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| --Trooper Stabbed Taking Burglary Suspect Into Custody |   |
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
 A State Trooper is recovering after being stabbed in the leg Tuesday night taking into custody a man wanted for questioning in connection with a burglary in Blue Hill.Trooper Thomas Pickering was treated and released from a hospital in Ellsworth for a stab wound to his left leg that required three stitches. Pickering realized he had been stabbed after taking 24-year old Joshua Gray of Ellsworth into custody along the Ellsworth Road in Blue Hill. Gray has been charged with aggravated assault in connection with the stabbing and he is being held at the Hancock County Jail. Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said Pickering was questioning Gray in connection with the burglary earlier this week in Blue Hill when Gray ran off. Gray was struck by a car along the road and continued running with the trooper in pursuit on foot. Pickering tackled Gray in a driveway of a nearby home and placed him under arrest. It was after Gray was in handcuffs that the trooper noticed blood on his pants, as he was driving Gray to the Hancock jail. He then drove to the hospital with Gray who was also examined and released. A pocket knife was later located and believed to be the weapon. Pickering was assisted by numerous Hancock county deputies and other troopers. Gray and another young man are suspected in a burglary that took place at a Blue Hill home Sunday in which electronic equipment was stolen. That property, a Sony Playstation and some games, were recovered Tuesday night by Hancock Deputy Scott Kane. The two young men have not yet been charged in connection with the theft and the case will be reviewed by the local district attorney's office. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Trenton Man Killed In Single Vehicle Crash | |
| Wednesday, January 30, 2008
A Trenton man was killed Tuesday night when he lost control of his mini-van in his hometown. State Trooper Jessica Shorey said 48-year old Charles J. Richardson died when his 1995 Dodge van left Oak Point Road in Trenton, struck a telephone pole and the overturned, coming to rest on its roof. Richardson died at the scene. Shorey said Richardson's driver's license had been suspended for numerous violations. No other vehicles were involved and Richardson was alone at the time of the crash. Troopers say they are looking into whether alcohol played a part in the crash, which reported at about 8:30 p.m. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --About $197,000 Embezzled In 3 Years From School Union 106 | |
| Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Last November a Calais school official noticed a theft of funds from the Calais Day Treatment Program. Police were notified and an investigation followed. On Tuesday, Acting Police Chief, Sgt. David Randall said he had summoned a local woman in connection with the missing money. "On November 13, I was advised of money missing from the Calais School Department. After a long investigation, today [Tuesday] I summoned Tina Moholland, 36, of Calais for Class B theft," Randall said. The case was reported by Jim Underwood, Superintendent of Schools for Union 106, which comprises Calais, Robbinston, Alexander, Baring and Crawford. "Ms. Moholland worked at the Calais Day Treatment Program over on Palmer Street. I couldn't find anybody else involved at this point. It appears that she was the only one," Randall said. According to Randall, Moholland was cooperative during the investigation and once it was completed it was turned over to the Hancock-Washington County District Attorney Michael Povich for review. When the charge was determined, Randall served the paperwork. "This was tuition money that was paid to the Palmer [Street] School - the Calais School system for the special school they have - and from about September of '04 through November '07 there was about 29 tuition checks from various communities around the area that were sent in to pay tuition for students and it's alleged that Ms. Moholland deposited 28 of those checks in an account she had at Calais Savings Bank and one check in an account she had at Bangor Savings Bank," Povich told us. "The amount alleged is approximately $197,000." Povich added. The investigation began when Supt. Underwood noticed a problem. He told WQDY News in a telephone interview Tuesday that he acted fast when he discovered a problem involving school accounts last November. "I acted quickly and put the person [Moholland] immediately on administrative leave and when I finished my investigation I separated that person from employment with us and turned everything over immediately to the police. I asked them to move forward with it and they did," Underwood said. "I'm the one who pushed it forward and wanted it investigated and followed through," he said. How the alleged embezzlement continued for just over three years is also something that remains under investigation. There is a system in place, Underwood said. "There is a supervisor in place to do the checking and the double checking and I certainly put emergency measures in place immediately when I did see that there was a problem, however, the system that was and is in place, I guess at this point, I'd have to say it's under investigation," Underwood said. He couldn't add anything more on Tuesday but said he may be able to at a later date. DA Povich said the charge is theft. "The theft statute in Maine covers any type of theft ranging from shoplifting to embezzlement. The theory is that of an embezzlement, a person lawfully has possession of the money but wrongfully exercises control over it," Povich said. Moholland has a Feb. 25 court date in Washington County Superior Court in Machias. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Small Fire At Domtar Mill Tuesday Didn't Get Very Far | |
| Wednesday, January 30, 2008
A small fire on the roof of a building at the Domtar's Woodland Mill in Baileyville Tuesday afternoon was quickly doused. Domtar spokesman Scott Beal confirmed for WQDY News there had been a small fire on the roof of the No. 9 scrubber building. "We were doing some maintenance up on top of the building - we were working on a handrail and it looked like [the fire] was related to the work," Beal said. Our maintenance people responded first and we also had the Baileyville Fire Department respond very promptly as they always do, he said. "We were very fortunate, we were able to get on top of it. The guys extinguished it quickly and it didn't do anything to damage equipment or affect any operations and no one was hurt." "That's about as good as it gets," Beal added. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Calais Police Deal With Underage Drinkers On Main Street | |
| Tuesday, January 29, 2008
One man was arrested and several others were summoned late Saturday night in connection with an incident on Main Street involving minors consuming alcohol. According to Calais Police, Luke Brown, 18, of Charlotte, was arrested for furnishing a place for minors to consume alcohol. He was also summoned for illegal possession by a minor by consumption. Five others were issued summonses for illegal possession by a minor by consumption. They include Michael Brown, 20, of Charlotte, and Nicole Cleghorn, 18, of St. Stephen. Three others were from Calais. Bruce Dudley, 20, Ian McDonald, 19, and Gregory Morin, 19, also received summonses. All were issued a court date of March 4. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --RCMP Seize Marijuana And Guns In Two Raids Saturday | |
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
 RCMP said five people were arrested Saturday following simultaneous raids on two homes in Blissville and Hoyt, New Brunswick.Two arrests were made in Blissville where police seized 159 grams of marijuana, a large sum of currency and two un-registered weapons. In Hoyt, three people were arrested. Police also seized several pounds of marijuana, a small quantity of hashish oil, currency and two weapons. RCMP charged 44-year-old Creighton Davenport of Blissville with possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of marijuana over 30 grams and disobeying a court order. Other charges are pending. The four other individuals will appear in court in March to enter pleas on a variety of charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Report Of Erratic Driver On Route 9, Next A Multi-Vehicle Crash | |
| Monday, January 28, 2008
