Maine News for Thursday, June 19, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Maine sleuths aid in rescue of sexually abused girl
The relentless efforts of the state police computer unit lead to the arrest of an alleged child pornographer in Georgia.

FairPoint's delay has lawmakers on edge
Maine's governor says he's confident the company will fix its problems, but some officials are not so sure.

Bush opposed on plan to lift drilling ban
The state's members of Congress argue against expanded offshore drilling for valuable oil.

Strimling, Lawrence downplay big defeats
Losing to Chellie Pingree in the Democratic primary did not ruin their political careers, both contend.

Soaring gas prices drive more commuters to public transportation

Press Herald owner sues newspaper union
At stake is whether the sale of the Portland newspapers must include a contract with the guild.

Maine Technology Institute announces grants of nearly $1.4 million

Editorial
Still too early to judge FairPoint readiness
A troubled transition is concerning, but the region's new phone carrier isn't fully in charge.

Who will succeed in college? Best way to know is to go
Standardized tests unfortunately don't measure the things that count the most.

STEVEN ROWEElder abuse a Maine-wide problem
Older people can be taken advantage of in many ways, and very often by those they trust.

Letters

It's difficult to overstate scope of health care crisis

Campground's new owner confronting high hurdles

Stand up for our freedoms: Support Real ID repeal

Cancer patients deserve ally in lawmaking process

Bangor Daily News

Maine police unit helps nab admitted child rapist
Thursday, June 19, 2008
A man wanted for federal child pornography crimes has been arrested in Georgia with help from some determined investigators at the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit.

Tribe's 8th health fair steeped in tradition
Thursday, June 19, 2008
PETER DANA POINT, Maine - The weather did not cooperate, but Passamaquoddy tribal members who attended the Indian Township Health Center's eighth annual health fair were an enthusiastic group as they listened to drumming by the Little Eagles, participated in a health walk and sampled traditional foods.

Health fair offers down-home information
Thursday, June 19, 2008
PETER DANA POINT, Maine - This year's health fair held Wednesday at the Indian Township Reservation near Princeton had plenty to offer in the way of good down-home information.

Police shooting highlights importance of state's effort to launch Web site
Thursday, June 19, 2008
CALAIS, Maine - People on probation in Maine are on the honor system: If police stop them, they have to tell on themselves. But do they?

Russian given time served for midflight drunken fit
Thursday, June 19, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - A federal judge has sentenced a Russian woman who was removed earlier this year from a flight diverted to Bangor International Airport to 98 days in jail or time served.

Bangor: Flights added at BIA
Thursday, June 19, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - Area residents will have four additional destination choices when flying from Bangor International Airport this summer.

Certified products get state support
Thursday, June 19, 2008
For several years now, state officials have urged Maine's forest products industry to distinguish itself globally by growing more wood that is certified as being managed and harvested in a sustainable way.

Editorial

Loaded Guns in Acadia
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Department of Interior is considering changing a rule so that loaded guns could be carried in some national parks. It’s a bad idea for several reasons, chief among them the weakness of the argument by those wanting the change.

Energy, Taxes and Pay-go
Thursday, June 19, 2008
A stalemate in Congress over renewable tax energy credits and business incentives gives lawmakers time to improve the bill with a long-term fix to the alternative minimum tax and, more important, find ways to pay for the legislation.

Calvin Luther : Lowering the cost of home heating
On June 7, the BDN ran a story 'Is natural gas the answer?' which provided a useful, but limited, table illustrating the heat output and the purchase price of various heating fuels commonly available in this area.

June 19 Letters to the Editor

Kennebec Journal

State legislators applaud consolidation initiatives
HALLOWELL -- State legislators and Maine's top education official Wednesday congratulated the superintendents and members of a committee involved in crafting Maine's first plan for a consolidated school district to win voter approval under a state law requiring the state's 290 school districts to consolidate into 80.

Maine State Police aid in child porn bust
The Maine State Police are credited with helping the FBI locate a man accused of producing a series of child pornography images distributed internationally over the Internet.

GARDINER Council orders budget cut $185K
GARDINER -- Councilors voted unanimously Wednesday to hold off adopting a proposal for municipal expenditures and instead directed the city manager to cut $185,000 from the budget.

Maine officials reject Bush's call for more offshore drilling
WASHINGTON -- Maine's governor and members of the state's congressional delegation Wednesday unanimously opposed President Bush's plan to allow expanded offshore oil drilling.

State's mental health cuts are deep, Fitzpatrick warns
AUGUSTA -- The country is falling behind in providing services to people with mental illnesses, a nationally known advocate for mentally ill people told local mental health service providers Wednesday night.

RICHMOND I-295 topic of town forum
RICHMOND -- Selectmen meet tonight to discuss construction equipment traveling on local roads as part of the reconstruction of Interstate 295 south.

