monica Selander of Caribou scored 26 points Tuesday to lead the Class B girls team to an 81-58 victory over Class A in the Big East Conference Senior All-Star game at Old Town High School’s MacKenzie Gym. Mindy Morneault of Fort Kent,… Read More
FORT MYERS, Fla. – In an effort to improve their future, the Boston Red Sox ownership group has reached out to some helping hands from the past. It doesn’t seem to matter that many of Boston’s current crop of young, unproven rookies who will toil… Read More