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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 on weekdays.
Welcome to the Sunrise Herald with Giselle Goodman, the place to go to get the news from overnight and onward...
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IN THE WEATHER:
A sunrise and a city are reflected in the waters of the Fore River as a hot day gets underway. The temperatures are going to be on the increase through the day. Hot. Muggy. Very little breeze. Thunderstorms popping up in the afternoon hours. Temps 85 to 90 degrees.
It gets even hotter tomorrow, with very little air movement, even at the coast, temperatures will be 90 and beyond.
From Bill in Rockland: Some very high wispy clouds , but basically bright blue skies and 61 degrees at 5:30 a.m. No wind and a little sticky already.
From Mark in Brunswick: Foggy here in Brunswick this morning with the temperature staying steady at 62 degrees.
From James in Cape Elizabeth: Cape Elizabeth at 6:15 a.m. Milky clouds right now with 60 degrees and pleasant humidity. That will undoubtedly change as the day goes on though.
ON THE ROAD:
For today and tomorrow, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (weather permitting), outbound traffic lanes of Franklin Arterial will be reduced to one lane. There will be obvious delays, ESPECIALLY during the evening commute. Certainly, consider other routes if you are trying to get to I-295 from downtown Portland.
• DOUGHTY BRIDGE (ROUTE 26/100) IN CUMBERLAND: Closed for two weeks.
The bridge needs to be replaced, and therefore the Maine Department of Transportation must close it to get the work done. The bridge is located 2 miles north of the intersection of Route 26 and 100 and the Range Road in Cumberland. Detours will be set up and traffic will be directed traffic around Blackstrap Road. The bridge is expected to reopen on July 29.
ON THE OCEAN:
Old Orchard Beach authorities say the beach will be open today, but there will likely be advisories posted. Don't want to find yourself swept out into open ocean? A tip: Do not go in deep water, stay in the shallow areas, and don't go in past your waist. CLICK HERE for tips on how to survive if you should be swept away by a rip tide.
Otherwise, southern winds blow 5 to 10 knots, increasing slightly through the day. Seas 2 to 3 feet, with a chance of showers in the afternoon.
High tide in Portland at 12:14 p.m. Low tides: 6:03 a.m. and 5:59 p.m.
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THE NEWEST NEWS:
DOVER-FOXCROFT (AP) -- A Maine man accused of causing a crash that killed his passenger has been ordered to serve three years in prison.
Justice William Anderson suspended most of the 10-year sentence he imposed on 29-year-old Brad Theriault of Corinna in Piscataquis County Superior Court.
Witnesses testified that Theriault passed at least five vehicles at a high rate of speed in Dover-Foxcroft before his vehicle fishtailed, left the road and rolled over into a stream. Killed in the crash on Aug. 24, 2005, was 21-year-old John Sokoloski of Dexter.
Theriault, who had faced up to 30 years in prison, had tears in his eyes when he apologized Thursday to Sokoloski's family.
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AUBURN -- Police say they have made a fourth arrest stemming from a July 10th armed home invasion at 25 South Main St.
Nicholas Taylor, 22, of Auburn was arrested and charged with attempted robbery and reckless conduct for his role in the invasion.
Taylor joins Tyler Bryant, 20, of Auburn, Yusuf Mohamoud, 18, of Lewiston and a 17-year-old male juvenile from Auburn who have all been accused of raiding an apartment where numerous gunshots were fired.
Police said a search of the building turned up about 65 marijuana plants and many guns.
Taylor is being held at the Androscoggin County Jail on $15,000 cash bail.
25 Main St. in Auburn where the invasion occurred
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CHELSEA -- A Kennebec County Sheriff's deputy and Chelsea woman were taken to local hospitals Thursday morning after a crash between a police cruiser and a van on Route 9.
Shirley Chadbourne, 57, was taken by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston after complaining of neck and chest pain, Kennebec County Sheriff Randall Liberty said.
Chadbourne was listed in satisfactory condition Thursday evening, according to a nurse supervisor at the Lewiston hospital.
Deputy John Bourque, 32, of Belgrade was taken by police cruiser to be evaluated at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta after banging his head against the cruiser door during the crash.