On Maine Politics

GOP predicts close presidential race 06/18/08

Editorial

Aspen Dental's plans good news for Augusta
The Aspen Dental chain is bringing a much-needed expansion of dental care to the central Maine region with plans to open an Augusta office later this year.

KAY RAND : Maine's 'brain drain' isn't as bad as it seems
We've just finished a primary election cycle in Maine, reminding me again how often the same dire predictions and negative refrains are repeated over and over during a campaign and how different elected leadership will make things better. That is understandable even while we yearn for something positive -- people are motivated to run for elected office to change things, not to endorse the status quo.

JIM BRUNELLE : Time to make veep choice less hurried, arbitrary
With the identity of the presidential nominees of the major parties now nailed down, everyone's speculative juices are being funneled into the second most riveting contest of the 2008 elections -- the selection of presidential running mates.

Sun Journal

Status of Maine union contract lands in court
PORTLAND (AP) - The publisher of the Portland Press Herald has asked a federal judge to decide whether a buyer of the newspaper is obligated to honor its union contract.

Dead animals found in home
SKOWHEGAN (AP) -Starving cats and dogs, along with the decaying carcasses of other animals, have been removed from an unoccupied home in Bingham that officials say was littered with feces and urine.

Delta assault brings jail term
BANGOR (AP) - A 33-year-old Russian woman has been sentenced to 98 days in jail for interfering with a flight crew on a flight from Moscow to New York.

Penobscot 911 glitch rectified
AUGUSTA (AP) - Problems at the Penobscot Regional Communications Center apparently have been resolved. Dispatchers resumed taking 911 calls after transferring them to the state facility in Orono for much of the weekend.

Opinion

Who will take the blame after next terrorist attack?
When the terrorists attack again - as Homeland Security has repeatedly warned us they will - how many survivors will be consoled because the Supreme Court and the State Department looked out for the "rights" of terrorists before the rights of their dead loved ones?

Letters

Straight dope on energy
This year's increase in energy prices is going to cause people a great deal of pain. Some of that pain could have been avoided with a solid national energy policy.

What has he accomplished?
This is in response to Dave Chirayath's letter printed June 17 about Sen. Susan Collins.

Watch what she does
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says it is too early to start campaigning, but seems it is not too early to start "Swift-boating" her opponent, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen. Not only does Collins vote with the Bush/Cheney policies, it looks like she is running her campaign using their playbook.

MPBN

Call For Offshore Oil Drilling Fuels Political Battle

President Bush today renewed his call for Congress to lift a nearly 30-year-old ban on offshore oil drilling as a way to ease the pain at the pump for American consumers. The president acknowledges it could take years to yield up to 18 billion gallons of oil. But in the meantime, a political battle is shaping up around the issue: between Republicans like Bush and GOP presidential hopeful John McCain who want to lift the ban and Democrats and environmentalists who want to keep it in place. Susan Sharon has more.

Activists Urge Governor To Take Action On Global Warming

Environmental activists gathered in Portland today to urge stronger action from Governor Baldacci on climate change. A new report released by Environment Maine outlines a number of examples of how some states are making progress in the fight against global warming. Tom Porter has details.

Dealerships Offering Lock-In Gas Price Deals

As gas prices continue to rise, motorists are showing more interest in hybrids and looking more seriously at alternative fuels and electric vehicles. And as sales of standard gas guzzlers slowdown, innovative manufacturers and dealers are trying to spur sales with offers such as zero financing or huge rebates. And among the latest strategies for luring customers is low cost gasoline as part of the deal. Keith McKeen reports.

Red Tide Hits Downeast Shellfish

State officials have closed Cobscook Bay and parts of the Down East coast to mussel, oyster and snail harvesting because of red tide. The Maine Department of Marine Resources is citing a large plume of toxic algae that blew in from the Bay of Fundy. While clam harvesting is still permitted, biologists say some clam beds in the area may also have to close this week. As Anne Ravana reports, this announcement has clam diggers worried about a season in which clam prices are already low.

Fairpoint Examines More System Failures

Because of system failures that occurred over the weekend, 911 emergency calls in Penobscot County are being re-routed to a state Department of Public Safety dispatch center. Between Friday and Sunday, the county's primary emergency system failed three times. FairPoint Communications is now working to solve the problem. As Anne Ravana reports, this situation in Penobscot County is reminiscent of problems experienced at the Cumberland County dispatch center and the state dispatch center in Gray last month.

PolitickerME
Is Barack Obama the next Ronald Reagan?

Maine Senate race in single digits

Times Record
The cost of connecting (full story)

Ellsworth American
“Catastrophe” Awaits Maine: Angus King
New Energy Sources Urgently Needed
NORTHPORT — Apparently, the sky IS falling!

Fed Moves Ahead with License Requirement for Saltwater Anglers
AUGUSTA — The federal government is moving ahead with a plan that will ultimately require anglers who fish in the ocean to have licenses.

