Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

Local Dispatches

From staff and news services

PORTLAND

Two TV stations team up to offer more local news

TV station WGME (Channel 13) is planning to offer more local news by expanding its partnership with another local TV station, WPFO (Channel 23).

WGME, a CBS affiliate, currently produces a 10 p.m. newscast that airs on WPFO, a Fox affiliate. Starting April 5, the WGME-produced 10 p.m. newscast will expand from 35 minutes to an hour. Also beginning April 5, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., WPFO will begin airing a morning news/lifestyle show called "Good Day Maine," produced by WGME and hosted by its news staff.

The show will feature WGME's Erin Ovalle, Doug Ray and Sarah Long.

WGME's general manager, Tom Humpage, said Wednesday the new morning show will provide a way to provide more coverage of major local events that occur in the morning.

"If there's a traffic problem or weather or a major breaking news story, we'll have a way to get it to people," said Humpage. "Right now, all we have are the cut-ins during our network shows, and those aren't very long."

Tom MacArthur, general manager of WPFO, said the show will fill a niche for local morning news content, since Portland's other local news stations air their network's national news shows during that time.

WGME and WPFO have been partnering on the 10 p.m. show for three years, MacArthur said.

Police searching for man who car-jacked silver Buick

Portland police are searching for a man who car-jacked a silver Buick from an elderly man Tuesday night.

Police say the suspect first used a knife to threaten a man at an Auburn Street apartment complex at 8:17 p.m., demanding the man's car keys. That owner refused and ran away.

An hour later and not far from there, a man matching the same description pulled a knife on an 83-year-old man who was unloading groceries from his car, parked in a garage attached to his Alpine Road home.

The suspect drove off in the man's 2003 silver Buick LeSabre with the Maine license plate number 6189MU.

The suspect is described as white, 18 to 20 years old, 5 feet 8 inches or shorter, 170 to 190 pounds, with short blond hair.

Experts to seek public input on East Bayside community

Community input is being sought by a national team of urban planners and architects who will study the city's East Bayside neighborhood.

The city is one of seven communities nationwide to win a competitive grant from the American Institute of Architects for technical expertise in transforming the neighborhood into a "model for sustainable, urban design," according to a news release sent out Wednesday.

The team will be in Portland March 30 through April 1. The experts will seek public input at a community meeting on Tuesday, March 30, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Root Cellar, 94 Washington Ave. They will unveil their proposed plan at a public presentation on Thursday, April 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Ford Auditorium at Portland High School.

East Bayside is bordered on the west by Franklin Arterial, the east by Washington Avenue, the north by Marginal Way, and the south by Congress Street.

LAMOINE

Missing 3-year-old found safe in woods near home

Maine officials say a missing 3-year-old boy has been found safe in the woods about a half-mile from his home in Lamoine.

The Maine Warden Service says the boy had gotten lost with his dog.

He was reported missing around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Searchers say when they found the boy near his Hancock County home, his feet were wet from falling through the ice on a small pond, but he was in good condition.

LEBANON

Helmet credited with saving teen's life in ATV rollover

Lebanon rescue officials are crediting a 13-year-old's helmet with saving his life after the all-terrain vehicle he was riding Tuesday rolled over on him.

Rescue workers were called to Lower Guineau Road at 3:30 p.m. for the ATV accident. The Lebanon boy, an experienced rider, had been riding in a sand pit nearby when the ATV rolled over on his head and body, said Lebanon's assistant rescue chief Jason Cole.

The boy's injuries are significant but would have been more severe and possibly fatal had he not been wearing a helmet, Cole said.

In 2002, 44 children younger than 15 were killed in ATV accidents nationwide and most ATV fatals involve head and neck injuries, Cole said.

LIMINGTON

Town's budget just $1,282 over last year's, official says

Town officials has released final numbers for the municipal budget.

About 75 residents gathered for town meeting March 6 to approve a $1.1 million municipal budget for 2010, which at the time was estimated by Selectman Ray Webb to be about $200,000 more than last year's budget.

After final calculations, Roxanne Herrick, assistant to the selectmen, said the budget is actually $1,282 over last year's budget. She said the funding from the state was not taken into account when the first estimate was given.

AUGUSTA

More state facilities join energy-saving network

Maine's executive branch facilities have joined a network that pays the state for reducing energy use during times of high demand.

The network is run by Boston-based EnerNoc, a provider of clean energy management applications and services. In the first wave of enrollment, which includes six facilities across Maine, the state will be able to reduce enough demand during peak periods to power thousands of households.

Demand-response programs pay electricity users in exchange for agreeing to reduce demand on the electric grid during urgent periods, such as peak usage or high energy prices. This also helps stabilize electricity resources throughout the region and keep rates affordable.

