Maine News for Friday, July 11, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Baldacci awaiting special energy report
The governor and Democratic leaders say they will not rule out a special legislative session.

Dean rallies Democrats, says U.S. ready for change
The DNC chairman calls this election pivotal and encourages Maine voters to go to the polls this fall.

Democrats spar with state, candidate about petition
Herbert Hoffman insists that he did nothing wrong and should remain on the ballot as an independent.

Wind project approved for western mountains
The project on and near Kibby Mountain will generate enough power for 50,000 homes.

Expecting the Unexpected
Airlines are reducing schedules, increasingly stranding passengers who bought tickets in advance.

Flotilla expected for Kennebec River Float
The three-hour cruise Saturday in Waterville celebrates the river and a River Float founder.

Editorial
Incentives should make transit plan go
Portland cannot thrive in this economy by penalizing people who use automobiles.

USM's new president will carry a heavy load this term
Southern Maine's economic future relies in no small part on a healthy state university here.

Letters

Beverage levy hurts us all in order to benefit a few

Biofuel subsidies adding to Americans' grocery bills

Bangor Daily News

Hike in weatherization funding urged
Friday, July 11, 2008
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine are leading a bipartisan group of legislators seeking to increase funding for a federal program that would help low-income families improve their homes in the face of rising energy costs.

First day's slots wagers hits $5.6M
Friday, July 11, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - The roughly 9,000 people who visited Hollywood Slots Hotel and Raceway's July 1 grand opening in Bangor racked up a total wager of $5.6 million, according to a report presented Thursday by Scott Woods, auditor for the Maine Gambling Control Board, at the board's first meeting since Hollywood Slots moved into its new home.

Katahdin mill looks for orders to sustain operations past July
Friday, July 11, 2008
MILLINOCKET, Maine - A Fraser Papers executive who oversees the Katahdin Paper Co. LLC mill expressed confidence Thursday that the mill will operate beyond July 28, but even he doesn't know for how long.

Capital honor for a Down East hero
Friday, July 11, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - Earlier this week, artist J. Normand Martin had a large portrait hanging on a wall in his dining room. On Thursday morning, the painting made its debut in an even larger venue.

Baldacci letter accuses federal agencies of breaking promises to consult with state before expanding salmon protections
Friday, July 11, 2008
Tensions are once again rising between Maine and federal officials over whether Atlantic salmon populations in the state's largest rivers should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.

State medication law challenged
Friday, July 11, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - The Augusta-based Disability Rights Center of Maine on Thursday filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on behalf of an 83-year-old woman challenging the constitutionality of a new law that allows patients committed involuntarily to psychiatric facilities to be medicated against their will.

Editorial

The Gitmo Hustle
Friday, July 11, 2008
The U.S. Department of Justice has a new priority - the detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Although nearly seven years have passed since the first detainees at the Cuba facility were picked up and this new priority comes from a federal judge, don't expect the department to stop dragging its feet.

Symptoms and Treatments
Friday, July 11, 2008
The grim news that Washington County residents are more likely to live shorter, less healthy lives than their Maine and national counterparts is a symptom of an underlying problem: persistent poverty. It is a shocking symptom, and perhaps the worst manifestation of the chronic economic distress that plagues this region of the state.

Ken Fredette: History shows fate of senate race
The 'dog days' of summer are here, and polls abound with projections about the November U.S. Senate race between Tom Allen and Susan Collins.

Letters
July 11 Letters to the Editor

Kennebec Journal
Group blasts MaineCare cuts
A nonprofit organization committed to accessible health care for all Americans named Maine in a study released Thursday that focuses on the future of Medicaid.

Schools merger will need do-over
READFIELD -- The push toward school district consolidation must start anew for the Fayette, Winthrop and Maranacook-area school systems following a tense district planning meeting Thursday night.

Land buys total $1.7M
Nearly 2,000 acres of central Maine habitat will be protected with state conservation grants awarded this week.

For everyone Land trust has fantastic opportunities for the entire family

Man gets a taste of 'Perverted Justice'
AUGUSTA -- A Waterville man will serve almost a year in jail for attempted sexual abuse of a minor.

Annual Maine International Film Festival opens tonight
WATERVILLE -- Judi Silver breezed into Railroad Square Cinema Thursday and made a beeline for the ticket area.

On Maine Politics

Is Baldacci doing a good job?

Editorials

Land trusts protect the very best of Maine
With his seven-part series on the Kennebec Land Trust that began last Sunday and continues through Saturday, reporter Travis Barrett hikes, bushwhacks and slogs through woods, fields, islands and marshes amassed by the trust over its 20-year history.

JOSEPH R. REISERT : Unsafe world requires use of once-denied watchdog tactics
By voting to update the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Senate on Wednesday effectively ratified the Bush administration's post-9/11 program of secretly monitoring a wide range of international communications.

Letters

LURC should ensure wilderness experience
Coming up soon will be the Land Use Regulation Commission's decision on the rezoning of the Moosehead Lake wilderness region. At first glance, this looks like a hard choice, but if one thinks of why the commission was instituted, it becomes a no-brainer.

If Hoffman a threat, Allen 'indeed in difficulty'
For the life of me I cannot understand why Maine's Democrats, who claim to welcome people of all persuasions and orientations, are expending so much time and lawyers' fees trying to keep nonentity independent candidate Herbert Hoffman off November's ballot.

