Nov. 5, 2013 Elections: Municipal and state referendums, ordinance changes, candidates
Voters go to the polls Nov. 5 to consider five statewide ballot questions, and various individual municipal warrant articles. Following are election previews and recent issue stories for Knox and Waldo counties, as well as a rundown of the bond issues voters across the state are being asked to decide.
View a list of polling places and town contacts here: Knox County, Waldo County
As polls close election night, results will be posted on PenBayPilot.com as they are reported for Knox and Waldo counties. Stay tuned.
Ari Snider: Good friends and a big city
PARIS - Roadside plaques are all that delineate national borders within the EU. Thus, we were in France for about an hour before I realized we had left Belgium. This was two Saturdays ago, and I was on a bus with the 70 other exchange students and who had signed up for the Rotary-organized trip to Paris.
In fairness to myself, the French countryside looks an awful like that of its smaller northern neighbor. Small hamlets and tidy stands of forest punctuate rolling fields of green and… Read more
Big Pharma, James Taylor and the NRA
MIDCOAST - Does money win elections in Maine? It's a broad question, so let's say "maybe." We've all heard of candidates who spent a personal fortune trying to get elected to only to lose. But those tales, if not apocryphal, must be the exception to the rule. And campaign money — whether privately raised, given through Maine's Clean Elections system or funneled through one of the roughly 200 party affiliated and political action committees registered with the Maine Commission on… Read more
Thomaston: Lyman Morse launches yacht for maritime fast lane
THOMASTON —Stanley Paris is 76, a physical therapist by trade but racing yachtsman at heart, and he has all intentions of beating the single-handed circumnavigation record set in 1986 by Dodge Morgan.
Those are big boots to fill, but Paris has innovative design and technology on his side. His 63-foot yacht, Kiwi Spirit, was set effortlessly into the St. George River at Lyman Morse Boatbuilding Company in Thomaston Nov. 1, following a christening that bathed the afternoon… Read more
Belfast Transfer Station braces for the surge
BELFAST - Outside the office of the transfer station it was raining. Inside, Steve Roberts was talking about which kind of trash goes to PERC.
"MSW," he said.
PERC is Penobscot Energy Recovery Co. The Orrington-based company serves 178 communities and generates energy from burning MSW.
Sandy Carey, the transfer station's newly hired manager was standing on a milk crate in front of the siding glass window where residents pay sticker fees of $2.50 per bag to offload… Read more
Rockland's Milano Man
ROCKLAND — Clifford (Kip) Burkett, Jr., of Rockland, born in 1928, turned 84 on Oct. 22. And that is where our story ends. Well, sort of. To get to the end, we need to have a beginning, so a little background information is in order before we tell you a spine tingling tale of mystery, intrigue, and espionage.
Okay, I made that last part up, but I was rolling with it. PenBayPilot.com spent a few minutes with Kip at his home on Talbot Avenue. I will tell you a very interesting… Read more
Teachers resolve work conditions complaints with district
THORNDIKE - Grievances filed by two Mount View Middle School teachers on the basis of working conditions both described as "hostile" were quietly resolved in mid-September according to the district, a teachers union negotiator and one of the teachers involved.
Eileen Ellis and Ron Simmons, teachers of sixth grade language arts and physical education respectively, filed formal grievances with the district in April. The teachers independently told the PenBayPilot.com that these were… Read more
Belfast and Front Street Shipyard net $200,000 grant
BELFAST – Maine's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Economic Development Program has awarded the City of Belfast and Front Street Shipyard a grant of $200,000.
The money will be used for improvements at the former Belfast Boatyard waterfront property, recently bought by the Shipyard, and for a custom marine heated spray painting booth at the Shipyard.
Improvements to the Boatyard property will include strengthening an existing wooden dock, buying a 30-ton crane for… Read more
John Birch Society rallies in Belfast, maybe a year late
BELFAST — Members of the John Birch Society were in downtown Belfast on Wednesday with banners urging residents to “Kick ICLEI Out of Town.”
Belfast is listed as one of six Maine member cities on the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives' website. But as the… Read more
RSU 20 withdrawal
BELFAST – Representatives of the six towns making a pitch to leave Regional School Unit 20 expect to present a plan to the school board shortly after the elections.
Voters in Belfast, Morrill, Northport, Searsmont and Swanville have independently approved petitioning the district and the Maine Department of Education to leave the district. Belmont is set to revote on the issue on Election Day following the state's rejection of an earlier affirmative vote.
Prior to a 2008… Read more
Sprawling 'drug-free zone' to get a second look
BELFAST – How do you know if you're within 1,000 feet of a city-operated park? And does that place have anything to do with the park itself?
