Beginning this weekend, Maine residents will finally have an opportunity to tell state regulators how they feel about the largest – and arguably most controversial – development proposal in state history. To some, Plum Creek’s vision of nearly 1,000 house lots and two large resorts… Read More
The country is certainly ready for a woman president, “as long as she can do the job,” said Donna Dennison, Knox County sheriff. Dennison, 55, was elected the state’s first woman sheriff last November despite long odds against two experienced male rivals and is now… Read More
BANGOR – After a second round of presentations Thursday, Bass Park remained the apparent frontrunner in the city’s search for a home for a new arena to replace the aging Bangor Auditorium. Consultants hired by the city to analyze and rank potential sites recommended two… Read More
BELFAST – The blizzard of paperwork involved with processing health care claims is like a truck buried up to the axle in Maine mud and it’s well past time to pull it out. That was the analogy used by Jonathan Bush, chairman and chief executive… Read More
LONDON – Like UV rays and diesel exhaust fumes, working the graveyard shift will soon be listed as a “probable” cause of cancer. It is a surprising step validating a concept once considered wacky. And it is based on research that finds higher rates of… Read More
Stephen King’s taste in music is more eclectic than scary. The best-selling author reveals his seven picks for the “best albums of the year” in Entertainment Weekly’s Dec. 7 issue. “In truth, your Uncle Stevie was disappointed with this year’s new music, very disappointed indeed, and his year-end… Read More
AUGUSTA – Maine residents who have lost a service member in a noncombat death or who have been affected by a noncombat disability through service in the Maine National Guard are invited to present their stories to a special commission. The panel is charged with… Read More
PORTLAND – The Hannaford Bros. supermarket chain plans to license its gold star rating system, which has been applied to more than 25,000 food items ranging from fresh habanero peppers and mangos to SpaghettiO’s and Wonder Bread. Billed as the first program of its type,… Read More
TORONTO – Canadian financial services company TD Bank Financial Group, parent of Maine-based TD Banknorth, said Thursday its fourth-quarter profit rose because of growth in U.S. and Canadian banking and a gain related to its shares of Visa Inc. “A strong fourth-quarter financial performance wrapped… Read More
SURRY – Struggling to find a Christmas gift that doesn’t carry with it the inevitable air of capitalism? What about enough seeds to plant a small field of cacao to produce chocolate, or a wood-conserving stove or 200 acres of tropical rain forest? googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Much has been made in recent days of the state’s “loss” of $20 million in risky investments. Further examination shows that the state treasurer followed the state’s investment protocol, which allows participation in only top-rated investments and requires purchases to undergo several layers of review. If they are… Read More
A proposal to raise Maine’s hourly minimum wage from $7 to $8.40 by 2009 will be the center of heated debate in coming months. But a dispassionate examination of the proposal, with attention to the reason a minimum wage exists in the first place, ought to lead legislators… Read More
In response to Barry Jace’s Nov. 21 letter to the editor, “Skip the Turkey,” I’d like to share my top 10 reasons I have had and will continue to have a turkey on Thanksgiving: 10. Turkeys are made out of tasty meat. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Susan Collins is at it again! Ostensibly unaware of constituent woes – high taxes, fuel costs and a declining economy – she seems determined to dwell upon lesser matters. Indeed, the staunch advocate of unrestrained bipartisanship is now ready to compromise the values of this great nation. Read More
I was pleased to see that your editorial “Easier recycling” (BDN, Nov. 12) addressed the importance of single-sort recycling, both to our ecology and our economy. However, your reference that such a facility is “being built in the Portland area” is out of date: the ecomaine single-sort facility… Read More
Thank you for your Nov. 15 article, “Bus tour offers help with RX drugs,” on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance program. As a Maine partner, the Arthritis Foundation has found this program extremely helpful in providing access to much needed medications for those with limited incomes. Read More
Often when politicians take aim at the latest political health care boogeyman, they end up hurting the patient. This time, they are hurting a close family member of mine with a rare cancer. In health care, data and information drive everything from an appropriate diagnosis… Read More
ROCKPORT – What do children under age 5 have to do with the state’s economy? A lot, according to state and national experts. Gov. John Baldacci’s first Economic Summit on Early Childhood took place at the Samoset Resort on Thursday. Child care providers, police officers,… Read More
WINTER HARBOR – Suspended by a cord tied to the bucket of a backhoe, the upper part of Don Justin Meserve’s sculpture didn’t look like a boat cleat, which was the artist’s intent. Instead, it resembled a huge, abstract gull made of Jonesboro granite hovering above the harbor… Read More
BANGOR – A local man who executed 15 burglaries – nine of them in one day – on the city’s west side this summer will spend the next six years behind bars after pleading guilty Thursday in Penobscot County Superior Court to 30 charges related to the break-ins. Read More
MACHIAS – An Indian Township tribal councilor who last year grabbed his 13-year-old son around the neck, lifted him off the ground and shook him was acquitted Thursday after a Washington County Superior Court judge ruled that the amount of force used was not excessive. Read More
