Otis Wind
(Otis) – Voters in Otis will decide in three weeks whether to allow huge wind turbines into town. The Planning Board has drafted an ordinance to limit the height of wind turbines to 150-feet and one for every 5-acre lot. Planners have been dealing with proposals for 600-foot commercial wind turbines and that has prompted strong opposition from some residents. Large wind turbines are in operation in towns bordering Otis and wind farm developers have eyed Otis to expand current operations. The Ellsworth American reports the vote will come at the town meeting planned for May 11th. A public hearing is planned for Monday.
Drug Plea
(Bangor) – A 23-year old Buffalo, New York man faces up to 20-years in prison and a million dollar fine after pleading guilty to selling heroin and crack cocaine. Prosecutors from the US Attorney’s Office report to Star 97.7 that Demario Boler conspired to bring drugs from Rochester New York to central Maine and distributed them. He sold crack to an informant working with the drug enforcement agency. A judge will sentence Boler later.
Credit Card Fraud Plea
(Portland) – A man who used fake ID’s to obtain Home Depot credit cards has admitted he fraudulently purchased more than $15-thousand dollars worth of goods at Maine stores. The US Attorney’s Office reports to Star 97.7 that 22-year old Peter Garces of the Bronx, New York, entered a guilty plea in federal court. He used the cards at Home Depot stores in Biddeford, South Portland, and Windham. He faces up to 10-years in prison and a quarter million dollar fine when a judge sentences him later.
School Renovations
(Bar Harbor) – The two school buildings that house kindergarten through 8th grade students in Bar Harbor need a lot of work. The Mt. Desert Islander reports three options are before planners, ranging in cost from $9-million dollars to $32-million dollars. The low amount would renovate both the Connors and Emerson school buildings. The biggest plan would tear both down and replace them with a new school building. Town and school officials are working to come up with a plan to present to voters.
Belfast Woman Found
(Belfast) – A search dog tracked down a 74-year old Belfast woman reported missing yesterday afternoon. The Warden service reports to Star 97.7 that Nancy Rumney’s husband reported her missing. The search dog found Rumney about 3-miles form her home. The Warden Service said she was still walking, but took her to the hospital for a check up.
Ellsworth Development
(Ellsworth) An Ellsworth developer plans to build two major projects, partly in response to Jackson Laboratory’s challenges in finding affordable housing for its workforce in Hancock County. The Bangor Daily News reports Stone Park Properties would add 61 housing units in Ellsworth over the next year and a half. The proposals include a townhouse complex on Beechland Road, and 16 single-family, two-bedroom housing units on Route 1A between Vittum Road and Penn Way. The Ellsworth Planning Board will review the Jefferson Luxe and Denver Way proposals on May 1st.
Rogue Goat
(Dedham) A young lady in Dedham is turning a lot of heads and getting attention. Her name is Priscilla and she’s a feral goat that grazes along Route 1A near the Dedham Town Office. The Hancock County RCC reports each year they receive many 9-1-1 calls about the goat. Priscilla has never gone in the road and she doesn’t bother anyone so the RCC is asking drivers to please not call 9-1-1 when you see her, she’s just fine.
Fewer Overdose Deaths
(Augusta) Drug overdose deaths in Maine declined about 15-percent last year. That’s the word from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. 80-percent were caused by opioids, frequently in combination with other drugs or alcohol, and at least 89-percent of those deaths were accidental overdoses. The Maine Attorney General’s Office says that 354 drug fatalities occurred in 2018, lower than the 417 deaths reported in 2017.
Bar Harbor Parking Meters
(Bar Harbor) The Bar Harbor town council approved an ordinance on Tuesday that allows the town to start using parking meters and kiosks, which will be installed downtown next month. The Mt Desert Islander reports most parking spaces on Main Street, Cottage Street, and West Street will be metered, and parking in town lots will also require a fee, payable at kiosks in each lot. While residents aren’t exempt from the parking fees, anyone with a vehicle registered in Bar Harbor may obtain a permit for parking on residential side streets.
