News from March 9, 2012

March 9, 2012

Village Soup news operations shut down

The owner of Village NetMedia publications announces the newspapers will shut down immediately, putting 56 employees out of work.

March 10, 2012

Polar Bears knocked out of NCAA tournament Several photos included in this story

Bowdoin erases an early deficit but eventually falls victim to an undefeated opponent.

March 10, 2012

LePage to propose restructuring DHHS

The bill would eliminate some jobs, but the governor's spokeswoman said the bill has nothing to do with the recent MaineCare computer glitch.

March 10, 2012

Millinocket officials: LePage lying about landfill agreement

Town officials have released correspondence between the town and state, which they say proves LePage isn't telling the truth.

March 9, 2012

King supports Obama for re-election

In the past, the former Maine governor and current U.S. Senate candidate has also supported Republicans, including George W. Bush during the 2000 election.

March 9, 2012

Readfield fun day on Saturday is canceled



March 9, 2012

Pennsylvania zoo gives aging gorilla a bunny companion

The Erie Zoo's gorilla, Samantha, had been without a full-time friend since the death of Rudy, a male gorilla, in 2005.

March 9, 2012

L.L. Bean's sales near pre-recession levels

Sales grow of 5.5 percent over the past year, prompting the company's board today to grant employees a 3 percent bonus.

March 9, 2012

Consent agreement approved in trooper OUI case

Maine State Police trooper Robin Parker, who pleaded guilty last month to driving under the influence, must avoid any disqualifying conduct for three years.

March 9, 2012

Maine company launches gas-price app

The app, called Octane, gives drivers the locations of nearby gas stations and up-to-date fuel prices.

March 9, 2012

Ohio officials say gas-drilling waste behind earthquakes

A dozen earthquakes shook northeast Ohio from March 2011 through New Year's Eve. The largest was magnitude 4.0.

March 9, 2012

Pope denounces gay marriage lobby to U.S. bishops

Pope Benedict says a weakened appreciation for marriage between man and woman has contributed to "grave social problems bearing an immense human and economic cost."

March 9, 2012

New England braces for winter moth surge

Winter moths can cause massive defoliation, and have already been detected in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

March 9, 2012

In city where dogs run wild, no-kill shelter takes action Video clip included

Detroit residents are abandoning their dogs because they can't afford to keep them, creating "a homeless epidemic of these animals."

March 9, 2012

Pair face charges related to Augusta pharmacy robberies

Two area men are facing charges in connection with a pair of pharmacy robberies last month.

March 9, 2012

Survey ranks Google highly despite privacy fears

83 percent of the respondents rate Google as their preferred search engine – up from 47 percent in 2004

March 9, 2012

Strong 3 months of hiring as US adds 277,000 jobs Video clip included

Since the beginning of December, the country has added 734,000 jobs as the economy continues to gain strength.

March 9, 2012

Robbery thwarted: Waldoboro bank locks doors on attempted robber

Employees of a Waldoboro bank prevented a robbery this week by spotting a suspicious man outside and quickly locking the bank's doors so he couldn't get in.

March 9, 2012

Mormon church restricts access to Jewish names

Critics say the new system merely serves to block anyone from monitoring whether the church is ending its practice of posthumous baptisms.

March 9, 2012

Oxford County burglar gets 2 years in prison

The 21-year-old man was charged with breaking into homes and businesses in Norway, Otisfield, Waterford, Stoneham, Greenwood and Sweden.

March 9, 2012

Maine state workers union complaint heads to trial

A judge rules that the LePage administration must stand trial before the Labor Relations Board on charges that it negotiated in bad faith and interfered with workers' rights.

March 9, 2012

Police seeking motive in Pittsburgh clinic shootings

One person was killed, six were wounded and a seventh suffered unspecified injuries. All of the wounded are expected to survive.

March 9, 2012

$100 or $1,000? Wide price range for birth control

Questions about cost and access to birth control have been swirling for weeks now, intensifying after a Georgetown University law school student testified before congressional Democrats in support of a federal policy to pay for contraception.

March 9, 2012

Solar storm shakes Earth's magnetic field

After reports Thursday of the storm fizzling out, a surge of activity prompted space weather forecasters to issue alerts about changes in the magnetic field.

March 9, 2012

Police: Driver killed in Eddington crash was texting

Police say 44-year-old Tracy McPhee of West Enfield was sending and receiving text messages in the moments before Wednesday night's crash.

March 9, 2012

11 Maine troopers complete specialized training

Gov. Paul LePage and Col. Robert Williams, chief of the state police, will speak at today's graduation, at the academy in Vassalboro.

