Classic Hits Radio - Calais, Maine/St. Stephen, New Brunswick/Machias, Maine

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Save Passamaquoddy Bay-3 Nation Alliance [SPB-3] has sent a letter of complaint to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection [DEP] taking issue with what they call a lack of adequate public notice by Quoddy Bay LNG for a mandatory public information session last week.

SPB-3 alleges the Oklahoma-based Quoddy Bay LNG "did not even come close to providing the legally required public notice" for a public info session in Perry May 23.

Quoddy Bay LNG denies that.

Linda Godfrey, SPB-3 U.S., co-chair, told WQDY, "For a group of people who profess to want to have the public engaged to provide an opportunity for the public to have questions answered, their whole idea that they would think that one little tiny legal ad tucked in the Bangor Daily News would suffice to reach the possibly affected people on Campobello, Deer Island, Eastport, Perry, Pleasant Point, Robbinston, Charlotte, Alexander, Cooper and Pembroke, was a sham."

Reacting to the SPB-3 letter, Brian Smith, project manager for Quoddy Bay LNG told us, "My initial comment would be that Save Passamaquoddy Bay is probably going to be filing a lot of complaints over the course of the next several months."

Godfrey pointed to information provided by Quoddy Bay LNG at the May 23 meeting.

"It was their own fact sheet that we picked up at the session that described exactly how they were supposed to go about this public information process. One would think that with all the lawyers and all of the professionals and all the PR people they have working for them, that they would have read and followed what the Department of Environmental Protection expected of them," Godfrey said.

In their letter to the DEP, SPB-3 insists that Quoddy Bay LNG reschedule the mandatory public information meeting on appropriate dates, and that they provide proper notification to the public.

But Smith disputes Godfrey's contention that things weren't handled correctly.

"We, of course, followed all of the commission's rules about notification and about who to notify and had all of the advance notice that's required by the Department of Environmental Protection."

But Smith announced Wednesday there will be one more final meeting.

"We're planning the meeting for a week from Sunday [June 10] we'll be taking out ads in newspapers and sending out letters and everything for that meeting as well for those who weren't able to participate in the last one," Smith said.

"We'll be filing on the following Monday, the 11th [of June].

Godfrey wasn't impressed.

"A public meeting on Sunday is not an acceptable response to what the DEP put out in their expectations," she said.

Smith said the meeting will likely be held at the Perry Elementary School. "We just wanted to have one more to make sure that those people that wanted to be involved could be involved."

Godfrey didn't think that a single meeting would be adequate.

"The meeting should be in each one of these communities. There are huge implications," she said.

The May 23 meeting in Perry saw close to 100 people turn out to lambaste the LNG proposal at Split Rock. The meeting attracted residents from neighboring towns as well as several folks from New Brunswick.

There were a couple of known LNG supporters in the audience but they offered no comment in favor of the project.

Asked whether he thought it was odd that there weren't more LNG supporters at the meeting, Smith said, "I think for the most part we feel as though we have a majority support for the project in local communities."

"Supporters tend not to show up, I think mostly because of whatever concerns they might have had have already been addressed by the company in the design of the project or through the permitting process," he said.

"The role of individuals in the project, whether you're for it or against it is still very strong. I feel that the people that are against the project are more interested in taking a stronger role right now as we are obviously moving forward in the process," Smith said.

SPB-3 received an initial response Tuesday evening from Jim Dusch of Maine DEP indicating the letter would be reviewed and a formal response would be issued in the coming days.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

There's been another theft from a NB Power substation according to the RCMP and maybe the thieves were coming back for more.

Early Tuesday, RCMP were dispatched to a report of "theft and mischief of hydro-electrical equipment at the NB Power Bayside substation on Route 127."

This latest incident comes several days after the electrocution death of a St. Stephen man as he and an accomplice were in the act of stealing copper from an NB Power substation in Oak Bay.

Constable Max Riopel said it appeared the culprits entered the locked and fenced compound in Bayside by cutting a hole in the chain link fence at the rear of the compound before attempting to steal an underground primary cable [750 mcm size].

Culprits also removed a padlock locking the gate at the front of the compound. Police said the thieves were able to steal some underground primary cable across the road from the compound.

Riopel told us the cables were not live and there was no interruption of service.

Stealing copper can be deadly for would-be thieves but also presents a danger to utility workers who can be injured by damaged equipment.

Heather MacLean, NB Power Corporate Communications spokesperson told WQDY the warning signs are there for a reason. "We want to protect the public and our employees."

Police are seeking the public's assistance as they continue to investigate this latest incident.

If you have any information, contact the St. Stephen RCMP at 506-466-7030 or NB Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 [TIPS].

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Three O-U-I's and an incident that involved at least one stolen vehicle were among the many incidents handled by police in Calais over the weekend.

Sergeant David Randall told WQDY News a male juvenile,17, of Perry, was arrested Saturday morning for unauthorized use of a property, eluding an officer, and driving to endanger. He was arrested on Route 1 near the construction area [near Magurrewock].

"Officer Chris Scott received information from Pleasant Point that they had a vehicle [allegedly] taken, so he was on the lookout for the vehicle," Randall said.

Then came a new report that a vehicle had been taken from a business in the Milltown section of Calais.

"Officer Scott located the [second] vehicle on North Street by McDonald's. Once he activated his lights and siren the vehicle took off at a high rate of speed," Randall said.

"Officer Scott followed the vehicle, [He was] not chasing it," Randall explained.

"He was just trying to keep it in sight. The vehicle had a flat tire up by the construction heading out of town. The juvenile exited the vehicle and ran towards the woods," he said.

Officer Scott chased the fleeing teen on foot. The boy gave up a short time later without a struggle.

The youth was taken into custody and was expected to go before a judge Tuesday.

Police confirmed for WQDY News that the teen had a toy handgun tucked in the waistband of his pants.

"It was not real and he did not point it or show it to anybody," Randall said.

Police also dealt with three OUI's between Saturday and Sunday in addition to numerous other complaints and minor incidents.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The owners of a trash company decided at the last minute last week not to ask a U.S. Bankruptcy judge for an eleventh hour reprieve to keep its business afloat.

As of Saturday, Sunrise Disposal, also know as Lilac Waste Disposal, was out of business.

George "Fred" Rayner and Linda Rayner owned the company.

Calais Attorney Dan LaCasse said Saturday that he spoke with his clients Thursday and they agreed that it was unlikely that a judge would give them a reprieve after a letter from a Bangor bankruptcy trustee notified the company's customers that he was shutting down the operation Saturday. Most customers received their letters Wednesday.

In a letter to customers dated May 22, attorney Gary M. Growe of Bangor, who is the Chapter 7 trustee, said it made sense to get rid of the waste disposal business.

LaCasse said the couple had requested more time for their customers to make alternate arrangements, but he said Growe turned down that request.

The company had customers in Washington, Hancock and Penobscot counties.

LaCasse said in a telephone interview Saturday that the Rayners agreed that it made more sense to take the money they would spend to fight the closure and pay their employees.

Thirty people are out of jobs and 1,400 customers have spent the past few days scrambling to find alternate garbage collectors.

The couple had hoped that the business could continue after they had gone through Chapter 11 and then Chapter 7. Chapter 11 allows for reorganization of a business, while Chapter 7 involves liquidation of assets to pay creditors.

When the Rayners filed for personal bankruptcy last year, they reported assets totaling $1.7 million and debts totaling $1.4 million. Last month, the couple filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and on Saturday the company was out of business.

That sent customers clambering Wednesday. Other trash haulers, intent on picking up business, were advertising on a local radio station Thursday saying that they were ready and able to pick up new customers.

At the Calais City Council meeting Thursday night, acting City Manager Jim Porter told the councilors that he was advised before the Rayner's hearing Friday that the city should seek outside vendors to take care of the trash needs.

Porter said that they found a trash hauler who would cover the city's needs for the short term.

"I've literally had dozens of phone calls, that's probably an understatement, from residents concerned about what they were going to do," he said. "But there's been a break today [Thursday]. Several companies have come forward and are offering residential pickup in Calais."

But the city has another problem. The Rayners owned the watertight sludge container at the city's Wastewater Treatment Plant.

"It's in terrible condition," he said. "In fact, we were cited by the DEP [Department of Environmental Protection]."

Porter said the container had to be replaced at a cost of $6,600. "We need it now," the acting city manager said.

The councilors authorized Porter to buy a new container.

- The Bangor Daily News -

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Quoddy Bay LNG held a public information meeting Wednesday night at the Perry Elementary School. There were people there from both sides of the border.

It was a well-attended meeting and for Brian Smith, project manager of Quoddy Bay, it was a tough crowd.

"We'll be applying to the Department of Environmental Protection [DEP] and various other agencies in June," Smith explained.

"This public informational meeting, is one of the areas where the public can both learn about the project and ask questions," he said.

Although the meeting was a DEP requirement, no one from the DEP was present.

Smith gave an overview of the proposed LNG import terminal and the cryogenic pipeline connecting the terminal with the storage tank farm across Half Moon Cove.

Then there is their other pipeline to the major pipeline.

"We also have our natural gas pipeline which is a 35.8 mile pipeline which goes and hooks up with the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline system. It starts at our import facility, runs over to Perry, over into Pembroke, into Charlotte, into Cooper, up to Alexander and finally it meets up withe the M&NE pipeline in Princeton," Smith explained.

Smith gave an overview of the project and was joined by Paul Martin of TRC, a Boston-based environmental studies firm hired by Quoddy Bay, presented other facets.