Both Chadbourne and Bourque were wearing seat belts. The crash occurred around 10 a.m., after Bourque, who had been driving north on Route 9, spotted a vehicle in the southbound lane that had been reported stolen from Chelsea just a few hours before.
Police believe a 13-year-old girl was driving the stolen 2002 Pontiac Grand Am, Liberty said. Bourque, who pulled into a parking lot off the right side of the road in an attempt to turn south after the stolen Pontiac, pulled out of the parking lot and into the path of Chadbourne's northbound van, which struck the cruiser in front of the driver's side rear door, Liberty said.
Deputy Kenneth Tabor, meanwhile, later located the stolen vehicle and arrested the 13-year-old driver, Liberty said.
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LEBANON -- Maine State Police yesterday arrested a Rochester, N.H., man in connection with the submerged car off the Center Road.
Maine State Police Trooper Kevin Rooney located Jason Gagnon, 32, at a small camp in Lebanon and took him into custody. Gagnon faces charges from the morning crash. But he is also being held on charges stemming from a fatal crash last year in New Hampshire that killed his eight-year-old step-daughter.
Gagnon was out on bail, following an arrest in New Hampshire Wednesday night.
At 1:20 a.m. Thursday, police had responded to the Center Road location for a car found submerged in a swamp near Northeast Pond. An off-duty Milton, N.H., firefighter, reported the vehicle was barely visible. He also reported seeing a man and woman walking away from the crash site.
It turned out that a 1999 Pontiac Sunfire was found completely submerged in about 8 feet of water and members of the State Police Underwater Recovery Team searched the water for hours, searching for any victims. Finding none, they then worked with the Sanford Fire Department to assist in hooking the car to a wrecker, which hauled it to the surface.
When troopers determined that Gagnon was the likely driver of the car, they also learned that he was wanted by the Strafford County Superior Court on charges stemming from a fatal crash that killed his eight-year-old step-daughter on the Spaulding Turnpike in Rochester, N.H., in May of 2007.
Gagnon was also out on bail following his arrest Wednesday night in Farmington, N.H., for operating under the influence of drugs.
Trooper Rooney located Gagnon and his girlfriend, Cherie Martin, 40, of Rochester, in a small camp in Lebanon. Gagnon was taken into custody and transported to the York County Jail in Alfred, where he is awaiting an extradition hearing to return him to New Hampshire.
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BOSTON -- The South Portland-based Two Bells recreational boat was towed to shore by the Coast Guard Thursday after its two-person crew reported smoke pouring from the engine room.
A 47-foot motor lifeboat from Station South Portland deployed, arrived on scene at 10:26 a.m. and hooked a towline to the Two Bells.
They arrived at the Spring Point Marina dock at 10:37 a.m. The Portland and South Portland fire departments arrived and assessed the boat and determined that there was no trouble. Antifreeze had sprayed onto the engine resulting in clouds of steam.
"Luckily, it was a false alarm that provided a great training opportunity for us and our local partners," said Coast Guard Lt. Lisa Tinker, Sector Northern New England's command duty officer. She also credited the crew of the Two Bells who had a working VHF-FM radio aboard and used it quickly.
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THE GOOD NEWS: (A Sunrise Herald feature, combating the harmful rays of too much bad news. A healthy dose of good news for you.)
STATEWIDE -- Loon license plate holders are getting a deal this weekend with free admission to state parks.
The "Conservation Plate Holder Appreciation Days" is an annual event sponsored by Maine's Conservation and Inland Fisheries and Wildlife departments.
Those departments use the proceeds from conservation license plates, which feature an image of a loon, toward improvements at state parks and historic sites and to manage rare, threatened and endangered species in Maine.
On Saturday and Sunday, all occupants of vehicles carrying the conservation plates will be admitted free of charge.
The loon plate was introduced in 1994 and reached an all-time high of more than 110,000 plates in 1998. But with more license plate designs now available, the number of cars carrying the loon plates now numbers about 63,000.
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JUST SO YOU KNOW:
SOUTH PORTLAND POLICE WILL BE EXTRA VIGILANT in looking for drunk drivers this weekend, as they are planning a number of OUI enforcement details within the city.
We don't know where they will be exactly. All we can tell you is this: Don't drive drunk. That way you'll have nothing to worry about.
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