A woman was transported to the hospital Sunday afternoon from the scene of a multiple vehicle crash on Route 9 in Baileyville. The crash involved two tractor-trailers and a Honda Element on Route 9 nearly 3 miles in from the Route 1 intersection. Baileyville Police Office Bill Lindsay told WQDY News at the scene the accident was reported a little after 3 p.m. "We had a vehicle on Route 9 that we had been trying to make contact with because of erratic operation. Enroute to that call while on Route 9, I received a report of a multiple-vehicle 10-55 involving a red vehicle [Honda] and two transports," Lindsay said. The woman driving the Honda was extricated and transported to Calais Regional Hospital with undetermined injuries. The identity of the injured woman was not released late Sunday afternoon. Lindsay said the Honda was traveling east and the two transports involved in the crash were heading west on Route 9. How contact was made between the vehicles was unclear late Sunday afternoon. "We're still trying to determine who was where," Lindsay added. Baileyville Police, Fire and Ambulance crews quickly responded. There was also assistance from Alexander, Calais, Princeton fire departments and Downeast EMS. Maine State Police and the Washington County Sheriff's Department also assisted with traffic and the investigation. Lindsay thanked everyone who assisted. "Everybody did a great job getting her out and on the way to the hospital as soon as they could." Route 9 was down to one lane as police took pictures and measurements at the scene as late afternoon darkness fell. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Calais: Friends Reflect On Life Of Slain Dispatcher | |
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| --LNG Part Of Perry's Comp Plan Ends Up On Canadian Website | |
| Friday, January 25, 2008
Call it the not ready for prime time Comprehensive Plan Survey for the towns of Perry and Pembroke. A certain portion of the survey that involved the proposed liquefied natural gas facilities was apparently "leaked" by a committee member who prematurely posted it on the Quoddy Google Groups website based in New Brunswick. According to the website's homepage, "this group is dedicated to the Quoddy Region at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. We hope to create a strong international coalition to foster appropriate sustainable development and international protection of the unique Quoddy-Cobscook Bay Region." Suffice it to say, the group takes a dim view of the LNG facilities that have been proposed in the area of Passamaquoddy Bay. WQDY's News Dept. noticed the posting a few weeks ago while randomly checking the Quoddy Google Group website. We also noted that the information about this survey didn't seem to appear anywhere else on line. The posting of Dec. 24, 2007 says, "65% Strongly Oppose LNG Project In Perry." It says, "Attached are the results for the recent survey for the Comprehensive Plan Revision. Take special note of the extremely strong sentiment (about 65%) very opposed to the LNG terminal and the temporary labor camp that is part of the Quoddy Bay proposal." It further states, "this is a DRAFT text and may be revised." In a telephone interview Wednesday, Jerry Morrison, Chair of the Perry Comprehensive Plan Committee told WQDY News, the committee wanted to thank all those who participated in the survey. "We were hoping to have more time to review and summarize before the results were released. We wanted to release the plan as a whole to the voters so they could take a look at it. The goal of the committee is to come up with a plan that represents the true vision of the town, a plan that will be voted on favorably," Morrison said. "We want to remind the people that the focus of the plan is not entirely on economic development and LNG - it goes well beyond that," Morrison added. Judy East of the Washington County Council of Governments told WQDY in a telephone interview Thursday, as these surveys go it was a good response rate. It was sent to everyone in Perry but not everyone responded to it. "But the important thing to remember," East cautioned, "is that you are getting the respondent and if the respondents, as in this case are predominantly much older than the complexion of the actual population then you have to take that into consideration." "It's not necessarily representative of the entire town, it's representative of the respondents who in this case were pretty much older than the whole population - and of course there's going to be anyway because for the most part people in their 20s don't respond to these surveys," East told us. The Perry Comprehensive Plan Revision Committee never got to summarize the results before they made their debut on a Canadian website. "The committee had not gotten to that point," East said. "It was published as a draft, they say that it's a draft on the website but once something is up there, the fact that it isn't the final can get lost," East said. WQDY News also contacted Art MacKay of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Editor of the Quoddy Google Group website on Thursday. "The only comment I would make is that we view our purpose as primarily to post what people send along. We make no real judgement on it. It's the usual thing with a Listserv, everybody is responsible for their own statements or what they send along." "And if they send it and it seems to be newsworthy, we put it up, if it would seem to be information that people would want to know about it we put it up. If we're nervous about it - occasionally we don't put something up - but not very often," MacKay said. "The editor has to clear it, so it always looks like it came from the editor [Ed], if it looks legitimate, we put it up." MacKay said hopefully the posting might "stimulate some concern about this - about it having been leaked - and if that's the case, good." Asked if he had any idea who might have posted the info, Morrison sighed, no but it had to be someone on the committee. "That's how it got circulated." MacKay said he wondered about it as well. "I looked for the document but it didn't pop up anywhere and that's because there wasn't any document to pop up." Morrison thought the whole thing was somewhat ironic. "At the last meeting, I had something proposed to put across to the committee members to look at as an explanation why the survey went, the facts and figures, how many voted and then a comparative of the other votes that were done in town, how close the town was divided - but before I had even done that I was a little concerned and I e-mailed MMA [Maine Municipal Association] and had some questions about that and used their input to also go into this summary," he said. Morrison said he had something prepared but we didn't get to it because the meeting dragged on. "I knew it was going to be for the next meeting on the seventh of February." "Meanwhile, during that time I got an e-mail from one of the committee members that said they had seen this on the website and wondered what it was all about," Morrison told us. MacKay said they may well take it down before the weekend is over and once the dust settles. "If it's something that shouldn't have gone up then down she comes," MacKay said. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Acrobat Research Holds Grand Opening Of Calais Center | |
| Friday, January 25, 2008
A Canadian-based call center operation is nearly ready to begin operations in Calais. Acrobat Research, Inc., held a grand opening Thursday afternoon with local dignitaries of economic development along with U.S. Congressman and candidate for U.S. Senate Tom Allen and Congresman Michael Michaud. U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins sent representatives to add their congratulations to company and city officials. City Manager Diane Barnes read a statement on behalf of State Sen. Kevin Raye. Acrobat Research began in 1994. The company's business is to provide quantitative data collection services for the market research industry. Clients include some of the leading market research consulting firms in the world. Acrobat Research collects information via telephone and the internet. The company was founded by Roland Klassen who has spent 25 years in the market research business [primarily focused on the IT sector]. He holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. Acrobat Research has offices in Toronto, Ontario; Capreol Ontario; Canso, Nova Scotia; Cheticamp, Nova Scotia; and Greenwood, Nova Scotia. The company also has a data processing center in Nairobi, Kenya. Acrobat Research announced its intention to open a facility in Calais in November, 2007. Since then, the company has received over 250 applications for employment. The company's objective is to build a center of approximately 75 to 100 "seats" which would ultimately create between 200 - 250 full- and part-time jobs. Approximately 40-60 positions are expected to be created within the first month, growing to 100-150 within a six-month period. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Congressmen Tom Allen & Michael Michaud Visit Calais Area | |
| Friday, January 25, 2008
Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Tom Allen along with Congressman Michael Michaud are on a two-day swing for a "listening tour" through Washington County. On Thursday they made a number of stops in and around the Calais area. They stopped at the site near the Calais Industrial Park where a new international border crossing is being constructed to connect Calais, Maine with St. Stephen, New Brunswick. MaineDOT officials were on hand to explain the process and the progress being made on the long-awaited project. Mid-day, Allen and Michaud visited Washington County Community College where they met with workers laid off from Domtar prior to a luncheon. Early in the afternoon, they attended the grand opening of Acrobat Research, Inc., a Canadian-based call center in the process of opening up its first operation in the United States - in Calais. Then it was on to the Eastport area. On Friday, Allen and Michaud will be on the road again from Machias to Milbridge. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Police: Machias Man Admits To Killings | |
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| --Awesome 80s Is Theme Of 8th Annual WCCC Polar Bear Dip | |
| Thursday, January 24, 2008
It's that time of year to test your stamina by diving into the frigid waters of Passamaquoddy Bay! The Washington County Community College Student Senate will hold their 8th Annual Polar Bear Dip on Friday, Feb. 8. The event will take place at the Pleasant Point Pier. The Polar Bear Dip is an annual fundraising event in which volunteers solicit pledges to plunge into icy Downeast Maine waters to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Bangor. The first polar bear dip in 2000 raised $1,600. Over $115,000 has been raised and donated to the charity since the inception of the event. Community Colleges will be well represented by several sister campuses, including teams from Eastern Maine Community College and New Brunswick Community College, as well as a few local celebrities. This year's theme will be the "Awesome 80's." Organizers welcome all participants and spectators to come in costumes from the era. Washington County Community College and its Student Senate wish to express their appreciation to everyone for their help and participation. The College and Senate would like to extend a special thanks to the Passamaquoddy Government for hosting the dip and its safety divisions for their support of the event and its dippers. If you're interested in braving the weather to help raise funds for this worthy cause, sponsor sheets are available on the college's website www.wccc.me.edu, by stopping by the WCCC campus and at the following area businesses: Johnson's True Value Hardware and Eastern Maine Electric Co-op. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --CUPE Local 1251 Will Resume Negotiations Thursday | |
| Thursday, January 24, 2008
After two weeks of strike, CUPE Local 1251 will return to the bargaining table on Thursday morning. CUPE 1251 has accepted the invitation of the Minister of Human Resources, Wally Stiles, to return to the table. CUPE 1251 represents the provincial correctional officers, the community college custodians and the human services counselors. The union has more than 500 members. The stumbling block is the wages for all members. According to a press release, the college custodians earn $1.12 less an hour than the school custodians doing the same work. The correctional officers working in the provincial jails are the lowest paid in the country and the human services counselors are asking for pay relativity that will bring them in the same pay range as their provincial counterparts with comparable specialization's. CUPE Local 1251's collective agreement expired in June 2007. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Basketball Game Freak-Out Costly For Lee Academy Player | |
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| --Pleasant Point Officer Spots Fire Under Moving Truck | |
| Thursday, January 24, 2008
Usually the Pleasant Point Police patrol Rte.190 through the reservation on the lookout for speeding drivers. But an unusual sight caught the eye of the officer on duty eraly Wednesday afternoon - flames coming from the rear wheels of an 18-wheeler heading for Eastport. Truck driver Dicky Brown of Pembroke didn't know he had a problem until Cpl. R. Newman pulled him over on Route 190 on Carlow's Island. Newman saw flames coming from behind tires. "I pulled him over to let him know his tires were on fire, from there the fire department took over." Brown was certainly glad for that. "Thank God they were close," he said. "Probably I'd have lost the whole thing. I couldn't do anything with the snow and my side compartment door was froze - so I couldn't get my fire extinguisher." Brown was grateful for the quick response from the Pleasant Point Fire Department. "They've done an excellent job," he said. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Machias Man Charged In Marshfield Double Homicide | |
| Thursday, January 24, 2008
State Police charged a 25-year old Machias man with two counts of murder in connection with the early Wednesday morning shootings deaths of a man and woman in Marshfield. Detectives charged Richard W. Widdecomb, Jr., after questioning. Widdecomb will make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon in Machias. He is being held at the Washington County Jail. According to Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland, Widdecomb is charged with shooting 29-year old Katie Cabana inside her home on Route 192 in Marshfield shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday. A friend of Cabana's - 41-year old Aaron Settipani of Eastport - was found shot to death in his vehicle outside her home. One of Cabana's three children was wounded in the shootings. Six-year old Autumn Rodgers is being treated for a gunshot wound to the foot at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Her two brothers, nine-year old Gabriel Brady and five-year old Ethan Rodgers, were not injured. The three children lived with their mother. Police said Widdecomb is an ex-boyfriend of Cabana. He was located by Machias Police a few hours after the shooting when his car was found parked in his driveway on Pleasant Boulevard in Machias. Widdecomb surrendered after a police negotiator made contact with him at about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday. Police were notified of the shootings by both victims as they called for help on separate phones. Aaron Settipani was a dispatcher for the Calais Police Department. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Young Man And Woman Shot To Death In Marshfield | |
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| --Baileyville PD Investigating Several Burglaries, Ask Public For Info | |
| Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Police in Baileyville are continuing to look into several burglaries that have been plaguing their community and they're asking the public for help. In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Police Chief Phil Harriman told WQDY "quite a few burglaries" have been reported over the past several weeks. "There are business burglaries as well as residential burglaries," Harriman said. We are seeking help from the public for information to help us solve these cases. The chief spoke of residential burglary that happened last Thursday [Jan.17]. "We had a burglary that was reported sometime around noontime at a residence on the South Princeton Road in Baileyville," Harriman said. "Interestingly as we investigated this we found out that the time frame for this occurred during broad daylight. There was some things stolen from the residence but one thing in particular was a snowsled," Harriman explained. "Over the course of the investigation, the snowsled was found approximately three or four miles down the road, actually in Princeton by the cemetery on what Princeton calls the Woodland Road." Harriman said police believe there were at least two people and a vehicle was involved. Police are interested in speaking with anyone who may have been on either the South Princeton Road on the Baileyville end or the Woodland Road on the Princeton end last Thursday Jan. 17, between 9 a.m. and noon. Harriman said it would be helpful if someone saw a snowsled or a vehicle traveling or a vehicle with a snowsled or a vehicle parked or anything similar. "We know that these people did take the snowsled, that they did drive down the side of the road from the place in Baileyville where the burglary occurred to the cemetery out on the South Princeton Road." "Any help we could get as a description of the vehicle that would have been involved, if anybody saw someone walking or standing or anything like that in the area, we really would appreciate that," the chief said. The break-ins at businesses "were basically nighttime burglaries. We are working on those cases as best we can [and] we would take any information on any burglary that anybody knows about, whether it's a business or residential to help us break some of these burglaries," Harriman said. Police say residents should keep their eyes open for suspicious activity or if something just doesn't look right. "We need to know when there's something out of place. Call us, don't hesitate, don't dismiss it because it might be what we need," Harriman said. Residents can call the police non-emergency number of 427-6203 and leave a message for the chief or officer on duty. They can also call dispatch at 427-6992. "If they're watching something ongoing right then and there they should call 911," Harriman said. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Bayside, NB Mill Closed | |
