CORINNA – With urban sprawl encroaching on their Midwestern settlement, the Amish couple turned their eyes to Maine, put money down on some land, packed their meager belongings and made the seven-month trek by horse and buggy across the country to their new home. It… Read More
AUGUSTA – Gov. John Baldacci says he is considering calling lawmakers into a special session this fall to consider a property tax and income tax relief measure that would be funded by spending reductions at the state and local levels. “I am looking at reducing… Read More
Before 12-year-old Nola was brought to the Bangor Humane Society last month, things were not looking good. The stray Shetland sheepdog mix had a basketball-size growth in her stomach and no one to take care of her. Now, thanks to Dr. Gary “Doc” Winters and… Read More
VAN BUREN – Drug agents arrested a Van Buren man and seized more than 98,000 tablets of Ecstasy in what is being called the largest seizure of the drug in the state, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency said Tuesday. The case unfolded last week after… Read More
CONCORD, N.H. – FairPoint Communications on Tuesday pledged to invest more than $13 million for rural broadband access in New Hampshire if state panels in three northern New England states approve the company’s purchase of Verizon Communications’ phone lines. If state regulators in New Hampshire,… Read More
BAILEYVILLE – Construction on a new facility to manufacture structural insulated panels for use in commercial and residential buildings is moving forward, and people in this small town are excited. Insulated Component Structures Inc. of Eustis, Fla., plans to open a manufacturing plant in the… Read More
PORTLAND – The state supreme court on Tuesday upheld a decision by the town of Denmark allowing Poland Spring to pump 105 million gallons of water a year to a proposed facility in nearby Fryeburg. But the issue is far from resolved because the Supreme… Read More
BAILEYVILLE – Washington County’s largest employer, Domtar Inc. pulp and paper mill, has given no indication when the nearly 90 employees who were laid off last month will be back to work. State Sen. Kevin Raye and Rep. Anne Perry met with the Town Council… Read More
The following petitions for bankruptcy were filed at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor during March 2007: Jay M. Trefts, sales floor manager, and Dawn E. Trefts, fka Dawn E. Murray, cashier, three dependents, Carmel: assets, $231,053; debts, $288,283. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
My 19-year-old son was deployed to Iraq on July 7. This greatly disturbs me and my family, not only because we do not in any way support the war in Iraq but because approximately four weeks ago he was seen by doctors for a psychiatric evaluation while he… Read More
In the July 14-15 BDN there was a story that said: “Study to focus on York toll diversions.” I wonder why? But I can understand why some people try not to pay: seniors who are on a fixed income and people on low incomes. Most people would bypass… Read More
I would like to applaud Dr. Erik Steele for his willingness to publish his true feelings about the war in Iraq, “Supporting the War I Hate” (BDN, July 17). His sincerity is unquestioned and I have felt the same way and with the same reasoning. Read More
The excellent and timely July 6 op-ed, “Greatest Generation Deserves the Best Health Care,” should serve as a reminder to us all that those who fought on our nation’s behalf over 50 years ago both need and deserve the quality, compassionate nursing home care they depend upon for… Read More
Are we strongly convinced of the rightness of our actions or emotions which is the definition of self-righteous? Impeaching President Bush would be a good idea if there was enough evidence to put him out of office. Having Congress held accountable in an impeachment process would be a… Read More
Congress is likely to emerge with two leading proposals to reauthorize and expand the popular and needed State Children Health Insurance Program. President Bush has promised to veto both, leaving Congress with a strong incentive to pass the stronger of the two, knowing that negotiations with the White… Read More
When it comes to offensive place names in Maine, the good news is that more than half the townships, mountains, lakes, ponds and islands once called Squaw have new names. Communities deciding the new names for the dozen that remain should get busy finding a better choice. Read More
I always envied my grandfather having seen the first airplanes, then having lived to watch all six of the moon landings. During the interim, he saw the age of airships and dirigibles come and go, and delivered newspapers which declared the Titanic had sunk on its maiden voyage. Read More
I like to think that humor can be found anywhere. And for the most part I’m right. Oh sure, folks don’t always agree, but it’s not because the material isn’t funny. Some people just don’t get certain jokes; other folks take things too personally, while sadly, some people… Read More
