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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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'Tis the last day of 2008, which was a good year to be a Democratic presidential candidate from Illinois. A good year to be an Olympic swimmer from Baltimore.
And a great year for Australian actresses and actors in Hollywood. But, it was a really bad year for car makers, and Wall Street and ... pretty much everything else. Perhaps the best thing about 2008 is that it is nearly over.
So ... let's say goodbye to 2008 with a quirky trivia question....
In which town do revelers celebrate New Year's Eve by dropping a 20 foot long, 600-pound fiberglass Walleye? The big, ugly fish at right
A) Port Clinton, Ohio
B) Monet, Missouri
C) Toad Suck, Arkansas
D) Milo, Maine
(Answer at the bottom of this Sunrise Herald)
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IN THE WEATHER:
2008 will not leave quietly in Maine, with a winter weather advisory and a special weather statement (click here for details) issued by the National Weather Service.
Snow develops sometime after 7 a.m., from west to east, with the heaviest snowfall expected in the morning until mid-afternoon. Accumulation could be as much as 6 inches in the areas hardest hit, the southern-most areas in the state.
And then, as the snow wraps up, strong gusty northern winds blow in a very dangerous cold. Temperatures tonight in the single numbers, but a windchill will make it feel much colder, many degrees below zero for sure.
Heading out? Dress really warm. And it's not a bad idea to keep some survival gear in the car (lots of blanket and candles, etc.).
THE SUNRISE HERALD WEATHER WATCHERS REPORT:
Bill in Rockland says:Thirteen degrees here at 5:45 this morning. No wind yet and cloudy skies, but I guess the day will turn as tempestuous as the year now almost ended did. Let us pray for smoother sailing (mid-coast nautical
metaphor there) in 2009. Happy New Year to one and all!
James in Cape Elizabeth says: Dec. 31, 2008. What a year this has been in so many ways. Weatherwise, it is currently 15 degrees at 6 a.m. in downtown Cape Elizabeth. Inky black outside with no real breeze to speak of, yet. Apparently the wind and snow will start later this morning or early afternoon. Please make all Holiday Celebrations **SAFE**! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
Shawn in Yarmouth says:It is the last day of 2008. The year has flown by. Here in Yarmouth, it is 22 degrees outside and very quiet. It appears that there is a light cloud cover, but there is not a breath of wind and nothing falling from the sky. Enjoy your day and stay safe if you are out celebrating and traveling tonight!
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ON THE ROAD:
ON THE OCEAN:
• High tide in Portland: 1:14 p.m. Low tide: 7:04 a.m. and 7:35 p.m.
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THE NEWEST NEWS:
BANGOR (AP) -- John Bishop, who helped lead the Bangor Daily News into the computerized era in the 1980s and retired in 2003 as the company's vice-president, died Sunday of apparent heart failure. The 33-year newspaper veteran was 67.
Bishop started working for Bangor Publishing Co. in 1970. He remained on the board of directors for Northeast Publishing Co. after his retirement. Northeast Publishing, a subsidiary of Bangor Publishing, is based in Aroostook County and owns four weekly newspapers.
At the time of his death, Bishop lived with his wife in Georgetown, Mass.
PORTLAND (AP) -- At least three Maine banks have decided to take money from the federal government's $700 billion financial rescue package.
The First Bancorp, based in Damariscotta, is the latest Maine bank to approve participation in the federal program. Shareholders voted Monday to borrow $25 million to increase the bank's capital. Other banks who are using the federal money are Northeast Bank and Bar Harbor Banking.
CEO Dan Daigneault of The First Bancorp says his company is in good shape, but the added capital will allow the bank to make more loans to individuals and small businesses.
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FARMINGTON -- A young man was stabbed in downtown Farmington on yesterday afternoon, police say.
In a brief press release, Farmington police said a 16-year old victim received superficial wounds in the incident at 2:10 p.m. The attack occurred on Broadway, one of the town's busiest streets and part of the shopping district.
"We believe this is not a random act of violence," the release states.
The incident is under investigation.
Central Maine Newspapers provided this information
FROM OUR NEWS PARTNERS:
• The Bangor Daily News today reports that a man from Nova Scotia escaped serious injury Tuesday morning on I-95 when he lost control of his car on the slippery northbound lane and wound up upside down in the highway median. The crash occurred around Carmel. The full story can be read by clicking this link.
Photo of Glidden provided by the
Lewiston Sun Journal.
Christian Glidden, 28, (photo at right) was indicted on 11 counts of possession of sexually explicit materials plus two counts of unlawful sexual touching dating back to 2005.
Police said they found 336 images of suspected child pornography on the hard drive of his computer in a room next to his bedroom at his parents' Lisbon home day-care. They also found 154 images of suspected child pornography on more than 100 computer discs, said Bernie McAllister, a detective at Lisbon Police Department.
Read the story in its entirety by clicking here.
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I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP:
BERLIN, Vt. (AP) - Ever realize your winning lottery ticket was thrown out with the trash?
It happened to one man in Vermont, who, thanks to his quick wits, is now $650,000 richer.
Steven LeClair of Richford, Vt., was given the Dec. 24 Tri-state Megabucks ticket (Maine participates) as a Christmas present from his mother. But it was in a gift bag that LeClair threw out, not knowing it was inside.
Vermont Lottery spokeswoman Hadley Melendy says LeClair's wife found out two days later that the only winning ticket had been sold at a market in Richford. So LeClair went through the trash at his home and found it and ... ta da!
LeClair, though, could not be reached for comment for the story.
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AND NOW FOR THE ANSWER TO TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION:
The answer is, A, Port Clinton, Ohio, where every year the town, self-proclaimed walleye capital of the world, rings in the new year with the Walleye Drop. Wylie the Walleye (he's the fish up top) has plummeted toward earth on the last day of the year for the past 12 years. He is quite celebrated in town, despite all those mean, nasty teeth.
And of course, they have a website, which can be accessed by clicking here.
Did you really think it was Toad Suck, Ark.? In that town, they drop a 600 pound frog on New Year's Eve. Okay, I'm just kidding. I don't know what they do to celebrate the new year in Toad Suck. But there really is such a place as Toad Suck, Ark.
Click here if you want to learn more about this unusually-named town. Click here if you want to learn about Toad Suck Daze, a festival celebrating the history of Toad Suck.
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