MaineToday Media CEO, and president, resign | Portland Press Herald

Posted on October 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

PORTLAND, Maine – MaineToday Media CEO Richard L. Connor announced his resignation from the company today and will step down on Dec. 31, according to a media release.

Dale A. Duncan, who has been MaineToday president since July, also resigned, effective today.

MaineToday Media, which owns The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, The Kennebec Journal in Augusta and the Morning Sentinel in Waterville, will be run by an interim management team while a search is conducted for Connor’s successor.

Click to read more of the story by J. Hemmerdinger in the Portland Press Herald.

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Moose welcome to visit anytime | Bangor Daily News

Posted on October 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

Wouldn’t you know. A moose walks into my front yard and I can’t find my camera.

The little case is empty. Where did I put it?

I gaze at the huge animal munching on the leaves of the apple trees outside my kitchen window. I guess I will just have to enjoy watching it.

No. I will use my big single-lens reflex camera that has been idle so long the battery is probably dead. I fish the camera out of its bag and turn it on.

“No card.”

I dig a memory card out of the bag, plug it in and move to the dining room window for a better view. The moose slides her mouth along one branch after the other, munching on the leaves that don’t fall to the ground.

Click to read more of this commentary by Kathryn Olmstead, former University of Maine associate dean and associate professor of journalism living in Aroostook County, published in The Bangor Daily News.

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Half a foot of snow expected in Maine this weekend | Bangor Daily News

Posted on October 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

PORTLAND, Maine — A weekend storm could bring plenty of chills to the state this Halloween weekend, as the National Weather Service said Friday that more than six inches of snow is expected in many parts of Maine.

A winter storm watch has been posted throughout the state, according to Mal Walker of the National Weather Service in Caribou.

The advisory calls for 4-8 inches of snow in Penobscot, Hancock and Washington counties and includes Greater Bangor, Ellsworth, Mount Desert Island, Machias and Eastport. The advisory notes heavy, wet snow and 15-25 mph winds with gusts up to 35 mph will create hazardous traveling conditions.

Click to read more of this story in the Bangor Daily News.

 

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MaineToday Media laying off 38 newspaper employees | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Posted on October 13, 2011 | Leave a comment

MaineToday Media laying off 38 newspaper employees | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.

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Women find niche in woodsman’s competition | Bangor Daily News

Posted on October 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

FRYEBURG, Maine — Laurette Russell decided after showing horses for 20 years, she needed something else to fuel her competitive fire. So she started entering woodsman’s competitions.

“Throwing an axe at a bull’s-eye and chopping a piece of wood is very satisfying,” said Russell of New Gloucester. “There’s no cookie-cutter type of person to do it. It’s not like when you’re an ice skater, you’re a tiny little ballerina. Anyone of any size, of any age, can do this sport.”

Russell was one of 39 women in a field of 193 people at this year’s Woodsman’s Field Day held at Fryeburg Fair. The daylong event attracted more than 6,000 spectators.

Click to read the rest of the story and see photos by Robert F. Bukaty  in the Bangor Daily News.

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LePage to help dedicate Aroostook County trail to fallen Marine | Bangor Daily News

Posted on October 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

[I missed this story earlier in the week. Every kid I grew up with and I used to climb this trail every year or so. It won’t bring the young man back to his family, but they now have a place to honor his life and his duty to this country. – KM]

AUGUSTA, Maine — On Friday, Gov. Paul LePage will help dedicate a summit trail on Haystack Mountain in Castle Hill in honor of a Presque Isle native who was killed in Iraq five years ago.

The Dustin J. Libby Trail will be dedicated at 8:30 a.m. in memory of Marine Cpl. Libby of Castle Hill, who was 22 when he was killed in action on Dec. 6, 2006, while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned as a squad leader to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Libby was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq at the time of his death. He had served in the country previously in 2004. Between his two Iraq tours, he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

The trail was renamed through legislation sponsored by state Rep. Alexander Willette, R-Mapleton, and passed by the Legislature last March.

Click for the rest of the story in the Bangor Daily News.

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Occupy Maine gets support from unions as demonstration nears one-week mark | Bangor Daily News

Posted on October 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

PORTLAND, Maine — Members of a group angry about corporate influence on government has found support from southern Maine labor unions as they close in on a week of camping out in downtown Portland.

The Occupy Maine settlement, a local offshoot of a nationwide network of demonstrations that began in mid-September with Occupy Wall Street, reaches its seventh day Friday, and members say their group is still growing. This weekend, Occupy Maine will celebrate what it’s calling Free Speech Weekend with music, yoga and art making.

Members of the Occupy movement have been calling themselves “the 99 percent,” referring to all those who are not among the 1 percent of the American population who control nearly half of wealth in the country. That 1 percent, occupiers argue, have an unfair amount of influence on federal governance.

“We’re getting bigger and bigger,” said Demi Colby, 23, of Gardiner, who took part in Occupy Wall Street and returned to her home state to help launch Occupy Maine on Saturday, Oct. 1.

Click to read the rest of Seth Koenig’s story in the Bangor Daily News.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 346 – Part of a balanced diet!

Posted on October 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

Coffee is essential for a well-balanced – yet caffeinated – diet!

Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.

All rights reserved by Keith Michaud©

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Coffeehouse observation No. 345 – On road to recovery

Posted on October 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

My BCC – blood coffee content – was low, but now I’m on my way to recovery with the third cup of the day.

Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.

All rights reserved by Keith Michaud©

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Black bear killed in Portland | Portland Press Herald

Posted on September 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

Black bear killed in Portland | Portland Press Herald

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Drug- and alcohol-related crimes dominate Aroostook County indictments | Bangor Daily News

Posted on September 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

Drug- and alcohol-related crimes dominate Aroostook County indictments | Bangor Daily News

 

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Ashland police chief, second victim in moose accident remain hospitalized | Bangor Daily News

Posted on September 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

EAGLE LAKE, Maine — Two men who suffered serious injuries in a moose crash on Wednesday morning remain in a Bangor hospital, one in critical condition.

Cyr Martin, 46, one of the victims and also the chief of the Ashland Police Department, is in fair condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Melford Bouchard, 70, of Newburgh, is in critical condition at the hospital, a spokesperson said Friday afternoon.

Click to read more of the story by Jen Lynds in the Bangor Daily News.

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25 things to do this fall — festivals, foliage and fun | Bangor Daily News

Posted on September 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

As you bid goodbye to summer — so long flip flops, air conditioner and iced beverages on the patio — you say hello to an even more fleetingly beautiful part of the year. The crispness in the air arrived last week, and the leaves have just barely begun to change color.

Summer may look pretty fantastic after four months of winter, but autumn feels just lovely after four months of summer. Enjoy it while you can by trying any of the 25 things to do this fall that we’ve assembled for you.

Click for more on the story by Emily Burnham in the Bangor Daily News.

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Posted in Entertainment, Environment, Food and Drink, Maine, Outdoors

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Coffeehouse observation No. 344 – Funny barista rant song!

Posted on September 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

[OK, this is funny. True, he might go a little overboard, but haven’t we all wanted to rant like this about something or other. Too bad Starbucks couldn’t take a freakin’ joke. – KM]

Starbucks barista disses picky patrons | CNN videos

Click for the YouTube video.

Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.

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Will write for food! … Or walk your dog!

Posted on September 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

Hey there! Hey there! I’m still trying to line up a freelance gig or two for the coming weeks. Please let me know if you are in need or know someone in need of a writer-editor-blogger-dog walker-house-sitter-dishwasher. Cheers!

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Posted in Coffeehouse Observer, Consumer warnings, Disaster, Economy, Education and Schools, Energy, Entertainment, Environment, Family and Friends, Food and Drink, Health and Welfare, Journalism, Law and Order, Maine, Maine history, Maine stuff, Maine trivia, News and Newspapers, Newspapers, Outdoors, Photos, Politics and government, Sports

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Where newspapers thrive

Posted on September 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

Where newspapers thrive

[I started my journalism career at a weekly newspaper in Mendocino, Calif. It was corp-owned, so it doesn’t quite fit what this commentary is about, but it’s pretty close. — KM]

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Posted in Journalism, News and Newspapers, Newspapers

Coffeehouse observation No. 343 – Royalty in the coffeehouse

Posted on September 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

A princess just walked into the coffeehouse. … No, really, I swear! … OK, I’m not completely certain that she is true royalty. But she is wearing a lovely pink tutu and silver slippers, and carrying a Disney princess handbag. Oh, and she is about 2. So, she has to be someone’s princess, right?

Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.

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Coffeehouse observation No. 342 – What did I do to deserve this?

Posted on September 14, 2011 | Leave a comment

Annoying people keep showing up at the coffeehouse. I’m not sure what I did to deserve this, but I take it back. Whatever it was!

Go to Coffeehouse Observer for more coffeehouse observations.

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State House Notebook: Voting a vital right for the homeless

Posted on September 12, 2011 | Leave a comment

AUGUSTA — Arguments about who should and shouldn’t be allowed to vote in Maine have raged all summer and will culminate with a statewide referendum Nov. 8 on the law passed in June to eliminate same-day voter registration, which has been allowed for 38 years.

A flap over a GOP news release last week criticizing 19 voters who registered in 2004 using a hotel address initially generated speculation that they were homeless voters. (It later became apparent that they were medical students who left Grand Cayman Island because of a hurricane.)

As it turns out, everyone apparently agrees that homeless Mainers deserve the right to vote.

“I don’t think that’s an issue. I think homeless people should be able to vote. I think people who are living in a homeless shelter should be able to vote,” said Charlie Webster, chairman of the Maine Republican Party and the most vociferous supporter of the law to eliminate same-day voter registration.

Click for more the notebook entries by Portland Press Herald staffers.

 

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Hundreds join Freeport Flag Ladies to mark 9/11: Gov. LePage, entire Maine congressional delegation among state dignitaries on hand

Posted on September 12, 2011 | Leave a comment

FREEPORT — The Freeport Flag Ladies maintained their decade-long tradition of waving the Stars and Stripes and were joined by Gov. Paul LePage, Maine’s entire congressional delegation, the commanding general of the state’s National Guard and several hundred others in a show of patriotism on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The group paused twice for moments of silence at the precise times that hijacked jetliners flew into the World Trade Center’s twin towers.

But the ceremony wasn’t all somber. Motorists honked their horns as people flanking both sides of Freeport’s Main Street cheered and waved their flags.

Click to read more of David Sharp’s Associated Press story in the Bangor Daily News.

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