Air Jordan? No it’s Air Buddy, the dog who soared over the competition last fall in Chicago, Ill., to set a new record for longest jump by a mixed breed in a Dock Dog competition.

Buddy, a bull mastiff and Dalmatian, and his owner, Zane Capen of Lewiston, compete against other dogs and owners to see how far off the dock and over the water their dogs can jump.

Buddy, 2, and Capen, 16, have spent many hours training from the docks at Brettuns Pond in Livermore. The two competed around the country last year.

It seems Buddy jumped 21 feet in September to set a new world record for the longest jump by a mixed breed.

Capen is thinking ahead to this summer, when he hopes to raise enough money to make it to the 2005 ESPN Great Outdoor Games. The cost is $1,500, Capen said.

First, Buddy and Capen will compete April 6-8 in Virginia in another Dock Dog competition. Capen said he has the money for that contest.

If Buddy and Capen win in April, they will make it to the ESPN games. Whether they win or lose, they’ll be able to go and watch the ESPN competition.

Anyone interested in helping sponsor Buddy and Capen may phone 784-7144. Or, if willing, send donations to Zane Capen, Dirigo Place, 98 Russell St., Lewiston, ME 04240.

– Donna Perry
Maineiacs get more air

It’s no national TV contract, but another 70,000 sets of eyes will be able to watch Maineiacs games from the comfort of their own living rooms.

Time-Warner Cable in Portland has decided to pick up the broadcast of Maineiacs games on a tape-delay basis.

The games currently run locally on Adelphia Channel 9.

That includes most of Androscoggin County and parts of the metropolitan Portland area.

Time-Warner will make both home and away games available on the company’s Channel 5 beginning this Tuesday.

This week, it will show a tape of Saturday’s game versus Drummondville, followed by Sunday’s game versus the Prince Edward Island Rocket.

The broadcast is set to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

All remaining home games and four away games will be shown.

Time-Warner Cable serves about 70,000 households in Cumberland County.

With the games already airing on Adelphia, the new deal gives almost 200,000 households access to Maineiacs broadcasts.

– Scott Taylor

Penny pride

When Montello Elementary School third-graders started collecting pennies for the victims of the Indonesian tsunami, they had hoped to raise $200.

Instead, the Lewiston students ended up with more than $865.

Almost all of it was in change.

The third-graders spent a week collecting pennies from friends, parents and community members. One donor, dubbed the Mystery Woman by the children, dropped off $40 in rolled pennies and left before school officials could get her name.

Students and volunteers spent three days rolling the hundreds of dollars in change they collected.

The money will be sent to CARE, an international organization that helps poor communities and is working to aid countries ravaged by the Dec. 26 tsunami.

– Lindsay Tice

Be careful who you trust

Jim Delamater, president of Northeast Bank, has published a book that warns consumers about the dangers of putting their trust in unscrupulous financial advisers.

Called “The Great American Mismatch,” the book lays out what to watch for when dealing with stock brokers, insurance agents, bankers, lawyers and financial planners.

The premise of the book examines how many financial advisers are under great pressure by their employers to sell certain financial products. The pressure often pits the adviser’s self interest against the best interest of the client – hence the mismatch.

Linda Varrell, spokeswoman for the bank, said the book has been drawing some mixed reactions from the community. Some financial professionals aren’t wild that Delamater exposes common tactics to get people to buy investments they don’t need; others are glad to see the warnings and advice.

Delamater dedicated the book to his father, Roland R. Delamater, who instilled in him the need to be a man of honesty and integrity.

“He always stressed that an adviser must put themselves in the situation or circumstances of the client and advise accordingly,” wrote Delamater. “He stressed ethics to the highest degree and had zero tolerance for anyone who betrayed their client or did not live up to their responsibilities.”

The book is available from Publish America, www.publishamerica.com, for $14.95.

– Carol Coultas