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.
Steeple returns to Stockton church, a little at a time
The first of five pieces of the new Stockton Springs Community Church steeple arrived last week and is expected to be installed sometime in the next four to six weeks. In the interim, the building will be fitted with a box-shaped footing on which the rest of steeple will sit.
The church has been without its landmark spire visible near the intersection of Route 1 and 1A since 2008, when rot required it to be removed. And while the completed reconstruction is likely more than a year off… Read more
Belfast District Court: Closed case report
The following case was closed in Belfast District Court between Sept. 10 and Sept. 14, 2012.
Arnold Thompson, 43, of Bangor, theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, 48 hours in jail.
Rockland District Court: Closed case report
The following cases were closed in Rockland District Court between Sept. 10 and Sept. 14, 2012.
Jerimy R. Alden, 32, of Rockland, violating a protective order in Owls Head July 11, 2012, $350 fine.
David Alley, 26, of Bangor, operating a vehicle without a permit in Rockport Aug. 6, 2012, $150 fine.
John G. Barns, 20, of Irvine, Calif., passing a stopped school bus in St. George May 29, 2012, $250 fine.
Makayla Batty, 14, of Owls Head, operating a vehicle without a… Read more
19th-Century flour, 20th-Century dowels, 21st-Century promise
Old grist mills don't always get a second chance, never mind a third.
For much of 19th Century and half of the 20th, the one on Sandy Stream in Freedom, like mills in many New England towns, was a focal point of the community and an economic engine for the village and surrounding area.
By the 21st Century, however, it had fallen into such disrepair that it seemed poised to fall into the very stream that once turned its millstones and lathes.
This might have been the end of… Read more
Camden Harbormaster: Prepare to pull watercraft
CAMDEN — Cooler temperatures have arrived and Columbus Day is a little more than two weeks away, both signals that fall is just around the corner. These realities mean that Camden Harbormaster Steve Pixley is sending notice to harbor users that it's time to start making plans to put boats away for the season.
For all but… Read more
Commemorating a 'favorite spot in the world'
CAMDEN - For 40 years, Marge and John Koonz spent full days sitting on a bench watching the ebb and flow of life along Camden's waterfront.
They shared their stories with their eight children and numerous grandchildren when they went back home to Vermont and then Connecticut, and during the times when their children joined them on their three- or four-day sojourns to the Midcoast, four or six times a year.
On Wednesday, Sept. 12, their daughter Marta Koonz was sitting on one of… Read more
Rockland District Court: Closed case report
The following cases were closed in Rockland District Court between Sept. 3 and Sept. 7, 2012.
Arnold L. Craney, 43, of Fairfield, disorderly conduct (loud unreasonable noise) in Rockland Aug. 31, 2012, five days in jail.
Varland L. Gray, 45, of North Haven, littering in North Haven July 1, 2012, $100 fine.
Aaron J. Heald, 34, of Rockland, obstructing government administration, 10 days in jail; disorderly conduct (loud unreasonable noise), dismissed; violating conditions of… Read more
Knox County Superior Court: Closed case report
The following cases were closed in Knox County Superior Court between Sept. 3 and Sept. 7, 2012.
Paul A. Heino, 37, of Waldoboro, trafficking in prison contraband, dismissed; criminal conspiracy, dismissed. Both incidents occurred in Rockland on Dec. 1, 2011.
George A. Prentiss Jr., 49, of Thomaston, unlawful trafficking in scheduled drugs in Thomaston on Nov. 24, 2010, dismissed.
Cory S. Simmons, 30, of Tenants Harbor, domestic violence assault, dismissed; criminal… Read more
Camden Hills, Belfast pick up opening day wins, Medomak and Mount View fall
Here are the recaps of the Midcoast opening day golf matches.
Golf
The Windjammers opened the season with a solid 8-1 win over Winslow at the par 36 Natanis Golf Club.
The aggregate scores for the top four players from each team gave the Windjammers a 161-183 win.
Daulton Wickenden was the medalist with a 1-over par 37.
Camden Hills starts the season 1-0 while Winslow falls to 0-1.… Read more
'We don't really even know where we're going'
When John Loxterkamp left Belfast in August to attend college in New York City he had already been recognized as a filmmaker. The Fly, a four-minute short he coproduced with classmate Wes Sterrs, took first prize at the Maine Student Film and Video Festival in 2011 and was given a screening as part of the Maine International Film Festival that year.
Less well known are the roughly 100 films Loxterkamp produced himself during his last three years of high school. Most of those,… Read more
White Hot Spotlight
The White Hot Spotlight features local people and their creative passions or careers.
Capt. Brenda Thomas is a schooner owner/captain and the co-owner of Maine Boating Adventures, LLC . She is married with two kids and lives in Rockland. Thomas has been sailing since 1994, mostly on schooners in Maine, but also in the Chesapeake, Caribbean, and through the Panama Canal up the west coast to Los Angeles.
Q: As a captain, it's clear your passion is schooners and… Read more
Getting down and grungy with the best camping spots in Maine
Whether you're one of those purist camping types, who will only bring whatever you can physically carry in/carry out; i.e., chamois towel the size of a Wet-Nap, fire-starting flint, two-ounce micro stove, or you're a cram-everything-you-can-into-your car-type (three-foot cooler, hand-blended fruit purees for the evening's happy hour cocktail, air bed and 15 pillows), you're going to love what Lafe Low, author of Best Tent Camping In New England, has to say about the best car camping… Read more
The name says it: he's Mr. Tubs
BELMONT – “Did you see the Irish tub?”
Bill Coughlin, looking disheveled but momentarily energized by his own question, sat on the closed lid of a toilet in the bathroom of a home overlooking Belfast Bay. In front of him was a gleaming white cast iron tub he had just finished reglazing. The rest of the room, too, sparkled as though all of its dirt had been relocated to the man now looking over the tops of his glasses, waiting for an answer.
A half hour earlier, I'd called him… Read more
Why to get a bat house in Belfast*
“Many people think of bats as vicious animals that carry diseases and get tangled in hair. Others consider them to be friendly, cuddly animals that need only our love and understanding. Both images are somewhat misguided.”
- From A Homeowner’s Guide to Northeastern Bats and Bat Problems, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
BELFAST – Adrian Turner's isn't the only… Read more
On the dock at Toast Gourmet Coffee and Provisions
A new coffee shop called Toast Gourmet Coffee and Provisions opened this summer and plans to stay open until the last sailboats leave Maine's harbor for the season.
At Wayfarer Marine, 59 Sea Street, Camden, it sits right at the water's edge. We checked in with owner Stephanie… Read more