A story on Page B1 of Monday’s paper gave incorrect dates for next year’s Wild Blueberry Festival in Machias. The next Wild Blueberry Festival in Machias will be held Aug. 14-16, 2009. A story in Monday’s paper about a combined blood and voter registration drive… Read More
    WASHINGTON – Don’t be surprised if your doctor orders a vitamin D test during your next physical. Blood tests to check levels of the so-called sunshine vitamin are on the rise as doctors and patients react to headline-grabbing research that suggests having too little not… Read More
    HERMON – The 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson Motor Co. isn’t until the end of the month, but to get to Milwaukee, Wis., on time, local Harley riders will head out Wednesday. That means the party is today at Central Maine Harley-Davidson on U.S. Route 2… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The price of heating oil continues to fall in Maine. The statewide average cash price on Monday was $4 a gallon, according to the Office of Energy Independence and Security’s biweekly survey. That’s down 42 cents from two weeks ago and 71 cents… Read More
    I am a former student of Marie Emerson, candidate for House District 33, and I am writing to urge folks to vote for her on Nov. 4. As a Native American of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, I feel Marie has been very supportive. She always brings out the best… Read More
    “Epic,” is how Mark Spitz described U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps’ winning eight gold medals in Beijing, breaking Mr. Spitz’s 36-year-old record for the most gold in one Olympics. “He just made the pressure putt at the U.S. Open to win it, just won the Tour… Read More
    This week, ClickBack solicits the comments of Editorial Page readers on the role of moral considerations in selecting a president, the revelation that former presidential candidate John Edwards had an extra-marital affair, and what it means if Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama choose running mates with views… Read More
    I recently saw a television ad during which Sen. Susan Collins discussed her plan to address our current energy crisis. I think it is a reasonable and well-developed plan. Most people realize that we can not drill our way out of this problem, but producing more, using less… Read More
    One week before the Korean conflict begins, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles assures South Korean dictator Synghman Rhee that the U.S. will fully support the South in any conflict with North Korea. Eight days before Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, US Ambassador to Kuwait April… Read More
    I am thinking that it is high time that the Land Use Regulation Commission and Augusta decide to do what is best for the people of Maine instead of accommodating out-of-state big money in projects like Plum Creek. This project will destroy the ecology of Maine for the… Read More
    I’m glad the News asked about the coverage of the Olympics in the Aug. 12 ClickBack, for I have found some parts of that coverage rather disturbing. For example, on NBC’s Monday night broadcast, a reporter did a story titled “China’s Charm Offensive.” In this… Read More
    Regarding the 63rd anniversary of the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it was horrific. Japan was not ready to surrender and it was estimated that America would suffer one million casualties in fighting the Japanese. My dad’s youngest brother Waldo sailed out of San Francisco… Read More
    I would like to know why the U.S. is involved in other countries’ problems when we have so many problems here. We had to borrow money from China and Japan. We are trillions of dollars in debt. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    That U.S. military personnel – and their superiors – supported the torture of enemy combatants elicits disturbingly little outrage among most voters. Human beings seldom torture those they regard as like themselves. Humans need and crave community, but throughout history narrow definitions of community and exaggerated claims on… Read More
    BANGOR – How to cut heating costs safely was the focus of a panel discussion Monday night that brought together experts in areas ranging from weatherizing homes to improving the efficiency of furnaces to safety, as well as how to access financial aid. Organized by… Read More
    AUGUSTA – As the Olympics hit high gear back home, eight teachers from China, along with one from Spain, spent Monday in Augusta preparing to teach their language and culture to Maine middle and high school students. The teachers are in Maine as part of… Read More
    BELFAST – The downtown art galleries will host a Friday Night Art Walk 5-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22. While all galleries remain open during this time, artist receptions will be held at Art Alliance Gallery, Susan A. Cooney Fine Art Studio, and Dina Petrillo’s Post… Read More
    BELFAST – Curator Edward Earle will be the next Artist Lecture series speaker at Waterfall Arts at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25. Earle, who has a home in Belfast, is the curator of collections at the International Center of Photography in New York. His talk… Read More
