Turnpike stoppage in Arundel begin Monday

ARUNDEL — On Monday night, 25-minute traffic stops will occur on the Maine Turnpike mainline going southbound in Arundel at Mile 28 for the erection of a permanent variable message sign. A series of 25-minute stoppages will take place between 10 p.m. Monday until 5 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Work is weather dependent.

Motorists should prepare for delays or seek alternate travel routes during the stoppages.

Message boards will be in place to inform approaching travelers of closures, and Highway Advisory Radio, HAR, broadcasts on 1610 AM will also be used to inform drivers.

Visit MaineTurnpike.com for information on turnpike projects.

Abortion clinic

licensing bill dead

AUGUSTA — The Maine Senate has defeated a contentious bill that would place new regulations on abortion clinics in the state.

The Republican-led Senate voted 21-14 against the bill on Friday. It was rejected in the Democratic-controlled House last month.

Republican Rep. Deb Sanderson’s bill would require the three outpatient abortion clinics in Maine to be licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services. It would allow the department to write the operational and safety standards for the facilities.

Supporters said the state should have more oversight to ensure abortions are done safely.

But opponents accused them of seeking to close clinics and restrict access to abortions. They said that doctors who perform abortions are already licensed and clinics that receive federal funding must also follow federal regulations.

FairPoint workers to get unemployment benefits

AUGUSTA — The Maine Bureau of Unemployment Compensation has awarded unemployment benefits to FairPoint workers who were in a four-month strike that ended in February.

Hundreds of strikers in Maine and New Hampshire were denied unemployment benefits. They were among 2,000 workers who went on strike in those states and in Vermont. The telecommunications company imposed contract terms on the workers after it declared a stalemate on negotiations last year.

In a June 5 decision, an unemployment hearing officer concluded that workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Communications Workers of America were entitled to the benefits.

The officer found there had been no “stoppage of work” at FairPoint’s Maine facilities during the dispute.

A FairPoint spokeswoman said the company believes the decision is flawed and plans to appeal.

Moose Festival

to get underway soon

BETHEL — The Bethel Maine Moose Festival & Moose Lottery will soon get underway with the qualifying rounds of its Moose calling championship.

The moose calling contest begin at 6 p.m. on Friday at Gould Academy’s Bingham Auditorium and concludes with the finals at 1 p.m. on Saturday on the town common. Contestants are judged on their bull moose call, cow moose call, showmanship and use of decoys and other noisemakers. The winter gets $500.

The moose festival lasts through Sunday in Bethel. The signature event is the annual moose hunting permit lottery, held under a big tent on the town common. That begins at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is planning to issue 2,740 moose permits, the fewest in 12 years.

Man charged with sex assault on girl

BELGRADE (AP) — Police say a Maine man supplied alcohol to an 11-year-old girl before sexually assaulting her in Belgrade.

Maine state police have charged 21-yar-old Travis Gerrier with gross sexual assault and supplying alcohol to a minor.

Authorities say they responded last week to a report of a missing 11-year-old girl. After a brief search, police say they found Gerrier and the girl a short distance from her home in an outbuilding on the property.

Police arrested Gerrier Friday, after a weeklong investigation. He is being held at the Kennebec County Jail on a $2,500 bond. It was not immediately known if he has a lawyer.

USS Miami towed from naval shipyard

KITTERY (AP) — A nuclear powered submarine heavily damaged by a fire set by a shipyard worker has departed Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

A Navy spokeswoman says workers have completed the inactivation of the USS Miami, which was towed from the shipyard on Friday. Two Navy ships are assisting in towing the sub to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington State, where it’ll be cut up for scrap.

The fire in May 2012 turned into an inferno that required 12 hours and more than 100 firefighters to douse.

A former shipyard worker is serving a 17-year prison sentence for setting the blaze.

After the fire, the Navy intended to return the Los Angele-class attack submarine to the fleet after extensive repairs. But it decided to scrap the submarine when estimated repair costs grew.

ME’s US senators want more disaster assistance

WASHINGTON, D.C. ”“ U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King, and Congressman Bruce Poliquin said Friday that they sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, urging the agency to reconsider its denial of disaster assistance for Washington County in the wake of a January snowstorm that brought record snowfall in a short period of time.

FEMA has previously approved such assistance for Cumberland, York, Androscoggin, and Sagadahoc counties.

“Washington County experienced the same blizzard-like conditions that struck much of northern New England, and other counties in Maine, from January 26-28,” said Senators Collins, King, and Congressman Poliquin in their letter. “The January blizzard, coupled with record cold temperatures, served to increase hardships experienced by Washington County, and any decision regarding disaster relief must take these incredibly important factors into account. Simply put, the people of Washington County need this assistance.”

In April, Senators Collins, King, and Congressman Poliquin sent a letter to FEMA in support of the state’s request that Washington County be added to the disaster declaration that included Cumberland, York, and Androscoggin counties. Though disaster assistance for Sagadahoc was eventually approved, FEMA denied assistance for Washington County on April 30th. The state has since appealed that denial, and Senators Collins, King, and Congressman Poliquin have urged FEMA to strongly review the state’s appeal in this most recent letter.