March 9, 2012

Man who hit boy while passing school bus indicted

Windham police said the bus was stopped with its yellow lights flashing on the morning of Dec. 22.

March 9, 2012

SNAPSHOT: Sap sucker

Shelley Bacon checks a vacuum pump in a maple grove Wednesday afternoon in Sidney. She said that plastic tubes are hooked up to about 1,800 trees stretching a mile up from the road. The sap will later be boiled into syrup at her family’s business, Bacon Farm Maple Products, at the corner of Pond and Goodhue Roads in Sidney. The state will celebrate Maine Maple Sunday on March 25.

March 9, 2012

Somerville woman guilty on 7 counts

AUGUSTA -- A Somerville woman on Thursday admitted bringing Klonopin pills with her to jail and stealing items from a pharmacy in Waterville and a dress from an Augusta store.

March 9, 2012

Vienna proposed budget moves up $16,000

VIENNA -- The $497,517 municipal budget proposal voters will tackle at the annual Town Meeting Saturday is up $16,000 from last year to fund more road work.

March 9, 2012

Farmingdale, Gardiner agree on boundary line

GARDINER -- City councilors have accepted a boundary line agreement with Farmingdale that won't affect property owners, but may create minor confusion for code enforcement.

March 9, 2012

Bruising fight over gay marriage expected in Maine

Foes and supporters of same-sex marriage are gearing up for five costly and bruising statewide showdowns in the coming months on an issue that evenly divides Americans.

March 9, 2012

Wintle facing 45 days in jail

AUGUSTA -- A former state legislator will spend 45 days in jail for pulling a gun on a stranger last May in a parking lot in Waterville.

March 9, 2012

Military excise-tax exemption on Pittston ballot

PITTSTON -- Voters on at the annual town meeting on March 17 will be asked to exempt active-duty military personnel from paying a vehicle excise tax.

March 9, 2012

BRIEFS

AUGUSTA -- A truck full of free food will serve as a temporary food pantry in the parking lot next to Lithgow Library today.

March 9, 2012

Community rallies for Maine 6-year-old facing fourth open heart surgery

Andy McLean faced some of the worst moments of his life recently. His little girl needed yet another heart surgery and he had no way to pay.

March 9, 2012

Norridgewock selectman can't serve; did not collect all bills as treasurer

NORRIDGEWOCK -- A fired town worker was elected this week to be a selectman, but she will not officially serve until the board can resolve a problem of unpaid sewer bills.

March 9, 2012

Bingham couple reflects on fire, loss of their pets

BINGHAM -- The house was cold when Melissa Nelson, 34, and Brad Zinkovitch, 37, arrived home Tuesday night, so Zinkovitch said he decided to do something he'd never done before: pour chainsaw oil in the wood stove to restart a fire.

March 9, 2012

State Senate votes to remove 'matching funds' from campaigns

AUGUSTA -- Efforts to patch up a gaping hole left by the courts in Maine's public campaign financing law failed Thursday as the state Senate voted to remove the so-called "matching fund" provision from the law. The bill faces further House and Senate votes.

March 9, 2012

Limbaugh protesters deliver petition to Portland station

SOUTH PORTLAND -- The controversy over "The Rush Limbaugh Show" continued in the Portland area Thursday as protesters delivered a petition to WGAN-AM, a lawsuit was filed against a local marketing firm and more companies asked the radio station not to air their ads during Limbaugh's program.

March 9, 2012

Democrat Sheive seeks House District 56 seat

AUGUSTA -- Doreen Sheive has announced that she's running as a Democrat for House District 56, serving the city's east side and part of the west side.

March 9, 2012

Fish breeding business debated, but no vote taken

AUGUSTA -- A proposal to change zoning rules to accommodate a potential new tropical fish breeding business has some worried about what the new zoning could bring to a large part of the city.

March 9, 2012

SNAPSHOT: Spring in the air

Men play basketball Thursday in Augusta as temperatures reached a high of nearly 60 degrees. Temperatures are forecast to be in the 30s this weekend but will jump to 50 degrees to start next week. For a detailed forecast, see A8.

March 9, 2012

SNAPSHOT: Tightening the load

Harry Dwyer of Fayette secures a load of hay that he collected at Maine Lee Morgan Horse Farm in Manchester on Wednesday. Dwyer, a forester and logger, was picking up feed for his mustangs while waiting for the woods to dry.

March 9, 2012

Former Gov. John Baldacci delays public decision on Senate

John Baldacci PORTLAND — The third big-name Democrat to consider a Senate run in Maine — former Gov. John Baldacci — expects to take his time before announcing any decision because his current Pentagon job poses an obstacle to a possible candidacy for now.

March 9, 2012

POLICE



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