AUGUSTA – A man facing murder charges in the deaths of three people in New Hampshire cast some of the blame for his actions on the Maine State Prison. But a state prison administrator said Friday that without probation, officials can do little to monitor… Read More
BANGOR – A conservation group said Friday it is purchasing an easement that will serve as a buffer for the Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge about 15 minutes from Bangor. The Nature Conservancy’s 12,710-acre easement joins two conservation areas to create a 32,000-acre block of… Read More
The meeting in Lincoln on Friday was as if between family or old friends, words of greeting smothered by hugs and warm handshakes, formalities forgotten and intimacies a puzzle to the unfamiliar. “How are you?” Susan Murchison asked as she rushed toward Scott Valente. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
CONWAY, N.H. – A day after nonchalantly telling reporters he killed three people, a Maine man told a judge on Friday he wasn’t being treated fairly in jail and asked for a new home while awaiting trial on New Hampshire murder charges. “I have realized… Read More
CONCORD, N.H. – Michael Woodbury says he killed three people who got in his way as he tried to rob a store this week. Does the admission make or break his chances of going to prison for the rest of his life? Not necessarily. But… Read More
Elizabeth Bean was incorrectly identified in Wednesday’s Lifestyle story about hot dogs. Read More
Maine has introduced tax credits to entice young Maine college graduates to stay in the state. I am a graduate of the University of Maine, now living and working in Boston for the past four years. I am thrilled with my life in Boston, but… Read More
Live Earth, the multicontinent, carbon-offset concerts being held today to begin a long campaign by the Alliance for Climate Protection to raise awareness about the threats of climate change, will feature stages around the world and ask listeners to pledge to reduce greenhouse gases. Our cynicism about awareness-raising… Read More
Al Gore is not running for president (yet, anyway), but the former vice president has achieved what other candidates should be able to do, and, if they are elected, must do. He has made the complex, wideranging and sometimes contradictory issue of climate change compelling. Last week, he… Read More
Dana Wilde makes some excellent points in his column, “Keeping the English-teaching habit” (BDN, July 5). The story of the math major who is indifferent to his required English courses is, alas, too typical. However – and unfortunately – the opposite is often true. I… Read More
Regarding the letter “Mars Hill desecration” (BDN, July 5) about the wind turbines on Mars Hill, the writer was quite outraged that Mars Hill had been “desecrated” by these structures. I went by there last weekend and watched them turning in the wind. While they’re not beautiful by… Read More
Anyone who has known me for 10 years or less, has been introduced to my writing partner Rikki, a Nanday Conure (miniature parrot). One of my songs, a tune called “All She Wrote,” is registered with the songwriters association BMI, under the names David and Rikki Beckom. She… Read More
Reps. Mike Michaud and Tom Allen were joined recently by Sen. Olympia Snowe in stating that a scheduled withdrawal of troops from Iraq is the top concern of the people of Maine, as well as the rest of the nation. Sen. Susan Collins stated that she does not… Read More
The Fourth of July has come and gone – and a beautiful day for celebrating our nation’s birthday it was – and I have yet to conduct the first portion of the semi-annual purging of the tickler file containing bits of potential column fodder that had seemed like… Read More
I was recently asked to testify before Sen. Olympia Snowe and the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee about an issue near and dear to Mainers: rural wireless access, and how a proposed freeze on the federal Universal Service Fund (USF) will affect it. The USF is… Read More
U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud says he is optimistic about fair trade because he believes Congress has regained its voice in global trade. The former mill worker who represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District has been outspoken on the issue, and he sees last week’s lapse of… Read More
BURNHAM – At 57, Gail Shields left her tiny apartment in Manhattan and rode 12 hours northeast on a bus. She had fallen in love with Maine during a vacation visit, found a farm for sale in a brochure, and was heading for what she believed was nirvana. Read More
BREWER – Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline will soon begin clearing land near the junction of Day and Lambert roads for a new natural gas compressor station, a company spokeswoman confirmed. The station is one of five being built as part of Maritimes & Northeast’s new… Read More
