A spokeswoman for Las Vegas developer Shawn Scott denied Tuesday a published report that he has sold the company trying to install slot machines at Bangor Raceway. The sale – lacking only a signed agreement – signals that Scott “has vacated his attempt to develop… Read More
    HAMLIN – Thirteen horses perished in a fire early Tuesday at a stable and losses were said to be $200,000 or more. Eight other horses at the same farm were saved through the efforts of the owner, Gene Desjardins, a friend, Jeff Mechalko, and a… Read More
    WASHINGTON – The Bush administration is banning the sale of ephedra early next year, and urged consumers Tuesday to immediately stop using the herbal stimulant that has been linked to 155 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes. It was the government’s first-ever ban… Read More
    Westbrook and Saco residents soundly rejected referendums Tuesday that would have allowed Scarborough Downs to build a harness racing track with slot machines in their cities. In Westbrook, residents voted down a proposal to allow a “racino” in the city by a vote of 3,168… Read More
    The name of a Plymouth man who arranged to have his loose horses shot last weekend was spelled incorrectly in a story on Page B1 in Monday’s editions. The man’s correct name is Peter Beatham, according to Newport police logs. Read More
    BREWER – The Northeastern Technical Division of the Forest Resources Association has scheduled an Industrial Forestry Forum for Thursday Jan. 8, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Jeff’s Catering. The event, titled “Big Picture Challenges,” will include a social hour followed by a buffet dinner and… Read More
    PORTLAND – Maine’s merchants are reporting strong sales during this year’s holiday season. L.L. Bean’s December sales were up 8 percent over the same period last year, said spokesman Rich Donaldson. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    SANFORD – Tom’s of Maine is considering moving some operations into a vacant plant in the Sanford Industrial Estates. The personal-care products maker has reached a preliminary agreement to buy the former Millrock building on Route 109, Tom’s chief administrative officer Davey Scoon said. Tom’s… Read More
    The Land for Maine’s Future program has spent all its money, as it was supposed to, on land conservation projects throughout Maine. So, the time has come to replenish the worthy program’s coffers. It is unclear how many proposals will be considered by the Legislature… Read More
    It would be nice if someone could explain in layman’s terms why gas prices in Bucksport are, on average, 12 cents a gallon higher than Searsport to the south, Ellsworth to the east, and Bangor to the north. Let someone involved come forth and enlighten us with a… Read More
    During the past days we have witnessed a “march” for a new level of accountability at the Department of Human Services. We have all heard the horror stories. More than $100 million has been lost due to incompetence (and lack of accountability). Anyone in the accounting department of… Read More
    A few comments on Moorhead Kennedy’s column, “Terrorists and resistance fighters” (BDN, Dec. 23). The army that left Boston in 1775 to march on Concord was a British Army stationed on British soil, charged with enforcing British law on British subjects, not all of whom… Read More
    Stay out of drafts, mother always said, but this time, as last time, there isn’t much hope of doing so. Two reports on Nov. 3, one in the United States and the other in England, pointed out a Web site, since removed, from the Pentagon… Read More
    On Dec. 25 this paper carried an article from The Washington Post which stated that President Bush will be proposing a plan to allow “immigrants to work legally in the United States.” Bush hasn’t provided the details of the plan but he says it will help “match any… Read More
    Smoking, as has been widely reported apparently because so little else is happening in Maine this holiday season, will be banned in bars here starting Jan. 1. Putting a law into effect, however, should not be confused with having an effective law. For that, expect time and public… Read More
    While our northern neighbors conceived the Canadian Boreal Forest Initiative, a bold new conservation plan for their pristine forests, the Bush administration conceived a bold new destruction plan to sell off our nation’s pristine rain forest. Just before Christmas, President Bush announced that he was eliminating protections for… Read More
    On Christmas Eve 1984, Bethlehem’s Manger Square was crisscrossed with Christmas lights and a banner welcoming the choir of Brewton-Parker College. That Dublin, Ga., institution gave its annual open-air concert before thousands of Christian pilgrims packed in front of the Church of the Nativity. The major problem the… Read More
