LIMINGTON

House fire displaces family of four, dog, for a few days

A fire in a two-story home on Route 11 displaced a family Saturday tonight, according to the Maine State Police in Gray.

The fire was reported at 6:34 p.m. and was put out by 7:30 p.m., state police said. The fire displaced two adults, two children and a dog.

The American Red Cross was notified to assist the family.

The cause of the fire was unknown, and the family was expected to return to their home in a few days.

LEBANON

Florida man hospitalized after truck hits tree, rolls

A 26-year-old Florida man was hospitalized Friday night after his pickup truck hit a tree and rolled over.

The crash happened just before 9 p.m. on Milton Mills Road in north Lebanon, near Acton, according to Jason Cole, assistant chief of the Lebanon Rescue Department.

Cole said rescue workers believe the 2001 Ford F-150, which was traveling north on Milton Mills Road, drove over ice, causing it to veer off the road and into a tree. After the truck rolled over, a tree fell onto the truck, Cole said in a news release.

He said the driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was taken to Goodall Hospital in Sanford with injuries that are believed to be non- life-threatening.

LYMAN

Two extricated from vehicle after early morning crash

Two people were extricated from a vehicle Saturday after a two-car crash on Goodwins Mills Road.

The York County Sheriff’s Department responded at 6:20 a.m. to a report of an accident involving a Honda Civic and Ford F-150 pickup truck, said Sgt. Ron Lund.

Lund said the two crash victims were hospitalized, but he believed their injuries were not serious.

No additional information was immediately available about the people injured or the accident, said Lund, who was not on duty at the time of the crash.

SOUTH PORTLAND

Police make no arrests in Beach Street standoff

About 10 police officers, some with guns drawn, surrounded a Beach Street house Saturday morning in response to a mental-health crisis and a report of firearms in the building.

South Portland police arrived at the home near Spring Point around 7 a.m. and were there for about an hour, said Lt. Todd Bernard. No one was arrested in the incident.

Bernard said an occupant of the house initially refused to come out but eventually did so voluntarily. He was taken to the hospital by police.

Bernard declined to name the man or say whether firearms were found.

AUGUSTA

Deer-hunting season ends; permits down from 2010

Maine’s firearms deer-hunting season officially ended half an hour before sunset Saturday.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife issued 26,390 hunting permits this year, down sharply from last year, when more than 40,000 permits were issued. Officials cut back to give the deer population a chance to recover following harsh winters in 2008 and 2009 that thinned the herd.

The muzzle-loading deer season will kick off Monday and end Dec. 3. Another muzzle-loading season runs Dec. 5-10 in selected wildlife management districts.

LePage: Business success depends on fewer rules

Gov. Paul LePage said the key to economic prosperity is to allow private businesses a chance to succeed.

In his weekly radio address Saturday, LePage said business leaders are telling him the state has to better prepare students for the jobs of today, evaluate state regulations and lower the costs of doing business in Maine.

He said that in the upcoming legislative session, he will advance an agenda that promotes education and advocates for lower taxes, streamlined regulations and smaller government. 

Legislator calls on Mainers to remember those in need

A state senator is reminding Mainers that this holiday season is the time to remember those in need and think about ways to give a helping hand.

In Saturday’s Democratic radio address, Sen. Joseph Brannigan of Portland said Mainers are known for a “spirit of generosity and kindheartedness toward our neighbors.”

He said a national volunteering organization recently ranked Maine fourth in the nation for the number of volunteer hours logged by residents.

— From staff and news services