PORTLAND – A Cumberland County Superior Court judge on Friday ordered Caribou truck driver Scott Hewitt to remain in jail without bail. Hewitt has been held in the Aroostook County Jail since his arrest in Presque Isle last Saturday for driving on a suspended license… Read More
TRENTON – The World War II bomber parked Friday afternoon on the tarmac of Bar Harbor Airport looked newer than its years, with shiny metal wings and a sassy picture of Betty Grable painted on its side. Wayne Dennison of Ellsworth, another veteran of the… Read More
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department is siding with the Pentagon in a dispute with some states, concluding that governors’ consent is not needed for the military to move Air National Guard units. The Pentagon’s proposal to close or reduce about 30 Air Guard units has… Read More
The sun had a baking-bright glare and a dry wind blew incessantly across the flight line at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas. Heat radiated from the squat wings of the C-130 transport planes and the gentler sloping curves of the B-1B bombers arrayed on the tarmac. Read More
He was a world away, but Michael Leslie Severance never forgot Maine. For six years, several times a week, Michael, 24, telephoned his father from Texas. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
A story in Friday’s State section on the commemoration of the end of World War II set for Sept. 2 at the Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor should have stated that public admission to the museum will be free one hour that day, 4-5 p.m., and that… Read More
CONCORD, N.H. – A New Hampshire member of the Republican National Committee said she has misgivings about the committee’s role in defending a GOP operative accused of conspiring to suppress Democratic votes in the 2002 election. Nancy Merrill of Lebanon noted that national party Chairman… Read More
WASHINGTON – The thousands of Americans who take the acne drug Accutane – and people who prescribe and dispense it – must enroll in a national registry, part of a major government program to tighten access to the medicine that causes birth defects. The Food… Read More
Drawn from interviews, depositions and official records, this is an accounting of key dates and incidents in the life and murder of Michael Leslie Severance, the criminal case against Wendi Mae Severance. Sept. 28, 1998: Michael begins Air Force active duty googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
DAY 1 SATURDAY, AUGUST 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++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
When it comes to changing diapers, Les Severance is an old pro. After all, he helped raise two sons and regularly cares for his infant stepgrandson, so taking care of 11-month-old Shane was just like old times. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
Shortly after Michael Leslie Severance disappeared on Jan. 15, as Michael’s father was angrily pushing Texas police to treat the matter as more than just a missing persons case, Special Agent Greg McCormick made a promise. “He told me, ‘I will find your son,'” Leslie… Read More
The story on the die-in in Bangor last week was, um, interesting. Though the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were certainly terrible in death and injury, I might remind those who participated that hindsight is 20/20. What’s next? Are we going to have a die-in… Read More
Nearly 1,000 new houses and two resorts, as Plum Creek Timber Co. allows for in a rezoning request for more than 400,000 acres it owns, would naturally add money to the Moosehead Lake area economy. To get that economic benefit – and Maine has long grappled with ways… Read More
Nearly 15 million Americans pay $300 million a year for pills, drops and lozenges made from the purple cornflower, echinacea, which looks something like the black-eyed susan. Western Indians used it a century ago for cough, hydrophobia and snakebite. Germans took it up, and it spread to the… Read More
An editorial in the Wednesday edition of the Bangor Daily News (“A Time for Diplomacy”) suggested Iran already had a nuclear-weapons program. The editorial should have stated Iran is believed to be working toward such a program. Read More
With the exception of a few new bricks to walk on and some pillars at the entrance, little evidence exists of our alleged waterfront redevelopment. Current plans call for condominiums to be a big part of the project. I would urge city planners to reconsider this plan. I… Read More
Since moving to Dover- Foxcroft, I have been surprised by the low voter turnout on election day. I am even more surprised at the less than 1 percent of voters who attended the annual town meeting to vote for the budget. In talking to residents… Read More
It was very troubling to see Daniel J. Bernier’s op-ed, “How to lower Maine’s high health insurance rates?” (BDN, Aug. 3), not only because it was filled with inaccuracies (which it was) but also because the Bangor Daily News identified Bernier as simply a “Waterville attorney.”… Read More
The Aug. 8 editorial cartoon angered me. It depicted an average American giving thought to the negative facets of our society as if to explain the hate directed toward us by radical Islam. Much was left out of this cartoon. They also hate us because… Read More
Most of us regret the picture on our driver’s license, a fuzzy photo that makes us look like some poorly assembled version of ourselves. But imagine how much worse that shot looks for those who first had to wait six hours and burn up half a day’s work… Read More
