Forest Fire
(Columbia Falls) – Smoke billowed so thickly from a forest fire in Columbia Falls that it closed down Route 1 for a while yesterday afternoon. Firefighters and forest rangers have contained the blaze – it consumed more than 30-acres behind the Balsam Valley Amphitheater. Land owner Morrill Worcester says a worker reported the blaze started when his power saw hit a rock and caused a spark that quickly spread. The forest service called in a helicopter to drop water on the heavy flames. The fire and expected heavy rains Sunday have canceled the amphitheater’s country music concert by the Sawyer Brown band.
Bail Revoked
(Bar Harbor) – A man accused of driving stoned and causing a fatal accident in Bar Harbor nearly 2-year ago will remain in jail until his trial. The Mt. Desert Islander reports a judge revoked Miguel Garcia’s bail. Garcia is charged with manslaughter after the crash that killed a North Carolina man in September 2015. He allegedly tested positive for opiates and other drugs after the crash. Garcia was involved in another crash earlier this year in Bangor.
Motorcycle Crash
(South Thomaston) – Deputies say the injuries are serious following a motorcycle crash in mid-coast Maine. Knox County Chief Deputy Tim Carroll tells Star 97-7 that 59-year old Wayne Fowles of Spruce Head was operating his Harley Davidson in South Thomaston yesterday afternoon when he veered off the edge of Route 73 and hit a culvert. Fowles flew off the bike. The Life Flight helicopter transported him to a Portland hospital.
Autumn Gold Booze Tasting
(Ellsworth) Autumn Gold will feature a bigger and better beer and wine tasting experience this year. Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce executive director Gretchen Wilson says the event has moved to Friday evening September 22nd to preserve Saturday as the family-friendly day. Wilson says tickets go on sale today for $20 at the Chamber on High Street and you save money buying them in advance. Anyone attending the Autumn Gold Beer and Wine Tasting must be at least 21, including designated drivers.
Ride for Life
(Surry) A bike trek along the scenic vistas of the Blue Hill Peninsula will raise money to help cancer patients and their families in Hancock and Washington Counties. The Beth Wright Cancer Resource Center’s 13th annual Ride for Life is September 9th. Program and volunteer coordinator Naomi Graychase says they’re offering special fundraising incentives that they haven’t offered in the past. Today’s the final day of early registration, but Graychase says you can still register right up until the morning of the ride. Contact the Beth Wright Center for details.
National Recovery Month
(Hancock Cty) September is National Recovery Month. Healthy Acadia spokeswoman Denise Black says her organization will post helpful information online. Black says topics will include help for marijuana, alcohol, and prescription drug misuse.
OUI Checkpoint Arrests
(Castine) Funding from the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety allows local law enforcement to conduct roving checkpoint details now through Labor Day weekend. The Hancock County Alcohol Enforcement Team set one up in Castine Wednesday night. Lt Chris Thornton reports to Star 97-7 they made 3 arrests on charges of having a fake ID or furnishing liquor to a minor. And a 20-year-old man from St George was charged with illegal transportation of liquor by a minor. Officers are looking for traffic infractions as well as impaired drivers under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or prescription medication.
Casino Referendum
(Maine) A Miami real estate developer who served as a conduit for funding for a referendum to build a casino in southern Maine is pulling out of the effort, but that won’t end a state investigation. The Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices voted unanimously to continue investigating the sources of $4-point-3- million-dollars used to put the casino proposal on the November ballot. The commission is issuing subpoenas to two companies that have loaned millions to political action committees set up by Lisa Scott. She’s the sister of Shawn Scott, a gambling entrepreneur behind the successful referendum to create a racetrack casino in Bangor.
Social Security Fraud
(Orono) An Orono woman has pleaded guilty to social security fraud. The US Attorney’s Office tells Star 97-7 that 32-year-old Amanda Harding began receiving supplemental security income in 2006. But in October 2011 Harding married a Canadian citizen and applied for Canadian citizenship after moving there. She lived there for 5 years without informing the social security administration and illegally obtained over $26-thousand-dollars in SSI benefits. Harding faces up to 5-years in prison and a quarter million dollar fine.
Dump Truck-Jeep Crash
(Pittston) A teen girl and her younger brother sustained serious injuries when she pulled her SUV into an intersection right in front of small dump truck. State police say 16-year-old Tabytha Hembree of Pittston and her brother were on their way to school around 6:45 Thursday morning when the crash happened at the intersection of Route 27 and Old Cedar Grove Road. The truck hit the driver’s side of the SUV and overturned it onto its roof. The Gardiner fire department cut Hembree and her 12-year-old brother out of the wreck. The dump truck driver did not require medical treatment.
Sports
- NY Yankees 6 Boston Red Sox 2 (Sox send Doug Fister against the Yankees tonight)
- Portland Sea Dogs 9 Hartford Yard Goats 3
- The Houston Astros obtain all-star pitcher Justin Verlander from the Detroit Tigers for 3-minor leaguers
- College Football: New Hampshire 24 U-Maine 23
- The High School fall sports seasons begin today with lots of soccer, volleyball and football games scheduled.
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