Maine News

Sun Journal: Will World Cup fever drive dollars to Maine?

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:10:52 +0000

Area business leaders are hopeful but unsure whether soccer fans will pair attending matches in Massachusetts with a visit to the Pine Tree State.

Sun Journal: Young clerk

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 21:28:36 +0000

Burnie Meza, 14 months, holds a ballot at Albany Town House while his grandmother, Shelley Douglass, works as an Albany town clerk registering voters.

Bangor Daily News: NTSB releases 1st report on Maine game warden’s fatal plane crash

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 21:12:47 +0000

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A preliminary report on the plane crash that killed Maine Game Warden Joshua Tibbetts last month contained details of the investigation but no explanation of what caused the crash.

Joshua Tibbetts was stocking fish in western Maine on May 12 when the fixed-wing Cessna A185F he was piloting crashed in the town of Avon. Tibbetts, who was alone in the plane, was dead when rescuers reached him in a densely wooded area 400 yards from the nearest road.

The 50-year-old warden started his flight from a seaplane base on Crystal Lake in Harrison then flew to Rangeley Lake and loaded fish to be stocked at Schoolhouse Pond, according to the NTSB.

The airplane had floats and two fish pods that could be emptied electronically by the pilot.

Tibbetts had about 12 gallons of water and 42 pounds of fish in his airplane’s right pod when he set out for Schoolhouse Pond, the NTSB said. At least some of these were seen at the crash site.

Tibbetts had flown along the eastern shore of the pond and was in a right turn when the Federal Aviation Administration recorded its last data points before the crash.

Tibbetts was honored at a large ceremony in Bangor attended by hundreds of law enforcement officers.

Sun Journal: Maine home sales picking up but still lagging behind last year’s pace

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 21:10:55 +0000

More houses sold in May than any other month in 2026, but the year-to-date total is about 3% fewer than in 2025.

Bangor Daily News: Maine man accused of trying to burn his grandfather’s vehicle

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:41:22 +0000

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A Poland man allegedly tried to burn his grandfather’s vehicle late last week.

Trevor Brown, 23, has been charged with arson, according to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Brown on Friday allegedly poured gasoline in and around his grandfather’s vehicle at an Estes Way property in Poland.

He then allegedly used a torch to set a piece of carpet on fire and ignite the gas. The burning carpet was removed before the fire spread to the vehicle, Moss said Tuesday afternoon.

The vehicle sustained only minor damage from the flames.

Brown was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn.

The investigation is ongoing.

Bangor Daily News: Brooklin Boat Yard welcomes Nardone to expanded brokerage team

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:39:41 +0000

Veteran marine industry professional joins growing brokerage department amid sustained listing growth

BROOKLIN — Brooklin Boat Yard is pleased to announce the addition of Richard J. “Rick” Nardone to its brokerage department. Nardone joins a growing team in response to a steady increase in BBY’s brokerage listings over the past several years, and his hire represents an expansion of the department’s capacity rather than a replacement of existing staff.

Nardone brings more than three decades of marine industry experience to the role, spanning refit, restoration, and new construction work on nearly 60 vessels, followed by a decade in boat and equipment sales. Most recently, he served as the New England Marine sales representative for Mack Boring and Parts Company, where he managed a territory extending from Connecticut to the Canadian border and developed a dealer and OEM network of more than 170 accounts. Prior to that, he held the role of sales manager and broker at Brown’s Yacht Sales in Gloucester, Massachusetts, directing dealership operations and brokering both power and sail pre-owned yachts.

Earlier in his career, Nardone led multi-year U.S. Department of Defense contracts as Military Program Lead at Ribcraft USA, where he oversaw the build, testing and acceptance of more than 42 vessels for the U.S. Navy’s 7-Meter and 5.7-Meter Shipboard Boat programs. His hands-on foundation in the trades includes a carpentry apprenticeship at F.J. Dion Yacht Yard, graduation from The Landing School’s Boat Building Program in Arundel, and more than a decade as Carpentry Department Head and Project Manager at Manchester Marine. He has also operated his own custom joinery business serving residential and marine clients.

“Rick’s combination of deep shop-floor experience and proven sales leadership is an uncommon pairing, and it fits exactly what our brokerage clients are asking for,” Brian Larkin, president of Brooklin Boat Yard, said. “As our listings have grown, so has the need for brokers who can speak fluently to both the craftsmanship that defines these boats and the business of buying and selling them. Rick does both.”

