PORTLAND

Person mishandles gun, suffers wound in the hand

Police are investigating an accidental shooting in which a person mishandled a gun and was shot in the hand.

The incident happened about 3:30 p.m. Thursday on Cornell Street, in the Morrill’s Corner neighborhood.

Police and rescue workers were called to a reported shooting and determined it was accidental. The person was cleaning the gun and it fired, police said.

New Hampshire man given four years on heroin charges

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A New Hampshire man has been sentenced in Maine to four years in prison on heroin charges.

Federal prosecutors say 30-year-old Derek Parker of Gonic, N.H., pleaded guilty in November 2013 to conspiracy to distribute heroin.

He was sentenced Thursday to a prison term, followed by three years of probation.

Court records say Parker was obtaining 10 to 20 grams of heroin nearly every day and distributing the drug to customers in Maine and southern New Hampshire.

Parker and 13 other people were indicted on conspiracy charges last April.

Authorities say the arrests were made after a joint investigation by Maine and New Hampshire law enforcement and federal officials. 

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BOSTON

DEP chief: EPA wood rules may be burden on Mainers

The commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection says proposed restrictions on burning wood are a concern for Mainers.

Commissioner Patricia Aho said stricter emission requirements outlined in a draft rule by the Environmental Protection Agency could be prohibitively expensive in a state that relies on wood for heating.

In a public hearing Wednesday in Boston, she said the draft rule did not include all types of wood stoves and placed the burden of compliance on the shoulders of an aging Maine population. She noted that many residents burn wood because it is less expensive than heating oil.

The draft rule is the first time the EPA has updated residential wood heating standards since 1988. It is due to become law in 2015.

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SANFORD

Carbon monoxide detector may have saved woman

A working carbon monoxide detector may have saved a Sanford woman’s life Thursday morning.

The woman called for help around 7:05 a.m. after the detector went off in her home at 19 Clinton St.. She also smelled burning sulphur, said Ron Grondin, a captain with the Sanford Fire Department.

Grondin said fire department medics monitored the carbon monoxide levels in her blood and decided not to send her to the hospital, but carbon monoxide levels inside the two-story home were 80 parts per million – more than double the levels that trigger a detector.

Grondin said the home’s oil burning furnace malfunctioned, allowing the odorless, lethal gas to leak into the home. The smell of sulphur was caused by the furnace not burning oil properly.

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The woman had turned her furnace off by the time firefighters arrived. The home was ventilated by firefighters and the woman was able to return.

KITTERY

Police seek man who stole rifle from Trading Post

Kittery police are seeking the public’s help in locating a man who recently entered the Kittery Trading Post, bought ammunition, and then disassembled a rifle and walked out of the store without paying for it.

Kittery police posted a security photograph of the suspect on their Facebook page Thursday, as well as a photograph of what appears to be a dark Chevy Cruze the man was driving.

According to police, the man entered the store – no date was given for when the theft took place – and purchased ammunition.

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The man then walked over to the firearm display rack and disassembled a Ruger 10-22 rifle. He hid the rifle in his jacket and left the store.

Anyone with information concerning the theft should contact Detective Ray Hazen at 439-1638.

GORHAM

Students gather in memory of three who died recently

Dozens of students gathered on the Gorham and Portland campuses Thursday to remember the lives of three University of Southern Maine students who died over the university’s vacation week.

All three students in their late teens and early 20s died in separate, unrelated incidents, according to USM spokesman Robert Caswell.

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Caswell said the gatherings at the Woodbury Campus Center in Portland at noon and the Brooks Student Center in Gorham on Thursday night were intended to support friends and classmates of the students, who died between Feb. 15 and 24.

“We wanted to remind people that they belong to a community that cares about them,” Caswell said Thursday night. Joy Pufhal, Executive Director of Student Life and Dean of Students, spoke at the gatherings.

Caswell identified two of the students, but said the university does not have permission from the third student’s family to identify him. The male student’s death remains under investigation by the Gorham Police Department. He died in an off-campus home in Gorham during winter vacation week.

Brandon Hodges, 18, of Livermore died unexpectedly at his home on Feb. 19. He had been a resident of Anderson Hall and was part of the science and engineering residential community. He was born in Farmington and attended schools in Livermore Falls.

English major Jordan Maroon, 22, of Winslow died in a single-vehicle crash in China on Feb. 21. Police said his car slid off the road and struck a utility pole.


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