Residents Finding Ways To Cope with Gas Prices
ELLSWORTH — There may be nothing good to say about current gasoline prices, but Yankee ingenuity is alive and well as area residents cope with the high cost of driving.

Area Hospitals Already Sold on Value Of Computerizing Records
ELLSWORTH — Financial assistance from the federal government would be welcomed, but hospital officials in Hancock County already are convinced about the value of electronic medical records.

High Oil Prices Mean Suffering For Maine Poor
ELLSWORTH — Maine’s poor may suffer the most this coming heating season as oil prices skyrocket and funding for heating assistance programs remains the flat.

$29M Grant to Encourage Use of Electronic Medical Records
AUGUSTA — Electronic medical records are coming to a doctor’s office near you. It’s only a matter of time and money.

Key Races to Determine Balance of Power in Senate
AUGUSTA — With just a one-seat difference between the two parties in the state Senate, Republicans are working to tip the balance in their favor this November.

Bucksport Asked to Help Fund School Consolidation Law Repeal
BUCKSPORT — Next week, Town Council members will consider funding efforts to repeal the state school consolidation law.

DMR, Lobstermen Explore Options For Snarl of Sinking Groundlines
ELLSWORTH — A handful of Zone B lobstermen gathered at Ellsworth High School last week for the latest Department of Marine Resources (DMR) update on sinking rope and whale protection rules.

Editorials
Reforming Teacher Compensation

Let’s Open the Primary System

Letters

Keep ME Current
Buxton struggles with co-housing project

Saco man charged with animal cruelty

Proposed solid waste facility pending
Acton: (By Andrea Rose - 06/18)

Parties jockeying for majority in state Senate
Augusta: (By Victoria Wallack - 06/18)

Ad Watch
THE AD:"Not Alex," a 30-second television commercial.

PRODUCER:MoveOn.org and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Link (Click here)

Maine News for Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Portland Press Herald
FairPoint delays full takeover of Verizon
The company gives up on September and shoots for a November transition.

FairPoint penalized $25,000 for 911 issues
The penalty stems from an interruption in service and a delay in routing those calls.

Dechaine records access denied
The panel that reviewed Dennis Dechaine's conviction was a private group, the state Supreme Court rules.

BILL NEMITZTwo guys with pep to save energy

E-waste recycling at risk
Electronic Industries Alliance is challenging Maine's law charging manufacturers for recycling electronic waste.

Navy's leader tours Bath Iron Works
Secretary Donald Winter takes a look at plant upgrades even as questions arise about the program.

More time given to decide fate of BIW union
The international will keep control of the local union until a final decision is made, likely in August.

VillageSoup affiliate buys six newspapers
The deal with Courier Publications includes a printing operation.

Editorial
Senator's denial in loan scandal hard to believe
If he didn't seek special treatment, then why did Sen. Kent Conrad call the lender's CEO?

Should legal restrictions on sex offenders be removed?
Whether suits seeking such relief succeed or not, there's another solution to this problem.

GREG KESICHGas prices are spawning a nation of Mrs. Drillocks
What will it take for more people to see bike riding as more than just a way to while away some time?

THOMAS DAHLBORGAiling health system: Feed it or heal it?
If patients and providers don't ask the right questions, they won't get the right answers.

Letters
Don't give nuclear power a second chance

Bangor Daily News

State seeks wind farm comments
Wednesday, June 17, 2008
State regulators are soliciting public comments on new rules that will speed up the approval process for siting large wind farms throughout much of Maine.

Rockland: Midcoast weeklies sold to VillageSoup
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
ROCKLAND, Maine - Courier Publications and its roster of six weekly newspapers is being sold to VillageSoup, the upstart publisher of an award-winning Web site and weeklies in Knox and Waldo counties.

Union members decry high oil, gasoline costs
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
BREWER, Maine - Union members lamented the skyrocketing price of gasoline and oil on Tuesday and called for national policy changes and an investment in alternative energy sources to reverse the trend.

Bangor: Penobscot County E-911 system repaired
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - Technicians had the Emergency-911 system in Penobscot County back on line at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday after four days of rerouting calls through the Maine State Police barracks in Orono.

Hampden landfill could close months earlier than expected
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
HAMPDEN, Maine - The Pine Tree Landfill must stop accepting waste by the end of December 2009, but if trash continues to cross through the facility's gates at the current rate, it could close several months earlier.

Dried-up aid cited in glut of projects
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine's economic development has been slowed because of an increasing backlog of drinking water projects and needed wastewater treatment upgrades, state officials say.

Presque Isle: Panel to weigh pay hike for city councilors
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine - City councilors are moving forward with a proposal to consider increasing the compensation for those who serve on the board in the future.

