FRIENDSHIP

Man found dead believed to be escaped inmate

Maine corrections officials say a man found dead in a Friendship home has been tentatively identified as an inmate who escaped from a low-security prison.

Officials said 21-year-old Brian Floyd escaped from the Bolduc Correctional Facility in Warren at about 10 p.m. Friday. He was serving time for theft and was due to be released in 2015.

The Department of Corrections said it received information early Sunday morning that Floyd was at a residence in Friendship.

Authorities said preliminary reports indicate the body was Floyd’s, but a positive identification will take several days.

The cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner.

SANFORD

Arson suspected in fire at community center

Police and fire officials spent Sunday evening investigating suspected arson at Nasson Community Center.

The fire department was called to the community center on Main Street in Springvale shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday for a report of a fire. Crews found a fire in a basement locker room, which they were able to put out with a fire extinguisher, said Lt. Harold Smith of the Sanford Fire Department.

Smith said materials left behind in the locker room indicated the fire was likely an arson. He said police have two suspects, but he did not know if they were in custody.

A police dispatcher had no additional information Sunday night.

Smith said there were two people in the building when the fire was reported. There were no injuries, and smoke and fire damage was minimal, he said.

BANGOR

Production of Maine beers takes a 30 percent jump

Beer production at Maine breweries is going up.

The Department of Public Safety liquor licensing unit said breweries last year produced 6.4 million gallons. That’s up 30 percent from 2010 and 56 percent from the 4.1 million-gallon output in 2009.

Maine’s beer producers are made up of relatively small craft-beer breweries. Shipyard Brewing Co., the state’s largest brewery, accounted for more than 4 million gallons in 2011.

Shipyard spokeswoman Tami Kennedy said Maine’s numbers reflect a national trend that shows locally produced beer becoming more popular.

While Maine-made beer production is going up, sales of some mass-produced beers are going down in Maine.

Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Coors and Pabst all saw their distribution numbers in the state fall from 2010 to 2011.

Two synagogues defaced by anti-Semitic graffiti

Bangor police are investigating reports of anti-Semitic swastikas and other graffiti being spray-painted on two city synagogues.

Police said the front staircases and pillars of Beth Israel Synagogue and the Beth Abraham Synagogue were defaced sometime after 7 p.m. Friday.

Sgt. James Buckley said the graffiti included swastikas and an upside-down cross with the numbers 666 positioned on the top and sides. The number 666 is often viewed as a symbol for the devil.

AUGUSTA

Hunters hitting records for size, numbers of bears

Maine hunting guides are telling state game officials that 2012 will go down in the record books as one of the best years ever to hunt bears in the state.

Guides are seeing record bear numbers as well as record-sized bears, including the new state record of 699 pounds this season. Many others are in the 600- and 500-pound weight classes.

State officials said Maine hasn’t had a bear hunting season like this since 1993, when the previous record 680-pound bear was taken.

This season’s record 699-pounder was claimed by Matt Knox of Waynesboro, Pa., who said he was stunned by the bear’s size.

Bears can be hunted with dogs until Oct. 26, and can be trapped until Oct. 31.

Motorcycle deaths worse than last year in Maine

The Maine Public Safety Department says the number of motorcycle deaths on the state’s highways is outpacing last year’s figure.

The state’s highway death toll so far this year stands at 120, with 20 of those deaths being motorcyclists.

At this time last year, the motorcycle fatality count was 12.

Three people were killed during the past week in car crashes in Maine.

BIDDEFORD

Work on stretch of Route 1 will slow traffic through fall

Reconstruction of a section of Route 1 is scheduled to begin Monday morning.

The project includes reconstruction of Route 1, or Elm Street, from the Biddeford Connector extending a half-mile north to Beaudoin Avenue.

Crews from Brown Industrial Group of Berwick also will do shoulder work, install granite curbs, pave sidewalks and make drainage improvements.

The paved shoulders and sidewalks are intended to improve safety for drivers and pedestrians, according to the Maine Department of Transportation.

Alternating one-way traffic will occur between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Two-way traffic will be in place between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Work will continue through fall, then resume next spring. The project is expected to be completed by early July 2013.

SOUTH PORTLAND

Community college offers new green building courses

Southern Maine Community College is working with the Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council to offer certification courses on green construction, building operations and maintenance.

The courses are part of the Green Professional Building Skills Program developed by the New York City chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. The council has a green rating for buildings.

The three courses aim to teach sustainability principles and construction techniques to professionals who build, renovate and maintain buildings in Maine.

Margaret Innes, chairwoman of the Maine council’s board, said the idea is to get tradespeople familiar enough with the principles to begin teaching each other.

— From staff and news services