PORTLAND (AP) — Spring is getting its official welcome in Maine from the Coast Guard breaking up winter ice. Tugs boats are scheduled Wednesday to tackle winter ice in the main channel of the Kennebec River from Merrymeeting Bay to the town of Gardiner. Opening the channel to prevent flooding from melting snow is a […]
Maine
Posted inLocal Sports
Women’s Basketball: Fairfield ousts Maine from WBI tourney
Fairfield University dominated the first half on Sunday afternoon, laying the groundwork for a 63-50 victory over the University of Maine in the Women’s Basketball Invitational at Fairfield, Conn. The Stags (22-10) shot 75 percent in the first half to build a 26-point advantage on their way to the WBI East Region final later this […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Portland poison center is on health care’s front lines
PORTLAND — At first glance, the Northern New England Poison Center looks much like any other call center, its cubicles tucked into a nondescript building off Washington Avenue in Portland. But the posters of poisonous mushrooms and glittered skull and crossbones decorations belie the life-saving, parent-soothing work taking place under its roof. On a recent […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Officials say recycling laws successful in keeping Maine clean
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine state officials say recycling laws are helping to keep the environment clean. The Department of Environmental Protection says it presented data Thursday showing millions of pounds of toxic materials in electronics have been kept from entering landfills and other facilities. The DEP said laws enacted in 2008 led to the reduction […]
Posted inMaine
Maine pet charity bequeathed $395,000
BANGOR (AP) — A former volunteer at a pet charity in Maine has left the organization hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Bangor Humane Society said Thursday that the $395,000 left to it by former volunteer Shann Gillespie was an unexpected donation. Gillespie, who died unexpectedly in March, made the gift through her will. The […]
Posted inMaine
Maine supports 4,500 state employee phones on text-messaging systems
AUGUSTA — As many as 4,500 state workers may have access to smartphone text-messaging technology that could easily be used to skirt Maine’s open records law. How many employees actually use the phones, either state-issued or personal, to conduct state business is unknown and according to some, simply not happening. “Despite all the hysteria and […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
One dead in head-on collision on Route 202 in Winthrop
WINTHROP — A 71-year old local man was killed Thursday morning in a head-on collision that shut down Route 202, according to police. Richard Leighton, 71, was heading west in his GMC pickup around 7:30 a.m. when an eastbound SUV driven by Bobbie Reeves, 39, of Winthrop, apparently crossed the center line, Winthrop police Chief […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Maine welcomes spring with snow shovels
LEWISTON — Many area residents celebrated the first day of spring with a snow shovel. According to the National Weather Service, about half an inch of wet, sloppy snow fell on Lewiston and Auburn. It turned to rain as the sun rose. Areas farther north and east were hit harder. Residents in Jay and Hebron […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Foes delay Portland vote on plastic foam ban, bag fee
PORTLAND (AP) — A vote on whether to ban plastic foam and assess a dime fee on paper and plastic shopping bags in Portland has been postponed because of heavy opposition from business owners and industry groups. During a public hearing at City Hall on Wednesday, opponents of the ban and the disposable bag fee […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage says ethics panel should become election campaign lie detector
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage has proposed a bill that would require the Maine Ethics Commission to expand its responsibilities to include fact-checking statements made during political campaigns. LD 1834, An Act to Require the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices to Make Public Declarations following a Determination of a Campaign Statement’s Falsity, would […]