Slippery Roads
(Undated) – Winter road crews have coated major roads with salt and sand overnight so cars will have traction on the way to work this morning. Freezing rain away from Maine’s shoreline left a glaze late last night, along with a layer of slush above the ice, making for extremely slippery travel. The rain and sleet are expected to end this morning. Emera Maine reports a few dozen outages overnight as ice coated trees in some areas. Police urge motorists to travel an appropriate speed for the road conditions.
Garland Killer Sentence
(Bangor) – A Garland man finds out today how long he’ll spend in prison for killing his ex-girlfriend and her two children more than 2-years ago. Keith Coleman faces 25-years to life in prison. Jurors convicted Coleman a few weeks ago for the deaths of 36-year old Christina Sargent, her 10-year old son and 8-year old daughter. Coleman said he killed the two children after chasing them down, because they had witnessed him killing their mother.
Drug Dealer Sentenced
(Bangor) – A Drug dealer from Guilford is headed to prison for the better part of two years. The US Attorney’s office reports to Star 97-7 Willie Harper will spend 3-years on supervised release after 21-months in prison. Harper sold heroin to an undercover officer in Guilford in August of 2015. The 48-year old sold pills to another officer in Guilford. During sentencing Judge John Woodcock said Harper had a horrible criminal record which includes several felony convictions in Illinois.
Underage Drinking
(Gouldsboro) Hancock County Sheriff’s deputies conducting an impaired driving enforcement detail on Route 1 in Gouldsboro were surprised when they discovered a 14-year old driving one of the vehicles they stopped on New Year’s Eve. Lt Chris Thornton says the teen and his 14-year-old passenger were equally as surprised about being pulled over. Thornton says both teens were released to their parents. He reminds locals to report underage drinking or other crimes anonymously send a text to CRIMES, or 2 7 4 6 3 7, and type the word HANCOCK followed by the information.
2017 Resolutions
(Maine) About four in 10 of us made New Year’s resolutions, and only a tiny fraction actually keep them. The top pledges center around health, such as losing weight, eating better, exercising more or quitting bad habits like drinking or smoking. Research psychologist Dr. Frieda Birnbaum says often we fail to keep those promises because we make them too hard. She says to set a time that you’ll go to the gym, don’t just promise that you’ll get to it during a busy day, because she says you’ll be more likely to stick to that resolution.
Snowmobile Fatality
(Windham) The Maine Warden Service says a man died in a snowmobile accident in Windham. The snowmobile driven by 44-year-old Angus McDuffie of Gray became stuck while crossing a small stream on Monday morning. Officials say McDuffie, who was wearing a helmet, was thrown from the vehicle. McDuffie’s friends called 911 and tried to revive him, but McDuffie died at the scene. An investigation remains ongoing. The medical examiner’s office will try to determine what caused McDuffie’s death.
Inspection Stickers
(Ellsworth) Ellsworth police remind motorists if your inspection sticker is yellow and the sticker on your license plate is gold with a “16” on it, they’ve expired and are no longer legal. Is there a grace period? Ellsworth police say yes, 30 days UNLESS you’re pulled over by an officer, then you have 48 hours to get it done. They say if your vehicle is unsafe or has a defect like bald tires or is a missing headlight or taillight, you could get a summons for that. They say have your insurance card handy because you’ll need that to register your vehicle.
MCMH 1st Baby 2017
(Ellsworth) Maine Coast Memorial Hospital says the first baby born in the New Year at their hospital belongs to a Brooklin couple. Irik Tobins was born at 12:39 (PM) in the afternoon on January 1st weighing 8 lbs and 6 oz. Local businesses and organizations honor the first baby born each year and their parents with a gift basket. Parents Martin and Hilary Tobin enjoyed gifts from the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce, The Bud Connection, Bangor Savings Bank, Ruth Foster, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, and Stone Soup.
Drug Arrest
(Fairfield) A Maine State Trooper noticed a vehicle with oversized tires and pulled over the driver in Fairfield last week. Upon further investigation it was discovered the operator, 23-year-old Zachary Ricker of Winslow, was on bail conditions not to use or possess any drugs. Ricker has a medical marijuana card, but the trooper says that does not cover possession of Hash Oil. Ricker admitted to the trooper he made the 13 grams of Hash Oil himself. Ricker was issued criminal summonses for Unlawful Trafficking Scheduled Drugs, Unlawful Possession of Scheduled Drugs, and Violating Conditions of Release.
Domestic Charge
(Palermo) Waldo County deputies tracked down a Palermo man after a domestic disturbance Monday night. The incident happened at a home on Martin Woods Road in Palermo where witnesses say 38-year-old Roger West of Chelsea showed up and assaulted two people, including a former domestic partner. West had left the scene before deputies arrived, but they located him later and charged him with Domestic Violence Assault. He’s held at the Waldo County Correctional Center without bail until he’s arraigned. West has prior assault convictions.
Unregistered Sex Offender
(Bangor) A Hermon man will spend 5-years on probation for failing to register as a sex offender. The US Attorney’s office reports to Star 97.7 that 44-year-old Charles Roberson pled guilty to the charge last July. In 2004 he was convicted in Minnesota of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the First Degree, a felony conviction that requires Roberson to register as a sex offender for life. He moved to Maine in 2015 without notifying officials in Minnesota or Maine that he had moved. The law eventually caught up with Roberson.
LePage – Schools
(Augusta) Republican Gov. Paul LePage has signed an executive order to direct state funds to school consolidation efforts at a time of rising education costs and declining student enrollments. LePage also directed the department to propose a bill authorizing a bond covering debt service for regionalization projects
Moose
(ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt.) – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is starting a multi-year study to monitor moose using the same technology already being used in Maine to monitor moose in the pine tree state. Starting this month, researchers will start placing radio collars on up to 60 wild moose to follow their movements and determine their causes of mortality. The study will run through 2019. In addition to Maine, New Hampshire and New York are also currently using the same methods to examine their moose herds.
Poliquin Opposes
(Maine) Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin of Maine says he opposed the scratched GOP proposal to gut the independent Office of Congressional Ethics. Poliquin said Tuesday that the Office of Congressional Ethics needs reforms that both parties agree on. GOP House members voted behind closed doors Monday to give themselves ultimate control over the ethics office. But they reversed themselves Tuesday after facing criticism.
Two Shakers Left
(New Gloucester) A member of a nearly extinct religious society has died, leaving just two Shakers in the nation. Sister Frances Carr was 89. The Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake, Maine, says Carr died Monday after a brief battle with cancer. The Shakers are also known as the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearance. They live a communal, agrarian lifestyle that combines worship, hard work and simple living.
Sports
High School Boys Basketball
George Stevens 77, Searsport District 41
Shead 61, East Grand (GHC) 45
Washington Academy 63, Narraguagus 57
Girls
Deer Isle-Stonington 51, Highview Christian Academy 23
Jonesport-Beals 47, Machias 39
Shead 49, East Grand (GHC) 36
Boston Celtics 115 Utah Jazz 104 (Celts hit 17-3 pointers)
College: U-Maine women at Vermont