Part 2 in a series Franklin Roosevelt, whose presidency endured the Great Depression, created a series of programs in the 1930s collectively known as the New Deal that sought to ensure the United States would never again suffer from widespread poverty and joblessness. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
BANGOR – A pesky water main leak on Main Street in front of Hollywood Slots could be costly for the gaming facility, which was forced to keep its doors closed all day Sunday. The leak – reported just before midnight Saturday – affected a small… Read More
BANGOR – Susan Jonason awoke Saturday morning to the sound of gunshots and went to the bedroom window of her Hammond Street home to see a man in a green uniform aiming a shotgun. “I called 911 right away,” she said in a telephone interview… Read More
AUGUSTA – With the economy still floundering, Maine’s congressional delegation is pushing further efforts to stimulate the economy. Federal statistics indicate consumer prices have increased by 5 percent over the last year – the largest one-year change since 1991 – and wholesale prices are increasing… Read More
BANGOR – The rusted hulk of a truck that James Kimball was hauling on Saturday was not exactly easy on the eyes. But this one-of-a-kind homemade rig was about to put a few hundred dollars in Kimball’s pocket. The truck cab was a vintage International… Read More
U.S. Cellular has promoted Sean Griffith to store manager and Stephanie Dow to sales manager in the Bangor-area market. Griffith is responsible for management of the Bangor and Ellsworth retail store locations. Dow directs daily activities for employees in the company’s Ellsworth retail location. Her responsibilities include growing… Read More
Q: About a year and a half ago I was a passenger in my aunt’s car in California and we were hit almost head-on by a 17-year-old driver who was driving too fast and came into our lane. I suffered upper body injury. I have used my aunt’s… Read More
Among this past week’s news items was some good advice from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the posting of signs. The bottom line: Staying in compliance with health rules doesn’t have to hurt a small company’s bottom line. The news story… Read More
CUTLER – After two years, Washington County’s only condominium complex has proved to be a success, according to a representative of the developers. When the former Cutler Naval Telecommunication and Computer Center was bought by Cutler Residential Development LLC and refurbished into Beachwood Bay Estates… Read More
A recently released report on the state of Canada’s tourism industry pulled no punches: “Canada’s Tourism Sector on the Brink of Crisis,” read the headline of the news release summarizing the report. The number of U.S. visitors to Canada has steadily declined over the past five or six… Read More
As it does every year, the federal government has again painted a rosy picture of the health of the nation’s ocean fish populations. While there has been growth in some species, this is only half the story – literally. The National Marine Fisheries Service has no idea about… Read More
I’d like to express my confidence in Sen. Barack Obama to bring change to our country. As a veteran of the Iraq War, I want to keep the war at the forefront of the election debates. With our troops and their families making so many sacrifices, it is… Read More
Let me see if I understand the BDN’s editorial, “Heating Oil Efficiency,” (July 5-6) correctly. It suggests adding 5 cents to 10 cents per gallon to the already taxed and expensive cost of home heating oil so that those of us who have made the choice to spend… Read More
Trish Riley and I have politely disagreed about the Dirigo Health program since its inception. I was not pleased to have been proved right when I said that they could not possibly reach the projected enrollment numbers. But, she is right on the money when… Read More
The controversy over drilling for oil at controversial sites seems overblown. If permitted, the effect on oil supply will be at least a generation away. During WWII, the U.S. supplied most oil needs for the Allied War effort from our own lower 48 oilfields. Their… Read More
I noted in the BDN that farmers were attempting to band together to inform communities of the value of their endeavors. Farmers are an independent lot, as are fishermen, principally because the profession demands 24 hours a day seven days a week. This holds true… Read More
Consumers and taxpayers are repeatedly hit with higher health costs. I agree with Dr. Erik Steele (“Apply strong pressure to heal health care woes” BDN, July 1), we need to put strong pressure on our legislators because something needs to be done now. The free market in which… Read More
Readers of recent troubling news about higher mortality rates among women in Washington County should be encouraged by the response of Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, to the question, “Can things turn around in Washington County?”… Read More
PATTEN – A “Wizard of Oz”-type storm Saturday produced a “wall of hail” so heavy it pounded pumpkins into mush and a wind so fierce it lifted a dog and two pigs into the air and peeled off a roof on Happy Corner Road, residents said Sunday. No… Read More
HERMON – Gas prices dipped below the $4-per-gallon threshold at a handful of eastern Maine locations beginning Friday, including the Country Market on U.S. Route 2, where motorists on Saturday waited in lengthy lines. “It’s hard to imagine being excited about $3.89 a gallon, but… Read More
BELFAST – A jury found Jerome Reynolds Jr. not guilty in the shotgun slaying of Janet Bacon three years ago, but the victim’s family is hoping a judge sees things differently in a different trial involving the same issue. Reynolds, 57, of Brooks was back… Read More
