Bangor Daily News

H1N1 flu sickens 9 staffers at 4 camps

Staff at four summer "sleep-over" camps in Maine have been sickened recently with the H1N1 swine flu virus, but the state's top public health official said Tuesday that it's safe to pack youngsters off to camp anyway. Dr. Dora Anne Mills, head of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said all summer camps in Maine have been working closely with public health inspectors to develop appropriate ways to identify kids who may develop flu symptoms and isolate them from other campers ...

Man pleads guilty to running drug ring Distribution of cocaine, oxycodone charged

PORTLAND - The man charged with being the mastermind behind a scheme to distribute more than 10 pounds of cocaine and oxycodone pills in northern Maine pleaded guilty to drug charges Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Michael Mayer, 55, of Jupiter, Fla., and Costa Rica pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Stripped DOT paving budget jars road repair crews, towns

AUGUSTA - Transportation officials' recent decision to scrap 75 percent of the paving projects planned for the next two years due to budget cuts means deeper rim-bending potholes and more undercarriage- scraping frost heaves for drivers throughout the state. But for workers at Lane Construction in Hermon and other road repair crews around Maine, the canceled projects could mean substantially fewer paychecks at a time when other jobs are scarce.

Rain plumps strawberries, but hinders other crops

AUGUSTA - The overwhelming number of rainy days in June has left some Maine farmers unable to put tractors in their fields, has rotted some seed right in the ground, and has cut the quality of the state's hay crop in half. But in most areas it has been wonderful for the strawberries and the potatoes, and peas are looking pretty good, too.

Correcting the record

'A BIG INCOME TAX CUT'

How impressive is it that Maine lawmakers cut taxes despite the national recession? The conservative Wall Street Journal called it the "Maine Miracle." "No state has improved its economic attractiveness more than Maine has this year," the paper's editorial page said Tuesday. Republicans, apparently more intent on scoring political points than helping Maine families and businesses, want to undo this work. Last Thursday, Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster, along with Senate Minorit...

FISHERIES RULE OVERHAUL

Commercial fisheries regulators, meeting in Portland this week, have an opportunity to update rules to protect both fish stocks and fishermen. This is a chance to move away from the failed system of restricting fishing by limiting how often fishermen can go to sea in favor of a management plan that lets fishermen decide when and how much to catch. For years, regulators have reduced how often fishermen can fish in the hopes that groundfish, such as cod and haddock, will become more plentiful. ...

Fathers and tradition

The "Happy Fathers Day" editorial (BDN June 20-21, 2009) seemed a bit strained, if not smarmy. References to the time when Dad took pride in his role as a provider and complement to Mom's nurturance ("If it ever existed") were not without a sense of mockery. It must be difficult to honor the father of today when your editorials have undertaken to deny anything essential about the union of man and woman in marriage and family. Such is the conundrum of evolving morality, as the worship of equal...

Smoker persecution

Why must Gov. Baldacci and the state of Maine continue to persecute smokers? The new bill signed June 15 serves to ban smoking at all outdoor restaurants and bars in Maine. I can understand the restaurant aspect since I don't like smoke in my face while I eat either, but a bar is a different animal. Many bars built outdoor areas after smoking was banned inside so they could still cater to smoking customers. Drinks are served inside and smoke- free, no one has to go into the smoking areas unle...

Candy tax not sweet

I just finished reading the letter "Not so sweet tax" and I agree 100 percent. My mother owns The Chocolate Drop Candy Shoppe in Belfast and I manage the store and this new tax could not have come at a worse time for us. I don't know what the people in Augusta are thinking sometimes but it sure is not about the small business owners. Pam Colson

Strange priorities

Reading the article the June 19 BDN article, "PETA wishes Obama hadn't swatted that fly" prompted me to think of an incident that occurred in Berlin at the end of World War II. The city was a virtual Armageddon. The Russian army closed in from the east, pouring artillery and tank fire into the city. Yet, some Berlin residents were more concerned about the animals in the Berlin zoo than they were about their own fellow citizens. There always have been people with strange priorities.

Stimulus squandered

The Department of Transportation has announced that paving projects will not take place in "mostly rural" areas this year and next year. They will, however, spend about $30 million in the Portland area, which is the biggest pig at the trough. This will be done while the state continues to ignore the western and northern three-quarters of Maine, and they wonder why young people don't want to stay here. The DOT commissioner must think planning is telling your friends what to do on vacation! Th...

No fan of tax reform

Once again our tax-happy governor and liberal Democrats in Augusta have ignored the wishes of the people and passed a massive tax increase, this time under the guise of tax reform. Last year, the people vetoed a tax package that included a tax on health insurance to fund the failed Dirigo plan. So this year we get a 2.24 percent tax on health insurance to fund Dirigo. Two years ago people made it clear that they did not want any expansion of the sales tax. So this year we get a tripling of th...

Rams keep making progress

For nearly two decades, the Bangor High School field hockey team was mired in the bottom third of the Eastern Maine Class A Heal Points standings. Once a powerhouse, the program had fallen on hard times.

Coyote facts

Animal rights groups in Maine continue their attempt at furthering their cause by quoting old theories as fact regarding coyotes. Here are some real facts. Fact: Recent controlled and comprehensive studies have shown that female age is the determining factor in coyote reproduction and pup survival. They do not multiply as the result of mortality.