PORTLAND

Alerted to suspicious action, police close street near court

Authorities shut down Federal Street outside the U.S. District Court this afternoon after a report of suspicious behavior that involved a man removing a manhole cover.

Police shut down the area at about 3:30 p.m. while investigating the report, but determined that it was a city worker who was shutting down the fountain outside the Central Fire Station for the winter.

The report initially suggested the man may have been driving a rental car, police said, but city officials said the worker was using a city maintenance vehicle but might have had to park a distance away because of limited parking right near the fountain.

Traffic was detoured around the area for at least an hour.

 

Maybe this time? Nope. Minnelli’s concert canceled

Portland Ovations this morning said that it has canceled its Liza Minnelli in concert at Merrill Auditorium. The concert, originally scheduled for Sept. 29, had been postponed, and Portland Ovations hoped to reschedule.

But that won’t happen.

“Portland Ovations has been in communication with Ms. Minnelli’s representatives since her cancellation on Sept. 29th, trying to secure a new concert date in early November. Unfortunately, Ovations has just been informed that Ms. Minnelli is now canceling all appearances for a least another month due to bronchial pneumonia,” Portland Ovations said in a press release.

Ticket holders may exchange their tickets for another Portland Ovations performance in the current season; turn in tickets for a tax-deductible donation to Portland Ovations; or obtain a refund through PortTix by calling 842-0800 or visiting the box office at Merrill Auditorium.

 

One Longfellow Square’s McKeown concert canceled

Susan McKeown’s concert tonight at One Longfellow Square in Portland has been canceled.

The venue’s assistant manager, John Clark, said that the venue hopes to reschedule the concert. Go to www.onelongfellowsquare.com for more information.

 

ROCKLAND

Strand Theatre: No show by Son de Madera tonight

Saturday night’s Son de Madera concert at the Strand Theatre in Rockland has been canceled due to a combination of circumstances, said Liz Lovell, the theater’s marketing and promotions manager.

The theater hopes to reschedule the concert, possibly next summer. Go to www.rocklandstrand.com for information.

KITTERY

Kittery bridge project to get $20M in federal funds

Maine and New Hampshire will receive a $20 million TIGER II federal grant to help replace the 87-year-old Memorial Bridge between Kittery and Portsmouth, N.H., Maine’s congressional delegation announced today.

The Memorial Bridge links the downtowns of Kittery and Portsmouth and offers the only bicycle and pedestrian access across the river. Two months ago a rusted portion of the bridge fell into the river.

The TIGER II grant program is extremely competitive and only about 3 percent of the requests are actually awarded. The U.S. Department of Transportation is expected to officially announce the grant next Wednesday.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci and New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch signed executive orders last week to create a task force to seek as much as $300 million to replace the Memorial Bridge and fix other bridges that cross the Piscataqua River.

The money also would be used to upgrade the nearby Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, which carries traffic on the Route 1 bypass. Built in 1940, it includes a rail line that serves the 4,200-employee Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, and carries heavy truck traffic.

The money also would be used to maintain the much newer Piscataqua Bridge, which has been carrying Interstate 95 traffic since 1972.

YORK COUNTY

Two men arrested in string of residential burglaries

The York County Sheriff’s Office has broken up a burglary ring it says was responsible for stealing guns, electronics and other items during a string of daytime burglaries.

Deputies charged Kevin Brennan, 22, and Zachary Bleir, 18, both of Sanford, with burglary, theft and trafficking in stolen merchandise in connection with the theft of $10,000 in goods in nine residential burglaries.

The burglaries occurred in Waterboro, Acton, Sanford, North Berwick and Berwick, Sheriff Maurice Ouellette said in a statement. The men then fenced the items to a person in South Portland who sold them on eBay.

“Burglarizing a home is a great violation to one’s peace of mind,” Ouellette said.

The two were arrested Sept. 29 but police did not issue a statement about the arrests while they attempted to gather more evidence in the case. Police are still investigating and expect additional arrests, Ouellette said