Variations on these questions led city councilors to table a request recently from Belfast Police Chief Mike McFadden who asked the Council to declare the city's parks "drug-free safe zones."
Addressing the Council on Oct. 16, McFadden likened the designation to federal and state laws that increase penalties for drug sales near school, and… Read more
Closed case reports: Knox County Superior and Rockland District courts
ROCKLAND — The following cases were closed in Knox County Superior Court from Oct. 8 through Oct. 12, 2012.
Arnold A. Diana, 37, of Rockland, murder in Rockland Nov. 20, 2010, 45 years in prison and $2,747.46 restitution.
Joseph Everett, 46, of Winthrop, operating after habitual offender revocation in Rockland, 85 days in jail and probation continued.
Gabriel Grover, 20, of Rockland, eluding an officer in Rockland… Read more
Closed case reports: Waldo County Superior and Belfast District courts
BELFAST — The following cases were closed in Waldo County Superior Court from Oct. 8 through Oct. 12, 2012.
Brian E. Fogg, 22, of Thomaston, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon in Swanville Nov. 24, 2011, dismissed.
Alan Tinker, 67, of Searsmont, closed season on trapping violation in Belmont April 3, 2011, $250 fine.
The following cases were… Read more
Friends of Midcoast Maine announces 2012 Smart Growth awards
ROCKLAND — At the Oct. 11 annual meeting of Friends of Midcoast Maine, three Smart Growth awards will be given to Midcoast initiatives and businesses. The annual Smart Growth Awards will be given to The Twin Villages Downtown Alliance, building and business FourTwelve in downtown Rockland and Coastal Farms and Food Processing in Belfast.
FMM Executive Director Jane Lafleur said in a press release that "the breadth and depth of this year's awards emphasizes the range of issues and… Read more
Robin Wright named keynote speaker at 26th Camden Conference
CAMDEN — The 2013 Camden Conference topic will be "The Middle East: What Next" and the keynote speaker Friday evening will be Robin Wright, who has reported from more than 140 countries on six continents for the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, New York Times magazine, Time, The Atlantic, The Sunday Times (London), CBS News, Foreign Affairs, and many others.
This year's conference will strive, with its roster of acknowledged experts-focusing on the key countries of… Read more
Defining a city, one adjective at a time
ROCKLAND — It's a working coastal town, scruffy, artistic, populated by authentic people. It has fresh seafood, is just about the right size, is religiously diverse, has open vistas, a strong regard for public safety, and provides access to a broad range of services, be that banking, welfare, education and shopping. It's a practical place, and while most citizens… Read more
Belfast District Court: Closed case report
The following cases were closed in Belfast District Court from Oct. 1 through Oct. 5, 2012.
Louis Ares, 36, of Searsport, operating a vehicle without a license in Belfast July 23, $250 fine.
Jason Armstrong, 42, of Searsmont, operating under the influence in Belfast Aug. 8, $500 fine, four days in jail and 90-day license suspension.
Cody Brassbridge, 23, of Frankfort, operating an unregistered ATV in Frankfort Aug. 12, $200 fine.
Brenda L. Brown, 55, of Belfast, theft… Read more
Rockland District Court: Closed case report
The following cases were closed in Rockland District Court from Oct. 1 through Oct. 5, 2012.
Nicholas Adkins, 22, of Warren, violating conditions of release in Thomaston Sept. 12, 48 hours in jail; attaching false plates in Thomaston Sept. 12, 48 hours in jail.
Eleanor J. Brugger, 27, of Freedom, violating conditions of release in Rockport Aug. 30, 15 days in jail; operating under the influence in Rockport Aug. 30, $700 fine, 30 days in jail and license suspended for three years… Read more
Built, broken, fixed and reimagined
BELFAST — White Pines are some of the fluffiest conifers you'll find. But as Christmas trees, they're less than ideal. The needles shed easily, and in contrast to the Balsam's ornament-ready limbs, the dense tufts of the White Pine resist pretty much anything that isn't a garland.
Though you can apparently paint them blue.
Interspersed amid the regular stock at Fishers Christmas Tree Farm on Route 3 are a handful of White Pines with a noticeably blue tint. According to… Read more
Belfast's last weird street party needs you!
Ari Snider: Triumphant returns
BELGIUM — This past Sunday I found myself standing outside my house at 7:30 in the morning, wearing a jacket and winter hat against the morning chill. I was waiting for my Rotary counselor's husband to take me to a vintage car rally organized by my host club. I was exhausted after a day of kayaking in the south of Belgium, and wanted nothing more than to climb back into my warm bed, sleep until noon, then drink tea and read for the rest of the day. However, an important lesson was soon… Read more
The Great Nobodies Of Waldo County
BELFAST - Brennan Moore wants to get gnarly. He and his newly founded skate company, GNARK, have been hard at work designing merchandise, shooting videos, and planning their “End of Summer Throwdown”, a crazy combination of jackassery and competitive skateboarding to be held in Belfast later this month.
