OLD TOWN – When the sale of Georgia-Pacific Corp. was announced Sunday afternoon, the status of G-P’s mill in Old Town and the fate of its employees was up in the air. However, Maine Gov. John Baldacci said late Sunday that both sides assured him… Read More
    FRYEBURG – In an environmentally conscious state with a lackluster economy, Poland Spring has been a decades-long delight: a nonpolluting industry that relies on a renewable resource to provide hundreds of well-paying jobs in small towns where they are often hard to come by. The… Read More
    NEW YORK – Paper products giant Georgia-Pacific Corp., which owns and operates a paper mill in Old Town, Maine, has agreed to be acquired for more than $13 billion by Koch Industries Inc., the nation’s second-biggest private company. The $13.2 billion cash deal announced Sunday… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Health care reform may be dead in Washington, but a growing number of states – under both Republicans and Democrats – are taking steps to expand medical insurance coverage. Faced with a problem they find increasingly hard to ignore, governors and legislators in… Read More
    Joy Rising asks: A friend and I are interested in making something happen for the community of Eastport with alternative energy – wind, sun, or turbines to get energy from the tides that zoom among our islands. When we look online, we are overwhelmed with… Read More
    Dear Jim: We drink a lot of coffee and other hot beverages. I thought of installing a hot water dispenser for convenience. Are these really useful and will using one decrease or increase my utility bills? – Glen J. Dear Glen: If you think about… Read More
    Central Maine Power Co. is touting small, efficient electric heaters as ways to save on energy bills this coming winter. If you are going to be in a small, contained area for a length of time, it may be cost-efficient to use an electric heater rather than fire… Read More
    The high cost of gasoline and heating oil is steering Maine people back to the basics of personal energy management. Keeping pace with the march of petroleum prices has renewed interest in alternative fuels – wood, coal, propane and natural gas. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    Exxon just posted its profits for the most recent quarter. I hope you are sitting down. First, it set a historical record for a one-time quarterly profit by another company. The number posted was $9,900,000,000. That’s $9.9 billion – or, in another term, $33,000 for… Read More
    Some good news has come along with the bad news that it soon will cost 39 cents, instead of the present 37 cents, to mail a one-ounce letter. The U.S. Postal Service is studying a proposal to offer a “forever” or “perpetual” stamp, which could be used regardless… Read More
    A regional plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions could be finalized this week, further highlighting the failure of Congress and the White House to adopt a national policy on reducing the U.S. contribution to climate change. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which includes Maine, New… Read More
    Campaigning again for a position on the Belfast City Council was an exciting and rewarding experience. I would do it again,if needed. Congratulations to Cathy Heberer on her victory. Thanks to the 855 people who voted for me so that I could carry Wards 3, 4 and 5. Read More
    Americans who base their support of the Bush administration on its supposed Christian morality would do well to take note of Vice President Cheney’s insistence on obtaining permission for employees of the Central Intelligence Agency to torture its prisoners. Cheney clearly believes that though torture… Read More
    What could you do right now that could help save your life if you are in an accident and can’t talk? The answer to that question could be as simple as using your cell phone. Nearly every day we hear about an automobile accident. In… Read More
    I write from Washington County where Gov. Baldacci nixed the racino because people might commit suicide (but they won’t in Bangor now that there are slots on Main Street?). We voted for a racino because it would create spin-off businesses. These would grow and prosper providing goods and… Read More
    The Bangor Daily News editorial on Dirigo Health, published Nov. 9, went way over the top. It makes the preposterous charge that Maine Republicans seek to destroy Dirigo for political gain. Adding insult to injury, it argues that we are so determined to kill the program that we’d… Read More
    Randall Poulton’s op-ed in last Thursday’s Bangor Daily News contained the type of creative accounting that would make any Enron executive jealous. Readers deserve better. Let me respond to each of his statistical claims: “Fright at the Fort” -Poulton [interim treasurer of the Friends of… Read More
    BELFAST – When operating at full capacity, Larry Gleeson’s hydropower dams on Belfast’s Goose River can crank out 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year – enough to provide the electricity needs of about 250 households. But this month, after record rains swelled the… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Could you please pass the cornmeal mush? Those words probably were uttered at least once over the dinner table at the first Thanksgiving in 1621. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
    PORTLAND – Maine will get its first public defender in January when the federal court system opens an office to handle federal criminal cases against people who can’t afford a lawyer. The creation of the office is a marked change in the state’s court system,… Read More
    On Saturday, we kicked off our annual Santa’s Helper Fund drive in support of The Salvation Army’s efforts to help families in need around the holidays. Based in Bangor, The Salvation Army provides much-needed assistance in the form of food, clothing and toys for children… Read More
    MILO – A Dover-Foxcroft man will be arraigned in Superior Court in Piscataquis County today for allegedly violating conditions of his release and leading police on a chase for about an hour Saturday. Patrick Hathorne, 32, was charged with violating release conditions and held without… Read More
    CONCORD, N.H. – When two of three selectmen exchange e-mails on whether to buy a truck for the town, is that a meeting or a record? And are the e-mails public or private? The state’s Right-to-Know Law doesn’t answer those questions now, at least not… Read More
    PORTLAND – For the second year in a row, Maine lobstermen have enjoyed a late-season surge that has eased fears of a pending collapse of the lobster population. The summer months traditionally have been the peak moneymaking time for lobstermen. But the past couple of… Read More
