Manslaughter Verdict
(Bangor) – Though he claimed it was an accident, jurors found Antoine “Prince” Bethea guilty of manslaughter in a shooting death in Bangor. Bethea shot 36-year old Terrance Durel of New Orleans outside an apartment house on Highland Avenue on Easter Sunday in 2017. Prosecutors had sought a murder conviction. Bethea said he and another man and the shooting victim were involved in a scuffle outside the apartment and the gun went off. He will be sentenced in a few weeks.
MRC Waste Options
(Ellsworth) – Towns waiting for construction to finish on a trash to bio-gas plant in Hampden will have to find some other way to get rid of their trash for a few months. The Ellsworth American reports the Juniper Ridge landfill in Old Town will reach it’s annual capacity in early October. Members of the Municipal Review Committee are sending their trash to the landfill until the Fiberight plant is operational, most likely in early 2019. Towns that did not continue membership with the MRC are sending their trash to the PERC plant in Orrington without issue.
Hope Drowning
(Hope) – An 87-year old Pennsylvania woman has drowned in a pond in front of her summer home in Hope. The Knox County Sheriff’s Department tells Star 97.7 that Helen Segall likely suffered a medical incident while she and her husband were swimming a short distance offshore on Alford Lake. He pulled her to shore and started CPR while a neighbor called 9-1-1. Chief Deputy Tim Carroll said Segall died at the scene on Hideaway Drive.
Translucent Lobster
(Stonington) – A lobsterman from Stonington says you don’t see a lobster like the one he pulled from a trap. WVII-TV reports Michael Billings hauled up a translucent lobster yesterday morning. Billings called the white lobster one in a million, though the odds are likely even higher than that. Billings posted pictures of the crustacean on Facebook. Researchers say the lobster likely was a blue colored creature which had recently molted.
Nordic Aquafarms Expansion
(Belfast) – Nordic Aquafarms in Belfast plans to expand its proposed land-based salmon farm in Belfast by about 14 acres. But that decision is swimming in controversy. If built as proposed, Nordic Aquafarms would construct one of the world’s largest indoor salmon farms, which supporters say would create jobs and generate tax revenue. Opponents, however, cite environmental concerns and say the project is not a good fit for Belfast due in part to unproven technology, extreme use of water, and discharge that could degrade the environment. The company plans to hold the first of several public meetings in late September.
Bangor Christian Lawsuit
(Bangor) – Students at Bangor Christian Schools returned to school Tuesday – first up, a lesson in the democratic process. Some students and their parents are plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging the Maine law that forbids towns without high schools to pay tuition to religious schools. Glenburn, Orrington, and Palermo don’t have their own high schools. The Bangor Daily News reports the suit argues Maine’s tuition law “violates the principle that the government must not discriminate against, or impose legal difficulties on, religious individuals or institutions simply because they are religious.” It’s unclear how a ruling in the families’ favor would affect enrollment at Bangor Christian.
More Women Run for Office
(Augusta) – More women than ever are running in Maine’s 2018 legislative elections. The Bangor Daily News reports this follows a national trend toward more female political participation. In Maine, 137 women were nominated for legislative seats in the June Primaries – 91 Democrats and 46 Republicans. And while Maine has never had a female governor, that could change this year as well, with Attorney General Janet Mills and Maine State Treasurer Terry Hayes running against Shawn Moody and Alan Caron.
Tuna Rebound
(South Portland) – The Associated Press reports tuna is on the rebound in the Gulf of Maine. A decade ago, participants in the Sturdivant Island Tuna Tournament went consecutive years in which they didn’t catch a single fish in the Gulf. However, this year, fishermen set a record with 30, including the winner that weighed in at 801 pounds. That’s a lot of cans of tuna.
Sexual Assault
(Oakland) – An Oakland man will spend four months in jail for sexually abusing a five year old girl. The Kennebec Journal reports 57 year old Ronald Mullen assaulted the young girl in Oakland last November while his wife was babysitting the child. Mullen pleaded guilty yesterday (Tuesday) to unlawful sexual assault on a child under the age of 12.
Husson University Growth
(Bangor) – Husson University will see its largest incoming class in the school’s 120-year history this fall. The University says over one thousand new undergraduate and graduate students will begin their studies at Husson next month. That’s an increase of 16.9 percent over the previous year, and includes a total of 829 new undergraduate students. The growth has fueled a construction boom on campus, as well, including plans for a new College of Business building. The University plans to break ground on that facility in 2020.
Broadcaster’s Death
(Bangor) – One of Eastern Maine’s most recognizable radio voices has died after spending weeks under doctors care. Chuck Foster, who most recently worked for Townsquare Media, was injured in a fall at his home earlier this summer. Foster, whose real name was David Turek, was 64-years old. He worked at numerous radio stations during his career and also hosted All Hits Video on TV. Friends and colleagues called him a tremendous talent and a good friend.
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Committee Calls for Apology
(Augusta) – Last week, Governor LePage called a Republican lawmaker, “the most repugnant human being” he had “ever seen”. Now, The Maine Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee is calling for an apology. The committee ruled LePage out of order for the remarks made against State Senator Thomas Saviello. In a letter dated today (Wednesday), the committee said in part, “Governor LePage, we do not know what fuels your anger, but your behavior … on August 20th was unacceptable, and we condemn it.” No word yet on a response from the Governor’s office.
Schoodic Scramble
(Winter Harbor) The Schoodic Scramble will T-off on September 15th. Maine Coast Memorial Hospital’s Director of Philanthropy JoAnn Brown sayss the annual fundraiser benefits the Eleanor Widener Dixon Memorial Clinic. Although all the golf slots for the tournament are full, Brown says there will be many other things to enjoy at the Grindstone Neck Golf Course in Winter Harbor including a silent auction, food and beverages.
Sports
- Boston Red Sox 14 Miami Marlins 6 (Sox scored 11 runs in the 7th inning. Pitcher David Price had to leave the game in the 4th inning when a line drive hit him in the wrist.)
- The Red Sox play the White Sox in Chicago tonight. Rick Porcello starts for Boston. The Red Sox lead over the Yankees increased to 7-and-a-half games.
- Portland Sea Dogs 10 New Hampshire Fisher Cats 9 (Final home game for Sea Dogs is today)
- Venus and Serena Williams will play each other at the US Open today
- The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a 4-year contract extension for $134 million dollars.