Nardone discovered boating later in life than many in the industry but has pursued it with unwavering focus ever since.

Brooklin Boat Yard’s brokerage department represents a diverse portfolio of sail and power vessels, with particular strength in well-built and well-maintained yachts. The department’s recent growth reflects both the yard’s longstanding reputation for quality and an expanding client base seeking boats that meet BBY’s standards.

To learn more about Brooklin Boat Yard and its brokerage department, visit www.brooklinboatyard.com.

Bangor Daily News: Aroostook County primary turnout light despite weighty ballot

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:33:36 +0000

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As northern Maine voters headed out to the polls on Tuesday, many were still contemplating who they would vote for in the contentious U.S. Senate primary and the packed race for governor.

The County’s primary election is often a low-key, lower turnout event, but this year’s highly publicized primary has garnered national attention. The presumptive Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, Graham Platner, a Sullivan oysterman, quickly rose to the top, outpacing Gov. Janet Mills in the race to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

The region’s three largest cities saw modest turnout by midday. Just before noon, 525 of the approximately 4,700 registered voters in Caribou — Collins’ hometown — had gone to the polls. Around 2 p.m. in Presque Isle and Houlton, 500 and 378 voters had turned out, respectively. Presque Isle received 300 absentee ballots, City Clerk Kim Finnemore said.

In the Senate race, months of controversies that have peppered Platner’s campaign, including allegations about past behavior with women and old social media comments, don’t appear to have slowed his momentum throughout the state and in The County.

“I think people will be looking for what he wants to bring to our state,” Brenda Griffin, 70, of Houlton said. A Democrat, Griffin said she thinks the issues that have plagued Platner are between the candidate and his wife.

In Caribou, 58-year-old truck driver Bobby Taylor said he is “a lot like Graham,” himself. Taylor, an unenrolled voter, said the scandals that have plagued Platner’s campaign do not bother him because he either “relates to them,” or thinks “they’re BS.”

Caribou voters Romane and Bobby Taylor both ranked Troy Jackson first on their ballots in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Credit: Cameron Levasseur / The County

“They’re campaigning so hard against him because he is a normal person,” Romane Taylor, 62, said.

Nina Lipscombe, 39, of Houlton said she voted for Platner because he understands what people in rural Maine are actually living through.

“I think that a lot of people across parties are tired of polished politicians who say the right things but don’t seem to change much,” she said. “Character is not about having the cleanest resume or perfect image. Character is about honesty, accountability and where someone has done the work to become better.”

Roberta Fitzgerald Hathaway, 74, of Presque Isle said Gov. Janet Mills — who suspended her campaign last month but did not withdraw — was her first choice, but despite reservations she chose Platner second because of his economic views and the fact that he’s backed by Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

“I wasn’t going to choose him at first because he made comments about women, but he also said he’d help the economy,” Hathaway said. “Bernie [Sanders] is backing him. Bernie is a force to be reckoned with and I trust him.”

Presque Isle voter Jason Barnes, 71, chose incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins even though he’s been disappointed in some of her votes.

Election workers check voters in at the Sargent Family Community Center in Presque Isle Tuesday, where turnout for the primaries was light but steady. Credit: Paula Brewer / The County

“The alternative is not reasonable to me,” he said.

In the wide-open gubernatorial primaries, eight Republicans and five Democrats hope to garner the nomination for the November election.

Lipscombe voted for Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, a Democrat from Allagash.

Both Platner and Jackson are progressive voices who speak to the real problems Mainers are living with every day, she said.

“They especially speak to the real problems of working class and rural Mainers who too often feel ignored,” Lipscombe said.

Frederick Sullivan, 65, a retired toolmaker from Caribou, said he voted for Republican frontrunner Bobby Charles. Sullivan said he believed Charles most aligned with his stances on major issues, including affordability and fraud.

“[We need] someone who is going to attack the fraud, clean up the fraud, prosecute the fraud, because it never seems to get prosecuted,” Sullivan said.

Democrat Christina Carroll, 41, who works at Houlton Regional Hospital, said that while she is a registered Democrat, she is an independent. Carroll believes in what Platner wants to do and that he could be good for Maine.

