AUGUSTA – President Bush insisted in his State of the Union address Tuesday night that his plan for sending more troops offers the best chance of success in Iraq, but Maine’s congressional delegation still stood opposed. Members found promise elsewhere in the president’s remarks. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    A story on Page B4 of Tuesday’s Bangor Daily News omitted the University of Maine at Fort Kent in a list of universities in the University of Maine System. A photo caption on Page A1 of Tuesday’s paper contained a misspelled name. The couple pictured… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Rep. Mike Michaud was elected chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health on Tuesday. Michaud, who has served as a ranking member in the prior two legislative sessions, will have investigative jurisdiction over veterans hospitals, medical care and treatment… Read More
    Sen. Olympia Snowe met with U.S. Airways CEO Doug Parker in her Washington office Tuesday to voice opposition to the company’s proposed takeover of Delta Air Lines. The 35-minute meeting focused on the effects the merger could have on services in smaller markets – like… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Maine’s boat building industry is healthy and poised for growth. But according to a recently released report, boat builders face several obstacles they must overcome before they can take advantage of the opportunities for growth in a global market. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    MILLINOCKET – When Fredrick and Micki Schumacher went shopping for a site for a bed-and-breakfast inn, everyone said the same thing: Buy the Young House. It’s perfect. So they did. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Maine’s unemployment rate remained frozen at 4.7 percent for the fifth consecutive month in December, the state Labor Department said Tuesday. Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said Maine continues to record growth in the number of residents employed with 1,100 jobs added between November… Read More
    I like many in Maine am addicted to cigarettes. This is not a choice I made as an adult, but rather as a stupid teenager of 13. I am 62 now, and in good health. After trying to quit many times, using gum, patches, even willpower, I came… Read More
    A BDN editorial on Jan. 17 focused on the dangers of mercury in the environment, noting “hot spots” of unusually high levels in Maine and nearby states. A common opinion is that much of the Northeast’s mercury (as well as other airborne pollution) comes from other states on… Read More
    A letter regarding a proposed biomass refinery and its effects on global warming, “Stop global warming” (BDN, Jan. 16), made an oft-repeated false statement regarding greenhouse gases (such as carbon dioxide). That statement is: “burning anything wood, garbage, construction waste … produces greenhouse gases.” The… Read More
    I was heartened to read that Maine’s congressional delegation is unanimously opposed to Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq. It is about time our two senators stood up to the Bush administration and began representing their constituencies on the matter of Iraq. I… Read More
    The thrust of the editorial “Protest by Ballot” (BDN, Jan. 17) is that the only recourse citizens have to bring about change is to vote out of office those elected officials whose decisions they don’t like. Nevertheless the editorial proceeds to heap praise upon the “useful actions” and… Read More
    Under the direction of the Bush administration, NASA is cutting its Earth science program by $3.1 billion over the next five years, with the money directed toward renewed efforts to send people to the moon in preparation for a manned Mars mission. Last year, the agency dropped the… Read More
    Gov. Baldacci’s tax-cap resolution, released last week, partly addresses one of the primary criticisms against it, but the plan continues to lack a good argument for its existing at all. Majority legislative Democrats will have a hard time rejecting their party leader’s plan; they should instead offer an… Read More
    “For every problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong” is the famous quote from the late journalist and social critic H.L. Mencken I can’t think of a better way to describe GrowSmart Maine’s call for an increase in Maine’s lodging tax. Read More
    The editorial “Protest by Ballot” (BDN, Jan. 17) denigrates not only the 11 arrested in Bangor for their selfless act of nonviolent civil disobedience in Sen. Snowe’s office on Sept. 21, 2006, the International Day of Peace, but impugns the hundreds of others arrested across the entire country… Read More
    Following is how the $21 million in taxes generated at Hollywood Slots has been divided up: . Revitalization of harness racing industry: $3,543,235 to supplement harness racing purses at commercial harness racing tracks and agricultural fairs; $1,062,970 for additional purses for special “sire stakes” races… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Activists seeking to initiate legislation to outlaw slot machines in Maine have fallen short in their effort to gather enough signatures to force a referendum on the proposal this November. But a spokesman for the group, No Slots for ME!, said it expects… Read More
