Maine news, sports, weather from Waterville Morning Sentinel

February 3

Life after Hostess

While they hope that the Biddeford bakery will reopen, those who lost their jobs are trying to move forward.

February 2

Unity College students to help state record bear's-eye views of the world

PORTLAND -- Video cameras are seemingly everywhere. Soon there'll even be one hanging from around the neck of a Maine black bear as it interacts with its cubs, forages for berries or perhaps makes its way into a backyard bird feeder.

February 2

Morning Sentinel area police log, Feb. 2, 2013

IN ALBION, Saturday, a disturbance was reported on Benton Road.

February 2

Alarm over climate 'tipping point' fueled Portland rally

Hoping to restrict pipelines and quash the pursuit of tar sands oil, activists make their global fight local.

February 2

Recent warm snap, rain, lack of snow delay, derail and amend region's winter activities

Last week's unseasonable thaw and subsequent cold snap have disrupted plans for cardboard box sledding, snowshoeing and dogsledding in the area, but planned skiing, snow tubing, ice fishing and pond hockey events are proceeding as planned.

February 2

SAD 49 policy to clarify copyright issues for teachers

FAIRFIELD -- A new policy proposal under consideration in the local school district may help teachers know whether they are violating copyright laws when they, for example, project a copyrighted picture from the Internet onto a screen during a class.

February 3

Once more into the rink: Waterville area sees resurgence of ice skating

WATERVILLE -- Time is cyclical, some say. Decades ago, outdoor ice skating rinks were commonplace in central Maine. In the 1960s and '70s, scads of school-aged boys roamed from neighborhood to neighborhood, playing pickup hockey games on makeshift backyard rinks and public facilities.

February 2

SAD 54 plans to tighten security at all eight schools

SKOWHEGAN -- School Administrative District 54 is set to enact widespread changes in safety measures at the district's eight schools, including locked doors and a buzzer system with cameras at main entrances.

February 2

Manchester greenhouses provide artists, admirers break from cabin fever

MANCHESTER -- Malvina Deveau-Randall said she felt inspired Saturday by the talented artists and artisans who gathered at Longfellow's Greenhouses for the annual Cabin Fever show.

February 2

Low debt, good management, diverse tax base key to Augusta's strong bond rating

AUGUSTA -- Despite economic struggles and declining revenue, the city has retained its AA bond rating, putting it among the highest-rated municipalities in the state and the top 3 percent to 5 percent of the most credit-worthy communities in the country, an expert and city officials say.

February 2

Gardiner robotics team prepares for statewide 'bot battle in April

GARDINER -- The wheeled robot zipped across the classroom floor, abruptly stopping at the feet of the spectators before jerking back just as swiftly.

February 2

King, Collins team up to help former Brunswick Naval Air Station redevelopment

WASHINGTON -- Maine's two U.S. senators teamed up to file their first joint bill last week, co-sponsoring a measure that aims to draw more private companies to former military bases such as Brunswick Naval Air Station.

February 2

Facebook photo helps dust off old Maine dialect recording

FAYETTE -- When Carleton Pinkham was 10 years old, he liked to spend as much time as possible at the farm on Sturtevant Hill Road in Readfield owned by his grandfather Roderick Coffin.

February 2

Small Maine theaters making costly, necessary switch to digital projection equipment

PITTSFIELD -- On a quiet afternoon here, Bill Lashon is sweeping the aisles between the red velvet chairs in the 262-seat community movie theater.

February 2

Maine's court-appointed lawyers face fiscal crunch

The state's budget to pay for their constitutionally mandated work will run out in mid-April, long before the fiscal year ends.

February 2

Jay police seek local man who slipped Friday dragnet

JAY — A wanted man from Jay fled police on foot, slipped through a search perimeter and eluded tracking dogs before police called off a manhunt Friday night.

February 2

The Works Bakery Cafe in Portland warns customers of data breach

The breach of credit and debit card information is suspected to have taken place between mid-January and Friday.

February 2

Inventor of Etch A Sketch dies in France at 86

Andre Cassagnes, who invented the toy in the late 1950s, died in France on Jan. 16 age 86.

February 2

For Maine Vietnamese children, Tet means fun and games

Hundreds celebrate the lunar new year in Portland ahead of the actual holiday Feb. 10.

February 2

Turkey: US Embassy bomber had terror conviction

Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front claims responsibility for Friday's attack at the U.S. Embassy.

February 2

Ever fired a gun? Turns out president has

Answering critics, the White House releases a photo of Obama shooting skeet at Camp David.

February 2

Nebraska Lt. Gov. Sheehy resigns from office

The Omaha World-Herald reported that Rick Sheehy resigned after it raised questions about improper cellphone calls to four women, none of which were his wife, during the past four years.

February 2

Camera collar to capture movements of Maine bears

Unity College students will trap up to five female bears and attach collars with GPS devices that will record their movements via satellite. One of the collars will be equipped with a video camera.

February 2

Strong quake hits northern Japan; no tsunami

Officials say there are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

February 2

Fire rips through Portsmouth condo building

An official says the fire appeared to have started in a chimney and spread into a ceiling. No one was injured.

February 2

General Dynamics gets $14.3M contract

The deal is for quick-change barrel kits for .50-caliber machine guns mounted on vehicles, boats and helicopters.

February 2

Punxsutawney Phil hints at early warm-up

The famous groundhog doesn't see his shadow, which legend says is a sign of an early spring.

February 2

Mrs. LePage honors military families

Ann LePage will present Blue Star Banners to the families of several members of Maine's military serving on active duty from the midcoast area.

February 2

Schools to vie in robotics championship

More than 30 student teams are testing their real-world skills at engineering, math and science.

February 2

New federal poverty guidelines could preserve MaineCare recipients

New federal poverty guidelines could reduce the number of people who will be cut from MaineCare, the state's Medicaid program, as a result of federal funding waivers granted recently to the LePage administration.