{"id":1292,"date":"2026-03-23T05:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T09:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/?p=1292"},"modified":"2026-03-22T13:08:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T17:08:41","slug":"03-23-26-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/23\/03-23-26-news\/","title":{"rendered":"03-23-26 News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>One dead after car crash in Penobscot<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A Bucksport man is dead after a car crash on Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to a press release from the Hancock County Sheriff\u2019s office 35-year-old Zachary McKechnie of Bucksport died after his car crashed on Front Ridge Road in Penobscot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Police say he was traveling toward Orland when his car left the roadway, came back on the roadway and then rolled before coming to a rest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He was ejected from the car.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Police say speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in the crash.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The investigation is ongoing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Nurses and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center reach agreement<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center and the Maine State Nurses Association along with National Nurses United have reached an agreement on a new contract.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The union says the strike which was going to take place Monday will no longer occur along with the work stoppage planned for the week.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The president of the MHA says they\u2019re pleased with the outcome of the new contract saying it reflects their respect for the nursing team and the role they play in delivering patient care.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Maine State police investigate two bomb threats<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On Saturday, the Maine State Police bomb squad investigated two separate incidents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Sagadahoc County sheriff\u2019s office called for assistance at around 2:30 p.m. after a person found a mortar round on their property in Bowdoinham.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Police say the round was potentially hazardous and it was moved to a secure spot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Just an hour later the Winslow Fire and police department called for assistance after a person found a hand grenade while cleaning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The grenade was determined to be live and removed to a safe location.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Ellsworth looks to fund program to protect ash trees<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After the presence of emerald ash borers were detected and confirmed last year, officials in Ellsworth, Bangor, Hermon and Mount Desert Island have been exploring treatment programs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now, Ellsworth could fund a two-year program to protect ash trees from the invasive insect spreading across the state.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Bangor Daily News reports the city of Ellsworth has discussed adding the program to its budget to create ongoing funding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The publication reports the treatment would be repeated every other year for effective long-term results.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The city\u2019s park and recreation director emphasized to the BDN the importance of this treatment program as removing infected trees could cost more than treating them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bangordailynews.com\/2026\/03\/22\/hancock\/hancock-environment\/emerald-ash-borer-threat-joam40zk0w\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.bangordailynews.com\/2026\/03\/22\/hancock\/hancock-environment\/emerald-ash-borer-threat-joam40zk0w\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Tech help to the rescue at Ellsworth Public Library<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Keep in mind that you can connect with a Computer Tutor on Tuesday at the Ellsworth Public Library for a drop-in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Starting at 10 a.m. stop by and discuss what you\u2019re looking to learn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Whether you need help sending emails, searching for information or using technology more effectively, bring your notes so you can get started!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ellsworthmaine.gov\/residents\/things-to-do\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.ellsworthmaine.gov\/residents\/things-to-do\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Pizza for Paws benefiting SPCA of Hancock County<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On March 29, head to Pat\u2019s Pizza in Ellsworth for a large pizza!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">From 4-6 p.m. it won\u2019t\u00a0 just be any purchase but every large pizza purchased at that Pat\u2019s location will turn into $2 for the SPCA of Hancock County shelter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can kick off spring with that delicious and impactful fundraiser; however if you can\u2019t make it no worries, you can donate by following the link below.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spcahancockcounty.org\/pizza-pats\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.spcahancockcounty.org\/pizza-pats\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One dead after car crash in Penobscot A Bucksport man is dead after a car crash on Saturday. According to a press release from the Hancock County Sheriff\u2019s office 35-year-old Zachary McKechnie of Bucksport died after his car crashed on Front Ridge Road in Penobscot. Police say he was traveling toward Orland when his car [&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-1292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292","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=1292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1292\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/star977fm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}