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Sunrise Herald is the early morning news update feature at pressherald.com. It is updated at 6, 7, 8 and 9 a.m. on weekdays.
IN THE WEATHER
At 9 a.m., it was 32 degrees, breezy but clear in downtown Portland.
The high winds of yesterday, which blew gusts up to 50 mph, have settled and should not return today. It will still be breezy, though, with winds blowing 20 mph at times. But full sun and temperatures near 50 might make today feel almost like spring. Almost.
FROM OUR WEATHER WATCHERS
• At 6:25 a.m. MARK in BRUNSWICK said: "28 degrees, fair skies, and a breath of wind. I think I will enjoy today far more than tomorrow."
• At 6:30 a.m. SHAWN in YARMOUTH said: "It is a beautiful blue sky morning at 6:15 in Yarmouth. 32 degrees and the birds are singing. I am seeing the tops of the fence posts in the yard. Maybe we will see grass soon!"
• At 7 a.m. KAREN IN STEEP FALLS said: "The sky is bright and the temp is 30. The wind is gone and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day! Happy Thursday!"
ON THE OCEAN:
The southwest breeze makes for a small craft advisory today, in effect until 2 p.m. Wind blows 10 to 15 knots, with gusts up to 20 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet.
High tides today in Portland at 9:28 a.m. and 9:58 p.m. Tide's out now and goes out again at 3:44 p.m.
ON THE ROAD:
A bridge repair project gets underway today, as southbound traffic is routed onto a newly constructed detour through the median under the damaged bridge. This detour will allow one lane of southbound traffic to merge with traffic entering from the Cooks Corner southbound on-ramp. Northbound traffic will not be affected.
The bridge was damaged when a flatbed truck carrying an aerial lift slammed into one of the bridge’s steel support beams on December 26, 2007. The damaged section of this beam must be replaced. Repairs to the bridge should be completed before Memorial Day weekend.
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THE VODKA MADE IN MAINE FROM Maine 'TATERS can boast about being one of the best, after winning a double gold medal at the 8th annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Photo courtesy Maine Distilleries LLC
Cold River Vodka is a triple-distilled, small-batch vodka made in Maine, from Maine potatoes grown in Fryeburg. Maine Distilleries LLC, maker of Cold River Vodka, is the only vodka company in the world to oversee the entire production process, from planting the potatoes to bottling the vodka. Cold River Vodka is produced in small batches hand-numbered to ensure excellence. The vodka is gluten free. It retails for approximately $35 a bottle.
These are not the first rave reviews the spirit has received.
Cold River Vodka was also recently rated the best American vodka in "Kindred Spirits 2" by F. Paul Pacult, director of judging for the World Spirits Competition and considered by many as the one of the industry's leading experts on distilled spirits.
Trade writer, beverage consultant and World Spirits Competition judge Robert Plotkin said, "Each year we evaluate scores of vodkas with scant little difference existing between them. Yet invariably one spirit catches our attention. Perhaps it's the nuances in the bouquet or its extraordinarily elegant finish, but something distinguishes it from the pack. Congratulations to Cold River Vodka on earning a Double Gold Medal. It is well deserved."
GOV. JOHN BALDACCI WANTS the federal government to declare a disaster in Aroostook County following the late March blizzard that capped a season of record snowfall.
The blizzard of March 20 pushed Caribou's seasonal snowfall to 192 inches of snow, breaking the previous record of 181 inches in 1955. What's worse: More snow is predicted for this weekend.
There's so much snow that the Maine Department of Transportation reported that 40 roads are so clogged by snowbanks that they're down to a single lane.
Sen. Susan Collins, an Aroostook native, is backing the governor's request. She says the snowfall has led to "extraordinary snow-removal costs."
THE VETERAN'S MEMORIAL BRIDGE IN AUBURN was closed for about 15 minutes last night after a speeding driver caused a three-car collision there.
Officials say the crash occurred around 9 p.m. last night. The driver of the car responsible for the crash was summonsed for driving to endanger. Police say he was speeding and swerving in and out of lanes just before he crashed into another car head-on at the section of bridge over Center Street. A third car collided with those two cars.
Three people, including the arrested man, were sent to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
TWENTY-NINE MEMBERS OF THE Maine Air National Guard Security Forces Squadron are headed to Iraq today for a six-month tour of duty.
The airmen will be conducting base and personnel security missions at undisclosed locations in the Middle East. They leave from the Maine Air National Guard Base in Bangor at 10 a.m.
Maj. Joel Nadeau, a Bangor Police Detective when not working for the Maine Air National Guard, will command the unit.
THE GOVERNOR'S ENERGY EFFICIENCY SUMMIT begins NOW (9 a.m.) in Augusta. Gov. John Baldacci is expected to kick off the green focused meeting, which will be attended by 450 Maine business people.
The summit will focus on what energy efficiency investments should be part Maine’s economic future. The governor’s opening remarks will be followed by a keynote address by Tom Casten, a world-renowned author, businessman and expert in “energy recycling.”
Also in attendance will be the U.S. EPA’s regional administrator, Robert Varney, and Kurt Adams, chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
The summit gives Maine businesses a day-long forum for learning about energy efficiency strategies that can save them money and to share their experiences coping with today’s high energy prices. It includes an expo of the latest energy-efficient technologies.
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