Sun Journal
Work to start soon on Franklin County wind farm
FARMINGTON - Construction of a 44-turbine wind farm in northern Franklin County is expected to begin later this summer, TransCanada Corp. spokeswoman Cecily Dobson said Thursday.

Superior Court judge hears challenge to ballot listing
AUGUSTA (AP) - Lawyers for the state and independent U.S. Senate candidate Herbert Hoffman fended off claims by a Democratic Party leader Thursday that Hoffman should effectively be kicked off the November ballot because he violated rules for gathering nominating petition signatures.

Energy issues special session a possibility
AUGUSTA (AP) - Democratic legislative leaders met with Gov. John Baldacci on Thursday and agreed with him afterward there was no pressing desire now for a special session on energy issues.

Editorial
Whose casino is it anyway?
Seth Carey is out. Seth Carey is back.

Letters
Propaganda machine
This is in response to the June 29 guest column by Malory Shaughnessy and Wayne Gallant that claimed the increase in taxes on alcoholic beverages should deter underage drinkers.

PolitickerME

Soda Wars continue

Maine News for Thursday, July 10, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Region's governors predict heating crisis
They call on federal authorities to fully fund the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

School merger plan hits snag
Freeport's school board balks at a plan to merge with Pownal and Durham, citing the tight deadline.

City sets cruise control
Portland merchants use free refreshments and special offers to lure passengers.

Transit proposals get mixed reviews
A draft of ideas to curb traffic congestion in Portland meets with a measure of skepticism.

High ozone levels prompt call for tougher limits
An air-quality alert is issued after the state exceeds the standard for healthy air again.

State funding boosts efforts to preserve land
New grants from Land for Maine's Future will help to protect 36,000 acres.

Editorials
Political realities shape climate change challenge
Dramatic reductions in fossil-fuel use seem unlikely, and planning should reflect that.

There's plenty of data to suggest replacing York toll plaza a waste

Moosehead's 'natural character' ignored
Regulators listen to hired planners and pay little heed to citizen critics of Plum Creek's sprawling project.

Letters

Time to end discussions, limit Plum Creek's impact

Paper's news pages present political views, not facts

Recent events make case for going to war in Iraq

Marketplace takes big toll on U.S. health care system

Call for discussions of race example of fixation on topic

Bangor Daily News

Governors urge expansion of home heating aid
Thursday, July 10, 2008
BOSTON - Governors from across New England, warning that some families may have to choose between food or warmth this winter, called for a sharp boost in federal home heating aid.

New timeline to privatization raises concerns
Thursday, July 10, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - The privatization of the Elizabeth Levinson Center for children with multiple handicaps has been put off until the beginning of next year due to a lack of qualified bids for the contract.

$18M awarded for conservation
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Roughly 50 projects have been awarded $18 million in funding from the Land for Maine's Future program to conserve forests, farms and working waterfronts throughout the state.

Catholic diocese closes case of suspended priest’s suicide
Thursday, July 10, 2008
PORTLAND, Maine - Allegations of sexual abuse against a Maine priest who committed suicide late last month will not be pursued further by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.

Renowned forensics expert reviewing McLain homicide
Thursday, July 10, 2008
EAST MILLINOCKET, Maine - He's interested, but internationally renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden doesn't know yet whether he will examine the body of homicide victim Joyce McLain, he said Wednesday.

Poll ranks employment as Mainers' No. 1 concern
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Jobs and employment top the list of concerns for Mainers in 2008, but gasoline prices, energy-related issues and the cost of living also rank high.

DOT presses case for truck weight exemption
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner David Cole testified Wednesday before a House committee in Washington about the need for an exemption on federal truck weight limits, a provision that would help keep heavy trucks off Maine’s secondary roads.

State approves Kibby wind farm project
Thursday, July 10, 2008
State regulators gave final approval Wednesday to a $270 million wind farm and transmission line proposed for the mountains of rural Franklin County.

Editorial

The Road Not Taken
Thursday, July 10, 2008
There's a pleasing symmetry to the synopsis of a documentary film that will be shown at the Maine International Film Festival, July 11-20, in Waterville. "A Road Not Taken" chronicles the fate of a clunky piece of hardware that once sat atop the West Wing of the White House.

Red Tide Caution
Thursday, July 10, 2008
With this year’s red tide outbreak predicted to be worse than 2005’s historic levels, shellfish consumers should be reassured that the state’s testing system keeps tainted mussels and clams off the market.

Ken Fredette: History shows fate of senate race
The "dog days" of summer are here, and polls abound with projections about the November U.S. Senate race between Tom Allen and Susan Collins.

W. Tom Sawyer: Beverage tax shows career politicians are out of touch
Senate Democratic leader Libby Mitchell’s June 27 column, "Benefit of beverage tax? Health coverage," defending a $70 million tax increase to fund Dirigo Health demonstrates how out-of-touch career politicians truly are.

July 10 Letters to the Editor

Kennebec Journal

On Maine Politics
Sidney/Oakland Dems to meet

Cony High School schedule approved
AUGUSTA -- The Board of Education approved a controversial new class schedule for Cony High School, despite parents' concerns there are too many unanswered questions about how their sons and daughters will fit in all the classes they need.

