Hancock Fatal
(Hancock) – A horrific series of vehicle crashes in Hancock yesterday left a 54-year-old Ellsworth man dead. State Public Safety Department spokeswoman Shannon Moss reports to Star 97.7 that Kevin Minnie was driving west on Route 1 at a high rate of speed when he hit another vehicle. His car kept going and hit a 2nd vehicle. At that point witnesses reported Minnie got out of his vehicle, jumped on other vehicles then ran into the path of a dump truck and was killed when it ran over him. Moss said Minnie was likely suffering from a mental health crisis.
Trenton – Dope Vote
(Trenton) – Voters in Trenton will decide whether they want to allow the sale of recreational marijuana in town. Bar Harbor Story reports the Select Board received a petition this week requesting the matter go before a special town meeting. The Board has yet to schedule a vote, the earliest would be in August. If approved the town would allow for up to two recreational marijuana stores.
Lottery Winner
(Eddington) – An Eddington woman has won nearly $6-million dollars in a Maine Lottery game. Gloria Black hit the jackpot in the Lucky for Life game which gave her the option of $1-thousand dollars a day for life or a lump sump payout of $5.75 million. Black, who bought the winning ticket at a Brewer store, opted for the lump sum. It’s one of the largest payouts in the history of the state lottery.
Bagley- Sheriff
(Hancock) – A detective with the Ellsworth Police Department is the first to throw his hat into the ring for the Hancock County Sheriff’s race next year. Corey Bagley has filed papers to run and has already started campaigning for the Republican nomination. The current Sheriff, Scott Kane, was once Bagley’s boss when Bagley served as a patrol Lieutenant and then chief deputy for the county. Kane has not indicated whether he intends to run for re-election.
Red Flag Law Hearing
(Augusta) – Gun control advocates say families should be able to start the process of having authorities remove guns from dangerous people. The Governor and the State Police say a so called “red flag” law could be more dangerous than the current “yellow flag” laws. Both sides testified at a public hearing before a legislative committee yesterday. If lawmakers don’t pass the law, it’ll go to voters in November.
Dam Votes
(Camden, Dover-Foxcroft) – Voters in two Maine towns have decided to remove dams. The votes in Dover-Foxcroft and Camden saw questions to remove the mill dams instead of performing expensive repairs. The Dover-Foxcroft repairs would cost taxpayers about $14-million dollars. Camden’s cost to repair the Montgomery Dam would be about $10-million dollars. Removal is significantly less expensive. Both votes passed by wide margins.
Gouldsboro Town Meeting
(Gouldsboro) – Voters in Gouldsboro passed the town budget last but it was not without controversy. The elected budget committee had recommended not to approve several departmental budgets because insurance costs had been removed from the departments and the total insurance cost was contained in a separate article. The budget committee said that it didn’t give a true picture of the cost for various departments. Select Board members said it was shocking to them how much total insurance costs were, so they opted to make insurance a separate article. All the budget articles passed following a lengthy discussion.
Dixmont Theft
(Dixmont) – A 67-year old Dixmont woman faces burglary and theft charges after she allegedly broke into a home and stole a hunting rifle. The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department says they found Renee Cohen with the gun after another woman reported the theft at a home on North Road in Dixmont. WABI-TV reports the homeowner was home with a baby and locked herself in a room with the baby when she saw Cohen trying to enter the house.
Bus Fires
(Portland) – An early morning fire call yesterday in Maine’s largest city saw two antique buses ablaze on St. John Street. Flames were headed toward a nearby building, but quick work by firefighters prevented that building from catching fire. The Fire Marshal’s office reports to Star 97.7 they’re assisting Portland Police and Fire in the investigation and they’ve yet to determine how the fire started.
Sports
NBA Finals – Indiana Pacers 116 Oklahoma City Thunder 107 (Pacers lead series 2-1)
Red Sox – Boston Red Sox 4 Tampa Bay Rays 3
High School Baseball – Class “B” Quarterfinals – Ellsworth 10 Lawrence 0 ; Old Town 6 Belfast 5
Tennis – Orono wins the State boy’s tennis title