    BELFAST – Marael Sorenson will be the guest speaker at the Belfast Historical Society program meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25, at the Belfast Library. The topic for the presentation will be “Who Was Phineas P. Quimby? – Belfast’s Metaphysical Healer and Father of… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – A Hancock man had to be helped by local emergency personnel after his kayak tipped Monday afternoon in the Union River. Michael Carter, 34, was paddling downriver around 2:20 p.m. when he encountered rapids where Shore Road comes to the river’s edge, according… Read More
    CALAIS – Representatives of the city and the recreation department last week honored a man who has done much to enhance the summer fun of the city’s youth. On Friday, San Francisco developer Sidney Unobskey, who has family ties to Calais and a summer home… Read More
    INDIAN TOWNSHIP – A garage fire Monday burned overhead utility lines, knocking out telephone service and the area’s 911 emergency service. The fire started around 2 p.m. in a three-car residential garage on Route 1. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    CALAIS – They not only have thrown their support behind the bicentennial project, but the City Council also voted last week to hand over some money to help the city celebrate its 200th birthday next year. City Manager Diane Barnes said Monday the city was… Read More
    PEMBROKE – Traffic along a section of Route 1 is expected to be shut down the next three days while the Maine Department of Transportation replaces a major culvert in the road. For several days now, a large yellow-flashing sign has been warning people of… Read More
    SHIRLEY – Jeannette Morrill is optimistic researchers will find a cure during her lifetime for pulmonary hypertension, a disease that affects the heart, but if they don’t, she wants to make sure a cure will be there for others. Morrill, who has lived with the… Read More
    Army National Guard Pvt. Megan L. Cullen has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. She is a 2005 graduate of Presque Isle High School. She is the daughter of Linda Mansfield of Mapleton and Roger Cullen of Concord, N.H. Read More
    Washington County Superior Court, Machias 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
    ROCKPORT – Maine Farmland Trust and Aldermere Farm of Maine Coast Heritage Trust are organizing a community celebration at the Erickson Farm property for Wednesday evening, Aug. 20. The 93-acre Erickson Farm is set to be transferred to Maine Coast Heritage Trust. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    Belfast District Court Cases Aug. 11-15 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
    BANGOR – As part of its 100th anniversary festivities, the Aubuchon Hardware in Bangor has announced its sponsorship of the American Folk Festival. Aubuchon Hardware will host a special centennial event throughout the festival, which takes place Aug. 22-24, at its store at 21 Washington St. in Bangor. Read More
    BANGOR – St. Joseph Hospice is looking for new volunteers to provide nonmedical support to hospice patients and their caregivers. Volunteers are people of all ages, faiths and walks of life who serve two to four hours each week, depending on their availability. They offer companionship to hospice… Read More
    A female clerk at C&K Variety in Hermon apparently had been stealing from the cash register and over the weekend got caught on tape with her hand in the till, said Sgt. Michael Burgess of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department. Michele Tilley, 24, of Hermon… Read More
    HAMPDEN – A Hampden teenager remains hospitalized in stable condition after being injured in a single-vehicle crash Monday on Back Winterport Road. Lisa Pearson, 17, was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor for treatment of head injuries that were not considered life-threatening, according… Read More
    SOUTH PORTLAND – A new ramp onto Interstate 295 has opened to traffic in the Maine Mall area. The ramp entering Interstate 295 northbound at exit 3 in South Portland eliminates the need for cars traveling away from the mall on Westbrook Street to make… Read More
    Just in time to get that new look for school, Lorraine Colpitts announces a Locks of Love fundraiser from 4 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Aug. 23, at Spectacular Event Center on Griffin Road in Bangor. Sponsored by Safe and Sound Youth Transportation of Brewer, “with… Read More
    MARSHFIELD, Mass. – Bail has been set at $150,000 for a carnival worker accused of raping two teenage girls he met at the Marshfield Fair. Jeffrey Witham, 18, of Oxford, Maine, pleaded not guilty Monday in Plymouth District Court to several charges, including rape of… Read More
    AUBURN – Police in Auburn are testing out Segways as a way to save fuel. The two-wheeled devices, which move officers along at a brisk 12 mph, have been taking police where no cruiser can go for the past couple of weeks. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    MINOT – A portion of a central Maine roadway that was closed after heavy rain caused flooding during the weekend has been reopened, but a number of other roads remain closed. State Route 119 was open from Route 121 to Bradbury Hill Road. The Androscoggin… Read More
