Correction: An item on the College of the Atlantic’s upcoming commencement has been revised to correct the commencement date. It is June 4. It was an Associated Press error.

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MOUNT DESERT ISLAND

Elderly couple die after fire at their home on Route 102

The Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office said an elderly couple from Tremont have died following a fire at their Mount Desert Island home.

The victims were identified as 83-year-old Edmund Branch and his 78-year-old wife, Eileen Branch.

His body was found in the rubble of the basement Friday afternoon. His wife died at a Bangor hospital of severe burns early Saturday after being flown to the hospital.

Fire investigators are looking at commercial baking equipment in the basement as a possible cause of the fire. Edmund Branch baked for a local restaurant.

The fire was reported just before 3 p.m. Friday at the house on Route 102 in Seal Cove.

YORK

Teen arrested for stealing park benches, traffic cones

Police arrested a York teen late Friday on charges of criminal trespass and possession of stolen property.

Employees of a business in Long Sands Plaza on Long Sands Road reported hearing footsteps coming from the roof around 7:45 p.m. Friday.

Police responded, and officers said they saw the 16-year-old boy coming off the roof of the building.
With assistance from the York Village Fire Department, authorities used a ladder truck to gain access to the roof.

Police said they found two stolen park benches, one from Village Scoop and the other from York Library, and eight traffic cones, five of which were from Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home.

York police continue to investigate and are looking for anyone else who may be involved with the thefts.

AUGUSTA

Governor: Law will deliver affordable health insurance

Gov. Paul LePage said health insurance costs in Maine will soon be going down with the recently passed health insurance bill.

In his weekly radio address Saturday, LePage said more than 30 states have laws on the books that are similar to the bill he signed this month.

Despite what critics say, the governor said, the law delivers what consumers have been asking for – affordable health insurance.

He said it will allow companies to offer less-expensive insurance products to younger people, but shouldn’t result in higher premiums for older Mainers.

He also noted that by reducing their health care costs, companies will be able to spend more money creating jobs and providing workers with lower-priced insurance.

BRUNSWICK

Bowdoin College awards degrees to 443 students

Bowdoin College handed out degrees at its 206th graduation ceremony Saturday.

President Barry Mills presided over the commencement and awarded the degrees during the ceremonies. Of the 443 graduates, 55 were from Maine. In all, graduates came from 38 states and 10 foreign countries.

The college also awarded five honorary doctorates, including one to former Gov. John Baldacci.

Other recipients included Grammy Award-winning banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck, chemist and researcher Cynthia Friend, architectural history scholar Henry Millon and filmmaker and producer Mira Nair.

BAR HARBOR

Actress Alexander addresses College of Atlantic graduates

Actress Jane Alexander will deliver the keynote address at the College of the Atlantic’s 39th commencement this Saturday.

Eighty-seven students will be awarded degrees at the graduation ceremony in Bar Harbor.
Alexander has received two Emmy awards and a Tony award, and has been nominated for an Oscar four times. She is also the former head of the National Endowment for the Arts.

This year’s class included graduates from 11 countries and 24 states.

AUGUSTA

Man faces multiple charges after standoff with police

A 47-year-old man faces charges of domestic violence assault, criminal threatening, terrorizing and creating a police standoff after an altercation Saturday morning at an apartment on Penobscot Street.

Wayne M. Thompson allegedly assaulted a female around 1:50 a.m. Saturday. When Augusta police tried to speak with Thompson, he locked himself in the apartment, Lt. Kevin Lully said in a news release. The female victim, who did not need medical attention, had gone into a different apartment.

“During one brief encounter with police, Thompson became combative and brandished a knife before locking himself back in his apartment for the next several hours,” Lully said.

The apartment building was evacuated as the Maine State Police Tactical and Crisis Negotiation teams arrived and spoke with Thompson. He came out of the apartment and was arrested around 1 p.m.

MARLBOROUGH, N.H.

Soldier with ties to state killed in Afghanistan crash

The Department of Defense said a soldier with ties to New Hampshire has died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Chief Warrant Officer Christopher R. Thibodeau, 28, died Thursday in Paktika province, Afghanistan, from injuries during combat operations.

WMUR-TV reported that before serving the Army, Thibodeau attended Keene High School. He and his family later moved to Ohio.

A family friend said Thibodeau was living his dream of flying an Apache helicopter in the Army.
Thibodeau, an AH-64D attack pilot, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Hood, since August 2009.

This was his first deployment to Afghanistan.

BOSTON

Police: Drunk driver injured trooper in wrong-way crash

Massachusetts State Police said a woman driving drunk in Boston injured a trooper in a wrong-way crash.

Police said just after midnight Saturday, Trooper Brian Quigley saw a car driven by Cara Dellabarba of Weymouth headed the wrong way toward him on Morrissey Boulevard.

They said Quigley put on his emergency lights to stop her, but she hit his cruiser’s front left quarter.
Dellabarba, 28, tried to flee but troopers arrested her at the scene on charges including drunken driving and wrong-way operation.

Quigley was treated and released at a local hospital for a lower body injury.