    OAKLAND – Three months after opening, the T-Mobile USA call center has nearly 300 employees, some of whom live more than an hour’s drive away. The call center at the FirstPark business park opened in early August with plans to eventually have more than 700… Read More
    MARIAVILLE – An Aurora mother and her 5-year-old son suffered serious injuries Saturday when their car went off the road and rolled over several times on Route 179. Jennifer Beede, 25, and Joshua Young were both in critical condition Sunday at Eastern Maine Medical Center… Read More
    FRANKLIN – Local smokers now have one less place to light up. Members of the Franklin Veterans Club voted this month to disallow smoking, a decision that has ruffled surprisingly few feathers, according to the group’s president. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    ENFIELD – Town officials will meet tonight to discuss a tax increment financing deal they want to establish with the owners of a Dover-Foxcroft-based spruce mill that plans to open a $17 million operation on U.S. Route 2 in West Enfield next year. Members of… Read More
    HERMON – A longtime Hermon councilor who also serves as the town’s snowplowing contractor said that he’s not sure what he will do after last week’s town vote that effectively prohibits him from holding both a council seat and town contract. “I haven’t looked at… Read More
    LEVANT – The Levant Heritage Library is a small library with big dreams. Opened a few months ago, the 20-by-30-foot library housed in the former U.S. Postal Service building on Route 222 is already looking at ways to expand its offerings. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    Bangor police arrested a local man late Friday when his former girlfriend reported he had broken into her home. The woman came home to find her door kicked in and her boyfriend on the edge of her Kittredge Road property with her two dogs, police… Read More
    FORT KENT- Through the donations of two corporations and private citizens, Tony Gauvin, University of Maine Fort Kent assistant professor of electronic commerce, has established the first Critical Information Assurance Group lab in Maine. The lab is located in the Old Model School building on… Read More
    LAMOINE – An unknown amount of home heating oil spilled into the yard of a Seal Point Road residence Friday, apparently because of a leak in the basement fuel tank. Stu Marckoon, assistant chief for the Lamoine Fire Department, said the seeping fuel made its… Read More
    PRESQUE ISLE – Roger T. Pelli D.O. was recently inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. Out of approximately 400 family practice osteopaths in Maine, only five were selected to be Fellows. Dr. Pelli currently works at A.R. Gould Memorial… Read More
    Air Force Airman Christopher L. Zubrick has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. He is the son of Wendy and Joseph Zubrick of Presque Isle and graduated from Presque Isle High School in 2004. Read More
    BARING – Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge has announced that 150 acres of forest will be available for timber harvest this winter. The harvest is part of the refuge’s continuing forest management program. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
    CALAIS – Downtown Merchants and Stakeholders will be holding a breakfast meeting starting at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, at the Calais Motor Inn. The meeting will be to review the inventory work and to formulate a position statement that links merchants and their customers… Read More
    MACHIAS – Susan Beal, owner of Sue’s Thrift Shop and More, has been recognized by Catholic Charities Maine Rapid Response for her dedication and assistance to families and children in need in Washington County. Sue’s Thrift Shop, through Rapid Response, has provided lightly used clothing… Read More
    Last month, Penquis CAP Lynx volunteer drivers were honored for their willingness to put their free time to good use by providing those without transportation a ride to doctors’ appointments, dialysis, cancer treatments, counseling and many more services necessary to maintain health and life. I… Read More
    JACKSON, Miss. – Cuts to a Navy destroyer program could devastate the nation’s shipbuilding capabilities and deal a major blow to developing future surface combatants, Northrop Grumman’s shipbuilding chief and others warn. The Pentagon has considered cutting as much as $15 billion from weapons and… Read More
    NORTHWOOD, N.H. – Police say speed and alcohol may have been factors in a car crash that took the life of a 49-year-old Maine man. According to police, Stephen Schuyler of Kittery Point, Maine, was on Long Point Road when his car went off the… Read More
    MONROE – A Massachusetts man accidentally shot himself in the foot while hunting on Friday. Maine Warden Service spokesman Mark Latti reported Saturday that Michael MacDonald, 41, of Danvers, Mass., was staying at a camp in Monroe and hunting in the area off Key Hill… Read More
    COLLEGE NCAA Div. I Regionals 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
    COLLEGE At Waterville 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
    FORT KENT – The University of Maine-Fort Kent men picked up a win and a loss in the Bengals Tip-Off Classic basketball tournament Saturday and Sunday. The Bengals beat Mount Allison University of Sackville, New Brunswick 62-54 on Saturday and then were topped 74-57 by… Read More
    HAMPDEN – Devin McNeill of Portland scored with two minutes remaining in regulation to lift the West boys all-stars to a 3-2 victory over the East in the 11th annual Maine Soccer Coaches Senior Bowl soccer all-star game Sunday at the Weatherbee School complex. The… Read More
    In “The Village of Basketeers,” Italian children’s book illustrator Nicoletta Ceccoli has created a seaside village with reeds and grasses ideal for basket making. In this magical hamlet, people can weave just about anything, from a queen’s carriage to a house for a duck. Life is good until… Read More
    NO PLACE FOR A WOMAN “Nine Mile Bridge: Three Years in the Maine Woods” (Islandport Press, $15.99), by Helen Hamlin is a reissue of Helen Hamlin’s bestselling memoir first published in 1945. A Fort Kent native from a family of Maine game wardens, Hamlin took… Read More
    In theaters DERAILED, directed by Mikael Hafstrom, written by Stuart Beattie, 100 minutes, rated R. 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
    Back when Las Vegas was just a dot in the desert and Hollywood was still a good place to grow bananas, you could put a nickel in a slot machine in Bangor, Maine, and win 50 cigars. Storm clouds were gathering on the horizon, however, as the county… Read More