SANFORD

Police investigate report of Tebbetts Avenue mugging

Police are investigating the report of a mugging Friday on Tebbetts Avenue.

Police say a man was walking home Friday evening when another man knocked him down from behind and hit him in the face. Authorities say the mugger then took the victim’s wallet from his pants and ran away.

The incident happened near 8 Tebbetts Ave.

The mugger was described as a white man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Sanford Police Department by at 324-9170 or through its Facebook page.

CAMDEN

Toboggan championships kick off with 400 teams

Over in Russia, top-flight athletes from around the world are vying for Olympic glory. In Camden, teams called the “Redneck Racers,” ‘’Flying Elvis” and “Sheer Madness” are vying to see who can be fastest down a toboggan chute.

The National Toboggan Championships began in earnest Saturday, a day after the opening ceremony of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

All told, about 400 teams were competing on the Camden Snow Bowl’s 400-foot-long chute, which was built in the 1930s.

Some tobogganers take the event seriously, with finely tuned sleds topping out at 45 mph. Others are just as serious about their silly costumes.

In fact, a costume contest was included in Saturday’s festivities.

“It’s taken on a life of its own,” said Andrew Dailey, director of marketing at the Camden Snow Bowl, the only place in the East where alpine skiers get views of the ocean.

Participants were required to use a classic toboggan, which is a wooden sled without runners. There were divisions for two-, three- and four-member teams. There also was an “experimental” category for those who wanted to tweak the classic design with modern composites and other materials.

Having a good time was a priority as evidenced by some of the less-than-serious names given to the teams, including “Two Wing Nuts,” ‘’Big Kahunas” and “I Got Sleighed.”

The competition raises money for the Camden Snow Bowl, a nonprofit, municipally owned ski area on 1,300-foot Ragged Mountain. Trophies are to be awarded Sunday.

AUGUSTA

LePage administration says boat company is expanding

The LePage administration says a boat company based in Hancock County is expanding and adding a new facility.

The Department of Economic and Community Development said Ellis Boat Co. in Southwest Harbor will have a new crane and more manufacturing space in the expansion. The company expects to add eight new jobs.

The family-operated boat company was founded in 1945 and is known for its traditional-style Downeast yachts, lobster boats and luxury cruisers.

The department said it worked closely with the company in discussing tax incentive programs to encourage its expansion.

Federal government allows longer fuel delivery hours

The federal government will allow propane and other heating fuel delivery trucks to spend extra hours on the roads to make sure Mainers can stay warm.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is waiving limitations on the hours of delivery for the heating sources due to extremely cold temperatures this winter that have caused demand to spike.

Republican Gov. Paul LePage has signed three limited emergency proclamations to suspend federal rules and extend hours for fuel truck drivers.

AUBURN

Man gets a year in jail for nearly biting off man’s nose

A former Maine man charged with nearly biting off the nose of a stranger dancing at a Lewiston bar has been sentenced to a year in jail.

Todd Lyons, formerly of Mechanic Falls, was sentenced on Friday after pleading no contest to aggravated assault.

Prosecutors said the 33-year-old Lyons bit the nose of Ryan Zinninger of Greene in November 2011 at Pub 33 while Zinninger was dancing with friends, the Sun Journal reported.

Police said the tip of Zinninger’s nose was bitten off almost completely. He was taken to a hospital where he received 12 stitches.

The men didn’t know each other.

Lyons, who has several past convictions for assault, theft and burglary, was located in Mississippi last fall, working at a carnival. He has been held at the Androscoggin County Jail on $10,000 bail.

As part of the plea deal, he will be on probation for three years after his release.

– From staff and news services