    AUGUSTA – In a party-line vote, the state Senate on Tuesday confirmed the nomination of a Fort Kent native to be a District Court judge. Senate Republicans opposed the nomination of Charles A. Dow, 33, of Winthrop, arguing that he was too young and inexperienced… Read More
    ORLAND – Members of the Emmaus Community at H.O.M.E. remember Emmaus founder Abbe Pierre as a kind, giving man. – as a holy man, and a saint. The French priest who almost 60 years ago founded the Emmaus Community, an international organization dedicated to helping… Read More
    AUGUSTA – If there are any fears that the private sector might object to a state proposal to spend $3 million in public funds to improve broadband Internet capacity in Maine, they did not materialize Tuesday during a public hearing at the State House. In… Read More
    MACHIAS – College Goal Sunday, a free workshop for families about getting financial aid for college, will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28, in Kimball Hall at the University of Maine at Machias. The workshop is coordinated by the Finance Authority of Maine… Read More
    TENANTS HARBOR – Jackson Memorial Library will hold its annual meeting for members at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31. The board of directors will provide an overview of 2006 activities and present reports from the library director, treasurer and committee chairmen. They also will elect… Read More
    WHITING – Sponsors and advertisers are needed for the third edition of “Cobscook Trails: A guide to hiking opportunities around Cobscook Bay and Bold Coast region.” The space available for ads and sponsors has been increased and will include full-color ads for the first time;… Read More
    CAMDEN – Dave Jackson, director of parks for Camden Public Library, will give a slide show presentation and lecture on the library’s landscaping project at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, at Merryspring Nature Center as part of the winter lecture series. The project was completed… Read More
    MACHIAS – The literary and arts magazine of the University of Maine at Machias, The Binnacle, is accepting submissions for its fourth ultra-short competition. It is open to all writers. Short narratives should be no more than 150 words, poetry should be 16 lines or… Read More
    FRIENDSHIP – The town of Friendship will celebrate its 200th birthday 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25. Events at the town office will include a presentation of the Lobstermen and Lobsterwomen Buoy Case, proclamation from the state and a display of Friendship artifacts loaned from locals… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to Fundy Contractors Inc. of Calais for construction of a border crossing between U.S. Route 1 and the Canadian border. Wetland mitigation at the Water District and Hardscrabble Road will also be part of the project. The… Read More
    CALAIS – A workshop on Downtown Tax Increment Financing will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, at the Downeast Heritage Museum. The Calais Downtown Committee and Washington County Council of Governments are inviting Norreen Norton and Greg Mitchell from the Eaton Peabody Consulting… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Two folk musicians will take the stage for the first show in the annual Maine Musician’s Winter Concert Series at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 28. The Music Committee of First Congregational Church of Ellsworth will have bagpiper and storyteller Peter Beckford along with… Read More
    MOUNT VIEW – A public forum on the governor’s proposed budget for SAD 3 will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, in the Mount View High School cafeteria. It will be hosted by the superintendent and the SAD 3 board of directors. Special invitations will be… Read More
    MACHIAS – Betsy Sholl of Portland, Maine’s poet laureate since her appointment last March by Gov. John Baldacci, will spend two days this week at the University of Maine at Machias for poetry readings and discussions. Sholl will read from her work at 4 p.m. Read More
    HOULTON – Town councilors decided to postpone the potential adoption of a drinking-water protection ordinance Monday evening for another three weeks to give the public one last chance to ask questions about the proposal. The board unanimously supported the delay after several residents raised questions… Read More
    HOULTON – As the town prepares to open its downtown to a conference that is expected to draw throngs of businesses, economic development and community leaders from throughout the state, officials with the Maine Downtown Center are lining up a roster of speakers to address the participants. Read More
    ST. AGATHA – Even though the weather outside will remain frigid for months to come, residents of the mid-St. John Valley will soon be able to work up a sweat inside a new fitness center. Construction crews are currently putting the finishing touches on the… Read More
