Impaired Driving Grant
(Ellsworth) – Deputies in Hancock County are putting in extra time patrolling for drunk and drugged drivers. The Sheriff’s Department reports to Star 97.7 that they’ve received a Driving Enforcement Grant through the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety. That will put deputies on the road specifically to patrol for impaired drivers instead of solely responding to complaint calls. The Sheriff’s Department notes that patrol deputies are taking time away from their families during the holiday season and advise folks to drive sober.
Wreaths Across America
(Harrington) – The annual Wreaths Across America convoy gets under way in a little under two weeks. The organization that ships more than a quarter million wreaths from Downeast Maine to Arlington National Cemetery will begin its ceremonies and convoys in Lubec on December 8th. The big convoy departs Sunday the 9th from Harrington with its first official stop in Ellsworth at 9AM at the Maine Coast Mall. After Ellsworth the next stop will be at the Mt. View School in Thorndike. The wreaths should arrive in Arlington on December 15th.
Jonesport Boat Sinks
(Jonesport) – The crew of a Jonesport lobster boat is safe but their boat sank off the Downeast coast yesterday. The Coast Guard reports a distress call came by an emergency positioning beacon around 1:45 yesterday afternoon. Another boat picked up the two people on board the Overtimer – they’d gotten into a life raft. The Coast Guard sent a crew from Jonesport to the position where the boat went down and will monitor the situation for pollution.
Blue Hill Sidewalks
(Blue Hill) – To get from Downtown Blue Hill to the town’s other busy shopping area, people either have to drive up Tenney Hill, or walk across lawns or on the road shoulder. The Bangor Daily News reports the town has put in for a half million dollar sidewalk grant from the Department of Transportation to install sidewalks up the hill. The project would coincide with trail improvements from Blue Hill Heritage Trust which has applied for two grants totaling $50-thousand dollars.
Bucksport Salmon Farm Permit
(Bucksport) – A big hurdle for the salmon farm proposed for Bucksport. The Department of Environmental Protection has granted a water discharge permit to Whole Oceans. It comes with conditions – one of them being to do a dye test on water around Verona Island. The proposed salmon farm at the former Verso paper mill property will generate more than 18-million gallons of water a day. The DEP said it should not impact water quality in the Penobscot River. A similar proposal from a salmon farm planned in Belfast is also under consideration by the DEP.
Clifton Fire
(Clifton) – A mobile home used primarily as a camp is a total loss as fire consumed it Sunday. Firefighters post on Facebook that heavy fire was coming from the rear of the Getchell Road trailer when they arrived. An investigation showed that the homeowner was trying to thaw out pipes when the heat ignited the structure. Firefighters from numerous departments arrived but could not save the trailer. No one is hurt and the family reportedly has another home.
Cornville Fatality
(Cornville) – A 43-year old Cornville man is dead after a crash on a slippery road yesterday morning. The Somerset County Sheriff’s Department said the crash on Shadagee Road killed Gregory Griffeth. His truck and another vehicle collided so violently that the truck’s bed separated from the cab. The two people in the other vehicle suffered injuries and went to the hospital. Police are still investigating but say speed and road conditions were factors in the crash.
Sports
- New England Patriots 27 New York Jets 13
- The Celtics are in New Orleans to take on the Pelicans tonight.
- The Bruins take on the Maple Leafs in Toronto tonight.
- The U-Maine football team will face Jacksonville State of Alabama in Orono this coming Saturday in a playoff game.
- The U-Maine women’s basketball team beat Penn 47-46 to win the Navy Classic basketball tourney yesterday.