AUGUSTA – Supporters of Maine’s current term limits law plan to fight the legislative proposal to lengthen the time lawmakers can remain in office that is expected to be on the November ballot. Proponents of the existing limits are considering using the people’s veto provision… Read More
ORONO – Less than 5 percent of all the books published since Gutenberg invented the printing press in about 1450 are available for the public to buy. And thousands of out-of-print or rare volumes are sitting in collections in such places as the Raymond H. Read More
AUGUSTA – Despite a major bump in its implementation, the two parties to a highly publicized pre-election agreement last fall – Gov. John Baldacci’s administration and the Maine Hospital Association – profess to be generally unconcerned. Tight revenue for Maine state government, as one fiscal… Read More
SKOWHEGAN – A Skowhegan man’s voice cracked with emotion as he apologized for causing a fatal crash for which he will serve two years in prison. Marcel Redmond, 19, was sentenced Thursday under an agreement in which he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and drunken driving… Read More
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THOMASTON – On the Tuesdays and Thursdays during two weeks in July, four noted American historians and authors will present lectures at Montpelier, The General Henry Knox Museum in Thomaston, as a public component of the Center for the Study of Early American History’s annual summer teacher institute. Read More
ROCKLAND – The Rockland Public Library will feature real-time captioning for deafened and hard of hearing individuals at a program 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 19. Tiffany Walker will speak about The Law of Attraction, from the best-selling book “The Secret,” which has been featured on “Oprah.”… Read More
UNION – The Union Historical Society will present the classic silent Western “The Iron Horse,” directed by John Ford, at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 21, at the Old Town House just off Union Common. This event is part of Union’s Founders Day celebration and has… Read More
CUSHING – The Cushing Historical Society will continue its “Arts in the Barn” summer exhibition series with a show of watercolor paintings by Cushing summer resident Win Reber, in the society’s barn on Hathorne Point Road. The show is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Read More
SEAL HARBOR – The Seal Harbor Library will host an evening with Maine author Sanford Phippen and silent auction Thursday, July 19. The fundraising event will begin with a reception at the library on New County Road at 5 p.m. Patrons will enjoy appetizers while… Read More
BAR HARBOR – Carl Safina of the Blue Ocean Institute will present a lecture titled “History and Destiny in World Fisheries” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 19. Call 207-288-5015 ext. 254 for more information. Read More
NEWPORT – It may be camouflaged as a snazzy PT Cruiser, often thought of as a baby boomer generation’s car, but the newest vehicle in the Newport Police Department’s fleet will still be able to give chase, make arrests and haul offenders off to jail. Read More
HOULTON – Officials said Friday that they are unable to determine the cause of a July 4 fire that gutted a garage on Heywood Street. The garage was on the site of an apartment building owned by Maxine Virgie. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Nelson is an active, polite and personable teenager who enjoys many activities. His favorite thing to do is skateboard, and he is very good at it. He can do a few tricks and likes to try new things on his board. Nelson is very good… Read More
HODGDON – Voters in SAD 70 approved a more than $6.1 million budget last week for the 2007-08 school year that includes plans to eliminate the keyboarding teacher position at the elementary school. There was little discussion about the budget during the June 27 meeting. Read More
NEW LIMERICK – Last year, the Louisiana-Pacific Corp. in New Limerick broke ground on a $105 million expansion project that will bring approximately 40 new jobs to the facility. In March, the Houlton Water Co. learned that an Economic Development Administration investment from the U.S. Read More
BANGOR – Following is a list of city government meetings planned for the week of July 8-14: . City Council, 6 p.m., Monday, City Hall, workshop, Penn National Gaming Inc. acquisition, plans for horse barns. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
CAMDEN – A book signing by Jeff Roberts, author of “The Atlas of American Cheese” will take place Saturday, July 21 at the Camden Farmers Market. The market is held 9 a.m. to noon on Colcord Avenue between Union and Limerock streets. For more information,… Read More
BELFAST – Mayor Michael Hurley will welcome the Zero-Emission, No Noise electric vehicle to the city at noon Thursday, July 12. “We are excited to bring the ZENN to Belfast as part of Mayor Hurley’s initiative to encourage the reduction of harmful emissions, noise pollution… Read More
