Missing Man
(Greenbush) – A meticulous search in Greenbush started yesterday as authorities try to find some sign of a 66-year old man last seen in March of last year. No one reported Guy Carmel missing until last September, and the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office called in help from the State Police major crimes unit. They sealed off Carmel’s home on Tower Road in Greenbush yesterday and dogs started searching his 10-acre parcel. A detective told reporters yesterday the disappearance is suspicious.
Drug Dealer Sentenced
(Bangor) – A Connecticut man who sold drugs in Eastern Maine will spend more than 7-years in prison. The US Attorney’s office reports to Star 97.7 that 36-year old Damian Perry received the sentence in Connecticut yesterday. Drug agents caught Perry and another man when they stopped another vehicle that a Maine man drove and found packages of heroin and cocaine. Text messages between Perry and Cecil Stanley indicated that Perry and Luis Padilla supplied drugs which Stanley would sell in Maine.
County Ambulance
(Ellsworth) – The end of an era in emergency medical care in Hancock County comes at 5-o’clock today when County Ambulance officially goes out of business. Public safety agencies say they expect a smooth transition as Capital Ambulance in Bangor will take over emergency calls. County owner John Partridge stopped by towns that his business had served for 45-years to thank their emergency responders for their support and reminisce on some of the memorable calls. He says he could find no scenario to stay viable once Capital took over ambulance transfers between hospitals, and that it was difficult at best to keep enough staff on for the emergency responses.
Blue Hill Woman Search
(Blue Hill) – Investigators continue to follow up tips about a missing Blue Hill woman who vanished more than a month ago. But it was only last week that someone reported 37-year old Jessica Grindle missing. The Ellsworth American reports investigators searched ponds in Blue Hill and Sedgwick but have not found Grindle yet. State Police say she was last seen on July 23rd.
Rockland Fire
(Rockland) – An overnight fire in Rockland left a 2-unit house on the South End unlivable. Firefighters responded at about 2:30 this morning to Suffolk Street, finding a family on one side of the building had safely escaped while the tenants on the other side were unaware of the fire. The Pen Bay Pilot reports several area departments responded to the scene and had the blazing building extinguished in less than a half hour. No injuries, and the fire marshal’s office will look for the cause.
West Nile Virus
(Augusta) – A mosquito pool in southern Maine has tested positive for West Nile virus. Maine Center for Disease and Prevention said on Wednesday a group of mosquitoes collected August 21 in Kittery tested positive for the virus. An adult from Cumberland County tested positive for the virus and is recovering in the hospital, but authorities believe that patient contracted the disease out of state. WABI TV reports there have been at least four cases this season in Massachusetts, as well as cases in Connecticut. Officials advise avoiding mosquito bites by wearing repellent and removing standing water.
Marijuana Controversy
(Augusta) – City councilors in Augusta want to ban medical marijuana caregivers from selling in residential areas. The Kennebec Journal reports a majority of the councilors shared that view last week, veering away from a city committee recommendation that Augusta should regulate but not ban marijuana caregivers from selling from their homes. Mayor David Rollins says a ban would not limit the number of caregivers, just their location.
Killer Arrested
(Windham) – Car thefts in Damariscotta have landed a convicted killer back behind bars. The Lincoln County news reports 54-year-old Scott Allard of Bradford was sentenced to 1-1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to the thefts. Allard served time for killing a taxi driver in Stockton Springs in 1983. He’s presently at the state prison in Windham.
Snow Days
(Bangor) – With the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicting a long, snowy winter, school officials in Bangor and Brewer have added extra snow days to their calendars. WABI TV reports Bangor schools had three snow days on last year’s calendar, but used eight, making it difficult to make up the lost days. This year’s calendars for the two districts allow for five days. If all are used, the last day of school will be June 19th.
Teacher of the Year Finalists
(Bangor) – The Maine Department of Education has named three finalists for Maine’s 2019 Teacher of the Year. Joseph Hennessey of Piscataquis Community High School, Shana Goodall of Orono High School, and Connie Russell of North Yarmouth are in the running. The Department says a winner will be announced in October after school visits and candidate interviews. We think if you’re a teacher, you’re all pretty special.
Lawsuit Against Governor
(Augusta) – A federal judge has ruled a free-speech lawsuit against Governor Paul LePage for blocking two Maine activists from his Facebook page can proceed. Wednesday’s ruling from U.S. District Court Justice John Woodcock, Junior deemed LePage’s request to dismiss the lawsuit “premature”. The Bangor Daily News reports the lawsuit, filed this month by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, is part of a national legal movement against social media censorship by public officials. ACLU of Maine attorney Emma Bond issued a statement saying speech “must be protected from government censorship on social media, just as it is in any other public forum.”
Hunting Methods Limited
(Augusta) – The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife issued an emergency rule Wednesday that limits some methods hunters use to trap bears in Maine. The Bangor Daily News reports the rule was adopted to prevent techniques that could accidentally capture the Canada Lynx, which is listed as federally threatened. Sources say the emergency rule addresses how a trap is set for a bear. A foot snare designed to capture a bear when it reaches into the snare or a device to obtain bait or lure is prohibited in the 90-day rule. The department says it will develop a permanent rule to address the issue long-term.
Airbnb Profits
(Statewide) – Airbnb profits soared in Maine this year. The company released summer data Wednesday predicting that by the end of Labor Day weekend, Maine property owners will have made nearly $40 million renting rooms and apartments short term to vacationers through the popular site. The report expects the state to welcome nearly 229 thousand Airbnb guests by the end of the holiday, an increase of about 71,000 compared to last summer. Airbnb says the typical Maine host made $4,800 over the summer this year.
PETA Proposes Tombstone
(Brunswick) – People the world over love our Maine lobsters. But PETA has a different kind of love for the arthropods. The organization has sent a letter to the Maine Department of Transportation, requesting to build a five-foot tombstone where lobsters may have died following a crash on Route 1 in Brunswick last week. Brunswick authorities say they cannot be sure if any lobsters died in the crash, but a PETA spokesperson said, “PETA hopes to pay tribute to these individuals who didn’t want to die with a memorial urging people to help prevent future suffering by keeping lobsters and all other animals off their plates.” No word yet on DOT’s response to the request.
Construction Worker Shortage
(Statewide) – If you’ve tried to hire a contractor this summer and found it difficult to find qualified salaried or hourly workers, you’re not alone. The Bangor Daily News says demand for construction workers nationwide is booming. A survey released Wednesday by the Associated General Contractors of America reports about 81 percent of the construction firms that answered a recent survey reported trouble filling hourly craft positions. Another 44 percent in Maine said finding salaried personnel is difficult. Half of the Maine construction companies said they have had to increase prices of bids or contracts, while 31 percent are building longer completion times into contracts.
Sports
- College Football: U-Maine 35 New Hampshire 7
- Boston Red Sox 9 Chicago White Sox 4 (Jackie Bradley Jr. capped a 4-run 7th inning as the Red Sox came from behind to tie, and singled in the go-ahead run in the 9th. Mookie Betts and JD Martinez homered)
- Nathan Eovaldi will start against the White Sox tonight. Boston is 8-and-a-half games up on the Yankees who lost last night.
- The Red Sox are not sure when David Price will pitch next after taking a line drive to the wrist Wednesday.
- Long time Calais and Woodland basketball coach Arnie Clark has died. He was 73-years old and retired from teaching in June.