Presque Isle: City needs $187,000 to cover fuel fund deficit
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine - The escalating and unstable cost of fuel has left the Presque Isle City Council wondering how to find $187,000 to cover a projected shortfall in the municipal budget.

Old Town: Red Shield plant still closed due to lack of wood supply
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
OLD TOWN, Maine - More than 160 employees of Red Shield Environmental LLC remained home Tuesday because of wood supply problems that forced the facility to close June 6.

Old Town: Airport gets grant for upgrades
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
OLD TOWN, Maine - The Old Town Regional Airport has received a federal grant for more than half a million dollars that will allow it to renovate some areas of its runways while helping with regional economic development efforts.

Red tide closes Down East harvesting areas
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Cobscook Bay and parts of the Down East coast have been closed to mussel harvesting due to a large plume of toxic red tide algae that blew in from the Bay of Fundy, the Maine Department of Marine Resources announced Tuesday.

Editorials

Helping Small Airports
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
With rising fuel costs prompting airlines to seek much larger government payments to serve airports, Congress needs to rethink the Essential Air Service program, which provides subsidies to support air service to rural areas. Congress should downsize the program and pay larger subsidies to airports in isolated communities that really need the assistance while working with airports that can become self-sustaining so they can leave the program.

Climate Change Delay
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
A failure can sometimes lead to a greater success later on. A case in point is the failure of the Climate Security Act to survive a threatened Republican filibuster. The issue now will wait until next year, with an opportunity to improve the bill and consider better alternatives.

Ted Koffman: Protecting Maine's quality of place
Thanks to the 2006 Brookings Report, the subject of quality of place and its influence on Maine’s economic prospects and quality of life is a part of the conversation about the state’s future.

Richard de Grasse: Giving an inch for an energy mile
It must be clear by now that Maine's economy will decline in direct proportion to the price of oil and gasoline. Oil at $130 a barrel and rising, the price of home heating oil, gasoline and diesel fuel, now more than $4 a gallon, will just keep going up with no end in sight.

June 17 Letters to the Editor

Kennebec Journal
DENTAL CHAIN TO OPEN HERE
AUGUSTA -- A chain of dental offices plans to open an office off Western Avenue, potentially helping alleviate what some describe as a shortage of dentists here.

AUGUSTA Grant may spark Mill Park pavilion
AUGUSTA -- The city has received a $60,000 grant to help construct a planned open-air pavilion to house the weekly farmers' market and other events at Mill Park.

Rail site could come back as tourist center
HALLOWELL -- Developer Kevin Mattson wants to turn the old Central Maine Railroad freight shed at Central and Winthrop streets into a passenger railroad station and tourist information center.

State to laud 5-town school consolidation
HALLOWELL -- State education officials are marking voter passage of a new school system merging under Maine's 2007 school district consolidation law with a celebration.

Group trashes state's e-waste program
Maine's first-of-its-kind program for recycling old TVs and computer monitors has been copied by other states and praised by environmentalists for keeping lead, mercury and other toxics out of landfills and incinerators.

On Maine Politics

Former parks director seeks Silsby’s seat

Editorial

Council should tread lightly on untidy lawns
In the city of Golden Valley, Minn., a municipal publication from 2005 informs residents that, "The Golden Valley City Council updated the lawn maintenance section of the City Code ... First, the City will no longer send certified letters to residents who violate the lawn ordinance. Second, residents can now cultivate native plants in residential lawns...The new ordinance still bans noxious weeds and requires turf lawns to be maintained at eight-inches or less; however, the City will now use regular U.S. Mail to notify those in violation of the ordinance.

LAUREN BALLBACK OF BRUNSWICK GRADUATED FROM HIGH S : Graduate from last year has thoughts for adults, new grads
No one invited me to write an op-ed response to the graduation piece, "Our Opinion: Graduates: It's your life to live, don't blow it," printed in the paper on June 9, but this what I would I would say if asked to do so.

GEORGE SMITH : Nothing's free if the government can devise way to make you pay
That's the rallying cry of Maine's saltwater anglers, who resist the notion that the sea's bounties are not theirs to plunder free of charge.

GLENN SCHERER : Millions of analog TVs will become paperweights on 2/17
Used to be that consumer products had something called "planned obsolescence" built into them; they were designed to wear out and be thrown away (partly explaining our nation's overflowing landfills). Now, it seems, President Bush and Congress are helping speed the solid waste crisis: "legislated obsolescence," or "enforced consumption."

Sun Journal
Maine cyclist gets scare from mama bear, cubs
BANGOR (AP) - A man riding a bicycle with his two dogs has received a reminder that the 680-acre Bangor City Forest is home to wildlife.

Maine 911 system fails
BANGOR (AP) - A third 911 emergency phone system malfunction has left public safety officials, technicians and FairPoint Communications frustrated and puzzled.

IRS gives states filing extension
WASHINGTON (AP) - The IRS is giving storm and flood victims in Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin more time to make quarterly estimated tax payments that were due Monday.