The inception of this sure-to-be wild gnark-tober carnival can be traced back to Brennan Moore’s idea to film and distribute a skateboarding video.
“The original idea was to get a… Read more
Public showing prompts Belfast to weigh in on LPG plan
BELFAST — Two-dozen opponents of a proposed liquefied petroleum gas terminal in Searsport turned up at a Belfast City Council meeting Tuesday to ask officials to help put the brakes on the project, until a privately-funded review could be conducted.
In public comment sessions, 10 citizens from the group — most Belfast residents — urged city officials to draft a letter to the Searsport Planning Board requesting that a decision or public hearings on the LPG development wait for the… Read more
Waldo-Hancock Bridge demolition to start in November
PROSPECT – Demolition of the old Waldo-Hancock Bridge is expected to begin on November 1, according to Doug Coombs project manager for Maine Department of Transportation, who said workers are currently finishing preparations at the site.
The bridge, which has been out of service for six years, opened in 1931 crossing the roughly 1,100 foot wide “narrows” of the Penobscot River between Prospect and Verona Island.
It was the first long-span suspension bridge in Maine and used a… Read more
Judge on a bike
BELFAST – Waldo County Judge of Probate Susan Longley said she was nervous about campaigning for reelection for the first time since she took the bench in 2004. So she took the advice of someone she met along the way.
"He said, 'you'll be alright, just be yourself,'" she said. "And I've always been a bicyclist."
Longley, who lives in Liberty, is facing some real competition in the upcoming election from former Judge of Probate Randy Mailloux of Belfast, so she started campaigning… Read more
Historic home approved for use as preschool
BELFAST – The Belfast Planning Board on Wednesday approved a plan that would convert a historic Primrose Hill residence into a daycare and preschool.
The Children's Voice Preschool, as it is named in official documents, would serve primarily preschool age children, with the board's approval being based on a maximum projection of 40 students. At previous hearings, Iris Hooper, of Frankfort, the former Head Start teacher who is proposing to open the school, said she anticipates roughly… Read more
What did we vote on, again?
SEARSPORT – Voters in Belfast, Belmont, Morrill, Northport, Searsmont and Swanville have approved pursuing withdrawal from Regional School Unit 20. But have they voted to withdraw or simply to weigh the options?
Belfast petitioners who started the movement to secede from the nine-town district that stretches from Northport to Frankfort are envisioning a return to the six-town School Administrative District 34, which was merged in 2009 under a statewide consolidation law with… Read more
Rockland District Court: Closed case report
The following cases were closed in Rockland District Court between Sept. 17 and Sept. 21, 2012.
Eric Davis, 37, of Rockland, operating a vehicle without a license in Warren April 15, 2011, $150 fine.
Jason J. Delano, 32, of Friendship, displaying fictitious vehicle certificate in Thomaston July 22, 2012, $250 fine.
Judson Dodge, 56, of Union, motor vehicle speeding 30+ miles per hour over the speed limit in Hope April 20, 2012, dismissed.
Jacob Felton, 33, of Rockland… Read more
Belfast District Court: Closed case report
The following cases were closed in Belfast District Court between Sept. 17 and Sept. 24, 2012.
Timothy J. Adkins, 38, of Swanville, criminal mischief, $250 fine; criminal trespass, $250 fine. Both incidents occurred in Northport July 8, 2012.
Hector Amaro, 27, of Brooks, terrorizing, seven days in jail; harassment by telephone, seven days in jail. Both incidents occurred in Searsport April 1, 2012.
Sean R. Anderson, 30, of Liberty, displaying fictitious vehicle… Read more
Lean and mean, or limping ahead?
PALERMO – Being a town office employee in Palermo in 2012 is a lot like holding the same job in a town with similar demographics, geography, population and government structure. Which is to say, it's not what it used to be.
In March, residents here voted to cut funding for town office staff nearly in half, extend office hours and reduced the number of employees. The decision was based on findings by the town's Compensation Committee, a 12-member group that looked at town office… Read more
Maine State Police news
Following is a roundup of Maine State Police Troop D weekly activities, as reported by the agency, for the time period Sept. 10–16, 2012.
Troop D is responsible for the areas of Maine that include Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Waldo, Knox counties, the southern half of Kennebec County and part of northern Cumberland County. The Troop also patrols Interstate 295 from Brunswick to Gardiner. The Troop's compliment includes a lieutenant, three sergeants, 25 troopers and a secretary.