When Stephen Marshall put a bullet through his head on a bus in Boston on Easter Sunday, he apparently took with him his reasons for killing two convicted sex offenders in Maine earlier that day. But while Marshall’s particular motives have eluded police, some insight… Read More
The pastor and the priestess came prepared for controversy. He brought his Bible and a hardback copy of the novel. She lugged a bag filled with books and articles about pagans and the Christian gospels. At the Bangor Daily News’ request, they were joined Friday… Read More
VEAZIE – Maine State Police are investigating the theft of copper wiring last week from four secured power substations in Chester which prompted a brief shutdown of the state’s power link to Canada and reduced power to major customers. The burglary, noticed as part of… Read More
PORTLAND – Verizon phone company on Friday told the Maine Public Utilities Commission that it should dismiss a complaint seeking to find out if it is giving the National Security Agency information on its telephone customers in Maine. In a seven-page response to the PUC,… Read More
A story about a new Rite Aid store in Machias in Friday’s editions stated the store was constructed in 1992. The land it sits on was not purchased from the Maynard Wood family until August 1995, according to Austin-Willis Wood, Maynard’s son. He said construction on the present… Read More
If you think Mona Lisa’s smile is cryptic, you should see the mystery the Portland Museum of Art has on its hands. No, it has nothing to do with Tom Hanks, Opus Dei or Mary Magdalene. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
Rev. Brian Nolder Pastor, Pilgrim Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Bangor 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 () {… Read More
House votes Democratic Reps. Michael Michaud and Tom Allen 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 () {… Read More
Regarding Patrick Keating’s letter, “Consider Iraq vacation” (BDN, May 18); the only problem is that I believe he’ll have to take a magic carpet ride; I can’t find any flights from Boston. The last I heard he can fly on Iraqi Airways, Royal Jordanian Airlines and three companies… Read More
For the first time next year, tuition at the University of Maine System is expected to exceed state appropriations, a result of the state share falling from more than 70 percent of the total budget in 1989 to just 45 percent by 2007. Maine lawmakers spend a lot… Read More
With a freshly found $40 million to $60 million budget surplus burning a hole in Maine’s pocket, the temptation for lawmakers to spend the money is strong. An urge to drop a proposed bond and pay for projects Maine would otherwise borrow for is both strong and understandable. Read More
On May 27-28 most, if not all, Catholic churches in Maine will have men inside the churches passing out postcards urging parishioners to send them to their congressperson to establish a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. The stated reason is to “preserve and protect marriage.”… Read More
Your May 18 editorial bemoans the lack of congressional oversight of the Bush administration’s domestic spying program. Why not point out that Sen. Susan Collins has refused to use the powers of her committee, the Senate’s main oversight panel, to investigate these serious questions about… Read More
I am writing with a few comments about our national anthem, currently under discussion on these pages. I am finishing my second year as a music teacher in three small schools in Washington County. Nearly all of my kindergarten through eighth-grade students know “The Star-Spangled… Read More
On this Armed Forces Day, we should never forget those who serve. It is not about war, it is about making the public aware of the everyday citizens and noncitizens who are in service to our country. It is about the formation of our Department… Read More
I’m one of the 9,734 individuals and the owner of one of the 2,288 small businesses currently insured by DirigoChoice insurance. Three hundred eighty-one of these individuals and 97 of these businesses are in Greater Bangor. You need to know that an amended bill, LD… Read More
What would happen if Maine politicians tried to cut taxes and provide essential services not just for a year or a decade but forever? One of the most interesting responses comes from the chairmen of the Legislature’s Taxation Committee, Sen. Joseph Perry, a Dem-ocrat from Bangor, and Rep. Read More
An old joke in the newspaper business concerns the foreign correspondent who, when pressed by his New York editor to file a follow-up story to his previous day’s piece on the death of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, cabled the home office with the shortest follow ever recorded: “Haile… Read More
Big things are happening for an Orono company whose work is measured in minuscule amounts. The amount of money Sensor Research and Development Corp. has been awarded recently in government contracts can be measured in the millions – more than $5 million to be more precise. The money… Read More
KINGFIELD – Residents overwhelmingly turned back a proposed moratorium on industrial projects that targeted Poland Spring Bottling Co. Members of Citizens for Our Right to Vote petitioned the town for a moratorium on reviewing permit applications for big projects after Poland Spring submitted an application… Read More
