NEW GLOUCESTER

One person dies, four hurt when car crashes on pike

State Police say one person is dead and four others injured following a single-car crash on the Maine Turnpike in New Gloucester on Monday night.

A dispatcher said a Toyota Camry carrying five people crashed in the southbound lane around 6:30 p.m.

Three people were taken by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston while a fourth person was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston.

The identities of the victims were not available. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

PORTLAND

Two New York men charged with selling Ecstasy pills

Two men from New York City were charged with selling drugs after police seized nearly 500 Ecstasy pills, with an estimated street value of $15,000.

Jogonmoy Chowdhury and Faizan Mahmood, both 19, were arrested Friday. Each man was held on $50,000 bail in the Cumberland County Jail, said the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and Portland police.

Agents arrested the men Friday night when they arrived at a motel on Riverside Street. Each one had a large plastic bag of the drugs in their pants, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, is a synthetic drug with amphetaminelike and hallucinogenic properties, McCausland said.

Chef shuts down restaurant to become full-time father

Chef Erik Desjarlais has decided to resign from Evangeline and close the French-inspired restaurant in Portland’s Longfellow Square to become a full-time dad to his infant daughter.

“The intensity of my role at Evangeline drew me away from spending any time with my daughter whatsoever, and with two restaurant chef/owners under one roof, time is a valuable asset,” Desjarlais wrote in an announcement he e-mailed to news outlets Sunday.

Desjarlais is married to Krista Kern Desjarlais, chef/owner of Bresca, at 111 Middle St. Their daughter, Cortland, is nearly 6 months old.

Evangeline opened in April 2008 and got noticed by writers from The New York Times, The Boston Globe and GQ.

Break-in at Public Market yields $9 worth of bread

Someone broke into the Public Market on Sunday and stole two loaves of Big Sky bread, police said.

Lt. Gary Rogers said the thief or thieves smashed one of the large glass windows, took two loaves of bread and then dropped them near the store.

The bread had a value of $9. Owners estimated the window will cost about $2,500 to replace, Rogers said.

The break-in was reported at 1:46 a.m. Sunday.

YARMOUTH

Auction of Herbie keepsakes brings in nearly $30,000

An auction of keepsakes made from the remains of New England’s champion elm tree, nicknamed Herbie, brought in nearly $30,000.

The town divided Herbie’s 15-ton trunk among artisans, who gave the tree new life in dozens of items that were put to bid Saturday.

Yarmouth Community Services Director Marcia Noyes said Monday that about $28,000 was raised. She said she expects $15,000 of that to go to the town’s tree trust. The keepsakes include high-end furniture, bowls, a clock, baseball bats and an electric guitar, which sold for $4,500.

The tree lived to the ripe old age of 217, thanks to the care of tree warden Frank Knight. Knight, who’s 102, attended the auction.

SOUTH PORTLAND

Pill container leads police to suspect in vandalism

A South Portland woman has been charged with vandalizing the 100 Waterman Drive office building during the weekend.

Emily Holmes, 27, was arrested after police found windows smashed and paint damage to the vacant building, said Lt. Todd Bernard. He said the cost of the damage was estimated at $10,000 to $15,000.

Eight windows and a door were damaged Saturday, said Andrew Ingalls, a broker with CBRE/The Boulos Co. He said the glass had holes and cracks in it, as though it had been struck by a hammer.

Ingalls said police found Holmes after finding a prescription container with a name and address outside the building. She was charged with aggravated criminal mischief.

Officials from Maine discuss military ties with Montenegro

Defense officials from Maine, the federal government and the Balkan nation of Montenegro met in South Portland on Monday to discuss the two countries’ military relationship.

The Maine Army National Guard has developed a partnership to assist the Montenegrin military in training and officer development. The country, which broke away from Serbia in 2006, is shifting from a conscript military to an all-volunteer force, Maine officials said.

Monday’s daylong conference, at the Marriott Sable Oaks in South Portland, was to focus on Montenegro eventually joining the NATO military alliance.

VASSALBORO

Autopsy set today for body found in woods by hunters

State police say hunters found a decomposed body Monday near Route 32 in Vassalboro. Investigators say the body was so decomposed that they couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman. There was no immediate indication of any crime.

On Nov. 5, hunters found a body in Stacyville. Police say the man in that case was wearing a blue-and-white knit cap with the name “Chris” marked inside.

The state Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to identify the body or determine a cause of death. The autopsy on the body found in Vassalboro was set for today.

AUGUSTA

Recount confirms victory for North Yarmouth representative

Election officials say a recount has confirmed Democrat Anne Graham of North Yarmouth as the winner in House District 109.

Monday’s recount determined that 2,140 votes were cast for Graham and 2,104 were cast for Republican Gary Foster of Gray, said Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap. That leaves Republicans with 78 seats in the House to the Democrats’ 72, with one independent.

District 109 includes parts of Gray, North Yarmouth and Pownal.

Labor chief: Jobless benefits in jeopardy for thousands

Maine’s labor commissioner told lawmakers Monday that unless Congress acts before the end of this month, thousands of Mainers will lose their unemployment benefits in the coming months.

Commissioner Laura Fortman told the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee that without federal action by Nov. 30, about 21,500 Mainers will lose their benefits in the next five months.

Extensions to the regular 26-week benefit period had been authorized because of the high number of workers who lost their jobs. In some states, the number was as high as 99 weeks, but in Maine the limit was 93.

PARIS

Eight-year-old hospitalized after being struck by truck

An 8-year-old boy was hospitalized after he was run over by his father’s unoccupied pickup truck.

Paris police Lt. Michael Daily said the boy was standing behind the truck at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday after his father had taken it off a ramp. It’s not clear why the truck started to roll.

Daily said the boy was conscious when police arrived. He was taken to Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway, then taken by helicopter to Maine Medical Center in Portland.