AUGUSTA – Mandatory jail sentences, impounded vehicles and hefty fines would be among the new penalties for repeat operating-after-suspension offenders under new legislation inspired by the victim of a Caribou truck driver. “Tina’s Law” – in memory of the late Tina Turcotte, 40, of Scarborough… Read More
Heidi Hambrecht and Ron Wilcox live in neighboring counties, but – like many Mainers – are worlds apart on whether gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry. Hambrecht, a 26-year-old stay-at-home mom, lives with her carpenter husband and toddler son in the Hancock County… Read More
The man shot dead by police in Brunswick after a Waldoboro drugstore robbery and a carjacking in Bath was identified Friday as Kim David Niedermann, 54, of Thomaston. The state Attorney General’s Office said he was the man who robbed a Waldoboro drugstore at gunpoint… Read More
ELLSWORTH – A shadeless lamp illuminated the kitchen table as Brenda Duggan sorted through dozens of brightly colored capsules. There were eight different medications, each with its own specific usage instructions. Some pills were to be taken every day, others twice a day. Some needed… Read More
WASHINGTON – Congressional Republicans put some needed points on the board Friday, winning votes on tax and spending reductions that put a positive shine on two weeks of Republican legislative disasters. But their success could be fleeting. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
BANGOR – The husband of a University of Maine professor killed two years ago in a car accident on the Pushaw Road in Glenburn has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Penobscot County Superior Court. Steven Alexander, 37, of Glenburn is seeking compensatory and punitive… Read More
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins made history Friday as she cast her 2,942nd consecutive roll call vote, surpassing a record set by her role model and fellow Maine Republican, Margaret Chase Smith, nearly 40 years ago. “Much of my dedication to public service was inspired by… Read More
There are people like Brenda Duggan in nine hospitals in northern and eastern Maine, thanks to a grant from the Maine Health Alliance, a nonprofit health care provider based in Bangor. There is much more to her job than connecting residents with indigent drug programs,… Read More
We have all been duped! George W. Bush and his team were cherry-picking intelligence and feeding it to Congress and us. We should have seen through his charade based on his military service in the Texas Air National Guard. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
It made for great political theater for senators to scold oil company executives for the huge profits they reported shortly after Hurricane Katrina shot gas prices over $3 a gallon. However, taxing oil company profits, simply because they are large, is wrong. In the third… Read More
If a new plan to revitalize Washington County is correct, Maine has been trying to do the right things for years but not doing them very well. That might be discouraging to those who have been trying to expand economic opportunity Down East, but it also suggests that… Read More
I applaud Tasha Henderson [of Edmond, Okla.] who made her daughter carry a “will work for food” sign (BDN, Nov. 17). This young lady may have suffered some embarrassment but I doubt she will suffer from the extreme emotional damage that Tufts University Professor Donald… Read More
She is an amazing lady, that Martha Stewart. Just when I thought she had reached the pinnacle of her success, rising to new heights of caricature, she ups and comes out with one better. And what better time than Christmas. It just goes to show… Read More
In response to the article titled, “Baldacci hails expansion of tribal powers” (BDN, Nov. 8). First, a state government cannot enact laws which impact directly upon tribal self-determination, otherwise someone is not aware of the true meaning of “sovereign.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
As I looked at your recent front page photograph of people waiting for the opening of the new slot-machine complex in Bangor, I couldn’t help but wonder if they were part of the “unsustainable economy” that Gov. Baldacci said was not good for Washington County. Read More
This letter is in response to your letter from Rep. Jonathan McKane in Tuesday’s paper. When people say Dirigo health is failing, I wonder, by whose standards? It has been a godsend for my family. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
In the “Spotlight” section (BDN, Nov. 17) it was revealed that Bill Clinton told Arab students in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, that the U.S. invasion of Iraq was a “big mistake.” This kind of slander against his country does nothing but give aid and comfort to the terrorists. Read More
A “Shoe” comic strip in Wednesday’s newspaper was a classic that undoubtedly struck a chord with anyone who has ever hacked his way around a golf course and found it difficult to suppress creative commentary when the wheels commenced to fall off his game along about the fourth… Read More
The failure of the colonial populace to suppress “the unlawful Games, as Cards, Dice, &c.” inspired the magistrates of Massachusetts in 1664 to increase from five shillings to five pounds the fine for anyone caught gambling, with half of that steep penalty going to the informer. A hundred… Read More
When Justice Sandra Day O’Connor announced her retirement over the summer, the Association of American University Women of Maine and the Maine Women’s Lobby together honored her for her years of faithful public service to the nation, as well as her distinction as the first woman to serve… Read More
