Snowmobile Rescue
(Southwest Harbor) – A 43-year old Somesville man and two 12-year old girls are recovering at MDI Hospital for hypothermia after the snowmobile they rode broke through the ice on Long Pond yesterday. The Maine Warden Service reports to Star 97.7 that Eli Strauss started walking for help before police arrived on scene and heard his daughter Julia and her friend Jolie Beal hollering. Searchers eventually found Strauss who was hypothermic and could not go on. An ambulance carried all three to the hospital. Strauss’s wife Robin had called police to report the trio was overdue which prompted the search from Bar Harbor, Mt. Desert, and Southwest Harbor police and firefighters. The sled remains in Long Pond which is the Southwest Harbor water supply.
Bangor Mall Foreclosure
(Bangor) – With another anchor store closing in a few weeks, the financial footing of the Bangor Mall is troubled. The Bangor Daily News reports property owner Simon Property Group will likely let an $80-million dollar loan go into foreclosure and a Miami based company will take over the mall, possibly by March. LNR Partners revealed the Simon decision this week. Sears is closing its doors by April. Other stores are also closing, including Aerie, Starbucks, Pac Sun and the Build a Bear Workshop.
Blue Hill Treasurer
(Blue Hill) There’s a new Treasurer for the town of Blue Hill. The Ellsworth American reports Selectmen appointed Rebecca Wilber of Franklin the position. She’s been assisting with treasurer duties for a few weeks. Wilber fills the post left vacant by former Treasurer Jody Murphy, who resigned last November after an auditor discovered more than $10-thousand-dollars in unaccounted for funds last August. Murphy maintains she’s innocent. Wilber is a Maine native and most recently handled town functions for Franklin.
Bridgewater Shooting
(Bridgewater) – An incident in Aroostook County has left one person dead and state police investigating. Detectives have arrived in Bridgewater and began investigating last night’s shooting. Authorities have not released any names or other details of the incident other than to say it’s a suspicious death. Last night the Aroostook county Sheriff’s Department advised Bridgewater residents to stay inside and lock their doors while they dealt with the situation.
Workplace Violence
(Ellsworth) The second session in the Ellsworth Chamber’s Taking Care of Business series will discuss Workplace Violence. Executive director Gretchen Wilson says this morning’s breakfast forum will be led by local experts. The Workplace Violence seminar is held at City Hall Auditorium.
Route 1-A Crash
(Dedham) A chain-reaction crash on slippery Route 1A in Dedham snarled yesterday’s morning commute. Hancock County Sheriff’s deputy Corey Bagley tells Star 97-7 that firefighters had to cut one of the drivers from their vehicle. The crash occurred right before 8AM. Traffic was eventually detoured onto Lilly Road. Motorists who received non-life threatening injuries were 55-year-old Jeffrey Crossman of Ellsworth, 48-year old Kevin Ramsdell of Milbridge, 30-year-old Adrian Bryant of Ellsworth, and 43-year-old Christina Clark of Orrington.
Drug Bust
(Ellsworth) – As an undercover drug agent purchased crack at an Ellsworth apartment, a 4-month old baby was in the residence. Police sped up their arrests of 24-year old Joshua Kane of Ellsworth and 34-year old Frankie Montero of Brooklyn New York after the buy, capturing them outside Walmart in Ellsworth. A search of the apartment turned up drug trafficking evidence and $7-thousand dollars in cash. The baby and its mother were in the apartment and unhurt, and the Department of Health and Human Services arrived to care for the child. Kane and Montero are charged with aggravated drug trafficking.
Animals Seized
(Otis) Several animals were seized from a property in Otis last week during the bitterly cold temperatures. Director of the state’s animal welfare program, Liam Hughes tells the Ellsworth American the property owner had been in the hospital, prompting officials to check on the animals. Hughes did not disclose the property owner’s name, how many animals were removed or what kind. The animals were evaluated and are receiving proper care.
Sex Offender Photographer
(Augusta) Augusta police are trying to explain to the public why they can’t press charges on a registered sex offender who’s been taking pictures of young girls in public and posting them online. The Augusta PD has received several complaints this week. Police did not reveal the man’s name, but say there is no violation because the Constitution protects a person’s right to photograph people, places and things in a public place, even if it’s a child or young adult being photographed by a registered sex offender. Every complaint and online image is being investigated, but police say no crime has been committed.
Arson Charge
(Harpswell) A Harpswell man is charged with arson for allegedly setting fire to the mobile home he was renting on Grand Island. The Bangor Daily News reports 30-year-old Bradley Wallace allegedly used paper products to start a fire in his bedroom Wednesday morning. Three other people staying at the home smelled smoke and escaped without injury, but officials say two dogs died and the residence is destroyed. Wallace was treated for cuts and burns at a Brunswick hospital then transported to the Cumberland County Jail.
Maine Licenses
(Augusta) Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap is reminding Maine residents that your driver’s license or ID card is still valid for federal purposes such as air travel. In October 2017 the Department of Homeland Security issued a one-year waiver for the State of Maine’s REAL ID Act compliance, which allows federal agencies to continue to accept driver’s licenses and identification cards from Maine through Oct. 10th of this year. That means Maine driver’s licenses and IDs can still permit entrance into federal facilities and boarding commercial aircraft.
Bad Gas
(Waterville) Some Maine drivers say their vehicles were damaged when they purchased fuel at a gas station where the diesel and gasoline were in the wrong pumps. The Kennebec Journal reports the drivers filled their tanks at a Mobil station in Waterville last week. Gas station owner Kevin Strickland says he’s paid over $700 to fix vehicle parts after receiving complaints from 6 customers who told him the diesel and gasoline had been mixed up.
Sports
- Boston Bruins 4 Montreal Canadiens 1. Bruins at NY Islanders tonight.
- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady got treatment for a jammed hand yesterday after a collision with a teammate in practice. He’ll be on the injury report for Sunday’s AFC final, but is expected to play.
- Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers tonight.
High School Basketball
Most games postponed except in Northern Maine
Boys
Katahdin 60, Wisdom 38
Girls
Katahdin 49, Wisdom 28
Stearns 68, Mattanawcook Academy 48