Conservation education remains constant challenge
VASSALBORO -- How more than 3,000 acres of land were conserved in central Maine really isn't a mystery.

Board approves $17M for conservation projects
A 550-acre chunk of Windham's rural character and a 76-acre swath of forest along the Saco River in Hollis are both closer to being forever protected this week, after the latest round of state conservation grants.

Bringing cruise ship passengers downtown
A team of yellow-shirted greeters was ready with promotional booklets and friendly advice as passengers disembarked from the Explorer of the Seas on Wednesday, the opening day of the city's cruise ship season.

Winslow resident links property sinking, drawdown of lake
WINSLOW -- Dallaire Street resident Donald "Scott" Hermey is convinced his property is beginning to sink.

Editorial
State energy effort good, but needs feds' help
For many -- if not most -- Mainers, the only subject these days is the cost of energy.

JIM BRUNELLE : Political consultant, author helped Maine GOP stay afloat
Being a political consultant, according to Alex Ray, a longtime Republican operative who once spent time honing his craft in Maine, is a thankless job.

DAN BILLINGS : Democrats don't want some votes to be cast
During the controversy after the 2000 presidential election, Democrats cried "count every vote." Unsuc-cessful with that strategy, the Maine Democratic Party is now trying to limit the choices Maine voters see on their ballots.

LINDA CADES : Gun ownership grave subject needing serious thought
I read with something approaching disbelief J.P. Devine's column, "Love of Guns is Here to Stay" concerning the recent Supreme Court decision about the Second Amendment (Kennebec Journal, July 6).

Letters

Gardiner revaluation has 'significant inaccuracy'
Is Gardiner planning to secede from Maine and rejoin Massachusetts?

Augusta put on great Independence Day
Thank you, Augusta, for a more than great 4th of July.

Sun Journal
Demand on rise for heating assistance
The state's looking at a winter with more demand and less money.

Maine parish marks bicentennial Saturday
NEWCASTLE (AP) - Maine's oldest Roman Catholic parish will hold its bicentennial celebration this weekend.

State trumps ordinance in public interest
AUGUSTA (AP) - Augusta's city manager says residents have complained about increased truck traffic to and from Pike Industries' large pit and asphalt plant, but the state is brushing aside local ordinances to advance the Interstate 295 reconstruction.

Maine diocese offers new details on priest suicide
PORTLAND (AP) - Maine's Roman Catholic diocese said Wednesday it received word six months ago about a sexual abuse claim against a priest who committed suicide last month after being notified that he was temporarily suspended.

Editorial
A balanced approach to squatters
In turn-of-the-century Auburn, differentiating between transients and vagrants was easy: spend one night in the barn, you're a transient. But three nights in the barn? Sorry pal, you're a vagrant.

England sows the seeds of its own destruction
So this is how it ends: not with a bang, but a whimper.

Letters
Blame the Democrats
This is in response to Mark Tardif's letter, printed July 3.

Gasoline realities
The whole world operates on oil, and will for years to come.

'Banned completely'
I could not believe my eyes when I read a letter to the editor by Elise Giasson, printed July 1. There was one sentence I hope everyone read twice, as I had to, to be sure that I had read it right..

MPBN
Activists Prepare for Affordable Healthcare Campaign

A coalition of healthcare activists brought the so-called "Health Care for America Now" campaign to the State House today. It was an effort to make affordable healthcare for all a major issue in this year's congressional elections. The campaign is encouraging lawmakers to come up with some new options for consumers. They include private coverage, government-administered health insurance or some different approach for guaranteeing access to health care for all Americans. A.J. Higgins reports.

State Task Force Calls for Massive Winterization Effort

Citing the need for a dramatic change in energy consumption patterns, a state task force is calling for a massive effort to winterize all of Maine's single-family homes in ten years. As Barbara Cariddi reports, the so-called "Pre-Emergency Energy Task Force" is also recommending that each community in Maine create "warming shelters" for emergencies, rebuild the state's passenger rail infrastructure and speed the development of alternative sources of energy. State energy director John Kerry heads the task force.

PolitickerME

New England governors attend energy summit

Maine GOP: MoveOn should protest Obama

Another short lived career for Ms. Dobson

Times Record
Tapping our inner power

Ellsworth American
“Huge” CMP Power Line Could Spur Economy and Controversy
AUGUSTA — The $1.4-billion transmission line project officially announced last week by Central Maine Power Co. could give the state’s economy a significant boost, creating jobs and encouraging consumer spending at a time when both are in short supply.

Veteran Senator Questions Use of Clean Election Funds
AUGUSTA — Long-time legislator Sen. Joe Brannigan of Portland, who spent more than $20,000 in public funds in his run for Senate two years ago, is running a privately funded campaign this year because he thinks the Clean Election system caused him and his opponent to overspend in 2006.

Editorial
DirigoChoice: A Costly Failure
For some time, there have been those in state politics who take great delight in the notion that Maine can lead the country in attempting to find solutions to particular issues. From the time he was inaugurated as Governor, John Baldacci identified his Dirigo Health program — and the DirigoChoice insurance program in particular — as a cornerstone of his administration. Unfortunately, the Governor and his supporters ignored the reality that national issues — and the ever-increasing cost of health care is one such issue — demand national solutions. DirigoChoice has been an expensive and eminently unsuccessful boondoggle since it was created five years ago.

