Subscribe
Sunrise Herald is the early morning news update feature at pressherald.com. It is updated at 6, 7, 8 and 9 on weekdays.
Welcome to the Sunrise Herald with Giselle Goodman, the place to go to get the news from overnight and beyond...
IN THE WEATHER
At 7 a.m. it was an unseasonably cold 20 degrees in downtown Portland.
Sunny but cold today with low wind. But when I say cold, I mean way below normal with air temps in the mid 30s. The mostly sunny skies will cause it to feel a little warmer...but only a little.
FROM OUR WEATHER WATCHERS
• SHAWN in YARMOUTH says: It is a beautiful blue sky this morning, very clear and yes, cold, 19 degrees here at 7 a.m.
P.S. Want to join Marc and Shawn watching the weather for the Sunrise Herald? We could really use a couple more folks, since the weather always gives us something to talk about.
So, if you are a morning person, don't mind early morning phone calls (or sending a few e-mails) and ARE NOT my mother, then e-mail me, ggoodman@pressherald.com and sign up!
ON THE OCEAN:
A gentle day on Casco Bay today with a northeast wind blowing 5 to 10 knots with 1 to 2 foot seas.
Tide comes up today in Portland at 1:47 p.m. Low tides at 7:36 a.m. and 7:44 p.m.
ON THE ROAD:
• ON THE MAINE TURNPIKE: At mile 3 in Kittery, a northbound lane closure is scheduled between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. for road work --- At mile 25 in Kennebunk, a northbound lane closure is scheduled between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. with a double lane closure scheduled between 7 a.m, and 2 p.m. at the Route 35 Bridge for bridgework. Motorists may incur delays. --- Between miles 31 and 33 in Biddeford, a southbound double lane closure is scheduled between 9:30 a.m. am and 1 p.m. for road work. Motorists may incur delays. --- Between mile 38 in Saco and Exit 53 in Falmouth, north and southbound lane closures are scheduled between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. for road work.
________________________________________________________________
CAPE ELIZABETH HIGH SCHOOL IS CLOSED TODAY after a custodian found the school in shambles just after 6 a.m. this morning.
Initial reports say that the custodian found most of the ceiling tiles on the second floor ripped down, most of the desks and chairs on the third floor taken out of their rooms and piled in the hallways, and the library ceiling tiles pulled down. The books appear to have remained on the shelves.
Police are investigating to determine who caused the damage and also how they got into the school. School officials surmise that the vandalism probably occurred overnight, since school personnel remained in the building until 8:30 p.m.
Officals say nothing was taken from the building and the damage was all inside the building.
"We will have school tomorrow," said Principal Jeff Shedd.
Superintendent Alan Hawkins said this cancellation date puts them over their scheduled number of yearly cancellations and students will need to make the day up before the end of the year.
The following is the letter Shedd sent out first thing this morning to parents of Cape Elizabeth High School students.
Dear CEHS Parents:
I am saddened to report that school is cancelled today due to student vandalism. Students will need to make up this missed day in the near future--in all likelihood on a Saturday. I apologize for the inconvenience. Anyone with information should please come forward. We have a lot of work to do to put school back together. We will be open tomorrow. Thanks.
Jeff Shedd
CEHS Principal
Giselle Goodman photo.
A sign like this hangs on every one of Cape Elizabeth High School's doors, announcing that school is closed.
A HOME IN BRUNSWICK was totaled by an early morning fire today, after firefighters arrived to find the building engulfed in flames.
Brunswick Fire Chief Clark Labbe said the fire was at 695 Pleasant Hill Road.
"When we got there, it was totally involved," he said. "There was no saving the building."
The home's rural location made firefighting difficult, since water had to be brought in by tanker trucks.
The multiple-member family was not home at the time of the fire, which started sometime after midnight. Labbe said three generations of the same family lived in the home but were safe.
The State Fire Marshall's office is investigating now, but due to the extent of damage, it may be difficult determining what caused the blaze.
MAINE MAKES HISTORY TODAY by becoming the first state in the country to ban the sale of novelty lighters.
These lighters, that come in shapes that can be mistaken for toys, will become illegal to sell after Gov. John Baldacci holds the law's signing ceremony at 12:30 p.m.
The bill was proposed by State Fire Marshal John Dean and Public Safety Commissioner Anne Jordan and easily passed both the Maine House and Senate. Because the bill has an emergency provision, it will become law once the governor signs it.
Many stores have voluntarily pulled the lighters off their shelves, but others continue to sell them.
Click here to view or add comments on this story