CANTON

Car crashes head-on with dump truck, leaving 2 dead

A couple from Dixfield were killed in a crash in Canton on Thursday afternoon when their car collided head-on with a dump truck, state police said.

Howard Child, 73, and his wife, Carrie Child, 75, were killed instantly when their Subaru Legacy crossed the center line and struck the truck. The collision occurred about 1 p.m. on Route 108 near the intersection with Route 140.

It was unclear if the two victims were wearing seat belts, said Maine State Police spokesman Steve McCausland.

“Because of the severity of the crash, it would have made no difference” if they had worn belts or not, McCausland said.

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James Bagley, 66, was driving the dump truck — owned by Crane Brothers of Canton — and will not be charged, McCausland said.

The truck was carrying potatoes from a nearby farm, he said.

PORTLAND

Man earns 4 years in prison after guilty plea in drug case

A New York City man who came to Portland by bus last year with a stockpile of oxycodone to sell was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to serve four years in federal prison.

Michael Falu, 25, was arrested in November 2012 after he arrived on a Concord Trailways bus and was found to have 386 15mg and 863 30mg oxycodone pills in his boxer shorts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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Falu pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and for possessing with intent to distribute oxycodone in May.

SCARBOROUGH

Council incumbents face challengers in five-way race

The Town Council’s chairman and vice chairwoman will face three challengers Nov. 5 in a five-way race for two, three-year terms.

Councilors Ronald Ahlquist and Judith Roy will be challenged by William Donovan, Jean-Marie Caterina and Carol Rancourt, a former councilor who ran up against her three-term limit last year.

Caterina challenged state Rep. Heather Sirocki, R-Scarborough, for her House seat last year and lost. Donovan narrowly lost to Katherine St. Clair last year to fill a two-year vacancy on the council.

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Running in a three-way race for two seats on the Scarborough Board of Education are incumbent John Cole, Jane Leng and Jodi Shea. Both seats are for three-year terms.

One was vacated by Aymie Hardesty, who resigned for health reasons earlier this year.

Nomination papers for candidates to get on the town ballot in November were due to the town Wednesday evening.

SANFORD

Two fires at lumber yard keep firefighters busy

Hours after firefighters extinguished a fire at a lumber yard on New Dam Road on Thursday they were called back for another fire right after closing time.

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Firefighters quickly extinguished the first blaze at Pleasant River Lumber Co. on Thursday morning.

The fire in Building 5 started in a wall near some machinery around 9:28 a.m., setting off a sprinkler system inside and sounding an alarm. Lumber company employees saw flames climbing the wall at the side of the building and used a hose and fire extinguishers to keep it from spreading until firefighters arrived, said Sanford Fire Capt. Brian Smith.

Firefighters were called back to an area of planing equipment, which is full of sawdust, for another fire in a wall of the same area at 5:17 p.m., said Capt. Gary Cushing.

Cushing said the origin of the second fire and cause of the first are still under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s office.

He said firefighters and investigators were at the lumber yard for several hours after the initial fire and saw no indication of flare-ups.

FARMINGTON

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Police intend to charge man who fell from UMF gym roof

Authorities say a Farmington man who fell 40 feet from the roof of a University of Maine at Farmington building will face charges as soon as he’s released from the hospital.

Police say two men climbed onto the roof of a university gym about 2 a.m. Tuesday.

The Sun Journal reported that officers on patrol saw them and ordered them down.

Devon Pease, 21, of Farmington tried to escape by climbing down, but fell 40 feet to the pavement and sustained serious injuries.

Joshua Farthing, 25, of Panama City, Fla., was issued a summons for criminal trespass and released after a fire department ladder truck helped him down.

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Neither man was a student at the school. Police did not say what they were doing on the roof.

PARIS

Judge gives man 7½ years in child molestation cases

A Buckfield man has been sent to prison for 7½ years for sexually assaulting two girls over a period of years.

Gary Noyes was sentenced Wednesday in Oxford County Superior Court after pleading guilty to two charges of gross sexual assault.

A judge sentenced him to 25 years on each count, with 7½ to serve and the rest suspended.

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Prosecutors say Noyes, 43, molested the girls from 2006 to 2012.

The case came to light after one of the girls reported the assaults in a letter to her school guidance counselor.

The counselor reported it to authorities. Noyes was arrested in December.

The Sun Journal reports that one of the girls said in a statement read in court that Noyes made her feel “small and useless.”

MILBRIDGE

Motorcyclist, 25, dies after hitting Route 1A guardrail

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Police say a Milbridge man died in a motorcycle accident in which speed and alcohol may have been factors.

Authorities say Bryan Reed, 25, was headed north on Route 1A about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday when he lost control when crossing Bridge Street.

Responders told WABI-TV that Reed fell off his bike and hit the guardrail. The road was shut down until midnight during the investigation.

AUGUSTA

Productions up dramatically in 2013, film office reports

The Maine Film Office says the number of film and television productions in the state is way up this year.

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The office says that it has certified 14 productions in Maine so far this year, bringing about $3.7 million into the state.

In 2012, the state certified eight productions with $1.5 million spent in Maine.

Economic and Community Development Commissioner George Gervais said in a news release that credit for the boost in film production goes to the film office’s new director, Karen Carberry Warhola, who took over last year.

The office says it has also taken steps to improve Maine’s standing as a destination for producers, like updating the website to make it easier for producers to find locations.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.

Park near new bridge’s base will honor nation’s veterans

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Construction is expected to start next week on a park honoring the nation’s veterans near a bridge connecting New Hampshire and Maine.

The Portsmouth Veterans Memorial Circle and Park will be built on grounds near the base of the new Memorial Bridge as a gift from Jim Teetzel and his wife.

Teetzel is chief operating officer of Wilcox Industries, which makes equipment for the U.S. Special Forces.

The Portsmouth Herald said the couple have pledged $25,000 for the park, which will feature a fountain with granite slabs from the original Memorial Bridge.

Teetzel said two walkways and the circle will be lined with brick pavers.

A website has been set up to take orders to engrave the bricks for $35. It’s at www.brickorder.com/portsmouthveterans.

— From staff and news services


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