Warren Fatal
(Warren) – An 82-year old Tenant’s Harbor woman is dead after her compact car slammed into a tractor trailer truck on Route 1 yesterday. The Knox County Sheriff’s Department tells Star 97.7 that Constance Chandler-Ward may have suffered a medical incident before her car went onto the wrong side of the road in Warren, slamming into the rear wheels of the big-rig. She died at the scene.
Biddeford Fatal
(Biddeford) – An 88-year old Biddeford man perished in a massive apartment house fire yesterday. The Fire Marshal’s office identifies him a Arnold Goldman who lived on the first floor. The 5-alarm blaze destroyed the building and brought firefighters from numerous communities to the scene to keep the flames from spreading to other nearby complexes. The city removed the burned remains last night after fire investigators looked over the scene. The cause may never be found.
Plastics Ban Review
(Belfast) – City councilors in Belfast may tweak the city’s relatively new plastic bag and styrofoam cup ordinance after a local restaurant found different materials to use. Village Soup dot-com reports Rollie’s Bar and Grill used a different type of styrofoam cup that was not defined in the ordinance and ordered bags made from cornstarch instead of plastics. The city manager says they couldn’t fine the bar because of the narrow definition in the bag ban ordinance.
Child Abuse Prevention Month
(Local) April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Child abuse has become top of mind for Mainers after the two high profile deaths of young girls; 4-year-old Kendall Chick was allegedly killed by her grandfather’s fiancé last December, and 10-year-old Marissa Kennedy was allegedly abused by her parents for months before her death in February. Hancock County Sheriff Scott Kane says if you see or suspect anything you must report it.
Lunafest
(Ellsworth) The Grand in Ellsworth will host Lunafest, the national film festival that highlights women in the film industry. The Grand’s director of education Jasmine Ireland says new this year is a social gathering at 6pm followed by a panel discussion led by 4 local women beginning at 6:30. Wednesday evening’s proceeds benefit Next Step Domestic Violence Project. For details visit: Grand Online dot Org.
Ranked Choice Voting
(Augusta) – The proposed ranked choice voting system passed at the polls a year and a half ago remains up in the air for the upcoming June primary elections. While the Secretary of State’s office awaits a court ruling on whether it applies in primary elections, the State Senate has passed a bill aimed at barring implementation. Senate President Michael Thibodeau says the measure will give legal clarity on the complex voting system. Voters will also decide in June whether to uphold the Legislature’s delay of ranked-choice implementation until the state constitution changes.
Carrillo Pleas
(Belfast) The mother and step-father accused of beating their 10-year-old daughter to death have pleaded not guilty to depraved indifference murder. Sharon and Julio Carrillo appeared in a Belfast courtroom Monday. Marissa Kennedy died in her Stockton Springs home in late February. The parents allegedly staged a scene to trick police into thinking Kennedy fell in the basement. The medical examiner determined Kennedy died from battered child syndrome.
Suspect Held
(Bangor) A judge has ordered a Bangor man charged with killing a man and woman found in a burning truck to be held without bail. 25-year-old John De Saint Croix made his initial court appearance on Monday after his arrest last Friday. Firefighters found 43-year-old Michael Bridges and 36-year-old Desiree York dead in the truck last week after they put out the fire. The motive remains unclear.
No Pot Cookies
(Bangor) Bangor police say there was no marijuana in the cookies that left two daycare employees feeling high after eating them. Police responded to the daycare at Gilman Plaza on Valentine’s Day after the management called to report some workers had eaten cookies baked by one of the children’s parents. Investigators from the Criminal Investigation Division collected several of the cookies for testing, which determined there were no drugs in the baked goods. The cause of the staff’s feeling of intoxication is currently unknown. There are no charges.
Wind Turbine Fire
(Presque Isle) Officials say a wind turbine fire at University of Maine at Presque Isle disrupted electrical service to the campus. No one was hurt during the fire that was reported late Sunday. Power to the campus was restored by 1:30 AM Monday, and classes were conducted as scheduled. The company that oversees maintenance of the turbine is investigating the incident. The UMPI wind turbine became operational in 2009. It’s inspected every six months, and was due to be inspected this month.
Sports
- Villanova 79 Michigan 62 (NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship) – Donte DiVincenzo led Villanova with 31 points.
- Boston Red Sox 7 Miami Marlins 3 (Brian Johnson allowed 1-run in 6-innings for the win, Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts homered). Chris Sale starts against Miami tonight.
- The Celtics play the Bucks in Milwaukee tonight.
- The Bruins play the Tampa Bay Lightning in a battle for 1st place in the NHL’s Eastern Conference.
