Posted inLocal & State, sj-web

Group aiming to ease pot laws

PORTLAND — Marijuana possession would be the Portland police department’s lowest enforcement priority under a proposed ordinance that a citizen’s group hopes to get on November’s city ballot. A group called Sensible Portland turned in 2,100 signatures to the city clerk’s office Tuesday aiming to let voters decide whether Portland should have an ordinance directing […]

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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web

‘Bath salts’ drug target of new law

AUGUSTA — Maine Gov. Paul LePage has signed into law a measure targeting synthetic drugs known as “bath salts.” LePage signed the bill on Wednesday after conferring with Public Safety Commissioner John Morris. The bill establishes a $350 fine for possession of the substance. It also establishes penalties for trafficking that can carry jail time […]

Posted inLocal & State, sj-web

Caribou hospital receives award

CARIBOU — For the fifth year in a row, an Aroostook County hospital has been recognized by a national health care organization for excellent patient care. Officials with Cary Medical Center announced Tuesday that the hospital had once again secured Avatar International’s Exceeding Patient Expectations award. Avatar International is an industry leader in health care […]

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EMA official cleared; county should move on

The strange case of Scott Parker, Oxford County’s embattled Emergency Management Agency director, got a little stranger last week when it was revealed county officials have been sitting on a legal opinion clearing Parker of wrongdoing. The case has been wrapped in mystery since May when Parker was suspended for allegedly misusing E-911 database information. […]

Posted inLocal & State, sj-web

Woman hospitalized after serious crash in Brewer

BREWER — A serious two-vehicle crash late Tuesday morning on the eastbound I-395 offramp to South Main Street left a woman with serious injuries and sent her husband and another man to the hospital. Brewer police said a silver Toyota Tacoma pickup and a Jeep collided on the interstate, flipping the truck onto its roof […]

Posted inLocal & State, sj-web

Vote expected today on interim OR superintendent

BVote expected today on interim OR superintendentP DURHAM – The Oyster River School Board is down to two final candidates for the interim superintendent position and is expected to vote this afternoon on a possible selection. On Tuesday, board members held public interviews with Michelle Langa and Leon Levesque. Langa was superintendent for SAU 61 […]

Posted inLocal & State, sj-web

Two charged after 475 lbs. of pot seized

BANGOR (AP) — Two Maine men are facing federal charges for allegedly hiring a third man to transport 475 pounds of marijuana from Arizona to Maine in a 31-foot RV. Forty-seven-year-old Gerald Rich Jr. of Frankfort and 46-year-old Mark Wolosko of Kennebunkport are free on personal recognizance after being arrested last week on marijuana distribution […]

Posted inLocal & State, sj-web

Ancient forests clues found

PORTLAND (AP) — A Maine geologist says two chance encounters with well-preserved wood offer a glimpse of the state’s forests 13,500 years ago. Woodrow “Woody” Thompson of the Maine Geological Survey says he first found a clue in 1976 when he found fragments of logs and branches, some of them with intact cones and needles […]

Posted inLocal & State, sj-web

Storm washes away Maine potato farms’ topsoil

PORTLAND (AP) — U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe say the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved a $400,000 emergency grant to 50 Maine potato farmers. The farmers suffered crop damage during recent storms that in some cases completely washed away topsoil, dramatically reducing yields. The grants come from the USDA’s Farm Services Agency. […]