OLD TOWN – The Georgia-Pacific Corp. mill has closed, and as part of the shutdown the facility’s water treatment plant no longer will be accepting wastewater from Juniper Ridge Landfill. Landfill operator Casella Waste Systems Inc. has found an alternative site to treat the runoff, but for a… Read More
AUGUSTA – A majority of the Legislature’s Taxation Committee wants to shelve overhaul of the state sales tax for this year, even though several studies indicate Maine is losing tens of millions of dollars in Internet sales because the state has not joined an interstate agreement on collection… Read More
MOUNT DESERT – A lone bald eagle glided silently past the Jordan-Fernald Funeral Home and over Somes Pond Saturday, a fitting symbol, perhaps, to mark the passing of a man who had spent much of his adult life serving his nation. Friends and neighbors gathered… Read More
BOSTON – Journalist Jill Carroll was back on U.S. soil Sunday, tearfully embracing her parents and twin sister after 82 days as a hostage in Iraq that she said gave her a deep appreciation for the myriad simple joys of freedom. “I finally feel like… Read More
BEAUCEVILLE, Quebec – Spring flooding forced dozens of residents of the Quebec town of Beauceville from their homes on the weekend. More than 60 residents had to evacuate homes and businesses Saturday night after an ice jam about a kilometer north of the town caused… Read More
FREEPORT – Community Energy Partners LLC will hold workshops for Maine farmers and rural small-business owners eligible for up to $750,000 in federal funding to purchase renewable energy systems or make energy-efficiency improvements in their businesses. Known as the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Improvements… Read More
Maybe you noticed today that our logo, which routinely accompanies this column every week, appears a little different. On March 14, our board of directors voted unanimously to change the name of our agency to Northeast CONTACT for Better Business Inc. This change of name request was formally… Read More
Keeping pace with increasing costs has renewed interest in alternative fuels such as wood, coal, propane and natural gas. Each Monday on the Business page, the Bangor Daily News is featuring timely and relevant stories and graphics devoted to topics that matter to motorists, homeowners and businesses. Most… Read More
Dear Jim: I want to replace my old warped wood front door. I am looking for one with a natural wood finish, but without all the maintenance. Is an insulated stainable fiberglass door as efficient as a wood door? – Mike R. Dear Mike: You… Read More
“I drive a GMC Sierra pickup, but I also own a Saab 95, and that is much better on gas. But if I were to get a new car, I’d probably get one of those Toyota hybrids.” Catherine Whalen, Machias googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
A reader’s recent diatribe regarding Maine teachers’ salaries and Gov. John Baldacci’s initiative to raise them reeks of inaccuracies. As a teacher, I feel I can attest to this misinformation. Andrew Brennan (BDN, March 27) uses the number of state-mandated school days, 186, and a… Read More
There are more than 35 million children from birth through age 8 in this country. The early years are a crucial time for their growth and development, and a time when we help children prepare to succeed in school and in life. April 2-8 is… Read More
The editorial “Baxter Snow Job” (BDN, March 30) made the case that lawmakers should not “interfere with a Baxter State Park land deal.” The editorial’s premise appears to be that the people’s elected representatives should not concern ourselves with the details of deals involving the swap of public… Read More
Todd Benoit’s weekend op-ed columns are invariably interesting, and that of March 25-26 (“Investment in the fittest”) is no exception. However, his references to Vannevar Bush regarding the payoffs for other states that have invested more than Maine in research and development are historically inaccurate. Read More
Who is really to blame for the cruel and disgusting incidents recounted in the trial of Sgt. Michael J. Smith, 24, of Boynton Beach, Fla., the dog handler convicted by a military jury of abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq? Photographs that surfaced… Read More
It seems like yesterday that Gov. Angus King faced a reluctant Leg-islature, some skeptical parents and many uneasy or even hostile teachers when he pushed through his “Lunchboxes to Laptops” plan to put a computer into the hands of every seventh- and eighth-grader in Maine’s public middle schools. Read More
