SOUTH PORTLAND

Maine Mall fires grumpy Santa after complaints

The Maine Mall has sacked Santa Claus because children and parents complained he was rude, grumpy and wouldn’t even let one child sit on his lap.

Jessica Mailhiot and her 6-year-old daughter, Chantel, went to see Santa this week. They told WGME-TV that he was rude and wouldn’t let the girl sit on his lap when they said they didn’t want to buy a $20 photo.

Chantel says when she asked Santa for an American Girl doll, he replied she’d get an “American football.”

When the mom posted her story online, others shared similar experiences.

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The station contacted the Santa, but he didn’t want to comment.

PORTLAND

Marine Resources study looks at lobster licensing rules

A new report looking at Maine’s lobster licensing system is recommending ways to address shortcomings in the current system, including a tiered licensing structure.

The 82-page report released Wednesday by the Department of Marine Resources provides a top-to-bottom analysis of the state’s lobster licensing system. State officials will discuss the findings with people in the lobster industry before presenting it to the Legislature’s Marine Resources Committee in January.

The report examines both the strengths and weaknesses of the current system, which went into place in 1997.

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One recommendation calls for a tiered system with four levels of commercial licenses. The report further recommends changing the way lobster trap tags are calculated to reduce the waiting periods for people trying to become lobster fishermen.

 

U.S. Attorney criminal, civil action collections increase

The Maine district of the U.S. Attorney’s Office collected nearly $1,654,000 in civil and criminal actions and forfeitures in fiscal year 2012, an increase of nearly 50 percent over the previous year, the office announced Thursday.

Nationwide, U.S. Attorney’s offices collected $13.1 billion in civil and criminal actions in fiscal year 2012, more than doubling the $6.5 billion collected in fiscal year 2011.

The Maine district collected nearly $1,090,00 in criminal actions and nearly $564,000 in civil actions in fiscal year 2012. In the 2011 fiscal year, it had collected more than $554,000 in criminal actions and nearly $603,000 in civil actions for a total of nearly $1,158,000 received, Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Clark said.

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EDGECOMB

Officials probe circumstances of man who shot himself

Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies are investigating a shooting that occurred Wednesday afternoon.

Lt. Rand Maker said a 70-year-old man who lives on Moonlight Drive contacted police around 12:30 to report that he had been shot in the neck.

The man was taken by ambulance to the Edgecomb Fire Department, where he was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

Rand said investigators believe the shooting was self-inflicted and unintentional. The man, who suffered a non-life threatening injury, was not identified by police.

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WATERBORO

Two York men arrested in burglary of Waterboro home

Two York County men have been arrested in connection with a burglary at a home in Waterboro on Wednesday afternoon.

The York County Sheriff’s Office arrested Travis Wakefield, 22, of Lyman, and Nathan Desfosses, 22, of Shapleigh after they allegedly broke into a home and stole 10 handguns.

Police said the homeowner returned and found two men fleeing from his home. He notified authorities, who used a state police canine to track the men.

Trooper Matt Williams and his dog, Landy, found the handguns that had been hidden in woods near the home. Landy also flushed out the suspects, who were hiding nearby.

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Wakefield and Desfosses were charged with burglary and are being held at the York County Jail on $10,000 bail. They are scheduled to be arraigned in Biddeford District Court on Friday.

SACO

Buxton man injured in car collision held on four warrants

A Buxton man suffered injuries and was detained on four arrest warrants after an accident on Mast Hill Road late Wednesday.

Police said the accident was reported shortly after 11 p.m. and when officers responded, they found two cars damaged — including one on fire — wires in the road and a telephone pole damaged.

Saco police said the circumstances of the accident are under investigation, but one driver was Lincoln T. Kimball, 23, of Buxton. They said the second car is registered to Matthew Pelletier, 25, of Saco, but they are still investigating who was driving that car.

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Police said Kimball’s black 2006 Mercedes was heavily damaged and on fire, and Pelletier’s 2002 Lincoln was damaged.

Kimball was taken to Southern Maine Medical Center for injuries to his face, most likely from the air bag, police said. He was also arrested on warrants issued by the York County Sheriff’s Office in July for unauthorized use of property, driving 30 mph or more over the limit, driving after license suspension and failing to report an accident.

Police said Kimball made bail on those charges and was also charged with drunken driving, driving after license suspension and refusing to sign a criminal summons. Those three charges were the result of Wednesday’s accident, police said.

Kimball is due to appear in Biddeford District Court on Jan. 30 on those charges. Pelletier was not injured, police said.

FREEPORT

Fryeburg water wins top spot in taste championship

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The Fryeburg Water District has won bragging rights and a trip to the national water tasting championships at Maine’s 26th annual drinking water taste test competition.

Fryeburg was named the overall winner at Thursday’s competition, held by the Maine Rural Water Association in Freeport.

For the testing, water districts compete in chlorinated and non-chlorinated categories. The winners in each category then compete in a “taste-off” to determine the winner, which represents the state in the National Rural Water Association’s Great American Water Taste Test in Washington, D.C., in February.

The New Portland Water District was the winner in the non-disinfected category, while Fryeburg was tops for disinfected water.

LIVERMORE

Logger could face $100,000 fine for cutting town trees

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A logger from Jay could be on the hook for more than $100,000 for cutting down about 1,250 trees on Livermore town land without permission.

The select board is waiting on one more estimate before making a decision on how much to ask John Korhonen to reimburse the town.

Town administrative assistant Kurt Schaub told the Sun Journal the town is seeking fair compensation for the trees cut down in Memorial Forest.

Officials say Korhonen cut down trees on his own land then harvested timber on about 10 acres of town land that does not abut his land. Scahub says it is a logger’s responsibility to know where property lines are.

Korhonen has not responded to two letters from the town and has not responded to media requests for comment.

 


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