Wishful Thinking?
Congress went back into session this week after the Fourth of July recess, and members of Maine’s delegation were unanimous in their calls for more cooperation and less partisanship in the weeks ahead.

Be Wary of Politicians’ Recommendations
Regarding the June 19 article reporting on Angus King’s recent energy speech (“Catastrophe” Awaits Maine: Angus King), I believe that readers should be wary of politicians’, including ex-politicians’, recommendations concerning how to solve Maine’s energy problems. These are the same folks that, in the past 30-plus years, have implemented laws and regulations that have driven up the cost and price of electricity in Maine nearly 75 percent relative to U.S. averages (by itself adding nearly $1 billion per year to electric costs) while having the effect of increasing Maine’s use of oil and natural gas to the highest per capita in the United States.

Following the Peterborough Principle
A Green Revolution has hit the USA. Green is popular and chic; it’s politically correct, and it’s good business. Reducing, reusing and recycling are imperative to keeping our planet healthy, as well as ourselves, our homes and our towns. I am astounded by the amount of trash my family and I generate every week. We do what we can to limit waste: we bring our own bags to the grocery store, we buy in bulk, we compost kitchen waste, we recycle. Still, the trash piles up in the garage, and off to the transfer station we go. When I learned that the Blue Hill/Surry Transfer Station would no longer accept glass for recycling my intellectual reaction was one of surprise. Soon after, when I threw a glass jar in the trash for the first time, my reaction was more visceral. “What the @#$! am I doing!”

Letters
Oil Prices Must Be Dealt With Now

Time for New Representation

Come On, Governor and State Politicians: Take Action

Power and Money Concerns Trump People

Village Soup
Midcoast destinations lure cruise ships

Maine News for Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Group seeks to hold off winter heating crisis
An energy panel presents ideas -- including insulating every Maine home -- to Gov. Baldacci.

Poll finds solid vote for Collins in Maine
Voters show a preference for the Republican over her Democratic rival, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen.

Cars in the cross hairs
A panel wants to raise meter fees, charge residents for street parking, and alter roads and routes on the peninsula.

Groups join in campaign for affordable health care
Advocates line the steps of the State House to call on politicians to pass health-care legislation.

State overrides local law for I-295 project trucks
The rumbling traffic begins as early as 4:30 a.m., sparking complaints.

Fed to revamp lending rules
The changes would help protect homebuyers from shady practices by banks and brokers.

Godsend or gimmick?
The government says it has tested the products, but the savings were not enough to justify the cost.

Explorer of the Seas visits Portland

Editorial
River and mill both benefit from certainty
The collapse of a dam-removal pact with Sappi is an economic and environmental setback.

ANOTHER VIEW: 'Adopt' specialty license plate would meet a crying need
An editorial saying an animal welfare license plate is one too many misses the mark.

SHENNA BELLOWSSpying bill would choke privacy rights
If Sens. Snowe and Collins back a FISA expansion, citizens would lose their freedom from surveillance.

Letters

Gun ruling's foes overlook Constitution

Passamaquoddy joined forces with colonists against British

Congress hasn't learned anything from Iraq debacle

Sen. Collins did not deny protesters right to speak up

Bangor Daily News

Economic boost seen as key to reversing trend
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - A new study showing declining life expectancy among Washington County women provoked a call to action by several state officials at a meeting last month at the Department of Health and Human Services building.

Maine's oldest Catholic parish to celebrate its bicentennial
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
NEWCASTLE, Maine - The oldest continuing parish north of St. Augustine, Fla., and the first in the nation to be named for Saint Patrick will hold its bicentennial celebration this weekend in Newcastle.

Study: DHHS lax with payouts
Wednesday, July 9. 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - The Legislature's nonpartisan Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability has found that the Department of Health and Human Services has not been providing adequate oversight of many contracted services.

Veazie man jailed in N.Y. for marijuana
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - A Veazie man was arrested last week on Interstate 95 in Mamaroneck, N.Y., after a police dog sniffed out more than 20 pounds of marijuana in his car estimated to be worth more than $50,000, according to a report published a Westchester County, N.Y., newspaper.

Editorial

Hold the Line on Spying
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A bill to expand the government's ability to eavesdrop on Americans appears to be headed for passage in the Senate this week. This is a mistake. There is a better way.

Misdirected Energy
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A special legislative session on energy is not a bad idea - if lawmakers have some concrete steps they plan to quickly take. But Maine, with its lack of excess funds and few indigenous energy resources can do little to lower fuel costs for the upcoming winter.

Dick Dyer: Facts against DOT's taking of Sail Inn
In the recent Maine Supreme Judicial Court decision regarding whether to allow further court examination of alleged wrongful taking of the Sail Inn Restaurant by the Maine Department of Transportation, Justicee Donald Alexander concluded that my brothers provided 'their own bald assertions' instead of evidence in accusing the DOT of wrongful taking.

July 9 Letters to the Editor

Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA: I-295 project trucks breaking city rules
AUGUSTA -- Dump trucks steadily rumbling between the ongoing Interstate 295 reconstruction and Pike Industries' pit in the Summerhaven area are running beyond the hours of operation allowed by city ordinance.

Board to take up schedule plan for Cony
AUGUSTA -- A controversial schedule change for Cony High School some officials believe could help reverse a trend of failing students goes back to the Board of Education tonight.

