ALFRED

Ex-Mass. trooper convicted of sexual assault charges

A former Massachusetts state trooper is being held without bail after being convicted of gross sexual assault and two counts of aggravated assault by a York County jury Wednesday.

Joseph L. Silva, 55, of Newburyport, Mass., was convicted after a three-day trial, according to the York County District Attorney’s Office.

Silva was accused of arranging to have dinner with a woman in Portsmouth, N.H., then inviting her to his hotel room at the Roadway Inn in Kittery, ostensibly to watch a New England Patriots game. There, on Nov. 22, 2009, he raped and assaulted the woman.

The victim testified during the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Thaddeus West.

Justice William Broderick ordered the defendant to be held in the York County Jail until sentencing Oct. 14.

BATH

Off-duty officer interrupts training to arrest driver

An off-duty Bath police officer interrupted his fitness competition training to arrest a drunk driver Wednesday night.

Police Chief Michael Field said Detective Sgt. Robert Savary and Detective David Beauregard were training with their Halls’s Extreme Physical Fitness team outside Halls Olympic Martial Arts Center on Centre Street when a silver Dodge sedan with a blown out right front tire careened through a parking lot filled with pedestrians. The lot is shared with Amato’s Restaurant.

Savary jumped into the vehicle of another off duty police officer, Ted Raedel, who had just arrived for a Tae Kwon Do class, and followed the vehicle to the Midcoast Federal Credit Union.

Charles Zantow, 38, of Bath was arrested and charged with operating under the influence, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, and driving without a license. Witnesses said Zantow’s vehicle struck a parked minivan. He was released on $1,500 bail.

The Halls team was training for the Sept. 25 Cross Fit 321 competition in Brunswick, a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project.

PORTLAND

Six cruise ships with 12,000 passengers arrive next week

Six cruise ships — two making maiden visits — carrying more than 12,000 passengers and 5,000 crew will tie up in Portland next week as the season kicks into high gear.

On Sunday, the Jewel of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean, will arrive with about 2,100 passengers. It will continue to Bar Harbor after spending the day in Portland.

On Wednesday, the Carnival Glory will arrive with 2,974 passengers and then head to New Brunswick at the end of the day.

Thursday, the Norwegian Jewel will make its maiden call on Portland with 3,000 passengers. The ship will head for New York after a day in Portland.

On Sept. 23, the Queen Elizabeth will make its maiden call on Portland. The ship, which entered service last year, is the second-largest ever built by the Cunard line and carries 2,092 passengers. It will leave for Bar Harbor at the end of the day.

The Independence, home-ported in Portland, will return Sept. 23 and then begin another eight-day cruise along the Maine coast. It carries about 98 passengers.

On Sept. 24, Enchantment of the Seas, another Royal Caribbean ship, will arrive with 2,250 passengers. It will then head to Bar Harbor.

For the season, which wraps up at the end of October, 65 ships carrying a record 92,000 passengers are expected.

Celtics’ Glen Davis breaks ground for two new courts

Boston Celtics’ forward Glen Davis was in Portland on Thursday to help break ground for two public basketball courts.

The new full-size courts in the East Bayside section will cost an estimated $80,000 that will be covered by federal funds.

They are expected to be completed late this fall.

Davis was joined by Portland Mayor Nicholas Mavodones, acting Police Chief Michael Sauschuck and others.

CAPE ELIZABETH

Plan would increase Rudy’s to an 80-seat restaurant

Rudy’s of the Cape, a restaurant and diner at 517 Ocean House Road in Cape Elizabeth, may become a much larger restaurant, capable of seating 80 customers at a time.

Cape Elizabeth Town Planner Maureen O’Meara said the town planning board reviewed a plan for new construction on the lot at a recent workshop. The plan calls for a new building on the north end of the roughly 1.8-acre lot, and a parking lot on the south end.

O’Meara said the existing building would be demolished after the new construction is complete, so the restaurant could stay open in the meantime.

She said a formal plan has not yet been submitted to the Planning Board, but she expects to receive it by the end of this month. If that happens, O’Meara said the plan will be available for public review in early October and will be reviewed by the board on Oct. 18.

The planning office said Mary Page sold the property for $349,000 on July 8 to Paul Woods of a company called 517 Ocean House LLC.

FALMOUTH

Town seeking buyers for closed school properties

Anyone interested in buying, leasing or redeveloping the former Plummer-Motz and Lunt school properties is invited to a pre-bid meeting and tour of the buildings on Sept. 28, the town’s real estate broker announced Thursday.

Town officials selected CBRE/The Boulos Co. of Portland to market the properties, help review proposals and possibly negotiate a deal for the 20-acre complex on Lunt Road.

OceanView at Falmouth, a retirement community next to the schools, has expressed interest in the town-owned properties to expand its 60-acre campus.

The schools closed in June and were replaced by the new Falmouth Elementary School.

The 1 p.m. meeting will start in the Mason Gym at Plummer-Motz. The deadline for offers is Nov. 29.

FREEPORT

Town releases candidate names for Nov. 8 election

The ballot is set for town elections Nov. 8, said Town Clerk Beverly Curry.

Curry released the list of candidates Thursday after checking signatures on nomination papers that were due at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Katherine Arno and Eric Pandora are running for District 2 town councilor. Kristina Jane Egan and Joseph Migliaccio are running for District 3 town councilor. Richard Degrandpre and Marie Gunning are running for town councilor-at-large.

Gurdarshan Gil, Nelson Larkins and Beth Parker are running for two seats on the school board. Michael Ashby and Timothy Whitacre are running for two seats on the sewer district board. Edmond Theriault is unopposed in the race for a water district trustee’s seat.

CUMBERLAND

Meeting set to discuss whistle-free train zones

The Town Council will host a special meeting Monday evening with the Falmouth Town Council to discuss the possibility of establishing whistle-free zones at certain railroad crossings.

The towns are anticipating residents’ concerns as the Downeaster prepares to extend regular passenger service from Portland to Brunswick in 2012.

Randall Dickinson, regional manager of the Federal Railroad Administration, will be at the meeting to answer town officials’ questions about creating quiet zones, said Cumberland Town Manager Bill Shane. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the council chamber at Town Hall.

The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority and Pan Am Railways have already started upgrading crossings to accommodate faster trains. Three crossings will be upgraded next week, causing the following intersections to be closed to vehicle traffic from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Route 9 at Corey Road near Cross Road (Monday); Tuttle Road (Tuesday); Greely Road (Wednesday).

— From staff and news services

 

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