Thanksgiving is a good time for remembering the things you’re grateful for. Often it’s the little things that make the most difference. I am thankful for the invention of the hand-warmer. I swear I get up in the morning because of those things. Thanksgiving also… Read More
BAR HARBOR – Municipal and education officials on Mount Desert Island are working on a school reorganization plan that would result in a new governance structure and membership that largely resembles the one they have now, according to island school board members. The plan is… Read More
SANGERVILLE – After an executive session, the Board of Selectmen agreed Thursday to seek legal counsel after two residents filed complaints about the town manager’s alleged mistreatment of a resident of South Korean descent. In a letter to board Chairman Lance Burgess, SaeHee Martin wrote… Read More
MILLINOCKET – The town had a drier summer in 2007 in at least one respect, Frank Clukey says: The town pool didn’t leak any water. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
Christmas Day is Dec. 25, as always, but the season already has started in the Katahdin area. A children’s concert at Stearns High School’s auditorium in Millinocket opened festivities Thursday night, and things really take off today with a tree lighting in Millinocket’s Veterans Memorial… Read More
HOWLAND – SAD 31 school board member Bruce Hallett might have helped save taxpayers as much as $100,000 on the $3.9 million renovation of two district schools, but he still apparently violated state law, the Maine Department of Education’s spokesman said Thursday. “It may be… Read More
GREENVILLE – A 17-year veteran of the Augusta Police Department has accepted the position of sergeant of the Greenville Police Department. Jeff Pomerleau, 39, will begin his new duties on Dec. 6 at a starting salary of $42,000. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
ROCKLAND – School boards for SAD 5 and SAD 50 voted unanimously Tuesday night to submit a preliminary reorganization plan to Maine Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron. The report is being filed in time for the state’s Dec. 1 deadline set under the school administrative… Read More
BELFAST – The Waldo County Sheriff’s Department has issued an all-points bulletin for a Clinton man accused of raping a Liberty woman over the weekend. Detective Matthew Curtis said Bruce W. Paul, 40, whose last known address was Clinton, is wanted on outstanding warrants for… Read More
Tree farmers throughout the state are donating 300 Christmas trees in support of the national program Trees for Troops, which ships thousands of trees to military personnel and their families serving abroad and at home. “We wanted to do something to benefit children, the environment… Read More
CAMDEN – Town officials have approved a special town meeting for an uncertain date in January to vote on installation of a cell phone tower on town land off Sagamore Farm Road. The Select Board in a 4-1 vote, with Selectwoman Anita Brosius-Scott opposing, decided… Read More
SURRY – A registered sex offender was charged Wednesday for failing to notify authorities that he had moved recently from Gouldsboro to Surry. Jeffrey L. Layne, 34, was arrested by Hancock County Sheriff Deputy Christopher Thornton shortly before noon Wednesday and taken to Hancock County… Read More
ORLAND – It’s not every day that an 8-year-old girl saves a life. That’s why Ivan Braun, the principal at the Orland Consolidated School, felt it was important to recognize the actions of Josulynn Saunders, daughter of Roy Saunders and Nanita Hardie and a third-grade… Read More
SKOWHEGAN – Home alone last Saturday, golden retriever Mandy was faced with a fire and no avenue of escape. The dog had backed herself into a bathroom, as far as possible from the burning storage room. She was gasping for breath, dense smoke hovering just… Read More
ROCKLAND – It took less than a half-hour to adopt a new Knox County budget Thursday night at the county commissioners’ meeting room in the basement of the courthouse. After a public hearing, at which no one spoke, the Knox County commissioners and budget committee… Read More
SOUTHWEST HARBOR – Residents of the “quiet side” of Mount Desert Island can expect to have expanded options close to home next year when it comes to receiving health and medical treatment, according to hospital officials. Mount Desert Island Hospital has unveiled plans to construct… Read More
DOVER-FOXCROFT – Three confirmed cases of chickenpox Thursday prompted SAD 68 officials to send an additional 16 SeDoMoCha Middle School students home who have not yet been vaccinated. “After consulting with the Maine Center for Disease Control, it became clear what we had to do… Read More
BANGOR – Police are looking for a man driving a green pickup truck who followed a girl Tuesday afternoon as she walked home from the Fairmount School. The 10-year-old girl first spotted the man, who is believed to be overweight, bald and in his 40s… Read More
BREWER – Residents will decide Tuesday on whether to go forward with the proposed $39.5 million Brewer Community School, a planned pre-kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school designed to replace five aging and deteriorating schools in the city. The good news is that the state is going to pay… Read More
PORTLAND – The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is weighing arguments on whether the Portland School Committee ran afoul of the law when it held a closed-door meeting about a $2.5 million budget shortfall. Attorneys for the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram told the… Read More
Staff and supporters of Eastern Maine AIDS Network invite and encourage you to pause in your holiday preparations and join them in observing World AIDS Day. Staff members Patricia Murphy, Suze Howe and Joe Sargent announced that EMAN World AIDS Day begins with an open… Read More
The Maine Alliance for Arts Education and the Maine Community Foundation announce that the deadline for accepting preliminary proposals for the Maine Arts Teachers Fellowship Program is today. MAAE anticipates awarding eight $5,000 scholarships for 2008. Through the fellowship, theater, music, dance, visual art and… Read More
USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Penobscot reminds farmers, ranchers and other eligible voters to cast ballots in local FSA County Committee elections before Monday’s deadline. Ballots were mailed to eligible voters earlier this month. Eligible producers who did not receive ballots should contact their local… Read More
ELLSWORTH – Local police arrested a man late Monday night after he reportedly parked his car and started masturbating outside the women’s section of the Hancock County Jail. Ellsworth police Officer Kelvin Mote charged Stephen F. Batson, 25, of Ellsworth with public indecency, a Class… Read More
For the 1,200 people throughout Maine who are living with HIV-AIDS, the Internet has become a wonderful mechanism for support. “Clients are always indicating that they would like to be more connected, and the ruralness of the state can be a little hindering sometimes,” said… Read More
CUTLER – Two men from New Jersey were rescued early Thursday morning by game wardens but not before they spent a frigid night stuck on an oceanfront hiking trail. Donald McKinney, 72, and Richard Warner, 40, suffered only minor hypothermia, according to Maine Warden Service… Read More
FARMINGTON – People in Farmington will don earmuffs Saturday as the town pays its annual tribute to the native son who invented the device in 1873 out of fur, cloth and wire as way to keep his ears warm. A parade, a chili contest and… Read More
PORTLAND – A judge in Portland has delayed the sentence of a 76-year-old man who pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $500,000 from fraternal groups, allowing him to stay out of jail while he undergoes cancer treatment. Bob Libby of Old Orchard Beach sought the stay… Read More
The morning and early evening commutes were dangerous times to be on Maine roads Thursday, as black ice caused vehicles to slide off highways, keeping police and rescue crews busy for hours. “Freezing rain has turned the surfaces of many roads to black ice,” Stephen… Read More
PORTLAND – A 19-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter and criminal speed in connection with a fatal car crash last summer in his hometown of Scarborough. John Heger appeared Tuesday in Cumberland County Superior Court on the charges arising from the… Read More
BANGOR – If it wasn’t for the Lewiston High School hockey team, there’s no telling how far the Bangor High Rams may have gone the past four years. Lewiston has ousted the Rams in either the Eastern Maine Class A semifinals or final in each… Read More
ROCKPORT – With four state championships and seven Eastern Maine titles in the last 14 years, the Camden Hills boys basketball program is accustomed to being targeted by would-be successors to the Class B throne. Anchored by 6-foot-1 senior guards Paul Campbell and Christian Pieri,… Read More
One of the top girls basketball players in Eastern Maine will be sidelined for part of the season as she tries to recover from a knee injury. Fort Kent guard Marisa Albert, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee two weeks ago,… Read More
The recent death of University of Maine soccer player Adam Baxter is just the latest tragedy involving the volatile mix of college-aged kids and alcohol. The 19-year-old native of Skegness, England, who had earned America East All-Rookie honors during his freshman season with the Black… Read More
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Tiffany Benson made the first of two free throws with 4.6 seconds remaining Thursday night, lifting William & Mary to a 63-62 women’s basketball victory over the University of Maine at Kaplan Arena. Kris Younan’s long shot from inside half-court fell short… Read More
HIGH SCHOOL LTC Class C All-Stars 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
The University of Maine Student-Athlete Advisory Council will be collecting toys to donate to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. Student-athletes will collect toys at the Dec. 1 men’s basketball game and at the Dec. 8 men’s ice hockey game, both at Alfond Arena in Orono. Read More
Jon Farra was kicking himself a bit Thursday afternoon as he watched the heavy snowfall outside the Maine Winter Sports Center office in Caribou. Almost a month ago, MWSC vice president Farra traveled to Rumford to bring back a snow gun that would be able… Read More
Coach Cindy Blodgett on Thursday released a list of four women who have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Maine on basketball scholarships beginning in 2008-09. They are Samantha Baranowski of Stanhope, N.J., Jasmine Rush of Houston, Samantha Wheeler of Plaistow,… Read More
Andrew Lanham had to make his decision about joining Up with People very quickly. Very, very quickly. Like, in less than 24 hours. “The vice president called me on a Saturday, after I had just gotten home from school, and asked me to join,” said… Read More
It takes nerve to update a children’s classic loved by millions. Writers Stephen Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle have that daring in spades, creating “Tin Man,” the miniseries that updates “The Wizard of Oz” for a new millennium. The six-hour event debuts at… Read More
In theaters IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH, directed by Paul Haggis, written by Haggis and Mark Boal, 120 minutes, rated R. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
They say money can’t buy happiness. I agree that happiness can’t be purchased at Macy’s, but money can make life much easier, which in turn can lead to happiness (aka relief, stability, or security) for some. You may be wondering where the random cash thoughts… Read More
Radiation Year’s new album, “Age of the Everglades,” has been a labor of love for the Augusta-based quartet. For six months, the band practiced, refined, recorded, rerecorded and polished the 10 songs that compose the album. For that, vocalist Nick Chiasson is very, very proud. Read More