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| --NB Man Found Guilty For Illegally Importing Steroids | |
| Tuesday, January 22, 2008
A New Brunswick man was sentenced last week in a case involving smuggling and possession of steroids. Corey Wayne Lovelace, 32, of Boiestown, was sentenced Friday in Miramichi Provincial Court after pleading guilty to smuggling, and possession of anabolic steroids under the Customs Act and for possession of anabolic steroids for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs & Substances Act. The Canada Border Services Agency investigation began in April 2007 when information was received from CBSA officials in Montreal regarding an international postal shipment from Poland containing "anabolic steroids" destined to an address in Boiestown, NB. The investigation revealed that Lovelace imported sixty-nine shipments between Feb. 2005 and June 2007, paying in excess of $24,000 for the raw product. Shipments originated from 16 different countries. CBSA intercepted seven of these shipments for seizure actions originating from six countries - Poland, Greece, India, China, Romania and Venezuela. The CBSA seizure actions occurred at three different CBSA postal facilities located in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. If someone is convicted of illegally importing steroids under the Customs Act, the maximum penalty can be up to five years in prison with up to $500,000 fine. If they are convicted of illegally importing or possessing a Schedule 4 substance [steroids] under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the maximum penalty is 3 years in prison. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Jan. 31; Have Passport Or 2 Documents Proving ID & Citizenship | |
| Tuesday, January 22, 2008
There are some new rules for entering the United States taking effect on Jan. 31. If you already have a passport you're all set. But if not, you won't be able to rely on an oral declaration of your citizenship anymore. You'll need to carry two pieces of identification; one to prove your identity and another to prove your citizenship. For identity purposes, you'll need to present a driver's license or identification card issued by a federal, state, provincial, county, territory, or municipal authority or a U.S. or Canadian military identification card. All identification documents must have a photo, name and date of birth. For proving citizenship, you'll need to present a U.S. or Canadian birth certificate issued by a federal, state, provincial, county, territory or municipal authority. If you do not have the required documents with you when you cross the border, you will be delayed as U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers attempt to verify your identity and citizenship. On Feb. 1, the U.S.State Department will begin accepting applications in advance for passport cards as alternatives to passports for Americans who travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The card may not be used to travel by air. The wallet-sized cards will be available to U.S. citizens and mailed to applicants in spring 2008. The Department of State is issuing the passport cards in response to the needs of border resident communities for a less expensive and more portable alternative to the traditional passport book. The card will have the same validity period as a passport book: 10 years for an adult, five for children 15 and younger. For adults who already have a passport book, they may apply for the card as a passport renewal and pay only $20. First-time applicants will pay $45 for adult cards and $35 for children. To facilitate the frequent travel of U.S. citizens living in border communities and to meet the DHS' operational needs at land borders, the passport card will contain a vicinity-read radio frequency identification [RFID] chip. This chip will link the card to a stored record in secure government databases. There will be no personal information written to the RFID chip itself, according to the Department of State. For more information about applying for a U.S. Passport Card or Passport, visit www.travel.state.gov. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --State Probes Machias Hospital, Spurred By Man's Death | |
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| --Not Easy Directing Traffic Around Accident Scenes Sometimes | |
| Saturday, January 19, 2008
State Route 190, the road in and out of Eastport, was blocked for a short time Friday morning after a tractor-trailer unit jackknifed on a curve and completely blocked the road from snowbank to snowbank. Ordinarily that would be a big problem but Friday's accident happened in an area where there was actually a way to get around the scene. Eastport and Pleasant Point police diverted traffic on to the Vanesse Road and Conner Street in Quoddy Village. Traffic was a little delayed but not completely blocked. It was a cold, wind-driven rain falling as Eastport Police Chief Matt Vinson stood on a slushy Route 190 signaling to motorists they needed to go around. With the Eastport cruiser parked across the road with the blue lights activated most drivers complied. There were exceptions. One woman narrowly missed Vinson as she continued on oblivious to the cruiser with flashing blue lights angled across the road. After she turned around and came back, she told Vinson she didn't see him. And despite the traditional hand gesture indicating "stop" another motorist just went around Vinson. They eventually stopped and turned around. Their explanation to the chief was that they thought he was waving them on. A large rig from Lyon's Towing was brought in to remove the mis-guided tractor-trailer. Luckily, the box was empty and the job was quickly done. The road was reopened at around 11 a.m. Friday. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Calais & St. Stephen Councils Meet With GSA, CBP | |
| Friday, January 18, 2008
$48.3 million for the new Calais Land Port of Entry; $120 million to be shared by the United States and Canada; Getting it built and open as soon as possible? Priceless. Thursday night, the St. Stephen Town Council and Calais City Council held a joint meeting at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 48 in Milltown to discuss issues connected with expediting completion of the new border crossing linking Calais and St. Stephen. Lurita Doan, Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration was joined by Dennis Smith, New England Regional Administrator and other GSA officials. There were also representatives of U.S. Customs and Border Protection on hand. Although there is no exact completion date available, their presence put a face on the agencies involved. The GSA admitted they haven't communicated as well as they should have or could have but said that would be changing. Late last month, J.J. Contractors of Lowell, Mass. was awarded the $48.3 million contract. Calais City Councilor Louis Bernardini asked how many people actually bid on the project. There were four bidders for the project he was told. Bernardini then asked about J.J. Contractors. "Were they involved in the Big Dig," he deadpanned. Laughter erupted. We don't believe so but they done some construction for us in other areas was the GSA reply to Councilor Bernardini. Following the meeting, Doan and Smith fielded questions from local reporters. Asked about any chance of getting a portion of the crossing opened by December, Doan said they're going to be working as fast as we can to build what we can. "We cannot make promises past that." She couldn't compare this project to any others. "Every border crossing is unique, they truly are. Especially in this particular case where you have so many different elements all combining together. You have a brand new road being built, The Department of Transportation is doing a great job with that, they're on target. They're working 24 hours a day, literally, and this is a much larger effort than what we've had before in this area, so it's a pretty big project," Doan said. "This was an "enormously expedited project. I think that Senators Collins, Senator Snowe and Congressman Michaud are all watching this very carefully. They're in touch with our regional administrator Dennis Smith as well as with our office in Washington, D.C.," Doan said. "They are on this like a dog on a bone, they want timelines, are we going to deliver as quickly as possible?" she explained. We asked whether the project would be a "24-hour build?" "That actually is the purview of the contractor," Doan said. She mentioned a stakeholders meeting coming up next week. "The contract was just awarded less than three weeks ago, of which during that time frame, we've also had Christmas and New Year's. It's still pretty new," Doan said. The new