Public properties with private feel
An approaching car pulls off the side of the road. The woman inside frantically rolls down the window and flashes a wide smile.

Rally seeks better health care, cheaper
AUGUSTA -- Calling it the first order of business for a new president and Congress, speakers from a collective of advocacy groups launched a campaign on the Statehouse steps Tuesday morning urging politicians in Augusta and Washington, D.C., to take action on health care.

Consolidation dance renews
OAKLAND -- The deadline for forming new regional school units is July 1 -- less than a year from today.

On Maine Politics

Petition dispute in court Thursday

Editorial

Blasting logjam blown up with new ordinance
After the years of rancor, lawsuits, rumbling and anger and finger-pointing, it's a miracle that the city of Augusta has a new blasting ordinance that satisfies both pit owners and residents of a neighborhood long affected by gravel mining.

GEORGE SMITH : Goodbye, manufacturing; hello, health care
A wool blanket has been thrown over Maine's manufacturing industries.

Letters

America needs to act fast on alternative fuels
Just a few thoughts on Iran, U.S.A., European Union, et al. But mostly about the world's dilemma concerning the oil shortages, gas prices and what, if anything, the major world powers are doing about it.

Maine politicians skirt the First Amendment
Sen. John Martin and Sen. Elizabeth Mitchell's 11th hour attempt to disband the state Office of Program Evaluation & Government Accounta-bility and their political maneuver to pass Dirigo funding without proper debate is a clear indication of their imperious attitude gained by their many years, too many years, serving in the Legislature.

Editorial on Pew Forum study raises concerns
The editorial reaction to the Pew Forum study on religious diversity in our country was strange. The editorial quoting of the Pew Religion study was perhaps as narrow as the interpretation.

Remove plaque now from Curran bridge
They say the name of the downtown bridge can't be changed until the Legislature convenes in December or January. Forget the name change. Why can't they physically remove the plaque which is a constant reminder of Father Curran's unforgivable past to everyone who crosses the bridge?

Sun Journal
Sappi pulls out of dam agreement
PORTLAND (AP) - Sappi Fine Paper North America has pulled out of a historic deal to remove a dam on the Presumpscot River to allow sea-run fish to swim upstream.

Court weighs sides of primary outcome
PORTLAND (AP) - The Supreme Judicial Court has heard arguments about disputed ballots in a legislative primary race in Yarmouth and is expected to issue a written decision within a few days.

SMCC offers heavy equipment degree
SOUTH PORTLAND (AP) - Southern Maine Community College will become the only college to offer a degree in heavy equipment operations in southern Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Plum Creek plan deadline looms
GREENVILLE (AP) - If you want to weigh in on Plum Creek Timber Co.'s Moose-head Lake development plan, it's time to put pencil to paper.

Prison hostage case to be reviewed
PORTLAND (AP) - The Maine Legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee is poised to review circumstances surrounding a prison hostage situation last week.

Mainers oppose casino, drive less
LEWISTON - High gas prices are prompting Melanie Herrick of Auburn to spend less time behind the wheel. She's given up driving to work.

Editorial

The state's sharp, short, energy session
Let's be clear: If a politician can deliver affordable heating oil, he or she shouldn't just be re-elected, but made potentate-for-life. In today's petroleum peril, however, there's little sense in praying for miracles.

Election outcome could affect court's balance
John McCain calls the future shape of the federal judiciary "one of the defining issues of this presidential election," a point underscored by the recent spate of 5-4 Supreme Court decisions.

Fudafest: Smoke pot, dance naked
I know how it is. Every once in a while, you just want to go crazy, get naked, and hang out in downtown Norway. And I'd encourage it, friend, except you have that awful habit of wearing tube socks even when you are otherwise nude.

MPBN
Activists Prepare for Affordable Healthcare Campaign

A coalition of healthcare activists brought the so-called "Health Care for America Now" campaign to the State House today. It was an effort to make affordable healthcare for all a major issue in this year's congressional elections. The campaign is encouraging lawmakers to come up with some new options for consumers. They include private coverage, government-administered health insurance or some different approach for guaranteeing access to health care for all Americans. A.J. Higgins reports.

Adult Adoption Case Returns to State Supreme Court

A legal battle involving an adult woman's adoption by her lesbian partner and a share of the IBM fortune is headed back to Maine's highest court. Patricia Spado was adopted seventeen years ago by her then-lover Olive Watson, the granddaughter of the founder of IBM and the daughter of the company's long-time president Thomas Watson Junior. The adoption, which took place in Maine, theoretically put Spado in line to inherit a share of the Watson family fortune. But earlier this year, after a three-year legal battle, the adoption was annulled by a Knox County probate judge. Spado is now appealing that decision to the Maine Supreme Court.

PolitickerME
Pan Atlantic Group Poll: Obama, Collins lead in Maine

Howard Dean rally, Hoffman hearing on Thursday

Times Record
New signs show cyclists the way

Maine News for Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Company quits deal to remove mill dam
State officials believe costs were a factor in Sappi's decision. A formal hearing is expected later this year.

Supreme court considers tied vote
A decision is likely in a few days on the winner of the Democratic nomination in House District 107.

Business coalition endorses McCain
About 30 Maine small businesses join a national campaign to support McCain's economic plan.