Maine State Senate District 1 candidate Lucien Daigle speaks to voters outside the polls in Caribou early Tuesday afternoon. Credit: Cameron Levasseur / The County

“I think he would be good for Maine and there is something appealing about him being a working class Mainer, ” she said. “Janet Mills is a politician.”

Independent Craig Harriman, 47, a retired Marine, wondered why Platner’s fellow service members haven’t come forward to say he is a strong leader. “That’s a red flag for me.”

Voters in the Houlton school district are also voting on a referendum question to authorize RSU 29 to issue bonds up to $2 million through the state’s zero interest rate Loan Forgiveness School Revolving Renovation Fund to address hazardous materials in Houlton Middle High School and Houlton Elementary School and improve insulation at Houlton Southside School.

In Presque Isle, voters face two local questions: to approve a $33 million budget for MSAD 1, which serves the city and the surrounding towns of Castle Hill, Chapman, Mapleton and Westfield, and to approve the closure of Zippel Elementary School.

The school budget for the two-town RSU 39 is also on the ballot in Caribou, where the district is hoping to avoid a repeat of 2025, when its budget was rejected at referendum twice by voters, the first two times it had ever happened.

Late morning voters at the polls in Caribou. Credit: Cameron Levasseur / The County

St. John Valley voters also will also decide the fate of school budgets: $16.6 million in Fort-Kent-based MSAD 27, which also includes Allagash, Eagle Lake, New Canada, St. Francis and Wallagrass; $10.1 million for the Madawaska School Department; and $7.8 million for Frenchville and St. Agatha. Voters struck down last year’s Madawaska and Fort Kent budgets at referendum.

Littleton voters must choose whether to allow alcohol sales in the historically dry town. Polls there had been busy all day.

“It’s more like a regular election,” Town Manager Lorrie Schools said at about 1:20 p.m.

Bangor Daily News: Brewer man gets 12 months in prison for assaulting his girlfriend on cruise ship

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:19:01 +0000

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A Brewer man will spend a year in prison for assaulting his now ex-girlfriend on an international cruise.

U.S. District Judge Stacey D. Neumann on Tuesday handed down her sentence against 46-year-old John Kelleher, who also will serve a year on supervised release and pay $360 in restitution, in U.S. District Court in Bangor, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Kelleher pleaded guilty to assault on Jan. 6, 2026.

Kelleher and his then-girlfriend were traveling on an international cruise in December 2024. At the time, Kelleher was prohibited from leaving the state without permission and consuming alcohol as part of his probation, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Kelleher, who had been drinking heavily, bit and punched his girlfriend.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and would like to talk with an advocate, call 866-834-4357, TTY 1-800-437-1220. This free, confidential service is available 24/7 and is accessible from anywhere in Maine.

Sun Journal: Carrabassett Valley man charged in girlfriend’s shooting death pleads not guilty

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:51:14 +0000

Police say Austin J. Doucette shot Makayla DeSantis twice in the chest in March. Doucette told police it was accidental.

Sun Journal: Volunteers fill planters for Beautify Rumford

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:19:43 +0000

Flower pots were planted by volunteers, the organizer said, and placed around town by public works crews.

Maine News Wire - Boston.com: Navy’s largest destroyer heads out to sea for trials

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 20:21:11 +0000

The nation’s largest and most expensive destroyer headed out to sea Monday for final builder trials before being presented to the Navy for inspection.

Maine News Wire - Boston.com: Stealthy destroyer Zumwalt is heading back out to sea

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 02:14:14 +0000

The largest destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy is heading out to sea again in Maine.

Maine News Wire - Boston.com: Babe Ruth’s baseball glove, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse ears up for auction in Maine

Sun, 20 Mar 2016 23:14:26 +0000

A collection of memorabilia including Babe Ruth’s baseball glove and Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse ears is coming up for auction off the beaten path in Maine, far from the Big Apple where Ruth smacked home runs and the theme park and studio Disney created in California.

Maine News Wire - Boston.com: Report: 26 Maine schools and child-care centers have high levels of lead in drinking water

Fri, 18 Mar 2016 19:08:17 +0000

Maine News Wire - Boston.com: This Maine police department lays out official plaid flannel shirt policy

Fri, 11 Mar 2016 02:06:18 +0000

Kennebec Journal: Gardiner finance program lures Frosty’s Donuts downtown

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 22:20:19 +0000

The popular doughnut shop opening at a key corner is part of the goal to attract a mix of established retailers, restaurants and professionals.

