ORONO – Removing Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip is an important step forward for peace, but without rebuilding the economy for the Palestinians, fears of instability and renewed violence remain, George Mitchell, former Senate majority leader turned peace broker, said Sunday. “By itself, it… Read More
    AUGUSTA – U.S. Department of Defense officials strongly defended their proposals to close or change the status of existing bases on Saturday at the last public hearing of the Base Realignment and Closure commission defending plans to close two facilities in Maine and downsize Brunswick Naval Air Station. Read More
    Betty Largay of Portland wrote a letter to COMBAT Consumer Forum, telling us that her doctor wanted her to lose weight. She told us that diabetes ran on both sides of her family, and this was a preventive measure for the future. Her doctor told her that she… Read More
    Given the many rumors and stories about the months and even years leading up to the Islamic terrorists’ attacks on 9/11, I am not surprised about the latest information revealed by Rep. Curt Weldon. That Lee Hamilton, co-chairman of the 9/11 Commission, is insisting on a thorough investigation… Read More
    I want to thank the government of the great state of Maine for offering its citizens a “choice” regarding the slot machine issue. I can be upset with state government, local city councils, town selectmen and school board members when they shirk their responsibility and… Read More
    Last Wednesday marked the final day of the planed Gaza withdrawal. Some see the event as another inconsequential political move among a backdrop of continued violence. This is more; the withdrawal is a direct concession by the Israeli government to the Palestinian people. Yet this… Read More
    In response to the letter, “Christian right wrong” (BDN, Aug 8), Jody Mullis can disagree that Christians are protected with the same rights as everyone else. The actions of our courts and the ACLU show differently. On June 8, the Huffington Post reported of students… Read More
    I disagree with a recent editorial that questioned if more taxpayer money should be spent on space exploration, “Beyond Discovery” (BDN, Aug. 11). I think it should be. World population is increasing. Already we are short of space for hunting, fishing, and other activities. We… Read More
    The average price of college textbooks has been rising at twice the rate of inflation over the last 20 years, something some students might not have noticed because their tuition and fee rates have been rising even faster. But a recent study by the Government Accountability Office on… Read More
    Meat producers and buyers are slowly moving away from the routine use of antibiotics on farms and in feedlots, a welcome change that should be helped by the passage of federal legislation to require the phase out the use of most of these drugs. Earlier… Read More
    As the story goes, in the years before and during World War II, Jews, seeking a refuge from persecution, began to resettle ancient Israel – a people in exile in a land without people. The Jewish Agency bought land, and hard work made scrub land bloom. Read More
    In the final days of its most recent term, the U.S. Supreme Court sent shock waves throughout the nation with a ruling that strikes at the heart of private property rights. In a 5-4 decision, the court in Kelo v. City of New London granted permission for a… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – With his eyes closed and brow furrowed, Adam Gray lunged into a yoga pose named for a fierce warrior. He stretched his arms beneath an orange cotton shirt and spread his feet across a green sticky mat. The bright hues were a sharp… Read More
    ORONO – From an early age, Sara Charette was instilled with the idea that going to college was important. Neither of her parents attended college, and they wanted better for her. “They told me to reach for the stars and keep on going,” Charette, 18,… Read More
    ROCKLAND – How many 16-year-old boys know the organizational and budgetary structures of area social service agencies? Danji Buck-Moore of Rockland does. 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
    BELFAST – State officials are expected to meet with representatives of Bank of America this week to discuss the financial institution’s pending purchase of credit-card lender MBNA. Bank of America’s purchase of MBNA for $35 billion, announced in June, is not expected to close until… Read More
    FORKSTOWN TOWNSHIP – Maine State Police are investigating a rash of break-ins that occurred recently in a rural township near Haynesville. Trooper Brian Harris said Saturday that the burglaries at the six camps were initially discovered Friday and Saturday, but most likely occurred concurrently sometime… Read More
    Lincoln District Court Cases June 8-22, 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]… Read More
    MEDWAY – An abandoned motor vehicle found ablaze Sunday off Grindstone Road near IP Road might have been an arson, firefighters said. The Crown Victoria sedan was fully involved when a dozen firefighters in an engine and a tanker truck arrived shortly after noon, Medway… Read More
    LINCOLN -Voters who earlier shot down SAD 67’s proposed budget will get a second chance on Tuesday to pass or fail the school administrative district’s $10.6 million plan. The $10.6 million vote was defeated July 12, but SAD 67 interim Superintendent Omar Norton recommended giving… Read More