Court denies Dechaine case records appeal
PORTLAND (AP) - A divided Maine supreme court Tuesday denied an appeal by an author who maintains the innocence of convicted child murderer Dennis Dechaine and sought access to records of an advisory group that reviewed his case.

Editorial
Correction
In an editorial published Saturday, the Maine Turnpike Authority was cited as closing I-295 for construction. The decision was made by the Maine Department of Transportation. It was an editorial writer's error.

Today's newsroom is not for the chicken-hearted
And then somebody brought a chicken into the newsroom.

MPBN
Dennis Dechaine To Have Murder Conviction Reviewed

Four years after Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe commissioned an independent panel to review the the murder conviction of Dennis Dechaine, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court has affirmed that the panel was not subject to Maine's Freedom of Access law. The investigation had been requested by Rowe "in order to ensure public confidence" in the state's law enforcement agencies." But the group's inner workings have never been made public. And as Susan Sharon reports, some see the court's ruling as a setback for the Freedom of Access law.

Village Soup To Branch Out

The Rockland based company that operates the interactive news and community website Village Soup announced today that it is buying six Maine newspapers for an undisclosed amount. The sale, which includes the holdings of Courier Publications, includes the Courier Gazette in Rockland, the Camden Herald and the Bar Harbor Times. The sale will mean the layoff of more than two dozen Courier employees, but as Keith Shortall reports, the new owners believe the sale will re-energize the local weekly newspaper market in Coastal Maine.

Union Members Attack John McCain's Support For Big Oil

The Eastern Maine chapter of the American Federation of Labor has joined the organization's national campaign attacking presidential hopeful John McCain. The union leaders held a press conference in Brewer Tuesday morning, where they accused McCain of aligning himself with President Bush in protecting the profits of big oil companies at the expense of working families. McCain's campaign says the AFL-CIO is more concerned with politics than it is working families. Anne Ravana has more.

Gas Stations Losing Money In Spite Of Soaring Prices

If Maine's gas station owners have a message for consumers, it would probably be "don't shoot the messenger". High prices at the pump do not mean gas retailers are raking in huge profits. Quite the opposite, says one expert. Tom Porter has the story.

Maine News for Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Press Herald
Sex offender tests Westbrook ordinance
The lawsuit by 'John Doe VI' is part of a case challenging the state's sex offender registry law.

Officials grappling with latest 911 lapses
Penobscot County emergency calls are routed to a backup as a third system failure in Maine weakens public confidence.

Legislature cuts down on travel to national event
One of the two people from Maine who will go to the legislators' meeting will soon leave the House.

Candidate petitions reviewed
Election 2008: Officials begin their look at an independent Senate hopeful's signatures.

Cabela's has turnpike exit hopping
Traffic on the turnpike has decreased overall, but Exit 42 in Scarborough has gotten much busier.

City hopes prosperity calls at port
Portland presses ahead to develop its berthing potential while the region pushes its marketing.

Editorial
Midwest flooding raises questions about U.S. agriculture policy
It's not just recent bad weather that is causing high food prices and worldwide shortages.

RON BANCROFTThe more voters, the better? It depends.
One economist says most people don't know enough to choose well but he discounts education efforts.

WALTER H. BAILY, Special to the Press Herald'Green' image hides Poland Spring's goal
The company wants to gain control of water rights in as many Maine communities as possible.

Letters

Fairchild move lost chance for city

There's a lot less to John McCain than meets the eye

Gas costs, technology make toll plaza relocation unwise

Teachers' salaries weren't big factor in budget deficit

Bangor Daily News

State looks to lure new dentists
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Living in Maine is not all boiled lobsters and blue harbors, but the Maine Dental Association hopes a cushy coastal weekend in mid-June will help lure aspiring young dentists to practice in the state, where ranks of dentists are dwindling.

County E-911 system down
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
A malfunction with the phone system at Penobscot Regional Communications Center in Bangor was continuing to cause emergency 911 calls to be routed through the Department of Public Safety in Orono on Monday.

Augusta: Review of Senate hopeful’s petitions for candidacy opens
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine — State election officials opened a review Monday of a challenge to the nominating petitions of an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate brought by the chairman of the Maine Democratic Party.

Augusta: Deadline approaches for people's veto efforts
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine — The deadline is fast approaching for petitioners seeking to repeal two newly enacted laws to submit their voter signatures to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office.

Brewer: Man files ADA complaint against Pepino’s
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
BREWER, Maine - Mike Noyes said he’s not looking for trouble, just access like everyone else.

Touting a '2-nation vacation'
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
YARMOUTH, Nova Scotia - Maine is not visible from this Canadian town, but tourism officials on both sides of the Gulf of Maine are hoping that, in this case anyway, out of sight does not mean out of mind.