When political correctness runs amok it can create a situation so ludicrous that even its adherents must be hard-pressed to suppress a derisive laugh. Such was the case last weekend, when the National Collegiate Athletic Association – the ruling body of college athletics – announced… Read More
PITTSFIELD – Five years ago, Elissa Turner, then 35, a petite woman from Benton, was hired as a construction worker. Her background? Helping on her dad’s lobster boat, working a factory line in Fairfield, cleaning houses and raising her children. The increasing need for skilled… Read More
BANGOR – A Bangor attorney has filed the first class-action lawsuit in the state seeking reimbursement for residents who may have purchased computers and other electronic devices during the time manufacturers of computer chips have admitted fixing prices. Several of the 14 companies named in… Read More
A couple from Farmington has purchased The Lucerne Inn for an undisclosed sum. Steve and Rhonda Jones of Farmington bought the historic property from Bion Foster of Hampden. Steve Jones has operated convenience stores and a catering business in the Farmington area, and Rhonda Jones… Read More
PORTLAND – Ridership is up on the Downeaster passenger train that runs between Portland and Boston, and rail officials attribute the rise to faster travel times and rising gasoline prices. The number of riders was up 8 percent in May over the same month in… Read More
For the baby-boom generation, decorating a college dormitory room in the 1960s and ’70s was a fairly simple procedure. You threw up a poster of some rock star, such as Jimi Hendrix, on one bare beige wall and used a black light to give it… Read More
FORT KENT – The Furbish lousewort, a small member of the snapdragon family that grows only along the St. John River and the plant that in 1986 helped bring down the billion-dollar Dickey-Lincoln hydroelectric project in northern Maine, still has a safe haven in the Endangered Species Act. Read More
LIMESTONE – The buzz of hydraulic wrenches and clatter of tools fill a cavernous room as workers restore worn-out military Humvees at the former Loring Air Force Base. Even during break time, a few mechanics keep on buzzing away. Those mechanics hustling to meet their… Read More
BANGOR – A French citizen who entered the country illegally at the Coburn Gore border crossing was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court to 13 days in jail or time served and ordered to leave the United States. She faced up to two years in… Read More
BANGOR – Almost 10 years after adopting the Maine Learning Results, the state is giving the academic standards a makeover. The goal is to address the future needs of children who haven’t even entered school yet, said Anita Bernhardt, an educator working with the Maine… Read More
CALAIS – Maine’s teachers need to prepare themselves to help students learn about the state’s American Indians. That’s what more than a dozen teachers and teachers-in-training have learned since Sunday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
PITTSFIELD – Town councilors plan to take action Tuesday night on two outstanding revolving loans that total almost $90,000. The first loan, generated in 1997, originally was for $52,000 to Pets N’ Things, a Route 2 pet store that also operated as an animal shelter. Read More
ORRINGTON – A blaze has been lighted under Fire Chief Mike Spencer’s feet to create a completely new municipal fire and rescue department within the next month or so, and he’s handling the hot situation by extinguishing each issue that flares up one at a time. Read More
Pittsfield police are looking for some thinly built burglars. Police Chief Steven Emery said several burglars squeezed through a very small cellar window around 3 a.m. Thursday and entered Pittsfield Redemption Center on North Main Street. “They spent a considerable amount of time in there,” Emery said Friday. Read More
BANGOR – Police charged a transient man with unlawful sexual contact Thursday after it was reported he improperly touched a teenage boy who was sitting in a park near the public library. The distraught 15-year-old who was visibly shaking told police shortly after 1 p.m. Read More
A recently signed contract with the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department extends law enforcement coverage of the town for another year. The agreement, signed Tuesday by the Penobscot County commissioners, will cost the town $56,579.37 for 40 hours of police coverage a week. The one-year contract, which will automatically… Read More
ELLSWORTH – City officials and local business owners are considering a joint purchase of prime property along the Union River waterfront. City Council members on Monday will discuss a proposal by area merchants to secure a one-year option to buy two acres on Water Street… Read More
The town will advertise for proposals for reuses of the former Dean & Eugley garage property on Route 52 in Lincolnville Center. The town seized the property in 2002 when its owner failed to pay property taxes. Town Administrator David Kinney has compiled a 20-page packet of information… Read More
A pickup truck that caught fire apparently drove itself into a garage while its driver summoned the fire department. Belfast Fire Chief Jim Richards said that at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday Robert Bishop drove into the driveway of his Route 3 home near the Belmont town line and… Read More
