Donald Buckingham’s days are chock-full. The principal of Sedgwick Elementary School divides his time among a variety of tasks including dealing with transportation, discipline and special education issues; finding substitute teachers; filling out forms for the superintendent’s office; keeping abreast of the state’s latest testing requirements; meeting with… Read More
    BANGOR – Police summoned Bangor High School Athletic Director Steve Vanidestine on Wednesday, charging him with assaulting a high school student after a basketball game last week. Vanidestine, 53, the school’s athletic director for 22 years, was issued the summons at the police station about… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – R.H. Foster Energy has expanded its operations with the recent opening of a bulk propane plant off Route 3. The new facility, which includes a 30,000-gallon-capacity storage tank, is located on a 4-acre parcel behind the company’s Hilltop on the Run gas station… Read More
    The following petitions for bankruptcy were filed during October 2005 at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor. Dana P. Wyman, forklift driver, one dependent, Strong: assets, $5,300; debts, $23,079. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
    University of Maine students will be available Mondays through April 17 to provide free help with filing state and federal income tax returns. The sessions are from noon to 2:30 p.m. in Room 113 in the Donald P. Corbett Business Building on the Orono campus. Students offering the… Read More
    The White House, State Department and the Pentagon have dismissed a report by United Nations investigators calling for the closing “without delay” of the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay. They called it biased, inaccurate and lacking merit and didn’t bother to dispute its details. Read More
    With the state short on transportation dollars and Congress trying to limit earmarks in federal highway bills, the extension of I-95 north and the east-west highway in any direction looks grim. If only Maine could get some other country to fund the roads here. Spain, say. Or Australia. Read More
    I am writing in response to Renee Ordway’s Feb. 17 column concerning LD 1907 which would allow the innocent to go free and the criminals to be incarcerated through DNA testing. DNA is an indisputable scientific way of proving someone’s innocence. It does not lie, it does not… Read More
    In response to Tom Groening’s stories (BDN, Feb. 7, 9) on the misnomer for the new Downeast Gateway Bridge between Prospect and Verona, I can understand why it has become a fiery topic. The bridge name should personify the sovereign state of Maine in its entirety. Read More
    I have joined the new Medicare prescription drug program and now am paying less than 50 percent of what I was paying previously for one prescription. I chose a provider from several that were available. Ten days after applying I received my ID number. I… Read More
    There are certain advantages in having large windmills in Maine to produce electricity. For one the wind is free and for another these do not contribute to the problem of global warming. However, plans to place these large windmills on the summits of remote mountains… Read More
    Re: “Traffic tickets blitz Ellsworth court,” photo by Kevin Bennett (BDN, Feb. 15). We are both senior citizens with good driving records. However, seniors are often under attack by those who would like to remove us from the highway. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    Over the last five years the kind and gentle people of St. Albans have spent $60,000 to aid First Park in Oakland. There are zero jobs to show for St. Albans’ support. People from towns that have not contributed to First Park have jobs there. Read More
    The essay by Brian Higgins (“Underground Railroad,” BDN, Feb. 15) reflects his long-term agenda to prove Brewer’s Holyoke House was a stop on the Underground Railroad. I was the Maine DOT resident engineer during the construction of the Penobscot Bridge and was often subjected to… Read More
    English, or “Bad English,” as my university foreign affairs colleague quips, “is the new global language.” Chinese students take English very seriously, posing puzzles with predictable unexpectedness. “Professor Dan,” a student asks, “in Brown v Board of Education, we learn that ‘separate but equal’ is a bad thing,… Read More
    There is a growing gap between rich and poor in American society. And this has led to a second gap, this one between American values and American reality. Most Americans believe that our society is predominantly middle class – this is part of the American… Read More
    Much has been reported in the news lately about school funding and combining schools to reduce costs. The idea coming from Augusta is that by combining school districts it will cost less to educate our children. I would like to introduce everyone to SAD 38. Read More
    BANGOR – A judge on Wednesday sentenced a Glenburn man to 40 years in prison for murdering a friend and dismembering the corpse. Jimmy Lipham, 45, was convicted last year in the death of David Langway, 53, of Winterport on July 31, 2003, in the… Read More
    CHERRYFIELD – The state’s plan to take up the Calais Branch Corridor rail tracks and put in place a recreational trail for all seasons between Hancock and Pembroke gained speed Wednesday with the unveiling of the draft document for the trail’s management. With a recommended… Read More
