LEBANON

Man, 34, dies from injuries week after being hit by car

A pedestrian who was hit by a car last week died Monday at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Jason Cole, Lebanon’s assistant rescue chief, identified the victim in a press release Monday night as Ryan Kelley, 34, of Lebanon.

“Ryan led a very strong fight to try to survive but in the end the injuries were too serious,” Cole said. “Ryan was very well known and liked in the community.”

State police say Kelley was walking on the right side of Milton Mills Road just before 5 p.m. on Dec. 2 when a passing car hit him. Kelley was wearing dark clothes at the time.

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Kelley was taken by ambulance to Goodall Hospital in Sanford before being transferred to Maine Medical Center.

PORTLAND

Vigil in Monument Square will honor Nelson Mandela

Mayor Michael Brennan and city leaders will host a candlelight vigil Tuesday night in honor of Nelson Mandela, who died Thursday at the age of 95.

The city is inviting the Portland community to join in honoring the life and legacy of Mandela, who led the fight against the apartheid government in South Africa.

During the service, which will begin at 5 p.m. in Monument Square, the South African national anthem will be sung and there will be a poetry reading.

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“We do want to join the rest of the world in remembering and celebrating Nelson Mandela, and the values he fought for,” Brennan said in a news release.

Brennan said Portland school officials will attend the vigil and will announce an initiative that honors Mandela’s belief in the power of education.

Jet carrying 47 people lands safely despite malfunction

A United Airlines jet carrying 47 passengers landed safely Monday night at the Portland International Jetport after its pilot reported that the aircraft’s nose landing gear was malfunctioning.

Paul Bradbury, the jetport’s director, said the flight from Newark, N.J. contacted air traffic controllers at 8:28 p.m. to let them know that the jet’s onboard monitoring system had detected a mechanical malfunction in the nose landing gear. Bradbury said the nose wheel is used to steer an airplane once it has landed.

Emergency response crews stood by as the jet landed without incident at 8:51 p.m.

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Bradbury said he did not know what caused the landing gear to malfunction.

Christmas party organizers seek donations for children

Donations are being sought for the annual Munjoy Hill Mothers Club Christmas Party, scheduled for Dec. 22 at the East End Community School in Portland.

The decades-old event was founded by longtime Munjoy Hill resident Marie Trott, who died in 2011.

Since then, the tradition has been carried on by her children, Linda York and Stephen Trott.

“We are looking for donations to help put a smile on the faces of kids who otherwise would go without,” York said.

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To donate, call York at 518-3169 or Trott at 653-2341. Or donations can be dropped off or mailed to York’s home at 17 Merrill St., Portland 04101 or Trott’s home at 315 Woodford St., Portland 04101.

AUGUSTA

Panel recommends plan to arm Maine’s forest rangers

A task force is recommending that the state’s forest rangers be armed incrementally over a period of several years.

The report by the group led by Public Safety Commissioner John Morris says some members initially opposed arming rangers but agreed to back a proposal to allow a small group to carry firearms for a trial period.

The group was formed by an executive order from Gov. Paul LePage last spring because he said he needed more information before deciding on a bill that would arm Maine’s rangers.

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Critics say arming rangers is unnecessary and would transform their role and relationship with the public. But rangers say their job sometimes puts them in contact with dangerous people in remote locations. 

Clean election group says outside influence on the rise

Maine Citizens for Clean Elections says outside money is pouring into Maine in such a way that it’s difficult to track who’s behind the money.

A report released Monday said money from outside groups seeking to influence Maine legislatives races grew by more than 500 percent from 2008 to 2012. The report says some nonprofits shielded corporate or individual donors behind those expenditures, transferring money multiple times before a donation is made.

BJ McCollister from the Maine Citizens for Clean Elections said it’s gotten to the point that voters “are hearing more from outside groups than from the candidates themselves.”

FREEPORT

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Taste test coming up for state’s water districts

Maine water utilities are squaring off this week in a competition for which one has the best-tasting water.

The Maine Rural Water Association will hold its 27th annual water taste test Thursday in Freeport.

For the testing, water districts compete in chlorinated and non-chlorinated categories. The winners in each category then compete in a “taste-off” to determine the winner, which will represent the state in the national taste test in Washington, D.C., in February.

Fryeburg Water Co. was last year’s winner.

BANGOR

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Insurance bureau offers answers on health care law

Maine insurance regulators are continuing their tour of the state to educate residents about changes occurring under the federal health care overhaul.

The Maine Bureau of Insurance will hold a public informational session on the Affordable Care Act in the Lecture Hall at the Bangor Public Library on Tuesday.

Officials will answer questions about the new federal health insurance marketplace.

Enrollment on the exchange opened Oct. 1.

Residents have until Dec. 23 to sign up for coverage that goes into effect by Jan. 1, but open enrollment will continue through March.

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ORONO

Suspect arrested in stabbing that left two men injured

Police say they made an arrest after two men were injured, one of them seriously, during a fight in a rooming house.

Officers went to the Park Street building after 2 p.m. Sunday and found a 50-year-old man suffering from life-threatening stab wounds. He was taken to a Bangor hospital.

Police said 21-year-old Dorian Guerin was charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

 


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