Winter Cleanup
(Ellsworth) – We’ve gotten reports of up to 2-feet of snow that fell on Downeast Maine yesterday – that came in from the Washington County Town of Cooper this morning. Well over a foot fell along coastal sections of Hancock County, and plow crews have been busy clearing it away from roads overnight. A few schools are opening late today to give their staff time to move away the snow from walk ways and parking lots. No power outages are reported this morning – the snow was very light in weight, and though the winds were powerful, it did not bring down any trees to speak of.
Elks – Pipe Break
(Ellsworth) – A cleanup of a different sort under way this morning at the Elks Lodge in Ellsworth. Firefighters responded to an alarm at the building on High Street at quarter to five this morning and found a broken pipe dumping water inside the building. Crews are using shop vacs and squeegees to remove the water from the floors of the building, and city plow crews were called in to put down sand on the road as water flowed out of the building and froze on the street.
Acadia Hiring
(Acadia National Park) – A federal government hiring ban is hampering efforts to fill vacancies at Acadia National park. The Mt. Desert Islander reports the park should be able to hire seasonal workers for next spring and summer, but full time hires are frozen for 120-days. Among the open positions that will remain unfilled are information technology director, deputy chief ranger, carriage roads maintenance supervisor and Schoodic area maintenance supervisor.
Palmyra Deaths
(Palmyra) – Authorities say a married couple died in a fire earlier this week in Palmyra. They’ve identified the couple as 28-year old Kayla Brown and her 44-year old husband Roger. They lived in one of two apartments above a garage at a converted farmhouse. There were six other apartments in the building, and the rest of the occupants escaped. Investigators say it is unlikely they’ll be able to figure out how the fire started because of the amount of damage to the complex.
Heroin Arrest
(Veazie) Connecticut State Police arrested 2 Maine residents after a used baggy of heroin was spotted in their car during a traffic stop. State troopers in Bridgeport pulled over the car because it was following too closely behind other vehicles. A K-9 team was called in and sniffed out 80 baggies of heroin, a small amount of pot, and drug supplies. The driver, 32-year-old Anthony McLaughlin and the passenger, 22-year-old Riley Cannell, both of Veazie Maine, face various drug charges in Connecticut including Possessing Narcotics, Possessing Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Narcotics with Intent to Sell. McLaughlin was also charged with Following Too Closely. Both were held on 15-thousand-dollars bond.
Acadia Winter Fest
(Winter Harbor) – There is plenty of winter in Winter Harbor this morning, and that works out perfectly for that community’s Acadia Winter Festival that runs today through Sunday. Acadia National Park Superintendent Kevin Schneider will help lead a cross country ski excursion this afternoon. Numerous events are on tap for the weekend, and they’re posted at www.AcadiaWinterFestival-dot-org.
Weather Preparedness
(Hancock Cty) In the event that your power goes out during the storm, the Hancock County Emergency Management Agency stresses the importance of safety. Deputy director Bradley Nuding says before heading outdoors to clear away snow, take into consideration your general health. He recommends wearing several layers of warm, loose fitting, light-weight clothing to prevent frost bite, and taking breaks inside to warm up.
Flights Canceled
(New England) Authorities say nearly 1,700 flights have been canceled at New York City’s three major airports because of the powerful winter storm hitting the region. Bangor International Airport has canceled flights to and from Philadelphia and New York City. Travelers were encouraged to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
Sports
Boston Bruins 6 San Jose Sharks 3
Boston Celtics 120 Portland Trail Blazers 111
U-Maine Hockey tonight: home against Notre Dame
A full high school basketball schedule tonight as teams scramble to make up games that were snowed out yesterday and earlier this week. The MPA has given permission to make up games tomorrow as well.
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