    WATERVILLE – Waterville police say they’ve arrested a Clinton woman in connection with a weekend robbery at a Dunkin’ Donuts shop. Police say they recovered about $1,700 in cash from 33-year-old Cheryl Stone when they arrested her on a robbery charge. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    PORTLAND – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Tom Allen’s campaign is demanding that Republican Sen. Susan Collins condemn an ad that depicts union members and Allen as tools of organized crime mobsters. Critics say the ad, which has been appearing on Maine TV, is misleading because… Read More
    WINSLOW – The seventh annual Genealogy Conference will be held Saturday, Sept. 6, at Winslow Congregational Church, Lithgow Street, beside Taconnett Library. Registration and coffee hour will be held 8-9 a.m. The event will feature American Revolution re-enactors, vendors, door prizes, workshops on various topics… Read More
    AUGUSTA – The second annual Bug Maine-ia Preview Day will take place 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Maine State Museum. Admission is free. Bugs of all kinds are spotlighted in activities and presentations suitable for all ages and interests. The annual Bug… Read More
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s New England office has awarded a $252,200 grant to help Maine’s Healthy Beaches program oversee and improve the water quality and safety of Maine’s coastal beaches, U.S. Sens. Olympia J. Snowe and Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced in a press release. Read More
    WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded $2,089,892 to organizations and state agencies throughout Maine. The funds are distributed as follows: googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i =… Read More
    UNION – As twilight fell on the fairgrounds the first day of the 139th Union Fair and 49th annual Maine Blueberry Festival on Sunday, antique cars one by one carried the 11 women competing for the title of 2008 Maine Wild Blueberry Queen along the racetrack to the… Read More
    AUGUSTA – Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap has validated a petition to allow a statewide vote asking Mainers if they want to repeal new taxes on beer, wine and soda. Dunlap on Monday said the Fed Up With Taxes coalition submitted enough signatures of registered… Read More
    PORTLAND – A 46-year-old Palmyra man who confessed to a killing in Portland 13 years ago said in a jailhouse interview that he acted in self-defense when he shot a hitchhiker during an altercation. Stephen Cutting told WGME-TV that he gave William Greenwood a ride… Read More
    Dan Chasse grew up in Fort Kent and has been playing golf since he was six. So, when the local school board decided bring the varsity golf team back this fall after Chasse had talked with athletic administrator Paul Michaud about it “for about two… Read More
    In the days leading up to this year’s fifth annual Fort Kent International Muskie Derby, some were a bit concerned. The water was high … very high. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
    The University of Maine women’s soccer team was picked to finish fourth in the America East preseason coaches poll released Monday. Maine coach Scott Atherley returns 13 letterwinners off last year’s team, which went 6-8-3, 4-3-1 in AE play. Boston University was chosen to win… Read More
    HOLE-IN-ONE GARY MILLES 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
    MARS HILL – Nathan Beaulieu scored the game-winning goal off a corner kick with 1:47 remaining in overtime to lift Madawaska to a 2-1 victory over Central Aroostook in a schoolboy soccer matchup Monday. Andrew Deschaine scored with 24 minutes left to tie the game… Read More
    PINEHURST, N.C. – Ricky Jones of Thomaston had one bad hole Monday in his opening round of the U.S. Amateur golf tournament, but it may cost him a chance to qualify for match play competition starting Wednesday. Jones triple bogeyed the par-4 eighth hole on… Read More
    There are lots of typical sounds to hear at a ballpark: The crack of the bat, the roar of a crowd, and the cries of vendors selling peanuts, soda, and hot dogs. Anyone attending Sunday’s Portland Sea Dogs game at Hadlock Field heard some decidedly… Read More
    Viktoriya Rybalko of Ukraine, who was a star sprinter and jumper at the University of Maine from 1999 to 2003, came up short in her attempt to qualify for the women’s long jump finals. Rybalko, 25, jumped 6.43 meters in her third and final attempt… Read More
    ORONO – They say laughter is the best medicine. The University of Maine believes laughter is also a great theme around which to build an arts festival. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
    The minute I saw Butterick Pattern 4740, I knew the time had come. I was ready to do something with the three yards of silk shantung given to me more than 20 years ago by a friend who was moving to another state. She was… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – The women artisans of Designing Women will display their handmade arts and crafts at a juried show and sale 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Atlantic Oakes Convention Center. Featured artists include quilter Jo Diggs of Portland, glass blower Linda… Read More
    HOULTON – The Friends and Needles Quilt Guild will hold its annual quilt show 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 22 and 23, and noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, at the Houlton Lodge of Elks, Main Street. The theme of the show is “Mother Earth and Her… Read More