border crossing is going to be a great thing for the community she said. "It's going to help bring some discipline to routing of the traffic by separating commercial and passenger vehicles. I believe that we have a commitment to stay on time and to build as fast as we can, as much as we can, and to keep the community informed," Doan said. The U.S. side of the new border crossing is significantly larger than its Canadian counterpart. "It's almost four times the size of what is on the Canadian side, about 100,000 square feet," she said. It'll occupy 54 acres. Doan stressed that she has asked to get this done "as fast as humanly possible" and that is what the stakeholders meeting on Jan. 25 is all about. "It's for our folks who are managing this project, the folks who are designing the project, for them to sit down with the construction team, with the general contractor, with CBP and really try to fine-tune the timeline to expedite, to get it done as quickly as possible," Doan told us. We asked St. Stephen Mayor Allan Gillmor if he was satisfied with the meeting. "Actually yes. I think the fact that there's a goal to get the commercial traffic out of the way by the summer of 2009, that satisfies us all," he said. And Calais City Manager Diane Barnes added, "I don't know as we know more but what we know is they're aware of our situation and they're going to do as much as they can as fast as they can and I think that's the important issue," she said." "They got it, they got the issue. I believe they'll do it the fastest way possible," Barnes told us. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --LNG Foes Buoyed By Cargo Ship Incident, Officials Respond | |
| Thursday, January 17, 2008
A loss of engine power aboard a ship bound for Maine over the weekend has fired up the resolve of local LNG opponents on both sides of the border who say anything could happen at any time and if LNG transit had been involved the situation would have been much worse. From both sides of Passamaquoddy Bay, opponents of the proposed liquefied natural gas terminals in Maine have been talking this week about the "what ifs" and the "could haves" following a Saturday morning incident where a cargo ship bound for Eastport to pick up wood pulp lost engine power in the much-debated Head Harbour Passage, of all places. The vessel was the Alexandergracht of Dutch-registry. Chief James Malcolm of the U.S. Coast Guard Station Eastport told WQDY Wednesday from a Coast Guard point of view, "it was pretty much a cut and dried case." "The Alexandergracht, a 300-foot long cargo vessel, experienced a propulsion failure. They anchored their vessel and at that point, the Coast Guard put a hold on the vessel that said we can't allow you into U.S. waters to moor at Eastport until we confirm the status of your vessel," he explained. The Coast Guard sent an inspection team from Belfast, Maine. "We went out and inspected the vessel to be sure that they were ready for entry with their full machinery plant up and running," Chief Malcolm said. Once that was ascertained, the ship was allowed to continue on to the Estes Head Cargo pier in Eastport. There were reports that people on Campobello Island, New Brunswick, heard a "scraping sound" and assumed the ship had gone aground. Chief Malcolm confirmed the ship had not gone aground. "An anchor going to the bottom would probably make a similar sound. Probably, what somebody on Campobello heard was, perhaps, an anchor chain being lowered or something like that. [The ship] definitely did not go aground," he said. "The real reason we were called was because they broke down and they dropped an anchor - they were actually dragging their anchor. There was a fear that they were going to continue to drag an anchor and go aground," said Malcolm. "They eventually got their anchor to hold so the vessel stayed put. We got dispatched basically to go out there and put eyes on it and get a status on the vessel to report back to our bosses down at Sector in Portland," he said. The process would take several hours. Station Eastport got underway at about 6:15 a.m. Saturday. "The engine failure took place sometime in the 05:00 to 06:00 range. What took the most time - because they had gone to anchor - we had to wait for the vessel inspection team to come up from Belfast. They had missed the high tide so they had to wait for the next high tide to weigh anchor and come on in to the FMT" [Federal Marine Terminal at Estes Head Cargo Port in Eastport], he said. Malcolm said the ship finally moored by about 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon. Waiting for the tide lengthened the process. For the Coast Guard, Malcolm said, "it was a very simple case." They deal with these kinds of things all the time. But opponents on both sides of the bay are using the incident to bolster their argument against proposed LNG sites in Passamaquoddy Bay. Bob Godfrey, Webmaster for Save Passamaquoddy Bay-Maine talked about other scenarios while referencing LNG in a telephone interview Wednesday. "It points out that accidents happen - this could be a tug that could lose power not just a ship - or if it's being accompanied by tractor tugs - one or even more tugboats could lose power at the same time that could create a problem," he said. "There could be human error. Accidents do happen and for that to have happened at this time, in that location, [Head Harbour Passage] I think is kind of ominous," he chuckled. "It demonstrates that things occasionally do happen, that it's not an impossibility as some people would have us believe," Godfrey said. Meanwhile, Jessie Davies, a co-chair of Save Passamaquoddy Bay-Canada noted the "what ifs" in a telephone interview with WQDY. "What if a vessel had more dangerous cargo? What if the tides and currents were much stronger? What if there were other vessels in the area at the time? Those are the kind of things that we have to think about," Davies told us. SPB-Canada called on Transport Canada to investigate the "recent ship failure in Head Harbour passage" saying the event underscores the dangers of this narrow passage and the need for [Canadian] federal regulation about the transit of LNG tankers through the passage. The Government of Canada has taken a stand but there has been nothing concrete beyond their words. Davies said, "We understand that they are ready to regulate but they have not regulated as yet. We feel that it is really time to do this. This is another incident that points out that this is not an area where we should have LNG tankers at all." Captain Gerald Morrison of Eastport Pilots U.S.A., the pilot on the Alexandegracht at the time of the incident, told WQDY in a Wednesday telephone interview, they had lost an engine coming in. "I had about five minutes notice maybe a little less so I had a chance to plan what I do to do. We had to shut the main engine down, I still had my bow thruster and I had two anchors and I had the rudder." "The current was at a full ebb coming out on the bow, about three-and-a-half knots, and I was inbound right off Wilson's Beach - or Wilson's Point, right in the middle of the channel where I should be," Morrison said. "After the vessel came to a stop due to the current, I was in about 300 feet of water. With that depth of water, you can't let your anchors free-fall, you have to back them down a ways, so we started to back them down." "I backed down my port anchor about 100 feet and then we let that go and by then she started drifting back. Then we let the second anchor go to help slow our speed down and we got both anchors down," Morrison said. "That's what woke up the people over there on Campobello was the noise from the anchor chain. They thought we'd run aground," Morrison said. "We had ordered a tugboat for this vessel and he was on standby anyway, but I had him come out right away to assist," Morrison said. He also notified Fundy Traffic in Saint John and the U.S. Coast Guard of the situation. Further explaining the drifting, Morrison said, "when you have 300-feet of water it takes awhile for the ship to slow down, especially when you put on about 700 feet of chain." "That's why it looked like it was dragging and drifting back, it was just taking the slack out of the chain until things fetched up." He said, "in that particular passage I had over half-a-mile width so I had some room to play with." Ironic in the situation was that Morrison told us about safety-training the LNG companies recently had the pilots go through to prove that it was possible to bring LNG ships through Head Harbour Passage. "Part of the simulator-training was this actual scenario - losing the main engine and bringing the ship under control and putting it at anchor. The only thing that would have helped, if it had been an LNG tanker, I would have had four tugboats and I wouldn't have had to wait 20 minutes for the tug to come, and I wouldn't have to put my anchor down. I would have just been able to continue enroute with the tugboats," Morrison said. Asked for his reaction to SPB-Canada calling on Transport Canada to