Tourism comes and goes
Many businesses are thankful for a strong holiday showing, but questions linger about the season's overall prospects.

RV travelers stop short
Fuel costs mean fewer trips and staying closer to home

Car dealers feel impact of changes
They can't sell the vehicles that they have in stock and can't get enough of the high-mileage cars that buyers want.

Hearing to review hostage case
Lawmakers have questions about last week's incident at the Maine State Prison.

Editorials
New community college offerings will boost state
In an era when money is tight, these new programs reflect good resource prioritization.

Public art does its job when it starts a conversation
Portland's art committee should make sure that the whole community feels included.

Obama's embrace of faith-based programs patently un-American
Either the Democratic presidential candidate is pandering, or he doesn't understand our system.

School improvement efforts under the radar
Learning Results is a work in progress, but we can cheer teachers for striving to better themselves.

Translating youthful idealism into action
The U.S. Public Service Academy would train bright undergraduates to serve the American people.

Letters

Kucinich steps up to hold administration accountable

Democrats fail to deliver on pledge to provide care

Beverage, insurance tax hike will add to Mainers' burden

Bangor Daily News

Lincoln mill boss calls for energy plan
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
LINCOLN, Maine - Provided by the government of New Brunswick, the nearly $60 million in low-interest, long-term loans issued this spring will help the Canadian province's largest employers upgrade technology, dump traditional energy sources and eventually crush their American forest products industry competitors, Keith Van Scotter said Monday.

Red tide hospitalizes 3 in Calais
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
MACHIAS, Maine - Three people were admitted to a Machias hospital over the weekend with symptoms of red tide or paralytic shellfish poisoning, marking the second time in less than a year that people in Maine have been sickened after a nearly 30-year absence of any cases.

Less bucks means less bang for Fourth
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - People who traveled to the city's waterfront to watch the sky during this year's Fourth of July fireworks display say the pyrotechnics didn't compare to years past.

Medicare gridlock looms
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
AUGUSTA, Maine - Because the U.S. Senate has failed to block a decrease of more than 10 percent in Medicare payments to doctors, Maine senior citizens on the federal program could have difficulty finding a physician and doctors face the loss of $50 million over the next 18 months.

Prisoner assaults jail guard with own badge
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
BELFAST, Maine - A prisoner who told officers he had nothing to lose by his actions ripped the badge from the shirt of a Waldo County Jail corrections officer and assaulted him with it.

Gas costs sap volunteer drivers
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
The high price of gasoline is affecting everybody, including agencies dedicated to providing transportation to medical appointments and other health-related destinations. Three area agencies said Monday that they are still managing to transport the poor, the elderly and others who can't drive themselves, but they anticipate harder times ahead.

Editorials

Maine Party Platforms
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Which political party's platform supports "the preservation of the Maine Woods and open spaces through public and private initiatives" and which asserts "Democracy is the belief that the best repository of wisdom lies in the hands of an informed and educated electorate"?

Flip-Flop Findings
Monday, July 7, 2008
Universities and colleges do research every day that leads to improvements in our lives. But occasionally there are studies that result in nothing more than a collective shrug, often because their results are so obvious.

John Buell: Mural shows off Maine's social history
Labor Day once marked the last big weekend of the tourist season. That season now extends well into the fall, to the relief of many Maine businesses. The success of the season is often viewed as a commentary on how well businesses and state government have marketed its rustic and rock-bound image. Yet Maine's achievements, even its success as a tourist destination, depend as much on its social history as on the natural qualities it possesses.

Steve Butterfield: Offshore drilling the wrong way to go
In a June 26 OpEd piece, Rep. Josh Tardy of Newport claimed that Democratic opposition to drilling offshore was the main obstacle standing between hardworking Mainers and affordable heating oil and gas this winter. Among other claims, he commented that he thought it was ridiculous that China can drill 60 miles off our coast "thanks to their agreements with Cuba" while the U.S. is prohibited from doing so because of our own laws.

July 8 Letters to the editor

Kennebec Journal
Vernal pools fuel Maine woods
WAYNE -- In an instant we are all five years old again, tromping our way through ankle-deep muck and sloshing along in the water in rubber boots.

Council OKs funds for downtown projects
AUGUSTA City councilors unanimously approved $218,000 worth of projects meant to help revitalize downtown, including a radio broadcasting system, signs and maps to help visitors find and learn what's happening downtown.

Lawyer, state rep defend connection
WINSLOW Anthony Buxton and Ken Fletcher have a shared passion for creating and preserving hydroelectric power that has brought them together inside and out of the state capitol.

AUGUSTA: Accord seen on blasting
AUGUSTA A proposed new blasting ordinance seems to have silenced controversy that erupted between pit owners and local residents over the last several years.

AUGUSTA: More parking for church, bigger sign at club
AUGUSTA -- The Planning Board meets tonight to hold public hearings on proposals for a new office building on Town and Country Road, more parking at St. Augustine Church, an addition
onto a Riverside Drive apartment building, and a proposed change to the city's sign ordinance.

On Maine Politics

McCain's jobs plan draws support

Editorials
DAVID B. OFFER : What's the right kind of medical care later in life?
It's awkward to talk to old people about dying.

