STATEWIDE

Tickets confirm motorists distracted and unbuckled

A state police crackdown during the summer resulted in nearly 3,000 combined tickets being written for failure to buckle up, distracted driving and texting while driving.

Col. Robert Williams, the head of the state police, said he told troopers to step up enforcement of those laws in July, August and September and as a result, 2,486 drivers were ticketed for not wearing seat belts and 493 got tickets for distracted driving or texting while driving.

Steve McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, said comparable figures for prior months and last summer were not available Friday.

“We all see motorists not paying attention while they are driving or not buckled up, and the numbers for the past three months confirm it,” Williams said.

Williams also said that troopers wrote 13,134 tickets for speeding in the three same three months.

PORTLAND

Gay Episcopal bishop to talk about same-sex marriage

Bishop Gene Robinson of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire will speak Tuesday about gay marriage at the Cathedral of St. Luke.

Robinson will sign copies of his new book “God Believes in Love: Straight Talk on Gay Marriage” at 6:30 p.m., and at 7 p.m. he will address frequently asked questions about gay marriage. Topics will include a discussion of civil unions, parenting and why straight people should care about gay marriage, according to a news release from the Religious Coalition Against Discrimination and Integrity Maine.

Robinson had been married to a woman and has two children, but has been married to his longtime male partner for four years.

Maine voters will decide Nov. 6 whether to allow the state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

AUBURN

Man, 23, will face charges of threatening over standoff

Police say a man who was arrested after a standoff has been charged with two counts of criminal threatening with a firearm.

Police Chief Phil Crowell said Dylan Brockway, 23, fired two shots in the air and one toward police.

Police eventually used tear gas to bring the incident to a conclusion on Friday.
Crowell told the Sun Journal that Brockway lived with his grandmother and that she got to safety during the incident.

Maine Public Safety Department spokesman Steve McCausland said the incident began about 1 a.m. and the state police tactical squad responded.

LINCOLN

Council fires town manager after a few months on job

The town manager in Lincoln is out after only a few months on the job.

The town council voted 6-0 at a special meeting Thursday night to terminate the contract of Bill Reed, who was still on his six-month probationary period after being hired in June.

Councilors did not give a reason for firing Reed, but council chairman Steve Clay said it was not related to the recent discovery of some $1.5 million in accounting errors in the last two town budgets.

Clay told the Bangor Daily News that Reed just wasn’t a good fit.

Police Chief William Lawrence was appointed to serve as interim town manager until a permanent replacement is hired.

BIDDEFORD

Supreme court will honor lawyers for pro bono work

Maine’s highest court will honor 16 York County lawyers for their pro bono work on behalf the poor and elderly.

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court will recognize the lawyers at an awards ceremony at Biddeford District Court at noon Tuesday. The lawyers are: Diane M. Edgecomb, Rita M. Farry, Scott David Giese, Jennifer G. Hayden, Pamela S. Holmes, Lori A. Howell, Erin O’Reilly Jakan, Amy B. McGarry, Robert M. Powers, Amanda E. Ramirez, Craig John Rancourt, R. July Simpson, Charles W. Smith Jr., Angela M. Thibodeau, Neal Weinstein and Russell B. White.

The state supreme court created the Katahdin Counsel Recognition Program last year. Lawyers who complete at least 50 hours of pro bono work for the poor or elderly are eligible to register as a Katahdin Counsel.

Katahdin Counsel receive certificates, lapel pins and the right to use the Katahdin Counsel designation and mark on printed materials.

AUGUSTA

South Portland woman, 66,crashes car into headstones

A South Portland woman escaped serious injury Thursday when her car crashed into several headstones at Riverside Cemetery.

Patricia Higgins, 66, was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center with injuries that weren’t believed to be life-threatening, said police Lt. Christopher Massey.

Massey said the early accident report said Higgins was driving a 2002 Toyota Camry east through the cemetery when the crash occurred around 2:30 p.m. Higgins told police, “the vehicle just took off.”

The Toyota went down an embankment and hit several headstones before coming to a stop, Massey said.

A passenger was in Higgins car, but the person’s identity was not available. Massey said no charges are anticipated.

Leif Dahlin, community services director for the city, said city officials will file claims with the driver’s insurance company to fix the damaged grave sites.

Peak foliage color holding on southern coast, in capital

Maine’s official foliage watchers say this weekend will be the last to view peak color atop two popular viewing spots, Mount Battie and Mount Megunticook in Camden Hills State Park.

Peak foliage color is holding this week along the southern half of Maine’s coast and around the capital region. The final 2012 Fall Foliage Report from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and

Forestry says leaf drop is currently moderate, or less than 50 percent, in that region.
Foliage color in all other regions of the state is past peak, with moderate to high leaf drop.

Hunters asked to share game with the hungry

Hunters are being asked to share at least some of their moose, deer and bear meat with the state’s shelters, pantries and soup kitchens.

Hunters have been generous in the past. State officials said Maine’s Hunters for the Hungry program has grown steadily since it was founded in 1996, and nearly 3,000 pounds of meat were donated last year alone. One deer can provide meat for 100 meals.

Maine game wardens are on the front line in receiving donations. The food also comes in from game processors.

The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry coordinates with processors to get food into the hands of local hunger relief agencies or arrange storage in Augusta for future distribution.

The program cannot accept donations of wild fowl or game birds.

– From staff and news services