Blue Hill Theft
(Blue Hill) – Authorities have charged the former town treasurer in Blue Hill with stealing nearly $18-thousand dollars from the town. Jody Murphy was supposed to meet with investigators earlier this week. The Weekly Packet reports she didn’t show. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department says it appears Murphy didn’t deposit cash into the town’s checking account between 2016 and 2017. An audit turned up the issue and an in-depth investigation showed four cash deposits didn’t make it to the bank. Murphy has said she’s innocent – she’s got a court date next month.
Tow Truck Crash
(Ellsworth) – A wild ride for a tow truck driver through Downtown Ellsworth yesterday ended when his truck crashed into a house on Main Street. The Ellsworth American reports the driver discovered he lost his brakes and hit a couple of cars before coming to rest against the house. No serious injuries are reported, but there’s a lot of damage to a home owned by local realtor Harry Jones. A state police commercial vehicle investigator found that the brake pads had worn off the tow truck.
Trenton Bridge
(Trenton) – The Department of Transportation says it should have a temporary repair to the Trenton Bridge connecting the mainland to Mt. Desert Island in place shortly. Part of Route 3 leading to the bridge has eroded, exposing the base of guard rails and leading to erosion concerns that could collapse the road. The Mt. Desert Islander reports engineers say there is no immediate collapse concern. They’re trying to devise a permanent fix to the erosion problem.
Primaries
(Augusta) – It’ll be a crowded primary ballot in June as Democrats and Republicans make their choice for candidates to run for the Governor’s office in the fall. It’ll also be the first time ever in the US that voters have used ranked choice voting in a statewide race. Seven Democrats and five Republicans will be on the ballot for their respective parties after turning in signatures by last evening. The Secretary of State’s office is preparing to instruct voters how to cast ranked choice ballots, and to figure out how to count the votes should no candidate get a majority.
Flags 1/2 Staff
(Caribou) State flags will fly at half-staff today to honor a fixture in Maine politics. Donald Collins was a Republican who served 5 terms in the Maine House and Senate between 1970 and 1992. He’s also the father of US Senator Susan Collins. Governor Paul LePage directed that both American flags be at half-staff in Caribou today, and state flags lowered statewide. Mr. Collins died last Saturday at the age of 92.
Chef’s Gala
(Ellsworth) Maine Coast Memorial Hospital’s Chef’s Gala is just 6 weeks away. The annual fundraiser supports the hospital’s Breast Clinic. Philanthropy Officer JoAnn Brown says many volunteers are needed. Volunteers can also help decorate in the days before the event. The 25th annual Chef’s Gala is April 28th at the Ellsworth Ramada Inn. Contact JoAnn Brown at the hospital for volunteer information.
DCF Ruling
(Augusta) A judge has ruled that only lawmakers, not the Governor nor the Maine Department of Corrections, have the authority to close the Downeast Correctional Facility. The Bangor Daily News reports the judge granted a temporary injunction Wednesday sought by Maine’s attorney general and the Washington County Commissioners. The Department of Corrections must operate the Machiasport facility according to the law until the Legislature either acts to repeal the law establishing the facility or ceases to fund the minimum security prison.
Hiker Rescued
(Newry) Game Wardens rescued a Massachusetts hiker lost in Newry late Wednesday night. Spokesman John McDonald tells Star 97 that 29-year-old Thomas Dilger got lost around 3 that afternoon and called for help. Game wardens used coordinates from Dilger’s cell phone to narrow-in on his location. Searchers drove snowmobiles to break trail in 3-feet of snow and traveled a mile and a-half until snowmobiles could no longer be used, then they snow-shoed for hours until locating Dilger who was hypothermic but otherwise okay.
Scallop Update
(Lubec) Maine’s scallop fishing season is nearing its final weeks with many scallop fishing grounds still open for harvesting. The Maine scallop season begins in December and runs until April 10 this year. The state’s regulators use targeted closures to protect scallops from succumbing to overharvesting. The Maine Department of Marine Resources says no emergency actions or closures are currently pending.
Arson Sentence
(OOB) A former fire department chief in Maine will spend a year in prison for setting fire to a large marsh area. Sixty-one-year-old Ricky Plummer, former fire chief in Old Orchard Beach, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty in October to setting a fire that spread to more than 40 acres in the town in April 2016. He apologized in court, but didn’t offer an explanation for the fire.
Health Rankings
(Portland) A new study has concluded Cumberland County is the healthiest locality in Maine and Washington County is the least. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released the ninth annual County Health Rankings on Wednesday. The study finds Washington County has higher rates of adult smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, teen births and uninsured individuals than the state as a whole.
School District Dissolves
(Waterville) Residents from three Maine communities have voted to dissolve their combined school district. Waterville, Vassalboro and Winslow residents passed the referendum to terminate the district 386-133 on Tuesday. All three communities voted separately, and in the majority to dissolve Alternative Organizational Structure 92. Turnout for the vote in each community suffered due to a snowstorm that caused poor road conditions.
Sports
- Florida Panthers 3 Boston Bruins 0
- Red Sox 7 Blue Jays 5 (Spring Training, David Price made his spring debut, pitching 4 strong innings).
- The Patriots have obtained Jason McCourty from the Browns. He’ll join his twin brother Devin in the secondary.
- NCAA Tourney: Buffalo upsets #4 Arizona State.