PATRICK CUNNINGHAM AND SUSAN FARNSWORTH : New pay-per-bag trash system cheaper, better for Hallowell residents
On behalf of the members of Hallowell's Solid Waste Committee, we appreciate this chance to explain why we believe the proposed city-run waste hauling system will not increase taxes as reported by the Kennebec Journal on July 24, 2008, and will financially benefit Hallowell residents.

Letters

Subprime mortgage article was informative
The commentary, "Plenty of culprits in U.S. mortgage mess" (June 30) was a great autopsy of past and future fiascoes!

LURC should listen to citizens on Plum Creek
When the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) renders its decision about the Plum Creek plan to develop Maine's Moosehead Lake region, I wonder whether its members will be able to look their children and their grandchildren in the eye and explain themselves.

Morning Sentinel

Consolidation dance begins anew
OAKLAND -- The deadline for forming new regional school units is July 1 -- less than a year from today.

Planners OK Colby Street building
WATERVILLE The Planning Board on Monday unanimously approved construction of a 7,000-square-foot office building on Colby Street, despite repeated and unsuccessful attempts to find out who will occupy the building.

Sun Journal
Lesbian partner adoption annulled
PORTLAND - An adult adoption involving lesbian partners and a claim to a share of one of America's premier business fortunes has been annulled, bouncing their high-profile case back to Maine's highest court.

Film festival kicks off Friday
WATERVILLE (AP) -About 4,000 movie fans are headed to Waterville this week and next for the 11th annual Maine International Film Festival.

Editorials
Another registry? Not so fast
If there's one thing Maine knows about online criminal registries, it's that they carry unforeseen consequences.

A Republican's plan to take on the big stuff
Shhh. Listen. Hear that? It's a pulse. Faint, but there. An actual sign of life, one that could allay the fears of many about the state of Republicans in Congress.

Letters
CFTA is a bad deal for U.S.
John McCain was in Colombia and Mexico recently, promoting free trade agreements. Specifically, he wants to see the U.S. Congress pass the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, an expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

America needs real energy plan
As a cashier at a gas station, I've met many people ... good, hard-working folks, struggling to break even. Unless oil prices fall sharply, I fear this nation is headed for a major recession. The middle class and the working poor will be decimated. Our community, which has seen an economic rebound in recent years, will fall into a steep decline.

MPBN
Canada Fears Poor Summer for Tourism

Maine's tourism industry depends heavily on visitors from Canada, so it's perhaps no suprise that Canada's industry also depends on tourists from Maine. But fewer Mainers are making the trip north across the border this summer, and the nation's tourism industry is on the brink of what some Canadian officials say is a crisis. Keith Shortall reports.

Medical Professionals Engage in Literature Discussions

Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers are busy people -- too busy, you would imagine, to sit around talking about books.But a literature discussion program for medical professionals, started in Maine 11 years ago, is enjoying huge success. The Literature in Medicine program was established by the Maine Humanities Council and now receives major funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It has spread to 20 states as well as overseas, and inspired a recently-published anthology of selected poetry and prose, called "Imagine What It's Like." Interviewed by Tom Porter, Liz Sinclair of the Maine Humanities Council says the program is a way for healthcare professionals of all different disciplines to get together and reflect on their work.

Electronic Medical Demonstration Project Delayed

Members of the Dirigo Health board of directors learned today that Maine will have wait a year to take part in a federally funded demonstration project aimed at encouraging doctors to convert to electronic medical records systems. The state was approved for inclusion in the $29 million incentive grant last April. As A.J. Higgins reports, Maine doctors hope to learn from the handful of other states chosen to launch the project.

Aroostook County Economic Outlook - Part 1

Morning Edition host Irwin Gratz hears, in an interview, that nothern-most Maine is escaping some of the worst of the economic downdrafts.

PolitickerME

Bringing a gun to a knife fight

Yarmouth recount: A tale of three ballots

Maine News for Monday, July 7, 2008

Portland Press Herald
Lakes Region bus may fall victim to high fuel prices
Towns want the service, but it's hard for them to come up with the money.

Race is on to keep bulbs with mercury out of waste stream
Ecomaine will monitor recycling efforts closely as Mainers begin discarding millions of the bulbs.

Lobsterman battled fire before boat sank
Greg Lawson emptied two extinguishers before putting on a survival suit and jumping overboard.

Still planning a trip, even in hunker-down economy
A gathering of about 150 people in Portland shows the well-off put a priority on vacation spending.

Saddled with high costs
Hay and grain prices have officials worried that Mainers won't be able to properly care for their horses.

From Sunday
The Knock on Wood
It's only July, but if you haven't bought your stove and fuel for the winter, you may be too late.

Editorial
EditorialsSenate candidates get energy policy right
Help for those struggling with high fuel costs and a good long-term plan is the correct path.

Cell-phone laws should prove if bans are worth it
California and Washington are the latest states to outlaw hand-held phones by drivers.

Medicare information card puts patients at risk for ID theft
This is a classic case of the government's left hand not knowing what the right hand does.

LEIGH DONALDSONWhat's really behind America's attachment to 'things'

Bonnie Titcomb Lewis Special to the Press HeraldPolitics shouldn't make us enemies
It's one thing to debate issues with vigor, but it's something else to assassinate character.

Letters
Overzealous zoning has drawbacks

There are no grounds to impeach President Bush

Attorney general has work to do yet in his own office

John Frary for Congress? Why not for president?

