MAINE REPORTS...

Maine Reports: School officials, teachers agree to postpone action
Portland Press Herald

WISCASSET — An injunction sought by the Wiscasset School Department against the Wiscasset Teachers Association was delayed by mutual agreement between the parties Friday in Sagadahoc County Superior Court.

School officials sought the injunction in an attempt to short- circuit an alleged work action rumored to be planned by the teachers association.

After an afternoon meeting in judge's chambers, both parties agreed to delay any further legal action until a court hearing in Lincoln County Superior Court on Feb. 7.

The ongoing contract negotiations between the school department and Wiscasset teachers reached a flash point last week when school officials agreed to seek an injunction against actions they perceived to be harmful to the education of Wiscasset students.

Maine Education Association representative Joan Morin denied Friday that the teachers as a group were ever planning to pursue a work action. Morin said the whole thing could have been prevented with a phone call to inquire if rumors of the proposed action was an association decision.

Wiscasset School Superintendent Jay McIntire said he believes that students are being used as pawns in the negotiation issue.

The Lincoln County News

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=165231&ac=PHnws

Maine Reports: Rep. Allen's help sought on whale protection rules
From the Portland Press Herald

BLUE HILL — Lobster fishermen from Stonington, Deer Isle, Brooklin and Cape Rosier met with U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, on Jan. 26 to ask for his help in dealing with new whale protection rules that go into effect in October.

Allen, who represents the state's 1st Congressional District, was on a swing through Hancock County as part of his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Susan Collins. He is looking for votes from Down East, and the dozen or so fishermen and representatives of the Deer Isle and Stonington communities are looking for help from Washington.

By Oct. 1, a new National Marine Fisheries Service rule will force many of Maine's 3,000 full-time lobstermen to replace the groundlines that connect their traps together in groups, or trawls, with sinking rope.

Lobstermen say they're worried about the costs of the rule, both in terms of dollars and, perhaps more seriously, the potential loss of jobs in an area where alternative employment is scarce.

Sinking rope is unlikely to be available in sufficient quantities for lobstermen to comply with the rule's Oct. 1 implementation date. Lobstermen who have experimented with sinking rope over the past half-dozen years say that it doesn't work in Down East waters where the bottom is rocky and uneven and the tides are strong.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=166733&ac=PHnws

Maine Reports: Hearing set on fishing changes
From the Portland Press Herald

ELLSWORTH — A hearing to be chaired by Sen. Olympia Snowe on the impacts of new fishing regulations will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 19 at Jeff's Catering, 15 Littlefield Way, Brewer.

The U.S. Senate subcommittee on oceans, atmosphere, fisheries and Coast Guard field hearing, originally scheduled for Jan. 14 in Ellsworth, was postponed because of bad weather. Snowe is the ranking member of the subcommittee.

The hearing will focus on the effects new regulations issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service in October will have on Maine's fishing industry and community.

Witnesses scheduled to testify include Jim Leckey of the Office of Protected Resource Management for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Maine Department of Resources Commissioner George Lapointe, Maine Lobstermen's Association executive director Patrice McCarron and Vicki Cornish of the Ocean Conservancy.

– The Ellsworth American (Source: http://ellsworthmaine.com )


WALDOBORO

Veteran receives overdue medals for WWII service

Ralph "Junior" Sprague was honored recently with long- overdue medals commemorating his World War II service in the Navy.

A representative of Sen. Susan Collins' office, members of VFW Post 4525 and the Sprague family gathered at the Ocean's Bounty Restaurant on Jan. 30 to surprise Sprague with the presentation of the medals he earned as a Seabee in the Pacific Theater.

In a statement congratulating Sprague, Collins said, "Your service as a Seabee during the battles of Guadalcanal, the Russell Islands, New Guinea and Manu, is marked by true bravery."

Like most servicemen returning from war, Sprague focused on getting home more than collecting medals. In 2006, his son-in-law, Glen Darling, started the work of obtaining Sprague's medals.

– The Lincoln County News (Source: http://www.mainelincolncountynews.com )

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=168425&ac=PHnws

Maine Reports: Teacher urges board to end strife
From the Portland Press Herald

WISCASSET

Deb Olson, who teaches gifted and talented students in Wiscasset, challenged the school board Tuesday to end its lengthy contract dispute with the Wiscasset Teachers Association and accept a fact-finding panel's decision.

Olson said each side had a representative, plus a third panel member, who was neutral. "The three members agreed on many points," she said. "The committee's finding is a compromise."

In an impassioned plea, she urged the board to end the strife so that local teachers can go back to their main business of teaching children without all the distress the situation has created, especially lately with a threatened court injunction.

Her comments come before the matter has to go to interest arbitration and another three-member panel has to be selected.

