SANFORD

Follow-up inspection finds no deficiencies at nursing home

A follow-up state inspection of a nursing home where maggots were found on a resident revealed no deficiencies.

The report on the Newton Center home showed “the resident was well cared-for, the issue was caught in its earliest stage, the staff acted immediately and professionally and this was an isolated incident,” said Patsy Aprile, president and chief executive officer of Goodall Hospital, which owns and operates the nursing home.

Aprile said the incident with the maggots “resulted in unfair characterizations of the care we deliver to our residents and exaggerated the nature of the issue.”

The larvae were found on the ankle of a male resident on Aug. 5. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services conducted its follow-up investigation on Aug. 14.

Newton Center has been found to have “health deficiencies” far exceeding state and national averages during inspections last year, according to a federal Medicare comparison of nursing homes.

State officials said the 74-bed skilled nursing home and rehabilitation facility was fully licensed, without conditions, following its regular annual inspection.

FALMOUTH

Minors with alcohol arrested during traffic stop, police say

Three male teenagers had to be taken into police custody during a traffic stop Tuesday night at the junction of Routes 1 and 88 in Falmouth.

Sgt. Frank Soule said the driver, a 17-year-old from Sanford, was charged with driving under the influence and operating without a license.

During the stop, Soule said two other 17-year-old passengers, became verbally abusive toward police. Those boys were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct.

One of the boys was charged with a probation violation, while another was charged with a bail violation. They were all transported to the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.

Soule said there were five juveniles in the car and all of them had been drinking alcohol.

The traffic stop occurred around 4:45 during the height of the evening commute.

PORTLAND

Groundbreaking ceremony to kick off civic center project

A ceremonial groundbreaking for the $33 million renovation of the Cumberland County Civic Center will be held Wednesday.

The event will be held next to the Free Street entrance of the Civic Center at 11 a.m. Neal Pratt, the chairman of the Civic Center board, will lead the ceremony and be joined by representatives of the renovation project’s architectural firm and contractor.

The renovation will add suites and premium seating to the arena, upgrade the ticketing and concession areas, improve the heating and cooling systems and enlarge and update the back-of-house areas, including the loading dock and locker and dressing rooms.

The renovation will be done in phases, starting this month with work primarily focused on the northwest corner of the arena near the Free Street entrance.

County voters last fall approved spending up to $33 million to renovate the arena. The work is expected to be completed in early fall 2013.

WALDOBORO

Warren man, 25, dies in early morning motorcycle crash

Police are investigating a fatal motorcycle crash in Waldoboro.

The Waldoboro Police Department said that 25-year-old Gregory Zaccadelli of Warren went off Jefferson Street and crashed his 1997 Harley-Davidson shortly before 4 a.m. Tuesday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Jefferson Street had to be closed for nearly three hours.

Officer Jeremy Joslyn investigated. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

AUGUSTA

Two statewide unions back Democrat in U.S. Senate race

Democrat Cynthia Dill has endorsements from two statewide groups in the race for Maine’s open U.S. Senate seat.

The Maine State Employees Association and the Maine State Nurses Association have decided to endorse Dill in her race against Republican Charlie Summers and independents Angus King, Steve Woods, Andrew Ian Dodge and Danny Dalton.

The Maine State Employees Association Local 1989 represents more than 15,000 public and private sector workers throughout Maine.

The Maine State Nurses Association is a division of National Nurses United, the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Sheriff’s office: Two men face charges of burglary, theft

Two men face burglary charges after being pulled over in Westbrook with a car full of cigarettes, scratch lottery tickets and cash.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office says Larry Cox, 50, of Westbrook and Vincent Lombardi II, 39, of Standish are charged with burglary and two counts of theft.

A clerk at the Pit Stop in Standish noticed some keys missing Sunday and after checking security video, saw a customer pocket them. She was able to give sheriff’s deputies enough of a description of the man and the vehicle that they identified a suspect.

Later that night, Westbrook police pulled over the two men on Lamb Street. The men had no explanation for why they had so many cigarettes and lottery tickets in the car.

