Winter Storm
(Caribou) – A blizzard warning is posted for Downeast Maine this morning, and that has already prompted many local schools to close. The National Weather Service in Caribou is projecting the storm will start about 9AM in Hancock and Washington Counties, and by the time it ends around 3-o’clock tomorrow morning, some places could have 14-inches of heavy snow. During the storm, sustained winds of 45-to-50 miles an hour are likely, with gusts up to 65-miles an hour on land and 70-miles an hour out to sea are projected. The storm is expected to batter much of the east coast of the US.
Rockland Protest Arrest (BDN/Midcoast Villager)
(Rockland) – Police arrested a 65-year old Rockland man during the weekend after he allegedly drove a plow truck near a crowd of protestors at Chapman Park. The Mid-Coast Villager reports Michael Robinson is charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and driving to endanger, both felony charges. Police were on hand as Robinson reportedly dropped his plow blade and drove by the group of pro-democracy demonstrators, covering them with slush on Saturday morning. He’s released a $1-thousand dollars bail.
Blood Drives Discontinued (BDN)
(Bangor) – The days of donating blood at mobile blood drives in Eastern and Northern Maine are numbered. The American Red Cross will stop the remote blood collections in July according to the Bangor Daily News. A spokeswoman says the blood donation center in Bangor will remain open and they don’t expect the decision to affect availability of blood. Jennifer Costa says the mobile units closure affects 13 employees and had become expensive and logistically challenging.
Gas Station Crash (WABI)
(Waterville) – Police in Waterville are investigating a crash that left a pedestrian dead after a vehicle smashed into another car at a gas pump at a Main Street convenience store. WABI-TV reports the crash happened yesterday morning just before 11:30. The crash hit and killed someone in the parking lot at the Big Apple Store. State Police were assisting Waterville police with reconstructing the crash. Officers did not release names of the driver or the victim right away.
Blue Hill Library
(Blue Hill) – An unused lot across the street from the Blue Hill Public Library will become part of the library campus. Officials report to Star 97.7 the library has reached an agreement to purchase the lot from Northern Light Blue Hill Hospital. There’s a building on the 4-tenths of an acre lot that was once used by Healthy Peninsula but has been vacant for several years and is currently unusable. The library says it does not plan to use the building for now.