– http://www.mainelincolncountynews.com

BOOTHBAY HARBOR

Town will receive grant of $18,000 to replace pilings

The Maine Department of Transportation is awarding $960,700 in grants to 21 coastal cities and towns under the Small Harbor Improvement Program. Boothbay Harbor will receive $18,000 to replace pilings at the Fish Pier.

Town Manager Tom Woodin said the town submitted the grant application last fall and will contribute 50 percent matching funds for the project.

The Small Harbor Improvement Program supports about 18,000 licensed commercial fishermen and related industries along the Maine coast. With coastal real estate pressures forcing changes away from public ownership, SHIP aims to protect a dwindling public asset through a state/local partnership.

Funds for SHIP grants were authorized by the Legislature and approved by Maine voters through a transportation bond referendum in June of 2007. These grants require a local cash match of 25 percent to 75 percent.

– http://www.boothbayregister.maine.com

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=169988&ac=PHnws

Maine Reports: Grant will help finance new ER
From Portland Press Herald

ELLSWORTH — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday announced a $143,000 federal grant to help with construction of a new emergency department at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital.

The current emergency department was designed to accommodate 12,000 patient visits a year. This year the figure is approaching 18,000 visits, hospital officials said.

Dr. Kenneth Christian, chief of emergency medicine, said the number of people who need to be seen in the emergency department exceeds the hospital's physical capacity.

"It's just not as private as people deserve to have," Christian said. "People get sick 24 hours a day, seven days a week and private care is not available during all of those 24 hours.

"We've suffered from the success of the area growing and we're happy about that," Christian said.

-- The Ellsworth American

http://www.ellsworthmaine.com

CALAIS

Board: Museum unable to develop because of debt

For the Downeast Heritage Museum in Calais, time and money are running out, according to Executive Director James Thompson.

The museum's board of directors met Wednesday in hopes that members might have some last-minute ideas to save the museum.

Jim Porter, president of the board of directors, said, "We started $1 million short when we opened in 2004. It is very hard in this area to make up a million dollars. It is a wonderful building, but its usage hasn't been what we anticipated, and how do we market it?"

Thompson said the $1 million was a line item in the federal budget and, when the federal government removed the item, the museum lost the money that was to help with operating costs over a five-year period. A marketing program, which Thompson sees as essential in developing the museum, would run up the costs substantially.

The museum opened in May 2004 to commemorate the French settlement on St. Croix Island 400 years earlier. It was anticipated that large numbers of tourists would participate in the opening and in the observance of the event. It turned out that few tourists showed up for the event.

Thompson said the museum has never been able to develop because of debt.

-- The Quoddy Tides

http://www.quoddytides.com

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=171511&ac=PHnws

MAINE REPORTS: Wiscasset looks at big solar project
From the Portland Press Herald

WISCASSET — A solar thermal project to cut energy costs and carbon emissions has been proposed for the Wiscasset Community Center.

It is touted as possibly the largest project of its kind on the Eastern Seaboard.

The total cost for the community center amounts to $199,850 after state and federal rebates, expected to total over $96,000, thus reducing the overall cost of equipment and installation of $296,000, according to solar product vendors Eos Solar, Inc. of Rockland.

Besides cutting fuel use by one-third and greenhouse gas emissions associated with global warming, the project, if approved as a budget item by local citizens, would also become an international example for green energy independence, Eos Solar officials say.

Eos made a presentation last week to town officials explaining the state-of-the-art solar technology that would make a 29 percent energy offset possible along with carbon dioxide offsets of 52.9 tons annually.

– Lincoln County News

http://www.mainelincolncountynews.com



DEER ISLE

Proposal to prohibit night harvesting of clams is rejected

Voters at a special town meeting on Feb. 21 approved three of four proposed changes to a local shellfish ordinance with little debate and even less opposition.

When asked to ban harvesting clams at night, however, voters had plenty to say before rejecting the proposal.

The Shellfish Conservation Ordinance serves Deer Isle and Stonington. Voters at the annual town meeting in Stonington on Monday will act on the same proposed amendments put to voters in Deer Isle.

Only changes approved by voters in both towns will go into effect, according to Ginny Olsen, chairman of the Deer Isle-Stonington Shellfish Committee.

Voters in Deer Isle offered no debate before approving an amendment that would extend the definition of a residential recreational shellfish license.

A proposal to make "conservation time" mandatory before receiving a commercial shellfish license met with no discussion and overwhelming approval.

A proposal to increase license fees sparked a discussion about the effectiveness of clam wardens patrolling the island. Despite opposition, the proposal passed by an overwhelming majority.

A proposal to ban night harvesting of shellfish generated considerable discussion and was rejected by a vote of 13 opposed to nine in favor.

