Fentanyl Bust
(Waterville) – Drug agents arrested two New York State men in Waterville and seized $65-thousand dollars worth of drugs in the process. The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency reports to Star 97.7 that they’d been following the movements of 32-year old Christopher Vargas and 32-year old Martin Galvin. Tuesday night they learned Vargas was headed to Augusta to sell drugs. They pulled him over and a drug dog sniffed out crack cocaine. Agents then searched an apartment in Waterville where the two were staying and seized 320-grams of cocaine, 295-grams of crack, and 28-grams of Fentanyl. Both suspects are charged with aggravated drug trafficking.
Child Porn
(Unity) – State troopers led a Waldo County man out of his Pittsfield workplace in handcuffs after a child porn investigation. Spokesman Steve McCausland reports to Star 97.7 the computer crimes unit found sexually explicit images of children under 12-years old on 57-year old Scott Tedesco’s computer tablet. He’s charged with possessing child porn.
Steripen founder dies
(Brooklin) – The man behind the popular Steri-pen which purifies drinking water for campers has died at his home in Blue Hill. Miles Maiden founded the Hydro-photon company which developed the Steri-pen. The Ellsworth American reports Maiden was 60-years old when he passed away earlier this month. The Steri-pen was named one of Time Magazine’s top 100-products of all time.
Fiberight Update
(Hampden) – The long-awaited trash to bio-gas plant under construction in Hampden says it will start accepting trash on a limited basis in April. Fiberight will separate out recycling from the rest of the municipal trash and then convert the non-recyclable trash into a pulp and into a fuel. More than 100-communities have signed on to send their waste to Fiberight and have been waiting since last April for the plant to open. In the meantime trash has gone to landfills in Old Town and Norridgewock.
No Service Sharing
(Mt. Desert) – Selectmen in Mt. Desert will not ask voters to approve a municipal employee sharing proposal with Bar Harbor. The two towns already share a police chief under an agreement that has worked well for the past several years. The Mt. Desert Islander reports citizens have balked at sharing other positions such as a finance officer. Selectmen opted not to put a question on this year’s town meeting ballot to share services. Mt. Desert’s town manager notes that the town’s work force is aging and it’s difficult finding people to fill openings.
Offender Back in Jail
(Sedgwick) A Deer Isle man with a criminal history faces more charges for allegedly biting a state trooper. 44-year-old Richard Bubar was involved in a car crash on the Mines Road in Sedgwick on February 8th. Police tell the Ellsworth American that Bubar punched a witness’s vehicle at the scene then tried to bite an officer’s gloved hand while being loaded into the back of a cruiser. Bubar has bail conditions from an alleged road rage incident last summer. He’s now charged with Violating Release Conditions, OUI, Criminal Mischief and Assault.
Gun at McDonald’s
(Ellsworth) The Ellsworth police department and District Attorney’s Office are trying to determine if a gun owner should be charged after leaving the weapon in a local restaurant bathroom. The Ellsworth American reports police responded to McDonald’s on High Street during the weekend when an employee found a pistol stashed inside a toilet paper dispenser. Police have contacted the gun owner but did not give the weapon back.
Pets & Victims
(Hancock Cty) Next Step Domestic Violence Project will receive a grant to help increase their capacity and allow pets to stay with victims of domestic violence. Bayer is awarding money to 13 domestic violence shelters across the country in support of the critical bond that survivors have with their pets. Each shelter will receive $10-thousand-dollars from Bayer to help provide a safe place for victims fleeing physical, mental and emotional abuse with their pets. Next Step is in the development process for implementing a plan for these funds.
Juror Pay
(Augusta) The pay for jurors in Maine could more than triple under a new bill that lawmakers are taking into consideration. The pay raise for jurors in state courts would climb from $15 per day to $50 per day. The Bangor Daily News reports the Legislature’s judiciary committee endorsed raising juror pay last week, but is undecided on how large the increase should be.
Meditation Workshop
(Bar Harbor) The Beth Wright Cancer Resource Center announces a free Meditation Workshop is available for cancer patients and survivors, both in and out of treatment. Group instructor, Richard Parker, has practiced meditation since 1971. The 90-minute sessions focus on different styles of meditation. The workshop is every Friday in March from 1:30 to 3 at Destination Health in Bar Harbor. Contact the Beth Wright Center for details.
Sports
- Boston Bruins 3 Vegas Golden Knights 2 (shootout)
- Celtics take on the Bucks in Milwaukee tonight as the 2nd half of the NBA season gets under way.
High School Basketball Tournament
Boys
Class B North Semifinals
No. 2 Caribou 65, No. 6 Ellsworth 58
No. 1 Hermon 52, No. 5 Maine Central Institute 35
Class A North Semifinals
No. 7 Skowhegan 58, No. 6 Brewer 46
Girls
Class B North Semifinals
No. 3 Waterville 49, No. 2 Hermon 38
No. 1 Mount Desert Island 57, No. 5 Winslow 51
Class C North Quarterfinals
No. 6 Calais 74, No. 3 Madawaska 42
No. 2 Dexter 47, No. 7 Fort Fairfield 25
Class AA North Semifinals
No. 7 Deering 34, No. 3 Bangor 17
Today – Class “D” Semi-Finals