PORTLAND – The public will get a bird’s-eye view on Sunday from atop the first building constructed at the site where the World Trade Center towers stood before being toppled in the 9-11 terrorist attacks. A photo showing a panoramic view from the top of… Read More
PORTLAND – New Hampshire’s agreement to spend $1.6 million in federal money on a new side track has paved the way for Amtrak’s Downeaster to add a fifth round-trip run between Portland and Boston to its daily schedule. The new schedule, which the line hopes… Read More
OLD TOWN – The majority of those who will be laid off by Georgia-Pacific Corp. have been notified, according to G-P PACE Local 80 union officials. Negotiations between paper mill and union representatives have been completed. Bargaining began last month with the announcement that about… Read More
BUCKSPORT – Workers have been making paper at the Bucksport mill for the past 75 years, and on Friday International Paper Co. honored those past and present who have been a part of the papermaking process. Mill Manager Dennis Castonguay, with the help of town… Read More
Colorado-based WildBlue Communications is rolling out its new high-speed satellite Internet service called WildBlue in Maine, and it may prove to be a robust solution for consumers and small businesses alike. The first high-frequency or Ka-Band satellite system of its kind for consumers in North America, it offers… Read More
Maine’s unemployment rate fell to 5.2 percent in October, down from the September rate of 5.4 percent. “The number of Maine residents working continued to increase, rising between September and October to a seasonally-adjusted total of 682,000,” said Laura Fortman, commissioner of the Maine Department… Read More
I have always regarded myself as a responsible and caring pet owner. My dog has never wanted for a thing. She’s well-fed and watered, groomed, exercised and loved. And when she gets blasted by a skunk just before my bedtime, which has happened more times… Read More
MACHIAS – Whatever goes forward in February to Gov. John Baldacci as Washington County’s recommendations for development strategies to prop up its economic shortcomings, the public wants a say in it. More than 100 people filled a lecture hall at the University of Maine at… Read More
TOWNSHIP 2, RANGE 4 – After a career dealing with people engaged in criminal activity, Jen Mills is looking forward to serving a more law-abiding clientele as the new owner of the four-season Pittston Farm. Mills, 53, who retired from the State Fire Marshal’s Office… Read More
BAILEYVILLE – Washington County’s largest employer, the Domtar Inc. pulp and paper mill, said Friday it plans a two-week shutdown affecting 100 employees just in time for Christmas. The announcement comes as the Montreal-based papermaker is trying to shave $100 million (Canadian) in costs. On… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – Snowflakes tumbled through the 26-degree air Friday as wardens and state police used an underwater camera to scour the Presque Isle Stream and the Aroostook River in the latest effort to find a missing woman. Three wardens from the state Department of… Read More
SKOWHEGAN – More than 14,000 ballots will be recounted next Tuesday at the Skowhegan Community Center under the watchful eye of the Somerset County commissioners, the Maine State Police, the Somerset County district attorney and a group of interested observers. When a Nov. 8 referendum… Read More
A local boy said he was “skipping rocks” in the water when he broke 28 windows in the Guilford of Maine warehouse last weekend. The only problem with the juvenile’s story was that the broken windows were quite a bit higher than the water and the large rocks… Read More
SEARSPORT – The director of the Penobscot Marine Museum will retire April 1, 2006. T.M. “Mac” Deford, 63, had retired to Spruce Head in 2002 from a career at Merrill Lynch International, but accepted the executive director position at the museum in May of that… Read More
BELFAST – Two men were arrested this week as part of an investigation into drug trafficking, Police Chief Jeff Trafton reported Friday. The arrests were made by Detective Allen Weaver of the Belfast Police Department, who is working as a special agent with the Maine… Read More
Brianna, 8, and Kendra, 7, are highly social, inquisitive, polite and intelligent young girls who are academically successful. Brianna likes puzzles, crafts and art, and she loves to draw. Brianna is energetic, and participating in cross-country after school helps her expend her energy so that… Read More
ALLAGASH – Faye Hafford may be a little down, but she is far from being out. A call for help has been made from various corners to aid her effort to keep the tiny Allagash Public Library from closing this winter because of high heating… Read More
ORONO – The newly formed Bangor Region Influenza Coalition will hold the last of its regularly scheduled influenza clinics from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday at the Orono Municipal Building, 59 Main St. Read More
BANGOR- The Maine Educational Opportunity Center will hold free college planning workshops for adults considering college. The workshops will be held throughout November and December in Bangor and at the Katahdin Region Higher Education Center in East Millinocket. For information or to register for The… Read More
EAST MILLINOCKET – Think of it as the town’s ultimate home movie. Members of a committee organizing the town’s 100th birthday party said this week that they want to edit old photographs, videotapes and home movies of historic town events into a giant compilation video… Read More