For the second night in a row, two woman officers from neighboring departments collaborated in apprehending a burglary suspect. At about 3:45 a.m. Friday, a Limerock Street resident reported an intruder in his home. The resident got up to investigate a noise and came face-to-face with the intruder,… Read More
Knox County commissioners have offered the new post of county administrator to Jane Desaulniers, a former aide to Sen. Olympia Snowe. Commissioners will meet in closed session with Desaulniers on Tuesday to negotiate a compensation package, County Clerk Virginia Lindsey said Friday. In May, commissioners set the pay… Read More
ELLSWORTH – A 50-year-old local man has been ordered to serve 27 months in prison for possessing tools and other items stolen from area construction sites. Wayne E. Hinckley was found guilty by a Hancock County Superior Court jury last week on three charges of… Read More
HOULTON – Residents who are serving on a group that will advise the Town Council on a contentious ATV issue should be ready to address panelists in the near future. The ATV committee was formed last month to identify concerns and answer questions raised by… Read More
MADAWASKA – A recently formed camp owners association is working to recruit members from the 250 camp owners along the Madawaska shore of Long Lake to take up a myriad of projects. Maurice Collin, a Michigan resident who purchased a camp at Long Lake four… Read More
HOULTON – After years of putting money into vehicle and equipment needs, Town Manager Douglas Hazlett told town councilors earlier this week that officials should sink more tax dollars into improving municipal property. The proposal was just one suggestion that was put forth in the… Read More
CARIBOU – Mark Goughan has created a 280-by-280-foot moose maze in a 6-acre cornfield at Goughan’s Farm on Route 161, a tourism experiment that will be open to the public for two months, starting the first weekend in September. The former potato grower turned agritourism… Read More
HOULTON – Market Square will be transformed into an outdoor art gallery next month when officials unveil some downtown decorations that were entirely kid-created. Local artist Kim Forrest said Friday she is spearheading a project that has area youth creating banners that will hang from… Read More
Caribou District Court Cases July 1-31, 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
Kenny is a handsome boy who likes to please those around him. He enjoys biking, camping, swimming, ice skating and doing family activities. Kenny likes to play and create with his Lego blocks and is learning to play ice hockey. Kenny, 10, and his brother… Read More
A concerned driver followed an erratically operated vehicle Thursday night from Veazie to State Street in Bangor and reported it to police on his cell phone. Police arrested a Bangor man and charged him with operating under the influence of intoxicants and operating after suspension. Read More
LEVANT – Against the wishes of some, the Board of Selectmen voted this week to pay a bill of nearly $1,100 for fill spread on the town office lawn, even though the town manager said he didn’t authorize the project. The bill for $1,092 for… Read More
Nomination packets for those interested in running for Brewer City Council, the Brewer School Committee or High School trustees are available at City Hall, Arthur Verow, city clerk, announced Wednesday. “One person has already picked up a packet” to run for City Council, he said. Potential candidates will… Read More
HAMPDEN – A plan to reconstruct and pave 11 of the town’s gravel roads is on the Town Council’s meeting agenda for Monday, Aug. 15, in preparation for a November referendum vote on the issue. Voters will decide whether to approve an ordinance authorizing the… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – A local man whose two dogs were shot and killed after they attacked a neighbor’s chickens was fined $100 for allowing his dogs to be at large. Bertrand Smith, 53, appeared Monday in 13th District Court. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
BANGOR – The following are city meetings and other activities for the week beginning Monday. All will be held in City Council chambers at City Hall unless otherwise indicated. . Monday, 5 p.m., City Council finance committee meeting, agenda includes proposed council order appropriating passenger… Read More
PITTSFIELD – Students arriving at Maine Central Institute this fall will not just find new classes, new teachers and new programs, they will likely find an educational partner. An advocate program is being initiated that will partner each student with a staff member – 12… Read More
ST. ANDREWS, New Brunswick – Everybody is talking about the Aug. 22 public meeting in St. Andrews – at the hockey arena that seats 1,000 people – to discuss the impact of proposed liquefied natural gas projects on Passamaquoddy Bay. Everybody, that is, except Quoddy… Read More
ELLSWORTH – A kindergarten teacher from Bangor who developed Montessori programs in that city has been chosen as the next principal of the Knowlton School. Amy Peterson-Roper replaces Roland Shaw, whose retirement will be official at the end of this month. The school committee approved… Read More
CALAIS – The Calais Free Library has been selected by the Maine Humanities Council to offer a free reading and discussion group entitled “The Mirror of Maine: The Maine Community in Myth and Reality,” beginning at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 12, at the library. For information, or… Read More