FORT KENT – Former University of Maine at Fort Kent student and University of Maine System board of trustees student member Chad Marquis has been charged with aggravated trafficking in scheduled drugs and is expected to appear in court next month. Marquis, a Fort Kent… Read More
If you want evidence that the Island Explorer bus system is having an impact on the Mount Desert Island area, checking the numbers is a good place to start. Over the first three weeks of its operation this summer, Island Explorer buses carried a total… Read More
PORTLAND – A federal judge in California ruled Tuesday against the federal government’s attempts to stop investigations in five states of President Bush’s domestic spying program. U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker last winter was assigned to hear arguments in the federal government’s attempt to… Read More
AUGUSTA – A new, colorful license plate that will fund agriculture education in Maine elementary schools will be available to the public Oct. 1. The plate, the work of artist and Orono Cooperative Extension Agent Charles Armstrong, shows a Maine sunrise along the coast, with… Read More
FORT KENT – Event organizers want to put the race back into the Can Am Crown 250-mile International Sled Dog Race. New entry requirements posted on the Can Am Web site are aimed at countering what officials say is a trend of certain mushers repeatedly… Read More
To natives, it is the crown of the Queen City. Each night, whether competing with the fireflies in muggy July or the snowflakes in frigid February, the 240 jewels of the royal coronal sparkle in the Bangor skyline. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
BELFAST – Mike Nickerson had a knife ready and planned to retaliate the next time his brother Charlie Nickerson hit him, a family friend testified Tuesday in Waldo County Superior Court. Mike Nickerson’s trial on manslaughter and elevated aggravated assault charges began Tuesday morning, and… Read More
GLENBURN – Saving the lives of furry friends has been made easier for some local firefighters thanks to two women who have been raising money and purchasing oxygen masks designed specifically for animals. Jillaine Geary, 30, of Glenburn and her co-worker Jen Walton, 42, of… Read More
MILLINOCKET – In a foreclosure sale cheered by town officials Tuesday, the Katahdin region’s largest single retail space acquired a new owner. Maryland developer and environmental lawyer Gary Silversmith bought the former Ames Plaza for an undisclosed amount. Silversmith would only divulge that he paid… Read More
MILLINOCKET – To Bruce McLean, it’s a sad irony. McLean and the Millinocket Area Growth & Investment Council spent years trying to market retail space in the former Ames Plaza on Route 157 and months helping Gary Silversmith acquire the property. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
CAMDEN – A memorial service will be held Friday for 18-year-old Gabrielle V. Meerbergen who was killed Sunday in a traffic accident in upstate New York. The Madison County Sheriff’s Department reported that Meerbergen was killed in Nelson, N.Y., when her car was hit broadside… Read More
ROCKLAND – The Law Project will hold office hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7, at the Penquis CAP office located at 170 Pleasant St. The Law Project is a small public interest family law practice serving low- and moderate-income individuals in Penobscot, Piscataquis and… Read More
MONTVILLE – Local officials, residents and volunteers are pulling together to get the town spruced up in time for next weekend’s Montville Bicentennial Celebration. The celebration will take place the weekend of Aug. 3-4 and will feature balloon rides, history lessons, a Civil War re-enactment,… Read More
HOULTON – The Houlton Regional Health Services Foundation’s campaign to garner $1 million for nuclear medicine equipment for Houlton Regional Hospital continues to gather steam, with a local financial institution helping fuel the initiative with a significant donation. Elizabeth Dulin, the foundation’s executive director, said… Read More
HOULTON – During his tenure with the town, Code Enforcement Officer Wade Hanson has helped to enforce municipal ordinances and local and state regulations while also working to preserve the integrity of the town and planning for its future growth. Now, he will move into… Read More
Houlton mill rate should decrease Council votes to take $400,000 from surplus account to lower taxes
HOULTON – It was a decision that briefly divided town councilors, but in the end, it should result in a lower mill rate for taxpayers. During a meeting Monday evening, councilors voted unanimously to transfer $400,000 from the municipal surplus fund for the purpose of… Read More
SURRY – A forum on the state’s consolidated school proposal will take place at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 6, at the Surry Elementary School auditorium. The Surry Community Improvement Association has invited District 37 Rep. Jim Schatz of Blue Hill and School Union 92 Superintendent… Read More