Threatening Letters Indictment
(Bangor) A woman from Burlington Maine was officially indicted Wednesday for mailing a threatening letter to Senator Susan Collins. The US Attorney’s Office reports to Star 97-7 the charge against 37-year-old Suzanne Muscara stems from an investigation into a suspicious letter processed by the US Postal Service mail sorting facility in Hampden last October. The letter’s content was threatening and the envelope was leaking a white powder. Test results determined the substance was harmless. If convicted Muscara faces up to 10-years in prison and quarter million dollar fine.
NLEMMC Honored
(Ellsworth) For the second year in a row, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor is being honored by Forbes as one of the best mid-size employers in the United States. Last year, Northern Light EMMC made two Forbes’ “Best of” lists – Best Midsize Employer and Best Employer for Women. The magazine partnered with a respected market research firm to survey more than 50-thousand employees at companies across the US. The survey was conducted on companies from all industry sectors employing more than 1,000 people, and organizations are ranked based on meeting distinct criteria.
New Highway Signs
(Maine) Visitors and Tourists alike will find something new on Maine’s highways this summer. The Maine Department of Transportation and Maine Turnpike Authority are working to help travelers make good decisions based on real-time data by installing new travel signs along I-95 and I-295. The signs will share traffic information with motorists based on data collected anonymously from various mobile devices along the two interstates. Installation of the ten signs is almost complete, and tests will be run before the signs are fully operational.
Population Increase
(Maine) Maine’s overall population and the numbers of people in 10 of the state’s 16 counties are rising. The statistics are part of a report released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau as part of its 2018 population estimates. Maine was one of only two states where deaths in most areas of the state continue to outnumber births – the other state being West Virginia. But the report says the number of people coming to live in Maine offsets the state’s relatively high mortality rate. Maine has seen about a one percent increase since 2010 – a growth of just over ten thousand residents.
Ash Borer Quarantine
(Augusta) A formal quarantine on the emerald ash borer and material that may harbor it was put in place by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The quarantine includes all of York County and the northeastern corner of Aroostook County. All buffering towns where the invasive insect has been detected are also included. Quarantine rules prohibit movement of ash nursery stock from the quarantine area and regulate the movement of hardwood firewood, hardwood chips and other ash products.
Jackson Lab to Add Workers
(Ellsworth) Jackson Laboratory announces they’ll hire 300 more workers over the next year and increase base wages. About 10-percent of the new hires will work at the company’s mouse-breeding facility in Ellsworth. A Jackson Lab spokeswoman says a little more than 50 employees currently work at the Kingsland Crossing location in Ellsworth. The company says its training wage will increase to $15 per hour, with its entry-level wage increasing to $15.75 an hour after training.
Aroostook Astronaut
(Caribou) A Caribou native will soon join the crew of the International Space Station. The Bangor Daily News reports 40 year old Jessica Meir will head to the station on September 25th, six years after she joined the elite ranks of American astronauts. It will be Meir’s first spaceflight, and she plans to return to Earth in Spring 2020. Meir says science has been a passion since she was young. Earlier research took her in the other direction, having taken part in diving expeditions to the Antarctic and Belize, and a six-day expedition into a network of caves in Sardinia, Italy, to practice living and working with a small team in an otherworldly environment.
Sports
- Trenton Thunder 3 Portland Sea Dogs 1
- The Red Sox take on Tampa Bay tonight. Eduardo Rodriguez starts for the last place Sox.
- The Red Sox have placed 2nd basemen Dustin Pedroia on the disabled list with a sore knee.
- The Celtics play the Pacers in Indiana tonight in game 3 of their NBA playoff. The Celtics won the first 2 games.
- The Bruins host the Maple Leafs in game 5 of their playoff. The series is tied a 2-apiece.
High School Baseball
Bucksport 7 MDI 6
Brewer 8 Gardiner 2
Hermon 14 Central 7
Softball
Bucksport 8 MDI 1
Hermon 11 Central 5
Hampden 7 Edward Little 2
Brewer 13 Gardiner 7
