PORTLAND

Local man, 23, faces charges he tried to run down trooper

A Portland man has been indicted on charges that he tried to run down a Maine State Police trooper along the Maine Turnpike.

Matthew Cole was indicted Friday on charges of eluding an officer, criminal speed, reckless conduct and violating conditions of release.

Police said the 23-year-old Cole was driving an unregistered car on the turnpike on Sept. 15 when Trooper Kyle Wells tried to pull him over.

Police said Cole sped off and crashed his car near Exit 42 in Scarborough.

The trooper was outside his vehicle when, police said, Cole began backing up toward him. Police said the trooper fired at Cole’s car and Cole was not injured.

LEWISTON

Police seek shooter who fired at apartment building

Police in Lewiston are looking for someone who fired several shots at an apartment building.

No one was hurt. Police said the shots were fired at River Valley Village about 5 p.m. Friday.

The Sun Journal reported that witnesses said they saw a pair of men drive up in a small silver car before fleeing just moments after the gunshots.

Police cordoned off a corner of a parking lot. Shell casings were scattered across the lot.

AUGUSTA

Smart-meter foes pressing PUC to eliminate opt-out fee

Smart-meter opponents in Maine are continuing to press for the Public Utilities Commission to eliminate a fee imposed on customers who opt out of the program.

Ed Friedman said there should be no fee for choosing not to allow installation of a device that he says is both an invasion of privacy and a health risk.

Two dozen activists protested last week outside the PUC offices in Augusta.

The commission thought it had dealt with health and safety concerns in 2010, when the issue was first raised. But the state supreme court sided with opponents of the meters, who argued that regulators ignored their legal mandate to ensure the delivery of “safe, reasonable and adequate” utility service.

Now, the commissioners have opened a new investigation.

LYMAN

Ultralight crash injures two, sparks investigation by FAA

Two people were injured when the ultralight plane they were in crashed Saturday morning near the Oakwood mobile home park on Beech Street, the chief of the Goodwin’s Mills Fire Department said.

The crash was reported shortly before 9 a.m., according to Chief Rodger Hooper. Firefighters found the plane in the woods about 100 feet from Beech Street, he said, and the two occupants were out of the aircraft and walking around when they arrived.

He said both men were treated for cuts and bruises at the scene and then taken to Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford. One man had a head injury and was subsequently taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland, Hooper said. The other man had a cut on his hand and bruise on his leg.

Hooper said he didn’t have names of the two men, and their conditions Saturday night were unknown.

An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration was at the site Saturday and that agency will investigate the crash. Hooper said the pilot told him his engine lost power.

“He said he started losing rpms and came down,” Hooper said.

No one was injured on the ground and there was no fire at the scene, Hooper said. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection was called in because of a fuel spill from the aircraft, Hooper said, but the amount was less than three gallons.

NEW YORK

Navy commissions warship built at Bath Iron Works

In a ceremony that was more joyful than solemn, the U.S. Navy on Saturday commissioned the USS Michael Murphy, a sleek new warship named for a Navy SEAL who died in Afghanistan at age 29.

The $1.1 billion warship, built at Bath Iron Works in Maine, is to be based in Hawaii.

Cannons boomed, dignitaries spoke of heroism, and nearly 300 sailors charged up a ramp while a band played “Anchors Away” as the destroyer sprang to life in a ceremony in New York Harbor.

“You are now our family, our team,” the ship’s commander, Tom Shultz, told Murphy’s parents, before leading hundreds of visitors in a SEAL battle cry.

“Hooyah, Michael Murphy!” Shultz said, pointing skyward.

Murphy, a Navy lieutenant who grew up in Patchogue, N.Y., was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during a 2005 ambush. Military officials said that after his four-man team was surrounded, Murphy risked exposure to enemy fire so he could radio a base for help.

The helicopter that rushed to the rescue was shot down, killing 16 sailors and soldiers. Murphy died on the battlefield. Only one man in his squad survived.

The 510-foot ship bearing his name was draped in red, white and blue banners and festooned with flags for Saturday’s ceremony on a pier on Manhattan’s west side.

OWLS HEAD

Museum’s annual show of cars, planes continues

More than 150 antique automobiles from around the world are rallying at the Owls Head Transportation Museum for its annual Foreign Auto Festival and Antique Aeroplane Show this weekend.

The annual event in Owls Head attracts enthusiasts of pre-1992 foreign cars who show off vehicles ranging from Austin Healeys and MGs to Porsches, Ferraris and Rolls Royces.

The show continues Sunday. Admission is $12 for adults.

Weather permitting, the museum will also hold its air show, featuring its fleet of World War I-era biplanes.

PLYMOUTH, N.H.

Electrical workers union OKs new contract with utility

The union representing line workers and other jobs at the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative has approved a new contract, avoiding a possible strike.

The 5 1/2-year agreement still needs the approval of the cooperative’s board of directors, which meets on Monday.

Tom Ryan of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local said Friday the proposed contract provides wage increases and preserves a defined benefit pension plan for current and new employees. Bargaining sessions had been held since April.

The utility provides electricity to 83,000 customers in 115 New Hampshire communities.

The union represents 85 workers, including district representatives; foremen; operations coordinators; line-design technicians; auto mechanics; system electricians; meter technicians; and warehouse workers.

— From staff and news services