SANFORD

Fire Marshal’s Office called to Sanford for fatal blaze

The state Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a fatal fire that broke out Tuesday night.

Steve McCausland, spokesman for the fire marshal, said one person died in the fire at 9 Armand Lane.

McCausland said two state fire investigators headed to Sanford on Tuesday night.

According to initial police reports, a body was found inside a garage, but McCausland could not provide any additional details about what might have happened.

The fire was reported just after 9 p.m.

SORRENTO

Missing teen found safe after police track her computer

Police say a teenage girl who’s been missing since Saturday has been found safe.

State police said 14-year-old Hanna Snider of Sorrento was found in Thomaston on Tuesday afternoon after police used technology to track her computer use. Police say she was with her 16-year-old boyfriend.

Authorities said Snider left her home Saturday night and was discovered missing by her parents Sunday morning. She sent a text message saying she was OK. 

BIDDEFORD

Man held in crack sale was out on bail for same crime

A Massachusetts man faces charges of dealing crack cocaine in Biddeford after already being charged with the same crime in Boston.

Officers with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and Biddeford police arrested Daniel Brown, 27, of Boston on Monday at 4:30 p.m. on Libby Lane, police said. Brown has been traveling from Boston to Biddeford in recent weeks to sell crack cocaine, police said.

Police say they seized 43 grams worth $5,000. Brown is out on bail after being charged with selling crack in Boston in March 2010. He is being held on $100,000 bail in York County Jail and is scheduled to appear in York County Superior Court on Dec. 21.

PORTLAND

United Continental flight returns after hitting bird

A United Continental Airlines flight returned to the Portland Jetport on Tuesday afternoon after hitting a bird shortly after take-off, but following an inspection, was able to take off again.

Flight 5864, a 50-seat commuter plane bound for Washington, D.C., was diverted back to Portland after the pilot reported striking a bird at about 2:30 p.m., said Airport Director Paul Bradbury. About 40 people were aboard the plane, which finally left at 3:37 p.m.   

Migrating geese can be a nuisance and a hazard at this time of year, but these birds were much smaller, which is probably why there was no damage, Bradbury said.

Unsuccessful purse snatcher drags woman to ground

Portland police are searching for a would-be purse snatcher who tried unsuccessfully to wrestle away a woman’s pocketbook Monday afternoon.

The 34-year-old woman and witnesses in the area of Spring and Cross streets reported that a man grabbed the purse at 2:20 p.m. and tried to yank it off the woman’s shoulder, but she held on, police said.

The man continued to pull, dragging the woman on the ground for a short distance until witnesses yelled at him and he ran away empty-handed, heading up Spring Street toward the Civic Center, police said.

Witness descriptions suggest a scrawny 5-foot-10-inch man who weighs 120 pounds. He is white with light-colored hair and was wearing a black hooded sweat shirt and jeans. Anyone with information is asked to call Portland police at 874-8533.

USM nursing students to get simulated hospital unit

The University of Southern Maine is opening a simulated hospital unit complete with computerized dummies to provide training for nursing students.

The idea of the hospital rooms and mannequins that can “breathe” and “talk” is to give students a chance to get as close as possible to the real thing. USM says research shows that nursing students who engage in simulations have greater retention of knowledge and skills, and are better prepared for their clinical placements.

Funding for the Simulation Center, which opens Thursday, was made possible through federal funding.

The USM School of Nursing is the largest program in Maine, with 545 undergraduate and graduate school students.

AUGUSTA

Woods groups, snowmobilers oppose creation of new park

A group representing wood-related industries and a prominent outdoors group are joining Maine snowmobilers in opposition to a feasibility study on the creation of a 70,000-acre national park east of Baxter State Park.

The Maine Forest Products Council said Tuesday it’s joining the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and Maine Snowmobile Association against the plan put forth by Roxanne Quimby. A major landowner and Burt’s Bees founder, Quimby has proposed creating a 70,000-acre national park adjacent to Baxter.

Patrick Strauch of the forest products council says the park would threaten the wood supply. The sportsman’s group is concerned about a loss of access by hunters and anglers.

The idea has drawn the attention of U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who held a meeting in Maine in August to hear what the public had to say.

PARIS

Jury rules ski resort not responsible for man’s fall

A jury has ruled that a Maine ski resort was not responsible for injuries suffered by a Bethel man who fell off a chairlift on a windy day.

The Oxford County Superior Court jury ruled Monday that injuries suffered at Sunday River in 2007 by 59-year-old Steven Sutton were accidental and the resort was not negligent in allowing the lift to run in high winds.

Sutton’s lawyer was seeking more than $2 million for medical bills, lost earnings and pain and suffering. Sutton suffered severe nerve damage in his right arm in the 12-foot fall.

The Sun Journal reported that a resort lawyer told the jury Sunday River met all industry safety standards and high winds atop a mountain are not unusual. A lawyer for Sutton refused comment.

SEARSPORT

Police say teen stole lobster boat because he needed ride

Police say a Searsport teenager accused of stealing a $250,000 racing lobster boat during the summer simply needed a ride across Penobscot Bay.

The 36-foot boat was reported missing Aug. 18 and was found undamaged the next day in Sedgwick.

Following a two-month investigation, police arrested 18-year-old Dakota O’Brien late last month on a charge of felony theft. Authorities said fingerprints helped lead to O’Brien.

O’Brien is being held on $500 cash bail and likely faces arraignment in December or January. The boat, First Team, is used both as a commercial fishing vessel and as a racing boat.

ROCHESTER, N.H.

Kittery man surrenders after two-hour standoff at home

Police in Rochester say a Maine man surrendered after a nearly two-hour standoff that put one school in lockdown.

Police say 63-year-old Lorin Gill of Kittery was arrested just after 2 p.m. Monday at a home he owns.

Foster’s Daily Democrat reports police believe Gill was involved in a domestic dispute with his wife in Maine, then headed to New Hampshire. He wouldn’t let police in and said he had a flare gun loaded with a shotgun round. Police said he fired the gun just before surrendering. 

Gill was charged with reckless conduct. No one was hurt.