EDGECOMB

Two Mainers among four arrested on heroin charge

Four people, including two Boothbay Harbor residents, were charged with heroin trafficking after an investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Agents seized 170 bags of heroin with an approximate street value of $4,200, said Lt. Michael Murphy of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department. They also seized small amounts of marijuana and Suboxone pills.

The investigation culminated with a search at a motel in Edgecomb and a traffic stop in Boothbay.

Arrested and charged with trafficking in heroin were Brian Swett, 28, and Jessica Hale, 25, both of Boothbay Harbor, and Jeremy Buttigieg, 25, and Nicole Russell, 26, both of New Milford, N.J.

All of the suspects were held in the Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset. Their bail amounts vary. Swett is being held without bail for a previous charge of trafficking in heroin.

BATH

HMS Bounty reproduction in port for public tours

The HMS Bounty, a three-masted tall ship, sailed into port Thursday and will be open to the public for tours this weekend.

The ship is a full-scale reproduction of the British merchant ship that gained notoriety after the mutiny by a portion of the ship’s crew during a voyage to Tahiti and the West Indies. This reproduction was built in 1960 as an exact replica for the filming of “Mutiny on the Bounty,” a 1960s movie.

The HMS Bounty Organization LLC purchased the replica in 2001 and has made it its mission to keep the ship sailing and used for teaching square-rigged sailing and seamanship. After its stop in Bath, the HMS Bounty will continue to the 2010 Great Lakes United Tall Ships Challenge. It will return to its winter home in Florida by November.

Dockside tours near the Maine Maritime Museum will be offered from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, Saturday and Sunday. Admission costs $10 for adults and $5 for anyone younger than 18. Each visitor will receive a half-price admission coupon for the Maine Maritime Museum to be used during the weekend.

For more information, visit www.tallshipbounty.org.

CUSHING

Fire that destroyed 168 lobster traps investigated

The state Fire Marshal’s Office is seeking the cause of a fire that destroyed 168 lobster traps in the yard of a lobsterman in Cushing.

The Cushing Fire Department was called to the home of Wyatt Weaver on Tuesday night.

The traps were stacked about 25 yards from Weaver’s house. About 300 other traps in Weaver’s yard did not burn.

Officials say the fire destroyed the PVC liner of the metal traps.

Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Tibbetts said lobster traps can burn, but must be ignited with an accelerant such as gasoline.

Weaver told the Bangor Daily News that the burned traps were worth about $15,000.

He said he has dealt with people vandalizing his lobster gear, but hasn’t had any trouble in the last year.

WELLS

Voter league, Oxfam will host clean energy awards

The League of Women Voters of Maine and Oxfam America will host the Climate & Clean Energy Leaders Awards Ceremony on Sunday in Wells.

During the ceremony, Sen. Olympia Snowe, Sen. Susan Collins, Rep. Michael Michaud and Rep. Chellie Pingree will be recognized for their leadership on federal climate change legislation.

League of Women Voters National President Mary Wilson will attend. She is visiting Maine as part of a partnership with Oxfam America. Wilson has been lobbying for strong climate change reform while visiting key senators across the country.

After the awards ceremony, the League of Women Voters of Maine, Oxfam and the honorees will hold a lunch in honor of Wilson and the 90th anniversary of the league.

The ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at the Hampton Inn and Suites at 900 Post Road in Wells. The ceremony is free and open to the public, but the lunch at 12:30 p.m. costs $25. To join in the lunch, contact Pam Person at phppwp@aol.com.

PORTLAND

Bicyclist league lists state third in bike-friendliness

Maine’s a great place to ride a bike, says the League of American Bicyclists, which ranks Maine third in the country for being bike-friendly.

The ranking is based on a survey of factors including legislation and enforcement; education and encouragement; policies and program; and infrastructure and planning.

Over the past year, the first sections of the shared-use Down East Sunrise Trail and the Maine Mountain Division Trail have opened. More than 60 miles of additional shared-use paths will be built this summer as part of those two projects and the Eastern Trail in York County.

Allison Vogt of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine said there’s more to be done. The coalition wants bicycling and walking to be considered equal to other modes of transportation.

 

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