Property Tax Delays
(Augusta) – The State Budget stalemate may delay property tax bills in Maine’s towns and cities. One of the unresolved issues in the state budget is the amount of homestead tax reimbursement. State revenue service officials have advised tax assessors to wait until the state budget is finalized before setting property tax rates. Last year Mainers with homestead exemptions saw a $15-thousand dollar reduction in their assessed values, and the state reimbursed towns for 50-percent of that reduction. The proposal this year is for a $20-thousand dollar reduction with a 62-point-5 percent reimbursement, but that has not been finalized, and is part of budget negotiations.
SW Harbor – Fire Chief
(Southwest Harbor) – The town manager in Southwest Harbor is suggesting that it’s time for a full time fire chief for the MDI community. The current fire chief, Jack Martel, is a paid volunteer, making about $85-hundred dollars a year. The Mt. Desert Islander reports a full time fire chief would make closer to $75-thousand dollars a year. Selectmen say that’s a big cost to swallow, and suggested sharing the chief and cost with neighboring Tremont.
Holden OUI
(Holden) – The police chief in Holden says there’s a problem on the highway. WABI-TV reports Chief Chris Greeley is concerned about impaired driving. A safety check this past weekend saw three people arrested for OUI. That’s a quarter of all the arrests last year for OUI in Holden. Route 1-A runs right through the community and has seen a lot of fatal traffic accidents. Greeley says one drink is not worth it.
Seal Shooter Sentenced
(Bangor) – A Knox County man who shot a seal last October will spend 3-days in prison. The US Attorney’s office reports to Star 97-7 that Joseph Martin of Warren was skippering a fishing vessel off Acadia National Park when several seals approached his boat. He grabbed a gun and shot, killing at least one seal. The 54-year old will also have to pay a $1-thousand dollar fine. Seals are a federally protected marine mammal.
Rockland City Manager
(Rockland) – City Councilors in Rockland are expected to name a new city manager today. Village Soup dot-com reports the city council interviewed former interim manager Paul Luttrell last night. A search committee has recommended Christopher Philbrick of Virginia to take over the post vacant for more than a year since the controversial departure of James Chaousis. Councilors last night said they had a consensus pick, but would wait until today to name the new manager so the other candidate could be informed.
Vet Bus Drivers
(Maine) School leaders seek Veterans to help fill an anticipated Maine school bus driver shortage. About 50 school bus driver job openings are expected for the coming school year. The Maine Department of Labor is collaborating with the Maine Department of Education to launch the Maine Hire-A-Vet campaign to offer free training for veterans at local school districts statewide. The pay range is anywhere from 11 to $25-dollars per hour, benefits and some have part-time positions based on the school district. More information is available at: Maine dot Gov slash DOE slash Transportation.
Sanford Fire Update
(Sanford) – Smoke continues to puff out from the rubble of a huge abandoned mill in Sanford and investigators have charged three teen-agers with setting the massive blaze last Friday. At one point all six floors of the mill were completely ablaze with 100-firefighters dumping millions of gallons of water on the complex. The State Fire Marshal’s office reviewed drone footage and security camera video and that led them to a 12-year old and two 13-year olds who are now charged with arson. Officials feared two homeless men who’d been living in the mill complex were inside, but they were found yesterday, alive and well in Portland.
Bodies Recovered
(Square Lake) – The 11-day search for three fishermen who perished in an Aroostook County lake is over. Wardens used side-scan sonar to locate Mark Chambers body in Square Lake near Fort Fairfield. He, his brother Martin and Eric Sherwood all perished when their small boat overturned in high winds. A fourth man in the boat who wore a life jacket barely made it alive to shore. That boat went down two weeks ago.
Vinalhaven Plane Crash
(Vinalhaven) – A mail plane pilot walked away from the wreckage on Vinalhaven yesterday, but says he doesn’t remember what happened. The small plane went down at the end of the runway, hitting trees. The Knox County Sheriff’s Department tells Star 97-7 that the pilot, Ted Weslake, suffered injuries and was flown to Pen Bay Medical Center. The FAA has taken over the investigation.
Sports
Boston Red Sox 4 Minnesota Twins 1 (Chris Sale with the win. Tonight, Drew Pomeranz starts against the Twins).
Portland Sea Dogs 5 New Hampshire Fisher Cats 1 (Eduardo Rodriguez to make a rehab start with Portland on Thursday)
Former U-Maine hockey star Paul Kariya will be inducted into the National Hockey League Hall of Fame this year. Kariya played 15-years in the NHL.
Russell Westbrook named the MVP of the NBA for the past season.
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