PORTLAND

World War II vet honored with long-overdue medals

A World War II veteran from Maine has gotten some long-overdue medals for his military service decades ago.

George Chapman of York was a staff sergeant with Headquarters and Headquarters Co. 1102nd Combat Engineers Group.

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, presented Chapman with the Bronze Star, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal & Silver Star Attachment, the World War II Victory Medal, the Honorable Service Lapel Button World War II, and the Marksman Badge with Carbine Bar and Rifle Bar.

Snowe also presented Chapman with an American flag that had been flown over the U.S. Capitol in his honor.

SACO

Notre Dame school merging with St. James in Biddeford

Another Catholic school in Maine is closing.

The Journal Tribune of Biddeford reported Tuesday that Notre Dame de Lourdes in Saco will close this summer after serving Catholic children for 60 years. Maine’s Catholic diocese announced last week that the Cathedral Catholic School in Portland will close at the end of the academic year because of long-term financial problems.

The school in Saco will merge with St. James School in Biddeford to serve students from kindergarten through the eighth grade. Church officials said the merger is necessary because of increasing costs and declining enrollment.

Notre Dame has 59 students, while St. James has 156.

PORTLAND

Father of Marine killed in Afghanistan to meet Collins

The father of a Marine who was killed in Afghanistan will meet with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to talk about the U.S. strategy for fighting the war in that country.

John Bernard, a retired Marine, believes the U.S. strategy of trying to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the enemy. Instead of trying to win the loyalties of Afghans, he says, the U.S. military should be focused on defeating the Taliban.

Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has supported the policies pursued by Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. She and Bernard are to meet privately today.

Bernard’s son, Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard, 21, was killed in an insurgent ambush in August 2009.

 

 

Backers of legal marijuana bill will hold rally at City Hall

Supporters of a bill to legalize and tax marijuana in Maine will rally at City Hall today.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland, will be formally released at the 10 a.m. event.

“It is time to stop turning otherwise law-abiding people into criminals, begin taxing marijuana for commercial sale, and refocus our criminal justice resources toward issues that are truly devastating communities,” Russell said.

The bill would legalize the personal use and cultivation of marijuana and levy a 7 percent tax on purchases. It also would license some commercial marijuana-related activities.

Funds generated by the tax would be directed to programs benefiting farmers, preserving land, assisting law enforcement, funding weatherization and supporting higher education.

The bill is expected to have a public hearing before the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee in the next few weeks.

YORK

Spilled sewage plant disks washed up on Maine coast

Officials say that a few of the plastic disks that spilled from a sewage treatment plant in New Hampshire washed up on Maine beaches last weekend.

Jim Martin of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services said the disks showed up in Kittery and York. He told the Portsmouth Herald that it was the first sighting of the disks that far north.

Heavy rains caused millions of the bacteria-catching disks to leave the Hooksett Wastewater Treatment Plant on March 6. The disks, about 2 inches in diameter, spilled into the Merrimack River and were carried into the Atlantic Ocean.

They are not hazardous waste but it’s recommended that people wear gloves when picking them up.

Disks have been found washing up along the coast of Massachusetts as far south as Cape Cod.

BATH

Police warn of burglars making daytime heists

Laptop computers, medications and copper piping were stolen in a string of daytime burglaries in the past month.

From March 22 to April 18, there were seven daytime burglaries, according to a news release from the Bath Police Department.

Police said burglars kicked in the doors of two homes. A key under the doormat was used to enter another home. There was no sign of forced entry at the four others.

Police are encouraging residents to keep their doors and windows locked, even when they’re at home during the day. They’re also asking for help in finding the burglars.

To report suspicious activity or provide information on the recent burglaries, call the Bath Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 443-8367.