AUGUSTA

Freeport farmers get award for voicing concerns to FDA

Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration has given an award to the owners of a Freeport farm for their contribution to Maine agriculture.

LePage and Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Commissioner Walt Whitcomb presented Ralph and Lisa Turner of Laughing Stock Farm with the award Tuesday.

LePage said in a statement that the Turners helped express Maine farmers’ concerns over federal rules to the Food and Drug Administration last year.

The award was presented at the Maine Agricultural Trade Show.

AUBURN

Former rising star in boxing fined for possession of drug

A Maine boxer who was once considered a rising star in the sport and is the son of a former world champion has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge.

The Sun Journal reported that Steven Gamache pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a scheduled drug and was fined $400 in Androscoggin County Superior Court on Monday.

Authorities say during a routine traffic stop in Auburn in November 2012, an officer found two hydrocodone pills for which the 30-year-old Lewiston native did not have a prescription.

Gamache told officers a co-worker gave him the pills to treat a medical condition.

Gamache was undefeated at the time of his arrest. His father is Joey Gamache, a former World Boxing Association lightweight and super featherweight world champion.

KITTERY

Unstable crane forces evacuation of buildings

Some buildings at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard were evacuated for a short time Wednesday morning because a contractor’s crane was deemed unstable, according to shipyard officials.

The incident was reported at 8:38 a.m. The fire department was called to a crane located next to Building 178. The crane was secured and workers were allowed back into the building, according to a release from the shipyard.

The crane is not one of the immense shipyard cranes used to service submarines. It is owned and operated by Rose Steel, a business working on a $38 million contract for energy work and structural repairs to Building 178.

Nobody was injured.

PORTLAND

AAA received 4,000 calls a day for help since Saturday

The cold snap led to an increase in calls to AAA Northern New England Wednesday morning by club members who need a jump-start or help getting out of an icy driveway.

Spokesman Patrick Moody said AAA has been getting about 4,000 calls a day since Saturday from members in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. That’s a little more than twice the average number of calls for a typical winter day, he said.

“It’s been busy, but not as busy as it was at the end of last week,” Moody said.

AAA set a record for call volume last Friday, at the tail end of a snowstorm coupled with a cold snap. He said the organization got about 8,000 calls from members in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont during that 24-hour period.

OXFORD

Firefighters find man, 55, dead in his burning house

Officials say a man was found dead Wednesday in a burning house in Oxford.

Authorities have identified the man as Peter Logan, 55, who lived alone in the home on Hogan Pond.

The man’s body was found in the bedroom after firefighters arrived shortly after noon, according to Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Investigators from the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the cause of the fire, which began in the bedroom.

It is the third fire-related death in the state so far this year. An elderly couple died when fire destroyed their home in Greenville on Saturday.

TOPSFIELD

Lee Academy student, 18, killed in crash with truck

Police say an 18-year-old high school student was killed Wednesday when a car and an empty logging truck collided on Route 1.

WZON radio reported that Dylan Porter of Brookton died early Wednesday morning in the crash. The driver of the logging truck, 39-year-old Kevin Lagse of New Brunswick, was not injured.

Washington County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Shawn Donahue said the truck was headed north and the car headed south when they collided. The car hit the trailer portion of the big rig.

The accident is under investigation. Police have ruled out speed, alcohol and road conditions.

Porter was alone and on his way to school at Lee Academy when the crash happened.