AUGUSTA – In a fourth-floor meeting room at the State House last week, months before the next legislative session, lawmakers once again took up an issue that some see as a political third rail. In other words, touch it and there’s trouble. Maine’s online sex… Read More
WINTERPORT – The company that owns the former Holtrachem plant in Orrington has threatened to sue Winterport and other communities and businesses along the Penobscot River unless they sign off on all future claims against the firm. The Chicago-based law firm Sidley Austin LLP, with… Read More
ORONO – Driving rain contributed to an accident on Interstate 95 late Sunday afternoon that took the life of a Plymouth man and added to an already high number of fatal crashes in Maine this month. Lawrence E. Smith, 50, was driving northbound on I-95… Read More
BELFAST – Painter and installation artist Avy Claire will present her work and talk about the creative process at Waterfall Arts at 7 p.m. Monday, July 28, as part of the Artists Lecture Series. Claire is this year’s artist-in-residence at Waterfall Arts and has spent… Read More
MACHIAS – Jim Appleman was just about to close up shop late Friday night when a couple in a pickup truck pulled up to his bookstore on Route 92. At first he thought they were lost, so he offered to help. As it turned out,… Read More
STOCKTON SPRINGS – Joshua Treat was the first white settler on the Penobscot River, fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, and yet his grave site was untended and its location unknown until one of his descendents began looking for it a few years… Read More
NORTHPORT – State police have identified those involved in Friday morning’s head-on collision between a pickup truck and a couple riding a motorcycle on U.S. Route 1. Trooper Corey Smith said the driver of the pickup, which left the accident, was Karen Roberts, 51, of… Read More
BELFAST – The lure of the sea will be in the air when the Belfast Marine Heritage Festival takes place at Heritage Park on the city’s waterfront on Saturday, July 26. The festival will include the National BoatBuilding Challenge, the eighth annual rowing regatta, a… Read More
ELLSWORTH – The Church of Life and Praise was destroyed when fire swept through the wood-frame building on State Street on Saturday night. The congregation was undaunted, however, and held its regular Sunday morning services in the church’s parking lot. Ellsworth Fire Department Capt. Kevin… Read More
MONSON – It happened 40 years ago, but to the former Monson Academy basketball players involved, it was like yesterday. Those players, who took home the 1968 Class S state basketball title and brought recognition to their small school, which has since closed, gathered Saturday… Read More
GUILFORD – A parade, scavenger hunt, road race, chili cook-off, Ms. River Festival Pageant, a pie-eating contest, and a rubby duck race will be among the offerings at this year’s Piscataquis River Festival on Saturday. “It’s really a community event,” said Judy Folsom of the… Read More
ATKINSON – Whoever coined the phrase “heavenly threads” must have had the quilt show at the Atkinson United Methodist Church in mind. Entering the small, white church nestled among open fields in a quiet corner of town Saturday revealed a kaleidoscope of colorful threads. The… Read More
MONSON – Alex Thomas of Blanchard and Jason Pina of Monson are well on their way to becoming engineers, having successfully designed a water-worthy craft of empty dog food bags and tubs. The youngsters won first place in the children’s division of the Anything Floats… Read More
BUCKSPORT – Smoke and water damage left two families homeless after a fire Saturday afternoon. Firefighter John Gavelek said the fire broke out in the attic of a four-unit apartment house on the corner of School and Central streets at 2:51 p.m. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Belfast District Court Cases July 7-11 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
MILBRIDGE – Washington Hancock Community Agency will hold its fourth annual auction to benefit the SeniorSAFE Program beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 26, at the town hall. This year’s auction will feature “old”tiques and “new”tiques. The preview is from noon to 1 p.m. Some… Read More
RANDOLPH – A 68-year-old retiree who shed 172 pounds in 20 months has been honored by TOPS Club Inc. as its “International King of Weight Loss.” Joel Marsh walked onstage this month in Chicago to be recognized by the 180,000-member nonprofit organization, whose name stands… Read More
STOCKTON SPRINGS – A local man was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to a Bangor hospital after being stabbed during an altercation Saturday evening, police said. According to the Waldo County Sheriff’s Department, the dispatch center received a call at 6:52 p.m. about a dispute among… Read More
PORTLAND – With the average price of regular gasoline in Maine up $1.11 per gallon since last year, the eight-tenths-of-a-cent increase that took effect July 1 hardly drew notice. The increase came about automatically under terms of a 2002 law that made Maine one of… Read More
Belfast Maskers reports that former Belfast resident and New York City area actor, singer and model Brian Thomas Wilson will play the lead in its summer production of “Carousel.” A cast of 32, with local and visiting actors, will perform this Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway… Read More
PORTLAND – Maine’s highest court has upheld a Lewiston man’s convictions for arranging to meet a 13-year-old for sex in a police sting operation set up by a civilian watchdog group. Nicholas Webster, 27, was convicted last July of attempted gross sexual assault and solicitation… Read More