Defending your turf: Knowing the enemy is the key to vanquishing the grub worms
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - In recent years, few lawn pests have garnered as much attention as the European chafer, an insect that entomologists say first arrived here in the 1940s in New York.

DOT: I-295 construction detour going smoothly
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
TOPSHAM, Maine — Traffic moved smoothly on the first morning that commuters were diverted from busy Interstate 295 to clear the way for a major 18-mile highway reconstruction project, state Department of Transportation officials said Monday.

Editorial

ClickBack
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
This week's ClickBack, the BDN's interactive feature that solicits Editorial Page reader comments, seeks your thoughts on what the future holds for two forces at work in Maine

Professional Tourism
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
As the summer solstice approaches, Maine's tourism-reliant businesses look forward to their most lucrative three months.

Newell Augur: Maine residents fed up with undemocratic taxes
Maine families are struggling financially. We already have one of the highest tax burdens in the country.

June 17 Letters to the Editor

Kennebec Journal
GOING WITH THE FLOW ON U.S. 201 Drivers, residents adjust to new detour as work begins on Interstate 295 summer repaving project
Rush-hour traffic was heavier than usual along U.S. Route 201 Monday, the first day of a 10-week repaving project on the southbound lanes of Interstate 295 from Gardiner to Topsham.

AUGUSTA Sirois named Cony coach
AUGUSTA -- Former Cony High School point guard Karen Sirois has been named the school's girls basketball coach, outgoing Athletic Director Dan Bowers announced Monday.

AUGUSTA: Despite questions, law firm deal is renewed
AUGUSTA -- City councilors voted unanimously Monday to renew their contract with the city's law firm of the last 10 years, despite questions about why the contract wasn't put out to bid.

KVCC announces spring 2008 dean's list honorees
FAIRFIELD -- Local honorees on the Kennebec Valley Community College dean's list for 2008 spring semester are:

Editorial

Council can speak for city in renaming bridge
Leaders at the University of Maine at Augusta acted decisively and appropriately after they were approached in May by advocates for the victims of sexual abuse by clergy. Those advocates asked UMA officials to remove the Rev. John J. Curran's name from a scholarship granted by the university and last week, they did. That move now paves the way for other public institutions named after Curran to be changed.

Guard policy changes welcomed by Maine troops, employers
Maine Army National Guard members are in a better position to manage their lives and careers now that the Defense Department has promised to give them longer notice before deployment, keep those deployments shorter and train for those deployments closer to home.

PREPARE FOR MORE UGLY ATTACKS BY THE SWIFT BOAT GANG. : Truth is irrelevant when goal is to damage reputations
My column last week -- a lesson in political trivia -- asked readers: "What did the S stand for in Harry S Truman's name?" The correct answer: Nothing. His parents gave him the initial S to honor both his grandfathers.

Letters

Billings' column misses some salient points
Dan Billings' column of June 12 ("Government coffers lure some with poor ethics") is an example of a conclusion looking vainly for facts to support it.

How will Maine families pay for winter oil?
Every day I see articles about the high price of gas. Have any of you checked on next winter's prepay plans for oil?

Sun Journal

University launches energy site
ORONO (AP) - The University of Maine has launched an energy information Web site where people can learn how to save money through conservation and alternative energy.

DOT: Maine interstate detour going smoothly
TOPSHAM (AP) - Traffic moved smoothly on the first morning that commuters were diverted from busy Interstate 295 to clear the way for a major 18-mile highway reconstruction project, state Department of Transportation officials said Monday.

Senate hopeful's petitions review opens
AUGUSTA (AP) - State election officials opened a review Monday of a challenge to the nominating petitions of an independent candidate for the U.S. Senate brought by the chairman of the Maine Democratic Party.

Deadline looms for people's veto
AUGUSTA (AP) - The deadline is fast approaching for petitioners seeking to repeal two newly enacted laws to submit their voter signatures to the Maine Secretary of State's office.

Prominent Maine lawmaker withdraws from fall election
AUGUSTA (AP) - State Rep. Jeremy Fischer, a Presque Isle Democrat who's been House chairman of the Appropriations Committee for the last two-year term, is withdrawing from the fall re-election race.

MPBN
Fairpoint Examines More System Failures

Because of system failures that occurred over the weekend, 911 emergency calls in Penobscot County are being re-routed to a state Department of Public Safety dispatch center. Between Friday and Sunday, the county's primary emergency system failed three times. FairPoint Communications is now working to solve the problem. As Anne Ravana reports, this situation in Penobscot County is reminiscent of problems experienced at the Cumberland County dispatch center and the state dispatch center in Gray last month.

Maine Expects Funding To Participate In Federal Firearm Purchase System

Funding for a bill stemming from the Virginia Tech killings is finally working its way through Congress. The bill requires states to participate in a national data-base that would screen the purchasers of firearms in order to prevent anyone judged by a court as presenting a danger to themselves or others from possessing a weapon. Last December, Maine lawmakers approved a bill endorsing the state's participation in the program, and a task force amended the proposal to make it acceptable to the federal government. But as Keith McKeen reports, not everyone in Maine is anxious to see the system put in place.