Rep. Stephen Bowen in his commentary in the Bangor Daily News of March 13 starts by mentioning “the constant ranting by Maine Democrats” then proceeds to rant about Democrats for his entire op-ed. He and other Republican legislators may find it easy and apparently enjoyable… Read More
Huffing, bagging, sniffing, dusting – have you heard kids use these terms and wondered what they were talking about? These are some of the terms for inhalant use – a cheap, legal and accessible way to get high. Inhalants are breathable chemical vapors that are intentionally inhaled or… Read More
Maine’s government must stop being the obstacle to affordable health insurance and start working to ensure the continued access to quality, local health care. We need affordable health insurance options; access to local providers; and, to be more engaged regarding the health issues that impact our lives. As… Read More
HERMON – A local youth soccer organization has received a $100,000 grant that will be used to help fund a four-field soccer complex on Outer Hammond Street. The nonprofit Blackbear United Football Club has been awarded $100,000 by the U.S. Soccer Foundation and hopes to… Read More
BANGOR – Two years after a fire destroyed their historic Main Street headquarters, members of Bangor’s Masonic community gathered Sunday to break ground on a new home. “This is a special moment,” said Grand Master Clare Tusch of Wells, one of several state-level Masonic officials… Read More
SINCLAIR – Kathy Page, the mother of two daughters, was distraught and in despair Sunday, the ninth day since the disappearance of her younger daughter, 15-year-old Jessica Page. Admittedly, sleep has been nearly nonexistent for the woman and her family after not hearing from Jessica… Read More
BANGOR – A train carrying rolls of paper derailed Sunday near the intersection of Hogan Road and State Street. Two of the cars ended up in the Penobscot River, and a third came to rest on its side on the riverbank. The Maine Central Railroad… Read More
AUGUSTA – Maine state government could lose $8.8 million due to a ruling favoring the country’s largest tobacco companies. An independent arbiter has agreed with tobacco companies that terms of the 1998 settlement between states and the tobacco companies caused them to lose market share… Read More
PORTLAND – Fear that the Northeast is overdue for a major hurricane is among the factors that could push Maine homeowners’ insurance rates higher. Other forces that could nudge insurance rates upward include rising costs of reinsurance, the backup insurance to cover carriers in case… Read More
BELFAST – A team of media-savvy volunteers is putting in place the final pieces of a new community television station that will broadcast from the Boathouse at Steamboat Landing. Belfast Community TV is scheduled to be up and running on Channel 2 for all subscribers… Read More
LINCOLN – Using a private endowment fund, the town has bought the Corro property for about $85,000 to add the house and land to the adjoining Lincoln Memorial Library, Town Manager Glenn Aho said Sunday. The Corro house is a 1.5-story Cape that sits on… Read More
LINCOLN – When firefighter Ron McComb first joined the Lincoln Fire Department as a volunteer, President Harry S. Truman was finishing his second term. Rock ‘n’ roll was still being born. The space program was science fiction, as were cell phones, personal computers and cable television. Read More
BELFAST – Pysanka, the Ukrainian art of decorating eggs, will be the subject of a workshop Saturday, April 8, at the Arts Center at Kingdom Falls’ facility at the Anderson School. Lesia Sochor of Brooks has taught many people how to make the colorful designs… Read More
MORRILL – The Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition Field Trip along Smiths Millpond will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 8. Those wishing to take part should meet at 10 a.m. at the boat launch on Route 131, four miles north of Route 3, where… Read More
Penobscot County Superior Court 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
INDIAN ISLAND – Construction hasn’t even started, and already there is a waiting list of nearly a dozen people wanting to live in the new apartment building that soon will be built on Indian Island. The eight-unit apartment building will be geared toward young adult… Read More
FRENCHVILLE – A Frenchville company which recently announced that it is moving its ambulance building operations to larger facilities at Madawaska has been named the New England region winner of the Small Business Administration’s Business of the Year. FND, Inc., the parent company of Autotronics,… Read More
