One dead in turnpike crash

LEWISTON — One person was dead Thursday night after crashing a car in a construction zone on the Maine Turnpike and flipping the vehicle near Mile 81, police said.

A witness said the driver was traveling in excess of 100 mph with a police officer in pursuit in the northbound lane when the car crashed, flipped onto its roof and caught fire at about 7:30 p.m. The driver was not identified late Thursday night. The car bore Massachusetts license plates.

Veteran judge reflects on life on the bench

LEWISTON - Robert Clifford didn't go to law school to be a judge. He didn't become mayor and, later, a state senator to sit on the bench.

"No one sets out to be a judge in our system," Clifford told a group of about 60 people Thursday at the Lewiston Public Library. Clifford was the featured speaker at the monthly Great Falls Forum series.

The City of Lewiston raises its holiday tree

The City of Lewiston puts up its new holiday tree at the Courthouse Plaza in Lewiston on Thursday morning.  The tree was donated to the city by a Lewiston family.

Fewer students out sick at 2 Auburn schools

AUBURN — The number of sick students in two Auburn elementary schools is down significantly, and H1N1 flu vaccine clinics have been held in all schools, Assistant Superintendent Katy Grondin said Wednesday night.

"We successfully vaccinated 1,051 (elementary) students," she said. "That is excellent; it's more than a third." 

Handling the bird

Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Monique Verrill, 10, prepares a turkey for the oven while getting ready to feed 100 people at the Boys & Girls Club of Auburn/Lewiston clubhouse in Auburn on Wednesday. Four turkeys were cooked for the third annual family Thanksgiving dinner, which was held later that evening. Children, from left, are Dylan Tessier, 10; Verrill; Chelsey Edmonds, 11; Mariah St. Pierre, 11; and Tabitha Douglas, 10, all of Auburn.

Fishing for golf balls

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Dave Rossignol goes "fishing" for golf balls at Fox Ridge Golf Club in Auburn Wednesday morning before teeing off with some friends. The telescoping device is specifically made to fetch golf balls that are submerged just out of the reach of a golf club. "This thing has paid for itself a dozen times over." said Rossignol. Fox Ridge is usually closed this time of year, but with the unseasonably warm weather, they decided to stay open a little while longer.

Blowing in the wind

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Tony Lepore uses a hand held blower to send thousands of leaves cascading over the embankment onto the side of the road by his home on Gamage Ave in Auburn Wednesday morning. He had already stuffed several dozen bags full of leaves, and he was only about half way done. The near perfect fall weather will continue for at least another day or two.

Police log

Charges

Lewiston

• Derek Edgerton, 20, of 34 Blake St., tampering with a witness, 10:47 a.m. Tuesday at 21 Walnut St.

• Daniel Richard Landry, 39, of 93 Knox St., warrants, 9:15 p.m. Tuesday at 196 Park St.

• Adam Michael Dumais, 21, of 272 Main St., Auburn, failing to register as a sex offender, 12:25 a.m. Wednesday at 292 Bates St.

 

Auburn

Councilors meet top job candidates: Councilors-elect included in meetings

LEWISTON — City councilors interviewed the top two city administrator candidates over three hours Wednesday night.

Councilors hosted councilors-elect John Butler, Ron Jean, Mark Cayer and Stephen Morgan as they interviewed first Bangor City Manager Ed Barrett and later Acting Lewiston City Administrator Phil Nadeau.

Both men are hoping to replace Jim Bennett, fired by councilors in July.

Time to replace rusty fire engine no. 5, councilors agree

LEWISTON — Rust on the city's fire engine number 5 prompted councilors Tuesday to fast-track plans to replace it.

Fire Chief Paul LeClair said he had planned to replace the 16 year old firetruck next year, ordering its replacement in July and taking delivery a year from now. Tuesday, councilors agreed to let LeClair order the truck in January, taking delivery early this summer.

A recent inspection by Northeast Emergency Apparatus changed his mind, LeClair said.

Leads 'promising' in Lewiston woman's killing

LEWISTON — A man captured Monday in connection with a recent killing in Boston has no connection to the August slaying of Erica Field, but investigators said Wednesday leads on the Field case were "promising."

Gregory Knight, 27, was arrested Monday night in an apartment at 928 Lisbon St. He was charged with murder in the shotgun slaying of another man who was gunned down in the Roxbury section of Boston last week.

Monmouth police chief accused of improperly trying to find out about post office box

MONMOUTH — The Attorney General's Office is investigating a complaint against the Monmouth police chief, who a town Planning Board member has accused of abuse of power.

According to a lawyer connected to the case, police Chief Robert Annese is accused of using the power of his position to track down the person who rented a post office box to which surveys about the Police Department had been mailed.

Two plead guilty in kidnapping, robbery case

AUBURN — A Leeds man is expected to spend four years in prison in connection with the kidnapping and robbery of a Livermore Falls man.

Donald White, 30, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Androscoggin County Superior Court to those charges a day after his trial got under way. A judge sentenced him to eight years in prison with all but four years suspended. He also was ordered to spend three years on probation.