Independent Senate Candidate Awaits Signature Count

Maine Democratic Party officials told a state election review panel today that no one from the Tom Allen for U.S. Senate campaign ever suggested that they challenge the validity of signature petitions submitted by independent Senate candidate Herbert Hoffman. The progressive Ogunquit psychologist is a former Democrat whose campiagn is now on the line. As A.J. Higgins reports, if 113 of Hoffman's signatures are thrown out, the independent's name will not appear on the November ballot.

National Indian Group Backs Penobscot Cause

Relations between the state and Maine's Indian Tribes took another dive today. Penobscot Indian Nation Chief Kirk Francis confirmed that the National Conference of American Indians has withdrawn its participation in next week's meeting in Augusta with the National Conference of State Legislatures. Francis and other tribal leaders asked the association to drop out of the joint summit after this year's legislative session failed to produce gains the tribes were hoping for. As A.J. Higgins reports, the divide between the state and tribal governments appears to be widening.

PolitickerME
Primary election turnout -- not so good

People's Veto update

Maine News for June 16, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Drink tax spurs intense action
Advocates and opponents of a veto fight their battle before petition signatures are even submitted.

Tourism officials put money on Canadians
Gas costs may discourage Americans from driving to Maine, but the weak dollar may lure Canadians.

In race for president, Maine has some allure
Election 2008: The campaigns may battle in the state because of its division of electoral votes and the number of independents.

Attorneys to meet on Hannaford data theft
A judge will decide which law firms will lead the suit over credit card data loss by 4 million customers.

Meister had a clear message, but lacked campaign money
The pediatrician from Winthrop placed last in the Democratic race, but stayed in it to be heard.

New boiler under review as way to keep mill open
Katahdin Paper needs a way to cut its dependence on oil so it can continue to operate and avoid layoffs.

Solar plant fought by ... environmentalists?
The huge facility would be built in a remote California desert, but the power lines would be in scenic areas.

Editorial
Security not imperiled by Guantanamo ruling
It was a mistake to think we could capture and imprison suspects without due process.

School scare raises question: What were they thinking?
There is enough real trauma related to drunken driving so teachers do not have to lie about it.

MARSHALL JARVIS, Special to the Press HeraldNew toll barrier in York unnecessary
Any problems with the present plaza can be fixed for far less than the $40 million a new one will cost.

Letters

Save gas by changing driving habits

Fight against Real ID not a driver's license issue

Brennan deserves credit for his service to Maine

Farmers markets offer healthful, affordable food

McCain must be held to same standards as Obama

Bangor Daily News
Doctor opens no-insurance practice
Monday, June 16, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - Amid all the sound and fury of the health care debate, one local doctor is taking a quiet step toward simplicity.

Candidates pitch ideas on economy
Monday, June 16, 2008
With summertime oil prices topping $130 a barrel and gasoline pump prices more than $4 a gallon, it's looking like the economy might not get back on its feet anytime soon.

Fort Kent flood recovery making headway
Monday, June 16, 2008
FORT KENT, Maine - Despite a recent storm whose powerful winds uprooted trees and damaged homes, Fort Kent, the town most severely affected by last month's flooding, continues to advance in its cleanup effort.

Mother bear startles biker in City Forest
Monday, June 16, 2008
Mountain biker Craig MacDonald was riding with his two dogs Saturday afternoon when he encountered an abrupt reminder of just how close visitors can get to nature in Bangor's City Forest.

Monitoring size of fish population should help state manage resource
Monday, June 16, 2008
DENNYSVILLE, Maine - Upon first glance, the dark patches in the small river that bisects this small Washington County town appear to be shadows cast by trees or pools too deep for even the midday sun to penetrate.

Flood aid information
Monday, June 16, 2008
U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, has been working with federal agencies such as the Small Business Administration and FEMA to help businesses and homeowners affected by the flood disaster and offers the following information

Trails opened in Baxter State Park
Monday, June 16, 2008
Baxter State Park officials have opened additional trails to the summit of Mount Katahdin as well as all major campgrounds in the 209,501-acre wilderness park.

Editorial
The Vietnam Test
Monday, June 16, 2008
When Republicans were attacking Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004 over the supposed exaggeration of his Vietnam record, an unexpected ally came to his aid: John McCain.

Donna Loring: State of Maine needs to apologize to Indians
On June 11, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper formally apologized to Canada's native people in the House of Commons and on national television and radio stating, 'Today we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm and has no place in our country.'