– The Ellsworth American.

http://ellsworthmaine.com

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=172935&ac=PHnws

MAINE REPORTS: Median home prices up in seven counties
From the Portland Press Herald

WISCASSET — Lincoln County is one of seven Maine counties that showed an increase in the median sale price for single-family homes over last year.

The Maine Association of Realtors reported that January 2007 prices were higher than January 2008 in most counties.

However, the median price of a Lincoln County house last year was $230,000, and this year was $232,500, an increase of slightly more than 1 percent.

Sagadahoc County's median home sale price also inched up a little, from $190,200 to $191,500, or an increase of .68 percent.

Among counties with the largest price increases were Washington County, jumping 54 percent, from a median of $115,000 to $178,000, and Somerset County, rising 25 percent, from $86,200 to $108,000.

Other counties with price increases were Oxford, up 19 percent, from $143,250 to $171,250; Knox, up almost 16 percent, from $214,750 to $249,000; and Aroostook, rising 8 percent from $81,150 to $87,750.


http://www.wiscassetnewspaper.maine.com


WISCASSET

Virginia man may keep Declaration found in local home

A Virginia court has ruled the holder of a copy of the Declaration of Independence found in a Wiscasset home in 1995 and then sold can retain title to the historic document.

The Feb. 22 decision ends an extensive search and subsequent legal battle the state of Maine initiated in 2004 on behalf of Wiscasset and its predecessor, Pownalborough, based on its claim that the 1776 print is an official town record of Wiscasset and should be in its possession.

Richard L. Adams Jr. of Fairfax, Va., purchased the print in 2001 from a rare book dealer in London for $475,000.

The state Attorney General's Office located the copy in 2006 after launching a search in 2004, and served notice on Adams.

If the state had succeeded, the town likely would have been recognized as the owner, but the state would have stored the document at the Maine Archives in a high-security vault.


http://www.mainelincolncountynews.com


BAR HARBOR

Federal grant sought to improve systems for harbor security

Safety officials here are seeking more than $1 million in grant money from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for upgrades and additions to surveillance and response systems.

Included in the request is $400,000 to rebuild and add a story to the harbormaster's office, $250,000 for a rigid-hull inflatable boat and $37,000 for four outdoor surveillance cameras, with software and licensing fees.

The March 17 application deadline for the Port Security Grant Program should be met, following the Town Council's approval of the request last week, officials said.

If the money is awarded, the town will be responsible for a 25 percent match, payable over three years.

"Bar Harbor, being a major destination for the cruise ship industry, is recognized as a port of call with demands for increased security," said Police Chief Nate Young. "There is a requirement and there is a responsibility to make sure we have a safe harbor."

http://www.mdislander.com

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=174417&ac=PHnws

MAINE REPORTS: Superdelegate dispute up for debate
Portland Press Herald

ELLSWORTH — Superdelegate selection is expected to dominate business at today's meeting in Augusta of the State Committee of the Democratic Party of Maine.

For two months now, party insiders have been at odds over the Jan. 13 election that saw Rita Moran of Winthrop replace Jennifer DeChant of Bath as the State Committee's female representative to the Democratic National Committee.

That election was held after DeChant missed three consecutive State Committee meetings. Moran's election gave her DeChant's slot as one of 10 Maine superdelegates to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August.

DeChant claims there wasn't adequate notice of the Jan. 13 election, and that one of the three meetings she missed was a "special meeting" and shouldn't be used in invoking the party's three-strikes rule.

The agenda for today's meeting includes debate over a proposal to revoke the results of the Jan. 13 meeting.

A new election would be held at the meeting, with nominations from the floor.

With the race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination so close, the importance of sending nearly 800 superdelegates to the convention who can vote for either candidate has taken on national significance.

Neither DeChant nor Moran has committed to either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, despite Obama winning 60 percent support among Maine Democrats participating in the Feb. 10 statewide caucuses.

– The Ellsworth American

http://ellsworthmaine.com

EASTPORT

Town again lures film crew for movie; local talent needed

Eastport will once again be the location for a film production, and residents will have chances to act in the low- cost film scheduled to be shot in April and May.

The independent film is spearheaded by James Stiles, a writer and producer. The Augusta native, whose credits include writer, producer, director and actor, was also associated with "Empire Falls," filmed in Maine.

Lea Girardin, director of the Maine Film Office, said, "We are happy they are doing the film in Maine. We told them Eastport was a fabulous location."

The 2001 television production "Murder in Small Town X" was shot in Eastport.

– The Quoddy Tides

http://www.quoddytides.com

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=175719&ac=PHnws&pg=2

MAINE REPORTS: Aquaculture company hopes to raise cod Down East
From the Portland Press Herald

SORRENTO — Pen-raised Atlantic cod may be grown commercially for the first time in Maine if an experimental aquaculture lease application by co-applicants Great Bay Aquaculture and James West is approved.