    CORINTH – Eight years of planning and $30,000 later, a new multipurpose recreational bridge across Kenduskeag Stream is ready for use. The Powerline Prowlers Snowmobile Club of Corinth began building the new Grant Bridge in 1995 when organizers applied for and were granted their first… Read More
    BANGOR – As voters in two communities went to the polls to vote on a racino in southern Maine, the operator of the Bangor Raceway was sued over a decision to allow a Las Vegas developer to create a racino in Bangor. The lawsuit by… Read More
    BANGOR – An Old Town man was arrested on charges of drunken driving and resisting arrest Monday evening. Officers Edward A. Mercier and Wade Betters of the Bangor Police Department followed a white truck out of the Miller’s Restaurant parking lot at 10:38 p.m. The… Read More
    MOUNT DESERT – Two Main Street businesses in Northeast Harbor were damaged by vandalism Christmas Day when someone shot holes through two storefronts with a BB gun, police said Tuesday. Similar incidents occurred in the village about a month ago, according to Patrolman Kevin Edgecomb. Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – Piscataquis County commissioners on Tuesday approved the 2004 budget for the county after a few last-minute revisions. Those changes included a one-time adjustment in the salaries of the registrars of probate and deeds and of the sheriff to increase their wages relative to… Read More
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has maintained her perfect voting record in the Senate through 2003, ending the year with her 2,376th consecutive roll call vote since being sworn in to office in January 1997. “Much of my dedication to public service… Read More
    ORRINGTON – The HoltraChem Manufacturing Site Corrective Measures Study will be the topic of discussion during a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, at Center Drive School. The 162-page revised Corrective Measures Study was submitted to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – Piscataquis County employees who were required to work when county offices were closed because of a snowstorm earlier this month will not receive any extra pay. Some members of the Sheriff’s Department and jail had asked to be paid time and a half… Read More
    CUSHING – Potential development of the Cushing Nature and Preservation Center into numerous house lots has sparked a petition seeking a six-month moratorium on subdivisions in this growing peninsula town. The petition, which had more than 100 valid signatures, was presented to the town clerk… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – The two Foxcroft Academy students arrested last week in connection with a break-in at the school have been placed on indefinite suspension from school pending further review. Ryan Porter, 18, of Dover-Foxcroft and a 16-year-old male juvenile each were charged with burglary and… Read More
    RUMFORD – A Rumford woman died from injuries she suffered in a collision at the end of a driveway on Route 108, authorities said. Marjorie Coulombe, 79, was pulling out of the driveway when her car was hit broadside Monday morning by a van driven… Read More
    GUILFORD – Perhaps distraught over spilled milk, someone on Sunday tossed a bottle of coffee brandy through a window in the town office. The bottle broke a combination window, and the contents were scattered about the office of Town Manager Tom Goulette, according to investigator… Read More
    ATKINSON – Residents here have become familiar with the process of deorganization, so few questions were asked during a public hearing on the town’s latest attempt to become an unorganized territory. Voters will decide at a special town meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15,… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – Carmen Lessard, a special education teacher at Warsaw Middle School in SAD 53, recently received a $3,000 state minigrant from the Maine Support Network, Superintendent Michael Gallagher announced this week. Lessard’s program is called “Bag-A-Book” and was funded at $1,000 with an option… Read More
    ROCKLAND – The new year will be special for residents with the celebration of the city’s 150th birthday on June 3. The sesquicentennial committee is plotting a number of events throughout the year to recognize the city’s rich history. Rockland was incorporated June 3, 1854. Read More
    SULLIVAN – A local man faces charges that he raped an Otis girl a week before Christmas while the girl was being given a ride home, according to court documents. Charles Gibson, 23, has been charged with gross sexual assault for allegedly forcing the 15-year-old… Read More
