PORTLAND (AP) – Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, raised $832,075 in the first quarter of the year, raising the amount of cash available to her re-election campaign to $1.2 million, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Collins, who’s seeking a third term, reported expenditures of $64,000 during the period. For the time being, Collins has no opponent. Democratic Rep. Tom Allen has signaled that he might run for the seat, but there has been no formal announcement.

Meanwhile, there’s plenty of interest among Democrats in Allen’s 1st Congressional District seat.

Former state Sen. Chellie Pingree has filed with the Federal Elections Commission to launch a campaign. Mark Lawrence, district attorney in York County, and Portland’s Michael Brennan, the former floor leader of the Senate, have formed exploratory committees. Adam Cote, a Portland lawyer and Iraq veteran, said he’s considering a bid.

College president inaugurated

UNITY (AP) – Unity College has a crucial role in educating a new generation in environmental protection, the college’s new president said Sunday at his inauguration.

Mitchell Thomashow, 56, became the school’s ninth president at a ceremony attended by academic leaders from throughout Maine and New England, faculty, student leaders and others.

Thomashow came to Unity from Antioch New England Graduate School at Keene, N.H., where he served as chairman of the environmental studies department and associate dean for international advancement. He arrived at Unity last summer and was installed formally as college president on Sunday.

UNH decides on Huddleston

DURHAM, N.H. (AP) – The only finalist for the presidency of the University of New Hampshire will be the school’s next president pending approval of the Board of Trustees on Wednesday, the school’s chancellor said.

Mark Huddleston, president of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, visited the university last week. He said he would be enthusiastic about fundraising, while plenty can be done to work with businesses to offer internships and match graduates with job opportunities. He also discussed creating incentives to keep graduates on campus for further education.

If confirmed, Huddleston plans to start the job in July.

Camera catches police-car vandal

LYNDONVILLE, Vt. (AP) – A vandal was caught on videotape trying to smash the windows of a village police cruiser.

Despite repeated blows, the windows on the police car stayed intact. But the glass in at least 15 other vehicles wasn’t as strong, police said.

“Luckily the vandals attempted to strike the Lyndonville Police Department and were caught on video tape,” Harris said in a Saturday statement.

The assault on the police cruiser was part of a spree that saw 15 car windows smashed in the village along with several mailboxes early Saturday morning, said police chief Jack Harris. The suspect is a white male, 18 to 25, with light-colored hair and a small mustache or goatee.

Coffee company helping chimps

WATERBURY, Vt. (AP) -Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. is working to help preserve chimpanzee habitat in Africa.

The coffee maker unveiled a new coffee flavor on Monday called Gombe Reserve.

The company is working with the Jane Goodall Institute, a worldwide nonprofit known for protecting chimpanzees. Jane Goodall is famous for her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania.

Gombe Reserve coffee is grown by a cooperative of 2,700 small farmers near Gombe National Park in Tanzania.

Green Mountain Coffee learned about the opportunity to protect chimps and help local farmers when Goodall spoke at a specialty coffee trade group meeting in 2005, said Green Mountain Coffee’s Lindsey Bolger.

By helping the farmers, they won’t encroach on chimp habitat, Bolger said.

“The idea is to create higher income through coffee production so they don’t have to turn to forestry, for example, cutting down native trees to sell for building materials or firewood,” Bolger said.

A 12-ounce bag of Gombe Reserve sells for $17.95 and is only available by mail order or online.

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