The state's west campus in Augusta and several correctional facilities across the state are among the buildings already enrolled. Maine expects to receives approximately $74,000 annually and $184,000 over the life of the agreement.

CMP crews helping restore power on Long Island, N.Y.

Central Maine Power crews are on New York's Long Island helping to restore service to thousands of customers still in the dark following a weekend windstorm.

CMP President Sara Burns said the company is returning the favor after crews came from as far away as Florida and Michigan a few weeks ago when Maine had widespread outages.

Long Island experienced near hurricane force winds on March 13. 

Maine will get $405,000 in drug fraud settlement

Maine has signed on to a national $42.5 million settlement with pharmaceutical manufacturer, Alpharma Inc.

Maine will receive more than $405,000, while Medicaid programs nationwide will receive approximately $19.2 million of the total settlement, Maine Attorney General Janet Mills announced Wednesday.

The agreement settles allegations of false or fraudulent Medicaid claims for the drug Kadian, a morphine sulfate product that manages pain.

The states allege that, from 2000 through 2008, Alpharma made or disseminated false statements about the safety and efficacy of Kadian to induce health care providers to prescribe the drug.

Delegation asks FAA to hold another hearing on flights

Maine's congressional delegation is asking the Federal Aviation Administration for another public hearing on National Guard plans to expand low-level flight training over western Maine and part of New Hampshire.

The National Guard held a public hearing in November. But Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree asked FAA Administrator Randolph Babbitt for another opportunity for public input upon completion of the final environmental impact study.

The Massachusetts Air National Guard' href=/search?searchterm=%22Air+National+Guard%22>Air National Guard is seeking additional airspace for F-15 fighters to conduct low-level training for homeland defense over the 4,000-square-mile Condor Military Operation Area. F-16 fighters from the Vermont National Guard also would use the expanded space.

Warm weather, winds create early fire danger

The warm weather has created early fire danger in parts of Maine.

On Wednesday, the Maine Forest Service and the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Greenville and Millinocket south to the coastal areas of Hancock County and all of Washington County.

Weather officials say the high winds and low relative humidity have created dangerous conditions.

Several wildfires have occurred over the last few days, including a 6-acre wildfire in Orland.

Groups joining lawmakers in public information push

Several groups advocating for open government are joining a bipartisan group of lawmakers to propose legislation to strengthen Maine's Freedom of Access Law.

Provisions include deadlines for state agencies to comply with requests for public records, guidelines for the government to follow if it needs more time to comply and the designation of public information officers to oversee requests for public information.

Critics of Maine's Freedom of Access Law say it was strong legislation when created, but that it has become riddled with exemptions over time.

Advocates for the model legislation include the Maine Heritage Policy Center, Maine Press Association and Maine Civil Liberties Union.

Joe Kennedy endorses McGowan for governor

Joe Kennedy, the former Massachusetts congressman and founder of a nonprofit energy company, is endorsing Patrick McGowan for Maine governor.

In a statement Wednesday, Kennedy said McGowan "embodies the values that sustained so many Irish families in the long passage to America."

Kennedy's endorsement comes a week after former President Bill Clinton endorsed Elizabeth "Libby" Mitchell for governor.

Mitchell and McGowan are in a five-way race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Seven Republicans are primary candidates.

New law eases restrictions on wine-tasting events

Wine drinkers can lift a toast to Maine Gov. John Baldacci.

The governor signed a bill Tuesday that makes it easier for wine shops, boutique breweries and liquor stores to hold taste-testing events.

A law enacted by the Legislature last year effectively prohibited many wine-tasting events with a requirement that such events be held out of sight of children.

Rep. Stacey Fitts of Pittsfield sponsored the bill that eases some regulations and doubles the number of events a licensee may conduct to 24 per year.

CALAIS

Call center closes, putting more than 36 out of work

A call center in the eastern Maine city of Calais has shut its doors, putting more than three dozen people out of work.

Acrobat Research President Tim Sinke told the Bangor Daily News the center will shut down for at least several weeks and possibly longer.

The Toronto-based market research and polling firm has seen its customer base shrink the past couple of years.

When Acrobat opened the Calais center in early 2008, it planned to hire up to 200 employees. But almost immediately work slowed and the company never came close to its goal.

BANGOR

Local man pleads not guilty in Jan. 29 shooting death

A Bangor man has pleaded not guilty in a fatal shooting.

Bangor Daily News reported that 18-year-old Zachary Carr was arraigned Wednesday on charges of intentional or knowing murder and adequate provocation manslaughter in the Jan. 29 death of 19-year-old John Surles.

Investigators have said the shooting was apparently prompted by an argument or fight involving up to a dozen teenagers and young adults.