Hancock County Treasurer
(Ellsworth) – When voters in Hancock County cast ballots in November’s election, no names will appear next to the County Treasurer’s office. No one ran in either party primary and no one submitted petition signatures to appear as an independent on the ballot. The Ellsworth American reports current county finance director Pamela Linscott will run a write-in campaign. Linscott has worked in the county treasurer’s office for about 3-years. The current treasurer, Janice Eldridge, does not want to be re-elected.
Trash Charge
(Bar Harbor) – Commercial trash haulers who use the transfer station in Bar Harbor will not have to pay directly for the garbage left at the town’s transfer station. The Mt. Desert Islander reports town councilors unanimously rejected a plan to purchase scales and weigh vehicles going in and out of the transfer station. The scales cost about $80-thousand dollars. Backers of the pay as you throw proposal say the town has to do more to encourage recycling.
Officer Plea
(Old Town) – A former Old Town police officer accused of stealing money from police evidence and the police union has admitted he was fueling a gambling habit. Sergeant Michael Hashey entered guilty pleas to theft and tax evasion yesterday. Hashey resigned in 2015 after 23-years on the job. He has repaid $78-hundred dollars to the city. In a plea agreement, Hashey agreed to plead guilty in return for a 4-year sentence with all but 9-months suspended. He’ll also have to pay back the IRS more than $41-thousand dollars in tax refunds he was not entitled to.
Murder Victim ID’d
(Gardiner) – A 28-year old Massachusetts woman whose body turned up in a car trunk in Gardiner was murdered. Police identified her as Maddilyn Burgess and they say they’ve found the crime scene at the car driver’s home in Sturbridge Massachusetts. A state trooper stopped 34-year old Gyrth Rutan’s vehicle last Thursday in Gardiner and he proceeded to shoot himself in the head in front of the trooper.
Arson Charges
The State Fire Marshal’s Office has charged a Warren man in connection with a fire that burned down a camp in Warren in April. 20 year old Thomas Sawyer was charged with arson Friday at the Two Bridges Jail in Wiscasset, where he was being held on unrelated burglary charges. Fire investigators say Sawyer and two teenage boys set fire to a seasonal camp on the St. George’s River on April 6. Investigators say Sawyer and the two teens, ages 14 and 17, went to the property and set the camp on fire because they were “bored”. No charges have been lodged against the teenagers at this point.
Car Crashes Into House
(Detroit) Residents of a home in Detroit barely escaped injury when a car crashed into their house. WABI TV reports several people were sitting in an area of the home where the car barreled into the structure. The driver, 48 year old Scott Nicholson of Connecticut, is charged with operating under the influence.
Hannaford Facelift
(Ellsworth) Employees of the Ellsworth Hannaford are keeping mum on the subject, but plans filed with the Code Enforcement Office indicate the supermarket is about to get a $3.9 million makeover. According to The Ellsworth American, the plans outline proposed changes to the deli preparation areas, the pharmacy, façade, seafood, meat and cheese departments, freezers, vestibule and bathrooms and more. Code Enforcement Officer Dwight Tilton said he did not have details about a timeline, but that companies generally work around their customers, such as at night and during off-peak hours. He said plans do not appear to include major changes to the store’s appearance.
Planned Outage
(Mariaville) Mariaville area residents will see a brief interruption in electricity next week. Emera Maine spokeswoman Judy Long reports scheduled maintenance to the electrical system will begin at 9AM tomorrow and should take less than an hour to complete. Mariaville customers will be affected on Silsby Road, Frost Mill Road, Haystack Road, Oxbow Drive, Whispering Pines Drive and Roberts Way. The rain date is Wednesday.
Rockport Crash
(Rockport) The Rockport Fire Department is looking for a driver involved in a rollover crash Sunday Morning. The Department said the accident happened just after 4 a.m. on West Street and Meadow. First responders did not find the driver at the scene. The cause of the crash is under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to call Rockport Police at 236-2026.
Downeast Institute Expands
(Beals) The Downeast Institute celebrated the opening of their expansion with a ribbon cutting Saturday. The 6.6 million dollar expansion built a shellfish hatchery that serves as a marine field station for the University of Maine at Machias and connects problems that coastal communities face. The expansion nearly doubles the space, where they raise lobsters and clams with hopes of bringing a boost to the marine economy.
New Home for Fallen Officer’s Family
(Norridgewock) If all goes as planned, the widow of fallen officer Eugene Cole will have a new home before the snow flies. WMTW reports the Norridgewock community is coming together to build the split level home on the same property where Sheryl Cole currently lives in a mobile home. Fairfield Drafting and Construction was scheduled to break ground today, with the community donating building materials. Eugene Cole was killed in the line of duty in April.
ACA Relief
(Scarborough) Independent Maine Senator Angus King says he is working on fixing a conflict in federal law that creates a burden for recipients of disability benefits. King says the conflict affects people who qualify for Affordable Care Act subsidies and have recently been approved as eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance. The senator says qualifying for disability insurance can take several years, and the agency then issues a retroactive lump-sum amount that dates back to the initial request. The Associated Press reports the IRS considers the payment as income for a single year, and King says that added income can bump a person above the threshold for ACA subsidies. King is working with Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida to support a bill to direct the IRS to reduce the tax burden to the portion due in the current tax year.
Sports
- The Red Sox lead in the American League East is up to 10-games over the Yankees who lost to the Mets last night. The Sox send Brian Johnson to the mound against Philadelphia tonight.
- The Sea Dogs were idle last night. They take on the Trenton Thunder tonight at Hadlock Field.
- The Houston Rockets have signed Carmello Anthony following his release by Atlanta a few weeks ago.