Martin said they looked at noise and air and other impacts including visual impacts and the scale of the project.

"When you're up close to the facilities they seem relatively big. When you are further away from the facility, they diminish in the viewshed, so that they aren't so apparent," Martin said as sporadic chuckling broke out in the audience.

The public comment went on much longer than Smith's presentation.

Former tribal representative, Madonna Soctomah asked Smith "how is your timeline affected by the Canadian government making a stand in not allowing LNG ships around Head Harbour Passage."

"We do not expect our schedule to be impacted by that," Smith replied.

The answer brought Nancy MacIntosh, Liberal Candidate for New Brunswick Southwest, to her feet.

"I worked for the Liberal government and I'm now the candidate for the Liberal Party for the next election - I'm also familiar with the Conservative government stance - Head Harbour Passage is internal Canadian waters."

"Both parties, no matter who's in government says no, you are not going through our internal waters with LNG tankers. How do you say that that's not going to impact on your schedule if we will not allow LNG tankers through Head Harbour Passage - and we are willing to take you to international court as long as you want to go," MacIntosh said.

"We have complete respect not only for the Government of Canada's position but for any agency, any individual's opinion about the rights of innocent passage. We prefer that it actually is an issue that's considered between two governments," Smith responded.

Smith noted that various Canadian governmental agencies have been "mum" of late.

A man who said he was from Campobello Island, New Brunswick, asked Smith "what is in it for Canada?"

"There's nothing in it for Canadians," Smith answered.

Passamaquoddy tribal member Gracie Davis spoke of her feelings for Split Rock and the Full Moon Ceremony.

She walked up to the podium carrying a picture of Split Rock looked Smith in the eye and asked what was he going to do to Split Rock.

"We have agreed not to harm Split Rock," Smith said. "We have agreed to fence it off during construction so it's not harmed, and then fence it off from our facility so people can actually access Split Rock while our facility is there. We have been asked by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission how were going to provide security for the facility and still allow people to be there. We will be responding to that request which was just given to us last week. And our response to that request will be given in a week and a half.

One woman wasn't impressed.

"Personally, I'm offended that you would think that we would like to have our sacred ceremonies next to something as ugly as an LNG plant," she said.

Linda Godfrey of Save Passamaquoddy Bay added her two cents to the subject of Split Rock.

"If you are aware at all of the Full Moon Ceremonies that were going on long before anyone from Oklahoma came to set up this idea you know that one of the major tenets of a Full Moon Ceremony is a large, blazing open bonfire. So don't make us think that you're going to allow ceremonies to happen at Split Rock next to an LNG terminal with a large, blazing open bonfire!"

The public comment and question period went on close to an hour.

As Smith tried to wrap it up there were groans and catcalls from the audience.

"No, no, no, we have another question. What is your relationship to Bear Creek?

"Bear Creek is an affiliate of Quoddy Bay. Bear Creek is owned by one of the owners of Quoddy Bay. My father," Smith said.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Thursday, May 24, 2007

The signs, one lane of traffic and people with safety vests are apparently not enough of a clue to slow some motorists on Route 1 in Robbinston.

The speed limit through the construction areas on Route 1 in Perry is 35 mph.

In Robbinston, the speed limit in the area of the construction zone is 35 mph, the same as it was before the work began.

The narrow winding stretch along the water is down to one lane at times due to construction. The flaggers are directing the traffic.

State Police and the Washington County Sheriff's Department have done patrols in the area but they can't be there all the time, and that's a problem for the flaggers.

While driving through the area, Richard Taft, supervisor of the flaggers with T & E Safety Services of Lisbon, asked me "you want a story? We're dodging missiles out here."

He said drivers are rolling up on the flaggers and in between the flaggers, some motorists are accelerating to 50-60 mph once they get the go ahead to proceed.

"All day long, worse sometimes in the evenings," Taft said.

He said State Police and a deputy have been there on scene at times.

"They have nabbed some of the speeders, which is going to help when word gets out. That'll calm them down. I can't slow them down, the flaggers can't slow them down, so maybe a ticket would work," Taft said.

There have been close calls.

"Just the other day there was a white van that almost rear ended my stopped traffic. He left about 25 feet of rubber in the travel lane, hooked a hard left and went up into the ditch and then swung around and headed back to Calais. He was heading towards Perry," Taft related.

"If he would've hit someone he would have killed them."

During the roadside interview, a vehicle heading north whizzed past in the construction zone. We figured he must have been doing about 50.

"It's rough out here, people don't understand, they really don't. 40, 50, 60 miles per hour, they don't care, they want to get home. But they don't care if we ever get home," Taft said.

At the end of Wednesday's work day it was time to start picking up the cones.

Taft said, "that's another day down, another day we made it off the road alive."

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Governor Baldacci has joined Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell and 20 Governors from across the country to urge a bipartisan Congressional investigation of escalating gas prices.

Maine's statewide average for gasoline prices was at $3.09 a gallon on May 21, compared to $2.86 a gallon a year ago.

In areas around Presque Isle and Caribou, it was as high as $3.24 a gallon.

In Calais and Eastport, the price is around $3.25 The price of gas in Calais is usually a few cents higher than surrounding areas.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects national averages to decrease slightly over the next few weeks but to remain around $3.00 a gallon for most of the summer.

It also warns that prices could rise again in August if demand for gasoline increases during that time, as it frequently does.

"High gasoline prices trickle through our entire economy," Governor Baldacci said. "A lot of hard working people in Maine don't have the luxury of deciding not to drive. They rely on their cars to get to work and for their businesses. They deserve an answer about why gas prices have increased so much while large oil companies are reporting record profits."

Governor Baldacci signed onto a letter written by Governor Rell that was sent to U.S. House and Senate leadership dated May 21, 2007, and stating that "families and businesses across the country are straining under these uncontrollable prices."

The letter stressed that "This is not a simple 'supply and demand' issue because gasoline is not a simple commodity. It is a basic necessity."

In addition to signing the letter to Congress, Governor Baldacci has directed the Maine Office of Energy Independence and Security to communicate his concerns to the Attorney General in order to avoid any potential price gauging or anti-competitive practices. The Governor's Office will also maintain regular communication with Maine's Congressional Delegation in order to monitor state and national gasoline inventories.

Maine's Energy Information Web site has tips about how Maine drivers can enhance their fuel economy at http://www.maineenergyinfo.com/docs/tips.pdf.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

City officials in Eastport haven't taken a position in the debate over liquefied natural gas facilities proposed in Passamaquoddy Bay, but they do have their concerns.

That sense of concern has been heightened since receipt of a letter earlier this month from Quoddy Bay LNG addressed to City Manager George "Bud" Finch and members of the City Council.

The LNG developer claims Finch wasn't allowing the city's public safety officials to participate in the FERC process.

Finch denies the claim.

In response to the Quoddy Bay letter, the city and its Port Authority have sent letters to Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, Representative Michael Michaud, and Governor John Baldacci.

"The letters from both the city and port authority are not pro or con LNG, although I'm sure those who have noted so often as being 100-percent for or against LNG will see them as one or the other," Finch said.

The letter sent to Governor Baldacci from City Council President Earl Small says in part, "the City of Eastport is not categorically opposed to the development of an LNG project in Passamaquoddy Bay. The City has not taken, nor does it have plans to take, a formal position on the Downeast LNG project proposed for Robbinston."

"However, we do have very strong concerns that the Quoddy Bay LNG project poses safety and security risks for the people of Eastport and, therefore, unless clear and compelling assurances protecting the health, welfare and vitality of the community can be provided, do oppose this project," Small wrote.

The letter from the Eastport Port Authority voices concern about the prospect of "a much heavier volume of LNG tankers if two or more LNG terminals were to be built in Passamaquoddy Bay," and its impact on commerce.

Both letters also point out other concerns over the proposed Quoddy Bay LNG import terminal site at Split Rock, "the proximity of the terminal and cryogenic pipeline to Route 190 could cause disruptions on Route 190 thereby negatively impacting the overland shipment of goods in and out of the Port's facilities."

"Currently, during the working hours of the port, often including weekends, trucks transporting goods in and out of the Port of Eastport pass through this area at a rate of 12 per hour. Current projections for further products to be shipped through the port are expected to increase to traffic 20 plus per hour," the Port Authority letter states.

Route 190 is the only land route connecting Eastport to the Pleasant Point reservation and Perry. A cryogenic pipeline connecting the proposed terminal to its south Perry tank farm would run under Route 190 and Half Moon Cove.

"It is our view that docking of LNG tankers in such close proximity to and running of a cryogenic line under the only road in and out of Eastport poses an unacceptable safety risk in the event of an accident or terrorist incident," Small wrote.

"There is also a very real risk that the people and businesses of Eastport could suffer great hardship if Route 190 were to be closed for any number of reasons related to this LNG project. As examples, Route 190 could potentially be closed as part of an exclusion zone during off-loading, or during repairs to the cryogenic line, or in the event of a leak or explosion. Just imagine the disruption to daily life without road access - Eastport would effectively be shut off from the mainland," Small wrote in the city's letter to Baldacci.

The letter Quoddy Bay LNG sent to Finch and the city council was dated May 11. It came up at the May 14 City Council meeting Finch said.

"For all intents and purposes, it charges me with issues of not dealing with LNG and interfering in the work of my police chief and fire chief," Finch said.

