AUGUSTA – Opponents of slot machines in Maine have turned to former Gov. Angus King in search of leadership after correctly concluding that Gov. John Baldacci had no interest in repealing existing laws allowing limited casino gambling in the state. Fred Kilfoil of the Scarborough-based… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – More than an hour into a recent forum on the state’s new gay rights law, there had been no mention of Mike Heath or his Christian Civic League of Maine. “That’s great,” said Stan Moody, a state representative and Baptist minister from Manchester… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Some customers who see a handwritten sign at the counter of Broadway Variety in South Portland express shock when they learn that cigarette taxes are doubling from $1 to $2 per pack as of Monday, giving Maine one of the nation’s highest cigarette taxes. Read More
    AUGUSTA – An effort to block a cigarette tax increase due to take effect Monday and other portions of Maine’s state budget failed Friday when a deadline passed to submit petitions calling for a people’s veto vote. Stavros Mendros of Lewiston, a leader of the… Read More
    Below is a summary of the laws that take effect Saturday, Sept. 17: Fees 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… Read More
    BILOXI, Miss. – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins visited the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast on Friday and said the devastation goes beyond anything she could have imagined. The Maine Republican was one of 14 committee chairmen and ranking members viewing the damage by helicopter and on the… Read More
    The Maine Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross chapters in Maine are urging all Hurricane Katrina evacuees now in the state to contact the nearest Red Cross chapter if they haven’t already done so. “We have reason to believe that not all the… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Though Gulf Coast laboratory mice are among the tiniest victims of Hurricane Katrina, their genes might pack a big punch in the quest to find a cure for cancer and other deadly diseases. Officials at The Jackson Laboratory want to ensure that… Read More
    Although far from the physical ravages of Hurricane Katrina, many low-income residents of Maine and other northern states will face a cold winter without help from the federal government. The storm knocked out refineries, ports and oil rigs, driving up already high fuel prices. Heating oil prices are… Read More
    With more than $60 billion already approved and many more billions on the way to help reconstruct New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast, the nation will undertake, as the president said Thursday, “an unprecedented response to an unprecedented crisis.” Making sure that money is well… Read More
    Do you know what happens when people unite and cross faith, age, parish, gender, business and culture boundaries? When people make small sacrifices like missing out on sports, lunch hours, dinner dates or ignore the pain of aching feet, hands and heads? When people search their souls and… Read More
    With the latest passing of the no smoking law requiring voting in private clubs in Maine, I would like to know what our legislators were thinking. There’s a possibility this could lead to the demise of some private clubs. I have no problem with “majority… Read More
    I grew up in Maine. Since I was 4, my family has enjoyed summers in the wilderness of Moosehead Lake. Now I take my own children into the woods and have watched them revel in the unique experiences Moosehead can provide. I care deeply about… Read More
    This administration has failed the shrinking middle class and the poor miserably. In health care, prescription drugs, the environment – I can go on. In the short time President Bush and his oil cronies have been in power, gas, heating oil and propane prices have… Read More
    You’ve absorbed the calamity of Katrina and now you’re busily writing to Congress about the next disaster – perhaps response teams won’t be ready if terrorists get hold of radiological or chemical weapons, or the nation’s inadequate flood mapping will catch up with us or water-supply… Read More
    As someone who has served for a decade in leadership positions in the University of Maine System, I have seen first hand the impact of a nondiscrimination law. The system forbids discrimination on such grounds as race, religion, sex and national origin. It also forbids discrimination on the… Read More
    A half-century ago, the author Jacques Barzun penned the classic line about baseball and America: “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball, the rules and realities of the game – and do it by watching first some high school or small-town… Read More
    Go into any convenience store and classify their wares, and you’ll find a disturbing trend toward the addictive. Snack food, sex periodicals, tobacco and cheap beer are pretty much ubiquitous, as is caffeine, which many folks can’t start the day without. More daring proprietors display hard liquor in… Read More
    WASHINGTON – More than one-fourth of the nation’s Farm Service Agency offices would close under a plan being pushed by the federal Agriculture Department, according to an agency document obtained by The Associated Press. As outlined in the document, the department would shutter an estimated… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Striking a balance is the key to blending ecotourism with the existing activities and culture of Maine’s northern woods, participants in a panel discussion about the region’s economic future agreed Friday. Agreeing on how to strike that balance, however, is another matter… Read More