DENNYSVILLE – The fifth annual Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Walk for Wishes will begin at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15 at the Congregational Church. There will be food and entertainment for the participants at 5 p.m. and the walk will proceed at 6 p.m. Read More
MACHIAS – The Sunrise County Republican Women’s group will hold its monthly meeting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Blue Bird Ranch restaurant. Read More
ADDISON – Bonnie Vasil will take her oath of office to become the new Postmaster at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19, at the town hall. As postmaster, Vasil will be responsible for four employees who handle the mail for the 193 post office box holders and 466… Read More
EASTPORT – The Quoddy Bay Flotilla 103 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will hold an open house in conjunction with the Coast Guard from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13, at the new Eastport Coast Guard Station. The public is encouraged to attend and… Read More
MADAWASKA – The Horizons Madawaska Family Health Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Madawaska Elementary School. There will be workshops on women’s health, childhood obesity, cardiac health, asthma, grief and healthy aging. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
HAMPDEN – The number of people calling Pine Tree Landfill’s odor complaint hot line in recent months is on the rise, a spike that one landfill official attributes to hot, humid weather and the company’s recently filed application to boost capacity. The landfill received 15… Read More
WASHINGTON – Maine has been awarded two grants totaling more than $20 million under the U.S. Department of Education’s GEAR UP program, according to Rep. Michael H. Michaud. The Maine Department of Education will get $3,100,112 each year over the next six years, totaling $18,600,672,… Read More
Hear, ye! Hear, ye! Come one, come all and be part of the Newport Cultural Center Capital campaign “Ground Staking” at 1:45 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15, between 152 and 158 Main St. in Newport. Alicia Nichols, director of the capital campaign for the Newport Cultural… Read More
BAR HARBOR – The people responsible for founding Acadia National Park more than 100 years ago will be feted today. Local officials said that appreciation of their foresight is on the agenda, along with speeches, lemonade and cake. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
ORONO – Out with the red and in with the blue. The University of Maine’s Hauck Auditorium is getting a makeover for the first time since it was built more than 40 years ago. A fresh coat of bluish-purple paint, much-needed new seats and carpeting… Read More
BINGHAM – A 19-year-old man was charged Friday with manslaughter in the death of a 48-year-old man outside a Bingham bar last weekend. Maine State Police arrested Dusty Pinkham in the death of Blaine Beane, who also lived in Bingham. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
PORTLAND – Three young men were arraigned Friday on manslaughter charges stemming from the fatal beating of a Westbrook man outside a tavern. Wade DePalma, 19, and Nicholas Lavigne, 19, both of Westbrook, and Alexander Layug, 18, of Portland entered no pleas during their appearance… Read More
PORTLAND – The Maine Supreme Judicial court on Friday rejected a Fairfield man’s appeal of his conviction for the shotgun slaying of his ex-wife in May 2003. Gregory Warmke was convicted last year of murdering Leslie Bullock about a year after their divorce. He was… Read More
AUGUSTA – People applying for a property tax or rent refund may not be getting the money they’re due because of a glitch with the application. Confusing instructions on the two-page Tax and Rent Refund Application could lead applicants to report more income than they… Read More
They say that there are three Christian hymns which, if sung loudly, daily and with sufficient fervor, will virtually guarantee one’s physical health, emotional well-being and spiritual blessing. Unfortunately, no one has yet discovered what those three hymns are. The Bible does make it clear… Read More
WATERVILLE – Just a few years out of college, Nathan March was earning more than $60,000 a year designing computer chips and living in a snappy apartment in Portland’s West End. March’s life has since done an about-face. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
The Rev. Mark Reinhardt was 31 before anybody asked if he’d ever considered the priesthood. The pastor of St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church in Rockland converted to Catholicism when he was in high school. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
A New Testament professor from General Theological Seminary in New York will speak at two Belfast churches this month. Deidre Good, author of “Mariam, the Magdalen, and the Mother,” will discuss “How We Read the Bible” during an adult class session at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Court and… Read More
Stephen J. Gunty will perform a concert of acoustic and classical guitar music at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, at St. Joseph Catholic Church at the corner of Main and High streets. Gunty, a Midwestern native, has been composing and performing original songs for about 30 years. In… Read More
The city’s Unitarian Universalist Society will mark its 10th anniversary with a special service at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 11. A decade ago the Unitarian Church on Union Street and the First Universalist Church on Park Street merged. The Unitarians’ building is now the Union Street Brick Church. Read More