According to the Quoddy Bay letter; "We currently understand through conversations with the United States Coast Guard, the Maine Emergency Management Office, the Governor's Office, the Washington County Management Office, the Washington County Sheriff's Office, and the State Police, that both [Police] Chief [Matt] Vinson and [Fire] Chief [Richard] Clark are aware of their responsibilities the citizens of Eastport and are willing to participate, but you are not allowing their participation in this important process."

In a statement issued to WQDY News Tuesday, Finch said, "The City Council takes their obligation to serve the community, as I do my job, very seriously."

"In terms of safety we have never instructed our respective police and fire chiefs to not participate in the process of insuring the health and welfare of the City nor would we ever. We have instructed them to participate only at a level they feels duly qualified to serve and as they feel their schedules permit and they have done that," Finch said.

"The FERC process is very complex and the ability for a small community to participate is limited at best when it comes to public safety."

"While our dear friends and respective police and fire chiefs of Perry, Pleasant Point and the head of the Washington County Emergency Management Planning may feel qualified to prepare an emergency plan dealing with an LNG incident, the City staff does not feel qualified to do so," Finch wrote.

"It is not a matter of buying a fire engine, it is a matter of ensuring citizen well-being and when a process is brought forward with independent experts in the field, the City will work with them to consider how our needs can be met," he said.

Because he apparently won't play ball, Finch surmises, "I am the roadblock to their success because I am doing the job of ensuring the process works as it's designed to do."

"I feel very badly about that, but in our case, the qualifications of myself and Councilor [Earl] Small, who is a federal fire chief - we do not believe we're qualified to be participating in such a plan. We feel that we've met the needs. They have spoken with our police chief, they have spoken with our fire chief, and we work accordingly," Finch said.

But it's been said more than once by some people that I'm an obstructionist, Finch told us.

Asked if he'd ever received such a "strong-armed critique" from any other private developer, Finch said, "This is the only company that has had any issues with the city of Eastport not fulfilling their duties and obligations. At no other time with any other company who has come forward or any other group has anybody complained that we have not done our job. That is because we believe we have done our job and we believe we have done our job right," Finch said.

Attempts to reach Brian Smith, project manager for Quoddy Bay LNG were unsuccessful Tuesday.

WQDY News was told he was traveling and expected in the area Tuesday night. Despite leaving several voice mail messages over a four-hour period there was no return call.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

A funeral will be held Thursday for a 32-year old St. Stephen man whose body was found early Sunday morning inside the compound surrounding the NB Power Oak Bay electrical terminal.

An RCMP spokesperson said Thomas Michael Daigle entered the compound with another man around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, through a cut made in the chain-link fence that is topped with several strands of barbed wire and surrounds the large compound located at the juncture of the Tower Hill Road and the road leading to the Oak Bay Rural Cemetery.

The police believe the men were stealing wire containing copper from the site.

Several piles of rolled up wire were recovered , and police investigators found the ends cut on stockpiled wire within the compound. It is believed the ends were cut to determine what type of metal wire was inside.

"It appears one of the men got into some wire that was energized," said RCMP Sergeant Greg MacAvoy.

"The other ran to a nearby home and called 911."

Sgt. MacAvoy said the investigation into the man's death is continuing, and charges may be pending against the other individual involved.

The officer said he couldn't stress enough the warnings, issued by NB Power, of the dangers associated with electricity, specifically with entering a compound housing an electrical substation or terminal.

Sgt. MacAvoy said the warnings often state that even the ground inside the compound may be energized.

"The risks involved here are more just a skinned knuckle. There are extreme risks," said the officer.

"The fence is there for a reason. It's a dangerous area. By entering you are putting yourself at risk."

Sunday morning, an RCMP officer and two NB Power workers could be seen walking through the compound inside the fence. Signs warning of danger and high voltage are attached to the fence by the gate. Several similar signs are posted on substations throughout the terminal.

The ground was wet from the overnight rain and the day was foggy and damp, with a heavy mist falling. An ominous hum from the generating station could be heard.

The officer on site confirmed it appeared the two men had been cutting ground wires and rolling them up. Copper is contained in some ground wires and can be sold for $3 per pound.

The officer said Daigle was electrocuted when he mistakenly cut a live wire, instead of a grounding wire.

A small piece of red fabric, part of a glove Daigle was wearing. was still melted to the wire that delivered the fatal jolt of electricity.

The officer indicated that evidence within the compound led him to believe that the thefts may have taken place over more than one night.

While the NB Power employees refused comment, the RCMP officer shook his head in disbelief and said entering a compound such as this on a wet night was just "rolling the dice."

He said as unfortunate as Daigle's death was, maybe it would serve as a warning to discourage others engaged in a similar pursuit.

Members of the Oak Bay Fire Department responded to the 911 call. Chief George MacLeod said they patrolled the perimeter of the compound and locate the body. They entered the compound but waited for NB Power crews before they proceeded further.

- The St. Croix Courier -

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Senate Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) Tuesday joined Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) in introducing an amendment that requires further study of the feasibility of allowing drivers' licenses to be used as an alternative to passports required under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

The amendment would also require that the government to be better prepared when the initiative is fully implemented, it would waive the passport processing fee in some circumstances, and would codify DHS's earlier decision that children traveling with their parents can cross the border with a birth certificate rather than a passport.

In addition, the measure would prevent implementation of WHTI until a drivers' license pilot program is fully evaluated.

Senator Collins has long been concerned about the effect of the WHTI on states like Maine where travel over the border for many residents is frequent.

She was successful in her efforts to encourage DHS, through a pilot program, to examine alternative and less expensive documents, such as drivers' licenses, to be used in place of passports. She also authored the legislation delayed implementation of WHTI until the effect on border states is more fully examined.

Senator Collins said, "For many Maine residents, quick and easy border crossing is essential. They need access to vital services, to travel to their jobs, to attend church, and to visit family and friends. It is critical that we strike a balance between the security of our nation's borders and the free flow of commerce and travel to and from the United States," said Senator Collins.

"This amendment will require DHS to closely evaluate the driver's license pilot program and consider expanded use of driver's licenses, and it helps ensure that the federal government adequately prepares for implementation of Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative," Senator Collins added.

Specifically, the amendment would do the following:

Require that all ports of entry have the ability to both process passport cards and be able to read them.
Requires an analysis of the drivers' license pilot program before WHTI can be implemented and consider how use of drivers' licenses can be expanded.
It would codify DHS's earlier decision that children under the age of 16 traveling with their parents can cross the border with a birth certificate rather than a passport and that children under 18 traveling in school groups can do the same.

It addresses the high cost of passports by creating mobile enrollment teams and designates six permanent locations in ports of entry where passport and passport card applications could be accepted without the processing fee.

The WHTI or "passport rule" was signed into law in 2004 and will require all individuals crossing the borders from Canada and Mexico to carry passports or documents deemed sufficient by DHS to denote identity and citizenship.

Senator Collins has long argued that new travel rules should take into account the unique needs of states such as Maine, where frequent travel across the border is crucial. She was successful in her efforts to encourage DHS Secretary Chertoff to identify less expensive forms of identification, alternative to a passport, which would meet the criteria set forth in the WHTI.

She has also been successful in her efforts to delay full implementation of this measure while DHS works to identify alternative forms of ID that takes the needs of frequent travelers residing in border communities into account.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Friday, May 18, 2007

A new state prison for Washington County took a step closer Thursday when Governor John Baldacci appointed a working group to study the idea.

Baldacci met with the county legislative delegation, county commissioner Chris Gardner and Jim Parker, chairman of the Washington County Development Authority. Officials from the Department of Corrections [DOC] were also at the table, including Commissioner Marty Magnusson.

The issue of a new state prison for the county has been percolating for months, ever since State Rep. Ian Emery broached the proposal with the governor.

The matter has taken on added urgency since then as Maine's prison system is overcrowded by about 250 inmates. The situation is unlikely to change.

The location of a new prison in the county has not yet been identified and may not be for months.

The governor appointed Magnusson and Associate DOC Commissioner Denise Lord to form a work group to study the idea and report back to the Legislature's Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety in January.

Committee members will work through the summer with the work group to research various options for building the prison, including the possibility that it could be built and owned by a private company and leased to the state.

Washington County is already home to the Downeast Correctional Facility at the former Bucks Harbor Air Force Station. That facility holds 150 inmates and is staffed by 76 state employees.

Magnusson said that with Maine's rapidly rising prison population, the prospective new prison would most likely be larger. "It would be a substantial facility we are looking to build," he said. "We need a long-term solution." He estimated it would be three years before a new prison could be completed.

"This would be a strong economic shot in the arm for the county," said Rep. Emery [R-Cutler], who helped organize the meeting.

Other county legislators who spoke at the meeting held in the Cabinet Room at the State House were Rep. Joe Tibbetts [R-Columbia], Sen. Kevin Raye [R-Washington County], and Rep. Anne Perry [D-Calais]. Rep. Rick Sykes, the House Republican lead on the Criminal Justice Committee, also took part.

"This would work for Washington County and for the state," said Gov. Baldacci, who said he much preferred to keep inmates in Maine rather than ship them to other states with spare capacity, which has been proposed as a solution to the overcrowding problem. "The work group will consider all options including privatization."

Sen. Raye said the Washington County Development Authority could pattern its involvement on the Loring Development Authority model, which would authorize it to issue bonds to fund the construction.

Rep. Emery said that construction and operation by a private company, which has worked successfully in other states, could make the facility more affordable for the state.

"Prison privatization is a growing national trend because it saves states money," he said. "The evidence from other states is very compelling. The work group will consider that option carefully, because the governor instructed them to. Overall, I left the meeting very encouraged about our chances to get this done."

