Articles by Brian Swartz
Custom Publication of the Bangor Daily News
Escaping slave saw Maine soldiers standing by ‘the gates of Heaven’
By Brian Swartz, Of the Weekly Staff on Feb. 12, 2013, at 2:46 p.m.
Editor’s note: This article is the second of a two-part installment about Samuel Guess, an escaped slave who moved to Bangor sometime near or after the end of the Civil War. Born into slavery, Sam Guess escaped the lash and found safety with two Maine soldiers startled to see him ...
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Aviation maintenance school to open in Bangor
By Brian Swartz, Of the Weekly Staff on Feb. 12, 2013, at 2:38 p.m.
BANGOR — A new aviation maintenance technician school does not yet exist at United Technologies Center on the Hogan Road, but students are already asking Director Fred Woodman when they can start taking classes. And when the program begins, he foresees no difficulty in filling the classroom. Maine Aero Services ...
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Persistent Abial Edwards courted Anna Conant by wartime mail
By Brian Swartz, Special Sections Editor on Feb. 12, 2013, at 2:23 p.m.
Neither burning barracks nor smallpox nor “the enemy’s bullets flying in all directions” could stay Abial Hall Edwards from the not-so-swift completion of his appointed rounds: courting Anna Lucinda Conant by wartime mail. Edwards and Conant met on the job at a Lewiston textile mill. He hailed from Casco, she ...
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Grab the kids! Rick Charette’s in town at Brewer PAC on Feb. 9
By David M. Fitzpatrick, Of the Weekly Staff on Feb. 05, 2013, at 3:25 p.m.
When I told my wife I was interviewing Rick Charette, she immediately leaped off the couch and began singing “Alligator in the Elevator” and dancing, making chomping jaws with her arms, grabbing her face in mock fright, and cupping her hands to make eyes at me. At 30, she’s 13 ...
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Back Alley Pub opens at Family Fun Bowling Center
By Brian Swartz, Of the Weekly Staff on Feb. 05, 2013, at 3:21 p.m.
BANGOR — Hungry bowlers are packing the booths and tables at the Back Alley Pub. And other diners seeking delicious fare are joining them at the new restaurant, which opened earlier this year at the Family Fun Bowling Center, 15 Hildreth St., Bangor. Tina Saccuto and Dwayne MacLeod own the ...
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Cross-country skiers enjoy the local trails
By Greg Westrich on Feb. 05, 2013, at 3:15 p.m.
There are many great cross-country skiing opportunities in the lower Penobscot Valley. Many golf courses in our area allow skiing on the fairways. A few courses actually groom trails and offer some services; for example, the Barnes Brook X-C Ski Center in West Enfield (732-3006) is on a golf course ...
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Chocolate Fest, auction to highlight 20th anniversary of Next Step Domestic Violence Project
By Ardeana Hamlin, Of the Weekly Staff on Feb. 05, 2013, at 3:12 p.m.
DEDHAM — The Next Step Domestic Violence Project will celebrate its 20th anniversary with its annual Chocolate Fest and Silent Auction 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at Lucerne Inn in Dedham. The event will benefit Next Step, a nonprofit organization that serves those affected by domestic violence in Hancock and ...
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Fireplace mantel revealed Bangor connection to a former slave
By Brian Swartz, Of the Weekly Staff on Feb. 05, 2013, at 2:55 p.m.
Editor’s note: This article is the first of a two-part installment about Samuel Guess, an escaped slave who moved to Bangor sometime near the end of the Civil War. While solving a mystery about a surname scrawled on a fireplace mantel, Renee Perron met some Bangor residents who lent diversity ...
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Learn more at Senior College classes
By Carol Higgins-Taylor on Feb. 05, 2013, at 2:33 p.m.
Any sentence with the word “spring” in it is a welcome diversion from the winter doldrums. So let’s use the word as often as we can to snag our attention from the bone chilling temperatures and high heating costs. The Penobscot Valley Senior College has released its spring catalog. Spring ...
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Westside Auto Sales moves to new location on Verona Island
By Brian Swartz, Of the Weekly Staff on Jan. 29, 2013, at 3:44 p.m.
VERONA ISLAND — Todd and Jennifer Bridges believed that when they relocated their Westside Auto Sales to 161 U.S. Route 1 in this town, business would increase. They were right. The Bridges opened Westside Auto Sales “down the road 1½ miles at our home” elsewhere on Verona Island last May, ...
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Wilson Street dawn
By Brian Swartz, Of the Weekly Staff on Jan. 29, 2013, at 3:34 p.m.
No matter the air temperature last week, the sun still rose each morning over Wilson Street in Brewer. This time of year, the sun pops above the Dedham Hills in almost perfect alignment with the busy highway. The natural light changes by the minute, as Weekly Editor Brian Swartz discovered ...
