Bangor Daily News

Gun-Toting Bangor Robber Gets 10 Years in Bank Heist

BANGOR - A federal judge Tuesday sentenced an Irishman who robbed a local bank 16 months ago at gunpoint to nearly 10 years in prison. Niall Clarke, 27, an award-winning graduate of Trinity College in Dublin, showed no emotion as U.S. District Judge John Woodcock sentenced him to 33 months in prison for the armed robbery on Oct. 4, 2006, of the Bank of America branch near the Bangor Mall. Woodcock sentenced Clarke to an additional seven years because he brandished a gun.

Troops' Brain Function Targeted Aim to Understand, Treat War Injuries

All members of the American armed forces will soon have their brain functions tested and recorded before and after deploying to a war zone, courtesy of federal legislation co-written by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Hillary Clinton of New York. The testing is seen as an important step toward recognizing and treating traumatic brain injury, or TBI, widely considered the "signature injury" of the war in Iraq and, increasingly, in Afghanistan as well. Getting a jump on the federal policy...

Lobster Catch Tumbles by 23% in 2007

Preliminary figures released Tuesday by state officials indicate that the amount of lobster caught in Maine in 2007 fell by nearly 23 percent from the previous year. Just 56 million pounds of lobster with a total value of $248.5 million were brought ashore in Maine last year, according to Maine Department of Marine Resources estimates. In 2006, 72 million pounds of lobster worth nearly $300 million were caught in Maine.

Court Rejects Aclu Domestic Spying Suit

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court dealt a setback Tuesday to civil rights and privacy advocates who oppose the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program. The justices, without comment, turned down an appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union to let it pursue a lawsuit against the program that began shortly after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Sen. Snowe Lambastes Proposed Gear Rules

BREWER - A required change in fishing gear for lobstermen was criticized Tuesday for not having enough scientific data to back it up, but it wasn't only fishermen who took aim at the pending federal regulation. U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, who chaired a Senate subcommittee field hearing on the issue Tuesday at Jeff's Catering, also had some strong words about the rule, which will require fishermen to use more expensive ropes on their traps.

Maine Technology Institute Award Winners:

. ORPC Maine LLC of Denmark and Eastport has developed proprietary OCGen technology to convert tidal currents into emission- free electricity. A prior MTI Development Award helped ORPC Maine test the core component of the technology in Eastport and the new award will help demonstrate technical feasibility and allow the company to seek funding for the next stage of commercialization. Award: $211,200. Match: $200,000. Technology Sector: Environmental . RSE Pulp & Chemical LLC of Old Town will...

Pk Floats Nets $500,000 Award Lincoln Firm One of Three Businesses to Win Mti Grant

LINCOLN - A town-based manufacturer of floats for float planes will use a $500,000 development award as part of a $1 million expansion that will likely double its work force over the next year, the company's owner said Tuesday. PK Floats Inc. was among three Maine companies to win a total of $1.2 million from the Maine Technology Institute of Gardiner, a state-funded, private, nonprofit agency the Legislature created in 1999 to stimulate research and development leading to the commercializati...

Official Probed for Helping Irishman Get License

AUGUSTA - Despite public outcry over the way bank robber Niall Clarke was issued the Maine driver's license that enabled him to purchase the handgun used in the robbery, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said the investigation into the situation must be allowed to run its course. Clarke obtained the license with the assistance of Robert O'Connell, director of licensing services at the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles, after the two men met in a Boston bar on St. Patrick's Day 2006. Irish nation...

Value of Rural Airports

Determining the economic value of transportation infrastructure is an inexact science. What local businesses do not expand because the roads are bumpy and winding, and shipping products to market takes longer and costs more? Which business did not choose to relocate here because there was no regular rail service? It's very hard to pin down those sort of stories. But getting from here to there, and from there to here, is an essential component of a region's economy, even if it is only understo...

Hoop Dreams

The lesson in Bangor this week is to never underestimate the value of entertainment to our economy. As high school boys and girls play their hearts out in do-or-die battles on the basketball court at Bangor Auditorium, the regional economy is gulping down some much- needed financial Gatorade. Hotels, motels, restaurants, gas stations and other businesses are all benefiting from the influx of thousands who come to town to see their teams play. Setting aside the financial calculations for a mom...

Big Jar of Hope

You could vote for Obama because he offers hope. He gives the hopeless hope for hope. The next time you are in the store buy yourself a big jar of hope and bring it home. Now open up the lid and turn the jar upside down and watch the contents pour out. There it is - a big vacuum. You see, hope is like saying, "I hope it will be sunny tomorrow," but that doesn't make it sunny. The sun makes it sunny. So if you vote for Obama you will get lots and lots of hope.

Kenya Crisis

On behalf of Expanding Opportunities, I would like to thank readers for their support in the ongoing crisis in Kenya. The response has been a welcome relief and renewal of the knowledge that we are one small world. Violence in one area affects us all. Your calls, checks, encouragement and e-mails have helped keep our spirits strong and our ability to help achievable. The post-election violence has brought an enormous amount of destruction to the country that had been known as the most peacefu...

Water District Ratios

The article in the Feb. 4 Bangor Daily News from a Hampden taxpayer and water user was right on the money. He was remiss, however, in not comparing Hampden Water District general manager Cameron Torrey's pay scale of $82,000 in 2007 with 1,750 water users. The Bangor Water District general manager receives $82,600 with 10,600 water users.

Superdelegates' Duty

For the first time in memory the powers of "super delegates" to the Democratic National Convention have become a topic of concern on the street. My perspective on the scene is as follows: I cast my first presidential ballot for Adlai Stevenson in 1956, and have voted in every presidential election since. I attended every Steuben Democratic municipal caucus since 1980 and have convened or chaired several, including the last one on Feb. 10. At that caucus, I was approached by people who wanted ...

Lesson Learned

I would like to properly thank a few good Samaritans. Two bad decisions left me buried on a snowmobile trail, at the top of a ridge just east of Greenville. The first mistake was snowmobiling alone, after friends cancelled our plans. Being eager to go sledding, I decided to take the ride anyway. The second mistake was exploring an unfamiliar trail shortly before dusk. While attempting to climb a steep incline, my sled became buried in the snow and would not budge. After spending what seemed l...

Pleased with Pellets

Two years ago I installed a pellet stove to heat my home. Even with the cost of buying and installing the stove at around $6,000, the stove will pay for itself in two years in fuel savings. In addition, my home is warmer than it was before and I have the comfort of knowing my heating dollars are staying in the U.S. David Green