AUGUSTA – Maine’s system of setting bail for people suspected of crimes is fraught with problems, allowing for misuse and abuse that can lead to higher costs and risks to the public, a consultant told a statewide committee looking at making changes to the corrections system. Read More
In February 1976, hurricane-force winds carrying torrential rains slammed into the Maine coast and sent water surging up the Penobscot River. In a matter of minutes parts of downtown Bangor were under 15 feet of icy water, which submerged hundreds of cars and caused millions… Read More
PERRY – The sky was overcast and a light drizzle fell Thursday morning along the shore of Passamaquoddy Bay, but the weather at moments was nicer than the collective mood of dozens of people who toured sites proposed for a liquefied natural gas terminal and storage facility. Read More
CARIBOU – A Bangor psychologist told Aroostook County Superior Court Justice E. Allen Hunter on Thursday that Christopher Shumway is psychotic, suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Ronald Brown testified that Shumway, who is on trial for murder in the Jan. 2, 2005, killing… Read More
Federal legislators heard from a Bangor economic development official Wednesday as he testified in favor of a bill aimed at bringing more federal financial assistance to the Northeast. Jonathan Daniels, president and CEO of Eastern Maine Development Corporation, told members of the House of Representatives… Read More
SCARBOROUGH – Cabela’s Inc., which has been scouting out potential sites in southern Maine, has settled on Scarborough for its foray into L.L. Bean territory, according to application materials submitted to the town. A proposed project featuring office buildings, a 200-room hotel, restaurants and a… Read More
RANGELEY – State development regulators have given the owner of Saddleback ski area approval to expand the resort with 18 new condominiums and five house lots as early as this summer. The projects approved by the Land Use Regulation Commission are part of a larger… Read More
One can only conclude that the real purpose of the massive Israeli invasion of Gaza is not simply to free two soldiers and stop ineffective homemade missiles (“Olmert: Gaza action to last a ‘long time’,” BDN, July 10). Rather, its objective is to destroy the Palestinian government by… Read More
The work of a recently formed committee on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway has been made more difficult – perhaps impossible – by the actions of two northern Maine lawmakers. Sen. John Martin and Rep. Troy Jackson used a bulldozer to reopen a road on the waterway that was… Read More
An unsurprising but important study from the Business Roundtable concludes the nation is unprepared for a major natural or manmade assault on the Internet. The economic costs of a broad failure of the Internet for weeks would be huge, as would the government’s ability to direct services for… Read More
In response to Peter A. Brown’s op-ed, “To combat global warming focus on China and Asia” (BDN, July 11), I would like to say that although I understand his point regarding loss of jobs for Americans, we need to think in broader terms. We have… Read More
It was with gratitude, and no small amount of incredulity, that I read Renee Ordway’s column, “Stories give a purpose to tragedy” (BDN, July 7). I was grateful for Ordway’s willingness to write about her sister-in-law’s tragic death at the hand of her sister-in-law’s husband. Read More
Too bad a recent letter writer has lost faith in Sen. Olympia Snowe (“For Jean Hay Bright,” (BDN, July 10). At least Snowe is a realist like so many of us in America. We had plenty of provocation to liberate Iraq – 17 times Saddam Hussein disregarded U.N. Read More
I stopped by the Patten Cemetery to visit my family’s graves. When I turned off Route 11 the most spectacular sight was before me. I jammed on my brakes and sat there with tears streaming down my face. There were seven flagpoles, the tallest flying… Read More
Tuesday’s awful rush-hour bombings of trains in Bombay raise an important and ominous question: How far can India be pushed? In December 2001 India and Pakistan almost went to war when a group of militants, based on Pakistani-controlled territory, attacked the Indian Parliament, killing nine… Read More
A recent Federal Reserve report on the economy correctly pointed out that 2005 was a flat year in terms of economic growth for New England and particularly for Maine. However, taking this one year out of context ignores the progress that has been made in the past three… Read More
Regarding Robert Klose’s op-ed commentary, “Iraq is the war that keeps on giving” (BDN, July 8-9); I’ve learned that whenever anyone tries to make a political point, beware of references to George Orwell’s “1984” – it’s likely someone who read the book in the 1960s and ’70s that… Read More
ROCKLAND – The University of Maine College of Education and Human Development has been told by its accrediting agency that it must focus more on promoting racial diversity. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education has continued the college’s accreditation with the condition that… Read More
