PORTLAND

Bangor Savings Bank gives $10,000 to Hall Elementary

Bangor Savings Bank donated $10,000 to the Hall Elementary School on Wednesday, to help teachers and students replace some of the items they lost in a fire early Monday that forced the school’s closure.

The $10,000 check was presented to Hall teachers and staff at Deering High School. The teachers and staff have been using the high school as a temporary workplace until the Hall school reopens Monday.

Books and classroom supplies were destroyed by water and smoke, items that had taken teachers as long as a decade to acquire, said Superintendent Emmanuel Caulk.

Bangor Savings Bank’s Brighton Avenue branch is a longtime business partner of Hall school.

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“Hall school is our neighbor,” said Jim MacLeod, the bank’s senior vice president, in a statement. “We were shocked and saddened to learn of the fire at Hall Elementary School that damaged classrooms and displaced teachers and students. I am honored to present this check and hope it will help the teachers and students at Hall school recover from this loss.”

 

Task force will hold forum on reuse of Clifford school

The future use of the former Nathan Clifford Elementary School will be the subject of a public forum on Oct. 2.

The Nathan Clifford Re-Use Advisory Task Force will hold the meeting at 5:30 p.m. in Room 209 at City Hall.

The City Council appointed the task force to gather information about the historic building and recommend preferred uses.

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The task force will present information on the current condition of the building and seek ideas for reuse. It will report its findings to the council’s Housing and Community Development Committee.

Opened in 1909, the school on Falmouth Street closed more than a year ago, when it was replaced by the Ocean Avenue Elementary School.

 

Man accused of defrauding friends faces federal charges

A Boothbay Harbor man who is accused of bilking friends out of more than $900,000 in an investment scheme faces federal charges of wire fraud.

The FBI said Garrett Denniston, 62, persuaded at least five victims, some of whom had known him for almost 30 years, to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in his business dealings, guaranteeing them high yields.

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One couple gave him $300,000 from 2005 to 2008, and when they tried to get their money back, Denniston made excuses and then last year sent an email saying he had lost all of their money and apologized for his dishonesty, according to an FBI affidavit.

Special Agent David Ford, based in Connecticut, where Denniston lived and conducted his alleged scheme, said Denniston spent the money on country club memberships, a car loan, his mortgage, apartment rent, airfare, hotels, restaurants and furniture and gave thousands to family members. He also paid at least $75,000 to a Boothbay Harbor construction company that a witness said was remodeling Denniston’s home there, the court papers said.

From 2009 to June of this year, Denniston continued to solicit investments from other people with similar promises, the court papers said. An arrest warrant for him was issued out of Connecticut on Tuesday.

Denniston faces a fine of up to $1 million and prison of up to 30 years. Prosecutors have asked that Denniston be held pending trial because they are afraid he might flee to avoid prosecution.

 

King campaign announces new set of endorsements

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U.S. Senate candidate Angus King has a new set of endorsements.

The groups endorsing King include the Maine Credit Union League, New England Regional Council of Carpenters, American Nurse Association — Maine, National Wildlife Federation, and the Professional Firefighters of Maine. The Sierra Club announced its endorsement earlier this week.

John Martell, president of the Professional Firefighters of Maine, said in a statement released by the campaign that firefighters like King’s willingness to reach across party lines.

King is the independent front-runner in the race to replace Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. A new poll released Wednesday shows King continues to lead, although anti-King advertising has cut into the margin.

GEORGETOWN

Marine patrol investigating boat crash that injured three

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A boat crash Monday night on the Sheepscot River that injured three people remains under investigation by the Maine Marine Patrol.

Sgt. Danny White said the recreational fishing boat that ran aground on Turnip Island was owned and operated by Glenn Wise, 76. White said Wise, who lives in Florida, is a seasonal resident of MacMahon Island in Georgetown.

White said the boat, which was traveling to MacMahon after the sun had set, hit ledge. Turnip Island is at the southern tip of MacMahon Island.

Wise was not injured but his three passengers were taken to Maine Medical Center. White described the injuries as broken bones, bumps and bruises.

WISCASSET

Waldoboro woman indicted in boyfriend’s fatal shooting

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A grand jury has indicted a Waldoboro woman in the shooting death of her boyfriend in July.

Arline Lawless, 25, was indicted last week for intentional or knowing murder in the death of Norman Benner, 34, of Waldoboro.

Lawless was arrested in August as she was discharged from Spring Harbor treatment center in Westbrook.

Benner’s body was discovered in the couple’s home when family members went to check on him on July 23. He had been shot in the head. Police say Lawless also shot herself.

The Bangor Daily News reported that she is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.

AUGUSTA

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Fish kill in Lake Auburn is under investigation

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is investigating a large fish kill in Lake Auburn caused by a lack of oxygen.

The fish kill, which began late last week, involves lake trout or togue, some suckers and other deep-dwelling lake fish.

Regional fisheries biologist Francis Brautigam said the lack of dissolved oxygen in the cooler, deeper parts of the lake causes fish to suffocate.

