Maine News Updates

Welcome to the Sunrise Herald with Giselle Goodman, the place to go to get the news from overnight and onward...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IN THE WEATHER:

SUNRISE: 4:59 a.m. SUNSET: 8:25 p.m.

At 9 a.m., it was 47 degrees in downtown Portland.

Leave
the window open last night? Bet you'll notice it this morning, with the
day starting off chilly. Worry not, my friend. The sun will be with us
all day (except for a few thin high clouds if any) with warm, summery
temperatures arcing into the 80s, maybe.

-----------------------

THE SUNRISE HERALD WEATHER WATCHERS REPORT:

• Bill in Rockland says:  Clear skies and only a breath of
  a westerly breeze this early morning. The top of the tall pine is
  gilded by the dawn. Forty-eight
  degrees, but the day's beauty warms all by itself.
• Mark in Brunswick says: A beautiful morning here in Brunswick with bright blue cloudless skies and 46 degrees. 
• Jim in Cape Elizabeth: WOW!  Blue skies and sunshine this morning?  Or am I hallucinating?  
  On
  top of that it is 45 degrees here this morning. Have we bypassed Summer
  in favor of Autumn?  Another day or two like this and STRAWBERRIES
  should be in!!  WOO HOO.  Enjoy the day; as since we live in Maine, the
  weather can change at any time whether we like it or not.  Cheers to
  all on 'Hump Day'! Type you tomorrow.
  

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ON THE ROAD:

HEAVY TRAFFIC is expected in PORTLAND tonight, at Fitzpatrick Stadium and Hadlock Field.

The
Western Maine Class A Boys lacrosse final between Portland and
Scarborough at the high school, and a Sea Dogs game at the ballpark,
means Park and Deering Avenues near the stadiums between 4 and 8 p.m.
will be a sea of cars. 

 Limited handicapped parking is available at both stadiums for vehicles with state-issued handicapped plates or placards. 

--------

IN BRUNSWICK --  Expect more traffic headaches
resulting from the Maine Street reconstruction, this time with traffic on Longfellow Avenue closed today and tomorrow. 

The construction: Laying down a storm drain line at the intersection of Longfellow Avenue,
Park Row and Maine Street. People are encouraged  to seek an alternate
route.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ON THE OCEAN:

Got a boat? A day off from work? Then get out on the water today!

A gorgeous day for seafarers with a warm southern wind blowing 5 to 10 knots, and seas 2 to 3 feet. 

The perfect conditions, really,
for the Compass Project, and the kids enrolled in its satellite program
up in Brunswick. Today is their first boat launch, scheduled for 2:30
p.m. at 6 Industry Road in Brunswick.

Juniors and seniors from
Morse High School - students who have been identified as at-risk -
built the 15-foot rowing skiff that goes afloat today. To do so, they
learned traditional boat building skills and got their hands dirty, and
probably got a few splinters in the process.

But the tradeoff,
said Compass Project manager Clint Chase, is this: "When students see
the real thing on field trips to Hodgdon Yachts and other local boat
yards, it opens their eyes to what they can do with their new skills
and knowlege."

Visit this link to learn more about the Compass Project.

--------

ONE MORE OCEAN-RELATED THING TO MENTION ...

Because
it is summer, and most schools are out this week, I bring you the
return of the beach status report. Today, Willard Beach has posted an
advisory, for an unknown reason. But you can find out more about it by
clicking on the state's BEACH STATUS PAGE (clickable link).

IN PORTLAND: High tide at 6:24 a.m. and 6:52 p.m. Low tide at 12:31 p.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IN THE NEWS:

AUGUSTA -- The Maine Center for Disease Control reports five more cases of the swine flu, or H1N1, are confirmed in the state.

The Maine CDC releases a report every day on the tally (you can see it for yourself with this link).
At last count, Tuesday, 42 state residents have tested positive for the
illness, which is still causing international concern.

In addition to the Mainers with the virus, the CDC says nine people from away were tested positive while visiting the state. 

The
latest information on the infected is one is an adult in York County,
three are youths in Androscoggin County, and another is an adult in
Cumberland County.

SOUTH PORTLAND -- A reminder that this is the day for the South Portland Police Department's community forum.

It
begins at 6 p.m. and will go no later than 8 p.m. The forum is being
held at the South Portland Community Center, 21 Nelson Road.

This
is scheduled to be an open dialogue between police and residents, to
talk about crime and punishment, community service and everything in
between.

You do not need to pay to get in. But you do need to be a South Portland resident.

The Portland Press Herald published a full article on the forum earlier this week. You can revisit that report by clicking here.

---------------

SANFORD -- Police still have not released the name of the woman killed last night in a Sanford car crash.

The
Sanford Police Department did confirm that a 53-year-old woman was
traveling at the intersection of Grammar Road and Dubois Drive around 5
p.m. when a tractor-trailer collided with her sport utility vehicle.
She was the only person in the car.

The woman was trapped in
the car and rescued. She was transported to Maine Medical Center, where
she died. The driver of the big rig was not injured.

Police say the investigation is still pending, and will release more information later.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HAPPENING TODAY:

PORTLAND
-- Do you have lots of travel-size soaps and toothpastes hanging
around? How about baby wipes or a glut of nearly non-perishable snacks
like Slim Jims?

If you bring them to the main branch of the
Portland Post Office from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., those things and others
will be collected by Operation Homefront volunteers. And those
volunteers will in turn box them up and send them as "care packages" to
the troops serving overseas.

Suggested items include
toothbrushes, body powder, socks, sunscreen, lip balm, lotion, Macanix
brand gloves, Lava brand hand soap, unscented baby wipes, beef jerky,
tuna and chicken snack packages, hard candy (nothing that melts),
crackers, chips, pretzels and drink mixes (like Kool-Aid or Crystal
Light.)

-------

OLD ORCHARD BEACH -- And then, once you give, you can also get (if you live in York County).

The
Salvation Army in Old Orchard Beach is hosting a free clothing
giveaway, for those who are finding budgets too tight to buy new items. 

The clothes really are free, and there is tons of stuff to wear for all seasons.

The event is open only to residents of York County, and goes from 9 a.m. to noon, and then again from 1 to 2 p.m.

The clothes are spread out at the white and green building, which is located at the corner of Union and 6th St.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A BIT 'O GOOD NEWS:

An occasional Sunrise Herald feature,

combating the harmful rays of too much bad news.

Three cheers for Rachel Armstrong of Falmouth and Anne Jackson of Yarmouth.
Both are going to be honored today with The Institute for Civic
Leadership's (ICL) 2009 Distinguished Alumnae Award this afternoon.

The pair have, combined, given 50 years plus of service to Maine's non-profit organizations and agencies.

Here's a synopsis of what they've done:

Armstrong graduated
from ICL’s first Leadership Intensive class back in 1993 and has served
on the boards of the Maine Community Foundation, the Portland Museum of
Art, the Maine Coast Heritage Trust and the Portland Symphony
Orchestra. She was also a former director of the Maine National Bank,
making her the first female to sit on the board of  a Maine bank.
 
Jackson
graduated from ICL’s Leadership Intensive in 1996, became chair of the
board of the Maine Community Foundation last month. She also currently
serves on the board of the Waynflete School and in past years, has
served on the board of the USM Foundation, Kieve and numerous other New
England organizations.

The awards banquet begins at noon. The
ICL is a non-profit organization with a mission to prepare each group
of upcoming civic leaders to become active and engaged citizens, while
prospering peace. You can learn more about the institute by clicking here.

Copyright 2009 MaineToday Media, Inc. All
rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten or redistributed.