    BANGOR – It’s only February, but preparations for the second annual American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront Aug. 25-27 are well under way. The first seven of more than 20 performing groups were announced Wednesday by festival organizers. Stymied in 2005 when a flight… Read More
    ORONO – Maine has done a noteworthy job protecting its natural areas from development but must do more to capitalize on the fast-growing ecotourism industry, the head of the state Department of Conservation said Wednesday. During a talk at the University of Maine, Patrick McGowan… Read More
    They don’t call him the Compost King for nothing. Dr. Will Brinton, a Maine environmental scientist who runs a recycling and composting laboratory at an old farm in Mount Vernon, has earned an international reputation for devising methods of composting unusual materials that could… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Five of Maine’s top Democratic leaders Wednesday denounced federal budget cuts proposed by President Bush who was castigated by the liberal quintet for pursuing a fiscal policy of “budgetary recklessness” and squandering record surpluses racked up by the Clinton administration. Republican lawmakers later questioned the accuracy… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Councilors voted at Tuesday night’s regular meeting not to extend the 180-day moratorium on residential subdivisions for three more months. The moratorium was proposed by the planning board in September so that the town could establish policies on issues of density, weekly… Read More
    BANGOR – A Massachusetts man was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court to four years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $1,000 fine for possession and intent to distribute cocaine. Jeffrey Smith, 24, of Waltham, Mass., was arrested on Oct. 6, 2005,… Read More
    MILLINOCKET – Two state officials will meet the Town Council today to dissuade councilors from opposing the proposed $14 million land swap that would attach 6,000 acres surrounding Katahdin Lake to Baxter State Park. Conservation Commissioner Patrick McGowan and Ralph Knoll, deputy director of the… Read More
    ST. FRANCIS – A Kennebunk man was in fair condition Wednesday, recovering from injuries suffered in a snowmobile accident Tuesday afternoon. Roland L’Heureux, 67, suffered neck and back injuries when he was thrown from his snowmobile. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    BANGOR – A federal judge has dismissed a wrongful death lawsuit against Maine police and mental health officials arising from the shooting of a man at his Somerville home by a Lincoln County sheriff’s deputy in 2002. U.S. District Judge John Woodcock ruled in a… Read More
    Members of the Maine warden service were honored by the governor for exemplary work, including two who with their cadaver dogs searched the rubble of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and another who was instrumental in rescuing two toddlers lost in the woods. Read More
    Penobscot County Superior Court Cases Dec. 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
    PORTLAND – A 27-year-old Raymond man was sentenced to three years in prison for his relationship with an underage girl he met through the social networking Web site called MySpace.com. Joshua Perry was sentenced Tuesday by Cumberland County Superior Court Justice Donald Marden. Perry was… Read More
    ALFRED – Maine State Police are investigating the death of a York County Jail inmate after a fight in a jail housing unit, officials said Wednesday. Luis Martinez, 32, of Lynn, Mass., was pronounced dead at about 9 p.m. Tuesday after being taken from the… Read More
    FORT KENT – The annual Mardi Gras Fiddlers Jamboree, showcasing musicians from Aroostook County and western New Brunswick, will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, at UMFK’s Nowland Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Gov. John Baldacci signed an executive order Wednesday aimed at encouraging Mainers to use fewer products that contain hazardous chemicals. Under the order, state government sets an example for the rest of the state by cutting back on purchases of toxic products and… Read More
    VAN BUREN – Registration and preregistration for SAD 24 will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, March 16, at Gateway Elementary School, 160 Wright St. To be eligible for kindergarten a child must be 5, and for prekindergarten, 4, by Oct. 15. Read More
    FORT KENT – “Acadian Perspectives,” an exhibit by artist Thomas Bouchard featuring landscape photography, will be on display starting March 1 at the University of Maine at Fort Kent’s Blake Library Art Gallery. Bouchard is a native of Fort Kent and UMFK graduate. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    TRENTON – An Ellsworth man died Tuesday morning after an accidental fall off a barn roof. Richard “Beaver” West, 55, was on the roof of a Bar Harbor Road horse barn at about 11 a.m. when he fell. Ambulance personnel responding to an emergency-911 call… Read More
    OLD TOWN – The city’s Fire and Police departments are spending time this week getting settled into their newly renovated home. Construction at the former city hall is nearly complete, and crews are starting to move back in after more than a year of work. Read More
    EAST MILLINOCKET – A Patten woodworking company is moving ahead with its plans to relocate to a regional industrial park off Route 157 despite a state fire marshal’s inspection costing the company another $66,000, town officials said Wednesday. Porter’s Woodworking Co. hoped to move into… Read More