The Auburn Water District and Lewiston Water Division are cooperating with state biologists to monitor increased algae activity on Lake Auburn. Public drinking water quality has not been affected.

Lake Auburn has long been a good lake trout fishery with high water quality. But it’s been added to the state’s watch list as a result of deteriorating water quality and fall algae bloom.

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MDOT worker found guilty of stealing workers comp

A Maine Department of Transportation worker has been convicted of stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of workers compensation benefits by doing strenuous work at his home when he was supposedly too hurt to go to work.

Clinton Ashby III of Pembroke was found guilty on Tuesday in Kennebec County Superior Court of theft by deception. Prosecutors said he collected about $15,000 worth of benefits last year.

Prosecutors said he was videotaped swinging a sledge hammer, using a crow bar and running heavy equipment at a home construction project while claiming to be too disabled to work at his job as a bridge maintenance engineer for the state.

Sentencing is scheduled for next week.

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AUBURN

Former cheerleader suing over head injuries in 2010

A former Poland Regional High School cheerleader has sued her coach and the school district for head injuries she says she received during practice.

Olivia Doyer of Mechanic Falls and her parents, Douglas and Roxanne Doyer, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Androscoggin County Superior Court.

They are seeking unspecified damages related to ongoing medical expenses.

The complaint says that in March 2010, Olivia Doyer fell to the floor while practicing a stunt, suffering neck and brain injuries, including a concussion. She told the Sun Journal she suffered the aftereffects of a concussion, which plagued her for more than a year with physical symptoms and limited her academic progress.

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She said she couldn’t turn her head without getting dizzy, was bothered by bright light and slept a lot.

BLUE HILL

Woman could face charges of killing boyfriend with car

Police are investigating the death of a man who was killed when his girlfriend allegedly ran over him with her car during an argument.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office said Andrew Ray, 31, of Deer Isle and his girlfriend, Kimberly Phelan, 29, also of Deer isle, had been drinking earlier in the night when they got into an argument in Blue Hill about 4:30 a.m. Saturday.

Deputy Chief Richard Bishop told the Bangor Daily News that Ray was outside the car, arguing with Phelan, when she hit the gas, went in reverse and ran over Ray. He died at Blue Hill Memorial Hospital.

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Authorities are awaiting blood-alcohol test results. Investigators plan to submit evidence to the District Attorney’s Office to determine whether charges are warranted.

BROWNVILLE

Mom of 13 accused of trying to hire man to kill husband

The mother of 13 children has been charged with trying to hire someone to kill her husband of 30 years.

Police say Wendy Farley, 46, was charged Tuesday with criminal solicitation for murder.

Police Chief Nick Clukey said his department got a tip last week from someone who said he had been offered money by a woman to kill the woman’s husband. He did not say how much money.

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Clukey told the Bangor Daily News that police in the central Maine community set up a sting to record conversations between the informant and Farley and made the arrest based on those recordings.

Farley is being held on $75,000 bail. It was not clear if she had hired a lawyer.

PROSPECT

Car’s driver killed in crash with dump truck on 1A

Fire officials say one person died Wednesday in a collision between a car and a dump truck.

WZON-AM said the truck and the car collided Wednesday morning, killing the driver of the car and forcing the closure of Route 1A in Prospect.

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Chief Deputy Jeff Trafton said the car crossed the center line on a clear, straight stretch of highway. He said a witness corroborated the dump truck driver’s version.

The dump truck ended up in a ditch and the car was mangled.

BANGOR

Medway man gets 10 years for trying to run down cop

A Medway man who tried to run down an Orono police officer, then led police on a 15-mile, high-speed chase in January will get a 10-year prison sentence.

The Bangor Daily News reported that Lauren MacArthur pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges including two counts of assault on a police officer, reckless conduct, refusal to submit to arrest and criminal speeding. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a charge of aggravated attempted murder.

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Police said MacArthur, 27, tried to run down an Orono police sergeant who was directing traffic after a University of Maine hockey game, then led police on a chase through three towns that reached speeds up to 100 mph.

He also faces federal charges in connection with two guns found abandoned near where his vehicle was eventually stopped.

BOSTON

Lawmakers petition leaders for federal relief for fishery

Two dozen legislators have written to congressional leaders to ask for $100 million in disaster relief funding to help the Northeast’s fishing industry survive coming cuts.

The letter dated Monday was signed by congressmen and senators from around the region, and follows last week’s federal declaration of a commercial fishery failure in the Northeast.

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The declaration opens up the possibility of significant federal aid, but doesn’t guarantee it.

In the letter, lawmakers noted fishermen are facing massive cuts in their catch limits in 2013 — over 70 percent in some species. They added that fishermen aren’t to blame for the struggling stocks because they’ve followed rules to stop overfishing.

They said the aid is needed to preserve the industry, and asked that it be directed toward areas such as fishery science, economic development and for industry expenses.

 


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