Work will begin at 10 p.m. Sunday and continue through Wednesday, Nov. 23, on improving the traffic flow along Stillwater Avenue in the vicinity of the Interstate 95-Parkade intersection and the South Mall-Stillwater Avenue intersection, according to city officials. The work is expected to be completed by Thanksgiving,… Read More
ELLSWORTH – A New York man was ordered to serve 60 days in jail after he appeared in Hancock County Superior Court Tuesday to face charges of burglary, violating a protective order and violating the conditions of his bail. Richard A. Puckett, 48, pleaded guilty… Read More
ROBBINSTON – Selectmen will have to decide how they plan to handle dueling LNG petitions now that proponents of a vote on siting a liquefied natural gas terminal have made their feelings known. Signed by more than 150 residents, the petition was presented Thursday night… Read More
BANGOR – Following is a list of city meetings planned for the coming week. All will take place in the council chambers at City Hall unless otherwise noted. Monday: 5 p.m., City Council’s finance committee, agenda includes resolve accepting and appropriating grants from the U.S. Read More
ENFIELD – A local woman was seriously injured early Friday morning when she apparently fell asleep at the wheel of her car and veered off the Dodlin Road, crashing into a stump, according to police. Joyce Chaffee, 57, of West Enfield suffered broken bones in… Read More
An Orrington motorist who hit several parked cars on Union Street in Bangor on Thursday and then kept driving later told police that he left the accident scene so that he could call for a wrecker. Robert W. Taylor, 38, drove off after hitting four… Read More
INDIAN TOWNSHIP – The details of an agreement between Cianbro Corp. of Pittsfield and the Passamaquoddy Tribe may be Washington County’s latest secret, but it is clear the corporate giant will have some kind of role in the Calais LNG project. “I can confirm there… Read More
HAMMOND – Residents have given Aroostook County commissioners a petition in favor of deorganizing. County Administrator Doug Beaulieu said the petition was signed by the bulk of the town’s registered voters. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
CALAIS – The kids were huddled Friday outside a theater, wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags and waiting to see the latest Harry Potter movie. They also got a visit from Gov. John Baldacci. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
HONOLULU – Prosecutors on Kauai have opened a homicide investigation into a tour helicopter crash last September that claimed the lives of three people, including two from Maine, television station KITV reported Thursday night. Catherine Baron and Mary H. Soucy, both of Portland, Maine, drowned… Read More
Public hearings will be held next week to allow comment on the preliminary state health plan recently released by the Governor’s Office of Health Policy and Finance. The biennial plan is mandated by the Dirigo Health Reform Act of 2003, and is characterized as a… Read More
Ellsworth attorney Ferdinand “Andy” Slater is serving a year’s tour of duty in Iraq while paralegal Cindi Swazey keeps his office up and running. The two are in daily e-mail contact, and Capt. Slater also recently e-mailed the BDN with a request to help young… Read More
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – In just a few short years, New England may run short of natural gas. Energy analysts predict that by 2010, and perhaps sooner, there won’t be enough supply to fulfill the region’s energy needs. But plans to ensure supplies don’t run short… Read More
A memorial service is planned for a Maine man who was killed this week in a tractor-trailer accident in suburban Washington, D.C. Brad T. Flewelling, 23, of Monticello was driving the truck early Wednesday on a long ramp connected with the multilane Capital Beltway in… Read More
AUGUSTA – State Rep. Nancy Smith says she would never have run for the Legislature if it hadn’t been for Maine’s public campaign financing system. Now, she’s planning to use it for a third time. Smith, a Democrat who owns a small farm in Monmouth,… Read More
Nestled on the third floor of the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife’s Bangor headquarters, Lee Kantar’s office is similar to the others that line the quiet hallway. It’s small. A rack of antlers hangs on one wall, near an educational poster. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
BREWER – Before area runners stuff themselves with turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and other Thanksgiving goodies, they’ll head to Brewer High School for the BHS sophomore class’s 24th annual 5-kilometer Turkey Trot. Many of the area’s top road racers are expected to… Read More
Husson College athletic director and football coach Gabby Price doesn’t want sympathy. He simply wants his team to be in a league. 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
State championship trophies and a lifetime worth of memories are up for grabs as the high school football season concludes today with a title tripleheader at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. The Championship Saturday card begins with the Class A final between Mt. Blue of Farmington… Read More
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Ashley Underwood connected for a school-record six 3-pointers on her way to a game-high and career-best 22 points Friday night, sparking the University of Maine women’s basketball team to a convincing 70-35 victory over Rider at Memorial Gymnasium. The Black Bears led… Read More
