MAINE REPORTS...

MAINE REPORTS: Waldoboro board hires new police chief
Portland Press Herald

WALDOBORO —In the wake of a fatal police shooting, and a consequent petition drive aimed at shutting down the Waldoboro Police Department in favor of county police services, Waldoboro selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday night to hire William Labombarde as police chief.

Labombarde, 51, has served as police chief in Lincolnville since 2004. Before that, he worked as a police officer and detective in Wells for two years, and served on the North Berwick Police Department for nine years. He will begin his new job in Waldoboro on Nov. 19.

Former Waldoboro Police Chief Leroy Jones retired unexpectedly in May, leaving the department in the hands of Sgt. Jamie Wilson.

Goals considered during the hiring process, said Town Manager Lee Smith, included finding a police chief who is customer- oriented, can maintain good media relations, manage a budget within constraints and effectively use information software.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=143496&ac=PHnws

New footpath links wildlife preserves
Maine Reports

NEWCASTLE -- Gov. John Baldacci, assisted by Great Salt Bay School seventh-grader Noah Begin, 13, of Newcastle, recently cut the ceremonial ribbon officially opening the River-Link footpath and wildlife corridor at Dodge Point.

"I'm here to congratulate you on coming together for this project," Baldacci said to officials from state agencies, conservationists and visitors who attended the event on Oct. 25.

The River-Link path connects existing public and private preserves, including Dodge Point, Edgecomb's Schmid Preserve, the Sherman Lake Peninsula Preserve and Zak Preserve and creates a three-town recreational and wildlife corridor on more than 1,400 acres of contiguous land.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=145141&ac=PHnws

Maine Maritime tightens security
From Portland Press Herald

CASTINE — Students, faculty and administrators at Maine Maritime Academy are noticing a different way of life at their 66-year-old college.

The change, taking place primarily at Curtis Residence Hall, the school's only dormitory and home to 560 students, is MMA's revamped security policy that in time will spread throughout the campus.

It's a change occurring on campuses nationwide in response to the Virginia Tech shootings in April that left 33 people dead and 29 wounded.

At MMA, security cameras now are in place at several entrances to Curtis Hall, and all but two exterior doors to the dormitory are locked. Students and staff come through one main entrance, flashing IDs to communication specialists located at a front desk 24 hours a day.

The door to Heath Services, the other unlocked door with access to the dorm, is open during specific hours throughout the day, but is covered by a camera and guarded by a security officer.

Biometric locks, which use hand measurements and shape to identify individuals, will be installed on exterior doors, allowing entrance through more than two doors. Students can exit through any of the dormitory's doors.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=146945&ac=PHnws

Maine Reports: Rising oil prices send ripple effects
From Portland Press Herald

ELLSWORTH — With the cost of crude oil approaching $100 a barrel and Mainers paying more than $3 a gallon for heating oil, the state's oil dealers want to know why.

Consumers, on the other hand, want to know what – as in what can they do to make it through the winter.

"It's unbelievable how frantic they're getting," Rusty Roberts said of the local residents who turn to the Tree of Life Food Pantry in Blue Hill when they're in need. "I don't know what they're going to do. I don't know what's going to happen to these people."

Escalating heating fuel and gasoline prices hit consumers with a one-two punch. It reduces the amount of disposable cash available to most households and contributes to an increase in the cost of other essentials, such as groceries.

Those who budget for heating schools and hospitals are keeping a close eye on oil prices.

School Union 76 Superintendent Bob Webster was pleased last week because he decided to pre-buy heating oil at a locked-in price for the schools in Deer Isle, Brooklin and Sedgwick.

Last summer, Webster ordered this winter's oil supply for the schools at a cost of $2.40 a gallon.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=148726&ac=PHnws

MAINE REPORTS
Shrimp season starting Saturday
From the Portland Press Herald

ELLSWORTH -– The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has approved a 152-day northern shrimp fishing season for 2007-08. The season is the same length as last year, but that could change.

According to Department of Marine Resources Commissioner George Lapointe, the season will open Saturday, Dec. 1, and continue through Wednesday, April 30.

While the stock of northern shrimp seems to be excellent, the commission has reserved the right to close days during the season. That could happen if it appears that too many boats are catching too many shrimp.

Last season, the Atlantic Coast fleet landed some 7.4 million pounds of northern shrimp. That was a huge increase over the roughly 4.6 million pounds landed the year before. The value of the catch was small, though.

This year, it looks like there are plenty of shrimp in the water, but the ASMFC wants to be sure that too much fishing doesn't decimate the stock.

"The resource is at peak abundance now," Lapointe said, but there are signs that if too many are caught, it could cause problems for the future.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=150411&ac=PHnws

MAINE REPORTS: Hospital announces plan to construct health center
From the Portland Press Herald

SOUTHWEST HARBOR — Mount Desert Island Hospital officials unveiled plans for a new 11,000-square-foot health center here Monday. The $3.2-million facility, which will include an adult day care center and will be within walking distance of downtown and housing for the elderly, is designed to better serve residents of Southwest Harbor, Tremont and parts of Mount Desert.

In developing the plans, hospital staff members heard from about half of the estimated 250 people who live within walking distance of the new facility's site, Dr. Julian Kuffler said. Locating the facility behind the Bar Harbor Bank & Trust and near the Ridge Apartments will ensure that residents have easy access to health care, officials said.

Hospital president and chief executive officer Art Blank said he hopes construction will begin by the end of the calendar year, with completion anticipated for next fall. Financing for the facility is coming from hospital resources, including bond money, and a $1.4 million capital campaign. To date, the hospital has secured gifts totaling $740,000. One of the campaign's major objectives is to fund an endowment for the adult day care center because the center will have to be subsidized.

Dr. Kuffler said the floor plan provides for convenience, efficiency, comfort and privacy. The new clinic can accommodate four primary care providers and visiting specialists, including behavioral health providers and practitioners of alternative medicine.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=152006&ac=PHnws

Maine Reports: N-plant site may get security boost
From the Portland Press Herald


WISCASSET — Lincoln County may receive surveillance equipment from the Maine Emergency Management Agency to monitor the perimeter of the site where the Maine Yankee nuclear power plant once stood, Sheriff Todd Brackett told county commissioners Tuesday.

Brackett said he had an "unscheduled visit" from representatives of Homeland Security and MEMA recently about improving surveillance there. Nuclear waste is still stored at the site, just off Ferry Road in Wiscasset.

Brackett told commissioners the discussion was part of a nationwide effort to increase security at sites around the country.

The purpose of the surveillance equipment is to increase first responders' ability to detect a problem, he said. If the county gets the equipment, it will be installed at the county's communications center, because of the center's round-the-clock coverage, he said.

Brackett said Homeland Security and MEMA representatives met with Wiscasset police Lt. John Allen to ask what the local department could use to be better prepared to respond to an incident at the site. Allen gave them a list of items.

According to Brackett, MEMA is requesting a grant of $100,000 to pay for the equipment.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=153845&ac=PHnws

Maine Reports: Teachers in Wiscasset stage protest
From the Portland Press Herald

WISCASSET — Forty-six Wiscasset teachers took to the streets Monday night in a continuation of their protest against two years of working without a contract. The occasion was a school board meeting and an opportunity to keep their plight visible to the administration, board members and the public.

A news release described the teachers' hopes to curry interest from passers-by as picketers lined the street in front of the Town Office and marched around the bend to the Congregational Church and back.

Wiscasset Teachers Association leader Brion Controvillas said Wednesday that teachers are resisting the board's wish to increase teachers' contributions to health-care benefits and the 2.5 percent increase in their base salaries. The teachers have asked for 3.5 percent increase.

He said the teachers are "working to rule" – fulfilling only the minimum requirements of their contracts – and the students' education is suffering as a result.

Teachers and administrators agree that a large percentage of a teacher's job occurs outside classrooms and teaching hours. When teachers work to rule, they typically work only at school and during hours stated in their contracts, in this case 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Last month, two of three fact-finders, as part of the state's negotiation process, found that a 4 percent increase would bring Wiscasset teachers into alignment with nearby schools, especially the Bath system. During most of the fact-finders' research period, Wiscasset and Bath were in consolidation negotiations, a plan that voters ultimately rejected.

It was then, according to Wiscasset High School science teacher Ralph Keyes, that teachers began the "painful" process of working exactly according to the contract.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=155759&ac=PHnws

Maine Reports: Trust nearing fund goal to build island housing
from the Portland Press Herald

MOUNT DESERT — The Island Housing Trust needs an additional $47,000 before it can begin building its Ripples Hill work-force housing project in Somesville, director Chris Spruce told selectmen last week.

"We have raised $488,000," he said. "We need $535,000 in gifts and pledges before we can begin phase one."

Spruce explained that to keep the homes affordable – at prices between $165,000 and $185,000 – the trust has been soliciting donations to cover the cost of building the subdivision's infrastructure. The trust received a bid of $535,000 to build the roads, install sewer lines and utilities, and remove ledge.

Nineteen houses are planned for the 10-acre site, said Spruce, but only six will be built in the first phase. The two-story, wood- frame houses on quarter-acre lots will be small (1,300 square feet) and energy-efficient.

To be eligible to purchase one of the houses, applicants must commit to living in the house year-round and one adult member of the household must work on Mount Desert Island. Household members must earn less than 120 percent of the area's median income, currently $66,350 for a family of four or fewer in Hancock County.

About a dozen eligible families are interested in purchasing the homes, Spruce said.

The town of Mount Desert donated the 10 acres to the trust for the housing. The Rockefeller family formerly owned the property and donated it to the town to create work-force housing.

Spruce said the group hopes to break ground in the spring.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=157464&ac=PHnws

Maine Reports: Canadian firm decides on Calais
from the Portland Press Herald

CALAIS — Acrobat Research of Toronto has officially decided to open a new call center in Calais, and the proposed opening date is Jan. 21.

"We're very happy to have Acrobat Research come to Calais," said Assistant City Manager Jim Porter of the company. "They'll be hiring 80 full-time and many part-time positions. The interview process is under way, and they'll be doing second-level interviews in early January."

Acrobat Research, which collects market research data, has already received more than 230 applications.

Company President Roland Klassen said the firm is "on the verge of signing a lease" to locate in the former Wareknitters building on the corner of North and Union streets. "We are just in the legal stage of reviewing contracts."

Calais was one of several sites considered by Acrobat Research, which had not yet opened a branch in the United States.

Acrobat Research was established in 1994 and advertises itself as a company that does not do telemarketing of any kind. Instead, the firm conducts opinion polling, customer satisfaction surveys, social research and other information for statistical purposes.

The Quoddy Tides

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=158952&ac=PHnws