Bridge Replacement
(Blue Hill) – A historic bridge connecting Blue Hill to South Blue Hill will get replaced in a couple of years. That’s the word from the Maine Department of Transportation after years of debate on how to best deal with the 93-year old Falls Bridge. It’s one of two rainbow arch concrete bridges left in Maine. The Ellsworth American reports the DOT informed the town that it will construct a new girder bridge for just under $9-million dollars.
Mill Fire
(Bucksport) – Firefighters in Bucksport wonder why a company demolishing the former Verso Paper Mill didn’t report that a silo that they were working on caught fire. A passing motorist reported the black smoke and firefighters responded. Workers helped them reach the burning debris in the silo they were taking down. No injuries reported.
Potholes & Bad Roads
(Ellsworth) Harsh weather conditions have caused the deterioration of many local roads and streets. Ellsworth public works director Lisa Sekulich tells Star 97-7 road repairs are continuous work and the job is never done. Sekulich says the City of Ellsworth plows Route 180, 179 and the Bayside Road, but the Maine DOT is responsible for fixing potholes and ice build-up because they are state maintained roads.
Murder Conviction Upholds
(Augusta) – The murder conviction will stand against an East Millinocket man serving a long sentence for the 1980 murder of 16-year old Joyce McClain. Philip Scott Fournier’s attorney argued that the trial judge last year should have allowed alternate suspect theories and tossed out a confession Fournier made to a pastor and then to his mother. The Maine Supreme Court in a 14-page decision published yesterday disagreed and upheld the conviction. Police did not charge Fournier with the death until more than 35-years after McClain’s body turned up behind Schenck High School the day after she went for an evening jog and never returned home.
Volunteer Firefighters Quit
(Thorndike) – A Waldo County town no longer has a fire department after all but one of the volunteer firefighters quit this week. Thorndike’s fire department has come under fire from several Waldo County emergency response officials who wrote to the town’s Selectmen this week. The firefighters had wanted the Selectmen to reinstate a former fire chief who admitted to stealing money from the department several years ago and to release funds from the truck and equipment fund. The Selectmen refused and the department members resigned.
Opioid Maker Sued
(Machias) Maine’s county with the highest number of opioid drug overdose deaths in 2016 is suing pharmaceutical companies that manufacture and distribute opioids. The Ellsworth American reports Washington County has joined 12 other Maine counties and several municipalities in a case against 28 opioid manufacturers. The lawsuit contends that those companies continued to market and encouraged doctors to prescribe painkillers, despite knowing the potential addiction risks to patients. Washington County does not incur any costs by joining the lawsuit and there is no time-frame for how the lawsuits may play out in court.
Hockey Ladies Suspended
(Orono) Four members from the University of Maine women’s hockey team won’t play in this Saturday’s game – that’s because they’ve been suspended indefinitely for allegedly violating the student-athlete code of conduct. The Bangor Daily News reports University officials say 3 of the women were suspended for their alleged involvement in a fight at an Orono bar and restaurant, though they were not arrested. A fourth team member was suspended after her OUI arrest last weekend.
Meth Milk Mom
(Bangor) The Bangor mom accused of exposing her 7-month-old baby to methamphetamine through her breast milk faced a judge Wednesday. WABI-TV reports 20-year-old Alyssa Murch is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated furnishing of drugs and domestic violence assault for the December incident. Police were called to a Bangor hospital after Murch’s baby arrived unconscious from allegedly ingesting meth. Bail was set at $1-thousand-dollars and Murch must be supervised during visits with her child.
Gleaning Grant
(Local) Healthy Acadia has received a $25-thousand-dollar grant for its gleaning program. The Downeast Gleaning Initiative seeks to increase food security for residents of Washington and Hancock counties. Healthy Acadia is one of 25 not-for-profit community initiatives receiving a grant through the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation’s 2019 Healthy Food Fund. The Downeast Gleaning Initiative was launched in Hancock County in 2013 in partnership with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and was expanded in the following year to include Washington County.
Indigenous Peoples Day
(Augusta) A proposal to change the name of the Columbus Day holiday in Maine for a tribute to Native Americans is moving forward. The Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee voted in favor of the Indigenous Peoples Day bill on Wednesday, which now faces further votes. At least five states have done away with celebrating explorer Christopher Columbus in respect to Native Americans, though the federal Columbus holiday remains. Communities including Bangor have adopted Indigenous Peoples Day.
Sports
- Milwaukee Bucks 98 Boston Celtics 97
- Boston Globe baseball writer Nick Carfado has died – collapsing at Spring Training. He was 62
Basketball Tournament
Girls Class “D” Semi-Finals
No. 2 Deer Isle-Stonington 51, No. 3 Woodland 44
No. 1 Southern Aroostook 49, No. 4 Schenck 32
Boys Class “D” Semi Finals
No. 2 Jonesport-Beals 66, No. 3 Greater Houlton Christian 53
No. 4 Schenck 50, No. 1 Woodland 44
Class “C” Semi-Finals today – Boys this afternoon, girls tonight.
