AUGUSTA

Swerving in car warrants stop by police, court rules

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that swerving while operating a car is grounds for a police stop.

Robert A. Emerson, 61, of Bangor had appealed a decision by Superior Court Justice Nancy Mills in Kennebec County Superior Court.

Emerson, through attorney Leonard Sharon, maintained he was illegally stopped by police on Dec. 3, 2009, in Augusta, when he was charged with operating under the influence.

Emerson had entered a conditional guilty plea July 8, 2010, to operating under the influence, pending the outcome of his appeal.

In a memo upholding Mills’ decision, a six-judge panel of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court said: “An informant reported that Emerson was swerving and had nearly struck another vehicle, and this behavior was sufficiently dangerous to justify an investigatory stop once the officer located Emerson.”

Emerson, who was sentenced to two years in jail, with all but 45 days suspended and two years probation, must report to jail to begin that sentence within three days of the court notification of the appeal decision.

Emerson also was ordered to pay an $1,100 fine, and his license and registration were suspended for six years.

WATERBORO

Wood stored by stove is blamed for fatal fire

The State Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that a fatal fire Wednesday night started when wood stored too close to a woodstove ignited.

Authorities say an 86-year-old woman was killed in the fire, but her teenage granddaughter escaped.

Cecile Morey was trapped in her bedroom in the home on Pheasant Run Road. Neighbors tried to rescue her but were unable to remove a screen on her bedroom window.

Kaitly Merrill, her 17-year-old granddaughter, escaped from her bedroom in the basement through a window and ran to a neighbor’s house for help.

Merrill’s parents, who own the house, and another resident were not home during the fire, investigators said.

The fire was reported at 9:30 p.m. and extinguished, but crews had to return Thursday morning when the fire started up again.

FREEPORT

Police investigating theft of cars’ catalytic converters

Police are investigating a series of thefts in which catalytic converters were cut from vehicle exhaust systems.

The thefts apparently took place Monday night in three locations, said Freeport police Lt. Susan Nourse. Catalytic converters, which remove toxic substances from auto emissions, can be worth $100 as scrap because they contain platinum.

One was taken from a Volvo C90 parked in the Town Hall parking lot between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Another was taken from a Honda Pilot at the Harraseeket Inn between 5 and 11 p.m., and a third was stolen from a Ford cargo van in the J.L. Coombs parking lot on Route 1. The van was parked overnight, and the damage was discovered Tuesday morning.

Police speculate that the three large cars were targeted because they are easy to climb under in order to cut the exhaust component free.

The thief used a tool to cut the pipe in front of and behind the catalytic converter.

Nourse said local police have not seen such thefts recently but that Durham and Lisbon experienced similar thefts last summer.

The scrap prices of certain metals, such as copper and platinum, have increased as the economy has rebounded after the recession.

PORTLAND

Whistleblower law applies to fired nurse, court rules

Maine’s supreme court has set aside a decision that upheld the firing of an operating room nurse whose complaints about another nurse’s staph infection led to a long-running dispute.

In its unanimous decision, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Thursday took exception to a lower court’s conclusion that Mary Stewart-Dore’s complaints about her fellow nurse failed to rise to a level that warranted protection under the state’s whistleblower law.

The court said there was evidence to suggest Stewart-Dore’s statements were protected because she believed her co-worker’s conduct put patients at risk. Southern Maine Medical Center fired her in 2008.

The case now goes back to the lower court.

Deering to host 13 schools for academic competition

Deering High School will host the State Academic Decathlon on Saturday, fostering competition among 200 students from 14 high schools across Maine.

Participating schools are: Bangor High, Calais High, Deering High, Edward Little High, Hall-Dale High, Houlton High, Monmouth Academy, Mountain Valley High, Oak Hill High, Portland High, Sanford High, Scarborough High, Thornton Academy and Woodland High.

Saturday’s event runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Academic Decathlon is a national scholastic competition that consists of 10 events in economics, essay, art, interview, language and literature, math, music, science, social science and speech.

Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded for individual events and total scores. Teams advance through local, regional and state levels of competition.

The state champions will compete in the national finals April 27-30 in Charlotte, N.C.

Four King students to speak at conference for educators

Four King Middle School eighth-graders will deliver the keynote address to 800 educators at this year’s Expeditionary Learning National Conference in Portland, Ore., on March 19.

Aren Kiladjian, Keyly Martinez, Mohamed Nur and Joanna Quinn gave a dress rehearsal of their multimedia address Thursday to classmates in the school cafeteria.

Their 30-minute presentation highlights a project they did last year as seventh-graders, chronicling the experiences of local people who were involved in the civil rights movement.

Conference organizers are paying for the students’ airfare and accommodations, along with teachers Caitlin LeClair, Karen MacDonald, and David Grant, Principal Mike McCarthy and a parent chaperone.

Dirigo won’t just disappear, program supporters say

Supporters of the Dirigo Health Agency held a news conference Thursday as its future was debated in Augusta.

The state agency operates the DirigoChoice health insurance program and provides coverage to more than 580 Maine businesses and nearly 15,000 individuals, according to Consumers for Affordable Health Care.

Gov. Paul LePage promised to eliminate Dirigo during the campaign last year. His proposed budget would gradually decrease funding for Dirigo over the next several years, although Dirigo would continue to operate in the short term.

“Those who are currently enrolled, or who will be enrolled in the future, will continue to be offered coverage in the Dirigo programs. It’s not just going to be shut down and disappear in a few months,” said Roberta Lane, a Health and Life Agent with O’Hearn Insurance Agency.

Consumers for Affordable Health Care said many businesses and individuals who rely on the program would otherwise not be able to afford insurance. It recently sent a list of enrolled businesses to lawmakers.

KITTERY

Maine and New Hampshire agree to share bridge costs

Transportation commissioners in Maine and New Hampshire have signed an agreement detailing obligations for two bridges that connect Kittery and Portsmouth.

Commissioners George Campbell of New Hampshire and David Bernhardt of Maine signed the agreement Wednesday in Washington, where they have been attending a meeting of state highway officials.

The Memorial Bridge replacement will be funded with $38.5 million apiece from Maine and New Hampshire. Still up in the air is $20 million from the federal government. The Portsmouth Herald reported that Campbell received assurances that the U.S. Department of Transportation will find a way to provide the funding.

The second of the projects — rehabilitation of the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge — will cost $114 million. That project is expected to be funded equally by the states.

CUMBERLAND

Health teacher at Greely wins award for excellence

Denise Allen, a health teacher at Greely High School in Cumberland, recently was named Health Education Professional of the Year by the Eastern District of the American Association for Health Education.

Allen demonstrates leadership, volunteer spirit and excellence in her field, according to the association.

BAR HARBOR

Jackson Laboratory will coordinate state science fair

The Jackson Laboratory will coordinate the Maine State Science Fair on April 30 at Mount Desert Island Regional High School, according to the Maine Department of Education.

The event is free and intended to encourage hands-on participation of science students at 153 public and private high schools across Maine.

Students may register for the fair through March 30. For more information, contact fair coordinator Robert Chaplin at Robert.Chaplin@jax.org.

EAST MILLINOCKET

State won’t help provide tax breaks for paper mills

The state of Maine won’t help two towns provide $48 million in tax breaks so a company can buy paper mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket.

A spokesman for Gov. Paul LePage said the administration supports the goal of revitalizing the mills but won’t help the two towns provide the tax breaks the prospective buyer says are needed for the deal to proceed.

Spokesman Dan Demeritt told the Bangor Daily News the state wants to help where it can, but the state has its own budget crisis to focus on.

Town officials say such tax breaks would force local government layoffs and a vast reduction of services.

The East Millinocket mill employs about 450 people. The Millinocket mill is closed.