Citing factors such as unresolved federal procedural issues and the undetermined composition of the liquefied natural gas it hopes to import, an Oklahoma-based company with plans to build an LNG import terminal at Pleasant Point announced Tuesday that it plans to postpone or temporarily withdraw its applications from… Read More
    DEDHAM – Surrounded by the comfort and familiarity of his country home, Dwight Smith is waiting to die. It won’t be today, and probably not tomorrow, either. He’s in no hurry to leave this world, but neither is he fearful of the transition. He has made his peace,… Read More
    BANGOR – Imagine working at the same place for 18 years and never getting a raise. That’s the predicament many redemption centers find themselves in these days, and some owners fear the problem soon could reach a tipping point. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    A production error resulted in the incomplete printing of some of the stories that appeared in the Lifestyle section in the Coastal edition of Tuesday’s paper. The complete stories are available online at bangordailynews.com. A story on Page A1 of Tuesday’s paper about Navy warships… Read More
    BANGOR – The city negotiated three more months to work out an agreement with ExxonMobil Corp. for supplying fuel to its airport, but officials are working on a contingency plan if the fuel giant decides to end its contract. Bangor city councilors on Monday approved… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Northern Utilities wants state regulators to approve a rate increase because of the rising cost of natural gas. Northern Utilities, the dominant natural gas distributor in southern Maine, is asking the Maine Public Utilities Commission for a cost-of-gas increase that would result in… Read More
    MONCTON, New Brunswick – The province’s first casino will have 600 slot machines and borrow its style from the grand old hotels in Banff, Alberta, and St. Andrews, New Brunswick, the private consortium behind the Moncton-area project announced Tuesday. Plans for the $90 million facility,… Read More
    WASHINGTON – A bipartisan coalition led by Sens. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, and Ben Nelson, D-Neb., sent a letter to President Bush on Tuesday calling for a bipartisan national summit with the president to develop a consensus proposal that addresses the energy crisis. “There is… Read More
    Those controlling the public purse strings are often exhorted – correctly – to tighten up government spending. But the federal assistance program that pays for poor and middle income people to tighten up their houses against the cold is not where such fiscal restraint should come. Read More
    The next time a U.S. president concludes war is justified and necessary, the people’s representatives – Congress – should be more closely consulted and should have the final say over military action. It’s what the Constitution anticipated: giving Congress the power to declare and fund war, and the… Read More
    One vital reason to select Barack Obama over John McCain is the power of the president to nominate Supreme Court justices. An equally vital reason to select Tom Allen over Susan Collins is the power of the U.S. Senate to approve those nominations. Sen. McCain… Read More
    On July 9 the BDN published a letter in which the author said she was among a group of people carrying 30 banners in Bar Harbor’s Independence Day parade. Each banner bore the name of an American soldier killed in Iraq. The woman wrote that “We have done… Read More
    In response to Carlton Pratt’s July 10 letter, “Absent Tom Allen”: There seems to be some confusion about which member of the Maine delegation acts as a “party rubber stamp.” The Bush-Cheney Energy Bill of 2005 that gave $14 billion in tax breaks to big… Read More
    Maine is fortunate to have two hardworking and thoughtful senators representing us in Washington. Just this week, Sens. Susan Collins and Snowe stood up to the Bush administration by voting to prevent a drastic cut for doctors who serve Medicare patients. The president says he’ll… Read More
    A letter to the editor by Keith Kneeland of Old Town (BDN, July 12-13) requires a response as it is typical of what too often happens. An article is written in a right wing paper and people swallow it whole without a simple fact check. Read More
    Putting candidate Barack Obama’s abhorrent tax policies aside, the biggest issue he had working for him, and somehow still maintains this, is that he is the candidate that can bring change to America. I find this interesting considering the fact that the biggest issue in America is the… Read More
    I’m middle class, but I’ll find it difficult to afford my oil bill next year, which will exceed $6,500. I live in semi rural Maine and I have to drive everywhere, so my gasoline bill will be $25 a day at today’s prices; that’s an additional $9,000 a… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A key aide to Gov. John Baldacci appears to be the leading candidate for a post on Maine’s three-member Public Utilities Commission. Jack Cashman, a former legislator from Old Town who has served on Baldacci’s office staff and who for a time headed… Read More
    AUGUSTA – A legislative panel questioned FairPoint Communications officials Tuesday about several failures of the 911 emergency phone dispatch system across the state in recent weeks. “The concern is that we want – when someone calls 911 – they get an answer,” said Sen. Bill… Read More
    STETSON – The “Let’s Talk About It” program application has received approval thanks to the Maine Humanities Council. “Let’s Talk About It,” a free, facilitated book discussion program for adults, has been hosted by local libraries all over the state. This program is undertaken in… Read More