TOWN HILL – Paul Weiss will present a talk, “The Wheel of Health,” at The Whole Health Center in Town Hill on Tuesday, July 17. Weiss will present a model of whole health and immunity, based on more than a quarter century’s work at the… Read More
CAMDEN – Skippers Philip Shelton and Amy Wood will be presenting the story of sailing around the world on the Iwalani at the Camden Public Library at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 12. Their slide show, “World Voyagers” depicts the couple’s lifetime dream that was launched… Read More
HERMON – Lightning that struck a home Friday on the York Road sparked a fire in the attic, but resulted in minimal damage, Hermon Fire Lt. Kelli Leighton said Friday. The call came in shortly after 2:30 p.m. when one of the homeowners drove into… Read More
HOWLAND – Residents from the six towns of SAD 31 may weigh in on the district’s proposed $6.7 million budget during a public hearing Tuesday at Penobscot Valley High School. The budget, school board Chairman John A. Neel said Friday, balances taxpayers’ and students’ needs… Read More
BANGOR – The city’s Franklin Street sewer separation project construction is expected to cross over Broadway at Cumberland Street starting Monday and is slated to continue through late Wednesday, according to an alert issued Friday. Drivers who plan to travel Broadway next week should be… Read More
Dover-Foxcroft District Court Cases June 30-July 5, 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
GREENVILLE – Author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau, who thrice visited Maine in the 1840s and 1850s, was the epitome of an ecotourist. Thoreau left things untouched but made a point to record in a journal his observations of the surroundings, including plants and animals,… Read More
PRESQUE ISLE – The Central Aroostook Kennel Club will hold a fun match for dogs and handlers on Sunday, Aug. 5, at Riverside Park. The public and their dogs are encouraged to come and watch as well as participate in the day’s events. According to… Read More
CALAIS – She likes her new job as the city’s top administrator. Diane Barnes of Skowhegan has only been on the job a week, and one of those days was the Fourth of July holiday, but she has been enjoying every minute. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Rockland District Court Cases June 25-29, 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 Slot… Read More
WARREN – The Knox-Lincoln County Soil and Water Conservation District has announced the first Summer Conservation Photo Contest. The contest aims to engage participants in identifying examples of natural resource conservation in action. Participants may submit multiple photos, but an individual may only win once. Read More
CAMDEN – Capt. Jim Sharp will present portions of his memoirs, the real story behind “Captains Courageous” at the Camden Public Library at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 17. His talk, “With Reckless Abandon: Memoirs of a Boat-Obsessed Life,” will be held at the Camden Public… Read More
PORTLAND – The state supreme court upheld a convicted murderer’s 40-year sentence in a gas station robbery, ruling that an earlier precedent set in reducing a woman’s manslaughter sentence does not apply in murder cases. Shaun Libby, who was sentenced in 1999, was one of… Read More
You may have heard of Willowbrook Museum Village in Newfield, but have not had the opportunity to visit that southwestern Maine location with which I am very familiar since my late father’s family is from that area. It is a delightful part of our state,… Read More
AUGUSTA – A people’s veto application to strip a sweeping school system consolidation mandate from the new state budget was filed Friday. “I think there’s a very high degree of frustration, there’s a high degree of uncertainty,” applicant Kenneth Fredette of Newport said. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
AUGUSTA – The state Department of Education on Friday released the names of six approved specialists, or facilitators, to help school districts with consolidation and reorganization plans. It expects to add to the list soon, a state official said. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
OLD ORCHARD BEACH – A Saco woman who allegedly left a message on an answering machine at a synagogue warning of a bomb on the property was arrested and charged with terrorizing, police said. Police said 32-year-old Ami Arbassio left her name and address in… Read More
BANGOR – Theft of electricity is on the rise, according to Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. officials. “This really hasn’t become a problem until about the last six months,” Hydro spokeswoman Susan Faloon said Friday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
A Georgetown University professor and Middle East expert will speak on Mount Desert Island later this month in a discussion sponsored by Bangor’s Congregation Beth El. Ralph Nurnberger will speak at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 22, on “The Path to Peace in the Middle East: A Process to… Read More