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Friday, May 18, 2007

There was a change of command Wednesday at U.S. Coast Guard Station Eastport.

The ceremony was held under a tent outside on a cold, windy and rainy morning. Crew members dressed in their summer uniforms stood at parade rest, and the guests while better dressed for the weather, occasionally shivered.

Chief Boatswain's Mate Mark Corbishley, who was instrumental in the $2.9 million renovation project that moved the Coast Guard station from cramped quarters in the U.S. Post Office to a new facility on the breakwater, has been transferred to Coast Guard Station Indian River Inlet in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Chief Boatswain's Mate James Malcolm is the new chief of Station Eastport. This is his first assignment as officer in charge.

Station Eastport has a long history that begins with President George Washington who organized the Revenue Cutter Service on Aug. 4, 1790, and commissioned Hopley Yeaton as its first officer. Yeaton is the father of today's U.S. Coast Guard.

"Yeaton realized that Eastport and Lubec were active in smuggling and also petitioned President Thomas Jefferson to establish West Quoddy Light in Lubec," according to the change of command program.

Yeaton lived out his life in Lubec and was buried on the North Lubec Road. In 1976, his remains were moved to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.

Although the Coast Guard presence in the Eastport area has been lengthy, it was briefly interrupted in the late 1980s.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard Web site, Coast Guard Station Eastport was originally located at West Quoddy Head. As part of the First District streamlining, the West Quoddy Head location was closed in 1970 and a six- person SARDET was established in the basement of the Eastport Post Office.

On 1 March 1988, Eastport closed amidst much local protest and Station Jonesport covered the AOR.

SARDET Eastport reopened on 1 May 1989 with an eight-person crew. In the early 1990s SARDET Eastport was renamed Station Eastport. In 1995, Station Eastport was again on the closure list.

However, due to local support following the summer SAR season, Eastport became a Station (small) with 6 billets, with Station Jonesport as its parent command.

As of July 2001, Station (small) Eastport's personnel allowance list increased to 15 personnel, this also increased the Command position from a First Class Petty Officer to a Chief Petty Officer with a Certified Officer in Charge designation.

In July 2004, the personnel allowance list increased to 23 personnel, with its own Station located at the head of the Eastport Breakwater.

At Wednesday's change of command ceremony, Capt. Stephen Garrity, commander Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, praised Corbishley and his unit for their accomplishments.

"Station Eastport has successfully accomplished its mission assignments in the face of many challenges. The Canadian border, the severe tidal range, cold, snow, fog, ice, and long Maine winters. And today's not so nice either," Garrity said.

Under Corbishley, the unit conducted 72 search and rescue cases including some high-profile cases in Canadian waters.

"They participate in a high-visibility international search and rescue exercise with the Canadian government, they conducted 390 law enforcement boardings, they hosted monthly intelligence meetings with local bi-national partners to protect the border," Garrity said.

Corbishley noted every change of command ceremony he has attended there has been "pea soup fog or rain," as the tent flapped in the wind.

He thanked the men and women of his crew along with local officials from Eastport and the Passamaquoddy Reservation at Pleasant Point, an RCMP representative, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"Nothing gets done without the crew," Corbishley said. "It is a total team effort. I wouldn't be here today without the crew of Station Eastport."

Garrity then welcomed Chief Malcolm to Sector Northern New England.

"Welcome to Eastport, Maine. It would probably be easier if you drop your "R's. When you get to words that end in "E-R" - like lobstah, and drawn buttah," Garrity advised Malcolm as the audience chuckled.

Garrity, who retires in June, went on to praise Chief Malcolm saying he believed he was the right man for the job.

After taking command, Malcolm thanked Corbishley for "turning over a superbly run station and a superbly run command."

Station Eastport's area of responsibility runs from the Canadian international boundary on the St. Croix River and the Grand Manan Channel west to Long Point (15 miles) and then seaward along an extension of the US/Canadian Boundary.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Thursday, May 17, 2007

A $2,500 reward is now being offered for information into the brutal killing of a cat in Baileyville last November.

The Humane Society of the United States [HSUS] offered the reward on Wednesday.

Last November a family in Baileyville family lost their pet cat to the hands of a person or persons unknown.

Baileyville Police received a report at about 5 a.m. Monday Nov. 20 from the cat's owners, the Randy Clark family, that their pet cat "Papelbon" had not returned home after it was let out in the late afternoon of Nov. 19.

Family members found the body of their cat on the sidewalk in front of their home. Police believe the cat was killed with an instrument which was found nearby.

"Papelbon" was a large gray male cat named by the family after the Boston Red Sox player Jonathan Papelbon.

Contacted Wednesday about the reward, Baileyville Police Chief Phil Harriman told WQDY, "the investigation had come to somewhat of a standstill."

"We do have some very strong suspects and we are actually hoping that this reward will shake loose some information that we can use to finally get this case prosecuted," Harriman said.

This isn't the first such case in Baileyville.

Last year, three juveniles were sentenced in connection with their roles for hitting, stabbing, and bludgeoning a 16-year old cat to death.

Katie Lisnik, Maine state director of the HSUS' New England Regional Office told WQDY they like to be able to offer a financial reward in cases like this.

"Often people are a bit hesitant to come forward and say they heard something or saw something. Perhaps they fear retaliation against themselves or just aren't wanting to get involved, Lisnek said.

The money often brings people around.

"We're hoping that that will happen in this case as well," Lisnek added.

The connection between animal cruelty and human violence is well documented. The HSUS First Strike Campaign raises public awareness and educates communities about this connection while providing a variety of resources to law enforcement agencies, social work professionals, educators, legislators and families.

"Any cruelty to any animal should be considered extremely seriously. It is a kind of a harbinger of other crimes, whether it's burglary, abuse of humans, child abuse, they're all connected," Lisnek said.

She added, "There's a link between domestic violence, child abuse and animal abuse so animal abuse really should be taken seriously and we're hopeful that this will help people understand that."

The HSUS offers rewards in animal cruelty cases across the country and works to strengthen laws against animal cruelty.

"We find sometimes, the perpetrator will actually brag about what they did to somebody. And sometimes a little bit of money is all it takes for that person to come forward and say I was hesitant but now I know that I want to get this person and make them deal with what they did," Lisnek said.

Chief Harriman said Wednesday he believed HSUS' involvement would be "beneficial" to this case.

"It might be the incentive somebody needs to come forward because we do believe there are people out there that have information but the attitude is why get involved."

"Now why?" Harriman said, "is that there's a 25-hundred dollar reward in the offing for the information that does lead to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for killing "Papelbon."

The Baileyville Police Department can be contacted at 207-427-6203.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization. The HSUS New England Regional Office serves Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

The HSUS Web site is www.hsus.org.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Some state troopers will be working a special detail from 8 a.m. to noon Monday May 21 in Calais to help Dunkin Donuts raise money for their Relay For Life team.

They'll be dealing with traffic in the drive-thru and pedestrian traffic in and out of the North Street location.

This is the third year for this type of fundraiser, says Keri Holst, shift leader at Dunkin Donuts.

It originally began as "Tip-A-Cop" with the Calais Police and one of the officers involved was Jason Fowler. Fowler has since become a state trooper.

As the DD relay for life team was wondering if they were going to try something similar for the third year, Fowler called Holst to see if they could do "Tip-A-Trooper."

And Holst figured why not?

Police work the counter and the drive-thru along with the regular staff. Any "tips" or any change being given back to a customer could be donated through the shop's Relay team to be given entirely to the American Cancer Society.

Holst, 21, is also the 2007 Student of the Year at Washington County Community College.

"The Relay For Life is really important to me, I think it's a great cause and I really enjoy doing it every year," Holst said.

She has her eye on a medical career.

"I'm going for nursing and my end goal is to be a nurse practitioner and [to] come back to Calais," Holst said.

In the meantime, she's trying to get the word out about the Relay and what their team is doing to help.

The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life celebrates the lives of hundreds of local residents who have survived cancer while offering the hope of finding a cure.

The event is an all-night, handicapped-accessible community event bringing together teams of families, friends, religious groups, neighborhoods and businesses - all with the same goal of curing cancer.

Teams of walkers keep a continuous presence on the track throughout the night, walking in shifts to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

The Washington County Relay For Life takes place June 1 & 2 at the Washington County Community College in Calais. The opening ceremony is at 7 p.m.

Tip-A-Trooper isn't the only thing Holst and her DD teammates are working on this year.

"We have a gift basket that we are raffling off for the Relay For Life. All proceeds go to the Relay," Holst said.

The tickets are a dollar apiece or six for five dollars and can be purchased from any team member who is working at the Calais Dunkin Donuts.

"We'll also be selling tickets at the Relay For Life and drawing it June 2 after the Relay," Holst added.

The rather large basket contains 14 pounds of coffee, four different boxes of tea, some coffee samples, $20 worth of gift certificates, 5 free medium coffees, 5 free small smoothies, various mugs, a visor, an apron and some ice coffee cup coolers, all from Dunkin Donuts.

The Tip-A-Trooper event has been posted on their outdoor sign and some people have already dropped off "tips" in advance of Monday in case they aren't around.

"And tickets are selling like crazy on the raffle basket, Holst added.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Source for Native American Products [SNAP] in Eastport is being awarded a grant of up to $31.2 million from the Defense Logistics Agency [DLA], according to a Tuesday press release by U.S. Senator Susan Collins.

