OLD ORCHARD BEACH

Man, 50, dies after SUV hits tree along Temple Avenue

A 50-year-old man died after his sport utility vehicle hit a tree Sunday night in the vicinity of 208 Temple Ave.

Deputy Chief Keith Babin identified the victim as Michael Daigle, who had been living at the Seacliff House Motel in Old Orchard Beach.

When police arrived at the crash scene around 7:15 p.m., they found a woman standing outside the Chevrolet Blazer. Daigle was trapped inside. He was extricated by firefighters.

Daigle was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he died. The woman was taken to the same hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

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BATH

Child porn trial continues, but two charges dismissed

Midway through a jury trial on Monday, a judge acquitted an Augusta man of two charges of possessing child pornography, but said he will allow testimony to continue on two remaining charges.

Michael Douglas, 43, a former Mount View Junior High School science teacher, went on trial Monday in Sagadahoc County Superior Court on four counts of possession of sexually explicit materials depicting a minor.

Douglas was accused of having images of young children engaged in sexually explicit conduct on the laptop he was issued at the school in Thorndike and on his home computer in Augusta.

Justice Jeffrey Hjelm granted a defense motion to dismiss the two Waldo County charges.

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Hjelm said there was no evidence that Douglas had anything other than the laptop itself in Waldo County, and was unaware it contained images of child pornography.

PORTLAND

Facebook added as a way to announce school closings

School officials will start notifying students of school closings in a place where they’re almost certain to see it: Facebook.

The district said closings and late starts will be announced on the district’s Facebook page, Portland ME Public Schools.

The announcements will also be on the district’s website (portlandschools.org) and TV3, the educational access station, and additionally will be sent to local television and radio stations.

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Coast Guard ends search for fisherman lost at sea

The Coast Guard ended its search Monday for a lobsterman who fell overboard while fishing 45 miles off the coast of Rockland.

The Coast Guard dispatched aircraft and boats Sunday afternoon and continued to search with boats Monday before giving up at 1:15 p.m. Coast Guard Lt. Nick Barrow said the preliminary indication is that David Mahonen, 38, of South Thomaston went overboard after getting entangled in gear.

Mahonen was not wearing a life jacket or a survival suit.

Coast Guard searchers battled fog, driving rain, 12- to 18-foot seas and high winds. Aircraft were grounded Monday by low clouds.

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Officials say Mahonen was one of four people aboard the Rhode Island-based Timothy Michael. The 77-foot boat often fishes far offshore.

FALMOUTH

Illegal acid dumping sends two to hospital for treatment

A spill from a broken container of muriatic acid that was dumped illegally forced the temporary closure of an access road and sent two people to the hospital, officials said, but they were treated and released.

Police were called Monday morning after the two public works employees retrieved a recycling container behind the West Falmouth Shopping Center and discovered a liquid chemical inside and outside the container, said Assistant Fire Chief Doug Patey.

Patey said fire and hazardous materials teams cleaned up the spill.

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EASTBROOK

Man killed in confrontation outside home, police say

State police say a man was shot to death in a confrontation outside a home in the Hancock County town of Eastbrook.

Investigators say they received two 911 calls early Monday, one from a homeowner who said he had been assaulted outside his home after being lured there by a woman who claimed she had been in a car crash.

Steve McCausland of the Maine Department of Public Safety said the dead man is Nicholas Richards, 23, of Machias. An autopsy determined that he died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

McCausland said the homeowner isn’t being identified.

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KITTERY

Business owners to discuss effects of bridge closure

Business owners are looking for ways to keep customers coming to them from New Hampshire, even though a major bridge between the two states has been closed.

The Greater York Region Chamber of Commerce plans a meeting today with officials from Maine and New Hampshire to discuss options, considering the closure of the Memorial Bridge across the Piscataqua River.

The bridge was closed last week for at least six weeks after it was found to be unsafe. Work to build a replacement bridge is due to begin in mid-2012.

HOWLAND

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Hunter rescued after being stranded overnight on island

A deer hunter was rescued after spending a night on an island, after the stream around it flooded because of an ice jam.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said Josh Spaulding, 23, left to go muzzleloader deer hunting on Saturday. His father reported him missing at 8 p.m.

Officials say the area got 15 inches of snow last week, and ice in the Penobscot River had caused the water levels to rise.

Spaulding told rescuers that he chased a deer across a stream before getting stranded on the island. He made a fire to stay warm.

Spaulding had to wade through waist-deep water to reach a hovercraft that was sent to rescue him. He wasn’t hurt.


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