Man sues for $3 million in accident injury

BANGOR (AP) – A marine engineer who fell and was left a paraplegic while working on a tugboat repair project is suing his former employer for $3 million.

Bruce Falconer, 43, of Waterville, was the first witness in his trial in U.S. District Court in Bangor on Tuesday.

He suffered a spinal cord injury in July 2000 while working on a tugboat owned by Penn Maritime Inc. of New York. Falconer was carrying an engine part when he fell 14 feet through an open hatch and struck a railing.

The boat was in dry dock in Tampa, Fla., at the time.

Penn Maritime said it was not negligent because Falconer, and not the captain or other employees, was responsible for installing safety rails around the hatch.

Police charge man with stalking girls in Hudson

HUDSON, N.H. (AP) – A Pelham man has been charged with stalking young girls in Hudson.

Police said David Leclerq, 41, drove through a neighborhood, asking girls if they needed a ride. They believe it happened several times last month.

Police said witness descriptions led to Leclerq’s arrest.

Engineer sentenced for swindling $170,000 from Boston Scientific

NATICK, Mass. (AP) – A Boston Scientific engineer was sentenced Tuesday to 1 years in prison for swindling more than $170,000 from the medical device maker.

Kihnlaun Duc Dao, 36, of Randolph, pleaded guilty in September to filing false expense reports to cover his purchase of personal items, including a 46-inch plasma-screen TV, a Bose sound system and vacations.

He apologized during his sentencing in Middlesex Superior Court.

“I’m not sure this (apology) was fueled by emotional problems or a gambling habit,” Judge Nancy Staffier-Holtz said. “It looks to me it was fueled by plain, old-fashioned greed. I’m not sure if the remorse is for the act, or because he was caught.”

However, the judge delayed the start of Dao’s sentence until Friday to allow him to put his affairs in order.

Lynch’s popularity keeps rising

DURHAM, N.H. (AP) – John Lynch’s popularity as governor continues to rise, making him the most popular elected official in New Hampshire.

The latest Granite State Poll, released Wednesday, shows 71 percent of those surveyed saying they approve of the Democrat’s performance, 10 points higher since a similar poll in July.

“New Hampshire believes Lynch has done an excellent job in his first year as governor,” said Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, noting that ex-Gov. Craig Benson, a Republican, at a similar point in his administration had a 58 percent approval rating.

The telephone poll of 511 randomly selected adults interviewed between Oct. 25 and Oct. 30, has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

Smith said Lynch “has avoided the controversies that hurt the Benson administration and his disaster relief after the recent floods has even improved his image.”

Only 9 percent said they disapprove of Lynch’s performance, while 20 percent said they were neutral.

Lynch’s job approval popularity cuts across political party lines, the poll showed. Among Democrats, Lynch received a 77 percent rating; among Republicans a 68 percent rating.

Lynch’s personal rating also is very high, with 69 percent of New Hampshire residents saying they have a favorable rating of the governor, only 9 percent with an unfavorable view, 13 percent neutral and 8 percent saying they don’t know enough about him to say.

The poll also said Lynch is well positioned for re-election to a second term if he runs in 2006, with 46 percent saying he should be re-elected, 22 percent saying someone else should be governor and 33 percent uncertain.