    PENOBSCOT – Now that the town has identified two potential sites for an in-ground septic system, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection has renewed its efforts to get the town to develop one of those sites and eliminate the overboard discharge system at the elementary school. Read More
    MACHAIS – A judge has sentenced a man to eight months in jail after he was convicted of assault and other charges in a case involving a Lubec woman he met through personal ads. Joseph Clark, 60, of Lubec told a Superior Court justice Tuesday… Read More
    BELFAST – The city has established polling places for the March 14 referendum on the SAD 34 request to borrow $834,326 to cover its projected deficit: Voters of Wards 1 and 2 will vote at First Church in Belfast on Spring Street; voters of Wards… Read More
    LINCOLNVILLE – Two males who allegedly broke into the Lincolnville Center Store on Wednesday morning were arrested after they drove past the scene of the crime an hour and a half later. Adam Clark, 19, of Lincolnville and a 16-year old male from Searsport were… Read More
    MILO – Nobody was hurt Wednesday when an unoccupied pickup truck rolled backward across Main Street and slammed into Milo True Value. Michael Heath, 51, of Brownville told police that he had parked his truck on the east side of Main Street in front of… Read More
    ORONO – The annual election of town councilors and other officials will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, at the Municipal Building Council Chamber. For an absentee ballot, contact the town office at 866-2556, or come in between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30… Read More
    MADAWASKA – An outdoor gathering of artists, possibly a first for those in the Madawaska area, will be held during the Acadian Festival in late June. “Rencontre de Nos Couleurs,” or “Meet Our Colors,” is the theme of the demonstration and display that is funded… Read More
    MARS HILL – Like many businesses that rely on deep piles of snow for income, Big Rock Ski Area is feeling the financial pinch this winter because of a major lack of snowfall. The big problem, according to a Big Rock official, is people conclude… Read More
    MACHIAS – A Washington County Superior Court judge Tuesday refused to lower bail for a Calais man with ties to Canada, citing that he may be a flight risk. In December, a Washington County grand jury indicted James Schmidt, 58, on seven counts of theft… Read More
    MACHIAS – A 41-year-old Steuben man who assaulted the town manager last year entered a no contest plea Tuesday in Washington County Superior Court. Before being sentenced to five days in jail and 40 hours of community service, Leonard H. Garnett told Judge E. Allen… Read More
    Friday will be a very special day at Circles, The Salon, and for its owner Janet Sawyer, who will be hosting the third annual Locks of Love Day. Locks of Love is a national nonprofit organization based in Lake Worth, Fla., that provides custom vacuum-fitted… Read More
    In a recent column, “Anonymous” – a soon-to-be-released inmate at the Mountain View Youth Development Center in Charleston – described her path to addiction and her fears about re-entering society from a drug-free environment. Bangor psychologist Jack Keefe responded to her letter in the same issue. We received… Read More
    Hate to be catty, but how come everything is about dogs? Fancily dressed Westminster Dog Show judges, preened – and pruned – poodles, and sporting dogs with their tongues hanging to their blocky chins. Why is it a dog’s world and not a cat’s? googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL Final hockey standings as reported by the Maine Principals’ Association. 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 Phil Munro 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
    HIGH SCHOOL PVC-Eastern Maine Indoor Track League 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
    BREWER – Current state candlepin bowling champion Shawn Morrison of Brewer achieved a rare milestone in the sport Monday night when he rolled a 207 game during a men’s league match at the Bangor-Brewer Bowling Lanes. Morrison recorded a 144 in his first game, a… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Brooke Hammond of Frankfort took first place in the Pre-Preliminary A class at the Skate Your Heart Out competition Monday. The 10-year-old Hammond has been skating for three years with the Penobscot Figure Skaters club at Sawyer Arena in Bangor. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL Class C State Championship 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
    BOYS Big School (Classes A-B) 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
    The John Bapst Crusaders used clutch free-throw shooting, stellar guard play, and dominated on the glass, along with a little home-court luck, to outlast the No. 6 Panthers of Waterville 35-27 in an Eastern Maine Class B girls semifinal at the Bangor Auditorium Wednesday. Seventh-seeded… Read More
    BALTIMORE – The University of Maryland Baltimore County made four consecutive 3-pointers during a 16-0 second-half scoring surge Wednesday night while rallying for a 60-47 America East women’s basketball victory over the University of Maine. It was the Retrievers’ first win over the Black Bears… Read More
    RUMFORD – Freeport won both the boys and girls Class C State Ski Championships at Black Mountain on Wednesday. Freeport edged Fort Kent 135-184 in the girls division and the boys beat out Winthrop 147-253. Telstar of Bethel was third with 418 points followed by… Read More
    The Orono High School Red Riots will be without two of their best players when the Eastern Maine Class B playoff quarterfinals begin Monday. The fourth-seeded Riots, who will entertain No. 5 Presque Isle at 7:30, will be missing first-line center Kyle Weiland and standout… Read More
