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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:
Gosh, it's cold out there. The wind is whipping and it is not a warm one either. The thermometer reads 42 degrees, but it feels a lot more bitter and raw than that.
Perhaps it is because of the rain, which arrived later than expected yesterday. That means it will hold on longer today. There will be some blustery winds accompanying the system. And then, in comes a chilly arctic front. Today, rainy and high 50s. Tomorrow sunny and low 50s.
But get this: Maine did get its first dusting of snow from this system, although not anywhere near enough for skiing, snowmobiling or snowman-making.
Allagash reported 3 inches of snow, while Frenchville saw 2 inches and Madawaska 1 inch. Higher elevations, meanwhile, saw much more snow than that, with up to six inches on mountaintops, according to the National Weather Service.
FROM THE SUNRISE HERALD WEATHER WATCHERS:
Bill in Rockland says: Erratic would seem to be the best word for the weather here at 5:45 this morning. The rain falls in fits and starts, lightly at the
moment, and the wind gusts from all quarters though not terribly hard yet. Fourty-three damp degrees at present with no indication that anything is going to improve in the short term.
Shawn in Yarmouth says: It is 43 degrees here in Yarmouth this morning and raining. I guess the cloud cover is keeping some of the warmth here as it is not as cold as I expected it to be this morning.
James in Cape Elizabeth says: A quarter inch of rain fell overnight here in Cape Elizabeth. At 6 a.m. it is 43, dark, and cloudy with a light mist falling. Or it could the wind blowing it off the leaves that are still left hanging. Hump day is here with the weekend well in sight. Have a great day all!
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ON THE ROAD:
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ON THE OCEAN:
High tide in Portland: 6:02 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. Low tide: Noon.
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THE NEWEST NEWS:
ALFRED -- The York County Sheriff's Department says a number of teenagers from York County have been arrested and are scheduled for court hearings today for their alleged role in a rash of burglaries over the past few weeks within interior York County.
Police took into custody yesterday six individuals who they believe are responsible for at least 10 residential burglaries in places such as Waterboro, Alfred and Springvale, where homes were broken into during the day and items taken such as computers, firearms, guitars, cameras and cash. Some burglaries occurred while people were home sleeping. Detectives believe that these burglaries have been occurring during the past four to five weeks. Estimated value of items stolen is approximately $15,000 to $20,000 dollars.
Charged with multiple counts of burglary were: Randy Hennessey, 18 (photo below) of Waterboro, Terry Hall, 18, of Waterboro, three 17-year-old males and a 16-year-old female.
Hennessey and Hall are incarcerated at the York County jail, and they will have a court hearing today. Two male juveniles are incarcerated at the youth center. A third male juvenile was released to his parents as was the female juvenile.
Hennesey, Hall and two of the male juveniles were responsible for the majority of these burglaries, according to the York County Sheriff's Department. The others had limited involvement
Charges include Burglary, Theft and Receiving stolen property.
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WESTBROOK -- Police say an officer was injured in a drug raid last night, where heroin and cocaine were seized.
Westbrook Police Chief William Baker said officers from the Westbrook Police Department, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department's Emergency Service Unit executed a nighttime "no knock" (in other words, break through the door) search warrant at 145 Central St., #1, around 9:45 p.m.
Westbrook Police and MDEA agents seized several grams of heroin, cocaine, weighing scales, cash and other drug paraphernalia from the residence.
During the raid, a Cumberland County Tactical Team member was injured making entry into the apartment. The unnamed officer suffered a serious laceration to his arm as one of the suspects inside the apartment tried to barricade the door.
The officer was treated at the scene by Westbrook Fire & EMS staff who were staged nearby. The officer was transported to a local hospital, treated and released.
Arrested were Andrew S. Martin, 31, of 145 Central St. #1 (photo at left) and Jeremy Champagne, 27 (photo at right). They were arrested on a number of charges including trafficking in Scheduled W Drugs (Heroin), possession of Scheduled W Drugs (Cocaine), and obstructing government administration.
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KABUL, Afghanistan -- The U.S. military says a Navy P-3 Orion from Brunswick Naval Air Station overshot the runway at an airfield in Afghanistan and was destroyed.
A crew member broke an ankle, but the rest of the crew survived the Tuesday crash. The military's statement does not give further details on who was on board the aircraft.
The statement says a Navy P-3 Orion airplane sustained "serious structural and fire damage" at Bagram Airfield, the main U.S. military base north of Kabul.