Paige Garson went for her first pony ride when she was 4. Her mother, Cynthia Garson, also took Paige to other activities that typically interest young children. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – Maine Heat of Bangor-Brewer Bowling Lanes clinched the Coca-Cola Division with an 80-8 record and earned a bye for the quarterfinals in today’s Men’s World Candlepin Championship at Halifax Fairlanes. Maine Heat will await the winner of the quarterfinal match between… Read More
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Maine Maritime Academy of Castine rolled over Gordon College of Wenham, Mass., 68-42 in women’s basketball action Friday to advance to today’s final of the MIT Tip-Off Classic. The Mariners will face MIT, which downed St. Joseph College of Standish 78-56 in… Read More
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The College of William and Mary showed a youthful University of Maine men’s basketball squad it still has some growing to do by handing it an 89-55 season-opening loss Friday night. The Tribe, which was picked 12th in the Colonial Athletic Association… Read More
They boast two of the deepest and most explosive rushing attacks in Maine, a major reason the Brewer and Foxcroft Academy football teams will play for state championships Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. Eastern B champ Brewer, which faces York in a 2:30 p.m. Read More
Four freshmen who have played sparingly will get a chance to audition for the University of Maine men’s hockey coaching staff tonight at 7 when the Bears entertain the United States National Team Development Program’s Under-18 squad at Alfond Arena. Seven Maine players have been… Read More
Men’s hockey MAINE vs. USA Under-18 Team 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
Today is a day many players dread – the final day of the football season. Still, it promises to be an exciting day for players at Maine Maritime Academy and the University of Maine, in spite of their respective situations. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
The drive to Ellsworth is now better than ever, thanks in part to the nearly complete roadwork in the Green Lake/Goose Pond area and to the fact that leaf peepers and tourists have pretty much gone home. Last Friday my wife and I continued a… Read More
Pesky crows ORRINGTON – A regular visitor, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic hawk-watcher, came into the Fields Pond Audubon Center this week and said he heard a lot of crows nearby. He stopped to see what the crow ruckus was about. It was a red-tailed hawk!… Read More
“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” said poet Robert Burns. To this I add: especially if the men are duck hunters and Mother Nature steps in and takes a hand. Buddy Horr, a longtime waterfowling companion from Dedham, and Norm Cousins,… Read More
The Penobscot River and the Bangor area share a special place in the hearts of many Atlantic salmon anglers. It seems only fitting, then, that the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s U.S. board of directors has chosen a Bangor man as its U.S. chairman. Richard J. Warren… Read More
The sighting of the coots a few weekends ago was certainly a highlight of the month. Before the coots, though, I had enjoyed a rewarding visit to the Witter Farm marsh with another birding friend of mine. We had gone expressly to see the coots;… Read More
Before the show started, who would have imagined people saying they want to be “The Biggest Loser,” but it appears that some believers are eating carbs again and have vacated South Beach to join The Biggest Loser Club. NBC’s hit show has sparked a new… Read More
One warm November afternoon, Rob Brookings quietly studied a pair of turkey cookers – those propane-fired lobster kettles that double as deep-fryers – on his friend’s driveway. He had rigged them to stay level and stable because the concrete was bumpy, and nothing ruins dinner plans quite like… Read More
Last week, I had the pleasure of watching “Shopgirl” the movie. The resemblance between Mirabelle – the shopgirl of the title, played by Claire Danes – and ShopGirl the columnist, played by me, lies in name only. She has a much better stylist – nobody… Read More
“Millions”: From director Danny Boyle, whose “Trainspotting,” “28 Days Later” and “Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise” weren’t exactly fodder for tots, comes “Millions,” a fable for children in which the director successfully branches into new directions. In the film, two motherless brothers – 7-year-old Damian (Alex Etel), 9-year-old… Read More
My mother used to say that eternity was two people and a ham. I never understood what that meant because the hams she bought were little parchment-wrapped daisy hams, the tinned ones or only occasionally a small picnic ham, which in our family of four disappeared pretty darn… Read More
You had to see it coming. After 86 years, the Red Sox finally won it all in 2004. Some people thought the “curse” had been broken and it was going to be easy. We were going to beat the Yankees every year and live happily… Read More
Katherine Franklin of Bangor wrote to ask the following: “How can I protect my rhododendrons from winter damage? I don’t know what variety I have, but at the end of every winter the shrubs look terrible, the leaves dead. Are there varieties that I… Read More
If you rub this herb on the soles of your feet, you’ll eventually exhale it from your lungs. Hmmm. 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
It is my privilege and challenge this year to accompany the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor’s youth through their Coming of Age program. Each week I get to watch while they learn to respect one another, create the safety to share, make mistakes, get it… Read More