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Maine News

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Maine News for Thursday, July 31, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Portland paper has potential buyers
A local group that includes former Sen. William S. Cohen signs a letter of intent with Blethen Maine Newspapers.

Lobster is plentiful, but eaters aren't
As diners cut back to adjust to a weak economy, dropping prices squeeze lobstermen.

South Portland to offer adult education classes to meet demand

More than 400 turn out to support attack victims
A fundraiser to benefit the Guerrette family of Pittston brings in more than $17,000.

Editorial

State pier project doesn't negate zoning
Pier owners have legitimate concerns that could be addressed with current ordinances.

All beachgoers have role in protecting piping plover
Expanding protected zones in two area communities is just one needed step.

Another View: Removal of Presumpscot dam endangers the workingman
We should think twice about frittering away wealth to save fish that do OK elsewhere.

AL SICARDDecision doesn't answer water questions
A battle over a water district's deal with Poland Spring may have ended, but Maine needs statewide policies.

KEREM DURDAGBureaucratic, physical barriers can't keep the world out of America
Those who come here from around the globe add to, not detract from, what makes this country special.

Bangor Daily News
Bangor Hydro says lightning caused outage

BANGOR, Maine - Three lightning strikes at different places blew Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. off the grid for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes shortly before 8 a.m. last Thursday.

Bangor Hydro: Rate hike not as steep as it seems

The double-digit percentage increase in the 'standard offer' electric rates for medium and large business customers of Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. and Central Maine Power approved this week might not be as difficult to swallow as it sounds, a Bangor Hydro spokeswoman said Wednesday.

MMA schooner Bowdoin returns from Arctic voyage

CASTINE, Maine - Amid the welcoming sounds of horns and on-board cannon volleys from a flotilla of gathered boats, Maine Maritime Academy's schooner Bowdoin returned Wednesday afternoon from its two-month Arctic voyage.

Northeast Harbor fire cleanup begins

NORTHEAST HARBOR, Maine -An enormous pile of rubble consisting of charred wooden beams, blackened bricks, twisted girders, and scorched scraps of personal possessions left behind when residents fled was all that remained Wednesday of three buildings that burned on Main Street.

Baldacci family sells restaurant property

BANGOR, Maine - The Baldacci family, whose members include Gov. John Baldacci, announced Wednesday the sale of the property on which Baldacci's Restaurant is located.

Lobster lovers shelling out less

PORTLAND, Maine - It's peak season for lobster and tourism in Maine, yet consumption of this crustacean has fallen to the point where it costs no more than sliced turkey in parts of New England.

State funding returns for children's program

BANGOR, Maine - By the time Lily Knowlton turned 4, she already had been through four area preschool programs, and her out-of-control behaviors had cost her mother her job.

Man’s 'Longest Walk' for immigrant rights

BANGOR, Maine - Photojournalist Jim Harney, recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, will be spending his last days walking to bring attention to the injustice facing undocumented immigrants living in America.

Editorial
Loony Wildlife Funding

Sales of the state's conservation license plates have been declining for years. With introduction this spring of a sportsman license plate, revenues are apt to drop even more, widening the shortfall in funding for state parks and wildlife.

Empty Pockets, Promises


If their campaign promises are to be believed, both Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama as president would increase government spending on a host of fronts.

John R. Bolton: One world? He's on a different planet
Sen. Barack Obama said in an interview the day after his Berlin speech that it 'allowed me to send a message to the American people that the judgments I have made and the judgments I will make are ones that are going to result in them being safer.'

Keith Stover: Obama soars with Berlin speech
Recently I had the privilege of being invited to apply for the position of contributing speechwriter for the Barack Obama for President campaign. If last week's Berlin address is an example of the speechwriters he employs, he certainly doesn't need me.

July 31 Letters to the Editor

Kennebec Journal
Site not updated

Sun Journal
Lobster lovers shell out less
PORTLAND - It's peak season for lobster and tourism in Maine, yet consumption of this crustacean has fallen to the point where it costs no more than sliced turkey in parts of New England.

President signs bill on housing
WASHINGTON - President Bush signed legislation Wednesday morning aimed at shoring up the housing market, providing an emergency safety net for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and helping several hundred thousand families avoid foreclosure.

Editorial
Correction
In Dana Coffin's letter published July 28, the final line should have read: "If Maine spent its money as effectively as other states, we wouldn't need this regressive tax set 10 cents higher than in neighboring states." The printed version was incorrectly edited to insinuate the tax - not its 10-cent difference - was unneeded.

An exacting standard for ballot access
The ramifications from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court's exclusion of independent U.S. Senate candidate Herbert Hoffman will be felt far beyond his campaign.

High expectations can lead to great disappointments
There is a reason the psalmist warned, "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help." (Psalm 146:3)

Letters
New view on taxes
Being a teacher for 37 years (one who never felt he was overpaid), and now a retired senior citizen living on a fixed income and paying exorbitant property taxes, I understand the plight of the opposing sides on the dilemma of schools and taxes.

The most liberal of all
Candidates running for president currently have spent two years and more money than has ever been spent on campaigning in the past. They can't do their own jobs properly when they're so busy posturing and trying to fool the general public into thinking they really mean what they're saying and that they can really pull off what they say they could if they became president.

Enough Republican-bashing
It was a refreshing change to read a letter from Judson Duncan (July 24) that was not just another irrational screed about how Republicans have really been running everything since World War II.

PolitickerME

NRSC pledges matching funds for ads in Maine

Ballot design study: Ovals preferred over arrows

Ellsworth American

State PUC Approves Electric Rate Hikes
AUGUSTA — The Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Tuesday approved electricity rates for medium to large business customers that are 20 to 32 percent higher than current rates.

Nomination of Baldacci Adviser To PUC Draws Mixed Reaction
AUGUSTA — The nomination of Jack Cashman for a seat on the Public Utilities Commission is being criticized by some who say he doesn’t have the resume for the job and lauded by others because of the business perspective he brings to the table.

State Stands to Lose $13M Due to One Bad Investment
AUGUSTA — The state’s $20 million investment last year in a mortgage-backed fund that went from a top credit rating to junk bond status almost overnight was worth under $7 million at the close of the fiscal year on June 30.

Dirigo Health Asserts It Saved State $149M
AUGUSTA — The Dirigo Health board of directors last week set in motion a process that could allow the state to collect the maximum assessment to support the state-subsidized DirigoChoice insurance plan next year — up to $80 million that would most likely be tacked onto insurance premiums.

Editorial
And the Magic Figure Is...
The Dirigo Health board of directors, in its infinite wisdom, has determined that $146 million in health care costs have been saved this year because of Dirigo-related initiatives. Perhaps Mainers should be grateful that the board didn’t go along with the $190 million figure that was claimed by the agency earlier this summer. But the $146 million is nearly double the $78 million in savings the board identified last year.