Brunswick Naval Air Station spokesman John James confirmed to the Times Record Newspaper that the aircraft was a Brunswick-based plane. But he couldn't disclose which patrol squadron the craft belongs to. (AP)
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BANGOR -- A 35-year-old Maine man who's awaiting sentencing for the fatal shooting of his wife is due back in court Wednesday on an alleged bail violation.
Jeremy Hart of Lagrange has been free on $100,000 cash bail after pleading guilty last week to a charge of manslaughter in the December 2007 killing of 25-year-old Kristen Smart Hart. He was arrested Monday for alleged drug use, a charge his lawyer denies.
Hart, who had been charged with murdering his wife, is expected to be sentenced next month on the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, the prosecution is expected to recommend that Hart serve 15 years in prison. The defense is likely to seek a lesser sentence.
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SANFORD -- A single family home was destroyed by fire last night.
The Sanford Fire Department received the call around 11:08 p.m. and when engines arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames.
Fire officials this morning said everyone got out safely and there were no injuries to the people who lived at the house. However, the house was destroyed by the blaze that took about an hour to put out.
The house is located at 355 Elm St. (seen as letter A in map below).
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PORTLAND -- Will it be Ocean Avenue or Joshua Chamberlain?
The School Committee has announced two finalists for the name of a new elementary school on Ocean Avenue: Ocean Avenue Elementary School or Joshua Chamberlain Elementary School, according to a written statement issued by the school department.
The $19.7 million school on Ocean Avenue is in the planning phase and is slated to open for fall semester 2011. Voters approved a bond for the new school to be constructed on the site of the defunct Baxter Elementary School in June.
School committee members are scheduled to vote on the naming suggestions following a 7 p.m. public hearing tonight at Casco Bay High School on Allen Avenue.
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NEW SHARON -- A family of six are homeless after a fast-moving fire yesterday destroyed their uninsured home on Swan Road along with all their belongings.
Roger Foster, his wife, Betty Jo, and their five children got out of the house safely. But after rescuing his family from the building, Foster did suffer from heat exhaustion and was taken by NorthStar EMS to Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington for treatment.
Fire officials say there was no wood stove in the house that could have caused the blaze and it appeared the fire might have been electrical. Foster, a carpenter/handyman and volunteer firefighter with the New Sharon Fire Department was in the process of completing an addition to add bedrooms around the family's mobile home.
Fire departments from Farmington, Chesterville and Industry responded with mutual aid.
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FROM OUR NEWS PARTNERS:
• The Bangor Daily news has a story today about the resignation of Bangor Symphony Orchestra's music director and conductor for the past six years, Xiao-Lu Li, who leaves, effective immediately. Click here to read the story.
• The Lewiston Sun Journal has a report about two men who ran from police and ended up causing a school lock down in Auburn yesterday. Click here to read that story.
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OF NOTE TODAY:
IN FALMOUTH -- A Green Expo takes place this evening at Falmouth High School.
Falmouth will showcase the town's environmental ethic at a free expo to be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and is open to all.
The Falmouth Green Expo will be a combination of a trade show and a conference, with presentations and exhibits by the town and 18 local environmental organizations. Participants will be able to learn about progress on the town's open-space plan, opportunities to hike, bike, canoe and cross-country ski in Falmouth, how to maintain a healthy lawn and minimize pesticide and fertilizer pollution in Casco Bay and how to build a greenhouse.
The event is being underwritten by Hannaford Supermarkets and will also include food and door prizes donated by area businesses.
More information about the event is available at The Town of Falmouth Website.
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THE GOOD NEWS:
DID YOU KNOW THE MAINE LOOK IS, LIKE, TOTALLY HOT? At least it is according to GQ magazine, which includes in its November 2008 edition Actor Scott Speedman as "The Maine Man."
The magazine describes the fashion spread as such: "When you're coping with the kind of cold, damp weather you find on the coast of Maine, you don't have to sacrifice looks for warmth. Pull on the kind of durable outdoor gear that has suddenly emerged as Fall's most dominant - and wearable - trend."
What I know is this - if Scott Speedman was REALLY and TRULY a lobsterman, then I would want to be a lobster.
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STATEWIDE -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $275,000 to Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Inc. to help people who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination.
The funding is part of $21.8 million awarded to 92 fair housing and other non-profit agencies nationwide.
Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Inc., helps people who are under a certain income level navigate the legal system. Some people just can't afford a lawyer, so Pine Tree Legal Assistance helps those who can't.
The money will help those who are under-privileged fight discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, family status or national origin.
The Fair Housing Act covers the sale, rental, financing and advertising of most housing in the nation.
Copyright 2008 Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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