Bangor Daily News

Brookings Study Backed, Faulted at Bangor Forum

BANGOR - Local residents, business owners, legislative leaders and economic development officials gathered at the Bangor Opera House on Thursday night to consider and challenge The Brookings Report, a study of Maine's economy that advises the state to dramatically cut administrative spending and invest in a few critical investments. The report asserts a need for the state to increase tourism taxes to fund land and economic development and other tax reductions, while critics fear that such an ...

School-Crisis Drill Turns Real at Shead

EASTPORT - A test of Shead High School's crisis management plan Thursday turned into the real thing when a man carrying a gun was spotted near the school. "Around 9 a.m. we did a lockdown exercise schoolwide to check our readiness and so forth based on what was going on around the country," high school Principal Terry Lux said.

Correcting the Record

Maine Soldiers Offer to Fly U.S. Flags in Iraq

As a way to express thanks for support they get from back home, some soldiers with the Maine Army National Guard have offered to fly American flags over Iraqi soil for civic organizations. "It further symbolizes the connection between the people from the state of Maine and the deployed soldiers in the Maine Army National Guard who are serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom," Capt. Shanon Cotta of the Maine Army National Guard said Wednesday.

G-P Official Signs Sales Agreement On Ex-Mill

OLD TOWN - A high-ranking Georgia-Pacific Corp. official was in town Thursday to sign a three-prong purchase and sales agreement for the defunct pulp and paper mill that involves the company, the state and a group of private investors who intend to redevelop and manage the massive site. While TV cameras rolled, Philip Ellender, G-P senior vice president of public and government affairs, Gov. John Baldacci and state Economic Development Commissioner Jack Cashman signed the agreement, which is ...

New Recording Studio Opens in Winterport

My Thrill Studio, located at 46 Blueberry Hill Road in Winterport, will hold an open house 1-6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9. The open house is designed to present the new recording facility to the public. Mark and Stephanie Francis are inviting those with an interest in audio recording to stop by their state-of-the-art 32-track digital recording studio. Equipped with Pro Tools 7.2 HD recording technology, My Thrill Studio was built to meet contemporary digital audio demands.

Nrlb Decision Weakens Union Rights for Some

Earlier this week, the National Labor Relations Board broadened the definition of supervisory workers to include workers who sometimes delegate and assign responsibilities, but have no power to hire and fire. By changing the statutory definition of supervisory workers, the NLRB decreased the number of workers eligible to belong to unions.

Merchants Rally for Winter Promotion Flags at Bar Harbor Shops Would Highlight Year-Round Business

BAR HARBOR - This oceanfront town, with its water-view hotels, pedestrian-friendly streets and scenic vistas, is known worldwide as a summertime tourist destination. But a group of local merchants is banding together to let people know there is life after Columbus Day.

North Korea's Nukes

The U.S. strategy to counter North Korea's announced intention to conduct a nuclear weapons test has been to try to muster international pressure on North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il. Most analysts seem to doubt that will work. So the Bush administration would be left in its standard position of carefully constrained diplomacy, pressing for harsher economic sanctions aimed at forcing a collapse of the Kim regime, and dark hints of possible military action if all else fails. The long series of ...

Buying Oil Reserves

The nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve is meant as a hedge against emergencies that cut off oil supplies. The reserve, however, is inadequate to meet several potential scenarios, according to a review of the Government Accountability Office. The GAO reinforces the importance of recently passed federal legislation requiring that the size of the reserve be increased. Both add the important caveat that the additional oil be obtained in a cost-effective way, something that has not happened with...

Keep the Page Program

It has recently been suggested in the media and by members of Congress that because of Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate and disturbing contact with congressional pages that the 200-year-old program should be terminated. I served as a Senate page in the spring of 1993 for our former U.S. senator, George Mitchell. It was an incredible introduction to our federal government and it was partof what inspired me to run for the Legislature at the age of 24. That the reprehensible actions of a certain ...

A Missed Opportunity

Typical of the Bangor Daily News, they have demonstrated their political preferences by opting to give the anti-war protesters more space than the tribute by the National Guard members in Portland on the Oct. 2 front page. Even more appalling is the fact that the BDN had the opportunity to report on an incredibly moving story of support for Cpl. Brian Smith Jr., USMC, who was injured in Iraq recently and escorted to his home in Blue Hill on Sept. 16 from Bangor International Airport by a conv...

Peace for St. Albans

I read the letter from Gary Jordan ("By eminent domain," BDN, Sept. 15), then I went to check out the BDN Web site. It is very nice. I then went to the blog page and read what people had to say and decided to write a blog of my own. I guess whomever is the Webmaster for the site must not have liked what I said because it's been almost three weeks and my blog never made it.

Insulting the Legion

On Sept. 29 my wife and I were invited to go to Bangor International Airport by another troop greeter and participate in welcoming the troops who were on their way overseas. We found it very rewarding. Unable to stand for long periods of time, because a disability (stroke), we sat down in a row of chairs, facing the runway, to rest. Anyone familiar with the seating in the airport lounge, knows some seats are double rows, back to back.

Spectacular Foliage View

Congratulations to Jen Lynds for sharing her spectacular fall foliage photograph in the Oct. 2 edition of the Bangor Daily News. If was a pleasure and exciting to see such a unique scene from our northern area of Maine. Virginia Glidden