    BANGOR – The 18-year run of semifinal appearances for the Calais girls basketball team is over, thanks to the late defensive plays of Houlton in Wednesday morning’s Eastern Maine Class C quarterfinal at the Bangor Auditorium. The No. 5 Shiretowners got 12 points apiece from… Read More
    The University of Maine women’s hockey team needs just one win over Boston College or one University of Connecticut loss to Providence in season-ending action this weekend to earn a berth in the four-team Hockey East Tournament. Maine is in the fourth and final Hockey… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Cole Pullen scored five of his 12 points in overtime to lead No. 1 Valley of Bingham past No. 4 Hyde of Bath 78-72 in Western Maine Class D boys basketball semifinal action at the Augusta Civic Center on Wednesday. Eric Hatfield paced… Read More
    MAINE vs. MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY Time, site: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.; Alfond Arena, Orono 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
    BANGOR – Even though the Presque Isle girls basketball team beat MDI twice in the regular season, the Wildcats sensed they’d see something different from the Trojans as the teams met in an Eastern Maine Class B semifinal Wednesday night. MDI did throw something different… Read More
    STAMFORD, Conn. – The throbbing pain in Alan Francis’ broken wrist worsened earlier this month when he ran out of oil to heat his home in frigid Maine. But the 42-year-old ironworker from Indian Island was among a growing number of struggling Americans grateful to… Read More
    What’s a good tip for safe winter driving? “Stay at least 20 feet from the car in front of you.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
    BANGOR – Alice Page is a woman enthusiastically involved in a life-saving mission. The 65-year-old Corinth resident is doing all she can to help women in Maine learn about, care for and – she hopes – prevent heart disease. “I have spoken everywhere I can… Read More
    ORONO – “I must be nuts,” I thought as I walked from the steam plant parking lot on the University of Maine campus to Alfond Arena to attend a hockey game – for the first time in my life. I was on my way to see the UM… Read More
    BREWER – Jean Lyford, 82, of Brewer has a window to family history that few people are lucky enough to have. She owns the 28 diaries her grandfather, William Thompson of Dexter, wrote from 1868 to 1925. She keeps them in an old wooden box, darkened with age,… Read More
    ORONO – Two of Russian-born choreographer Andrei Bossov’s original works, “Bolero” and “A Few Ballroom Dances,” will be staged at 7 p.m. Friday, March 3, at Hauck Auditorium, University of Maine. The event will mark the 10th anniversary of Bossov Ballet Theatre, based in Pittsfield. Read More
    ORONO – The Maine State Scholastic Chess Tournament for high school, junior high and elementary teams will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at the Memorial Union, University of Maine. The tournament for individual championships will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, March… Read More
    Schools After-school art class 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 slot_sizes =… Read More
    Sunkhaze expedition OLD TOWN – Ski, hike or snowshoe with the Friends of Sunkhaze at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25. Participants should rendezvous at the National Fish and Wildlife Office, 1168 Main St., Old Town. Bring snowshoes, skis or boots. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    ORONO – The 51st annual John W. Coombs Maine YMCA State Swimming Championship is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5, at the Wallace Indoor Pool at the University of Maine. Some 1,200 competitors from 16 YMCAs around the state will take part in the event. Read More
    BREWER – Musicians from across Maine will join forces to aid United Cerebral Palsy’s Camp CaPella Campaign. United Artists For Hope will present a multiband benefit dance 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, at Jeff’s Catering Banquet and Convention Center. The evening will feature country… Read More
    (As reported in the Bangor Daily News) 10 years ago – Feb. 23, 1996 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
    ORONO – The Edith Marion Patch Center for Entomology, the Environment and Education and the University of Maine Page Farm and Home Museum will offer a free public educational forum, “Field Sketching: A Hands-on Opportunity to Reproduce the Art of Nature” from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. Read More
    BANGOR – If you are looking for a new hobby, simply love beautiful needlework or want to try your hand at spinning, weaving, embroidery, knitting, crocheting or other fiber-related skills, check out the Fiber Arts Exhibition set for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the Bangor Public Library. Read More
    3rd District Court, Bangor Cases Jan. 23-27, 2006 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
    Bangor Talk on Seth Noble 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 slot_sizes… Read More
    Pet care certification BANGOR – Green Acres Kennel shop co-owner Paula Hanson and kennel manager Adam Morrison have passed the American Boarding Kennel Association level II certification exam covering pet care, personnel management and business development. They have earned the title of certified advanced pet… Read More