WINDHAM

Local man charged after pickup hits pedestrians

A Windham man was charged Sunday with operating under the infuence after two pedestrians were hit by a pickup truck and hospitalized.

The driver, Richard Tarvers, 30, was being held at the Cumberland County Jail. The pedestrians were transported to Maine Medical Center. Their conditions could not be determined because police would not identify the victims until immediate relatives were notified.

Windham police officer Paul Cox witnessed the accident, which occurred shortly before 1 a.m. A 32-year-old man and 31-year-old woman were walking east on Route 115 in the area of Sandbar Road when they were struck by the truck, Windham police said.

While Cox tended to the victims, Sgt. Peter Fulton chased down the truck driver, who had left the scene. Results of a blood alcohol test on the driver are pending.

POLAND

Casino approval prompts resort to open year-round

Voters’ approval of a casino in western Maine is spurring a nearby business to expand from a seasonal to a year-round operation.

Poland Spring Resort owner Cyndi Robbins said people will need a place to stay after Black Bear Entertainment builds its casino in Oxford, about eight miles away. Mainers approved a referendum in November allowing Black Bear to move forward with plans for a $165 million casino and resort.

Robbins said the first phase of her plan calls for an investment of more than $100,000 to renovate the resort’s motor court into a year-round facility.

The resort, with its three inns and 10 cottages, has operated from mid-May through mid-October since 1978. But Robbins said the economic activity the casino will generate justifies the investment.

AUGUSTA

Study says Maine loggers help protect water quality

A new study says Maine loggers are doing a good job using forest management techniques that protect water quality.

The Maine Forest Service report looked at 500 randomly selected sites harvested from 2005 to 2009. It showed that loggers used the techniques known as “Best Management Practices” at 84 percent of of the sites to prevent sediment from entering water bodies.

It also showed a 17 percent decrease in cases in which sediment entered streams and other waterbodies at harvest sites.