Peter J. Brown: Eyes in sky help during disasters - if you use them
On April 30, due to the severe flooding in the St. John Valley in New Brunswick, Canadian officials at Public Safety Canada activated the International Charter for Space and Major Disasters. As a result, surveillance satellites were quickly directed to start providing high-resolution imagery of the flood zone to Canadian agencies and emergency management personnel.

Big-box roof gardens

Kennebec Journal
Mattson seeks TIF for project
AUGUSTA -- The owner of the Central Maine Commerce Center, Kevin Mattson, is seeking a tax break from the city to help pay for road improvements required by the state.

No regrets about Congressional run
AUGUSTA -- By the end of March, Stephen Meister had determined he was not on track to win the Democratic nomination for Maine's 1st Congressional District race.

Erskine's headmaster stepping down
CHINA -- Donald Poulin started teaching at Erskine Academy in 1973, at a time when the small independent school had an enrollment of about 300.

Whatever Family Festival kicks off Wednesday
The Whatever Family Festival is scheduled to kick off Wednesday for a week and a half of activities, shows and entertainment for the whole family.

Editorial

State should beat feds to saltwater fishing license
OK, those of you folks who have fished for free in Maine's coastal and tidal waters your entire life, that's about to change. What was once your god-given right to toss a line off the pier and pull up a fish is now going to cost you. You should stop whining about it, because whining won't do any good. Time to suck it up.

ERIC CONRAD : Double-checking our work will help us reduce errors
A little more than a year ago, I wrote that we had started new systems of "proofing" our newspaper pages each night to prevent errors and of counting and tracking errors that still found their way into our newspapers.

PAMELA M. PRAH : Maine among few states that raised taxes
Most states are holding off raising taxes to patch holes in their 2009 budgets, but if you live in Maine, Maryland, Minne-sota and New York, you're out of luck.

Letters

We need to keep Maine, Moosehead area green
If plastics are so bad for humans and the environment, why don't we get rid of them? I hate plastic dishes: they harbor germs, they stain easy and take forever to break down in the earth.

Despite claims to the contrary, GOP to blame
Now that gas prices have risen into the panic category with no end in sight, besieged Republicans are busy with their buddies in Big Oil offering arguments that border on the absurd.

Anti-gay petition not supported by all Christians
Recently I learned that a petition is being circulated around the state to yet again place anti-gay legislation on the ballot for referendum in November.

Sun Journal
Baxter park opens campgrounds
BANGOR (AP) - Baxter State Park officials have opened additional trails to the summit of Mount Katahdin as well as all major campgrounds in the wilderness park.

Guard welcomes early notice
PORTLAND (AP) - About 500 soldiers in the Maine Army National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion were told last week they might be deployed to Iraq - but not until 2010.

Editorial
Dissipated urgency for Mill No. 5
For such a giant building, Bates Mill No. 5 is awfully easy to ignore. In the months since a city task force issued its report on the mill's prospects, there's been little progress deciding the big mill's fate.

Note to the next president: Keep a watch on Pakistan
The most urgent foreign policy problem that the next U.S. president will face won't be Iraq. Nor will it be Iran.

MPBN
National Indian Group Backs Penobscot Cause

Relations between the state and Maine's Indian Tribes took another dive today. Penobscot Indian Nation Chief Kirk Francis confirmed that the National Conference of American Indians has withdrawn its participation in next week's meeting in Augusta with the National Conference of State Legislatures. Francis and other tribal leaders asked the association to drop out of the joint summit after this year's legislative session failed to produce gains the tribes were hoping for. As A.J. Higgins reports, the divide between the state and tribal governments appears to be widening.

Salmonella Outbreak Raises Consumer Concern

U.S. food safety officials now report the number of cases of salmonella poisoning from tomatoes has increased from about 170 on Wednesday, to nearly 230. The number of states affected has also grown from 17 to 23. So far, Maine has been virtually untouched by the outbreak, with no reports of illness or tainted tomatoes, according to the state's center for disease control. Still, the nationwide scare has some people in Maine wondering what they should be doing to stay healthy and still enjoy a favorite summer fruit. Anne Ravana reports.

From Our Mailbox--Listeners Weigh In On Recent Stories

From time to time we bring you some of the letters and emails from our listeners written in response to recent stories on Maine Things Considered. Here's the latest batch.

Environmental Groups Call for Cutback in Plum Creek Development Plans

As Maine's Land Use Regulation Commission considers Plum Creek's plan to rezone 400,000 acres around Moosehead Lake, Maine's two largest environmental groups have a suggestion: block development on the Lily Bay Peninsula. And in return, reduce the amount of land the company must conserve by 33,000 acres. LURC can only consider a pending application. And, as Susan Sharon reports, unless Plum Creek has a change of heart, the current application appears unlikely to be altered.

PolitickerME
Washington Post dumps Maine off its targeted Senate list

Times Record

Realtors' leader believes 'housing market correcting itself' (full story)

Editorial
Take control of oil futures markets (full story)