They were taken to jail on theft charges. The following morning, workers at J. Brothers Variety, at 44 Gray Road in Cumberland, found the store had been broken into and was missing cigarettes, lottery tickets and cash.

Police say the items in the car matched what was stolen and so they charged the pair in custody with burglary. They also found the keys to the Pit Stop.

The two men are scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the men can be linked to recent break-ins reported at other convenience stores.

BOWDOINHAM

Westbrook driver hospitalized after minivan crashes on I-295

A Westbrook man is in critical condition and being treated at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston after crashing the minivan he was driving on Interstate 295 on Tuesday afternoon.

Police say Larry Huff, 62, was headed south when he started to steer into the passing lane, noticed another vehicle there and swerved back, said Trooper Chris Rogers. The van hit the shoulder and Huff overcorrected, with the van swerving across the highway and into the left guardrail, then bouncing back to the other side of the road.

The collision with the guardrail peeled open a door and the spinning motion of the vehicle catapulted Huff through the open door and onto the grass alongside the road. He was not wearing a seat belt. His passenger, Haze McDougal, 31, of Portland, who was wearing a seat belt, had a minor cut on one of his hands from flying glass, police said.

Huff was bleeding from the head, but he was conscious when a rescue helicopter landed on the highway to transport him to the hospital, Rogers said.

The crash happened at 12:30 p.m. at Mile 36. No other cars were involved.

CORINTH

‘Come get me,’ teen suspect tells authorities in 911 call

Police say a homeless teenager called 911 and asked to be arrested after breaking into a convenience store in Corinth.

Officers did as Donald Page, 19, of Corinth asked, arresting him on felony burglary and theft charges stemming from the break-in at the A.E. Robinson store Monday.

The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office told the Bangor Daily News that Page had taken some energy drinks, Slim Jims and cigarettes after breaking in, then returned to the store, called 911 and said, “Come get me.”

Store manager Lynette Kroemer said her heart ached when she saw the condition of the burglar on the store’s video surveillance cameras.

Page pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor theft, agreed to pay $31 in restitution and serve 30 days in jail.

BATH

Police say 23-year-old man wielded knife in robbery

Police have arrested a Bath man in connection with an armed robbery Monday night.

Police Chief Michael Field said Scott Ryan, 23, was charged with robbery.

Witnesses told police that Ryan confronted a 30-year-old woman on Beacon Street around 6:45 p.m., demanding that she pay him $20 — money he claimed she owed him for a fish tank.

The victim said Ryan tried to grab her purse, knocking her to the ground and dragging her for a short distance.

The woman freed herself and ran into a home with Ryan in pursuit. Ryan allegedly wielded a knife and continued demanding that he be paid. The woman threw the money on the ground and left.

Ryan is free on $500 cash bail. He is scheduled to appear in West Bath District Court on Oct. 9.

HOWLAND

Four accused of aggravated assault in weekend beating

Four men accused of participating in the brutal beating of two other men in Howland have been ordered held on $10,000 bail each.

Authorities say Brandon Summerson of Enfield; as well as John McKinnon, Henry McKinnon and Charles Gardner, all from Howland, were in court Monday to face charges of aggravated assault in connection with the attack.

The victims, ages 30 and 31, were beaten Friday. Police say one victim has facial fractures and will need extensive facial reconstructive surgery. The older victim suffered numerous fractures that include a broken eye socket, broken ribs and knocked out teeth. Both remain hospitalized.

The suspects were arrested over the weekend.

Prosecutors tell the Bangor Daily News a dispute over money apparently sparked the fight.

WATERVILLE

Struggling soup kitchen may close as funding dries up

A soup kitchen that has been serving up meals to the area’s homeless for more than three decades may be forced to close because of money troubles.

Director Dick Willette said Monday that he planned to close the kitchen in the basement of Sacred Heart Church for good Sept. 1 but a recent plea for donations generated enough money to pay the trash removal and phone bills.

What happens after that date is up in the air.

Willette said his budget for 2011 was $25,000, but he took in only $22,000 and spent $28,000. He said companies that used to donate food and money regularly have stopped because of the recession.

The kitchen opened in 1980 and serves 75 to 120 people every day.

 

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