After a public hearing on Feb. 20, the Department of Marine Resources began its review of the permit application. The aquaculture company is seeking a three-year, experimental lease for net pen culture of Atlantic cod in Frenchman Bay just south of Preble Island.

The 1.9-acre site sits within West's leased 36-acre site for mussel farming in the bay. The cod-farming pens will exist separately from his mussel fishery. If it can garner enough grant money, Great Bay Aquaculture, based in Portsmouth, N.H., will add mussels to its research.

Commercial cod farming is relatively new to North America. Since 2002, it has taken off in Norway, where private producers collectively yield about 22 million pounds per year.

Great Bay is the first commercial hatchery in the United States to produce juvenile Atlantic cod for the aquaculture industry.

– Mount Desert Islander

http:// mdislander.com



ELLSWORTH

Holiday Inn sold to businessman from Bar Harbor

A Bar Harbor businessman has an agreement pending to purchase the Ellsworth Holiday Inn.

"I'm under agreement to purchase the property," said Rob DeSimone, who owns Island Realty. "I expect the sale and transition to take place by the start of the season."

DeSimone, doing business as Acadia Park Hotel, appeared before the City Council on Monday to obtain a city license for food, liquor, lodging and amusement for the Holiday Inn. DeSimone is a former Bar Harbor Town Council chairman.

The 102-room Holiday Inn sits on nearly six acres at 215 High St., and marked its 35th anniversary last year.

– The Ellsworth American.

http://ellsworthmaine.com



WISCASSET

Failure to conduct survey shuts down shellfish harvest

The state's failure to conduct "shoreline sanitary surveys" has prompted a widespread closure of shellfish harvesting in the Wiscasset area.

The state Department of Marine Resources in Boothbay Harbor announced the closures Tuesday. The reason for the closures is the department's failure to fulfill a requirement of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program to do a sanitation survey every 12 years.

State marine resources officials tried to get Wiscasset to help do the survey last fall. They sent a letter to the town in September that said the survey had to be completed "this year."

– Wiscasset Newspaper

http://wiscassetnewspaper.maine.com

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=177144&ac=PHnws

MAINE REPORTS: 'Eco-resort community' proposed
Portland Press Herald

WINTER HARBOR — The owner of 3,300 acres of undeveloped land that abuts the entrance to the Schoodic Point section of Acadia National Park is exploring development of an "eco-resort community."

Two closed-door meetings were held Monday with officials from Winter Harbor and Gouldsboro to discuss a proposal to develop the parcel owned by Bruno Modena of Milan, Italy, doing business as the Winter Harbor Holding Co.

Among those attending were Winter Harbor First Selectman Diana Young, Winter Harbor Town Manager Roger Barto, Gouldsboro Town Manager Yvonne Wilkinson, Gouldsboro First Selectman Dana Rice and John Fuhrman, code enforcement officer for both towns.

Also participating were state Sen. Dennis Damon, D-Hancock County, and state Rep. Ted Koffman, D-Bar Harbor.

The meetings were requested by Mike Saxl, who was Speaker of the House in the Legislature from 2000 to 2002, before becoming a principal of Main Street Solutions, an Augusta-based public affairs and consulting firm is affiliated with the Verrill Dana law firm of Portland and Augusta.

– The Ellsworth American.

http://ellsworthmaine.com

WISCASSET

Detention mandate may cost county $50,000 a year

A decision by the state Department of Corrections to close one housing unit at the Long Creek Youth Center in South Portland could cost Lincoln County about $50,000 a year, county commissioners were told recently.

As of March 17, all male detained juveniles from the county must be taken to the Mountain View Youth Center in Charleston, instead of to South Portland, according to Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett.

Sagadahoc, Androscoggin and Oxford counties are also affected by this mandate.

– Wiscasset Newspaper

http://wiscassetnewspaper.maine.com

EASTPORT

Company wants to make wood pellets to ship to Europe

The Eastport Port Authority could become involved in the export of locally manufactured wood pellets from the Estes Head terminal.

A foreign company is looking into making the wood pellets at a site "relatively close to the port" for shipment to Europe, according to port director Chris Gardner.

"We feel very optimistic that this is a real possibility for the port," Gardner said. "It's one of the best possibilities the port has had in a very long time for a substantial new customer."

The proximity to the port is one reason the operation would be viable, Gardner said.

"This operation will be a long-term partnership, and it will result in local job opportunities," Gardner said in his March 17 report to the port authority board.

Loading the wood pellets aboard freighters would use the existing work force, but jobs would be created in manufacturing the pellets.

– The Quoddy Tides

http://www.quoddytides.com

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=178565&ac=PHnws