    PORTLAND – Ferry service between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, could resume as early as next spring under a proposal that is being negotiated by city officials and operators of a high-speed ferry service. If a deal can be worked out, the catamaran ferry known… Read More
    LITTLE ROCK – The prices of two-by-fours used to frame new homes have risen sharply in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and that will boost the cost of building new homes or making renovations to older ones. But building experts say prices should drop back… Read More
    ISTON – The mayor of Maine’s second-largest city predicted a major commercial development boom as a Rhode Island developer rolled out plans to open a big-box store on 40 acres near the turnpike. “We’re at the brink of an economic development explosion within the city… Read More
    People buying gasoline in the greater Bangor area got a bit of a break Friday when prices dropped to $2.69 a gallon at many stations. Irving, Exxon, Gulf, Exxon and Kev-Lan outlets, for example, were all selling for that price. Others were selling for $2.74 and $2.79. One… Read More
    Passengers on Amtrak’s Downeaster between Boston and Portland will be paying higher fares effective Tuesday. The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority said Friday that all one-way fares will increase by $1, while fares for 10-ride and monthly passes will go up 10 percent. Under the new fares,… Read More
    Edwin N. Clift, chairman and chief executive officer of Merrill Merchant Bancshares, the parent company of Merrill Bank, announced the company has declared a cash dividend of 16 cents per share on the company’s common stock for the third quarter of 2005. The dividend will be payable to… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A stone-faced prosecutor summoned reporters to the steps of the Kennebec County Superior Court Friday to announce a Caribou truck driver will not face a vehicular manslaughter charge stemming from the July 29 crash that killed a 40-year-old Scarborough woman. “I cannot [make]… Read More
    ORONO – With one large exception, the satellite photo taken at night of the eastern United States and shown Friday at the University of Maine was peppered with small white dots that identify development. That exception was an approximately million-acre swath of land in the… Read More
    For you parents who might have suspected that teen drivers tend to take far more risks and drive more dangerously when they have friends in the car, a new federal study shows that your hunch is probably correct. And for you teens who feel that… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – Until a solution is found to alleviate the overcrowded conditions in District Court, a local official wants the state to step up security. That need is not based on any situation that has occurred; rather, it is to prevent what could occur, Mike… Read More
    HERMON – Although there still is some fine-tuning to do, town officials are recording council meetings, with plans to eventually air them on cable television. “We’re not quite ready for the rebroadcast, but we’re getting close,” Hermon Town Manager Clint Deschene said this week. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    LIMESTONE – More than 500 Boy Scouts and adult Scout leaders are expected at a Katahdin Area Council camporee at the Loring Commerce Centre this weekend. The Scouts were expected to start arriving shortly after schools recessed Friday afternoon to set up camps on the… Read More
    Editor’s Note: The Bangor Daily News is rerunning this column as a family still is needed for this child. When it comes to the qualities he would like to have in an adoptive family, 9-year-old Troy is quite succinct. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Members of the Fraser Edmundston Golf Club received a consultant’s report Thursday night that calls for a $2.6 million face-lift of the 79-year-old 18-hole golf course. Graham Cooke and Associates Inc. of Beaconsfield, Quebec, reported that the city-owned course needs greens… Read More
    OLD TOWN – Although the official tally isn’t in, the amount of damage done by vandals last weekend at the West Old Town Landfill already has exceeded $30,000. In addition to slashing tires and breaking windows at the landfill, which is owned by the state… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE – The Odd Company, a comedy and juggling ensemble, will perform as part of Homecoming 2005 at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at the University of Maine at Presque Isle in Widen Auditorium. Tickets, available at the door, are $9 for the general public, $5 for… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE – Maine Public Broadcasting Network will profile Presque Isle’s Slopes Restaurant & Brewpub in the second program of its new six-part series, “Starting a Business in Maine,” at 8 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, on MPBN. Imbesat Daudi and Hank Ford, owners of Slopes,… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL At Mount Desert Island 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
    HOLE IN ONE Barry Dorr 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
    COLLEGE At Natanis GC, Vassalboro, Par 72 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… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL At Bucksport GC, par 37 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… Read More