School workers back plan for furlough days

POLAND — The Regional School Unit 16 employees' union voted this week to authorize the union board to open the contract and negotiate with the school board and superintendent for up to four furlough days.

"Our goal is to engage the superintendent and school board in conversations for using furlough days to preserve quality education," RSU 16 Education Association Co-president Laurie Callahan said. "Our other goal is to prevent the loss of dedicated employees."

Fire damages Crowley Road home

SABATTUS — Fire officials said a sparkler lit inside a house on Crowley Road late Wednesday afternoon was the cause of a blaze that gutted a section of the two-story home.

Three people were inside but escaped as flames rolled up the sides of the house at about 5 p.m.

The fire at 423 Crowley Road was reported at as neighbors and passersby saw flames shooting from the front and rear of the home.

Boston man arrested in Lewiston

LEWISTON — A Boston man wanted in connection with a gunshot slaying in that city last week was arrested on Lisbon Street on Monday, Lewiston police Sgt. Kelly Hamel said Tuesday.

Gregory Knight, 27, was taken into custody by officers from the Boston Police Fugitive Apprehension Unit, according to a statement from the Boston Police Department. Knight is charged with murder in the death of Carl Bonnie, 39, in the Roxbury section of the city on Nov. 12, the statement said.

School water bill causes principal to gulp

MINOT — School officials are questioning the bill for water use at Minot Consolidated School, Town Administrator Arlen Saunders told selectmen Monday night. 

Saunders said Principal Margret Pitts expressed surprise upon opening a bill for $408 for water for the first month of the school year.

"With the low-volume toilets and waterless urinals they installed at the end of last school year, she was surprised to see that the amount of water she was being charged for went up," Saunders said.

Basketball piggyback

Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Alec Latulippe, 10 of Sabattus, waves goodbye to family and friends while riding on the back of his stepfather Bob Roux in front of the Lewiston Armory Tuesday evening. Alec just finished a basketball game for his school, Trinity Catholic, who just lost a close game to McMahon Elementary.

Police log

Charges

Lewiston

• Michael Scott-Anthony Leeman, 27, of 109 Blake St., on a charge of domestic assault, 6:40 a.m. Monday at that address.

 

  • Diego Jose Martinez, 18, of 117 Pierce St., on charges of theft and violating bail conditions, 6 p.m. Monday at Family Dollar, 855 Lisbon St.

 

• Stephanie Yvonnic Breton, 30, of 256 Lisbon St., on two counts of theft and a charge of violating bail conditions, 6 p.m. Monday at Family Dollar, 855 Lisbon St.

Fuel owner to open lunch spot downtown

LEWISTON — The owner of a downtown fine dining restaurant will soon open a French-inspired lunch spot across the street. 

Eric Agren, owner of Fuel, bought the former Camera Service Center building at 40 Lisbon St. five months ago for about $60,000. He is rehabbing the building to include a restaurant, called Marché, downstairs and a high-end, two-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot apartment upstairs. The apartment will be ready for Agren's tenant this weekend. Marché will open in March or April.

The thrill of the hunt

It was the fourth night at deer camp and the smell was pretty bad.

Everyone but myself was hanging around in underwear while wet clothes dried near the fire. None of us had bathed in days. Most were drunk to the point where we could look out of only one eye at a time and we occasionally forgot each other's names. All systems normal at hunting camp.

Government at a Glance: Lewiston

Board: Lewiston City Council

Met: Tuesday night

 

Shared software

Issue: New government-specific software would automate many scheduling and tracking jobs currently handled by city staff. The programs, made by Georgia-based EnerGov Solutions, would be shared by the cities of Lewiston and Auburn. It would let them share staff, ordinances and operations.

Vermont woman charged in Metivier's death

A Vermont woman has been indicted on charges of negligent homicide in connection with a head-on collision that killed her mother and daughter, and a young Lewiston mother on July 3 in New Hampshire.

Mayor-elect, councilors skirmish over dress, inaugural celebration

AUBURN — A disagreement over City Council decorum and attire has two councilors angry at the incoming mayor.

Mayor-elect Dick Gleason said Tuesday he stands by statements he made last month calling for neater dress at City Council meetings.

"I'm not asking for a jacket and tie," Gleason said. "All I'm saying is that I've seen instances where councilors came to meetings in jeans and shorts. I think it's up to us as city leaders to set an example, especially for children who watch us."

Trial for kidnapping and robbery gets under way

AUBURN — Frank Lynch was robbed, beaten and kidnapped when he tried to buy a used car last spring.

Or, he was a convicted thief expecting trouble when he paid a visit to the home of an acquaintance in Leeds late that night.

A jury of six women and eight men, including two alternates, will decide which story to believe.

The trials of co-defendants Donald White, 30, and David Surette, 19, got under way Tuesday in Androscoggin County Superior Court. Charges against the two include kidnapping, robbery, assault, theft and terrorizing, all felonies.