SANFORD

Elderly couple escapes fire that broke out near stove

An elderly couple escaped from their burning home Sunday afternoon, but the intense fire sent one Sanford firefighter to the hospital with chest pains.

Brian Smith, a captain with the Sanford Fire Department, said the home’s occupants, Roger and Mary Levesque, fled their home at 72 Beaver Hill Road in Springvale after fire broke out near a woodstove shortly after 4:30 p.m.

A firefighter who complained of chest pains was taken to Goodall Memorial Hospital in Sanford, where he was held overnight for observation.

Several windows had to be broken out and ceilings ripped down to fight the fire. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Smith said the home is still livable but said the couple, who are in their 80s, would have to spend Sunday night with relatives.

ARUNDEL

Firefighters extricate driver after SUV rolls over on ice

One man had to be extricated from the wreckage of his sport utility vehicle Sunday morning after it skidded on ice and rolled over.

The Arundel Fire Department said the driver was alone when his SUV crashed near 198 Log Cabin Road around 7:30 a.m.

Firefighters said the victim had to be transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries.

No other details were immediately available.

AUGUSTA

LePage calls Maine a leader in helping business succeed

Gov. Paul LePage says Maine is a leader in helping businesses to succeed.

During a National Governors Association conference last weekend in Washington, LePage said he connected with other governors to see how they’re tackling issues. A major focus was entrepreneurs and how their success can drive the economy.

In his weekly radio address, LePage said he found that Maine “is ahead of the curve.”

He pointed to the state’s team of business development experts and streamlined regulations. But he said fuel prices remain a big worry.

They’re also a concern among Democrats. In their response, state Sen. Phil Bartlett of Gorham said lawmakers must address the crisis of cost and dependence on fossil fuel.

Bartlett said LePage is wrong to abolish renewable energy incentives and funding for energy efficiency programs.

Maine motorcyclists get new registration system

Maine motor vehicle officials say the state is shifting to a new motorcycle registration system.

The changes are the result of a law enacted last year that requires motorcycle inspection stickers to be displayed on the vehicle’s registration plate.

The changes started in March and will be phased in over the next year. Inspection stickers will be placed in the plate’s upper left corner.

In order to accommodate the inspection sticker, motorcycle registrations, with some exceptions, will be changed to a fixed March expiration date.

Starting in April 2012, when a motorcycle is registered or renewed, the expiration date will be changed to expire the next March.

Owners will then be issued a combined month-year sticker, which should be placed in the upper right corner.

PORTLAND

New York artist looks for old lobster fishing line

A New York artist is looking for old fishing line – a million feet of it – from Maine lobstermen for a huge sculpture that will be put on display in a New York City park.

The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation has been contacting lobstermen in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island to collect 7/16-inch rope that would otherwise be dumped.

Project coordinator Laura Ludwig said artist Orly Genger will weave the fishing line into a sculpture at a park in Manhattan.

Genger makes giant knotted rope sculptures and used old Maine lobster line for another exhibit at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

Ludwig said she’ll buy the rope for 50 cents a pound and needs it by June. Lobstermen can get information from the foundation’s Facebook page.

STRATHAM, N.H.

Stephen King makes time to interview N.J. author

Author Stephen King is taking time from writing to do some reviewing.

The Maine author visited New Hampshire on Saturday to interview New Jersey author Lauren Grodstein at the Cooperative Middle School in Stratham.

The Portsmouth Herald said the event, hosted by Water Street Bookstore, was one of four put on every year across the country by Algonquin Books, during which well-known authors are invited to interview lesser-known authors.

King liked “A Friend of the Family,” calling it “an absolutely marvelous book” that was “cleverly and smartly constructed.”

King fan Ed Monahan traveled 2 1/2 hours from Warren, Mass., to see his hero.
Monahan said he was thrilled to join 100 other readers at the event, where they had a close-up look at King and Grodstein.

CONCORD, N.H.

Marijuana decriminalization moves forward to House

A bill to decriminalize marijuana possession under one-half ounce is heading to the House with an endorsement by the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

First offenses would be violations punishable by a $250 fine and the second would be $500.

Subsequent offenses would be subject to a year of jail time and a $1,000 fine. Offenders under 21 could also be ordered to take a drug awareness program.

Possession of that amount is currently a misdemeanor punishable by a $2,000 fine and up to a year in jail.

The committee supported decriminalizing marijuana, but recommended killing a second bill to legalize the sale and purchase of marijuana.

Fourteen other states have decriminalized marijuana, according to the National Organization for the reform of Marijuana Laws, including Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut.

– From staff and news services