Storm Coming
(College Park, MD) – We’ve got a good sized winter storm forecast starting tomorrow morning which could bring a foot of snow to Downeast Maine. National Weather Service Meteorologist Brian Hurley says after the storm, it’s more cold weather. A blizzard watch is up for Downeast Maine starting tomorrow morning.
Gouldsboro Cutting
(Gouldsboro) – The Town of Gouldsboro and Maine Forest Service continue to investigate tree removal in the shoreland zone by a Hancock based wood products company. The Ellsworth American reports initial indications are that a violation of the town’s Shoreland Zoning Ordinance might have occurred by cutting wider than allowed openings. The Forest Service says it still has to put all its data into a computer to determine how many trees were removed. Wood harvester George Moon says he cut according to a forester developed tree grown management plan.
Fire Dept Stats 2017
(Dedham) – Local fire department in Hancock County saw a sometimes dramatic uptick in calls for help during 2017. Dedham said it responded to 327 requests for service, a new record. Orland had 92-calls; so did Lamoine, and that was up more than 20-percent from the previous year and a record number. Trenton’s fire department responded to a record number of calls, including 14-in one day after a wind storm in late October. Mutual aid requests in neighboring towns accounted for higher run numbers in Trenton and Lamoine.
Ex-Fire Chief-Arson
(OOBeach) The former fire chief of Old Orchard Beach will be sentenced next week for a 2016 arson charge. The Bangor Daily News reports Ricky Plummer could spend 2 years in prison if the court accepts a plea agreement worked out between Plummer’s attorney and York County prosecutors. Plummer admitted he started a fire in the woods near Walnut Street in April 2016 while he was the town’s fire chief. It took 100 area firefighters about 2 hours to extinguish the blaze. Plummer was charged with arson a month later. He claimed the fire started when he threw a lit cigarette and used matches on the ground. No smoking materials were found at the origin of the fire.
Fires Summary
(Ellsworth) – The effort to thaw frozen pipes led to a couple of Hancock County fires yesterday. In Brooklin, firefighters had to call in an excavator to tear down a burned building on Flye Point Road. Assistant Chief Tom Morris said workers set up a heater under a deck to thaw frozen pipes and that caught the sill on fire and it quickly spread. In Ellsworth, the Downeast Community Partners building on the Bucksport Road caught fires when workers were trying to thaw pipes. Firefighters from four departments responded, with Ellsworth quickly extinguishing the fire in the walls.
Flu Stats
(Maine) While data shows lower seasonal flu cases in Maine compared to other states, the strain that’s circulating is more severe and leading to more hospitalizations. The state Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 373 flu cases through December 23rd, with 99 requiring hospitalization. State epidemiologist Dr. Siiri Bennett says most of the cases this year are influenza A, which she says is more likely to cause deaths among adults over 65 and young children. About 80 to 90-percent of cases this flu season are influenza A, compared to about 60-percent of cases in the 2015-2016 season.
Shrimp Drama
(Portland) A shrimp research project in Maine this year will not yield extra shrimp for the public to buy as it has in the past. The New England shrimp fishery has been shut down since 2013 because of a lack of shrimp reaching maturity. But fishermen from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts have typically participated in a sampling project that has provided a small amount of shrimp to seafood markets.
Sports
- Boston Bruins 5 NY Islanders 1
- Celtics play the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. Isaiah Thomas made his season debut last night for Cleveland but is not expected to play his old team tonight.
- Mark Shields has resigned as the football coach at MDI High School after 15-seasons.
High School Basketball
Boys
George Stevens 71, Central 35
Hampden Academy 83, Nokomis Regional 66
Jonesport-Beals 63, Deer Isle-Stonington 52
Bangor 56, Oxford Hills Comprehensive 46
Belfast Area 64, Mount View 51
Mattanawcook Academy 41, Calais 35
Washington Academy 75, Narraguagus 49
Penobscot Valley 61, Dexter Regional 55
Woodland 69, Machias 43
Girls
Deer Isle-Stonington 40, Jonesport-Beals 29
Ellsworth 43, Old Town 30
Bangor Christian 55, Sumner Memorial 53
Hampden Academy 49, Nokomis Regional 27
Hermon 40, Orono 28
Skowhegan Area 59, Brewer 41
