Recount
(Augusta) – State election workers get no holiday today as they conduct the ranked choice recount in the 2nd Congressional District Race. Couriers picked up all the computer thumb drives from ballot tabulating machines and ballots that the machines couldn’t count from local election workers. The Secretary of State’s office will analyze all those ballots and capture the 2nd choice totals of two candidates who failed to get much support to determine whether incumbent Bruce Poliquin or challenger Jared Golden received a majority of the vote. Poliquin has questioned the ranked choice process – it’s the first time in the nation that it has been used to determine the outcome of a general election.
Body Found
(New Portland) – Game wardens have found a New Hampshire man’s body after search for much of yesterday. 59-year old Todd Babula was hunting in the New Portland area and on Friday his uncle dropped him off Friday afternoon near his truck that neighbors had helped get unstuck from a woods road. That was the last anyone saw of Babula until wardens found his body yesterday afternoon. The search began Saturday night after friends had reported him missing. Wardens tell Star 97.7 they notified the Chief Medical Examiner’s office.
Lobster Plant Manager Threat
(Gouldsboro) – Police in Gouldsboro have charged a former worker at Maine Fair Trade Lobster with threatening the plant manager. Officers arrested 47-year old Luis Rodriguez last Friday after investigating a complaint, including a Facebook post that showed Rodriguez holding a gun. It turned out to be a BB gun. The Ellsworth and Puerto Rico resident is charged with terrorizing. If convicted he could go to prison for up to 5-years.
Former Nursing Home for Sale
(Penobscot) – Wanna buy a defunct nursing home? The former Penobscot Nursing Home is going up for auction later this month. It has a history, especially with poor finances in the past few years. The State Department of Health and Human Services took receivership of the huge building and it eventually closed down. The previous owners made very few mortgage payments and the people who sold it to them have put the building up for sale. They Weekly Packet reports they’ll accept bids between November 20th and 27th. No word on what the minimum bid might be.
Milford Fire
(Milford) – A hunting camp in Milford went up in flames during the weekend. WABI-TV reports the camp on the Greenfield Road was pretty much flattened by the time the fire was discovered and fire trucks arrived. No injuries are reported. A wood stove may have provided the heat source to start the blaze.
The Summit Project
(Ellsworth) Members of The Summit Project were in Ellsworth yesterday for the Down East Family YMCA’s Veteran’s Remembrance 4 Mile Road Race. The Summit Project ensures Maine heroes are not forgotten by carrying memorial stones on tribute hikes and passing on their stories. Executive director Greg Johnson tells Star 97.7 the engraved stones are important. To find out how you can pay tribute to the fallen service members from Maine visit: The Summit Project dot Org.
Vet’s 4-Miler
(Ellsworth) One-hundred-27 participants braved the cold for Sunday’s race in Ellsworth to honor veterans. Part of the proceeds from the Down East Family YMCA’s Veteran’s Remembrance 4 Mile Road Race went to The Summit Project. The overall male winner was 16-year-old Matthew Shea of Ellsworth finishing in just over 23 minutes. The female winner was 38-year-old Jessica Barbay of Ellsworth in less than 31 minutes. Twenty-two veterans participated.
Jessica Grindle ID’d
(Blue Hill) State police confirm that the body discovered in Blue Hill last week is that of a 37-year-old woman who’s been missing for months. A hunter made the discovery last Wednesday off the Grindleville Road – the same neighborhood where Jessica Grindle lived. She was reported missing this summer; family and friends organized several searches but nothing turned up. The state medical examiner’s office confirmed Grindle’s ID using dental records and they’re still working to find her cause of death.
Reward for Missing Woman
(Medford) A missing Medford woman’s family is offering a reward for information that leads to her whereabouts. Family and friends say the disappearance of Diana Estes is uncharacteristic of her. Estes was 71 when she went missing in November 2016, though her car was still in the driveway at her Medford Center Road home. A $12-thousand-dollar reward is being offered, established by a family member and a Go Fund Me account.
Ambulance Workshop
(Ellsworth) The Ellsworth City Council will hold a workshop this month to discuss the future of the city’s Emergency Medical Services. The discussion will also touch on what the training needs will be for first responders. The public is welcome at the workshop at the Ellsworth City Hall auditorium on Monday, November 26th from 6 to 8 PM.
Historic Poster
(Ellsworth) A poster found in the attic of an old home in Ellsworth is believed to be more than 70 years old and is in fairly good condition. The document reads: “In respect to the memory of the late Franklin D Roosevelt, President of the United States, all places of business in Ellsworth will be closed from 3:30 to 6 o’clock p.m. SATURDAY April 14th.” It was issued by the Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce, and though the year is not mentioned it’s presumed to be from 1945, the year President Roosevelt died. Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce executive director Gretchen Wilson tells Star 97-7 that the chamber was not established with the state until 1956. Wilson says she’ll be looking into whether there may have been an informal chamber prior to the incorporation.
Xmas Killer Sentenced
(Portland) A judge has sentenced a New York man to life in prison for killing a Maine couple on Christmas Day in 2015. The Kennebec Journal reports that 32-year-old David Marble, Jr. was sentenced Friday to a 75-year-term for shooting 35-year-old Eric Williams and a life sentence for shooting 26-year-old Bonnie Royer in Manchester, outside of Augusta. Marble will serve the sentences concurrently. Police have said Marble shot both victims in the head because he thought Williams had stolen from him. Prosecutors said Royer was around 21 weeks pregnant at the time.
Sports
- Tennessee Titans 34 New England Patriots 10 (Tom Brady sacked 3-times, didn’t finish the game)
- Portland Trail Blazers 100 Boston Celtics 94
- Boston Bruins 4 Vegas Golden Knights 1
State Football Championship Matchups: (next weekend)
Class “A” – Portland vs. Thornton Academy
Class “B” – Brunswick vs. Marshwood
Class “C” – Nokomis vs. Fryeburg Academy
Class “D” – Foxcroft Academy vs. Wells
