PORTLAND

Rising tide lifts schooner that ran aground

The rising tide freed a two-masted schooner that ran aground near a fort by the entrance to Portland Harbor.

The 88-foot Wendameen was afloat around 10:30 p.m. and was moored at the Maine State Pier, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Joyce. He said no one was injured and there were no problems with the vessel.

Wendameen ran aground around 5:30 p.m., and was listing slightly but not taking on water. The 23 passengers were returned to shore on a Portland fire boat and the four crew members stayed on board.

The schooner’s predicament drew help from the harbor master, the city’s fire department, the Coast Guard, a commercial towing outfit and Good Samaritan vessels. 

AUBURN

Police identify victim of fall as 51-year-old Portland man

A Portland man was the construction worker who died after falling from scaffolding Friday, according to police.

Police on Saturday identified the victim as 51-year-old John Ledue. He was employed by Portland-based Hascall & Hall on a project to convert the former Webster School on Hampshire Street into housing.

Deputy Police Chief Jason Moen said that the matter remains under investigation and that no further information was available.

Ledue fell about 10 feet and hit his head while working on masonry Friday afternoon. Witnesses said he was using a jackhammer to remove bricks when he fell.

Federal Occupational Safety and Health officials are assisting police in the investigation.

WEST NEWFIELD

Two-car accident sends both drivers to hospitals

The York County Sheriff’s Office responded to a two-car accident early Saturday at the intersection of Acton Ridge and Shady Nook roads.

Authorities reported that a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Justin Wigsten, 24, of West Newfield hit a 1994 Ford Ranger when its driver, Michael Jouvelakas, 23, of Rochester, N.H., allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign. The accident was reported shortly before 12:30 a.m.

Jouvelakas was taken by LifeFlight of Maine to Maine Medical Center in Portland with serious, non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. Wigsten was taken to H.D. Goodall Hospital in Sanford with minor injuries.

Maine State Police are investigating the accident and consider alcohol to be a factor.

ANSON

Vehicle strikes Anson man found lying on Main Street

An Anson man was listed in fair condition Saturday after being struck by a motor vehicle as he reportedly lay in the road on Main Street early Friday.

Edward Pinkham, 24, was taken to a Skowhegan hospital and then flown to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Lt. Carl Gottardi of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department said Saturday.

Pinkham may have suffered internal injuries and broken bones, Gottardi said, noting that his injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

The incident was reported at 1:36 a.m. Friday. The caller said an intoxicated male was lying in the road.

Somerset County Deputy Eugene Cole and Madison police Officer Kevin Hartley were dispatched to the scene.

“As Officer Hartley was arriving on scene, he witnessed a 2001 tan Ford Expedition strike the male in the roadway,” Gottardi said in a news release.

The Expedition’s driver, Rachel Hupper, 39, of Anson, and a passenger were not injured, he said, and the Expedition was not damaged.

The matter will be reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office, said Gottardi.

CALAIS

Ranger station is dedicated at Saint Croix Island site

The National Park Service dedicated its new, energy-efficient ranger station at the Saint Croix Island International Historic Site in eastern Maine.

The station is on Saint Croix Island, in the middle of the St. Croix River in Calais, which marks the boundary between Maine and Canada.

Officials held a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony Saturday, a week after the station opened to the public

AUGUSTA

Liberty Caucus chairman addresses Maine conference

The national chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus was the keynote speaker at the Maine group’s leadership conference.

Dave Nalle of Austin, Texas, addressed the Maine Republican Liberty Caucus Leadership Conference luncheon Saturday.

The Republican Liberty Caucus is a grass-roots organization of libertarian-leaning Republicans who work for policies that promote smaller government and individual liberty.

LePage pushes tax proposal in weekend radio address

Gov. Paul LePage pitched his tax reform plan in his weekend radio address, saying it should pass when Mainers need it most.

LePage’s proposal is under review in the Legislature. His plan conforms personal exemptions and deductions to the federal standard.

It also eliminates the 2, 4.5 and 7 percent tax brackets, and lowers the top rate.

The governor said passage would mean that 70,000 low-income families will no longer have to pay any income tax.

LePage said the state needs a budget that puts Maine back on the road to prosperity.

In the Democratic response, Rep. Emily Cain of Orono said that while her party is working hard to find common ground with Republicans on the budget, there are many other issues where stark differences remain between the two sides.

 

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