SOUTHWEST HARBOR – A slide show on The Garden Club of America’s “Partners for Plants: The Rare and the Invasive” will be held at 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, at the Claremont Hotel, 22 Claremont Road. Jill Weber, a consulting botanist and plant ecologist, and… Read More
BANGOR – Bangor High School has been reaccredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Public Secondary Schools, according to a report released this month. Though the accreditation is good for 10 years, it doesn’t mean educators can rest on their… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Dover-Foxcroft Fire Chief Joseph Guyotte told selectmen Monday that it’s time to build a museum to house the town’s four antique firetrucks and its assortment of other equipment and memorabilia. Guyotte’s proposal to use the interest from the fire department’s so-called Gray Fund… Read More
BANGOR – Have you ever wondered what it would take to become a foster or adoptive parent? The Bangor office of the state Department of Health and Human Services will be hosting a meeting to inform the public about adoption and foster care in Bangor… Read More
BANGOR – A spaghetti dinner fundraiser for Thomas Doll of Bangor, who is battling cancer, will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 28, at St. John’s Catholic Church on York Street. Proceeds will benefit Doll’s three children. For information, contact Jackie Doll… Read More
SANGERVILLE – A vacant mobile home located on a dirt road off Route 23 was destroyed by fire Tuesday. Owner Dan Rohdin had been dismantling the mobile home with a cutting torch earlier in the day and an ember had apparently smoldered causing the 1:50… Read More
BANGOR – A water main break on Broadway Monday caused some customers of the Bangor Water District to lose water service, or experience a drop in water pressure, depending on where they were located. The break involved a roughly 50-year-old water main just beyond the… Read More
Old Town Police Capt. Kyle Smart said he wouldn’t classify Saturday night’s incident as a chase, but said it did take officers from three departments to stop and arrest an intoxicated Glenburn man. Old Town police Officer Brian Doyle was running radar on College Avenue… Read More
ELLSWORTH – A Hancock woman may have gotten her life back on track in the past 20 months, but that didn’t stop a judge Tuesday from sending her back to jail. Deborah Stanley, 38, was given a one-year sentence with all but four months suspended… Read More
Ellsworth District Court Cases Jan. 1-Feb. 28, 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 () { //… Read More
BELFAST – The starting gun for the Belfast BoatBuilding Challenge will be fired at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 28, at the Belfast public landing when teams of two will compete to build predesigned 12-foot-long Monhegan skiffs. Once built, the boats will take part in an… Read More
SEARSPORT – Belfast photographer Neal Parent will speak at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1, at the Penobscot Marine Museum. The museum is holding a series of talks on photography to accompany its summer exhibit, “Through the Photographer’s Lens: Penobscot Bay and Beyond.” The exhibit includes… Read More
Gov. John Baldacci recently announced the membership of a new advisory council charged with helping calm the politically tumultuous waters surrounding the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Last winter, a task force on the Allagash recommended that the governor create a seven-member advisory council that will work… Read More
The 15th season of the Seeds of Peace International Camp opens with a flag-raising ceremony at 9 a.m. today at the camp in Otisfield. More than 150 campers and adult delegation leaders are attending the three-week session focusing on Arab and Israeli campers. The camp… Read More
PORTLAND – The state’s 10 Habitat for Humanity affiliates will share more than $60,000 from the settlement of a class-action antitrust lawsuit. Each affiliate will receive $6,300 to use in charitable work assisting low-income families in constructing affordable homes, Richard O’Meara, the Portland attorney who… Read More
SCARBOROUGH – A Scarborough man who is the subject of complaints over solar panels he installed in his front yard says “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Laurence Gardner and his wife, Alison Noiles, installed the photovoltaic panels atop 10-foot-tall metal poles to… Read More
MONTPELIER, Vt. – Passengers on a May 30 bus from Boston to Montreal may have been exposed to tuberculosis, health officials in Vermont and Massachusetts said Tuesday. At least some of the passengers of the Vermont Transit Co. trip were being notified that another passenger… Read More
