Bus Service Ending
(Ellsworth) – The bus for Downeast Community Partners transportation service will make its final pick up and drop off on September 30th. The agency says the service for elderly, disabled and veterans has seen its volunteer driver ranks drop from a high of 70 just 7-years ago to just two this year. The number of rides has dropped from more than 72-thousand in 2018 to just under 900 through July of this year. The agency tells Star 97.7 they’re working with another transportation provider called RideSource to fill the need in Hancock and Washington Counties.
ANP Busy in August
(Acadia National Park) – So far in 2025 more than 3-point-4 million people have visited Acadia National Park. Officials say they recorded nearly 843-thousand visits in August alone: up 45-thousand from July. It was the busiest August since 1989 when park officials reported more than a million visitors to the park in the month. July and August are generally the busiest months for tourism in Acadia.
Blue Hill Lawmaker Charged
(Blue Hill) – A state lawmaker from Blue Hill has received a summons to court on charges she attempted to influence a town election in her hometown. Democratic State Representative Nina Milliken is accused of violating state law which prohibits campaigning within 250-feet of the polls. The Ellsworth American reports it happed on the town meeting election day in Blue Hill on April 4th and a deputy served a summons on Milliken late last week. A prosecutor from Knox County is handling the case as the District Attorney’s office in Hancock County says there is a conflict.
Moosehead Plane Crash
(Greenville) – For a fourth time in the past month a small plane has crashed in Maine. The latest was Saturday on Moosehead Lake during a seaplane fly-in event. State Police spokeswoman Shannon Moss tells Star 97.7 the pilot, 76-year old Barry Holtz of Fairpoint New York was attempting to land on Moosehead when the plane crashed near Beaver Cove. He managed to escape with just facial scrapes and rescue boats quickly brought him to shore. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate and efforts will be made to recover the Grumman G-44 Widgeon plane from 90-feet of water.
Communications Worker Rescued
(Piscataquis County) – A Communications Equipment worker from Connecticut who was assisting with maintenance on Soper Mountain in a remote area near the Allagash Wilderness spent the night on the mountain after he got stranded. The Warden service sent four game wardens and a technical rescue team to the mountain and managed to get 51-year-old Chad Wilcox off a steep cliff. They transported him down the mountain on an ATV and he was not injured. His co-workers used a satellite phone to text for help. The rescue waited for daylight last Friday to get him off the mountain.
Airport Grant
(Trenton) – The Hancock County Regional Airport in Trenton will receive more than $1-point-4 million dollars to upgrade access roads, runways and replace windows in the airport terminal. US Senator Susan Collins’ office reports the money is part of more than $14-million dollars coming to airports in Maine from the Federal Aviation Administration. The bulk of the funding is more than $11-million dollars for the Portland Jetport. Airports in Maine will also receive $1-point-2 million dollars for improved weather observation systems.
Sports
The New England Patriots open the season with a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders 20-to-13.
The Red Sox ended a 3-game losing streak, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-to-4. The Sox play the A’s late tonight.