    MOUNT DESERT – A former police officer who quit abruptly in September after being passed over for the job of police chief is running for a seat on the Board of Selectmen. Jason Lovejoy has returned his nomination papers to the town office, a clerk… Read More
    MOUNT DESERT – Property owners will be asked to raise $1 million more this year to fund municipal services, and the tax increase could go higher still, Town Manager Michael MacDonald said Tuesday. “I hate to be the person to give [taxpayers] all this news,”… Read More
    You are invited to attend one – or both – of two upcoming Twelfth Night concerts. Bill Shook contacted me last week to suggest you join the New Renaissance Singers and stretch the holiday music season out a little longer. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    CONCORD, N.H. – The state Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the conviction of Chad Evans in the beating death of 21-month-old Kassidy Bortner. Evans, the boyfriend of Amanda Bortner, Kassidy’s mother, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 28 years to life in prison. Read More
    BANGOR – A recent Sunday was a special day for the Marine Corps League, Greater Bangor Area Detachment 1151. The veterans group was presented its charter during a ceremony at Miller’s Restaurant. “The members range from World War II to the Persian Gulf,” explained William… Read More
    NORTH BERWICK – A 13-year-old girl was killed Tuesday morning after the car she was in, driven by her older sister, collided with a pickup truck. The accident happened at the intersection of Valley and Oak Woods roads. The sister drove through a stop sign… Read More
    Let it snow There’s nothing better on a wintry morning than a big, warm breakfast. The folks at Wilton have a few tips to add a touch of whimsy to your morning meal. To make Snowflake Pancakes, place a snowflake-shaped copper cookie cutter on a… Read More
    BANGOR – While Bangor offered significant evidence of improvement Tuesday, visiting Oxford Hills of South Paris showed why it is considered one of the state’s top schoolboy basketball teams. Senior forward Corey Tielinen displayed the versatility within his game, and the Vikings shot 54 percent… Read More
    The year 2004 is almost upon us. New England sports fans have, as always, had to deal with the highs and the lows during 2003. The Red Sox collapse in game seven against the Yankees would have to be the low and the surprising 14-2… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL At Pittsfield 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
    HIGH SCHOOL Official standings for boys and girls basketball and ice hockey as reported by the Maine Principals’ Association. Boys and girls basketball points compiled by Bob and Gertrude Butler of York, respectively. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
    The Friends of Maine Women’s Basketball is offering fans a chance to see the Black Bears play at Albany and then see a Broadway show in New York City. The trip departs Friday, Jan. 16, for Albany, where UMaine plays the Great Danes on Saturday, Jan. 17. After… Read More
    University of Maine football fans are invited to honor the achievements of the 2003 Black Bear football team during the annual awards banquet scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Black Bear Inn in Orono. A 6 p.m. social hour will precede dinner and the… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL At Lonesome Pine Trails, 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
    HIGH SCHOOL At Wallace Pool, Orono 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
    PHOENIX – Sophomore Tiffany Jones scored a game-high 17 points and Meg Cressler added 10 points to improve her career scoring total to exactly 1,000 points as Southern Maine rolled to a 76-52 women’s basketball triumph over Gordon in the Grand Canyon Classic. Donna Cowing… Read More
    HODGDON – Jimmy Griffin scored 14 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and made seven steals as the Hodgdon High School boys basketball team remained undefeated with a 56-47 victory over Van Buren Tuesday evening. Jeff Condon also scored 14 points, hitting four 3-pointers, for the 7-0… Read More
    OLD TOWN – Tyler Tracewski’s 17 points led five players in double figures as the Old Town High School Indians improved to 4-1 with a 71-64 schoolboy basketball victory over Lawrence High of Fairfield Tuesday. Matt Curtis and Mike Thurston had 12 points apiece and… Read More
    ROCKPORT – Kayla Gushee scored her only field goal of the game to open overtime and Camden Hills added four free throws to edge previously unbeaten Belfast 44-39 in a schoolgirl basketball game Tuesday evening. Belfast’s Katelyn Ross had made one of two from the… Read More