SNAP will subcontract the work to Creative Apparel of Belfast to make chemical protective suits for the military.

Funds will be used to manufacture JSLIST Chemical Suits for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Creative Apparel has manufacturing facilities in Eastport, Belmont, Harmony, Dover-Foxcroft, Princeton, and Fort Kent.

The Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology, or JSLIST, consists of a two piece garment featuring state-of-the-art chemical protective lining technology which provides increased chemical protection.

Senator Collins said it is absolutely vital that the men and women serving in our armed forces have access to the most advanced protective gear possible so that they will be safe during combat.

"I am pleased that my office was able to secure this funding that will allow the company to maintain production at its facilities. I am also proud that a Maine company can contribute to our national defense," Sen. Collins said.

DLA is a component of the Department of Defense [DoD] and provides worldwide logistics support for the missions of the Military Departments and the United Combatant Commands under conditions of peace and war.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Two single vehicle crashes Monday sent three people to area hospitals.

State Trooper Elmer Farren covered both accidents.

Monday evening in Charlotte, a single vehicle crash sent the driver of a car to the hospital.

25-year old Jessica Carter of Calais, was traveling south on the Charlotte Road.

Farren said Carter told him her brakes malfunctioned.

"Speed was not a factor. She attempted to pull the vehicle into a turn-out and it would appear that was fairly successful. As far as damage to the vehicle, the driver's side window was broken. We believe that was done with her head," Farren said.

Carter was able to nose her vehicle in between trees on the Charlotte Road. Members of the Charlotte Fire Department cut Carter's seat belt in order to extricate her from the car.

She was transported by Downeast EMS to Calais Regional Hospital late Monday night. She sustained a "nasty" bump on the head, according to Farren.

"Overall, she did well trying to put the car where she could as safe as possible under the stress of not having brakes," he said.

Late Monday afternoon, Farren also covered a single vehicle crash in East Machias. Two people were involved in that incident.

Speed is believed to be a factor. The operator of the vehicle lost control on a corner, attempted to correct, and the vehicle ended up on its driver's side down the road blocking two lanes of traffic, Farren said.

The crash briefly shut down Route 1 in East Machias.

Both occupants were transported to Down East Community Hospital in Machias, treated and released.

"There's some confusion on the operator," Farren explained.

"Both occupants have suspended driver's licenses. It's a he said, she said, she said, he said. Who was driving? He was," the trooper recounted.

"The last known operator was in fact, Amanda Prescott, 36, by her own admission. She borrowed the vehicle and left a driveway on Hadley Lake Road in East Machias," Farren said. "Although they supposedly swapped drivers at some point."

As far as the accident report goes, she is the last known operator and we're going to go with that until the investigation is completed. Farren identified the other occupant as a Norman Johnson, said to be in his fifties.

"That would place Amanda Prescott, as the operator of a 2000 Ford SUV with passenger Norman Johnson," he said.

Farren was assisted at the scene by the Machias Ambulance and East Machias firefighters and other members of law enforcement who happened by and helped out with traffic control.

Farren said the crash completely blocked Route 1 at rush hour and right on a corner.

"It was going to get ugly in a hurry because people have no patience at the end of their day, they just want to go home."

The scene was on Route 1 on a sharp corner near Chases Mills Road.

"She lost it or he lost it - one of them lost it," Farren said.

Both accidents remain under investigation.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Friday, May 11, 2007

It's a small historic site within sight of U.S. Route 1 in the Red Beach section of Calais but it's significant as being the first French settlement in the New World in 1604.

The settlement came three years before English colonists landed in Jamestown and 16 years before the Pilgrims sailed the Mayflower to Plymouth.

While these settlements may seem more familiar, the ill-fated Saint Croix settlement has received little mention in history books. After a brutal winter and a number of deaths, the settlers abandoned Saint Croix Island in 1605 moving on to Port Royal, Nova Scotia.

The U.S. National Park Service oversees operations at the Saint Croix Island
International Historic Site.

Park ranger Meg Sheid told WQDY this week they're open for another season.

"The statues are out of hibernation, we've taken off the plywood boxes. Brochures are in the slots and visitors are coming by. The flags are up and very soon we'll have a staff seven days a week," she said.

The staff will be trained around the first of June and ready to roll by mid-June.

Sheid and the site's maintenance man are opening and closing the gate according to their schedules, which is a new thing this year.

"We have decided to open and close the gate when there's no one on site for resource protection. Everybody in the neighborhood and the people that we've spoken with are very supportive," Sheid said.

Even though the gate is closed, the park is open until dark.

"The sign says dusk [or] dark, we'll get that straightened out, but the fact is that visitors can park anywhere along St. Croix Drive and walk their dog right down to the park if they'd like. Or they can walk along the trail down to the beach, or have their picnics and use the picnic tables. The facilities are open," Scheid said.

The gate should open first thing in the morning when the maintenance man arrives and when we leave we close it behind us.

So how many people drop by the site?

"We know for sure the number of people that we actually spoke to and the number of cars that we visually were able to count coming in was at 8000 in the year 2005," Scheid said.

In 2006, the staff came on "late" and this year our staff will be on time plus we'll have a traffic counter for the first time."

Scheid said she's expecting at least 8000 visitors this year.

Parks Canada operates a similar site of Highway 127.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Thursday, May 10, 2007

The district attorney Tuesday compared a 59-year old former Calais man to a 100-year storm that slammed into Washington County leaving behind a trail of unpaid bills and shattered promises.

James Schmidt, who was found guilty last year of multiple felony charges, was sentenced in Washington County Superior Court to eight years in prison.

He showed no emotion as Justice Joyce Wheeler handed down the sentence.

Schmidt arrived in Calais in May 2005, and while working for the Wantaqo'ti Foundation of Canada, he arranged for a $100,000 loan from the city's Revolving Loan Fund to buy and renovate a downtown building.

Of that amount, $70,000 was to be used to purchase the building and $30,000 to renovate it. An additional $40,000 was supposed to come from the foundation. Once completed, the building was to be used for retail business and upstairs apartments. It was never finished.

Soon after the start of the project, Schmidt was charged with eight counts of theft by unauthorized taking. Each count represented a local business and individual that had gone unpaid for work such as plumbing, electrical or demolition.

Schmidt also faced one count each of theft by misapplication of property and negotiating a worthless instrument, or writing more than $4,000 in bad checks. The missing money amounted to $29,000, once $70,000 had gone to the building's owner for the sale of the property.

The initial payment to Schmidt from the loan fund was $6,400. Instead of paying contractors, he wired $5,300 to his New Brunswick girlfriend and wrote a check to himself for $600.

During his sentencing, District Attorney Michael Povich called Schmidt a "habitual thief, sociopath - the complete flim-flam man." He credited Sgt. David Randall of the Calais Police Department for putting a stop to Schmidt's game plan.

The DA pointed out that Schmidt's schemes were limitless. He said the con man planned to steal another $400,000 from the city after requesting revolving loan funds for a second mortgage on the property. That request was turned down. Schmidt then presented the city with another business plan to purchase the building adjacent to the one on Main Street, along with a nursing home.

"The silver-tongued fellow, in the guise of economic development, intended to keep skimming these proceeds and hoping to maintain a cash flow from Calais until he had reaped enough money [to] then skip town," the DA said.

Povich said Schmidt's past was riddled with similar disastrous business deals.

In 1988, Schmidt was convicted of defrauding a medical doctor out of $44,600 to buy land to construct a professional building that never got built. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison with all but six years suspended and five years of probation.

In the mid-1990s, Schmidt landed in Illinois where he started a software company and bilked employees out of thousands of dollars.

While there, Schmidt entered into a business deal with a company called S-Cubed Inc. As part of the deal, S-Cubed paid Schmidt $950,000. Two days after getting the first installment of $420,000 he bought a diamond ring for his wife at Tiffany's for $133,500. Two days later he paid off a $17,000 personal loan. The next year, he purchased a condominium valued at $1.3 million, the earnest money deposit was $132,000, Povich said.

In March, seven days after receiving the second $480,000 installment from S-Cubed, he paid $220,786 to the company handling the closing on the condo, Povich said.

S-Cubed sued and Schmidt was ordered to pay $956,000; plus millions more in lost profits to the company bringing the total judgement against Schmidt to $30.5 million.

Povich asked that the judge sentence Schmidt to a maximum of 10 years in prison. He said probation was a lost cause on Schmidt because Schmidt did not have roots in Washington County.

Schmidt's attorney, Jeffrey Davidson of East Machias, portrayed his client in a softer light. He said his client had already been in jail for 19 months and called it an "incredibly" hard stay because unlike other state prisons the Washington County jail did not have televisions or pool tables. He said the jail was overcrowded and prisoners were sleeping on cots.

Davidson said Schmidt had been a model prisoner and felt remorse for what he had done. "He was trying to create jobs like he did in the past," he said. He recommended a five-year sentence, with all but 18-months suspended. "Let him out of jail and let him make amends," the defense attorney said.

Schmidt told the judge that the people of Calais had placed a trust in him and that he had been unable to fulfill that.

But Judge Wheeler wasn't buying it. She reiterated Povich's 100-year storm theme and said that Schmidt had taken advantage of an "entire community." The judge acknowledged that while Schmidt was in Calais he did create jobs, but they were jobs for which people were not paid.

She then sentenced him to eight years and ordered him to pay around $80,000 in restitution. "There's little likelihood that will be paid," she said.