BANGOR – The following are city meetings and other activities for the week ahead. All will be held in City Council chambers at City Hall unless otherwise indicated. . Monday: 4 p.m., parks and recreation advisory committee, Parks and Recreation Center, 647 Main St., agenda… Read More
VAN BUREN – It could be anyone’s home in the quiet residential and business area of Van Buren, except for a couple of signs naming it Precious Paws and Adoption. There’s a need for volunteers, the signs say. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
Two high-speed pursuits on Interstate 95 – one involving a wrong-way driver – resulted in two arrests and several near-misses over the weekend, but no injuries or major automotive damage, police said. Several individuals alerted police to a silver Ford Taurus with Massachusetts plates driving… Read More
Penobscot County Superior Court 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
AUBURN – Termites wouldn’t like the house Mike Mercier built. Mercier, of Auburn, built his house out of concrete – 85 yards of it. From the outside, the new 2,300-square-foot ranch-style home doesn’t look a lot different from most. The basement and foot-thick exterior walls… Read More
Some openings still remain in four contests that are part of the 16th annual Bangor Garden Show, April 6-9 at the Bangor Civic Center and Auditorium. The show is sponsored by, and benefits, Keep Bangor Beautiful. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
MADAWASKA – Ice, two feet thick, still covers Long Lake, and ice and snow hide the nine-hole, 70-acre golf course tucked in among potato farms of Birch Point Road. Inside the clubhouse, Al Hebert is serving breakfast to several local folks while keeping an eye… Read More
ORONO – Track and field meets can be hectic for athletes as they hustle around a complex trying to make their heats for running events and their flights for throws and jumps. University of Maine senior Amanda Virgets was as busy as anyone in Saturday’s… Read More
COLLEGE At Beckett Family Track Complex UMaine, 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 (slot_sizes[i][0]… Read More
BANGOR – Justin Spencer hit a two-run home run and two singles to lead Husson College past the University of Maine- Farmington to a 5-1 win in the opener of doubleheader Sunday. The Eagles completed the sweep with a 7-0 victory in the nightcap. In… Read More
STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Jenna Balent tossed a two-hit shutout, her second in as many days, as the University of Maine softball team earned a 1-0 victory over Stony Brook to take two of three games from the Seawolves as the Black Bears opened America East conference play. Read More
Ryan Quintal scored three runs and racked up five RBIs to lead the University of Maine baseball team to a 12-5 victory over Delaware State Sunday in Dover, Del., as the Black Bears earned three wins and a tie this weekend. Maine also logged a… Read More
Did you know the common cold, stomach flu, conjunctivitis and strep throat are the top reasons children miss school? Those were the findings of four middle-schoolers who played hooky from their classes at Pemetic Elementary School in Southwest Harbor and participated in the first Student… Read More
The betting began in late March a century ago. Maine’s annual ice-out lottery was underway. “When’s the ice goin’ out? This is a question that every fourth man asks every fifth man one meets on the street nowadays,” noted the Bangor Daily Commercial on March… Read More
So you’ve signed up for a course in astronomy. Conscious of your responsibilities as a student, and sort of interested in the sky, you read the syllabus. Under Day 4, you spot the phrase “The Life Cycle of Stars.” The “life” cycle? Are stars alive?… Read More
What is an asteroid? Is one likely to strike the Earth? Asteroids are solar system debris ranging in size from Ceres, nearly 580 miles in diameter, down to grains of sand. The asteroid belt is located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and several hundred thousand are… Read More
In theaters SLITHER, written and directed by James Gunn, 96 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()) { if… Read More
I’ll say it again. I love Le Forum, the publication of Le Centre Franco-Americain at the University of Maine. It’s not just for those who speak and read French. The magazine is a tremendous resource for those who want to increase their understanding of Franco-American… Read More