    MILLINOCKET – Police are investigating an apparent burglary in which an office at Katahdin Paper LLC was ransacked, they said Tuesday. Workers at Katahdin Paper, 1 Katahdin Ave., reported the burglary at about 11:30 a.m. Monday when they went into a third-floor office area in… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – Diabetes support groups will meet in Dexter, Guilford and Dover-Foxcroft during February. Marion McLellan, registered dietitian at Mayo Regional Hospital, will speak on healthful nutrition for diabetics from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at Dexter Health Care, and from 11 a.m. Read More
    LINCOLN – Plans to offer skating at Ella P. Burr School are on ice. Town officials opted to relocate town skating from Burr to the South Lincoln boat landing because the ice wouldn’t form well on the baseball infield at the school, Recreation Department Director… Read More
    BANGOR – City councilors accepted on Monday night a $75,459 state grant aimed at helping nearly a half-dozen municipalities and institutions in the local urbanized area wade through new state and federal stormwater management regulations. Bangor is among several area cities, towns and other entities… Read More
    Lincoln District Court Cases Jan. 16-18, 2007 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
    SANFORD – Local and state police were investigating the death of a young man following an unspecified incident at a variety store Tuesday night, a law enforcement spokesman said. A second young man was being questioned, according to Maine state police spokesman Stephen McCausland. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    The Frenchman Bay Conservancy celebrated a record year by acquiring five land easements in Hancock County that will conserve land from future commercial and residential development. “This last year is the first in which we were able to bring so many to completion,” Lisa Heyward,… Read More
    SKOWHEGAN – Motive is always a key element in any criminal case, but motive is taking center stage this week in a complicated civil trial in Somerset County Superior Court. Gary Jordan of St. Albans is suing 17 current and former neighbors around Town Landing… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – A variety of activities are planned during American Heart Month in February by Heartwise, the cardiac rehabilitation program at Mayo Regional Hospital. There will be an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, to mark the 10th anniversary of Heartwise’s… Read More
    CHESTER – An unidentified man was lucky to escape without serious injury after he accidentally flipped his vehicle over on Route 116 early Tuesday, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department said. The man was on Route 116 headed toward Lincoln at about 12:40 a.m. when he… Read More
    DEXTER – A 17-year-old Garland boy accused of stealing a vehicle from Tri County Technical School on Friday will make his initial court appearance next month in 3rd District Court in Newport. The theft was discovered Friday on Church Street, where Cpl. Alan Grinnell stopped… Read More
    VEAZIE – The Town Council decided Monday night not to go the way of next-door Bangor and will not, for now, ban smoking in cars if kids are present. “They discussed maybe revisiting the issue sometime in the future,” Town Manager Bill Reed said Tuesday. Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Police are investigating the theft of more than $500 worth of items from a vehicle parked at the Ellsworth Shopping Center, including four bottles of prescription medication. The theft occurred sometime between 10 and 11 a.m. Monday while the vehicle was parked in… Read More
    SEARSPORT – Town officials became painfully aware last fall just how important U.S. Route 1 is to local transportation when the road was blocked for several hours by a truck trying to make a left turn onto the highway from Navy Street. The truck –… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – Local police who reported late Monday that a teenage girl was missing said Tuesday that the girl is involved in some sort of a custody battle and not in any danger. Ellsworth police Lt. Harold Page said he received information Tuesday that 16-year-old… Read More
    Belfast District Court Cases Jan. 8-19, 2007 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
    MONTPELIER, Vt. – Vermont’s banks were urging consumers to check credit and debit accounts Tuesday, nearly a week after the company that owns T.J. Maxx, Marshall’s and other retail chains reported a major computer security breach. Chris D’Elia, president of the Vermont Bankers’ Association, said… Read More
    FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – Items of clothing belonging to accused killer Gregory Despres were stained with blood from the two elderly people he is on trial for murdering, a DNA expert testified Tuesday. Joy Kearsey said she was able to identify numerous samples of blood… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A split between the Maine Senate and House of Representatives has doomed a parliamentary effort to require supermajorities in the Legislature to override a state spending cap. Because the current spending cap does not appear to be imperiled now, debate on the override… Read More