- The Bangor Daily News -

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Chris Gardner was hired Monday as the new director of the Eastport Port Authority. He began work on Tuesday.

Gardner spent a dozen years in law enforcement working for the Washington County Sheriff's Department and more recently the Eastport Police Department.

Although Gardner will resign from the Eastport Police, he will retain his position as chairman of the Washington County commissioners.

Gardner was raised in Dennysville and attended Shead High School in Eastport. After high school, Gardner attended the University of Maine at Machias and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration on marketing and finance.

Gardner said his move to head the Eastport Port Authority was "a super opportunity that came up."

"The Port of Eastport is poised to make some great leaps and bounds. I was very pleased that the board of directors chose me for the position," he said.

Gardner said there's excitement about cruise ships coming to Eastport. "All indications are that it we will have success with cruise ships. Of course, we're not abandoning the fact that we are primarily a cargo port and we have been for a long time now and we'll continue to try to grow that end," Gardner said.

He noted the cruise ship industry is a "blossoming industry in the state of Maine, especially in the small ports and harbors."

The major shipper through Eastport is the Domtar pulp and paper mill in Baileyville. Thousand of tons of pulp are shipped out of Eastport, to ports around the world.

"New cargoes are always a possibility," Gardner said.

"The people at Federal Marine Terminal are working every day in partnership with the port of Eastport to try expand what we have," he said.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Thursday, May 10, 2007

The Greater Eastport area is in the spotlight again, this time for a Boston TV station's nightly newsmagazine show.

What's new around the Eastport area, the future of the Boat School, cultural opportunities and edginess of the LNG issue locally are among the subjects of interest to Peter Mehegan of Boston's WCVB-TV.

Mehegan and videographer Bob Oliver have been in the area this week tooling around and talking to people for the show called "Chronicle."

"Chronicle" celebrated 25 years on the air in January.

Mehegan was the co-host of "Chronicle" from 1982 to 2005. Now he's a "contributor."

He's traveled the world and New England for the show.

One of the best known "Chronicle" features is "Main Streets and Back Roads."

Mehegan drives from point to point in a given area of interest in a gold 1969 Chevy Impala.

Recent sightings have put Peter Mehegan and his old Chevy back in the Eastport-Perry area. I found him Wednesday in downtown Eastport for a quick interview.

"It's always fun to come back. The black flies are out to be sure but there's a lot happening down here, particularly with LNG," he said.

Mehegan said he noticed the same feelings here that he noticed when he covered an earlier LNG proposal in Harpswell, Maine.

"I saw how it divided families and friends and from what I can gather, it's doing the same down here," he said.

Mehegan has made a number of trips to Washington County over the years, not just for the show but for other reasons.

"I've always loved this neck of the woods, I'm a fly-fisherman," Mehegan said.

"There's been a gang of us from Channel 5 Boston [WCVB] that have been coming to Grand Lake Stream for 30-odd years and I've always poked around. I just love the whole Quoddy area. I'm kind of a saltwater guy as well having grown up in saltwater of Massachusetts. This whole area has great appeal, the people are fabulous and it keeps me coming back," he said.

"Chronicle" has been to Eastport before. The show has also visited Jonesport, Machias, the Pleasant Point reservation, Lubec, Grand Lake Stream and Calais, to name just a few.

They've also traveled into the Maritime provinces and well beyond.

Mehegan started in radio in the early 60s and has been a fixture on Boston television since 1967.

"You know, thinking back on it, I was probably on WQDY when I was in my early 20's which was a long time ago,"Mehegan said recalling his first radio job with the "Yankee Network."

"It was headquartered in Boston but it had a Calais station as I remember [WQDY]. There were a lot of stations in Maine and all the way down to New London, Connecticut, west of Pittsfield, Mass., Burlington, Vermont - it was one of the pioneering radio news networks and I got to work on it in its dying days and do newscasts, principally, right after Red Sox baseball," he explained.

"When the Red Sox would go off the air, we used to feed a newscast and I know one of them came to Calais [WQDY].

"The old timers may remember the sign-on: 'News while it is news - the Yankee Network News Service on the air!' I got to do that for about a year as a kid and it was a great thrill," Mehegan said.

Back in 1999, "Chronicle" visited the Grand Lake Stream area, Calais and St. Stephen. While in Grand Lake Stream, they also remembered "Buffalo Bob" Smith who owned a home on Big Lake. Smith was very involved locally - he was a member of the Calais Rotary Club among other things.

In a segment from that "Chronicle" program from late November 1999, Mehegan narrates, "Buffalo Bob bought three radio stations when he came to Maine, including WQDY in Calais. Former General Manager Dan Hollingdale recalls his first conversation with the outgoing New Yorker."

"I pick up the phone," Hollingdale explains.

"He [Smith] says Danny. I said yes? He says, Danny booby baby! Being a Washington County boy I had no idea what Danny booby baby was all about."

Like Peter Mehegan I am OFD - originally from Dorchester, Massachusetts. I had to move to Eastport, Maine to have my 15 seconds of fame on "Chronicle."

"Tom, it turns out, is a Dorchester boy, from St. Mark's parish, son of a Boston firefighter," Mehegan said in his "Chronicle" narrative back in 1999.

My family in Massachusetts were thrilled. A few days later, a VHS tape of the show arrived. WCVB doesn't make it into this part of Maine.

But for their high-definition shoot this week, Mehegan and Oliver are just about done.

They have a few more stops to make in places such as Robbinston, and of course, Grand Lake Stream, before they head for home.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Firefighters had their hands full Tuesday afternoon with a major forest fire in Charlotte County just outside St. Stephen.

Warm temperatures, wind and an extreme fire danger in the province contributed to the spread of the fire.

The initial call came in at 3:43 p.m. Atlantic Time. Oak Bay and St. Stephen responded. It wasn't long before crews knew they had a battle on their hands.

Billowing gray and black smoke from the blaze was visible for many miles beyond St. Stephen.

The heat of the day combined with the firefighters' gear made for their job in the woods all the more exhausting.

St. Stephen Fire Chief Jeff Richardson was up at the corner of the St. David Ridge and Lindsay Roads. A representative from the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources [DNR], kept tabs on the aircraft by radio.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Richardson described the scene for WQDY.

"We've got fire on the south side of St. David Ridge Road, we've got fire on the north side of the St. David Ridge Road by the Lindsay Road, and we've got another fire going towards Tower Hill in the area of the McLeod farm," he said.

"Everybody's pretty maxed now. The DNR's brought in water bombers out of Quebec," Richardson said.

"The fire did start down in the middle of the woods, somewhere between the St. David Ridge Road and the Valley Road," the chief said.

Several water bombers made continuous passes over the fire area.

The fire was near the new power line. The poles are up but not the wires.

RCMP members handled traffic control to keep spectators out the way of responding fire apparatus. Police asked us to advise the public to avoid the Tower Hill, Honeydale and Route 755 area.

Fire departments on the scene included Western Charlotte, Moores Mills, Rollingdam, Lawrence Station, Elmsville, Oak Bay and St. Stephen.

Fire crews worked into the evening.

Although the cause of Tuesday's fire wasn't available, Chief Richardson had some sage advice for homeowners to think twice.

"Anybody that's going to think about burning now, give your head a real serious shake. Do not light any fires right now," he stressed.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Bear Creek Investments Ltd. is requesting that a Robbinston LNG company's application to build an LNG terminal and storage facility be denied.

Bear Creek has owned land on Route 1 in Robbinston for the past couple of years. The company has had at least one pro-LNG investor, Quoddy Bay LNG, affiliated with it. Bear Creek filed comments on May 4 with the Maine Board of Environmental Protection against Downeast LNG, that owns land abutting the Bear Creek property.

"Bear Creek wishes to comment on that portion of the motion which relates to the lack of control over all of the property which the applicant - Downeast - is to 'use' in its development of the project," the Bear Creek filing said.

"Bear Creek is pursuing development of the property and is therefore directly impacted by the proposed actions of Downeast, which could impact this development."

Right now, Quoddy Bay LNG is in a horse race with Downeast LNG to be the first to receive not only state permits but also a permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build its LNG facility at Pleasant Point. Downeast LNG hopes to build its facility in Robbinston, next to Bear Creek land.

In its filing, Bear Creek said it plans to build the Wabanaki Interpretive and Conference Center on its property. "Bear Creek has hired a local representative to further the development, and has preliminary architectural designs completed by the architecture firm Lewis and Malm in Bucksport, Maine," the company said in its filing. "The center will be developed in consultation with the Passamaquoddy Tribe and, among other things, is designed to provide access to certain geographical sites, including Pulpit Rock, which the tribe considers historically and culturally important." Pulpit Rock is near where Downeast LNG hopes to build its facility.

The company fears that if the land falls within Downeast's exclusion zone "Bear Creek would not be able to develop the land for the uses intended by it," they said in their filing. Federal law requires that "LNG containers and LNG transfer systems have a thermal radiation exclusion zone and flammable vapor-gas dispersion exclusion zone," the filing added.

Not to worry, Downeast LNG spokesman Rob Wyatt said Monday. He said his company has moved the location of its tanks and the Bear Creek land is no longer in the exclusion zone.

"We are excited at Quoddy Bay/Bear Creek's announcement of their plans to develop the Wabanaki Interpretive and Conference Center as a neighbor to our own facility," he added. "It's a great use of the land adjacent o our site and as noted, will provide a valuable access point to Pulpit Rock, one of the concerns that the tribe had previously expressed about our project. We've already moved our tank location such that our facility will not impact the property to the south of us, so we gladly welcome this proposed community enhancement."

