KENNEBUNK

Three-car crash takes place in front of police station

Kennebunk emergency responders did not have to travel far to respond to a three-car pileup Thursday afternoon.

Sgt. Eric O’Brien said a vehicle operated by Elaine Hanscom, 87, of Kennebunk was turning when it hit a curb and collided head-on with a Nissan Maxima driven by 44-year-old Matthew Fadiman of Kennebunk.

The accident took place on Summer Street – directly in front of the Kennebunk police and fire stations.

“We walked out the front door and placed her (Hanscom) in an ambulance to be evaluated at the fire station,” O’Brien said.

Hanscom was not transported, but Fadiman’s vehicle, which was pushed into a third car by the collision had to be towed from the scene. He also was not injured.

AUGUSTA

Senate rejects bill requiring extra cellphone warnings

The Maine Senate voted 20-13 against a measure that would have required cellphone manufacturers to place additional labels on packaging to help highlight potential health risks.

On Wednesday, House lawmakers voted 76-69 in favor of the bill, L.D. 1014, sponsored by state Rep. Andrea Boland, D-Sanford. Boland sponsored a similar measure during the previous Legislature.

Some House legislators who opposed the bill before said they had changed their minds after the World Health Organization released a new report this week saying cellphone use might be linked to cancer.

The bill, as amended, would require labels to be placed on the outside of cell phone packages directing consumers to a description of the possible risks in the owners manual.

Opponents said it amounts to an unnecessary burden and suggest there is not enough data to support making Maine the first state in the country to enact such a requirement.

The measure will now go back to the House for further votes.

RIPLEY

Father and 7-year-old son drowned, examiner says

Maine’s medical examiner said a 42-year-old Ripley man and his 7-year-old son drowned in Main Stream on Sunday.

On Wednesday, the office released the causes of death for Christopher Zoeller and his son Bravin.

The Bangor Daily News reported that additional toxicology tests could take several weeks.

Their bodies were recovered Sunday from Main Stream in Ripley.

Police say the two had gone in the water fully clothed during a birthday party at their home. A short time later other people at the party noticed they were gone. The bodies were recovered about a half hour later.

RSU 21

Voters get another chance to consider school budget 

The Regional School Unit 21 board of directors has adjusted the proposed $35.7 million school budget that voters rejected last week to reduce the cost for taxpayers.

Residents of Kennebunkport, Kennebunk and Arundel will have a chance to weigh in on the new $35.6 million proposal during a meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Kennebunk High School.

The new budget would increase spending by 1.6 percent over this school year. It would cut $100,000 from employee benefits throughout the district.

It also would reduce the amount raised through local taxes by $668,347 by using additional undesignated funds. This means property taxes would increase by $59.87 per $100,000 of assessed value for Arundel residents and $16.45 in Kennebunk, while taxes in Kennebunkport would decrease by $8.41 per $100,000.

The previous version of the budget would have increased property taxes by $88 per $100,000 of assessed value in Arundel, $29 in Kennebunk and $15 in Kennebunkport.

A referendum on the budget will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 14, at each town’s polling location. Additional budget information had been posted at www.rsu21.net.

Bill allowing private school subsidies killed in Senate

The Maine Senate has killed a bill that would have allowed municipalities to give subsidies to parents to help pay their children’s private school tuition.

The Senate’s 13 votes Thursday fell short of the majority needed to pass the measure. Twenty senators voted against the bill, which had already been rejected by the House.

On Wednesday, the Senate killed a separate bill that would have provided parents income tax credits for a portion of tuition paid to private or religious schools.

During debates on both bills, opponents warned that the proposals would violate the principle of separation of church and state.

ALFRED

Center for missing children seeks help in 1971 case

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is again asking the public for help in the case of a 3-year-old boy who vanished from outside his southern Maine home decades ago.

Officials say Douglas Chapman of Alfred disappeared 40 years ago Thursday from a sandbox in front of his family’s home in Alfred. The boy’s mother told police she was inside the house talking on the phone and that his father was at work.

The Alexandria, Va.-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has an age-progression photo on its website showing what the boy might look like as an adult.

Maine State Police say the case remains open, but there’s been no recent activity. Investigators say they believe the boy was a victim of foul play.

LEWISTON

Two men charged aftershots are fired downtown

Two men from Lewiston are facing charges after police received reports of gunfire in a downtown apartment building.

There were no injuries.

Eric Lundin, 34, was charged with reckless conduct with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Antonio Rembert, also 34, was charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

There was no immediate word on the circumstances of the shooting or how many shots were fired.

The Sun Journal newspaper reported that Lundin was held Wednesday on $700 cash bail. Rembert’s bail was set at $50,000.

Police seize 4 ounces of crack after traffic stop

Police say they seized more than 4 ounces of crack cocaine during a search of a vehicle after a traffic stop in Lewiston.

Officials said Thursday that Brandy Carter, 27, of Lewiston was stopped by an officer late Tuesday night.

Police say a search of her car allegedly turned up the drugs and other evidence of drug trafficking. Carter is being held on $10,000 bail.

BANGOR

Brewer man gets four years for gun store burglary, theft

A 19-year-old Brewer man is going to federal prison for four years after being convicted of burglary and theft from an Orrington gun store.

Tyler Damon was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Bangor.

In court, Damon apologized for his actions.

U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock recommended that Damon serve his time in a facility where he can be given vocational training. Many of Damon’s family members are plumbers.

The Bangor Daily News reported that after Damon is released from prison he must serve three years of supervised release and pay $3,500 in fees and restitution.

Damon was one of four men charged in connection with the theft of about 20 guns last August.
Suspect in homeless deathreturning to Maine for trial

A South Dakota man charged in the death of a homeless man whose body was found engulfed in flames under a Bangor bridge five years ago is being returned to Maine to face trial.

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Benson says Kenneth Jon Bruning, 25, of Rapid City, S.D., has waived extradition on a murder charge in the March 7, 2006, death of 34-year-old Trevor Sprague.

Sprague was from Lubec and had been living in Bangor. Bruning was part of the city’s transient population at the time, the Bangor Daily News reported.

CLIFTON

Town’s planning board OKs proposal for wind turbines

The planning board in Clifton has approved a proposal to install five wind turbines on Pisgah Mountain.

The approval clears the way for developers of the proposed project to seek additional state permits.

The Bangor Daily News reported that Paul Fuller of Bangor and Pisgah Mountain Partners wants to install the 308-foot-tall turbines, which would generate enough electricity for 3,000 to 4,000 Maine homes.

The board ruled the proposal met the requirements of the town’s 2010 land-use ordinance.

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