Articles by Diana Bowley
Greenville may end going it alone on its transfer station
GREENVILLE, Maine — Two towns have opted out of sharing the costs of Greenville’s planned transfer station and the Piscataquis County commissioners have yet to decide whether to continue the relationship of three unorganized townships with the town. For years, Beaver Cove, Shirley and the Unorganized Territory of Harford’s Point, ...
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Work by inmates, disabled veterans supports outdoor excursions for soldiers
CHARLESTON, Maine — Michael Warren, 38, of Corinna enjoyed bonding with a group of combat veterans who gathered last week at Pine Grove Lodge in Bingham. Having returned home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan in January 2010, Warren remembers the chilling combat in the war zone. “It was ...
Four Dexter residents vie for town council seats
DEXTER, Maine — The four candidates for the two three-year terms on the Dexter Town Council all said recently they would work to help improve the local economy. Frederick Banks, Charles “Chip” Merrill, Michele “Missy” Smith and incumbent David Clukey are vying for the two seats that will be decided ...
Sangerville residents approve up to $30,000 to fight lawsuit from town’s former plumbing inspector
SANGERVILLE, Maine — Sangerville residents voted 27-22 Thursday to spend up to $30,000 from surplus to fight a civil lawsuit filed by resident Frank Ruksznis, the town’s former plumbing inspector, against former Selectman Lance Burgess. In his lawsuit filed on Sept. 23 in U.S. District Court in Bangor, Ruksznis alleges ...
Piscataquis County to hold yard sale of excess courtroom furniture
DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — Piscataquis County commissioners will hold an indoor yard sale on Oct. 28 and 29 featuring surplus county-owned furniture that will no longer be needed by the judicial system when the addition to and renovation of the Piscataquis County courthouse are completed. The state is nearing completion of ...
Hardware store in Guilford growing despite economy’s slow recovery
GUILFORD, Maine — Business at Lovell’s Guilford Hardware on Water Street was brisk on a recent fall day with little sign that the region is still in a deep recession. Several clerks eagerly assisted customers who were from as far away as Greenville and Milo with their needs from the ...
Greenville board says no need for mooring ordinance or harbor master on Moosehead
GREENVILLE, Maine — The Greenville Planning Board says that, for now, the town does not need a mooring ordinance or a harbor master. Concerns about the number of moorings on Moosehead Lake, especially in the East and West Coves, first surfaced in 2006. A committee was appointed to work on ...
Fire displaces Sangerville family
SANGERVILLE, Maine — A local family was being assisted by the American Red Cross on Tuesday night after a fire damaged their modern ranch home on French’s Mills Road. The State Fire Marshal’s Office has been asked to investigate the cause of the fire that damaged the home of David ...
Police grant, coverage dominate agenda of Piscataquis County commissioners
DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — The possibility of Piscataquis County funding the local share for Greenville’s Cop Fast grant was dashed Tuesday when it was learned that the federal government does not permit the sharing of grants unless specified in the application. The extremely competitive grants provide funding for an additional police ...
POLICE BEAT
Corinna man accused of stealing gun, leading police on high-speed chase
DEXTER, Maine — A Corinna man who allegedly stole a handgun from a Dexter gun dealer Tuesday reportedly led police on a high-speed chase through Dexter. Lawrence Cyr, 35, was arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged with theft by unauthorized taking. Additional charges are pending, according to Dexter Police Chief Jim ...
Dexter Council to interview candidates for town manager
DEXTER, Maine — Twenty-three people applied for the position of town manager in Dexter, after a second round of advertisements. Of the 23, the Town Council has selected nine of the strongest candidates to interview on Oct. 18, 20, and 26. In late August, the council had narrowed the field ...
Milo recreation facilities upgraded thanks to efforts of volunteer
MILO, Maine — Until this year, Dickie Martin could only dream of improvements to the Milo Recreation Department because the town, like other Piscataquis County communities, had a high unemployment rate at a time when there were fewer revenues yet higher fixed costs. Paul Bradeen, a Milo budget committee member, ...
Piscataquis County commissioners warned that town officials want no tax increase
DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — With their own budgets down to the bare bones, town officials in Piscataquis County say county and school expenses are the only place left to cut to bring tax relief to their residents. That message came Thursday during the Piscataquis County Budget Advisory Committee’s first meeting to ...
Sangerville special town meeting slated to address legal expenses
SANGERVILLE, Maine — Residents will be asked next week if they wish to authorize selectmen to spend up to $30,000 to defend former Sangerville Selectman Lance Burgess in a civil lawsuit filed against him by resident Frank Ruksznis. Ruksznis had been the town’s independent plumbing inspector until last spring, when ...
Milo man with rare syndrome faces life of pain
MILO, Maine — One minute this summer Austin Bell, 24, of Milo, was making plans to take a welding course to expand his employment skills. The next minute he was struggling to stay alive. That struggle has continued to this day for the Milo native, who was diagnosed in September ...
Foxcroft Academy students volunteer in community
DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — Foxcroft Academy freshmen donated 350 hours of community service Wednesday by raking leaves, washing firetrucks, sweeping dirt and participating in other chores for a variety of organizations. All students are required to earn six community service credits for graduation, according to Arnold Shorey, FA’s head of school. ...
Dover-Foxcroft woman impaled by tree branch in July dies at EMMC
BANGOR, Maine — Rory Schmand, 47, of Dover-Foxcroft, who was impaled by a tree branch during a heavy thundershower in July, died Wednesday morning at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Schmand was critically injured July 6 when a tree branch crashed through the windshield of her vehicle on the ...
Dover-Foxcroft accepts grants for work on Central Hall and for trail development
DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — Dover-Foxcroft selectmen accepted two $200,000 grants Monday from the Communities for Maine’s Future Program to improve the downtown area. One grant is for the rehabilitation of Central Hall and the other is for the development of a pedestrian walk along the Piscataquis River. Ken Woodbury of the ...
Thieves target Piscataquis County camps
DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — A large amount of tools and other items were taken during break-ins at three camps in Piscataquis County over the past few weeks, police said Monday. An Ambajejus Lake camp owner in Township 1 Range 9 reported the theft of miscellaneous tools from his camp and shed, ...
Greenville and Piscataquis County commissioners to discuss police funding
GREENVILLE, Maine — The Greenville Police Department recently was awarded a nearly $206,000 federal grant to add another police officer to its roster for three years, but the department may lose the funds if it’s unable to secure funding for the fourth-year costs. Residents were told at the annual town ...
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