Donald Smith, who is president of the Oklahoma-based Quoddy Bay LNG, is connected with Bear Creek, his son, Brian Smith confirmed on Monday.

Bear Creek and Quoddy Bay are "affiliated" companies, Brian Smith said. "They have some owners in common, I'll put it that way. Some of the owners of Quoddy Bay are affiliated with the owners of Bear Creek."

Smith elaborated. "The main reason why Bear Creek is in Maine to begin with was to try and work with Quoddy Bay. Bear Creek was trying to buy land that Quoddy Bay was interested in," Smith said. "Otherwise, it would be unlikely that Bear Creek would have been up there."

At one point, Quoddy Bay was looking at land in Robbinston to build its LNG storage tanks on. It later changed the plan to put the tank farm in Perry. Donald Smith also owns the Oklahoma-based Smith Cogeneration International Inc. Brian Smith said Bear Creek's representative also works for Smith Cogeneration Management.

In filing with the state, Bear Creek joined with the anti-LNG groups Save Passamaquoddy Bay and Pleasant Point-based We Protect Our Homeland, which is known as Nulankeyutmonen Nkihaqmikon in Passamaquoddy language, and two Canadian groups to ask the state to "deny without prejudice" Downeast LNG's applications.

As part of the permitting process, Downeast LNG has filed applications with the state for air emission, site location of the development, natural resources protection act and water quality certification.

But Save Passamaquoddy Bay and the We Protect Our Homeland group are also locked in a battle with Quoddy Bay LNG to stop its multi-million dollar project from being built on Passamaquoddy tribal land at Pleasant Point.

Save Passamaquoddy Bay spokeswoman Linda Godfrey said Monday that Bear Creek's idea for Robbinston was too preliminary to comment. "Eco-economy businesses like a cultural center are certainly more compatible with our area than large industrial operations," she said.

Bear Creek could not comment Monday. "I do know that Bear Creek has hired a local representative in Perry or Pleasant Point. I don't believe they've appointed a spokesperson yet, but they do plan to the next couple of days to answer questions about that and about whatever else," Smith said.

Asked if there was anyone from Bear Creek who could be called on Monday, Smith said, "I don't think they have anyone who is willing to talk to the press." He declined to identify the Bear Creek spokesman.

- The Bangor Daily News -

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Voters in St. Stephen have chosen a mayor and a town councilor to serve until a general election in May 2008.

Allan Gillmor is no stranger to the office, having previously served as a councilor and mayor for many years.

In Monday's by-election, the unofficial results show Gillmor bested challenger Patrick L. Cummins by a vote of 925 to 209.

There was a four-way race for one town council seat.

Jim M. Maxwell won with a total of 428 votes, according to the "unofficial" results announced Monday night.

Challengers Tony Reader got 281, Brent MacPherson-Tinker had 276, and Roderick (Rod) H. Roy received 165.

Darren McCabe, Municipal Returns Officer, pegged voter turnout for Monday's by-election at 35-percent compared with just 17-percent for a by-election in 2002.

This by-election provided an opportunity for a pilot project utilizing electronic voting. McCabe said provincial officials seemed pleased with the process.

"This is the first time it's ever been done in the province of New Brunswick for a municipal election.We had two election officials down from Fredericton to monitor. This is a testing ground for this project," McCabe said.

Reached for comment after the "unofficial" results were announced, Allan Gilmor told WQDY he was thankful for the voter support.

He said he planned on re-offering next May in the general election and "that would be it."

As for some of the issues that face the town, Gillmor said, "I think the big thing is the infrastructure - we've got to go back and look at that and how it fits into our debt load and where we can go."

Asked if he thought the issue of what to do about the crumbling Town Hall figured into the election, he said he had no idea.

"But I understand the deal is off with Heritage Chocolate, which I am pleased with, because what I anticipated was very close to what they were negotiating. It was too much money," Gillmor said.

"I don't know what the situation is with the town hall. I've got to see what the study says and where we go from there. If we have to move that's fine, but we find something that will accomodate us in the short-term and does something that represents the town," Gillmor said.

Town council candidate Jim Maxwell also thanked the voters very much. He's not going in with a plan, he said he'd just do the best that he could do.

"Chuck [Brown] had a piece in the paper. He interviewed me in about two minutes and he said that I didn't canvass at all because the people all knew me through my volunteer work. That's partly true, but actually, I've been canvassing for 50 years. I've been canvassing a lot longer than these other candidates and that's why I got the votes," Maxwell said.

He congratulated the other candidates for just running.

"It takes a lot of courage to get up and run. And especially Rod Roy. He's just a young fellow. I'm glad he got in there and got his feet wet," he said.

"In a year's time, Allan [Gillmor] said he'd run again, and I'll definitely run again if I'm still here, and I hope the other candidates get back into it again," Maxwell said.

"They did well - they were running against a very popular man - that's myself," Maxwell told us.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Monday, May 07, 2007

The Maine Legislature is again considering a bill to require recreational fishermen to buy a saltwater license before they can cast a line off the Maine coast.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Leila Percy, D-Phippsburg, with co-sponsor Se. Dennis Damon, D-Hancock.

Supporters say the bill stave off a required federal registry in 2011.

The bill, Legislative Document 1811, calls for $15 dollar fee for residents, $30 for non-residents.

The proposal hasn't received any rave reviews in Eastport.

Eastport City Manager George "Bud" Finch told WQDY the licensing of saltwater fishing is a very complex question from what the federal government wants to do and what the state wants to do, and how that relates to what is truly sport fishing.

"Fishing for mackerel off the Eastport Breakwater can't be compared to deep-sea fishing with people who come to L.L. Bean and buy $300 fishing rods and pay $200 to go fishing," Finch said.

Fishing off the breakwater is kind of a ritual and for the people who do it besides the locals, it's "a place to be away from it."

"People fish all summer long whether the mackerel are running or not," Finch explained. "The concept of having to go down and pay $15 or $30 to stand on the pier, to toss a line in and out of the water a few times during the day, which is basically something that appears to me to be utilized for funding Inland Game & Fisheries, because certainly with the hundreds of people that would have to buy permits to fish off the Eastport Breakwater, none of the money is going to come back into anything that's going to make fishing off the Eastport Breakwater better."

"A lot of the people that fish there - it's often the only time in their life they fish. They're passing through into Canada on vacation or out of Canada on vacation. They stop in Eastport, and for the first time in their life they see that they can go up to the local hardware store, pay $8.95 for a throw-away fishing rod, toss it in the bay for a couple of hours, and often they'll give it to the kids as they leave town," Finch said. "They're never going to fish again."

"Now with a law you've got to go buy a $30 or $15 license because the State of Maine needs money and it doesn't want to raise it through taxation," Finch said.

The city manager says he's frustrated by the whole thing because it appears to be something that's cast in concrete and is going to be pushed because the argument that is being used for it is simply that all people who fish inland have to fish.

"Well gee, we have an awful lot of people that come to Maine and hike on our trails and bike on trails," Finch said.

"Maybe we ought to start charging people for hiking or biking in Maine because we certainly spend enough money to attract them to walk, so therefore, why don't we tax them also?" Finch asked.

"This is how absurd this is getting to be and the argument is the difficult part. It doesn't appear that they're interested in sitting down at the table and having a logical discussion between what is legitimately something that should be charged fees for and what just doesn't make any sense at all," Finch said.

Dean Pike of Moose Island Marine in Eastport doesn't care for the proposal either.

"For a lot of people, this is a recreational Saturday-Sunday afternoon that families have been doing for generations. It's absolutely insane to charge a fee for that. If they had wanted to do a salt water fishing license for specific species, I could see it, but for mackerel, cod, pollack, the stuff that we get up here, it's insane and it's just another tax, period," Pike said.

Eastport resident Rocky Archer already has a combination hunting-fishing license but he doesn't care for this new proposal.

"The State's trying to put their hands in to the small people's pocket. The State's trying to make up money that they're spending somewhere else. I paid for a combination hunting-fishing license and now they want to charge me more to fish when I automatically can fish anywhere," Archer said.

"It's very unfair - it's recreational," he said.

"They're trying to ruin our Vacationland. That's what it says on our license plates, Vacationland. It's not Vacationland anymore, it's take the money out of your pocket land," Archer said.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Friday, May 04, 2007

St. Stephen's Town Hall building is a few bricks shy of a load.

In March, the town erected a wooden canopy to catch any errant blocks from making an impression on pedestrians.

There have been other concerns with the building such as its lack of handicap-accessibility, no fire alarm, and leaks that give rise to staff members breathing in mold.

These problems have existed for a few years but the recent aging process seems to have put a sense of urgency to find a new home for the town's civic administration.

Last month, the town council had made a decision to move the offices of town hall to the Heritage Chocolate building further down Milltown Boulevard.

Town officials had been negotiating a 10-year lease agreement.

On Thursday, there was a new development in the town hall dilemma.

According to a press release, the Council of the Town of St. Stephen, at a committee meeting on May 3, endorsed the following recommendations for adoption at the scheduled Council meeting of 14 May:

That negotiations with Heritage Chocolate Inc. for 10 years' lease at Ganong Place be suspended.
That for reasons of health and safety to town staff and citizens, the civic administration will be temporarily relocated to a more suitable location.
That the town will continue to assess building a new and permanent town-owned location for civic administration.
That pursuit of the preservation and/or gifting of the current Town Hall continue.