Tax Aide volunteers ready to assist seniors with income tax filing
By Carol Higgins-Taylor on Jan. 29, 2013, at 3:27 p.m.
April 15 is more than two months away, but time flies so start thinking about your taxes now. And while seniors may think they need not worry about this, sometimes it pays to check things out. “The volunteers with AARP’s Tax Aide Program have answers to questions you might not ...
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Six-pound medal adorned neck of champion bean-eater
By Brian Swartz, Of the Weekly Staff on Jan. 29, 2013, at 3:23 p.m.
Absolutely nobody wanted to stand down wind of Kenduskeag’s Frederick A.H. Stackpole on Friday, Jan. 24, 1879 — or on Saturday, Sunday, and probably Monday, too. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Union veterans formed the Grand Army of the Republic, the equivalent of today’s Veterans of Foreign Wars. ...
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History of the Bangor Auditorium, Part IV: The Next Generation
By David M. Fitzpatrick, Of the Weekly Staff on Jan. 29, 2013, at 3:20 p.m.
Click here to read all four parts of this series. Editor’s Note: In 2013, the Cross Insurance Center will become the third structure to serve as the community auditorium since 1897. This is the fourth in a four-part series to tell the historic tale of those three structures, and their ...
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Steadicam technology taught at Bangor college
By Brian Swartz, Of the Weekly Staff on Jan. 22, 2013, at 3:55 p.m.
From biker scouts chasing Luke and Leia to exciting NFL end-zone action to reality TV, Steadicam technology improves the video footage that people watch. Since the advent of silent films, producers have struggled to film scenes that require a cameraman to move simultaneously with the action. Hand-held cameras allowed such ...
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Sassy Nails Spa opens a Bangor location
By Debra Bell, Of the Weekly Staff on Jan. 22, 2013, at 3:52 p.m.
Anthony Nguyen decided to expand his 12-year-old Sassy Nails franchise from Ellsworth to Bangor because he had clients who were traveling that distance. “We talked a lot with the customers and found out many were coming from Bangor,” Nguyen said. “The customer always comes first.” That’s why he opened up ...
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History of the Bangor Auditorium, Part III: Citizens divided
By David M. Fitzpatrick, Of the Weekly Staff on Jan. 22, 2013, at 3:49 p.m.
Click here to read all four parts of this series. Editor’s Note: In 2013, the Cross Insurance Center will become the third structure to serve as the community auditorium since 1897. This is the third in a four-part series to tell the historic tale of those three structures, and their ...
Custom Publication of the Bangor Daily News
Knowing all about travel
By Debra Bell, Of the Weekly Staff on Jan. 22, 2013, at 3:38 p.m.
If there’s one thing Dee-Anne McDonald loves to do, it’s to send vacationers to Mexico. That’s because it’s not only the travel agent’s favorite destination, but Mexico offers tremendous bang for the buck. McDonald owns All About Travel, located at the Centre Mall since the business opened in 1996. The ...
Special to the Weekly
Diversified Ink: tattoos and fine art
By Greg Westrich on Jan. 22, 2013, at 3:28 p.m.
Ed Schaffer, owner of Diversified Ink, is still getting used to the idea of being an employer. His tattoo studio employs four tattoo artists, two piercers, and two part-time employees to manage the books and web site. Business has never been better. Wearing a worn Carhartt jacket and jeans while ...
Army officers lobbied for promotion in winter 1863
After the Army sacked Capt. Edwin Bachelder for cowardice during the Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., Gov. Abner Coburn sought a replacement to lead Co. B, 3rd Maine Infantry. He lacked no applicants, including Sgt. Rufus Crockett, a battle-hardened noncom who felt, “deserving and competent to have a commission” to command ...
Orono man charged with murder in death of Glenburn teen
Police find remains believed to be Nichole Cable, 15, in Old Town woods
Family remembers Nichole “CoCo” Cable, warns of social media dangers
Old Town, Orono residents react to girl’s homicide with shock and grief
Glenburn woman gets 18 months for embezzling $100,000 from beagle rescue group
Nichole Cable: In our minds, hearts
Obama’s boyfriend line
How to humble a wing nut
UMaine narrows candidate list, hopes to name men’s hockey coach next week
Former Dexter, Nokomis coach Pratt takes Mount View football post
Eastport teen notches first ‘Bandolero’ racing victory
Houlton makes plans for new hockey boards at Millar Civic Center
Unity Raceway heading in new direction when track opens for season Sunday
Fun, informative or just plain strange: 8 museums in Maine worth a road trip
Bangor veteran of World War II exemplifies the way life should be
Microsoft unveils new Xbox One game console