No PETA Prosecution
(Ellsworth) – The District Attorney in Hancock County won’t prosecute a Gouldsboro lobster processing company for animal cruelty. D-A Matthew Foster reports to Star 97.7 that he declined to bring the charge requested by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals against Fair Trade Lobster. Foster cited precedent set in a similar request in Knox County. He said the Department of Marine Resources and Department of Agriculture both regulate the company’s activities and they’ve not made him aware of any deficiencies.
Old Town – No Threat
(Old Town) – School officials and police investigators say there is no threat to the student body at Old Town High School after a weekend long investigation. Late last week, one student reported another student had made what he interpreted as a threat against the school. School officials say the student who allegedly made a threat will not return to classes, but they and the police department say the student body is safe. Police tell Star 97.7 that social media posts made during the weekend contained a great deal of misinformation.
Alton Death
(Alton) – An altercation late Saturday night in Alton left a transient dead and three people under investigation. State Police Spokesman Steve McCausland reports to Star 97.7 that 51-year old Joseph Webber died in the skirmish – they found him at the scene and EMTs were unable to save him. Three other adults were in the home when the fight broke out. The major crimes unit was on the scene yesterday, questioning the other three and gathering physical evidence. No one has yet been charged.
Snowmobile/Moose Crash
(Bowdoin College Grant) – A moose calf is dead and a Bangor man has a broken leg after a snowmobile crash this weekend in a remote part of Maine. Game wardens report to Star 97.7 that a group of three snowmobilers encountered the animal on ITS 110 during the evening. The first rider managed to miss the moose, the second rider hit it, killing the animal. The third rider was unable to avoid the 2nd rider and crash into the moose and snowmobile. 44-year old Bruce Saucier broke his leg, but drove back to a camp in Elliotsville and a private vehicle took him to a Bangor hospital with the fracture.
Tremont – Bag Ban
(Tremont) – Voters in Tremont will decide whether the town will ban single-use plastic bags at their annual town meeting in May. The Mt. Desert Islander reports the question to place a bag and polystyrene container ban on a secret ballot came after Selectmen voted 4-to-1 in favor. Last November voters in Southwest Harbor passed a similar ordinance. Bar Harbor and Mt. Desert town officials are still considering placing the measure out to a vote.
Fugitive Caught
(Washington) Deputies arrested a fugitive from New Hampshire in Knox County. The Sheriff’s Department worked with New Hampshire State Police to locate 32-year-old Brian Bateman in a Maine DOT garage. Maine law enforcement received notification last week to be on the lookout for Bateman, who was in home confinement when he cut off his monitoring device and escaped. Police also arrested is 26-year-old Shawn Albee of Barrington New Hampshire; she’s charged with Hindering Apprehension of a Fugitive.
Wood Stove Fire
(Milo) The State Fire Marshal’s Office credits a working smoke detector with saving a family in Milo. Firefighters were called to a residence after 3 AM last Thursday and found the home filled with smoke. Crews determined the fire was in the wall behind the wood stove and quickly extinguished it. The Fire Marshal’s Office says Milo Fire Department placed the smoke- detector in the home as part of a free smoke detector program a year ago. The two adults made it out safely with their 3-month-old child.
Fraud Check Suspects Sought
(Hampden) Police are warning of a check fraud scam involving at least 2 vehicles from out of state. Hampden police received a report Friday morning of a black SUV with New York license plates stopping at business’s mailboxes and stealing checks. A short time later an undercover officer in Bangor observed suspects in a black GMC vehicle with Maryland plates approach a few people on the street. Police believe the suspects are recruiting homeless and transient people to cash fraudulent checks at local banks. Citizens are asked to report anything suspicious.
Highway Name-change Bill
(Whiting) A representative in Washington County suggests renaming a portion of highway in Whiting to honor the town’s founder. District 139 rep William Tuell has initiated a bill to rename a stretch of Route 1 in Whiting as the John Crane Memorial Highway. General John Crane also had a role in the Boston Tea Party. If it passes the proposed bill would also rename the New Crane Bridge to the Purple Heart Veterans Memorial Bridge. The bill was up for consideration by the Transportation Committee late last week.
Cancer Center Grant
(Ellsworth) An organization dedicated to helping cancer patients and their families in Hancock and Washington Counties has received a generous grant. The Beth Wright Cancer Resource Center says a $25-thousand-dollar grant from the Maine Cancer Foundation enables them to continue providing and expanding the valuable resources it offers to those in need, including life enhancing activities. Funds will support one of the Beth Wright Center’s programs that focus on healthy eating and offers cooking demonstration classes.
Service Pins
(Machias) Down East Community Hospital in Machias honored several employees for their many years of dedicated service. Top recognition went to Environmental Services worker Lein Crocker, who received her 40-year pin for reaching that landmark in 2018. Also acknowledged during last week’s ceremony was Elizabeth Faraci for 35 years of employment and Nicholas Cianciola for working 25 years at DECH.
Soda Closure
FARMINGTON, Maine (AP) – Coca-Cola says it is closing a sales office in Maine, and offering the 12 employees there other positions in the company. Spokesman Nick Martin said last week that the closure of the Farmington office is meant to “optimize Coca-Cola of Northern New England’s network of facilities.” The Sun Journal reports the closure goes into effect Feb. 22. Martin says operations will be relocated to Bangor and South Portland-area facilities, and the company has offered people employed at the Farmington office positions there. The closure marks the end of a nearly 100-year era.
Sports
- New England Patriots 41 Los Angeles Chargers 28. (Patriots will play Kansas City for the AFC Championship)
- New Orleans Saints 20 Philadelphia Eagles 14 (Saints and Los Angeles Rams for NFC Championship)
- The Celtics take on the Brooklyn Nets tonight
- The Bruins host the Montreal Canadiens
- High School Cheering: Hermon win the Big East Title, Ellsworth 2nd. Sumner wins the D-A-C title, Calais 2nd.
