Eclipse
(Millinocket) – Eclipse enthusiasts by the thousands made it a party in Northern Maine for a less than 4-minute view of a total solar eclipse. At the New England Outdoor Center Bill Wood of Augusta said this was the first time he saw a total eclipse, but not his first attempt. Wood said he went to South Carolina in 2017, but only experienced a thunderstorm. Police reported traffic headed out of Aroostook and Penobscot Counties was backed up for about 7-miles after the sun emerged from behind the moon.
(Lamoine) – While the eclipse in other parts of Maine was not total, it was pretty close, and that attracted families to a pair of beaches in Lamoine. Both Marlboro Beach and Lamoine Beach were packed with eclipse viewers. Some put out blankets on the beach and sat back to enjoy the spectacle with safety glasses. The skies didn’t go totally dark, but the light was clearly diminished to the point that lights on buildings activated by darkness came on during the event. Town officials say the folks using the parks rivaled warm summer days and parking spots were hard to find.
Body Found
(Hampden) – The Medical Examiner’s Office is working to identify a woman’s body found Sunday along the banks of the Penobscot River in Hampden. The Hampden Police Department reports the body turned up near Hughes Brothers Construction. They say the death does not appear to be suspicious. Hampden firefighters and police responded, and the Bangor Fire Department sent its rescue boat.
Lincolnville Killer Sentenced
(Belfast) – A Lincolnville man will spend 20-years in prison after he was convicted of killing his housemate. Matthew Pendleton had 6-years of the sentence suspended, and will spend another 4-years on probation. A jury convicted Pendleton in February after deliberating for two days following the trial in Belfast. He is charged with killing Kevin Curit in January 2023. Prosecutors say Pendleton was in a drunken rage when he strangled Curit in their home. The defense which is appealing the conviction, said Curit died following a long illness.
Thomaston Committee Resigns
(Thomaston) – All of the members of the Comprehensive Planning Committee in Thomaston have submitted their resignations. The Courier Gazette reports the committee completed its work and the town passed the latest plan in 2020. The four remaining members submitted their resignations, saying the committee ought to become an ad hoc committee so that it can continue to monitor implementation of the plan with town staff.
Power Outages
(Augusta) – Linemen continue to work on restoring electricity to about 900-Maine customers this morning following the snowstorm last Thursday. All the outages are with Central Maine Power Company, the bulk in Cumberland and York counties. At the storm’s height, more than 300-thouand Mainers lost power.
Star 97.7 Sports
- Connecticut wins its 2nd straight NCAA Mens’ Basketball championship, beating Purdue 75-to-60
- The Red Sox open their home season at Fenway Park this afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles. Brian Bello (BAY-oh) will start for the Sox.
- The Bruins play the Carolina Hurricanes tonight. Boston is on a 4-game win streak.
- The Celtics are in Milwaukee to take on the Bucks tonight. The Celtics have the best record in the NBA and four games remain in the regular season.
- The Maine Celtics will face the Oklahoma City Blue in the NBA G-League finals beginning tonight.
- High School baseball and softball begin their exhibition seasons this afternoon. MDI takes on Narraguagus in baseball.