Articles by Rich Hewitt
Bucksport trail map a collaborative effort
BUCKSPORT, Maine — The town and the Bucksport Area Chamber of Commerce are collaborating to create a walking and trail map for visitors to the area. The plan, according to Kathy Zeman, office manager at the Chamber, is to create handout which will include two maps on one side and ...
Ellsworth marina expansion project runs into ledge
ELLSWORTH, Maine — The city’s efforts to install new boat slips at that harbor park marina on the Union River have run into a slight snag that has delayed the project briefly and forced some boat owners to hold off putting their vessels in the water. City councilors approved the project ...
Deer Isle, Stonington voters reject efforts to restore positions, approve school budget
DEER ISLE, Maine — Voters from Deer Isle and Stonington on Thursday approved the $6.1 million school budget for the coming year as proposed, but not before several attempts to change it had been rejected. The budget represented almost a 2 percent reduction — $126,164 less than the current school budget ...
Wrong-way driver from Ellsworth among those indicted by Hancock County grand jury
ELLSWORTH, Maine — An Ellsworth man who allegedly crashed his vehicle intentionally into another car in Ellsworth last November was indicted Thursday on multiple charges by a Hancock County grand jury. Stanley W. Swallow, 27, was charged with aggravated assault, reckless conduct, operating under the influence and driving to endanger. ...
Beals woman indicted in fatal robbery attempt
ELLSWORTH, Maine — A Hancock County grand jury on Thursday indicted a 24-year-old Beals woman in connection with an attempted robbery in Eastbrook last December that led to the shooting death of her boyfriend. According to Hancock County District Attorney Carletta Bassano, the indictment included numerous charges against Ashley Crowley, stemming ...
Penobscot Narrows Bridge observation tower to be closed for maintenance
PROSPECT, Maine — The observatory atop the Penobscot Narrows Bridge will be closed for two days next week to allow crews from the Maine Department of Transportation to perform necessary maintenance. The observatory will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 14 and 15. Work inside the observatory is expected ...
Welding possible cause of fire at Irving Terminal in Searsport
SEARSPORT, Maine — Early indications are that maintenance welding on an empty heating fuel tank at the Irving Terminal on Mack Point was the cause of a fire that damaged the tank on Monday afternoon. Irving officials have begun an investigation into the fire and are still assessing the cause, ...
Human skull found in Hancock likely from old grave site
HANCOCK, Maine — Investigators are looking into the discovery last month of a human skull at a local gravel pit. Although Detective Alan Brown of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department said the discovery of a human skull, in itself, is suspicious, it appears that the skull was very old and ...
The Jackson Laboratory scraps Florida expansion plan
BAR HARBOR, Maine — The Jackson Laboratory has ended its efforts to expand its operations and develop a personalized medicine research facility in Florida. The lab announced Friday that it will withdraw its request for $100 million in Florida state start-up funding for the expansion facility in Sarasota County. In ...
School consolidation penalties eliminated effective 2012-13
AUGUSTA, Maine — School districts facing financial penalties after they refused or failed to consolidate will get relief from those penalties, but it won’t happen this fall. The state Legislature has given final approval to a bill that will eliminate those penalties, but it won’t take effect until the 2012-13 ...
Groups promote American chestnut growth
ORLAND, Maine — The American chestnut was once among the most highly prized trees in the eastern forests and was considered the perfect tree for its quick growth, its use as timber and for the chestnuts it produced. That was before 1904, when a blight struck the trees. Discovered first ...
Motorcyclist hurt in Blue Hill collision
BLUE HILL, Maine – A Bucksport man was injured Monday afternoon in a motorcycle accident on Route 15. According to Trooper Dan Ryan of the Maine State Police, Vernon Wilbur, 43, was traveling north on Route 15 and attempted to make a left-hand turn onto Beech Hill Road. He turned ...
Sun brings visitors to Maine vacation spots
BAR HARBOR, Maine — When the sun comes out, so do the people. After weeks of rainy, cloudy and foggy weather, the sun finally came out for the Memorial Day weekend, and people — Mainers and tourists alike — flocked to popular vacation spots to enjoy the unfamiliar sight. Although ...
Ice cream business fits Brooklin family’s lifestyle
BROOKLIN, Maine — Eating ice cream is a family activity. But for one local family, making ice cream is not only a family affair, but a family business. Nancy Veilleux, her husband Chris Hurley, a full-time carpenter, and their daughter, a full-time 7-year-old, run The Ice Cream Lady, a business ...
Alexander cemetery walk honors local civil war soldiers
ALEXANDER, Maine — Hiram Crafts was 36 years old in 1864 when he volunteered to serve in the Maine Coast Guard Unattached Infantry where he was charged with protecting Northern shipping interests from attack by Confederate navy ships. A native of New Brunswick, he lived on a farm on Arm ...
Jonesboro teen hurt in ATV accident
BERRY TOWNSHIP, Maine — A 17-year-old boy from Jonesboro was injured Sunday morning in an ATV accident on the ITS 19 trail. According to Joe Gardner of the Maine Warden Service, the teenager was traveling with a group of ATVs on the trail when he attempted to pass another vehicle. ...
Stonington man dies in single-car accident in Surry
SURRY, Maine – A Stonington man died Saturday night in a single-car accident on Newbury Neck Road. According to a report from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, Caleb Foster, 27, a passenger in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident which was reported around 9:25 p.m. ...
Officials probe fire that claimed lives of elderly Tremont couple
TREMONT, Maine — Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office were on the scene Saturday morning trying to pinpoint the cause of a fire Friday afternoon that killed an elderly couple. Eileen Branch, 78, who suffered severe burns in the fire at her one-story home, died Saturday morning at a ...
Man found not guilty of raping wife, but guilty on one of two misdemeanor assault charges
ELLSWORTH, Maine — A Hancock County jury Friday found a former Gouldsboro man not guilty of raping his spouse. The jurors, however, did find him guilty on one of two misdemeanor counts of assault against his estranged wife. The verdict in the trial of Vladek Filler, 41, came after nearly ...
Bucksport councilors OK budget retaining all employees
BUCKSPORT, Maine — Town councilors on Thursday approved a $10.8 million budget that represents a total of almost $500,000 in new spending, but keeps the local tax rate even. The budget includes a $5,454,677 municipal budget and a $5,443,585 assessment toward the RSU 25 school budget for a total increase ...
Police seeking tips about pickup truck possibly connected to Glenburn teen’s disappearance
Dixfield teen riding atop car roof pinned under it after rollover
Since 1971, seven Maine children reported missing have not been found
Aggressive out-of-town buyers swarm midcoast real estate market
A better way to help people escape welfare
A letter to Michelle Obama in light of military sex assault epidemic
Five steps to remedy IRS wrongs
Military sex assault
Manchester 15-year-old off to impressive start for Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports
Houlton council, community still concerned about costly Millar Civic Center
Bangor’s Marcus Davis hopes to counter opponent’s height, reach advantage in Lewiston MMA main event
Kitchen Nightmares meltdown or: How to lose an argument online
Farmers markets embracing food stamps with the help of USDA
Arguments over gun control and abortion will never be settled
A spot of tea, a spread of treats, at Camden’s Fromviandoux