YORK – First came the rains. Then came the calls from tourists wanting to know if they should still plan on coming to Maine. As last week’s downpours turned into some of the worst floods in New England since the 1930s, the world was shown… Read More
Brewer’s current and former mayors will be in Bangor on Thursday to plant a tree at the corner of Main and Broad streets. During the 2005 Eastern Maine Soap Box Derby last June, then-Mayors Frank Farrington of Bangor and Joe Ferris of Brewer agreed that the winner of… Read More
NEWINGTON, N.H. – Another airport is aiming to change its name. The Pease Development Authority has voted to change the name of its airport from Pease International Airport to Portsmouth International Airport at the Pease International Tradeport. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
HOULTON – A New Jersey man and reputed gang member wanted as a fugitive from justice in his home state will not fight extradition and will be taken back to the state in which he was charged. Kareem M. Singleton, 21, of Trenton, N.J., was… Read More
BANGOR – After nearly 40 people scoured Birch Stream on Friday morning, hauling trash and debris from its soggy banks, the murky water cleared, flowing cleaner than it had just a few hours earlier. City employees from public works, the airport, a city engineer and… Read More
Even those who admire her courage the most would have understood had Estelle Levesque chosen not to participate in the annual Relay for Life in Old Town, one of many such American Cancer Society fundraisers being held across the state this weekend. They would have… Read More
ORONO – If a horse fell into your swimming pool, you would likely call 911. The local fire department would arrive quickly. And that, according to the state of Maine, is just the beginning of the problem. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
BLUE HILL – The state Department of Environmental Protection has reached agreement with Kerramerican Mining Co. to perform a $9 million cleanup at the company’s former mine site off Route 15 near Second Pond. The zinc and copper mine, which operated from 1971 to 1977,… Read More
AUGUSTA – When members of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee convene Sunday to begin whittling down final funding requests for bills at the State House, Kevin Perry will be sitting in Orneville thinking about Beirut. The 44-year-old juvenile program worker at the Mountain View Youth Development… Read More
Bangor D.A.R.E. Officer Dan Frazell will be visited this Sunday on his radio show by a 26-year-old woman he first met at Fairmount School. “She started experimenting in middle school and was probably an addict by high school,” Frazell said. The woman has been clean for 16 months,… Read More
ORONO – Monday, May 22, is the final day to purchase tickets for the Project BLAKE Super Supper, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, June 6, at Black Bear Inn. Proceeds will help with expenses of a bone marrow transplant for Bangor High School student… Read More
MILLINOCKET – Jason Linkletter has a military kind of family. He proudly and quickly speaks of a great-grandfather who was a police officer on Canada’s Prince Edward Island and a grandfather who served in the U.S. Air Force and Navy. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
MILO – The police chief’s badge soon will be pinned on an Augusta native who is working as chief of security for Osceola County, Florida. Milo selectmen this week voted unanimously to hire Michael Poulin, 51, as police chief at an annual salary of $43,000. Read More
BANGOR – City councilors will consider next week exempting government-operated radio towers and antennas from height limits. The exemption, which will require an amendment to the city’s land development code, is designed to give the county the flexibility it needs to improve radio transmissions to… Read More
An Orono man was arrested Thursday night when police received a report that he had assaulted his live-in girlfriend. James Cain, 29, was taken to Penobscot County Jail in Bangor after Orono police caught up with him at a Stillwater Village apartment he shared with… Read More
Fire officials on Friday continued to inspect the scene of a fire that destroyed a Shepherd Drive home early Thursday morning. The Bangor Police and Fire departments and the State Fire Marshal’s Office remained at the scene late Friday afternoon, according to Bangor police Lt. Tim Reid, head… Read More
Greenville residents will go to the polls Tuesday, May 23, to vote on two selectmen for three-year terms that started last June. A Superior Court judge ruled that the town needed to hold another vote on the race for selectmen because the polls were closed an hour earlier… Read More
The municipal and school budgets were approved Thursday at the annual town meeting. The municipal 2006-07 budget reflects a net increase of $8,400 over last year’s approved spending plan. Education costs jumped from about $84,000 to $157,569 because the town’s pupil enrollment increased from six to 11, according… Read More
Shead High School EASTPORT – Terry B. Lux, principal of Shead High School in Eastport, has announced the honor parts for the Class of 2006. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