Upgrading the toll plaza is a cheaper alternative

Bangor Daily News

Experts: Renewable energy crucial for Maine
Monday, July 7, 2008
Former Gov. Angus King is calling it a 'catastrophe' and perhaps 'the most serious crisis ever to face the state of Maine.

Maine lawmakers worry about pre-convention politics
Monday, July 7, 2008
Congress is back in Washington this week after the Fourth of July recess, but members of Maine’s congressional delegation say they are concerned about how much will be accomplished before the monthlong recess for the national party conventions in August and September.

LURC deadline to comment on Plum Creek plan looms
Monday, July 7, 2008
Time is running out for the public to comment on proposed changes to Plum Creek Timber Co.'s historic development plan for the Moosehead Lake region.

Officials look out for fuel fraud
Monday, July 7, 2008
LEWISTON, Maine - Homeowners Paul and Linda Martin thought that $300 for two cords of green firewood seemed too good to be true. And the stack that was delivered seemed small.

Shellfish processors brace for red tide
Monday, July 7, 2008
ELLSWORTH, Maine - The 2005 season is generally considered among the worst for red tide closures, but officials with the Maine Department of Marine Resources fear this season could be even worse.

Red tide persists Down East, improves in southern Maine
Monday, July 7, 2008
BANGOR, Maine - The areas of the Down East coast open to shellfish harvesting are continuing to shrink because of the presence of toxic red tide.

Former business owner sued over oil cleanup
Monday, July 7, 2008
PITTSFIELD, Maine — J. Kenton Wright, former owner of J.K. Wright Inc., a Chevrolet dealership and repair business on Somerset Avenue, is being sued by the state for his share of cleanup costs at a Plymouth Superfund site.

From Saturday
Credits available for energy upgrades
Saturday, July 5, 2008
People who make energy efficiency improvements to their homes are eligible for a number of tax credits but not nearly as many as are available to small businesses.

Tighten homes now for winter
Saturday, July 5, 2008
With new record fuel prices arriving daily and another New England winter looming, many Maine homeowners are exploring every possible avenue to make their abodes more energy-efficient.

Editorial
Flip-Flop Findings
Monday, July 7, 2008
Universities and colleges do research every day that leads to improvements in our lives. But occasionally there are studies that result in nothing more than a collective shrug, often because their results are so obvious.

Work This Way … Or Else
Monday, July 7, 2008
When unemployment creeps up and finding another job is made more difficult by the high cost of gas, the balance of power in the worker-employer relationship tips toward the employer. Don't like the dozen new tasks heaped onto your workday? There’s the door, the boss may say.

Anne L. Head: Addressing abuse, exploitation of seniors
Responding to Gov. John Baldacci's call for state government to actively address the needs of Maine's expanding older population, the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation is stepping up its consumer protection efforts aimed at seniors.

July 7 Letters to the Editor

Kennebec Journal
CHARACTER BUILDING Gov. Curtis Homestead a landmark land trust property
LEEDS -- A spindly asparagus stalk stretches its limbs into the breeze. The tough old relic is a tender reminder of what this hard-knock little stretch of central Maine farming land once produced.

High costs pinch owners of horses
AUGUSTA -- The skyrocketing cost of fuel has boosted the price of hay and grain, forcing people to dig deeper into their pockets to feed their horses.

Beware bites of ticks
The annual number of Lyme disease cases has more than doubled since 1991. With last winter especially wet with snow, the conditions are ripe for the deer-tick tally to soar, warns the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Editorial

Online state corrections list needs review
The state's elected officials are right to ask the Department of Corrections to slow down on its plan to publish an online list of all state prison inmates and probationers.

Letters

Kim Davis a worthy candidate for Senate
Maine has been led, for as long as I can remember, by the liberal left and has spiraled out of control in the process. The liberal majority, along with a select few of those conservatives in sheep clothing, have raised our taxes, created ridiculous laws and regulations and continue to hinder our state's forward progression. Now is the time for Mainers to regain control of our government.

Sun Journal

Wealthy Americans ignore high gas prices, hit the road
PORTLAND - High gas prices may mean fewer families will be headed to the beach or the mountains this summer, but rising prices likely won't be keeping wealthy people from missing out on vacation.

Indoor fireworks cause blazing fire
SANFORD (AP) - The state fire marshal's office says a fire that damaged a 10-apartment building in Sanford was caused by a man setting off fireworks indoors.

Cruelty charges not first for suspect
SOMERVILLE (AP) - A Somerville dog breeder accused of aggravated animal cruelty faced similar criminal charges 14 years ago, at a time when she was not licensed to breed or kennel animals.

Candidates' Internet savvy: good or bad?
AUSTIN, Texas - A popular campaign theme among the perpetually plugged-in is just how Internet savvy the two presidential candidates are.

Candidates shape campaigns for Internet age
AUSTIN, Texas - John McCain is looking a little wired these days.

Editorial
Senate must take action to fund Medicare
As the nation recovers from the long holiday weekend, seniors and their physicians have little to celebrate. Procedural tactics in the Senate thwarted efforts to halt a harsh 10.6 percent cut in Medicare payments for physician services that began July 1, which will surely affect access to health care.

PolitickerME
State House and Senate candidates still not finalized

Times Record

High cost of oil turns focus back to wood...(full story)