SEBAGO

Sand in road a likely cause of motorcycle crash Sunday

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department is urging motorcyclists to use caution after the department responded to a crash in Sebago on Sunday that left one rider injured.

Sheriff Kevin Joyce said 56-year-old Harry Milton of Portland lost control of his bike on Douglas Mountain Road around 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Joyce said the secondary road was covered with sand – from winter sanding operations – which likely contributed to the crash.

Milton, who was not wearing a helmet, was thrown from his motorcycle and suffered a head injury along with abrasions. Milton did not require hospitalization, according to the Standish dispatch center.

Joyce said the accident should remind motorcyclists that secondary roads can be hazardous because of potholes and sand left over from winter road-clearing operations.

LEWISTON

Analysis finds CEOs at small hospitals paid large salaries

An analysis shows that most chief executives at small Maine hospitals earn $230,000 to $330,000, and some also receive perks such as car allowances.

The analysis by the Sun Journal of Lewiston found that one small hospital spent $80,000 on lobbying, nearly twice as much as the larger Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems.

Many of Maine’s hospitals are small, rural and classified as critical-access, which earns them more taxpayer money in the form of higher Medicare reimbursements. Maine has nine such hospitals licensed for no more than 25 acute-care beds.

The analysis looked at the most recent tax forms for Maine’s very small, critical-access hospitals.

Hospital executives’ pay has come under scrutiny at the State House recently. One bill to cap executives’ salaries died in committee.

BANGOR

Husson University offering four new degree programs

Maine’s Husson University is offering four new degree programs beginning next fall.

Husson officials say they’ll be offering bachelor’s degrees in forensic science, software development, environmental science and hospitality and tourism management.

Husson President Robert Clark said the programs aim to provide students with an education that will lead to professional careers.

The forensic science program will lead to positions with crime laboratories, police departments or in other medical related fields. The hospitality and tourism management program will provide skills in guest service, tourism and travel.

The environmental science program aims to prepare students for positions with government agencies, private environmental organizations, or graduate school in scientific or policy-related disciplines. The software development program aims to prepare students to develop, create and modify computer software.

HARPSWELL

Lobstermen volunteering to try to hook ‘ghost gear’

Lobstermen off Maine’s midcoast are out fishing – for lost lobster traps, buoys and other lost gear.

The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation is hosting a two-day recovery effort today and Tuesday in the waters off Harpswell, where volunteers will try to snag lost gear and bring it ashore to be disposed of and recycled.

“Ghost gear” – traps, fishing nets and other fishing gear – can cause problems for navigation and for harvesting lobsters and other seafood.

The effort is a continuation of a two-year ghost gear program that was launched last year.

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