    LINCOLN – One of the state’s largest law firms will work with town officials to secure tax breaks with an electricity producer seeking to build a $120 million wind farm in northeastern and southeastern portions of town. The town will secure a contract paying Eaton… Read More
    Mount Desert Island High School, Bar Harbor Fourth quarter honor roll 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
    LAMOINE – The planning board has rejected a proposal from state officials to build a recreational-vehicle septic dumping station at the local state park on Eastern Bay. Gordon Donaldson, vice chairman of Lamoine’s planning board, said the board gave conditional approval Monday night to a… Read More
    BANGOR – A downtown nightclub was granted renewal of its special amusement permit Monday by the City Council with one exception: That music must not run any later than 1 a.m. Bangor City Manager Edward Barrett said Tuesday that the council approved a permit for… Read More
    LINCOLN – Ballard Hill Community Center won’t be closed, but the rent the town charges private and usually nonprofit renters might increase under directions councilors issued Monday. The council directed interim Town Manager Lisa Goodwin to investigate making the rent more equitable with the expenses… Read More
    BREWER – Residents and the police chief stressed at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting the need for a tough look into side effects methadone treatment facilities have on communities before they are allowed to open within the city. “It’s difficult to track the actual crimes… Read More
    BELFAST – The Maine Coast Carving and Art Competition invites the public to view the carving, art and photography at the Boathouse at Steamboat Landing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 19, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 20. The event… Read More
    ROCKLAND – A bicyclist from Texas suffered minor injuries after colliding with a car on Camden Street on Monday morning. Deputy Police Chief Wallace Tower said Omar Pachecano, 46, of Waco, Texas, was traveling south on Camden Street at 11:50 a.m. when he hit a… Read More
    BROOKSVILLE – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection will hold a meeting to discuss the Callahan Mine Superfund Site at 7 tonight at the Brooksville Community Center. The meeting will include an update on the Callahan Mine site activities,… Read More
    FORT KENT – The University of Maine at Fort Kent has received a donation of outdoor equipment from L.L. Bean to help replace a number of items that UMFK lost in last spring’s flood. The Freeport-based company donated three tents and six Adventure sleeping bags… Read More
    LINCOLN – Police continued to investigate Tuesday an incident that they said began as a vehicle rollover on Route 6 and ended with the driver charged with assaulting a resident, a police officer and a firefighter. Derek Dawes, 23, of Lincoln was charged early Monday… Read More
    MACHIAS – The annual meeting of the Machias Historical Society will be held Thursday, July 17, at the “Living Room,” the former Machias town hall. At 5:30 p.m. members will gather for a potluck supper. The annual meeting will be held afterward at 6:30. Those… Read More
    Rockland District Court Cases June 30-July 4, 2008 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
    The Brewer Public Library is one of 50 from around the state that are eligible for grants issued Tuesday from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to keep library computers up-to-date and accessible by the poor. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that $8.1… Read More
    HOULTON – Although the price of everything seems to be going up, town councilors are confident that one thing will stay the same this year – the tax rate. During a brief meeting on Monday evening, councilors took the first step in the process of… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – Mayo Regional Hospital, Millinocket Regional Hospital and Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln have collaborated to improve regional access to ear, nose and throat medical and surgical care through the recruitment of Dr. Brian Miller. Miller, an otolaryngologist – head and neck surgeon, will be jointly employed… Read More
    HOULTON – A man who was chased down by police after darting away from an alleged crime scene and reportedly leaving some burglar tools behind Monday morning has been arrested and charged with numerous crimes. According to Lt. Daniel Pelletier of the Houlton Police Department,… Read More
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    ORONO – The University of Maine and the Challenger Learning Center of Bangor have launched a professional development program designed to help the state’s middle and high school educators learn how to use climate change as a novel way to teach math, science, geography and even social studies. Read More
    HOLDEN – The town owns more than a dozen properties, and town leaders decided on Monday to place five up for sale. “The town has 15 properties … [and] the town has determined there are five of those properties we’re prepared to move on,” John… Read More
    BRIDGEWATER – In conjunction with the Sesquicentennial celebration, the Fire Department will hold a breakfast 6-9 a.m. Saturday, July 26, at the Bridgewater Community Building on lower Main Street. The breakfast will include homemade beans, eggs, sausage and home fries. Admission is $6 per adult… Read More
    HOULTON – There will be a benefit supper to raise money for Deanna Cleary and Walter Myrick 4-6 p.m. Saturday, July 19, at the Houlton Fair Association’s Exhibit Hall in Community Park. Cleary and Myrick lost their belongings in a house fire earlier this month. The supper will… Read More
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    Orono-Old Town Kiwanis members should take great pride in the fact their major fundraiser is still as strong as ever, and they invite you to their 62nd annual Orono-Old Town Kiwanis Charity Auction. Gates open for the auction at 5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, July 17-19, at… Read More