BANGOR – A coalition of organizations and businesses will hold a festival on the Penobscot River this weekend to celebrate sea-run fish and raise awareness about efforts to improve the health of the river. The Penobscot River Revival, which will be held on the downtown… Read More
ELLSWORTH – Becky Black’s 77-year-old eyes and ears are still plenty sharp, but on Saturday they didn’t do her much good in spotting loons because there were few to be found. Black, who lives on the western side of Green Lake, was one of nearly… Read More
PORTLAND – The daughter of a woman found slain 22 years ago in the bathtub of her Portland apartment says she is finding “a sense of peace” after this month’s arrest of a suspect in a case she once thought police had written off. Roger… Read More
SCARBOROUGH – Four suspects have been arrested on various charges after a robbery report early Sunday at a home in Scarborough. Police said the occupants of the Burnham Road residence awoke during the robbery and confronted the suspects outdoors. One of the residents was struck… Read More
OLD ORCHARD BEACH – Maine lifeguards are keeping busy because an offshore storm is roiling the waters and causing dangerous riptides. Old Orchard Beach lifeguards made 14 rescues on Thursday alone. Lifeguard Wesley Rhames said the wind and surf are not that bad but the… Read More
PORTLAND – Central Maine Power said it has restored electricity to all but about 20 customers who were left in the dark as a result of Friday’s fierce thunderstorms. But utility crews were also working to bring back service to roughly 300 customers off line… Read More
OXFORD – Bobby Dragon of Milton, Vt. knows a few things about the TD Banknorth Oxford 250. After all, he finished fifth in the inaugural 250 in 1974. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner =… Read More
OXFORD – Kevin Harvick enjoys experiencing different racetracks when he gets a rare weekend off from the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. That’s what led him to Oxford Plains Speedway for the 35th annual TD Banknorth Oxford 250 Sunday. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
OXFORD – Dixfield’s Scott Robbins, who won the TD Banknorth Oxford 250 in 2002, will start on the pole for the 35th annual race on Monday night. Robbins won the first heat race, leading from start to finish, to claim the pole as weather wreaked… Read More
Exeter native and 2008 Olympian Adam Craig used a dominant performance to earn his second straight pro men’s cross country title at the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships on Saturday at the Mount Snow Resort at West Dover, Vt. Competing over four laps of… Read More
BLUE HILL – Trenton has been a streaky team throughout this summer’s American Legion baseball season. And with the Zone 1 tournament looming next weekend, the Acadians hope the streak they extended with an 11-0, 14-11 doubleheader sweep of Motor City of Bangor on Saturday… Read More
HOLE-IN-ONE TROY CHIPMAN 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
DANFORTH’S TO DYSART’S 5 kilometers 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
PORTLAND, – A Melrose, Mass., man has won the 27th annual Peaks to Portland swim race, completing the 2.4-mile course in Casco Bay in 42 minutes, 11 seconds. Joe Sheehan clocked the fastest time Saturday since Sean Flaherty’s 40:30 in 2001. It was the second… Read More
BANGOR – The Ellsworth Senior League All-Stars defeated Sacopee Valley twice to capture the state baseball championship at Mansfield Stadium on Saturday, winning the first game 3-1 and cruising 10-1 in the second. They advance to the East Regional tournament in West Deptford, N.J., where… Read More
The six-team field for this year’s American Legion Zone 1 tournament baseball is set, with five of the teams back from last year’s playoff field. The double-elimination tournament begins Friday and runs through Monday, July 28, at the Winkin Baseball Complex on the campus of… Read More
This year’s Senior League World Series has its third entry, and save for the host district its the most familiar face in the field since the event moved to Bangor in 2002. The Sierra Maestra Little League of Maracaibo, Venezuela, won the Latin America qualifying… Read More
HERMON – Randy Renaud hit a two-run triple to highlight a six-run fifth inning as Aerus Electrolux avoided the sweep with a 7-4 victory in the second game of a Bay League baseball doubleheader on Sunday. Montville defeated Aerus in the first game 5-1. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
ISLESBORO IS THE MOST EXCLUSIVE SUMMER RESORT, declared a breathless headline in the Bangor Daily Commercial on Aug. 13, 1906. That was back in the days when rich people and their resorts were regarded with awe by mere mortals, and the gap between the nation’s richest and poorest… Read More
Our destination was 2,475 miles away, round trip. Our vehicle was an SUV that got about 20 miles to the gallon. The cost of gas ranged from $4.20 in upstate New York to $3.99 in Ohio to $3.91 in Massachusetts. Yet, even though we spent about $500 on… Read More
BY DALE MCGARRIGLE OF THE NEWS STAFF 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
In theaters THE DARK KNIGHT, directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, 152 minutes, rated PG-13. 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;… Read More
Listen. Deep in forest 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 slot_sizes… Read More
The Bangor phone book alone has more than 50 listings under the surname Haskell, people who are no doubt descended from William, Roger or Mark, one of the three Haskell brothers of Charlton-Musgrove, England, who came over with their mother to Massachusetts in the 1630s. Read More