Pen Air Pulls Out
(Trenton) – The scramble is on to find a new commercial air carrier to serve the Hancock County airport in Trenton. Pen-Air which has offered commercial flights since 2012 says it will stop service at the end of June. The Bangor Daily News reports the decision came after the Federal Department of Transportation awarded commercial air service for Presque Isle to another carrier. Pen-Air said losing Presque Isle means that serving Trenton would no longer be profitable.
Ming’s Fire
(Belfast) – Four people fled from apartments above a Belfast Restaurant early yesterday morning as fire consumed the building. The Bangor Daily News reports the blaze that destroyed Ming’s Restaurant likely started when a pressure washer inside a box truck caught fire as a contractor was cleaning the building’s roof. Firefighters from several communities responded to the Route 1 scene at about 1:15 in the morning. No one was hurt.
Murder/Suicide
(Norridgewock) – A Norridgewock couple is dead in what police term a murder/suicide. State Police investigators say William Hale had called 9-1-1 on Saturday to say police would find two bodies by the time they arrived. He and his wife, Marie, apparently died from gunshot wounds, along with a family dog. Police found Mr. Hale’s mother unharmed inside a car parked outside the building.
Ranked Choice Voting
(Augusta) – A judge may rule today whether Maine voters will use ranked choice voting starting with the primary election in June. The attorney general’s office discovered late last week that the original question approved by voters a couple years ago exempted primary elections from using the confusing voting system. But, a new petition to overturn the legislature’s delay in the system did not exempt primaries. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap says the court decision is needed quickly as the ballots need to be prepared for the election that is less than 2-and-a-half months away.
Homicide
(Bangor) Bangor police arrested a transient in connection with the deaths of two people whose bodies were found in a burning delivery truck last week. 25-year-old John De Saint Croix was charged with 2 counts of murder and will likely face more charges. Firefighters extinguished a truck fire at the Penobscot Plaza on Washington Street and discovered the two victims. The Medical Examiner’s Office identified them as 43-year-old Michael Bridges and 36-year-old Desiree York.
Hospice Volunteers of HC
(Ellsworth) Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County is offering Bereavement Support Groups and Workshops in Ellsworth, Blue Hill and Bar Harbor. Spokeswoman Janice Ronco says the 8-week sessions are free to anyone who’s suffered the loss of a loved one. The bereavement support groups all begin next Monday. Contact Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County to register.
Crack Arrests
(Athens) Police have arrested an Athens couple on cocaine charges. State police assisted probation officers with a check on 26-year-old Tyler Watson last week. His 28-year-old wife Tara and two of their 4 children were also home when police found 12 baggies of crack cocaine, nearly 60 hypodermic needles, crack pipes and other drug evidence. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services took custody of the children. Mr and Mrs Watson face several charges including Unlawful Trafficking and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Boil Water Order
(Ellsworth) The Ellsworth Water Department has lifted a boil order. Crews repaired a broken water main near the intersection of Main Street and West Maple Street.
Chase & Crash
(Hancock) Police are still investigating after a Franklin man led police on a chase through Hancock. A 911 caller last week reported a truck coming off the Washington Junction Road heading toward Sullivan was riding on 2 rims and sparks were flying out from under the vehicle. A Hancock County Sheriff’s deputy tried to stop the vehicle on Route 182 but the driver kept going. A state trooper took over the pursuit and made a maneuver to immobilize the truck. An ambulance took 39-year-old Darrin Blair to the hospital. Police are investigating whether Blair suffered a medical episode.
Elver Prices
(Portland) The price of baby eels in Maine is soaring to record highs at the beginning of a season. Elvers are an important part of the worldwide Japanese food trade. Maine fishermen harvest them from rivers and streams so they can be sold as seed stock to Asian aquaculture companies. The Maine Department of Marine Resources reported on Friday that the average price per pound to fishermen was $2,608. Maine’s elver industry is poised for high prices because of poor harvest in Asia.
DHHS
(Augusta) The Maine Department of Health and Human Services says it is rebuilding the ranks of public health nurses, but the department is hiring more slowly than required by a 2017 law. Health and Human Services Commissioner Ricker Hamilton told lawmakers in February the department had hired seven nurses in the preceding two months. The Bangor Daily News reports the new hires don’t make much headway in restoring a corps of nurses that have fallen from 50 in 2011 to fewer than 15 last December.
Animal Abuse
(Swanville) Authorities are conducting an animal abuse investigation at a Maine farm where they exhumed the carcasses of at least three pigs. The Bangor Daily News reports agents from the Maine Animal Welfare Program exhumed the dead animals on Wednesday at Ireland Hill Farms. Jerry Hughes, who directs the program, says the agency is investigating possible neglect of animals at the farm.
Shark Clusters
(Portland) Scientists say a species of large, but harmless, shark has been gathering in atypically big groups off of the northeastern United States and Canada. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says groups of 30 to 1,400 basking sharks have been seen in waters from Nova Scotia to Long Island, New York. The agency says sightings of basking sharks are common, but seeing them in such large groups is not.
Sports
- Notre Dame 61 Mississippi State 58 (NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. Arike Ogunbowale hit a 3-pointer as time expired for the come from behind win).
- Tonight, Villanova and Michigan play for the NCAA Men’s basketball Championship.
- Boston Red Sox 2 Tampa Bay Rays 1. Sox send Brian Johnson against the Florida Marlins tonight.
- Philadelphia Flyers 4 Boston Bruins 3 (Overtime).