    ORONO – Two youth clinics hosted by the players and coaches from the UMaine baseball and softball teams, has been rescheduled from Saturday’s original date due to weather. The clinics will be held at noon Saturday, Oct. 22, on the campus playing fields. The clinic,… Read More
    CASTINE – Paul Dailey has been named the new golf coach at Maine Maritime Academy, director of athletics Jim Dyer announced. Dailey, who is the head professional at the Castine Golf Club, has been coaching for 24 years. He also holds a Class A PGA… Read More
    A 19-year-old Bangor man was charged with seven counts of forgery this week after it was reported he stole checks from the Bangor West Side Little League, wrote the checks out to himself and then cashed them. Eric Clifford had taken the checks from his… Read More
    LEVANT – Construction has begun on an expansion of Hammond Lumber Co. that will double its storage space in Bangor, but the company will have to find someone else to assume a conservation easement after Levant officials this week rejected a request to assume control of the easement. Read More
    BELFAST – The Belfast Bay Festival is looking to relocate the setting of the event to the city’s waterfront. Festival organizers said if everything falls into place, the annual summer festival event will move from its home of 58 years at City Park to the… Read More
    WOODLAND – Moosehorn NWR will open the gates at Howard Lake and Ice House Road at 7:30 a.m. and will close them at 4:30 p.m. beginning Monday, Sept. 19, continuing through Sunday, Oct. 16. The one-way auto tour will begin at Howard Lake Road located… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Transportation has awarded contracts for highway work in Lincolnville to Sargent & Sargent Inc. of Hampden. Work involves highway reconstruction on U.S. Route 1 beginning at the intersection of Route 173, extending northerly approximately 0.48 miles. It will involve… Read More
    CALAIS – The Downeast Heritage Museum is currently presenting the Windwalker Collection by Maine photographer Peter Johannes. A sampling of the American Indian Tribute Photo show is on view in the “People of the Dawn” exhibit area. Read More
    ROBBINSTON – The Robbinston Historical Society has finished construction of its new Visitors Center. The grand opening will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, beginning with a classical music concert in the Grace Chapel by violinist Trond Saeverud and pianist Gregory Biss. Read More
    CALAIS – Downeast Heritage Museum offers classes in making jewelry for children ages 8 and up and their parents, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Oct. 9. with instructor Jamie Murphy. Reserve your spots as soon as possible. There will be… Read More
    CALAIS – Fifty-five Alive is an 8-hour classroom refresher course to help drivers 50 years of age or older improve their skills and prevent traffic accidents. Volunteer instructors, recruited and trained by AARP conduct the course. Taking the course may make you eligible for a discount on your… Read More
    Several thousand participants are expected to participate in the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, starting at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 18. As a result, the Bangor Police Department has announced that Main Street will be closed to traffic between Cedar and Dutton streets. All of… Read More
    Ham radio operators of the Penobscot County Amateur Radio Emergency Service participating Saturday in a mock disaster drill in Bucksport will set up their base station at St. Joseph Hospital. The radio operators will communicate between their mobile unit in Bucksport and fellow operators at other hospitals. In… Read More
    Penquis Community Action Program has received a $29,000 grant from the American Express Foundation’s Economic Independence Fund to promote financial education in the community. The money will be used to help victims of domestic violence achieve financial independence from abusers. Read More
    A pickup truck belonging to a Bangor resident was damaged Thursday afternoon after the engine caught on fire on State Street. The fire, reported by a passing motorist just after noon, was extinguished within minutes of firefighters’ arrival, Lt. Tom Higgins of the Bangor Fire Department said. Damage… Read More
    Four juveniles were injured Wednesday afternoon in a car accident on Sargent Hill Road. Milo police would not release the names of the local juveniles, but said three were 17-year-old girls and the fourth was a 16-year-old boy. The female driver reportedly swerved her car to avoid hitting… Read More
    ST. ANDREWS, New Brunswick – The executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada will speak Tuesday, Sept. 20, on “How to Fight For Passamaquoddy Bay and Win.” Elizabeth May, an environmental activist, lawyer and author, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Atlantic time (6:30 p.m. Read More
    Maine Special Olympics will be the beneficiary of a CD release party, “In Memory of Carole,” at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at American Legion Post No. 207 in Trenton. Scheduled performers include Stevie and Deb Cee, Janet Wentworth and 10-year-old Brian Wardwell. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    MONTPELIER, Vt. – Vermont is eyeing $5.2 million in state funds to provide more help to low-income residents with fuel bills this winter. Its northern New England neighbors say they’ll need more money than last winter, too, but they don’t have plans yet for getting it. Read More
