Gardiner Murder Suicide
(Gardiner) – A violent series of events has left an estranged couple from Livermore Falls dead, and a summer home in Sidney in ruins. State Police spokesman Steve McCausland reports to Star 97.7 that 48-year old Kenneth Bryant shot his 44-year old wife Autumn to death then killed himself at a home in Gardiner yesterday. The deaths followed a fire at Mrs. Bryan’s parents’ summer home on Messalonskee Lake. The investigations into both the murder/suicide and the fire continue.
Old Orchard Beach Murder
(Old Orchard Beach) – Investigators say a man who died in Old Orchard Beach was stabbed and beaten, and the alleged killer was the victim’s roommate. State Police spokesman Steve McCausland reports to Star 97.7 that 65-year old William Popplewell died Monday night. He and his alleged killer, 40-year old Dustan Bentley, met at a homeless shelter in Portland and had lived together in Old Orchard for about 3-months. Bentley is due in court today.
Lamoine Election
(Lamoine) – Incumbents won re-election in Lamoine yesterday in a 3-way race for Selectman. Robert Christie and Kathleen Rybarz outpolled challenger Glenn Manring in the relatively low-key campaign. Unclear, though is the future of an elected assessor’s position. Current assessor Jane Fowler did not seek re-election, and no names appeared on the ballot. 5-voters wrote in Fowler’s name, giving her a 1-vote edge over former assessor Michael Jordan. Lamoine’s annual open town meeting is tonight with budgets, ordinance amendments, and a comprehensive plan on the warrant.
Ellsworth Dam
(Ellsworth) – The Downeast Salmon Federation will remove a dam from Branch Lake Stream in Ellsworth. The city council approved an agreement with the non-profit this week. The Bangor Daily News reports the removal will open 5-miles of the stream to Atlantic Salmon and other fish. It also takes care of a public safety hazard and insurance liability for the city. The concrete dam was originally made of logs in 1917 and dammed up the stream for a city water source until the early 1990s.
Probation Violation
(Bangor) – A judge says he wants more information about a Southern Maine drug treatment program before he decides whether sentencing a Cutler man is appropriate. WABI-TV reports Scott Ramsdell tested positive for drug use which violated probation after his manslaughter conviction for a death in an auto accident in 2014. Ramsdell had served his prison term when he admitted to using drugs in violation of his release conditions. A prosecutor reluctantly agreed to the drug rehab program suggested by Ramsdell’s attorney.
Maine Maple Sunday
(Columbia Falls) What started as a childhood dream of running a sugarhouse has become a reality for a Columbia Falls man. Lewis Church says as a young boy he and his father used to make maple syrup on his woodstove at home. Then about 4 years ago he launched Church’s Sugar Shack. He tells Star 97-7 that they operate the business seasonally, but they’re making time for educational tours this week in hopes of promoting and preserving this Maine tradition. Church’s Sugar Shack will be open to everyone from 9 to 4 this Saturday and Sunday as part of Maine Maple Sunday.
Offender Back in Jail
(Bangor) A Pembroke man out on bail for manslaughter is back in jail for violating release conditions. WABI-TV reports police checked on 33-year-old Merrill Muncey at his father’s home in Holden over the weekend and they say he’d been drinking and tested positive for marijuana. Muncey will remain in jail until a hearing next month. He’s charged in the death of 37-year-old Tonya Leach of Patten, who was in his pickup truck when it crashed last June in Osborn. Police weren’t clear who was driving at the time.
MDI HS Solar Panels
(Bar Harbor) The MDI Regional School System plans to save money on their annual $100-thousand dollar power bill by installing solar panels. Superintendent of Schools Marc Gousse confirms more than 13-hundred solar panels should be installed on the roof of MDI High School by the start of school this fall. The panels will connect to the regional distribution grid, allowing them to feed power into the grid at times when they produce more electricity than the high school is using. The school’s energy cost will drop from roughly 17-cents per kilowatt hour down to about 9-cents per kilowatt hour for 6 years, after which the rate will be adjusted.
Kindergarten Registration
(Ellsworth) Kindergarten registration for Ellsworth Elementary Middle School is today (3/20) from 8 to 1. Any child who’s 5-years-old on or before October 15 this fall is eligible to enter Kindergarten. Parents must bring your child’s original birth certificate, immunization records, a current photo of your child, and proof of residency in Ellsworth. Registration happens again next Tuesday the 26th from 11:30 to 6:30. Appointments can be made with Mrs. Cox.
Citizen Science Day Trainings
(Winter Harbor) To coincide with Citizen Science Day the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park is offering 3 separate workshops. The first is a training by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife that teaches participants how to contribute to the Maine Bird Atlas. The second training by University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant Signs of the Seasons program will have participants observe and record seasonal changes. And the third training teaches biodiversity documenting, created by National Geographic and the California Academy of Sciences. Trainings are free on April 13th from 9AM to 3PM, but you must register by contacting the Schoodic Institute.
Sports
- Boston Bruins 5 NY Islanders 0
- Celtics play the 76ers in Philadelphia tonight.
- The Red Sox got rained out in spring training yesterday. They face the Orioles tonight
- Mike Trout is expected to sign a 12-year, $432-million dollar contract with the Angels – the richest contract ever in professional sports.