INDIAN TOWNSHIP – Ground was broken Thursday for a $7 million upgrade for the Passamaquoddy Tribe’s water and waste treatment facility. The reservation’s sewer system is at capacity, thus limiting growth for the community. The upgrade also will resolve the issue of two failed subsurface… Read More
CALAIS – The premiere performance of Calais Community Theater began with a roar Thursday night as amateur actors dazzled the audience with believable performances that had people slapping their thighs and chortling. The play “The View From Here” by Margaret Dulaney was fast-paced and fun. Read More
BELFAST – Faced with money woes, the SAD 34 board will consider seeking financial planning and management help from the state Department of Education when it meets Tuesday. Bruce Mailloux, who will become acting superintendent Monday, said that despite reports to the contrary the district… Read More
BELFAST – The City Council has completed its review of next year’s proposed budget that not only includes a strong economic development commitment but also keeps the city’s share of the tax rate at the same level as last year. Included within the $7,240,316 budget… Read More
PRINCETON – Chestnuts roasting on an open fire may be part of Christmas future now that some enterprising youth and others have planted some American chestnut seedlings. Mel Torme, among others, made the delicious little nut a national memory, but a blight in 1904 wiped… Read More
Aroostook County Superior Court, Houlton Cases April 1-30, 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 () {… Read More
MADAWASKA – Madawaska residents and officials were unhappy Friday with the news that a segment of the north-south highway construction will start in central Aroostook County instead of the northern terminus of the proposal. John Melrose, a consultant with Maine Tomorrow working for Leaders Encouraging… Read More
ST. AGATHA – SAD 33 residents on Wednesday were unanimous in their approval of the school district’s 2006-07 budget calling for the expenditure of $3,723,267. Twenty-two people attended the 25-minute meeting held at Wisdom High School. All seven articles on the warrant passed without one… Read More
BELFAST – “Preserving Our Midcoast Communities: A Regional Response to Sprawl” will be one of the topics addressed at the annual meeting of the Friends of Midcoast Maine scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 15, at the Boathouse at Steamboat Landing. Stacy Mitchell from the… Read More
PENOBSCOT – A Connecticut-based firm with facilities in Maine has bought Penobscot Nursing Home for $2.75 million and plans to continue running it as a nursing home and residential care facility. The transfer of the property from owner Wendell Dennison, whose family has owned the… Read More
WINTER HARBOR – A fishing boat in Frenchman Bay shifted on its mooring overnight Thursday, spilling as much as 100 gallons of diesel fuel into the water before anyone noticed Friday. A cleanup crew from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection spent most of Friday… Read More
DETROIT – There will be no more bus runs for Bob Davis after June 9. No more getting up at 5 a.m., no more heading off on winter days before the roads are even plowed. No more dealing with lost children or temperamental buses or even more temperamental… Read More
MILLINOCKET – The shooting death of two convicted sex offenders in their rural Maine homes last month and parental fears about registered sex offenders living in town are among the reasons a special public information meeting will be held June 1. The idea behind the… Read More
OLD TOWN – The council on Thursday authorized a $1.1 million phase of a larger storm water and sewer project. The work is necessary to address storm water that is infiltrating the sewer system, which has caused the system to overflow five or six times… 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., ribbon cutting, Douglas H. Brown Building, 931 Union St.; 6:30 p.m., City Council,… Read More
BATH – A man whose brother and another man were killed in a crash while he tried to elude police is going to prison for nine years. Robert Hamilton, 23, offered a tearful apology Thursday before he was sentenced in Sagadahoc County Superior Court. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
OLD TOWN – The Fencing Club of Leonard Middle School’s after-school program will host its second fencing tournament beginning at 10 a.m. today in the middle school gym. For more information, contact Matthew Cyr at 944-6288. Read More
BELFAST – A city man who hatched a scheme that netted him hundreds of thousands of dollars in Maine State Lottery scratch tickets bought with his employer’s money has pleaded guilty to the theft and was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Lewis A. Dyer… Read More
Friends and family of 17-year-old Blake Vaillancourt of Dedham are spearheading Project BLAKE to help with expenses incurred by a bone marrow transplant he received earlier this month in Seattle. The major benefit is a super supper beginning at 5:30 p.m. June 6, at the… Read More
AUGUSTA – Maine Emergency Management Agency Director Arthur Cleaves is leaving his state post to become New England director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Gov. John Baldacci announced Cleaves’ departure Friday evening. Word of Cleaves’ move circulated during the week as state officials oversaw… Read More