    Lincoln District Court Cases June 22-July 6, 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 () { //… Read More
    LINNEUS – As any firefighter knows, the ability to get water quickly and then carry weighty backpacks of it over a great distance is crucial to snuffing out any major outdoor blaze. That fact was not lost on the Hotshots, an elite firefighting unit that… Read More
    HOULTON – Town councilors will decide during a public hearing tonight whether to transfer $300,000 from the town’s surplus account to lower the mill rate and offset taxation. Councilors made a motion to use the money two weeks ago, after most panelists said that they… Read More
    SHERMAN – Members of the Sherman Bandstand Improvement Committee received some financial news recently that was music to their ears. A $1,200 grant from the Maine Community Foundation will bolster the committee’s efforts to repair, upgrade and refurbish the area around the historic Sherman Bandstand. Read More
    HANCOCK – Maine State Police said speed was a factor in a motorcycle accident that injured a 21-year-old Coast Guardsman last week. Trooper Staci Smith said Joseph Irwin of Hancock was driving too fast on his motorcycle on Route 182 Wednesday night when he took… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – The Hancock County Planning Commission will sponsor a hazardous waste collection from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, at Ellsworth High School on State Street. Oil-based paint, used motor oil, pesticides, herbicides and photo chemicals will be accepted. Items containing mercury,… Read More
    NEWPORT – Arnold Shorey returned last week to Nokomis Regional High School, where he first began teaching Western civilization and math in 1989. This time, however, he is the principal. “I am excited,” he said last week. “I remember the students at Nokomis as hard… Read More
    Lincoln District Court Cases June 22 – July 6, 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 ()… Read More
    MILLINOCKET – Thanks to a shoulder injury and a busy family life, Police Chief Donald Bolduc hasn’t gotten in much golf this year, but he might swing a club a few times in the 16th annual D.A.R.E. Golf Tournament this year. The tournament’s goal: to… Read More
    A Bangor woman decided to take her 8-year-old son to a Saco amusement park Friday, but police said she was in no condition to make the trip. Bangor police stopped Carol W. Ross Friday afternoon after being tipped off that she was driving in the… Read More
    Late last week, I spoke with Kim McVicar of Calais, who is chairwoman of a benefit for a young single mother of two who is undergoing treatment for terminal liver cancer. Tanya Pressley is receiving treatments that she hopes will prolong her life, but has… Read More
    NEWBURYPORT, Mass. – An explosion at a construction site that left a father and son severely burned was an accident, according to the state fire marshal’s preliminary report. The workers were applying a flammable waterproof coating to a small basement area in a house under… Read More
    ACADIA NATIONAL PARK – A woman who fell about 15 feet after a pile of rocks gave way beneath her was in fair condition Sunday at a Bangor hospital. The accident occurred at about 4 p.m. Friday, when Brooke Boncher was climbing on the ledges… Read More
    HOLE-IN-ONE MATT ST. JOHN 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
    SNOWSHOE MOUNTAIN, W.Va. – Adam Craig of Corinth continued to challenge for the NORBA National Mountain Biking Series men’s pro cross country championship with a third-place finish on a muddy 8-mile course at this Appalachian Mountain resort over the weekend. Canadian Geoff Kabush earned his… Read More
    Rain again caused havoc at the race tracks across the state. The Saturday night races at Unity Raceway and Wiscasset Raceway were washed out as was Sunday’s Community 150 Pro All-Stars Series race at Hermon’s Speedway 95. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    FORT KENT – Lindsey Cyr scored an unassisted goal to propel the Fort Kent Warriors to a 2-0 schoolgirl soccer victory over the Caribou Vikings Friday. Nicole Chasse scored off a pass from Brittany Theriault for 1-1 Fort Kent. Kelsey Bouchard had seven saves on… Read More
    SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Kalen Pimentel smacked the first pitch from Westbrook, Maine, reliever Joey Royer over the center field fence for a grand slam in the fifth inning to lead Rancho Bueno Vista (2-0), the West winners, to a 7-3 victory Sunday in the Little League World… Read More
    CONTEMPORARY MAINE FICTION: AN ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT STORIES, edited by Wesley McNair, Down East Books, Camden, 2005, 295 pages, $25. Those of us fortunate enough to call Maine home may have sensed, in recent years, that a great deal of first-rate fiction was being written… Read More
    Is there anyone who hasn’t heard of Annie Oakley? I was introduced to her on a bubble gum card in the mid-1950s. I was smitten. Dale Evans certainly couldn’t hit the thin edge of a playing card at 30 paces. Annie Oakley was more than an actor; she… Read More
    In theaters RED EYE, directed by Wes Craven, written by Carl Ellsworth, 85 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++) { if… Read More