Kennebec Journal: UNH student twice said ‘no’ to man who raped, killed her, witness says

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 22:19:31 +0000

The trial of Seth Mazzaglia pauses after Kathryn McDonough sobs uncontrollably as she describes the murder of Elizabeth ‘Lizzi’ Marriott.

Kennebec Journal: Election officials won’t investigate Cumberland County sheriff’s race

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 22:06:06 +0000

Sheriff Kevin Joyce alleged that his primary opponent Michael Edes coordinated with a political action committee that has spent $100,000 to influence the race.

Kennebec Journal: Winslow High School wrestling booster club theft deal close

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 22:02:12 +0000

Attorneys have agreed in principle to a deal on embezzlement charges against Wendi Willette, formerly of Winslow, that would repay the booster club.

Kennebec Journal: Wilton tannery cleanup moving forward

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:58:12 +0000

Selectmen will decide whether to have the town pay to tear down the industrial building on site after the containments are cleaned up.

Portland Press Herald: Lawsuit accuses Portland police officer of excessive force

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:54:09 +0000

The Portland Police Department had already cleared Officer Eric McCusker of any wrongdoing before the lawsuit was filed, his attorney says.

Portland Press Herald: Election officials won't investigate Cumberland County sheriff's race

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:51:07 +0000

Sheriff Kevin Joyce alleged that his primary opponent Michael Edes coordinated with a political action committee that has spent $100,000 to influence the race.

Morning Sentinel: Maine election officials reject investigation into Cumberland County sheriff race

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:48:09 +0000

Sheriff Kevin Joyce alleged that his primary opponent Michael Edes coordinated with a political action committee that has spent $100,000 to influence the race.

Morning Sentinel: Morning Sentinel police log

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:42:08 +0000

Waterville area police reports for June 4, 2014.

Portland Press Herald: Circus performers rehearse for Old Port Festival: Video

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:37:20 +0000

Circus Atlantic, a division of the Circus Conservatory of America, rehearses for upcoming shows at the festival in downtown Portland.

Morning Sentinel: Kennebec County Superior Court sentences handed down

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:30:11 +0000

Domestic violence, theft, and drunk driving are among the crimes.

Morning Sentinel: Quaker cemetery details mess up a good story

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:30:09 +0000

The moral outrage over vandalism at Avery Lane’s grave should also be aimed at those who attack the Religious Society of Friends and their beliefs.

Portland Press Herald: Portland High School celebrates 2014 graduates

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:28:49 +0000

Outfitted in blue and white robes, student speakers encourage their classmates to emulate positive role models and embrace the unknown.

Portland Press Herald: Maine cancels new 10-year marketing contract with state liquor distributor

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:28:33 +0000

The state says Pine State Trading provided ‘inaccurate information’ regarding its marketing activities in New Hampshire.

Morning Sentinel: Maine cancels new 10-year marketing contract with state liquor distributor

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 21:28:33 +0000

The state says Pine State Trading provided ‘inaccurate information’ regarding its marketing activities in New Hampshire.

WCSH News: Benefit for Hollis horsebreeders after house fire

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:53:53 +0000

SCARBOROUGH, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Horsebreeders Marc and Peggy Tardiff may have lost almost all of their posessions in a house fire last month, but they gained a community of support.

WCSH News: Danforth couple charged with trafficking meth appear in court

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:49:02 +0000

MACHIAS, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Allen Richardson and Tabbatha Osnoe went before a judge in Washington County Superior court in Machias. Both are charged with trafficking meth.

WCSH News: Experts say meth problem in Maine appears to be growing

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:47:00 +0000

BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) --- A Danforth couple being charged with the sale of methamphetamines this past weekend once again shed light on the issue of meth in Maine. It's a drug that state officials say can carry a lot of danger to produce.

WCSH News: Police make one arrest in weekend arson fire

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:45:06 +0000

PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Police in Portland have made an arrest in an arson fire behind the Portland Museum of Art Sunday night.

WCSH News: Police investigate rash of dumpster fires in Portland

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 17:51:49 +0000

PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Portland Police are investigating a string of dumpster and garbage can fires Sunday night into Monday morning.

MPBN News: RFK Center to Get $200K from Maine-Based Charity