PORTLAND – Crews from the Federal Emergency Management Agency began assessing flood damage in York County on Friday as Gov. John Baldacci sent a request to President Bush asking for a formal disaster declaration. Four two-person teams from FEMA were expected to continue working through… Read More
BANGOR – Twenty teachers across the state are getting an opportunity to learn to create their own online learning communities thanks to a Verizon Foundation grant of about $60,000 presented to the Mitchell Institute in Portland. On Thursday and Friday, June 8 and 9, the… Read More
In archaeological terms, the past is measured in layers. The older a community is, the more layers can be peeled back to reveal history. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
BANGOR – The Justice for Healthcare Workers Campaign has set up a Web site for workers and the community to learn about the goals and activities of workers who are seeking to form a union at Eastern Maine Medical Center. As part of the campaign,… Read More
Atha yoganushashanah “Now the discipline of Yoga.” 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
DETROIT – Boy, they grow some persistent, hard-working beavers in this town. A colony of beavers has set up residence in a 4-foot diameter pipe under Route 69, causing flooding and headaches for the Maine Department of Transportation. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
AUGUSTA – An endorsement parade that supporters hope will buoy the re-election campaign of Democratic Gov. John Baldacci has begun. First to be registered in the Baldacci column is the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local S6, Bath Iron Works’ largest labor union… Read More
BANGOR – A caravan of 20 disgruntled Down East residents on Friday protested the state’s selection of Calais as the site for the third international bridge, arguing that a Baileyville site would generate fewer environmental and economic burdens. The Friends of Magurrewock, a grass-roots environmental… Read More
CARIBOU – David White uses one horsepower transportation whenever he can these days, hoping to send a message to Washington and major oil companies that people should not be held hostage to high fuel prices creating billion-dollar profits for oil companies. White’s 1 horespower vehicle,… Read More
BANGOR – An elderly woman involved in a serious accident earlier this week in Hancock County died Thursday at Eastern Maine Medical Center. Faye Snider, 78, of Harrington failed to stop at the intersection of Routes 180 and 181 in Otis early Tuesday afternoon and… Read More
CONCORD, N.H. – Get ready for the mosquitoes. As if damage to roads, homes and other property wasn’t enough, the record flooding also is expected to bring a bumper crop of mosquitoes to New Hampshire and some of its neighbors. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
Through a live audio broadcast on his Web site next Tuesday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Peter Mills will conduct a “wireside chat” to answer questions submitted in advance and questions posed during the event. Mills likened his Internet broadcast to a computer age version of President… Read More
ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Roland Robidoux, the founder of a religious sect whose beliefs led to the starvation death of his grandson, was found dead in the sect’s home this week, police said. Robidoux, 65, was found dead after family members called police Tuesday afternoon. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
BANGOR – Building on the premise that it takes a village to raise a child, the Maine Department of Education is enlisting community members to help high schools prepare students for life after graduation. The idea behind the new 18-month Maine Readiness Campaign is to… Read More
EAST MILLINOCKET – When burglars went on a crime spree earlier this month, breaking into at least 18 vehicles and stealing about $3,000 worth of goods and cash, they got all the help they needed from their victims, police said Friday. The vehicles were unlocked. Read More
ELLSWORTH – Early in Friday night’s Hancock County Track and Field Championships, Del Luce Stadium resembled a scene from an Edgar Allen Poe short story, with gusty winds, driving rain, and dark, cloudy skies looming overhead. The Mount Desert Island girls and Bucksport boys, both… Read More
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Maine baseball team had hoped to erase the disappointment of two Thursday losses to Vermont by winning a couple of games Friday. Instead, with their postseason hopes in doubt, the Black Bears were forced to sit in their hotel… Read More
PORTLAND – After getting touched up for two runs on three hits in the first three innings, Chris Smith bore down and pitched shutout ball along with the Portland Sea Dogs’ bullpen. The 25-year-old righthander allowed just three hits the rest of the way to… Read More
AUGUSTA – The “trickle down” effect from the establishment of the Hollywood Slots casino in Bangor has become more of a steady rain of financial support for Maine’s harness racing community. Further evidence of this was presented at Thursday’s Maine State Harness Racing Commission monthly… Read More