When a Rhode Island congregation visited a Bangor church last weekend, former Toronto Blue Jay player Tony Fernandez was on hand to put on a clinic for area children at the East Side Little League Field. Fernandez (left) helped 9-year-old Sam Bolduc during Saturday’s clinic. Fernandez has set… Read More
NEW LONDON, N.H. – James Edward DeCourcy, longtime New England weekly newspaper editor known for his defense of civil liberties, bow ties, fastidious grammar and graceful writing, died Thursday in a New London nursing home. He was 93. A family member said he died of… Read More
The Van Buren and Madawaska soccer teams always play each other early in the fall – for Madawaska, the games against Van Buren are typically its first and last of the regular season – and the two St. John Valley schools have always been rivals. Read More
ORONO – When you really stop and think about it, offensive linemen have the most thankless, grubby, unheralded and under-appreciated role on a football team. “They don’t do a lot of fun things or natural things in practices and games. Practices for them are a… Read More
Getting a read on the field for the Senior League World Series isn’t an easy undertaking, especially given the fact that half of the field just punched its tickets to Mansfield Stadium in Bangor within the last 72 hours. But few upstarts emerged from the… Read More
PORTLAND – Rob Oppenheim is playing a lot of golf this year and it shows. The 25-year-old pro from Andover, Mass., playing a competitive round for the ninth straight day, shot a 9-under-par 63 Friday at Riverside Municipal Golf Course to take a one-stroke lead… Read More
HOLE-IN-ONE Bill Albrecht 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
Four years into hosting the Senior League World Series, Mike Brooker is relatively comfortable with what needs to be done get everything ready for a week of baseball featuring some of the top 15- and 16-year-old players in the world “Things have gone fairly smoothly… Read More
Viewers in Maine were ready for some football Friday night, but thanks to some recently revised television rights fees, Bangor television stations WVII (Channel 7) and WFVX (Ch. 22) were not. Officials at both Bangor stations and area New England Patriots fans were left feeling… Read More
EASTON – Jared Flewelling scored an unassisted goal with 4:51 left in the first half to lift the Easton Bears to a 1-0 schoolboy soccer win over Wisdom of St. Agatha in each team’s opener Friday. Jeremy Brock made 23 saves on 25 shots for… Read More
They are not out of the picture in the American League East, but the picture is a whole lot different for the Yankees than it’s been for a long time. With a pitching staff devastated by injuries and rocked with controversy, it is amazing the… Read More
What’s believed to be the first of its kind in the Maine harness racing fair circuit could be yet another significant stride toward the revitalization of Maine’s harness racing industry. Friday’s third race at Topsham Fair was certainly the first amateur series betting race this… Read More
ORONO – Former coach William Kenyon, and former Black Bear Jamie Cassidy head a list of six inductees for 2005 induction into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame. Kenyon served as head coach of the Maine baseball, football, and basketball teams prior to… Read More
Over the years I’ve gotten into the habit of packing a set of fishing clothes, a four-piece fly rod, and a moderate sized tackle bag when I travel. Often there’s no time to fish, but occasionally I’ve enjoyed some great casual casting action, and once in a great… Read More
Aside from a beautiful sunset paddle on Pushaw Lake Thursday evening, the past week or so has found me on hot and humid land. A great mini-family reunion in Milbridge and a few chores last weekend kept me high and dry. With all this sticky… Read More
Tiffany Tilton of Corinth and Tomi-Lee Plummer of Milbridge were among the competitors at last month’s 2005 National Barrel Horse Association Youth World Championships in Jackson, Miss. Katie Turcotte of Litchfield and Jocelyn Britton of Stow also participated in the competition, which drew almost 1,500… Read More
This next bird might fall into the “backyard bird” category -I f your backyard included a modest wetland, that is. I visited one such wetland in Orono. Located off the Witter Farm road, I remember this small marshy area as more of an extensive wet… Read More
The following reports are from Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife fisheries biologists. The complete reports are available at: www.state.me.us/ifw/ Aroostook County 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
MAINE/Events A sampling of things to do around the state before and after The American Folk Festival
. Aug. 18 Blueberry Festival, a small festival featuring nonprofit vendors selling jams, muffins, pies, gifts and crafts, with special entertainment for children, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Rangeley Inn Green, Main Street, Rangeley. Contact: Patty Kolva, Rangeley Boosters Club, 864-5599, (800) 685-2537, mtlakes@rangeley.org, and www.rangeleymaine.com. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
The story of Beth Boisvert’s and Orin Buetens’ move from Baltimore to Maine reads a little bit like “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” The Italianate home they toured in Bangor was big. Way too big. The remodeled farmhouse in Orono was the right size, but… Read More