BAR HARBOR — The head of a whale-watching boat says a 40-foot-long humpback whale that got caught up in fishing gear off Mount Desert Island has been freed. The whale, known as Spinnaker in the whale-watching community, was spotted Friday by a Bar Harbor Whale Watch boat. Lead guide Zack Klyver told the Portland Press […]
Maine
Posted inFranklin, Lewiston-Auburn, River Valley, sj-web
Western Maine Community Action receives healthcare ‘navigator’ grant
AUGUSTA — Western Maine Community Action is one of two Maine health organizations getting $600,000 to help consumers sign up for insurance under the federal health care overhaul law. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said WMCA and the Fishing Partnership Health Plan will receive navigator grant funding. The grants are part of […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Police, game wardens find person believed to be driver in Orrington hit-and-run
ORRINGTON — A 59-year-old motorist was severely injured in a hit-and-run crash late Saturday morning on Route 15 in Orrington, and police say they have found the person whose vehicle slammed into that driver’s SUV. Penobscot County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Matheson said late Saturday afternoon that authorities tracked down the gold sedan that witnesses reported […]
Posted inMaine
Booze battle
Competitive pricing, liquor contracts target revenue lost to New Hampshire. But, is it enough? LEWISTON — A state effort to recapture revenue Maine loses in alcohol sales to New Hampshire by lowering prices is underway, but some state officials and others worry the effort isn’t being implemented as aggressively as first intended. And that Maine […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
L.L.Bean sews totes out of Red Sox’s rain-delay tarp
FREEPORT — It’s re-purposing, Maine-style: L.L.Bean is making limited edition totes from the Boston Red Sox’s rain-delay tarp from last season. The company made the announcement Friday. The green and white 2013 tarp will make about 3,000 bags, according to a spokesman. They’re sewn onto a blue canvas bottom and made in Maine. The Boat […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Cutler defends Gratwick over ‘brain guy’ gaffe, decries use of out-of-context statements in campaigns
BANGOR — Independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler said Thursday he “feels badly” for state Rep. Geoffrey Gratwick, D-Bangor, whose conversation with a constituent was secretly recorded and released by the Republican Party earlier this week. Saying Gratwick was “a good guy caught in a bad system,” Cutler said he believes Gratwick has to toe his […]
Posted inMaine
Hope Elephants directors explain decision to return Rosie, Opal to herd in Oklahoma
HOPE — The Hope Elephants board of directors asked their supporters for time to mourn and regroup on Thursday, as they gave a more detailed explanation of why retired circus elephants Rosie and Opal will leave Maine following their handler Jim Laurita’s death in their pen earlier this week. “Our plan from the outset was […]
Posted inMaine
Police looking for person accused of sneaking into Portland homes while residents sleep, stealing cash
PORTLAND — Portland police are on the lookout for an individual they say has entered a series of homes over the past week while residents have slept, sneaking in through unlocked doors or windows and stealing cash and other items. “This is an unusual and concerning trend because the homes have been occupied during the […]
Posted inBusiness
Lawmakers applaud study that says Maine could add 2 casinos, increase state gaming revenues
AUGUSTA — The fight over how many casinos can operate successfully in Maine could be entering its final round with the completion of a study that recommends where gaming facilities could survive in Maine and — more importantly for lawmakers — how the state can capitalize. The Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, which has […]
Posted inBusiness
Head of new Maine railroad company says he’s building transportation system to last
BANGOR — The man behind the controls of the company that took over for the defunct Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway says he plans to turn a profit by 2015. That’s not an easy feat, according to John Giles, CEO of Central Maine and Quebec Railway, considering Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway was profitable in […]