Heather Steeves
Rockland Bureau
- 207.338.9546
- hsteeves@bangordailynews.com
POLL QUESTION
School consolidation: money saver or total failure?
It has been three years since many of Maine’s school districts consolidated to try to save money on administrative costs. As more and more communities consider withdrawing from newly consolidated school districts, a major question has emerged: Did it work? Some superintendents think consolidation is a godsend. Others say it ...
EDUCATION
Bill would ease withdrawal from consolidated school districts
AUGUSTA, Maine — If new legislation passes, it will be much easier for towns to leave their consolidated school districts. The state Legislature’s Education Committee Monday endorsed a bill that would require that only 50 percent of a town vote be necessary to withdraw from a district. The current law ...
Prisoners find their way back to Maine
WARREN, Maine — Arthur Belanger, 29, grew up in Maine, committed a murder in Maine and was sentenced to prison in Maine in 2005. Then in 2009, he was transferred to a prison in Florida against his will and too far away for his parents to visit. It was difficult ...
Self-proclaimed nerds to get married after newspaper proposal
OLD TOWN, Maine — When Rachel Rier met Sean Carter, it was instant nerd love. The two, both University of Maine students, met at the Bear’s Den during karaoke night. “He chatted me up about math languages — be still my heart. Then we sang ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley,” said ...
Acadia park ranger lives ‘dream job’ during winter months
BAR HARBOR, Maine — Chris Wiebusch’s workdays are often full of ice skating, snowmobiling, hiking, boating or cross-country skiing through Acadia National Park. But on temperate days like Saturday when the sky spits wet, sloppy snow, there aren’t many transportation options for park rangers to choose from aside from driving ...
More Rockland buildings added to historic places register
ROCKLAND, Maine — A chunk of Main Street extending from the end of Limerock Street by the Kenniston Realty building to Summer Street near the Fiore olive oil store was added to the National Register of Historic Places this month. Most of the rest of downtown Main Street is already ...
Children in midcoast might get iPads at school
ROCKLAND, Maine — Some kindergartners, third-graders and special education students in the midcoast will get iPad tablets next year if the school district’s technology committee has its way. The proposal will be brought to the school board next week, according to Regional School District 13’s business manager Scott Vaitones. Teachers ...
As gangs gain traction in Maine, prison braces
WARREN, Maine — To prepare for the possibility of housing more gangsters, Maine State Prison officials are writing new guidelines to help identify which prisoners belong to gangs. Currently there is no way of knowing how many gang members are in Maine State Prison. The prison doesn’t officially record what ...
POLL QUESTION
Rise in gang membership prompting police, lawmakers to take action
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s natural beauty and easy-going lifestyle have drawn tourists and retirees to the state for decades. Now a new demographic is moving in. According to the FBI, in the last three years up to 4,000 gang members have moved in to Maine, where there is a lucrative ...
Rockland city panel recommends action on deteriorating, shuttered school
ROCKLAND, Maine — The city is in the initial stages of making a plan for a closed-down school it now owns. A recently issued report suggests that the school that is on about five acres of land near the city’s center should be turned into housing. It also gives options ...
Rockport considers tearing down parts of old school
ROCKPORT, Maine — The old Rockport Elementary School has been sitting unused in a field on the side of Route 1 for more than a year. People at a Board of Selectmen meeting Monday night seemed to come to a consensus that three of the four pieces of the building ...
Maine rights panel finds landlord did not do enough to correct harassment of gay tenants
WALDOBORO, Maine — The Rockport-based real estate management company that owns the apartment complex knew that a gay couple living there was being harassed and should have done more to take corrective action, according to a 3-1 vote Monday by members of the Maine Human Rights Commission. Joseph Bonnadio II ...
Maine prison sees more minorities than the rest of the state
WARREN, Maine — Maine’s state prison is a bit more racially diverse than the rest of Maine, according to the Department of Corrections. The department released a database of prisoner information earlier this month, which among other facts details the ethnicity of each man in Maine State Prison. While Maine ...
Education commissioner rolls out new plan that he says puts learners first
AUGUSTA, Maine — Giving students more control over their education, along with greater accountability and flexibility are the centerpieces of a new direction for Maine’s K-12 schools outlined by the state’s education commissioner Tuesday. At the Capital Area Technical Center at Cony High School, Stephen Bowen unveiled a plan that ...
VIDEO
Engineer sculpts playable musical instruments out of wood
THOMASTON, Maine — Rob Jones has bought a pair of knee-high women’s boots he’ll never wear. He bought a tiny “pocket” trumpet even though he has no idea how to play it and doesn’t intend to learn. All for his art. By day, Jones is an electronic technician. By night ...
Two methadone clinics compete to open first in the midcoast
WARREN, Maine — Two companies trying to create methadone clinics in the midcoast are in a neck-and-neck race to open first. Recently, both companies announced prospective opening schedules and it appears there may not be a clear winner. Both clinics likely will open and compete, according to the companies. CRC ...
VIDEO
Son’s drug struggle motivates dad’s fight for methadone clinic
WARREN, Maine — Bob Emery Jr. has taken a lot of heat for working to bring a proposed methadone clinic to this Knox County town. He has lost business at his construction company, he said. Half his staff has quit over the controversy. His family has been targeted and is ...
Waldo County Sheriff’s Office moving to new building down the street
BELFAST, Maine — The Waldo County Sheriff’s Office is closed until Tuesday while the department moves into its new facility. The office will still have deputies answering emergency calls, but — as on every weekend and holiday — the doors to the actual offices will be locked, according to Chief ...
Six Maine schools approved for major upgrades
NEWPORT, Maine — Some of the most decrepit school buildings in Maine are one step closer to extreme makeovers — or being replaced, according to the Maine Department of Education. The department reported Wednesday that it will commit to fixing or totally rebuilding six schools on its School Facilities Priorities ...
POLL QUESTION
Maine makes public new database of inmates and felons on probation
Thirty-six convicted murderers and 24 kidnappers live on probation in Maine communities, a new database created for the Maine Department of Corrections shows. The website allows people to search through the database of state’s 9,160 adult prisoners and probationers. The goal, the department said, is to allow victims to track ...
Rosa Scarcelli suing stepfather for not firing her mother
Man shot in Hermon home invasion arrested for second time Friday, released Tuesday
Bangor police looking for Florida firefighter
Scarborough boy, 11, rocking open mike nights at Lewiston restaurant
What’s more important — presidential or party preference?
Toilet-papering spree in Bangor neighborhoods a result of high school swimmers’ success
No. 8 Houlton stuns No. 1 Orono, will face Stearns in semifinal
Cianbro has 150 job openings
Gambling board approves Maine’s first casino: Hollywood Slots becomes Hollywood Casino Bangor
Maple syrup producers concerned about mild winter
Maine inspires chefs and foodies nationwide
Photos of Mainers who served in Vietnam War needed for national center
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