    AUGUSTA – An Iranian-born man mistaken for a Hispanic man wanted by the FBI was discriminated against on the basis of national origin, the Maine Human Rights Commission ruled Monday. Commission members wrestled with the case and expressed concern about discouraging citizens from contacting police… Read More
    BRUNSWICK – A Topsham man has been charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly grabbing a 13-year-old middle school hockey player by the neck, lifting him off the ground, and throwing him onto a bench following a game. James P. Murray, 40, could face a fine… Read More
    PORTLAND – A St. George man serving a sentence at the Maine State Prison in Warren for marijuana trafficking has been sentenced to 13 months in federal prison for illegally receiving federal housing funds. Donald M. Pierce, 57, also was ordered Friday in U.S. District… Read More
    DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire said it will increase its health education program following the death of a senior from Bangor, Maine, who died from bacterial meningitis. Danielle Thompson died Jan. 3 from the disease. Since then, college health officials have talked… Read More
    The three final candidates for University of Maine System chancellor begin a round of interviews and public sessions this week. Each candidate is scheduled to spend about four days in Maine, with the visits beginning in Portland and ending in Presque Isle. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    Cooking with class You know you make a mean pepper-encrusted filet mignon, but the whole Tempura Salt Cod & Meyer Lemon Fritters thing is beyond your capabilities. Not to worry. Three of the state’s top chefs have teamed up to teach would-be gourmets the tricks… Read More
    I was trying to figure out why we have a different emotional attachment to the Red Sox than we do to the Patriots. Specifically, why we are just mildly upset that the Patriots aren’t going to the Super Bowl but we get perturbed when the… Read More
    BANGOR – The look was different as the Bangor High boys basketball team took to the court Tuesday night for its Class A matchup against Erskine Academy of South China. Veteran coach Roger Reed opted to go with an all-senior starting lineup as the Rams… Read More
    Aroostook County will be well represented at this week’s biathlon World Junior Championships in Martell, Italy. Between high school and college students, former world juniors competitors and members of the Maine Winter Sports Center team, five biathlon athletes out of 16 on the world juniors… Read More
    COLLEGE Atlantic 10 Football Academic 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 Official standings for boys and girls basketball and hockey as reported by the Maine Principals’ Association for games through Jan. 20 googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i =… Read More
    MAINE vs. MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY Time, site: Wednesday, noon; The RAC, Baltimore, Md. 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
    More than two decades of coaching varsity basketball has taught Jeff Hart that one of the most unpredictable times of the season comes in mid-to-late January, particularly for those teams that rest atop the standings. “I’ve always believed that when you get to final exam… Read More
    LEE – Calais scored 12 unanswered points to open the second half and went on to earn its 37th consecutive victory over the last two seasons with a 75-60 high school boys basketball victory over Lee Academy Tuesday. Lee led 31-30 at halftime, but Robbie… Read More
    LIMESTONE – Danny Hayes recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds as Limestone Community School/Maine School and Science and Mathematics won its ninth straight, 58-43 over Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook in high school boys basketball action Tuesday. Chris Kirchner netted 14 points,… Read More
    BANGOR – Tracy Nale recorded 21 points and five assists to lead Colby College of Waterville to a narrow 69-65 women’s basketball victory over Husson College Tuesday. Katie McCabe had 17 points and eight rebounds for the White Mules, and Alison Cappelloni added 15 points. Read More
    An entertaining matchup of two of Maine’s postgraduate basketball teams is scheduled for Lee Academy tonight as the Pandas will host two-time defending New England Prep School Athletic Conference champion Bridgton Academy. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m., just after a 4:30 p.m. girls… Read More
    HAMPDEN – Dan McCue poured in a game-high 23 points Tuesday night as Hampden Academy continued its recent surge with a 56-51 boys basketball victory over Messalonskee of Oakland. Brad Haase chipped in with 11 points for the Broncos, including nine on free throws. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More