The issue of the cost of the ten-year lease and future of the current building also came up at last week's candidate's forum for the May 7 by-election for mayor and council.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Thursday, May 03, 2007

Work has begun on improvements to four miles of U.S. Route 1 in Perry and Robbinston, according to the Maine Department of Transportation [MaineDOT].

The work area begins just north of the Lake Road in North Perry and exctends along U.S. Route 1 into Robbinston, ending about one-and-a-half miles north of the Mill Cove Bridge.

Jon Ketchem, MaineDOT's construction manager said from the Lake Road in North Perry to a point about six-tenths of a mile north of Mill Cove Bridge in South Robbinston, we're planning to resurface the existing roadway. The work will include putting down a shim layer to make the roadbed more level, paving, and safety improvements.

"From the end of the resurfacing project north to the end of the project, we'll be completely rebuilding the existing roadway. Work will include digging up portions of the existing roadway, blasting to remove ledge in some locations, changes in highway alignment, drainage improvements, replacing concrete box culverts, curbing, safety improvements and paving," Ketchem said.

Ketchem says drivers can expect to encounter alternating one-way traffic and traffic delays at times, but stresses MaineDOT will work to keep delays to a minimum.

He also urged drivers to slow down and pass through work areas with care and caution.

A separate road project has been progressing on Route 1 in Perry for several months just north of the Shore Road up to the Gin Cove Road.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Lesson Number One -- when you give police a false name, don't get into an argument in front of them with your passenger that results in her using your real name.

A 30-year old former Grand Manan resident, now living in St. George, will spend 30 days in jail for "total stupidity" - at least that was how he described his situation.

Kyle Banks, who was on house arrest while awaiting trial on charges of assaulting a woman and threatening to burn down her house on Grand Manan, decided Tuesday morning to journey to St. Stephen and the Provincial Court Building to see if he could talk to his Saint John lawyer without knowing for sure if the lawyer would be there.

He traveled to the courthouse with Ilene Wilcox, the woman he is accused of assaulting, but his lawyer was not in the building, nor had he been scheduled to be there, and Banks left the premises undetected by officials.

Under his house arrest order, Banks is required to contact the RCMP for permission anytime he leaves his home, something he said he has always done previously, but didn't do Tuesday.

Traveling home with Wilcox, who had appeared in court on an impaired care and control charge, to which she will enter a plea on May 8, Banks was stopped by the RCMP at Oak bay because the truck he was driving did not have a front license plate.

He told the officer he didn't have his drivers' license on him, and gave the officer his brother's name. When the officers checked, Banks' brother turned out not to have a driver's license.

A second officer approached Banks and asked him for picture identification. When Banks and Wilcox began arguing, the officer noticed she called him Kyle, which was not the name he had given to police.

Banks was asked to get out of the vehicle. He admitted to police who he really was.

Duty Counsel Joel Hansen said Banks told him he panicked when stopped by the RCMP and using a false name was "total stupidity."

Banks told the judge he should have "read his paper better" because he didn't realize he had to call the RCMP if he wanted to go somewhere to meet with his lawyer.

Crown prosecutor Randy DiPaolo told the court that perhaps this was a "case of spring fever" where Banks wanted to "get out of the house, spread his wings, stretch his legs," hoping to "fly under the radar and get back home."

DiPaolo questioned why he in court that day with Wilcox, considering their past history and the charges outstanding against Banks in relation to Wilcox, as well as an assault on her brother that Banks is accused of.

Banks argued that he wanted to see his lawyer and wasn't out "just to get out."

Provincial Court Judge David C. Walker told Banks he didn't buy his "panicked" story because he managed "to sit in this room surrounded by police" earlier the same day.

He asked Banks why, if he said he had always called police for permission to leave his home, he didn't on this occasion.

- The St. Croix Courier -

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Monday's Perry Selectmen's meeting was fairly sedate until a controversial item came up.

The cost of the recent recount on Question 1.

Chairman David Turner said the recount wasn't that of the normal recount process that Perry is used to doing.

"There were attorneys involved on the recount request. The town brought in an attorney [Erik Stumpfel of the law firm Eaton Peabody].

The attorney recommended that we bring in a court stenographer," Turner explained.

According to Turner, the total cost of the legal services to the town is $2,304.09.

"The State of Maine has a law that allows the town to collect those costs from the people that requested the recount, unless there's a change in the count. There was no change in the count," Turner said.

"I would assume that we're going to request the collection of those costs. It is allowed by state law, I've got a copy of the law. I talked with Maine Municipal [Association] all about it, they're in agreement that the law does allow us to collect these costs from these people," Turner said.

Selectwoman Jeanne Guisinger asked Turner who authorized Stumpfel to be there.

"When I found we were going to have two attorneys on the opposite side I called on behalf of the town and the town clerk to have an attorney here. I thought we needed to be represented. If the opposition was going to have two attorneys, we at least ought to have one," Turner replied.

Guisinger asked Turner why he didn't call a meeting of the Board of Selectmen. "You made that decision on your own," she told Turner. "I don't think you're authorized to do so."

"You want me to pay for it Jeannie, is that what you want?" Turner asked.

"You called him, you didn't have any authorization to do it," Guisinger replied.

"Let's see if we can get a motion to authorize me to do it," Turner said. "It was to protect the town of Perry."

Guisinger told Turner he should have called an emergency meeting. "You don't run this town by yourself. It's okay, you know [Selectman] Dick [Adams] will agree with you, but you have to go through the motions.

"You feel that your group should have two attorneys at a recount and the town should not hire an attorney to represent our town clerk and the people of Perry," Turner asked Guisinger.

"I'm saying you have to go through the channels. You do not make decisions by yourself, David. You may think you do," Guisinger told Turner.

Turner said it was a decision that was made rather quickly. "If the board doesn't agree, then I'll pay for it myself."

The chairman then made a motion to authorize hiring an attorney to represent the town of Perry and the town clerk in the recount process.

Discussion followed, some of it from the audience. One man asked what the danger was that the town needed to hire an attorney.

"If you had been here to see the interrogation that went on with the town clerk, you wouldn't be asking the question you're asking," Turner said. "It was a courtroom scene and it wasn't necessary in the town of Perry. It's never been done this way in the past."

"So why don't you just have Quoddy Bay [LNG] pay for it?" asked Guisinger.

"If Quoddy Bay paid for every lawsuit these people bring and every attorney they bring in -," Turner started to say when he was interrupted by Guisinger asking "These people? Perry citizens are now these people?"

"Anybody. We've changed the situation on recounts in Perry. They're going to be very expensive in the future. When you sign a petition, you need to know how much it's going to cost the town," Turner said.

"You know, that's intimidating, David, that's very intimidating," Guisinger said.

Town Clerk Janice Scanlon asked "why did Jeannie's group have two lawyers here and us not be able to have any. They really interrogated me. All the questions were directly at me and nobody else."

"So what's your question?" Guisinger asked.

"Why did you have two lawyers here?" Scanlon said.

"They just happened to be together," Guisinger answered.

Cook delivered the petitions to Scanlon, and alleged that Scanlon had been "rude."

"I explained that I was giving her petitions for a recount," Cooks said. She claimed Scanlon remarked to her, "when are you people going to give up?"

Turner asked for further comment.

"I expect an answer from you," Cook demanded of Turner.

"You can expect all you want. I've listened to your comment, we've made a motion and we're moving along," Turner said.

"I'm talking about a town employee, David," Cook said.

"I am very satisfied with Janice's performance and duties over the past 15 years," Turner said.

"So you're condoning her rudeness," Cook said.

"Maybe I had a reason," said Scanlon from the back of the room.

An incensed Cook said, "I hope the newspaper people have her comment."

A man in the audience said he had never known Janice to be rude.

"So you're saying I'm a liar?" Cook said.

"No, no, no," he answered.

Then Turner jumped in to try to regain control of the meeting.

Then there were more motions and more debate.

Adams made a motion for the bill of $2,304.09 be paid by the town and the next time the petitioners are going to be expected to pay those fees.

Guisinger seconded it but said she was still protesting the way it was done altogether. "It was totally unnecessary."

Turner re-read the motion and then Guisinger said, "Wait a minute, I'd like to rescind my second because I don't agree with that. I think that when you set it up, you're punishing petitioners for doing something that is their right to do and that's what you're doing with this motion, and that's all wrong."

Turner said he was going by state law and it is the recommendation of MMA. "This is proper."

And she answered, "It's written in the manual. They don't say they recommend that you do this, so don't put words in their mouth, either. It says you can charge petitioners, but it doesn't say you should or that they think you should or..."

Adams motion said that the bill would be paid by the town not the petitioners and that the next time the petitioners need to be on guard that the payment will be expected by petitioners, Turner said.

"And I think that's wrong," Guisinger protested.

"So you don't second that motion?" Turner asked.

"No, I don't" said Guisinger. "Unless you want to strike the last part."

"So you think the next time, the town should pick up that cost, too?" asked Turner.

"I think that next time we should do it the legal way - where we call a meeting and talk about what the needs are for the town rather than some dictator determines on their own what we need to do, and then says oh well, who's going to pay for this?" Guisinger said.

Adams' motion failed for lack of a second. Guisinger didn't agree with it, neither did Turner.

Turner then made another motion that the town bill the group that requested the recount as is allowed by state law. That also died for lack of a second.

At the very end, it was back to square one.

"Then by the action that we did on the warrant, the town pays the bill, because I signed the warrant, Dick [Adams] signed the warrant," Turner said.

Guisinger did not sign.

- Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -