Bangor Daily News

Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Child Porn

BANGOR - A Topsfield man who served a year in prison for molesting a 10-year-old girl was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court to nine years in prison for possessing child pornography. U.S. District Judge John Woodcock also sentenced Jeffrey Horton, 42, to 10 years of supervised release after the completion of his prison term. In addition, the judge ordered Horton to pay a $1,000 fine. He will be required to register as a sex offender.

Wind Farm Expansion Supported Lurc Commissioners to Meet in Bangor

Staff at the Land Use Regulation Commission is endorsing a 17- turbine wind power facility in northern Washington County near the town of Danforth. The project by First Wind of Massachusetts would be an expansion of the company's 38-turbine Stetson Mountain wind energy facility that began commercial operations earlier this year. Stetson II, as the new project is called, would be built in T8 R4 on Owl and Jimmey mountains north of Route 169.

Two Injured Fighting Thomaston House Fire

THOMASTON - It took firefighters more than six hours to put out a stubborn fire that gutted a Hyler Street home Sunday night. Fire Chief Mike Leo said the family of Tim Couch was able to get out of the house in time, but two of the town's firefighters were injured when they slipped on ice while carrying a fire hose into position.

New U.S. Attorney Mulled Michaud, Pingree Form Advisory Panel

BANGOR - U.S. Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree have announced the formation of a five-member committee that will assist and advise them on their recommendation to President Obama on the appointment of the next U.S. attorney in Maine. Michaud and Pingree are looking for the committee to complete its work by the end of March, according to a joint press release issued Friday.

Military News

Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Steven La Follette has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. La Follette earned distinction as an honor graduate of the course.

Store False Alarm Leads to Drug Arrest

A Brewer man was arrested and returned to jail Sunday, accused of possessing a controlled substance and violating the terms of his bail. Officer Amy Nickerson of the Brewer Police Department went to a Mobil station on Main Street in response to a hold-up alarm activated just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The alarm turned out to have been triggered in error, she said. But while police were at the scene, 20-year-old Matthew Gormely of Brewer drove up and attempted to enter the store.

Tips to Help Plow Crews Keep Roads Clear, Safe

BANGOR - Driving a snowplow is hard work, requiring long hours of driving in conditions most others consider too bad to go out in. While the snow is falling, crews are focused on keeping travel routes passable for motorists, emergency vehicles and commercial traffic.

Searsport Book Event to Benefit Fuel Fund

Here is an opportunity to participate with members of Midcoast Maine Writers in the discussion of their recently published book "Behind the Purple Door," which the writers describe as "selected short stories, poems and other stuff," according to Joyce Harvey of the Women's Fellowship of the First Congregational Church in Searsport. That group, Harvey wrote, is sponsoring a dessert and discussion with the authors at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 22, at Curtis Hall on Church Street in Searsport.

Orono Picks Group to Rehab Webster Mill

ORONO - A Portland-based group of developers went before the Town Council's community development committee last week as discussions on the old Webster Mill site took another step forward. The Developers Collaborative, which is redeveloping the former site of the Maine State Prison in Thomaston, was one of three groups that responded to a request for qualifications, or RFQ, from the town.

College Planning Workshops Scheduled Across the State

AUGUSTA - The Maine Educational Opportunity Center will hold free workshops titled "Essentials of College Planning" at the following times and locations: . Aroostook: 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, at Madawaska Career Center, 88 Fox St.; 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 11 and 25, Presque Isle Career Center, 66 Spruce St. Suite 1; 9 a.m. Thursday, March 12, 19 and 26, at Houlton Higher Education Center, 18 Military St.; noon Wednesday, March 18, at Caribou Learning Center, 75 Bennett Drive, Suite 2.

Epa to Monitor Air Near Some Schools

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency soon will begin testing the air around schools for toxic contaminants. The $2.25 million program announced Monday would be the first to specifically target air contamination near schools. The EPA already operates a nationwide monitoring network that collects information on air pollutants.

Gardening Workshop at Skowhegan Office

SKOWHEGAN - University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer a "smart gardener" workshop 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, at the Somerset County Extension office on Norridgewock Avenue. The workshop will focus on soils, fertilizers, seed-starting, pest management and harvesting. The cost is $10 a person and will cover the 90-page manual and any handouts included in the program. Participants are asked to bring a bag lunch.

Man to Be Sentenced in Wife's Murder Reynolds Shot Woman at Her Brother's Home While Children Were There

SKOWHEGAN - The sentencing of Richard Reynolds, 42, convicted of murder last fall in the shooting death of his estranged wife, has been set for Friday, March 6. Reynolds was found guilty last November of killing Rhonda Wakefield-Reynolds, 37, on Jan. 13, 2007, after a four-day jury- waived trial before Justice Andrew Horton in Somerset County Superior Court.

Court Modifies Rules On Lawyer Conduct

BANGOR - The Maine Supreme Judicial Court last week approved an overhaul of the rules of that govern the conduct of lawyers practicing in the state. The new Code of Professional Conduct goes into effect on Aug. 1, according to a press release posted on the court's Web site.

Millinocket Native Dies in Calif. Plane Crash

To hear his sister tell it, David Michaud had two great loves: police work and flying. "Everyone loved my brother, everyone," Cheryl Keyes of Burlington, Vt., said Monday. "He was good to everyone. He spent his whole life flying. He loved flying. He could not get enough of it."

License Fee Hearings Today and Wednesday

The Legislature's budget-writing committee has rescheduled public hearings on proposals to charge commercial fishermen, hunters and anglers more for licenses. Monday's hearings were canceled because of the snowstorm. At 3 p.m. today, staff with the Department of Marine Resources will brief the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee on the proposed changes to the fees charged for commercial fishing activities.

Group Offers $2,500 Dog Reward Humane Society of U.S. Seeks Conviction in Mastiff Shooting

SKOWHEGAN - As police continue to search for the shooter of a 4- year-old male bull mastiff dog in Mayfield Township earlier this month, the Humane Society of the United States has offered a $2,500 reward for the shooter's conviction. "People who hurt animals can hurt people, too," said Katie Lisnik, the HSUS Maine state director. "Mainers have no tolerance for animal cruelty."

Schools

Mount Desert Island High School Second quarter honor roll

Courts

Knox County Superior Court Cases Feb. 9-13

Ellsworth Man Gets Prison in Drug Case Suspect Was Dealing Heroin, Cocaine

ELLSWORTH - A local man has been sentenced to serve at least three years behind bars for trafficking in illegal drugs. Jesse B. Foster, 29, pleaded guilty last month in Hancock County Superior Court to trafficking in heroin and cocaine, according to court documents. He received an overall sentence of eight years in prison with all but three years suspended. He also will have to serve three years of probation upon his release and pay $530 in fines and fees.