Bangor Daily News

Bangor Humane Society Losing Valued Vet

Before 12-year-old Nola was brought to the Bangor Humane Society last month, things were not looking good. The stray Shetland sheepdog mix had a basketball-size growth in her stomach and no one to take care of her. Now, thanks to Dr. Gary "Doc" Winters and BHS, Nola is healthy and ready for adoption.

Amish Couple Hope to Settle Here in Maine Seven-Month Journey by Horse and Buggy Ended with a Land Deal Scam in the County

CORINNA - With urban sprawl encroaching on their Midwestern settlement, the Amish couple turned their eyes to Maine, put money down on some land, packed their meager belongings and made the seven- month trek by horse and buggy across the country to their new home. It was to have been a new beginning, a place where they could work the rich fertile soils in Aroostook County. Instead, the trusting, hardworking couple quickly learned they had been scammed.

Domtar Mum On Return of Workers

BAILEYVILLE - Washington County's largest employer, Domtar Inc. pulp and paper mill, has given no indication when the nearly 90 employees who were laid off last month will be back to work. State Sen. Kevin Raye and Rep. Anne Perry met with the Town Council on Monday night to discuss the paper machine shutdown, which occurred last month. No startup date was announced.

Baileyville Residents Eager for Plant Startup

BAILEYVILLE - Construction on a new facility to manufacture structural insulated panels for use in commercial and residential buildings is moving forward, and people in this small town are excited. Insulated Component Structures Inc. of Eustis, Fla., plans to open a manufacturing plant in the town's Industrial Park that would employ 75 people. The town has received more than 60 job applications that it handed on to the company.

Bankruptcies

The following petitions for bankruptcy were filed at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor during March 2007: Jay M. Trefts, sales floor manager, and Dawn E. Trefts, fka Dawn E. Murray, cashier, three dependents, Carmel: assets, $231,053; debts, $288,283.

A Place by Any Other Name

When it comes to offensive place names in Maine, the good news is that more than half the townships, mountains, lakes, ponds and islands once called Squaw have new names. Communities deciding the new names for the dozen that remain should get busy finding a better choice. Earlier this month, the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission filed complaints with the Maine Human Rights Commission against the Washington County commissioners and the town of Stockton Springs for not complying with a state...

Cover, Veto, Deal

Congress is likely to emerge with two leading proposals to reauthorize and expand the popular and needed State Children Health Insurance Program. President Bush has promised to veto both, leaving Congress with a strong incentive to pass the stronger of the two, knowing that negotiations with the White House will follow. SCHIP began in 1997, when millions of children were not getting the kind of early, affordable care they needed to thrive in school. SCHIP began with $40 billion and, largely, ...

Impeach with Evidence

Are we strongly convinced of the rightness of our actions or emotions which is the definition of self-righteous? Impeaching President Bush would be a good idea if there was enough evidence to put him out of office. Having Congress held accountable in an impeachment process would be a waste of time and money - the taxpayers' dollars; that doesn't make sense at all. Brian Sanborn

Iraqis Will Decide

I would like to applaud Dr. Erik Steele for his willingness to publish his true feelings about the war in Iraq, "Supporting the War I Hate" (BDN, July 17). His sincerity is unquestioned and I have felt the same way and with the same reasoning. As a proud and honorable nation, how can we abandon the Iraqi people, even though many of us didn't agree with starting the war?

The Worth of Medicare

The excellent and timely July 6 op-ed, "Greatest Generation Deserves the Best Health Care," should serve as a reminder to us all that those who fought on our nation's behalf over 50 years ago both need and deserve the quality, compassionate nursing home care they depend upon for their livelihoods. I should know, and am proud to provide care on a daily basis to several of these great and wonderful men who, like us all, care deeply about the sacrifice made by our troops in the field today and i...

Lower the Tolls

In the July 14-15 BDN there was a story that said: "Study to focus on York toll diversions." I wonder why? But I can understand why some people try not to pay: seniors who are on a fixed income and people on low incomes. Most people would bypass any grocery store that charged them for a whole loaf of bread but only received a quarter loaf when paying at the checkout. To explain, when you enter the turnpike at York toll plaza everybody pays $1.75, but if you exit at Wells or Kennebunk you only...

Beside Myself with Worry

My 19-year-old son was deployed to Iraq on July 7. This greatly disturbs me and my family, not only because we do not in any way support the war in Iraq but because approximately four weeks ago he was seen by doctors for a psychiatric evaluation while he was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado and following that evaluation was put on Prozac. The dosage has since been increased following a second appointment. The evaluation was prompted by my son's statement to another soldier about committin...