In this line of work, I get plenty of opportunities to talk with students about a variety of things. Most often, those classroom visits serve to educate kids about the newspaper business, the writing process, and any number of other topics that may fly from those fertile minds. Read More
WISCASSET – Due to an excess of standing water in the infield and muddy conditions in the parking lot and sections of the pit area, Saturday night’s racing at Wiscasset Raceway has been canceled. Racing will return on May 27 at 6 p.m. There will… Read More
HIGH SCHOOL At Madawaska 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
HARWICH, Mass. – The University of Southern Maine Huskies stayed alive in the NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regional by posting a 6-3 victory over Western New England College late Friday night. USM had posted a 12-10 win over Middlebury (Vt.) College earlier Friday… Read More
All this rain and we’re already a quarter of the way through the major league baseball season. Talk about short summers. At the quarter pole, some notes. Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and K.C. are looking to next year. Ouch. Baltimore is heading that way along with… Read More
DANFORTH – Josh Barnes singled twice and drove in four runs and Isiah Gillis added two singles and three RBIs to lead the East Grand Vikings past Greater Houlton Christian Academy 19-2 Friday afternoon in a high school baseball game. Adam Bodine chipped in with… Read More
Four University of Maine women’s ice hockey players have decided to leave school. Defenseman Julie Poulin, left wing-center Danielle Tangredi, C-RW Sheri Wauters, and left wing Patricia Gagnon won’t return in the fall. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
FORT FAIRFIELD – Raya King’s bases-loaded triple keyed a six-run third inning that carried Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook past Fort Fairfield 8-2 in a rain-shortened high school baseball game Friday afternoon. Kaylea Collier had an RBI single in the third for the Warriors. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
LEE – Senior Megan Mishou struck out 10 and freshman Morgan Chasse had three singles, drove in a run, and scored twice to power Bangor Christian past Lee Academy 15-1 in a high school softball game Friday afternoon. Christin Pelletier had two singles for the… Read More
Aside from ice fishing, gunning for snowshoe hare, and predator hunting, as well as several outdoor hobbies and pastimes that I can enjoy indoors, perusing sporting goods catalogs has helped me pass many a Maine winter. The multitude of outdoor-oriented items for every aspect of angling, gunning, boating,… Read More
Despite a wet Friday start to last weekend, we dodged a soggy bullet, didn’t we? Most of the state languished in warm and sunny weather while parts south of the border were snorkeling. For us northerners it was a great weekend to get caught up… Read More
The Moosehead Lake region is one of the state’s places, offering tourists and locals plenty of outdoor recreation options. On June 3, the Natural Resource Education Center in Greenville will sponsor a slide presentation that will show one man’s view of the region. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Outside the wind was blowing from the north. The constant drizzle added a raw quality to the air which seemed to chill to the bone. In the crowded kitchen, the antique Atlantic Queen cook stove threw off cheerful wood heat. We counted ourselves lucky to be inside most… Read More
I watched MTV in agony last week as 16-year-old Katrina competed to become the next Miss Michigan Teen Galaxy and lost. I’m hoping now that my pain won’t have come without a purpose and that my experience can save all of you from watching MTV’s… Read More
Root canals. Reeds under fingernails. Disturbing a hornets’ nest. Few things are more painful than trying on a swimsuit, unless you’re actress Eva Longoria. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
“Cheaper by the Dozen 2”: Truth in advertising. Steve Martin, slumming after “Shopgirl.” Carmen Electra, happy to show off the twins. Predictably, this harmless sequel to the 2003 remake is only ever more of the same, though it can be grotesquely earnest, as if making us laugh isn’t… Read More
This really delicious recipe for apple rhubarb pie came along early last summer after we featured some rhubarb dessert here. But my rhubarb was already getting stringy and I didn’t want to use any more of it. So I thought, ‘I’ll hold onto this,’ because, you see, I… Read More
I have the power. I can bust the Florida land boom, make it rain for 40 days and 40 nights, then bring on $5 a gallon oil prices. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
No one would call Maine gardeners xenophobic. We welcome non-native plant species into our gardens, allow their escape from cultivation, and then, two or three generations of gardeners later, regard them as native. Consider the invasion of rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa), native to Japan, China, and Korea, and… Read More
Sometimes you can get ahead of yourself. The pansies are in, the raised beds are weeded and fertilized, and the rain barrels are operational. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More