Cement Plant Fire
(Thomaston) – Black smoke filled the night sky in Thomaston as the Dragon Cement Plant caught fire last night. Firefighters from numerous mid-coast departments rushed to the scene off Route 1 at about 7-thirty last night. They found the fire was near an underground oil storage tank and called in extra foam to keep the tank from exploding. No word on what caused the blaze which they had out by about 10-o’clock last night.
Acadia Transportation Plan
(Bar Harbor) – Visitors to Acadia National Park will have to make a reservation to drive up Cadillac Mountain or park at Sand Beach in the future. The park’s new transportation plan is done – awaiting final approval from the federal government. Superintendent Kevin Schneider tells Star 97.7 they worked on it for 4-years. Schneider says it’ll take a couple of summers to fully implement the new plan.
Stranded Seals
(New England) Heavy surf has brought many newly weaned grey seal pups and yearling harp seals to the New England coast. College of the Atlantic “Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator” Lindsey Jones says if you come across a stranded seal, the animals might look like they’re in danger, but most of the time they’re perfectly fine and there are federal laws in place to keep away from seals. If you’re concerned about a stranded seal found north of Rockport, Jones says call the College of the Atlantic for help. South of Rockport she says folks should call Marine Mammals of Maine.
More Emera
(Bangor) Utility customers wonder how they will be affected when Emera Maine is sold to another Canadian company, EnMax Corporation. The $959-million-dollar transaction will take months to complete as it requires regulatory approval at the state and federal levels. Emera Maine spokeswoman Judy Long says customers don’t need to panic. Long also tells Star 97-7 that EnMax officials don’t anticipate making any job cuts when they take over.
Whooping Cough
(Augusta) Maine is on track to see even more cases of whooping cough this year than last. The state already has the highest rate of the disease in the country. The bacterial infection, also known as pertussis, results in a violent, hacking cough. There were 95 cases through February- that’s more than double the tally from 2018, when there were 40 through February.
Vocational School Location
(Columbia) A group of Washington County school districts has agreed on a location for a vocational center. The Bangor Daily News reports in January the group was awarded a $2-million-dollar grant by the state Department of Education to renovate a building. After much debate, the vacant Columbia Supermarket was chosen to become the vocational school for Machias, Washington Academy, SAD 37, Cherryfield and Moosabec Community School District. It’s anticipated to open in the fall of 2020 and will double the number of career and technical training programs available to students in the area.
Theater – Pepper Spray
(Bangor) Bangor police confirm a prop used during a performance at Penobscot Theater contained pepper spray. The incident caused some of the cast and audience members to cough profusely during the debut performance of Ripcord on March 16th. The canister labeled “water” was sent to a lab and tested positive for the airborne irritant. Bangor police say they found no criminal intent in the mishap and their investigation is closed.
Ill Lawmaker Resigns
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – A Democratic member of the Maine House of Representatives says he’s resigning from the Legislature in the wake of a lung cancer diagnosis. Rep. Dale Denno represents Cumberland and Gray and has been in the Legislature since 2016. He says his resignation will be effective on Wednesday. Denno was diagnosed with cancer last year and attempted to continue serving as a representative this term.
Sports
- (Spring Training) – Chicago Cubs 16 Boston Red Sox 7 (Sox open the season tomorrow in Seattle)
- Boston Celtics 116 Cleveland Cavaliers 106
- The Bruins host the New York Rangers tonight
- Major League baseball says its average player salary will drop a bit this year, despite huge new contracts to free agents. The average salary is $4.36-million, down $50-thousand dollars from the previous season.
