OXFORD

Collision closes Route 26, sends two to hospitals

A dramatic two-vehicle collision closed a portion of Route 26 in Oxford on Monday and sent two people to hospitals, the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office said.

A Kia sedan crashed with a transport truck about 4 p.m. The driver of the sedan was airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland. His passenger was taken to Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway.

The driver of the transport vehicle was not injured, the sheriff’s office said.

The road was closed for several hours to allow police to investigate the accident and reconstruct the scene. It remained closed as of 9:30 p.m.

JONESPORT

Maine State Police identify man who killed himself

Maine State Police identified a man who killed himself Saturday after a domestic violence incident as Michael Robinson-Tarr of Jonesport. He was 26.

He shot his girlfriend Saturday in their Jonesport home, then shot himself, police said. The woman was treated at a local hospital and released, according to media reports.

Police were called to the home about 9 p.m. Robinson-Tarr was dead at the scene when police arrived.

AUGUSTA

State employees, retirees raise $275,000 for charity

Maine state employees and retirees have raised nearly $275,000 for charity through their annual fundraiser.

The governor’s office said during the 34 years of the Maine State Employees’ Combined Charitable Appeal, $8 million has been raised to support organizations and charities throughout the state.

The group fell just shy of the $300,000 goal set by Environmental Protection Commissioner Patricia Aho, who said she’d dye her hair pink if the group reached it.

Gov. Paul LePage said at the kickoff event in September that he would shave his head if the group reached $350,000.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.

Memorial Bridge closing during off-peak hours

The Memorial Bridge between New Hampshire and Maine is closing during off-peak hours this week to continue guardrail adjustments.

The closures started at 11 p.m. Monday and were to run until 5 a.m. Tuesday. The pattern repeats through 5 a.m. Friday.

Beginning Monday night and continuing from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, traffic is being restricted to one alternating lane. The rest of the time, all lanes of the bridge will be open.

The new, $81 million Memorial Bridge opened last August. It replaced one that opened in 1923 and closed for two years in July 2011 so the replacement project could get underway.

ORONO

UMaine researcher studies climate change and maples

A University of Maine researcher plans to examine the impact of climate change on maple trees.

Jenny Shrum is trying to understand the relationship between weather and the flow of maple sap.

She hopes that unraveling the relationship will help the industry anticipate how climate trends could shape syrup production.

Shrum is in the environmental sciences graduate program in the UMaine School of Biology and Ecology.

She says the physiological process for sap flow is not completely understood.

She plans to collect on-site weather station data and sap flow rates at three test sites and to interview small- and large-scale producers.

 

– From staff and news services