    AUGUSTA – It’s no news that cigarettes are bad for the health, but a proposal slated for consideration in the next legislative session puts a public-safety spin on the issue. If the bill is passed, all cigarettes sold in Maine would have to be made… Read More
    MILLINOCKET – Entrepreneurs in the Millinocket region will have a chance to learn about starting a business or getting a leg up on starting one through the Incubator without Walls program offered by Penquis CAP. Beginning the evening of Jan. 14, the program will include… Read More
    LEWISTON – The Philips Elmet plant has been sold to a former Philips executive who plans to retain the 240 employees and keep the manufacturing operation in Lewiston, officials said Monday. The 220,000-square-foot plant, which makes filaments and other lighting components, will be renamed Elmet… Read More
    WESTBROOK – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has announced plans to build a Supercenter at the site now occupied by the 85-year-old Saunders Brothers wood products mill. The 203,000-square-foot store, which would include a full grocery, is expected to create 450 jobs, nearly three-fourths of them full time, the discount… Read More
    LEWISTON – In this age of digital compact discs, high-tech CD players and music downloaded onto computers, you might think that record players and LPs would have gone the way of the horse and buggy. You’d be wrong. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
    Big ideas don’t have to be big. That’s what the World Bank found with its Development Marketplace, a grant program for small projects that can lead to economic, health, environmental and social improvements in poor countries. With a $108,000 grant, farmers in the Zambezi Valley… Read More
    Congressional leaders reached an agreement in principle on legislation to finally add a long- overdue drug benefit to Medicare. The legislation is far from perfect and details are forthcoming, but it will provide much needed relief to millions of people, especially those who are most… Read More
    Monday’s Op-ed Page art accompanying the commentary, “Honor dignity where it’s due,” immediately brought to mind the thousands of crosses and stars in the American military cemetery near my hometown in the Netherlands. Many of these graves were lovingly tended by grateful, local citizens. As a child, I… Read More
    Government officials are right to point out that it is too early to panic over a single cow in America diagnosed with mad cow disease, although the two dozen countries that have already banned imports of American beef, as the United States did to Canada when one cow… Read More
    Because I so enjoy reading his column, I am always happy to see Dr. Erik Steele’s face on the Op-ed Page of the Bangor Daily News. His Dec. 23 column was especially poignant. I was not able to stem the tears as I read about… Read More
    To the Aroostook County farmers: What are you using for fertilizer when you plant your potatoes in the spring? It certainly isn’t Miracle-Gro. When the potatoes reach market they don’t look fit for human consumption. The markets sell them as “Buy one, get one free”… Read More
    I had hoped before the holidays that we would have a reprieve from the villainous written attacks on our president by our local ultra-liberal dealers in slanderous innuendo. This has not happened. They have continued to hurl insults at the man who has achieved far, far more than… Read More
    Since the Bangor Daily News is unlikely to offer me a sports column, I have decided to treat myself to a holiday gift. Today’s column will be devoted solely to sports, or more accurately, it is a rant about how major media cover football. In… Read More
    JACKMAN – With two sons headed for two of the world’s hot spots, Sharon and Robert Lavigne are grateful for the time they can spend with their military family members. U.S. Army Spc. Travis Taylor, 21, returned to Maine after eight months in Iraq, kissing… Read More
    Thanks go out today to more people who have chosen to make a gift to the Santa’s Helper Fund. We have now raised $49,044.66, or 98 percent of our goal. We are still hopeful we can raise another $955 and achieve our goal of raising $50,000 for the… Read More
    SANFORD – During combat in World War II, Phillip Roy befriended a French teenager who gave him information that saved the lives of many of Roy’s fellow GIs and led to the capture of dozens of German soldiers. Nearly 10 years ago, as Roy prepared… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – A spinning tire is to blame for a truck fire that killed a local fisherman, an investigator said Monday. The left rear tire on James Arnett’s 2002 Dodge pickup caught fire after the truck got stuck on concrete curbing in the public parking… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – Two Madison men were indicted Monday in connection with the murder of a U.S. soldier at a hunting camp in Parkman in October. A grand jury sitting in Piscataquis County Superior Court indicted Chad M. Slimm, 20, and Arthur D. Belanger Jr., 21,… Read More
