{"id":1268,"date":"2026-03-16T05:30:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T09:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/?p=1268"},"modified":"2026-03-15T13:59:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T17:59:52","slug":"03-16-26-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/16\/03-16-26-news\/","title":{"rendered":"03-16-26 News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>2 arrested in connection to Fort Fairfield fires<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On March 10, authorities responded to a structure fire on Park Street in Fort Fairfield.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The state\u2019s Fire Marshal\u2019s office confirmed another fire unfolded shortly before the initial fire investigators looked into concluding that the fires were considered arson.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Authorities tell Star 97.7 that 19-year-old Leo Rideout Jr. of Fort Fairfield was arrested and charged with arson and he\u2019s being held at Aroostook County Jail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the weekend, investigators arrested another person in connection with the two fires and confirmed it is a juvenile male.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The juvenile was placed on conditions of release and released to his guardians.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, the investigation is still ongoing and more charges are pending.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Lamoine woman arrested on drug trafficking charges<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A Lamoine woman has been arrested after a traffic stop in Ellsworth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Police say 28-year-old Gabrielle Battis of Lamoine is charged with aggravated drug trafficking and violation of conditions of release.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Police say on Thursday, drug activity outside of a local business had been observed and Battis was involved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Police say Battis was on a pre-conviction bail following an arrest in June.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Authorities stopped Battis and found fentanyl, meth, cocaine and over $2,000 in drug proceeds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Battis was transported to Hancock County jail however no bail was set.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Maine Senior FarmShare program enrollment<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In an effort to connect Maine seniors to access to fresh Maine-grown foods, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry\u2019s Maine Senior FarmShare program will enroll participants for the 2026 season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s the 25th anniversary of the program where eligible older adults will receive a $50 share during the growing season and enjoy fresh, unprocessed, locally grown produce.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now due to USDA compliance requirements, the program will implement an enrollment system on their website starting April 1.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you know someone or if you\u2019re interested in enrolling in this program yourself, follow the link on our website for more information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you need help navigating the application or if you have limited access to technology please find a friend, relative, neighbor or caseworker to help you and make the process smoother.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dacf\/ard\/food-assistance\/farmshare\/olderadults.shtml\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.maine.gov\/dacf\/ard\/food-assistance\/farmshare\/olderadults.shtml<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Loaves and Fishes free course on money and credit scores<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Join local experts from KeyBank on Friday, March 20 for a free course discussing the importance of credit scores, proper handling of money and how to protect yourself from identity theft.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The event hosted at Loaves and Fishes starting at 11 a.m. will give participants a refresher on the important topics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can create strategies that work for you all while ensuring you know how to build and improve your credit with KeyBank\u2019s help.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loavesandfishesellsworth.org\/event-details\/money-me-key-credit-scores-and-reports\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.loavesandfishesellsworth.org\/event-details\/money-me-key-credit-scores-and-reports<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Sooth the Monday blues with Simple Stretching &amp; Breathing<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mondays can be stressful as you get back into the groove of weekly responsibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, there\u2019s some simple ways to manage your stress or pain and leaders at the Ellsworth Public Library want to help you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stop at the library and enjoy the Simple Stretching &amp; Breathing for Stress and Pain class starting at 1 p.m. this afternoon to take a moment for yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Everyone is welcome and if you need to zip out a little early no worries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Just click the link on our website attached to the story to register for the relaxing session.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They ask those who would like to participate to register by 10 a.m. this morning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ellsworth.libcal.com\/event\/16479127\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/ellsworth.libcal.com\/event\/16479127<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Seal Cove Auto Museum \u2018Swing &amp; Swap\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As we just start the workweek it never hurts to mark something on your calendar for the weekend ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Leaders at the Seal Cove Auto Museum in Tremont invite the community for their Swing and Swap.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On Friday, March 20 starting at 6:30 p.m. participants can dust off their swing dancing skills for free by enjoying a lesson from a professional instructor and bringing your 1920\u2019s attire to swap.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Guests are encouraged to bring extra 1920\u2019s attire and accessories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For more information on the museum just follow the link on our website to contact the museum.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sealcoveautomuseum.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.sealcoveautomuseum.org\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2 arrested in connection to Fort Fairfield fires On March 10, authorities responded to a structure fire on Park Street in Fort Fairfield. The state\u2019s Fire Marshal\u2019s office confirmed another fire unfolded shortly before the initial fire investigators looked into concluding that the fires were considered arson. Authorities tell Star 97.7 that 19-year-old Leo Rideout [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1268\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}