AUBURN – A veteran Maine State Police trooper accidentally shot himself in the hand Tuesday at his home. Trooper Keith Frank was taken to the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston after his nondepartmental .45-caliber handgun discharged as he was entering his home at about… Read More
The Maine Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Highway Safety is scheduled to offer Maine Driving Dynamics courses at the following locations: . Readfield, Maranacook High School, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. To register, call 685-4923, ext. 303. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
The Maine Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Highway Safety is scheduled to offer Maine Driving Dynamics courses at the following locations: . Readfield, Maranacook High School, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. To register, call 685-4923, ext. 303. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
High school football in Down East Maine is gaining momentum. Calais and Woodland have combined forces to develop a cooperative program that will begin playing at the subvarsity level this fall with plans to join the varsity ranks in two years. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
A potential Boston Red Sox closer of the future has been a catcher for the vast majority of his organized baseball career. Even as late as his junior year in high school, the idea of throwing from the mound rather than throwing balls back to… Read More
HEBRON – Suddenly an early summer spent both working and relaxing has turned into competition mode for more than 80 of the state’s high school football-playing seniors from the Class of 2007. And, not surprisingly, athletes on the East and West squads that will battle… Read More
VASSALBORO – Two strings of pars, punctuated by the occasional birdie, bogey and double bogey, boosted Kristen Kannegieser into the lead Tuesday after the second round of the Women’s Maine State Golf Association Championship at Natanis Golf Course. Kannegieser, a Minot resident, shot a 4-over-76… Read More
Marcus Gustafson’s life changed forever on April 3, 1999. That night, he scored the overtime game-winner to beat New Hampshire 3-2 in the NCAA championship game in Anaheim. His life changed dramatically again in August of 2005. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
CARRABASSETT VALLEY – Mark Plummer of Augusta and John Hickson of Topsham share the lead after the first round of the State of Maine Golf Championship at Sugarloaf Golf Club, each posting a 4-under par 68. Plummer, a four-time champ, and Hickson each recorded five… Read More
After reviewing the spring 2007 academic statistics, Husson College officials, faculty members and coaches are flying high over the grade point averages of the Eagles’ student-athletes. Almost half (47.6 percent) of the students involved in Husson’s 11 athletic programs obtained a spring GPA of 3.0… Read More
BANGOR – The Pro-Am and driving contest today will kick off the festivities for the final Greater Bangor Open at Bangor Municipal Golf Course. Beginning at 7 a.m. today, 23 groups will compete in the Pro-Am. The driving contest will start approximately at 5 p.m. Read More
WALDOBORO – Nick DePatsy was already home, having moved back to his native Waldoboro some 16 years ago. But now the 1982 graduate of Medomak Valley High School has arrived home in an athletic sense as his alma mater’s new boys varsity basketball coach. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
Collin Henry of Trenton and Tyler Miles of Waldo took top individual honors Tuesday evening as the American Legion Zone 1 baseball coaches selected their 2007 all-star teams. Henry was named Zone 1 Player of the Year after a spectacular effort both on the mound… Read More
BANGOR – Cross-river rivals Bangor and Brewer will battle tonight at 7 for the right to go to the Senior League World Series after Bangor beat Brewer 6-5 Tuesday night in the championship round of the District 3 All-Star tourney at Mansfield Stadium to force the if-necessary game. Read More
Trevor Corson loves seafood. He’s fascinated by the industry, the fishermen, and the fish itself. He loves it so much, in fact, that he now has written two books about it. The first was 2004’s “The Secret Life of Lobsters,” a tale of fishing, science… Read More
Hungry for a kitchen makeover? Craving gourmet goodies? Have a hankering for a new cookbook? You can satisfy your appetite for all three at Merryspring Nature Center’s 11th annual kitchen tour, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1, in Camden… Read More
Hot potatoes Love spuds? Then enter your favorite recipe in Northern Maine Fair’s “Potatoes for the Health of It” potato cookoff in Presque Isle. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Potato Board will judge entries in six categories: breads, soups, salads, casseroles, desserts… Read More
DEDHAM – Hazy, lazy summer morning. No place we must be. A swim? The park? A book? A ball? But first, a doughnut taste-off, perfect start to a crystal-clear New England day. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More