ORRINGTON

Police investigate bullets fired into neighborhood

Authorities are investigating stray bullets fired into a neighborhood that may have come from an Orrington gun club.

Penobscot County Deputy Sheriff Chad Young said his office is awaiting video footage from the Orrington Rod and Gun Club’s surveillance system. He said the club is cooperating fully in the investigation.

Authorities are investigating a complaint filed by local landowner Jerry Perkins, who opens his 375 acres to snowmobiles and hunters and some commercial loggers.

Perkins said a logger working on his property on Jan. 30 heard and saw bullets whizzing over his head while changing a tire on a log harvester. The logger told the Bangor Daily News that he feared he and his truck would be struck by a ricocheting bullet.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.

Memorial Bridge closing during off-peak hours

The Memorial Bridge that runs between New Hampshire and Maine will be closed during off-peak hours for the next five days for guardrail adjustments.

The closures started at midnight Sunday until 5 a.m. Monday and repeat that pattern until 5 a.m. Friday.

Starting from 7 p.m. to midnight Sunday and running through Thursday, traffic will be restricted to one alternating lane. The rest of the time, all lanes of the bridge will be open.

The new, $81 million Memorial Bridge opened last August. It replaced one that opened in 1923 and closed for two years in July 2011 so the replacement project could get under way.

AUGUSTA

LePage calls on businesses to join in Northeast fair

The LePage administration is encouraging Maine businesses and organizations to be part of the 2014 Eastern States Exposition in Massachusetts, which bills itself as the largest fair in the Northeast.

The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry said groups have until Feb. 21 to apply for exhibition space for the Big E fair in West Springfield, Mass. The fair will take place from Sept. 12 to 28.

The State of Maine building at the fair shows off everything from Maine foods, products, fisheries, recreation and tourism. Each of the six New England states has an exhibition hall dedicated to featuring its local products.

The department said it will notify groups chosen to participate in the event by March 7.

Federal disaster loans made available in Maine

The Small Business Administration is making low-interest loans available for small businesses, agriculture cooperatives and aquaculture businesses in Maine.

The SBA said the federal economic injury disaster loans cover damages from flooding, excessive heat and rain, and lightning and high winds between April 1 and Oct. 31, 2013. The SBA issued the disaster declaration after the secretary of agriculture made a similar declaration for farmers.

The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates of just under 2.9 percent for private nonprofit organizations of all sizes. Loans for small businesses carry a 4 percent interest rate with terms up to 30 years.

– From news service reports