    One day earlier this month I was talking with a man about apples and bears and the price of oil. Then the conversation turned spiritual. At some point I asked him how he would personally reply if God asked him why he should be allowed… Read More
    BOSTON – A Virginia energy company on Friday proposed building a liquefied natural gas terminal on an uninhabited island in Boston Harbor, pitching it as an alternative to bringing tankers near the city or a proposed facility in Fall River that’s met heavy public opposition. Read More
    BATH – A 22-year-old man from Bath has been indicted on two counts of manslaughter linked to a truck crash last spring in Bowdoin that killed his brother and a second passenger. The Sagadahoc County grand jury handed up the indictment this week against Robert… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – A New York couple allegedly spent part of their Maine vacation looting Bar Harbor’s gift shops of $10,000 worth of ceramic figurines, backpacks, bags of coffee, hiking boots, a bottle of Dom Perignon and assorted other merchandise. Catherina Urban, 47, of Woodhaven,… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A man who pleaded guilty to armed robberies of narcotics at pharmacies in Fairfield and Pittsfield last year has been sentenced to 12 years in prison, prosecutors said. Shawn Kivlin, 29, formerly of Unity, was sentenced Thursday by Superior Court Justice Nancy Mills… Read More
    ORONO – All week long, the talk surrounding Friday night’s football game between Orono and unbeaten Rockland was how would Orono’s defense contend with the Tigers’ prodigious, multi-faceted, and balanced offensive attack. After the first half at Orono’s rain-slicked field, most observers had their answer. Read More
    A year from now, the Penobscot River may be teeming with salmon anglers, if a proposal being considered by the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission is enacted. I asked you what you thought about reopening the river, upon which salmon fishing has been prohibited since the… Read More
    The Maine college football season is only in its third week, but already key games have arrived on the schedules of the University of Maine and Maine Maritime Academy. The Black Bears open their Atlantic 10 slate and the Mariners kick off their New England… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – Leslie Martin powered Foxcroft Academy with three goals and an assist as the Ponies defeated Piscataquis 6-1 in a schoolgirl soccer game Friday. Lindsay Chase, Kelsey Hill, and Megan Taylor each added a goal and Christina Weymouth had an assist on Taylor’s goal. Read More
    BUCKSPORT – Katie Hurd made five saves on six shots to lift the Bucksport Golden Bucks to a 2-0 schoolgirl soccer win over the Searsport Vikings Friday. Bucksport’s Emily Lenor notched a goal off a Brittni Adams assist in the first half. In the second… Read More
    DYER BROOK – Cameron Cunningham scored the game-winner with 30 seconds left in regulation as Katahdin of Stacyville nipped Southern Aroostook 2-1 in boys soccer action Friday afternoon. Patrick Willette added a goal and an assist for the 3-1-1 Cougars. Burton Brayall saved 16 of… Read More
    ORONO – Jason Tessitore scored with less than seven minutes left in the second half to lift the Sacred Heart men’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory over the University of Maine Friday. Gustavo Netto assisted on the goal when he intercepted a pass from… Read More
    BRUNSWICK – Alex Gallant carried the ball 29 times for 219 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bangor Rams to a 21-6 high school football victory over the Brunswick Dragons Friday night. Gallant ran 70 yards in a first- quarter play to give the… Read More
    The victims are about to get used, and unfortunately that using involves sports. The struggle to recover from Hurricane Katrina has only just begun. The rebuilding process will be costly and agonizing. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
    Last Sunday evening’s steady winds put the binders on a paddle to look at phosphorescence in Castine Harbor that I had planned with friends. We decided to wait for a calmer evening to venture out. I figured the wind and waves would have made paddling… Read More
    A series of public informational meetings are scheduled to gather input on the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife’s proposal to expand the current moose hunting season. The DIF&W’s plan calls for adding hunter opportunity in central Maine and curtailing the population growth of moose… Read More
    As we continue the transition to our new Television package, readers have let us know what they think. And what they want more of is daytime listings. We’re working on a solution to get more daytime programming into our Television coverage. We appreciate the suggestions… Read More
    Admitting to one’s mistakes can be one of the most difficult things to do – especially when you have to own up to thousands of readers that you may have been too quick to judge. While I’m not willing to say that NBC’s “Three Wishes” is anything but… Read More
    Dear Jim: I need to upgrade my old wood windows, but I like how the frames look. They don’t stay open now and the single-pane glass is not efficient. How can I switch to double-pane glass and tighten them up? – Brad J. Dear Brad:… Read More
    Let me tell a story about spaghetti sauce and learning to cook. My mom, a straight-from-the-box or can-kind-of cook, only made cookies from scratch (900 at Christmas) and concocted something my dad called Heartburn Soup from dribs and leftover drabs which I thought was actually very good. Her… Read More