    DOVER-FOXCROFT – A former Guilford man who was convicted of multiple domestic abuse-related crimes will serve two years in prison. A jury sitting in Piscataquis County Superior Court in September found Mark Durant, 30, guilty of 13 counts of assault, and one count each of… Read More
    SKOWHEGAN – Two brothers charged with a total of 16 counts of burglary and 14 thefts in the central Maine area pleaded not guilty Monday in Somerset County Superior Court. Scott Tucker, 28, of Hartland and Robert Tucker, 33, of Clinton are accused of pulling… Read More
    SKOWHEGAN – Members of the Somerset County budget committee unanimously passed the county’s proposed $5.9 million budget Monday night but not before they did some last-minute tweaking. The budget represents a 6.9 percent increase, which was being pushed by increased jail costs and the rising… Read More
    ELLSWORTH – No one was seriously hurt, but an Orland man has been charged with a traffic violation after two vehicles collided Monday morning in the intersection of Buttermilk Road and High Street, according to local police. Douglas King, 44, of Ellsworth was driving a… Read More
    Belfast District Court Cases Dec. 22-26, 2003 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… Read More
    BANGOR – The mother of a special needs child has filed a countersuit against the Lamoine school committee, asking a federal judge to rule in her favor and require the committee to pay for her court costs and other expenses. The mother, identified only as… Read More
    A plan to build on economic successes in coastal Waldo and Knox counties is taking shape, acre by acre. At the urging of Bob Hastings, executive director of the Rockland-Thomaston Area Chamber of Commerce, a panel formed to investigate applying to the state for Pine… Read More
    BELFAST – A city man was arrested on assault charges Sunday after a fight with a female acquaintance. Wayne Stanhope, 26, of Spring Brook Drive was arrested at his home at 12:39 p.m. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
    CARMEL – Local officials said they intend to improve public awareness of registered sex offenders living in Carmel after a resident told them Monday that the town was becoming a haven for such offenders. Three sex offenders required to register with the state have moved… Read More
    BELFAST – A local man has received treatment for multiple stab wounds allegedly inflicted by a juvenile defending his sister’s honor. Toran Bragdon, 22, of Swan Lake Avenue was stabbed some seven times by a 15-year-old who lives a few houses away, the Belfast police… Read More
    HERMON – The Hermon High School Spanish Club has organized a group for area Hispanophiles and anyone interested in conversing in Spanish and sharing their experiences with Hispanic culture. Mesa hispanica will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, at Borders Books Music and Cafe… Read More
    ABBOT – The Abbot Tent of the Daughters of Union Veterans will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, at the Abbot Town Hall on Route 15 in the village of Abbot. Please note the change in time. Those attending are encouraged to bring any… Read More
    CAMDEN – A logjam in contract negotiations between the Five Town Community School District and the Megunticook Educational Support Association continues, although an arbitration panel is reviewing the matter. The main sticking point is health insurance, both Martha Kempe, co-president of the association, and Pat… Read More
    WARREN – SAD 40’s policy committee concurred Monday that the role of a district business manager should encompass not only finance, but transportation, food service, custodial services, building maintenance and grounds. The committee fine-tuned a job description for a business manager, which should be ready… Read More
    FORT KENT – Police on Monday were investigating the shooting out of two windows, in a pickup truck and a business. Police Chief Kenneth Michaud said suspects were being considered Monday and that arrests could be made within a day or two. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    A Bangor man was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon Monday afternoon at a park off Second Street. Bangor police Officer Thomas Reagan responded to a call that someone was swinging a Samurai sword in the park. Reagan’s report said he stopped to… Read More