    Trish Riley, the primary architect of Gov. John Baldacci’s embattled Dirigo Health Reform of 2003, was in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to deliver testimony on the state’s experience in expanding health care coverage to its residents. Riley was part of a select panel of state… Read More
    ROBBINSTON – District Ranger Jeff Currier of the Maine Forest Service said Tuesday night that an investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed that the fire that burned a camp and 131 acres of forestland Sunday began in a fire ring near the camp. Read More
    SOUTH PORTLAND – Sen. John McCain will appear at a public event in Maine on Monday after he attends private campaign fundraisers in Kennebunkport. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee will speak at the Maine Military Museum in South Portland on Monday afternoon after he appears… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Leaders of Maine’s Corrections Department came under legislative scrutiny over plans for an online list of state prison inmates and others who are on probation. Lawmakers on Tuesday also probed for explanations of how a recent prison hostage-taking happened and how such an… Read More
    AUBURN – A 28-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to murder on charges of stabbing a man to death along a walking trail in Auburn. Ryan Muncey entered his plea Tuesday in Androscoggin County Superior Court in Auburn. He is charged in the June 11… Read More
    BATH – Police say they have filed drug charges against a couple after uncovering evidence of a methamphetamine laboratory in a shed behind their home. The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency on Tuesday charged Walter Kruse, 42, of Bath with trafficking and furnishing methamphetamine. Beth Grasser,… Read More
    PORTLAND – The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has declared a winner in a disputed Democratic primary race in Yarmouth that was initially declared a tie. In a 15-page decision issued Tuesday, justices ruled Melissa Walsh Innes the winner over Kimberly McLaughlin by a single vote,… Read More
    BANGOR – The Cole Land Transportation Museum is partnering with KIDS Consortium, an Auburn-based nonprofit, to host a workshop designed to teach educators about starting a service learning program. “Through service learning, students identify, research and address real community challenges, using knowledge and skills learned… Read More
    HARTFORD, Conn. – Maine has joined several other states in demanding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reverse a policy that blocks nonpartisan groups from holding voter registration drives in veterans homes, hospitals and other VA facilities. Veterans Affairs Secretary James P. Peake issued the… Read More
    Things are steadily improving in Fort Kent in the aftermath of the flooding that ravaged the Canadian border town this spring. That includes the local recreation areas, which also serve several of Fort Kent Community High School’s athletic teams. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    There was something special about Kyle Busch in 2005 when he ran the TD Banknorth Oxford 250 for the first time. He was 20 years old at the time and started 28th. Oxford Plains Speedway has a couple of racing grooves, maybe even three depending… Read More
    Terry Cummings fondly recalls his playing days at the University of Maine-Presque Isle. As the head men’s basketball coach of the Owls, he hopes to help restore the program to its former level of success. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    KENDUSKEAG – The first Angela Stokes-Mahoney Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit the American Diabetes Association is Friday at Kenduskeag Golf and Country Club. The 18-hole scramble has a shotgun start at 9 a.m. and is limited to the first 64 players to enter. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    As with any first-year operation, there were plusses and minuses for the Maine Sting and Maine Tide of the National Premier Soccer League and the Women’s Premier Soccer League, respectively. The players enjoyed it. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
    BLUE HILL – Lucas Marks connected for a grand slam, two-run homer and RBI double for seven RBIs as the Trenton Acadians cruised past Calais 11-3 in American Legion baseball play Tuesday. Collin Ciomei had three singles and an RBI for the Acadians. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    AURORA, Colo. – Ricky Jones of Thomaston shot a 6-over par 77 in the second round of the 83rd U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Murphy Creek Golf Course Tuesday. Jones finished with a tie of 83rd place and missed the cut for the 64-player… Read More
    Claw-abiding Our crustacean friends will be the guests of honor at the Blaine House in Augusta next week, when Gov. John Baldacci hosts the 2008 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year cook-off from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 22. Five chefs were selected from… Read More
    When we first met, he skipped formalities and promptly swiped my face with his tongue. My heart swooned and my soul smiled. I was delirious, falling-down-drunk on puppy love. Soon, though, the realities of parenting a pooch solo set in. Gone are the indulgent days… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Congress on Tuesday rejected President Bush’s veto of legislation protecting doctors from a 10.6 percent cut in their reimbursement rates when treating Medicare patients. The override vote in the House was a lopsided 383-41, easily meeting the two-thirds threshold needed to nullify the… Read More