The founder of the Jewish Reconstructionist movement was Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan. His most famous book was first published in 1934 and is titled “Judaism as a Civilization: Toward a Reconstruction of American Jewish Life.” At the time, Rabbi Kaplan was a professor at the Jewish… Read More
A Caswell woman is to be recognized this weekend with the 2007 Bishop Amedee Proulx Award from Catholic Charities Maine. This award was established to give recognition to an individual in Maine whose contributions reflect the mission of Catholic Charities Maine and foster the social teachings of Christ. Read More
Apostolic Lighthouse Church will be host of Friend Day on July 29. While the church is at 517 Hammond St., Friend Day will be at the location of its planned new building on the corner of Union Street and Davis Road. A church service be held under a… Read More
MACHIAS – Although he told a Washington County Superior Court judge that he did not plan to appeal his $100 fine, former Sheriff’s Deputy Jeffrey Bishop did just that. Bishop’s attorney, Donald Brown of Brewer, filed the appeal with the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on… Read More
It was an unfortunate incident that nobody could remember witnessing. Home plate umpire Brian Currie walked off the field with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and a 3-2 count on the Hampden American Legion baseball team’s Tim Kenerson. Brewer was leading… Read More
It was certainly appropriate to name Garland Street Field after J. Henry ‘Hank’ Cameron. It was named after him when he retired as the principal at Garland Street Junior High School in 1982. He had served for 37 years in the Bangor school system. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
FORT KENT – For once, it wasn’t just the moose northern Maine drivers had to worry about Friday morning. At least, not along a mile stretch of the Ouellette Road in St. Agatha where commuters found themselves in the middle of a summer cross country roller-ski race. Read More
CAPE ELIZABETH – Physicians, nurses, physical therapists, athletic trainers, EMTs and nonmedical volunteers are needed to help staff the medical team for the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K road race on Aug. 4. More than 5,000 runners will be competing and race organizers want… Read More
HERSHEY STATE MEET At Brewer 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
“After all, it is a heady thing for an eighth-grade student to be contacted directly by a coach and invited to join a high school sports team. In too many cases, the invitation will come accompanied with a suggestion, subtle or otherwise, that failure to accept will hurt… Read More
BANGOR – Tyler Desjardins pitched a five-inning perfect game with eight strikeouts to lead Bangor past Hermon 11-0 during a District 3 Junior League All-Star baseball game Friday at Mansfield Stadium. Joe Stanevicz tripled and singled to drive in four runs for Bangor and Jacques… Read More
Now that summer’s here I’m thinking about one thing, getting out and hiking trails. If there’s a better way to embrace the season, I haven’t found it. With that thought in mind, last weekend I loaded the truck with every piece of backpacking, day hiking and car camping… Read More
A few weeks ago, I heard a radio interview with Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, authors of the recently published “UnSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation.” In the book, they assert that spin is “a polite word for deception.” The interviewer asked:… Read More
When you arrive at Margaret “Peggy” Watson’s shingle-style home in Lincolnville, it’s obvious that she’s the ideal person to plan a garden symposium. Open your car door, and the delicate perfume of roses and seaspray fills the air. Wander down one of the paths that… Read More
“Being John Malkovich: HD DVD”: Now on HD DVD, Spike Jonze’s uneven experiment finds the director in a risk-taking mood – he wants to shake up a cinematic culture that prefers to play it safe. On that level, you have to hand it to him – in “Malkovich,”… Read More
I should have known. Leland Gregory was one of the many maniacal writers from “Saturday Night Live.” 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++) {… Read More
A couple of months ago, our island community chorus traveled over to Camden to sing in a concert with Quasimodal Chorus. Last year Quasi came to the island, and we sang, then we gave them a potluck supper. This year they treated us, and what a spread. Among… Read More
THE FORKS – Spring is considered the best time to go white-water rafting, when rivers are high and wild. But all summer long and into fall, you can find exciting rapids – class IV and higher – up in Maine at The Forks. Many other rivers around the… Read More
Now that the garden is planted, we are focusing on garden improvement projects. Marjorie and I are each breaking new ground, expanding the garden in opposite directions. She is digging up sod, digging in compost, planting bearberry around walkway stones. I am making more room for tomatoes and… Read More