investigate "the recent ship failure in Head Harbour Passage," Morrison said, "Well that's good because I've got everything documented and actually, Fundy Traffic, the people I deal with one on one, have a copy of all this information, they have it already, and the U.S. Coast Guard also has a copy of the information." Some members of SPB-Maine told WQDY they believed there was "a cover up" of the incident which brought a chuckle from Morrison. "No. If they wanted to take and turn their radio on to [VHF] Channel 14 [156.700 MHz], that we use all the time, they could have had [it] minute by minute." "No, there was no cover up," Morrison said. Chris Gardner, director of the Eastport Port Authority also told WQDY Wednesday, "the incident that took place the other day with a cargo ship really was not as much of an issue as others would like to perhaps, make it to be. The ship had a mechanical failure that required it to go to anchor. It was able to repair itself on the spot and it continued on its way as soon as the tidal window allowed it to do so for purposes of docking at the port." "It's unfortunate that something is being made of this when in our opinion and I think the opinion of all those involved fails to be a real issue," Gardner said. Morrison said at no time was he floundering. "I had control of the vessel. I was able to use my rudder and my bow thruster and I was pointing her directly into the current parallel with the mainstream which is right down the middle of the passage. That's where I kep' her." "At no time was the whole area in peril the way that the save the bay people are putting it across. That's what we're trained for - we've had emergency ship handling. That's just part of our job," Morrison said. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Charlotte County Mourns Bathurst Crash Victims | |
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| --Deer Crashes Into Bank, Runs Away, Eventually Drowns | |
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| --Calais LNG Partners Visit The Border Area | |
| Wednesday, January 16, 2008
It would seem that reports on the death of the Calais LNG project have been greatly exaggerated. As WQDY News first reported last Friday, representatives of the Calais LNG project had contacted city officials in advance of a visit to the area this week. The Calais LNG project was first announced at a Calais City Council meeting on August 25, 2005. The initial entities behind the project faltered somewhat and the project went into a limbo of sorts. About a year ago, there was some reorganization. Now there are new partners keeping the project alive. State Rep. Ian Emery [R-Cutler], one of the original partners, has now teamed up Art Gelber and his Texas-based company, Gelber & Associates. Both Gelber and Emery are "development managers" for the Calais LNG project. Both are partners in North East Energy Development LLC. Gelber has been visiting the Calais area this week. In a Tuesday interview with WQDY News, Gelber was asked how he became involved with the Calais LNG project. "Ian contacted me for my expertise in the natural gas field and as I looked at the project as a consultant to them, I recognized what a really good LNG project looks like - and this is one," Gelber said. Noting that Quoddy Bay LNG and Downeast LNG are further along in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [FERC] process, Gelber was asked how soon it would be before Calais LNG might be approaching the federal agency. "We expect - if we are able to stick to our work plan - we'll be at FERC by late spring to mid-summer," Gelber said. As to the stiff Canadian opposition to any and all LNG sites proposed in Passamaquoddy Bay, Gelber said he really thinks they're entitled to their opinions. "We look forward to engaging them if they'd like to talk to us. If we can address their issues and have an open dialogue," Gelber said. He said there are plans for a public meeting in Calais. "We expect to be back very soon [in the] next several months to have a public meeting an open forum for discussion. We're here now to meet with as many people as we can in order to get a sense from the community; their wants, their hopes, their needs and their desires." Asked if he had thought about going to visit Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Gelber said he didn't have any specific plans right now to go over, but added he'd be happy to go. "If they were to call me and ask me to come over, I'd probably go over there," Gelber said. Back to the Canadian opposition, St. Andrews Mayor John Craig has been among the fiercest in his outspoken stance on all proposed LNG terminals in Passamaquoddy Bay. Mayor Craig told WQDY News, "St. Andrews is definitely opposed to any and all LNG's on the Passamaquoddy Bay, as is the Government of Canada. We, along with the Government of Canada are opposed to it and we're going to make sure that that does not happen. Our Prime Minister has steadfastly said that he will not allow LNG tankers to travel through Head Harbour Passage and that is the only way to get into Passamaquoddy Bay and we will make sure that does not happen." "These companies are wasting their time," Craig added. "In fact they are wasting their investor's money. The Prime Minister of Canada has told President of the United States that this will not happen. Going through Head Harbour Passage is Canadian waters and they have to understand this," said the mayor. "This is a major thing that they cannot get around, that our country has said that they can't get through Head Harbour Passage so saying this again - their investors are throwing money away. I think the investors better wake up to the fact that these guys are spending their money and throwing it out the window," Craig said. Gelber simply responded, "They're entitled to their opinion." "We have ours and we think that waterway should be available and is available for passage. We have a good site for lots of reasons. One of the key reasons is that it's directly across the river from a current existing industrial facility [Port of Bayside] that's been operating in Canada for a number of years," Gelber said. Also reached for reaction to the apparent resurrection of the Calais LNG project and of Gelber's visit to the area was Linda Godfrey, coordinator of Save Passamaquoddy Bay, a local group that has been actively fighting the proposed LNG terminals for almost the past four years. "One hopes the third developer here is in the area to doing some due diligence," Godfrey told WQDY. "He certainly should be looking at some of the major obstacles that are obviously present here. The biggest one being that Canada says they're not coming through Head Harbour, that certainly has been made more concrete every time Canada speaks," Godfrey said. "It's a very strange thing to see one, two and now three developers proposing this," she said. Godfrey had a message for Calais LNG. "Save Passamaquoddy Bay, the Three Nation Alliance is here to protect the bay and we will continue to do our work to that end," she said. Emery, whose Calais LNG Project Company business cards say "development manager" told us he was happy the project was moving forward again. "It stalled out over a year ago and it's really taken a considerable amount of effort. I really thank Art Gelber and the people that he's been able to bring into this project have actually worked in the LNG business and have built and designed these types of projects to take an interest in bringing this project to Calais. I'm really looking forward over the next several months as this project begins to start the permitting side of the development and bring these opportunities to Calais," Emery told us. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --U.S. Will Be Flexible On New Border Rule Starting Jan. 31 | |
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| --Community Mourns As Accident Investigation Continues | |
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| --Missing St. George Woman In Toronto, Case Closed | |
| Wednesday, January 16, 2008
A woman reported missing last week from St. George, New Brunswick has been located, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Tuesday. According to Sonia Pineau, RCMP District 1 Assistant, Anna Ringas was found safe and sound in the Toronto area. RCMP thank the general public for their assistance in locating Ringas. Police said there was no criminal element to her disappearance and the RCMP file has now been closed. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Environmental Groups Sue Over Proposed Oil Refinery | |
| Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Environmental groups are suing the Canadian government over Irving Oil's proposed new oil refinery arguing for a full environmental assessment of the project. The lawsuit was launched by Ecojustice [formerly Sierra Legal Defense Fund] on behalf of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick and Friends of the Earth Canada. According to the group's news release, they want to ensure that the multi-billion dollar refinery faces the full scrutiny of an environmental assessment by the federal government. The lawsuit challenges the federal government's decision to dramatically restrict its assessment of the environmental impact of the proposed Irving refinery to the facility's wharf structure. The lawsuit argues that under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act the federal government must study and minimize the harmful environmental impacts of these types of large-scale industrial projects. The Irving Refinery is one of three new refineries proposed across Canada where Canada's Environment Minister John Baird has refused to order a full environmental assessment and instead restricted federal involvement to the associated wharf or docking facilities, including projects in Southern Head, Newfoundland and Sarnia, Ontario, according to the group's news release. It's expected the federal court will hear the case in mid-2008. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Seven Teens, One Adult Killed In Crash Near Bathurst, N.B. | |
| Tuesday, January 15, 2008
A van carrying a New Brunswick high school basketball team home from a game collided head-on with a transport truck shortly after midnight Friday, killing seven members of the boys' team along with one adult woman. RCMP said the Bathurst High School basketball team was returning home from a game in Moncton when it fish-tailed on Highway 8 near Highway 11 and slammed into the truck. The team was about five minutes away from their hometown. Killed in the crash were 51-year old Elizabeth Lord, a teacher and wife of the coach who was driving the van. Five of the victims - Nathan Cleland, Justin Cormier, Daniel Hains, Javier Acevedo and Codey Branch - were all 17 years old. Also killed were Nickolas Quinn, 16, and Nicholas Kelly, 15. RCMP said four other people from the van were taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries. The driver of the truck was not injured. Sympathies have poured in from the Maritimes and across Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the deaths "unthinkable." RCMP said initial observations indicated weather and driving conditions to have been the cause of the crash, however, the exact cause will not be determined until the completion of the RCMP Collision Reconstructionist's report. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Missing Canadian Seen At BIA, Flew To Florida | |
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| --Calais Officials Hear From Calais LNG Official | |
| Friday, January 11, 2008
Representatives of a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in Calais have been in contact with city officials this week. Calais City Manager Diane Barnes told the City Council at during their regular Thursday night meeting, "the project management team for Calais LNG is going to be in the area next week. They're going to be here to talk with the civic leaders of our community and I look forward to meeting them and hearing what they have to say." A reporter asked Mayor Vinton Cassidy if it was Art Gelber of North East Energy Development LLC of Maine and Texas, who had contacted him. Cassidy confirmed that he indeed spoke with Gelber and that he also suggested Gelber speak with the city manager. When first presented to the Calais City Council in late August 2005, the Calais LNG project was a partnership with BP Consulting, founded by then-Passamaquoddy tribal representative Fred Moore and State Representative Ian Emery [R-Cutler]. Indian Township was also involved. There was a parting of the ways and the project seemed to go into limbo. In January 2007 after some reorganization, the Calais LNG project had new partners behind it. North East Development LLC of Maine and Texas. The Calais proposal lags behind two others, Quoddy Bay LNG and Downeast LNG. The proposed Calais LNG facility would be located in the Red Beach section of the city, between St. Croix Island and Devil's Head Park. At Thursday night's city council meeting, Mayor Cassidy recalled the initial Calais LNG group and how they approached the project with the community. "We had a public work session with the planning board and the council. There were representatives from CIANBRO there and the tribe was involved at that time." "I was kind of hoping [Calais LNG] would do that but apparently these folks would rather get a feel from the community and all of the leaders and the business people. That's a different approach and obviously I don't have any input on how people should do their business," the Mayor said. The Mayor said he hoped if the company decided to move forward with the project they would hold a public meeting similar to the previous proponents of Calais LNG. Calais city officials have gone on the record in support of any and all LNG proposals in Washington County. But across the international border, that feeling isn't shared by officials in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. They remain vehemently opposed to any and all in Passamaquoddy Bay. St. Andrews Mayor John Craig repeated those sentiments Thursday to WQDY News. "St. Andrews is definitely opposed to any and all LNG's on the Passamaquoddy Bay as is the Government of Canada," he said. "We, along with the Government of Canada are opposed to it and we are going to make sure that it does not happen." "Our Prime Minister has steadfastly said that he will not allow LNG tankers to travel through Head Harbour Passage and that is the only way to get into Passamaquoddy Bay and we will make sure that that does not happen," said Mayor Craig. But at Thursday night's Calais City Council meeting, Mayor Cassidy remembered, "surprisingly, last time too, there was great support in the Calais area." "Economic development," Cassidy started to say. "It seems like every time we float something no matter who instigates it, there's always people from other parts of the state or the world telling us we can't do it, we shouldn't do it, we should go for tourism, you know?" Cassidy said. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Passport Cards To Be Available In Spring | |
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| --A Twist In The Missing Woman From N.B. Story | |
| Friday, January 11, 2008
There's been a bizarre twist in the story of the missing woman from the St. George, New Brunswick area whose abandoned car was found in a parking lot in downtown Calais - she was allegedly spotted in Bangor. On Wednesday, the St. George detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said 51-year old Anna Ringas had left for St. Stephen the day before but not returned home. RCMP confirmed Ringas had picked up a prescription at a local drugstore. Her vehicle was found in a parking lot in downtown Calais in the early hours Wednesday. Ringas was described as a white female, five-foot, two- inches tall, 150 pounds, with gray hair and brown eyes. Police said she has Parkinson's Disease and has to take medication every three hours. On Thursday, RCMP Sgt. Greg MacAvoy updated the story for WQDY News. "We were able to learn that she hired a fellow in Calais who drove her to the Bangor Airport Tuesday evening. We thought she was leaving on a flight but she may have missed any flights. We know she was at a store in Bangor mid-day. We know she was still there yesterday," MacAvoy said. "With any luck at all we hope she's going to make contact with someone in her family." MacAvoy said "the guy she hooked up with" in Calais drove her to Bangor in her own car and then he brought the car back to Calais, parking it in the car in the Marden's Surplus & Salvage store parking lot on Main Street. Calais Police had the vehicle towed from the parking lot to a local storage facility. "He told us about dropping her off at the airport so we assumed a flight but by that time of day all the flights leaving Bangor had already left. So in the end maybe she was gone on a flight and we'd have to start trying to make some inquiries through airline records," MacAvoy said. Then a man recognized Ringas' picture in the Bangor Daily News Thursday and called police. "She may be reassessing her plans or awaiting some kind of another connection, we're not sure. But hopefully, she's going to call someone in the family or somehow we can make some kind of personal contact with her just to confirm that she's okay," MacAvoy said. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --GAO: CG Stretched Too Thin To Protect Oil, LNG Tankers | |
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| --Lit Cigarette Caused NB Fire That Claimed 4 Lives | |
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| --Car Found In Calais, St. George, NB Woman Missing | |
| Thursday, January 10, 2008