OK, I have to admit it. I tell my share of male-bashing jokes. My favorite this week was one my sister sent me. So the husband says to his wife: “How could God have made you so beautiful and so stupid at the same time?”… Read More
ORONO – Area middle school students found their collective muse this week as they sat among the flowers in a garden at the University of Maine, watching the squirrels and birds, inhaling the sweet, summer air and scribbling happily in their green spiral notebooks. Janet… Read More
AUGUSTA – Hoping to obtain from a legislative advisory committee a level of accountability that it couldn’t get earlier this year from the state ethics commission, the Natural Resources Council of Maine highlighted certain flaws and limitations in the state’s ethics laws Thursday during a public hearing. Read More
GREENBUSH – Maine Department of Transportation officials knew the 30-foot rock wall along U.S. Route 2 would tumble – they just didn’t know when. It turned out to be Thursday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
BAR HARBOR – The newest addition to the Mount Desert Oceanarium’s lobster colony looks half-baked. But it’s nothing personal. 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
Rockland District Court Cases July 3-12, 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 Slot… Read More
HERMON – Councilors left Thursday night’s special meeting disappointed, saying the Maine Department of Transportation’s proposed resurfacing of Route 2, outlined by the commissioner during the meeting, is merely a “band-aid” that will continue to prolong the real problems on the broken roadway. The DOT… Read More
Penobscot County Superior Court Cases May 1-31, 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
Police believe a local plumber had more than pipe wrenches on his mind when he fixed a problem in Bangor last week. The resident of a Cottage Street apartment told police the plumber had worked on a problem in his bathroom last week while he… Read More
Work to convert the former Main Street Inn site into an overflow parking area for patrons of Hollywood Slots at Bangor is winding down. “It’s slated to be completed early next week,” Amy Kenney, manager of marketing and public relations at Hollywood Slots, said Thursday. The site has… Read More
Alicia Nichols and Bill Sullivan of Friends of Dakin Pool met Thursday night with City Manager Edward Barrett for a fundraising update. The group has raised more than $27,000, and the two officials told Barrett an electrician will do $1,960 worth of in-kind work on the new pool… Read More
The town mill rate has been set at $20 per $1,000 of valuation, with the approval by residents of the SAD 23 budget in June. The rate remains the same as last year, which pleased Town Manager Jim Collins, he said. Although the overall budget went up, so… Read More
Even though the Chalila House, an apartment house for people who struggle with both mental illness and homelessness, opened late last year, a ribbon cutting was held Thursday, and Gov. John Baldacci was the keynote speaker. “I knew MaryAnne [Chalila] very well,” Baldacci said. “I know she’s smiling… Read More
ELLSWORTH – After nearly two hours of debate and passionate discussion about a Lowe’s home improvement retail store coming to town, the city’s planning board on Wednesday postponed approval of the developer’s plans on a technicality. Planning board chairman John Fink said his committee needs… Read More
CARIBOU – Authorities are asking the public for help in identifying two people who reportedly led a Caribou police officer on a chase through the city and into the town of Fort Fairfield early Thursday morning. Officer Kevin St. Peter said the incident began shortly… Read More
ST. GEORGE – St. George Days offers a few new twists this year. For the first time, the community celebration will last three days insted of two. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
Two men are stepping forward as willing candidates to fill vacancies for the Democratic ticket for the state Legislature in the general election Nov. 7. Harold Prescott of Whiting will run in District 32, which has 10 municipalities that stretch from Machias to Eastport. If… Read More
TENANTS HARBOR – “Fur, Feathers and Feet,” an introduction to birds and mammals, brings a live mallard duck and prairie dog as part of a free hands-on program for children and adults presented by the Chewonki Foundation. It will run from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Read More
PORT CLYDE – Jackson Memorial Library and Herring Gut Learning Center invites the public to “A Fish’s Life,” an educational program designed to explore the features of fish. It will run from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, July 22, at the Herring Gut Learning Center… Read More
HAMPDEN – Pine Tree Landfill has filed an application to accept 3,500 tons of waste annually from a New Hampshire waste handling company. United Oil Recovery of Newington, N.H., seeks to dispose of oily debris, which includes dirt and sludge contaminated with oil, as well… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Town officials have taken full advantage of a federal program that provides matching funds for public sewer improvements. For the second consecutive year, the town was approved for a matching 40 percent grant and 60 percent loan through USDA Rural Development for a… Read More
PALMYRA – A Sorrento-based rubbish collector served notice of claim to the Board of Selectmen on Wednesday night, stating that he would sue the town for “unjustified termination” of his contract. Marc Calcia is asking for $42,582, which he claims is the balance of his… Read More
ORONO – Poop seemed to be everywhere Thursday during a sustainable agriculture field day at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Rogers Farm. Composting expert Mark Hutchinson shoved a thermometer into a compost pile, calmly discussing the addition of manure while students dug through the… Read More
WARREN – Sandwiched between two communities that recently endorsed commercial growth, Warren will soon tackle options for regulating its own development. On July 25 residents will decide at a special town meeting whether to enact a six-month moratorium on buildings 35,000 square feet in size… Read More
ELLSWORTH – A group of residents concerned about an apartment complex taking shape in their neighborhood has been vocal at several planning board meetings but hasn’t had much luck halting the project. Maybe they will have a better chance in court. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
ROCKLAND – Many Flags/One Campus has asked SAD 5 for an $18,000 pledge toward project development. SAD 50 board Chairwoman Jamie Doubleday went to SAD 5’s board meeting Thursday to tell directors here that SAD 50 authorized an initial $7,500 to help with further development… Read More
Penobscot County Superior Court Cases May 1-31, 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
MATTAWAMKEAG – Mattawamkeag Community Pride will hold a day of fun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 15, near the town’s recreation hall. The event will include a parade, a concert and a barbecue. Volunteers to help with children’s games are needed. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
MACHIAS – Bangor artist Rebecca Krupke will display original hand-pulled prints July 14-Sept. 15 at the University of Maine at Machias art gallery. An opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. takes place today at the gallery in Powers Hall. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
GRAND LAKE STREAM – The spirit of a craftsman and friend who died last month will be part of the 12th annual Grand Lake Stream Folk Art Festival. Although iron forge artist Gary “Griff” Griffith, with his flowing white beard and long white hair, won’t… Read More
BREWER – The new street under construction near Exit 5 of Interstate 395 is nearing completion and soon will have a name. “We have three different names that were given – Liberty Drive, Waring Drive and Shurtleff Drive,” City Assessor Mary Lynne Hunter, a 911… Read More
ROCKLAND – For three days a year for the past 12, this city is the place where people can come eat fresh lobster, stare at the Atlantic and listen to the best blues performers in the country. The North Atlantic Blues Festival starts today with… Read More
ROCKLAND – A driver who is alleged to have hit two pedestrians a week ago was arrested Thursday on charges of aggravated assault and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. Mark Humiston, 21, of Rockland remained in Knox County Jail late Thursday afternoon pending $750… Read More
With an additional $1.3 million in federal dollars awarded this week, the Maine Center for Disease Control is flush with ideas to tighten up pandemic flu planning in the state. According to MCDC director Dr. Dora Anne Mills, the state has used an initial allotment… Read More
ALFRED – Law enforcement agencies around New England are reported to be checking for connections between unsolved burglaries and three men accused of breaking into almost a dozen businesses from Maine to Rhode Island and stealing more than $100,000. Police believe they stole the money… Read More
AUGUSTA – A state trooper who returned fire when a Jay man shot at him during a domestic disturbance last month was legally justified in doing so, the state attorney general’s office announced Thursday. The episode unfolded late on June 6 when officers responded to… Read More
BANGOR – A tan 1984 Dodge Aries was the best thing since sliced bread Thursday afternoon for about 200 spectators gawking at the rusty car and the hacker who had just sawed it in half. At industrial tool supplier N.H. Bragg’s annual open house, Kelly… Read More
MANCHESTER, N.H. – A judge gave state Democrats the go-ahead Thursday to question high-ranking Republicans in a civil suit over the jamming of Democrats’ phones on Election Day 2002. Three former GOP officials have already been sentenced in the phone jamming scheme. In the civil… Read More
CALAIS – An excavator operator narrowly averted being injured Thursday after the boom arm on his machine hit some high-tension wires, showering them down around him. Earl Stanhope Jr. of Robbinston remained inside the cab until a crew from Eastern Maine Electric Co-op was able… Read More
How nice it was to hear the familiar voice of retired broadcast executive George Gonyar of Orono, relaying information about one of this area’s best auctions. George called to report that the 59th annual Orono-Old Town Kiwanis Charity Auction opens with its yard sale at… Read More
The New England Patriots Rock Radio Network will roll along on I-95 this season. After kicking around locally on Clear Channel Communications station WNSX (97.7 FM) of Winter Harbor the last three seasons, the Patriots are hooking up with a new partner now that Cumulus… Read More
FALMOUTH FORESIDE – The round wasn’t a thing of beauty, but the result was for Shawn Warren of Windham. Warren finally won the Maine Amateur Golf Championship on Thursday, shooting a 4-over-par 74 at Portland Country Club for a three-day total of 1-under 209 and… Read More
Several Nextel Cup drivers got their starts driving go-karts. It’s never too late to begin your go-kart career, according to Nate and Marti Anderson, the owners of Thundering Valley Raceway in St. Albans. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
These are the dog days of competitive mountain biking for Adam Craig. The International Cycling Union World Cup schedule that guides his life from early spring to late summer – and that this year already has taken him to Curacao, Spain, Belgium, Scotland and Quebec… Read More
BANGOR – Evan Economy pitched a four-hitter as Brewer downed Bangor 5-2 in a late-season showdown of American Legion Zone 1 baseball’s two divisional leaders at Mansfield Stadium on Thursday night. But as well as Economy performed – requiring just 85 pitches – even he… Read More
PORTLAND – The Portland Sea Dogs and the Portland Pirates are teaming up to present the Ameriprise Financial Celebrity Softball Challenge to benefit the Maine Children’s Cancer Program on Tuesday at Hadlock Field in Portland. The family event is free and open to the public. Read More
BANGOR – Old Town edged Holbrook 10-9 and Brewer nipped Hampden 7-6 in District 3 Senior League All-Star action at Mansfield Stadium Thursday. In the first game, Tyler Coombs’ RBI triple in the top of the seventh tied the game and Old Town brought in… Read More
BLUE HILL – Bob Maguire doubled and Tyler French singled twice to lead Bucksport by Coastal 4-3 in District 1 Junior League All-Star baseball action Thursday. Sam Carmichael and Cody Farrell each chipped in a single dor Bucksport. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
BANGOR – Tyler Robinson belted a two-run, inside-the-park home run in the top of the ninth to lift Katahdin to a 4-2 win over Hampden in the District 3 Junior League all-star tournament Wednesday night. Andy Kay pitched a complete game with 18 strikeouts and… Read More
If you can’t beat ’em, make ’em run their own race. That’s the general idea behind the first-ever match race to be held at Bangor Raceway tonight. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
BLUE HILL – Collin Henry smacked a solo home run in the top of the third and Blake Wessell added two doubles, a single and scored two runs to lead Trenton to an 11-0 American Legion baseball win over Waldo Thursday. Lucas Marks and A.J. Read More
Vinalhaven always has been a memorable place for Thomas Hildreth. Now, through an independent film in which he stars and co-wrote, the Maine native hopes to make others aware of it as well. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
If you were passing Indian Trail Park in Brewer one evening late last week and saw sword fighters in the grassy field, you may have wondered if you had stumbled back in time to, say, 11th century Scotland. It’s not all that common these days to see four… Read More
“The True False Identity” (DMZ/Columbia Records) – T Bone Burnett Producer, sideman and – for the first time in 14 years – singer-songwriter T-Bone Burnett returns armed with razor-sharp lyrics and tough, taut guitar tones on “The True False Identity.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
For much of the late 1990s up until recently, Lifetime has been a reliable source for original dramas with female leads, in shows such as “Any Day Now,” “The Division” and “Strong Medicine.” There has been a bit of a lull in the last couple… Read More
The Cure has had 12 different band members over the years. So has Blondie. Journey’s had 17 since 1974, and Steve Perry isn’t even in the band anymore. And Jefferson Airplane? Well, if you count Starship, then yes, they’ve had as many band members as Paris Hilton’s had… Read More
PORTLAND – Nickelback gave all the fans packed into the Cumberland County Civic Center their two cents’ worth and then some on Tuesday night It felt like a sauna inside as Hinder, Three Days Grace and Hoobastank warmed up the nearly sold-out crowd. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
In theaters TOP OF THE WORLD, directed by Bill Kern, written by Jon Lonoff and Kern, 70 minutes, unrated. Saturday, 5 p.m. only, Bangor Opera House, Bangor. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More