July 1, 2010

Dispatches for July 1, 2010

From staff and news service reports

KENNEBUNK

click image to enlarge

Workers unload Rolling Rock beer from a tractor-trailer that rolled over on the spur connecting the Maine Turnpike to Route 1 in South Portland at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The driver, Richard Abram, 54, of Providence, R.I., was not injured in the crash but was transported to the hospital for unrelated issues. Traffic was diverted. There were no charges in the accident.

John Patriquin/Staff Photographer

Tractor-trailer full of fries goes up in smoke on I-95

Fire destroyed a tractor-trailer truck hauling french fries Tuesday and slowed traffic on the Maine Turnpike in Kennebunk.

Richard Miller, 46, of Littleton was headed to Harrisburg, Pa., with a load from the McCain potato factory in Easton when he smelled smoke at 10:30 a.m. He pulled over and the truck was almost immediately engulfed in flames, he told police.

The truck, worth about $200,000, was a total loss. Miller was treated briefly by rescue workers at the scene but was not taken to the hospital.

WINTER HARBOR

Two boats collide at sea, killing one lobsterman

The Coast Guard says a lobsterman was killed when a pair of boats slammed into each other in the waters off Winter Harbor.

Coast Guard Chief Christopher Wheeler said the Master Simon collided with the Linda Diane, which sank Wednesday afternoon in 85 feet of water off Schoodic Point.

Killed was the Linda Diane's captain, Frank Jordan, who was knocked overboard. Wheeler said his body was brought ashore by the crew of the Linda Diane.

The collision comes amid ongoing territorial feuds among lobstermen. But Wheeler said there's nothing to indicate this was anything other than an accident.

PORTLAND

Mitchell takes out papers to run against Skolnik

Will Mitchell has taken out nomination papers to run against City Councilor Dan Skolnik to represent District 3 on the Portland City Council.

Mitchell, 39, is a principal of NBT Solutions and president of Mitchell Geographics, both of which are Portland-based geographic information technology consulting firms.

Mitchell lives on Orland Street with his wife, Laurie, and their two children. He's a graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, and received his master's degree in geographic and cartographic sciences from George Mason University.

There will be a campaign kickoff event held at Rosemont Market & Bakery at 559 Brighton Ave. at 6:30 p.m. on July 8. The deadline for filing nomination papers is Aug. 23.

BIDDEFORD

Moody stumping for votes with plane pulling banner

The campaign of one of the three independents vying to become Maine's next governor is taking flight -- literally.

A small airplane has been hauling a banner aloft at ball games, beaches, stock car races and other events, urging Mainers to support Shawn Moody. He says people like his old-school approach, and that the plane will be in the air over the Fourth of July weekend.

Moody, 50, is founder of Moody's Collision Centers.

The other independents in the race are Eliot Cutler and Kevin Scott. They're facing Republican Paul LePage and Democrat Libby Mitchell on the November ballot.

UNE releases porpoise after four months of rehab

Number 12, a small harbor porpoise rescued after becoming stranded on Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport on Feb. 26, has been returned to the wild.

The porpoise had been cared for at the University of New England Marine Science Center and Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center in Biddeford where she received physical therapy from the swim team.

Keith Matassa, marine rehabilitation coordinator at the center, said a crew of six released her about two miles out.

"She had a moment of hesitation when she hit the water, kind of stopped, then took off like an arrow in 3 feet of water," said Matassa.

A satellite tag on her dorsal fin showed that she was swimming off Portland Harbor this afternoon. The tag will allow researchers to follow the 2-year-old 52-pound porpoise's movements for the next six months.

Only about one out of 100 cetaceans that are rescued make it back to the wild.

(Continued on page 2)

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