RCMP in St. George, New Brunswick are investigating the disappearance of a 51-year old woman from the St. George area. Anna Ringas left for St. Stephen Tuesday and has not returned home. RCMP have confirmed that Ringas picked up her prescription at a local drugstore. Her vehicle was found early Wednesday in the Marden's parking lot in Calais, Maine. Police said Ringas is described as a white female, five foot, two inches tall, 150 pounds, gray hair and brown eyes. She has Parkinson's Disease and has to take her medication every three hours. Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Anna Ringas is asked to contact the District 1 RCMP at 1-506-755-1130 or NB Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --RCMP Surveillance Nails Man For Trafficking Marijuana | |
| Thursday, January 10, 2008
Surveillance by the Grand Manan RCMP Tuesday led to the arrest of a man for trafficking and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. Police seized two small baggies of pre-packaged marijuana along with a cell-phone. The man has a March 20 court in Grand Manan. RCMP say they'll continue to target those involved in the trafficking, production, import and export of controlled substances in the area. As part of the Coastal Watch program, Grand Manan RCMP are requesting the public's assistance in identifying those involved in smuggling humans, drugs, tobacco, liquor and other items to and from the United States. Police are currently attempting to identify those who are using aircraft, boats or land vehicles to facilitate these offenses. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Grand Manan RCMP at 506-755-1130, New Brunswick Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or Coastal Watch at 1-800-665-6663. Information provided to any of the above numbers is considered confidential and it can be done anonymously. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --CUPE Local 1251 Members Set To Strike Thursday | |
| Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees [CUPE] Local 1251, will be hitting the picket lines Thursday. CUPE Local 1251 represents over 500 correctional officers, housing and community college custodians, human services counselors, laboratory assistants and food service workers. The union and the New Brunswick government have been at odds over wages. In December, union members voted 90-percent in favor of a strike. Louis Arseneau, president of CUPE Local 1251, said after the vote, the union left the door open for the New Brunswick government to come back to the table and avoid a strike, but unfortunately the government did not respond. Because of the province's inaction, members of CUPE Local 1251 will on strike as of 4 p.m. Thursday. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Canadian Couple Jailed On Marijuana Charges | |
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| --RCMP Seek Help In Maintaining Border Integrity | |
| Wednesday, January 09, 2008
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are seeking the assistance of the public in helping to keep the border secure between New Brunswick and Maine. Police are seeking information on illegal cross-border movement of people, drugs, tobacco-alcohol, firearms, or any other illegal items. The RCMP can be reached at 1-888-506-RCMP [7267] or call New Brunswick Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS [8477]. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --St. Stephen To Borrow Funds For New Town Hall | |
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| --Red Sox World Series Trophy Heads To Nova Scotia | |
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| --Counterfeit Check Scam In Washington County | |
| Saturday, January 05, 2008
Thieves have netted more than $53,000 in a counterfeit check scam in Washington County. Authorities said phony payroll checks from the Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington were cashed at Machias Savings Bank and a number of other businesses on November 30. State Police detectives think one or more former employees of the company is involved. The scheme was discovered late last month by the bank. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --Calais And Eastport's Snow Removal Budgets Being Strained | |
| Friday, January 04, 2008
The repeated snow events of the past month are straining those budgets of the two cities in Washington County. Officials in Calais and Eastport are hoping for a break from Mother Nature - as far as big snowstorms go. Compared to recent years there was a winter's worth of snowstorms packed into December. January has come in with a bang and there's still more of winter to come. Costs for fuel, salt and sand have gone up. And then there's overtime. Calais City Manager Diane Barnes told WQDY News she thinks the whole state of Maine is in that predicament with more snow in the last month than we've seen in years. "As far as our budgets are concerned, right now we're okay but if we continue to have a winter like what we've had this past month then we'll come up short," Barnes said. "During the two storms that we just had we kept the roads open and the highway department has done an excellent job in their duties. They've been working around the clock." She noted that 39-percent of the city's overtime budget for snow removal has already been spent. Barnes urged people to be patient with the snow cleanup. "This is a lot of snow for the department and there's only so many vehicles in the department and so many personnel that can take care of this amount of snow. It's going to take time, it's not going to get done in a week, it'll probably be two to three weeks before we get everything cleaned up the way it should be," Barnes said. "Hopefully, we don't get any more snow that amounts to a lot during that time," she added. Meanwhile in Eastport, City Manager George "Bud" Finch simply put it as "for all those people who say we don't have winters like we used to - welcome to Maine and winters like we used to." "December has been a difficult month," Finch told WQDY News on Thursday. "We've used 65-percent of our snow removal budget already. Normally this time of year we're at about 15-percent." Finch attributes the situation to a combination of things such as the snow starting sooner in the season and there being more of it. "The storms have come on weekends, holidays and at night cutting into the overtime budget. They've been one after another. The fuel costs are going up, the cost of getting sand and salt delivered has gone up and on top of that, we've leaned our budgets down over the years," Finch said. Three full-time employees handle the plowing Eastport's 28-and-a-half miles of road. "In normal snowstorms we keep all the roads open and in major storms, particularly like the two that came this week, we have three-tiers that we work on," Finch explained. First are the main roads which we keep open at all costs because they're the emergency routes; then there's the secondary roads. The third tier includes the dead-end roads and other small areas and lanes where we'll get to them when we can. "Typically, in most storms over the last ten years we've never had to implement that but this year due to the amount of snow and the difficulty of pushing it back into the high snow banks, we actually have small roads that we don't get to until the next day," Finch said. Concerns come about emergency equipment getting into those areas but all of our plows are radio-equipped. We can move the machinery to roads if necessary if there's an ambulance call or fire call." Surveying budget figures on the computer screen in his city hall office Thursday, Finch said, "With this only being the third of January, anybody that's not nervous about what's going to happen to the budget over the next two-and-a-half months of winter must have a much bigger budget than I have." - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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| --School Consolidation Foes Final Push In Petition Drive | |
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| --Body Of Missing Eastport Man Found Buried In Snow | |
| Thursday, January 03, 2008
When 60-year old Reid Emery of Eastport signed himself out of Downeast Community Hospital at about 7 p.m. Tuesday night during a snowstorm he was wearing slippers and a light coat. Searchers found his body Wednesday afternoon around 2 p.m.buried in deep snow behind the hospital. The Maine Warden Service assisted Machias Police in the search for Emery, according to Sgt. Dave Craven. Late Wednesday afternoon, Craven told WQDY News they used aircraft as well as canine units. "We had ground searchers using probes which are like a stake to search the snowbanks starting in a 20-yard radius of the hospital - and that's how the victim was located," Craven said. "We were assisted by Eastport PD officers in that process," Craven added. Reid Emery was the father of Eastport Police Officer Mark Emery. In his Wednesday e-mail update to the Eastport City Council, City Manager George "Bud" Finch said offered "our deepest and sincere thoughts and prayers to Mark and his family." A State Police Criminal Investigation Division [CID] officer was also assisting the Machias Police, same as the Warden Service, said Sgt. Craven. - Tom McLaughlin, WQDY-WALZ News Director -
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