Bangor Band Christmas Concert this Sunday - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

People who attend the annual Christmas Concert of our historicBangor Band, which is nearing the end of its 146th year, will welcomeits new conductor, Dr. Fred Goldrich of Trenton.

The Bangor Band Christmas Concert is 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, atBangor Civic Center and, band president Bob Pentland promises, 'SantaClaus will be there.'

The concert is free and open to the public.

Having conducted symphony and chamber orchestras in the New YorkCity area, 'as well as musical theater both in that area and inMaine,' Pentland informed me, Goldrich has prepared a veryentertaining and enjoyable selection of holiday music for thisspecial concert.

You will hear many familiar holiday selections that will pleaseboth young and old, and 'a little brass ensemble' will be playing'some snazzy, jazzy Christmas music' as you pass through the lobbyheaded for your seats.

Once again, Pentland added, Bangor city officials have graciouslygiven 'permission' for Santa and his sleigh to light atop the civiccenter and avoid the snarl of holiday traffic, but Pentland requestsno oats be thrown to the reindeer on the roof.

Serving with Pentland on the Bangor Band board of directors forthe upcoming season are vice president Dale Brownie, Stetson;secretary Dianna Wyman, Fairfield; treasurer Richard Starke, Castine;and at-large members Don Menninghaus, Bangor, and Michelle Share, OldTown.

The band has openings for clarinet, saxophone and French hornplayers.

For more information, call Goldrich at 667-0153, Pentland at 667-4874, or Menninghaus at 942-1295.

Kathryn Braggins, e-mailing on behalf of the Hudson Museum, wantsthe public to know about a special raffle taking place during the11th annual Maine Indian Basketmakers Sale and Demonstration, whichis free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec.10, at the Museum in the Maine Center for the Arts on the Universityof Maine campus in Orono.

Braggins wrote that the Museum 'has commissioned a Passamaquoddyfancy basket by Jeremy Fray to be raffled off that day.'

'The basket is absolutely beautiful,' Braggins added.

It can be seen at the museum shop, or you will find a picture anda brief write-up about it at www.umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum/index.php.

Raffle tickets are available at the Museum Gift Shop for $5 each.

More than 30 Maine Indian basket makers will be selling theirunique ash splint and sweet grass baskets. If you wish to be an'early bird,' you can do so beginning at 9 a.m. for a $10 fee.

Throughout the day, traditional foods, storytelling and music,children's workshops and demonstrations will be offered.

More information about the Basketmakers Sale can be found atwww.umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum/even.php.

Santa Claus will be one of the special guests for the sixth annualWoodlawn Museum Candlelight Evening at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, atWoodlawn on Surry Road in Ellsworth.

Underwritten by Union Trust Co., festivities include music by theFletcher's Landing Philharmonic band, a bonfire, caroling, tours ofthe museum, hot chocolate and cookies served by members of the KeyClub, and lighting of the luminarias along the driveway by local BoyScouts.

Santa concludes the event at 6:30 p.m. with a reading of ''Twasthe Night Before Christmas' and the lighting of the CommunityChristmas Tree, which features decorations made by participants ofthe Downeast Family Child Care program.

Admission is $5 per car, plus an additional $5 for adults and $1per child for those who want to visit the museum and view theChristmas Trees of Woodlawn display.

From Nancy Grant we learn that doors open for the AFS 28th AnnualAuction at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, in the cafeteria of Orono HighSchool.

Your $5 admission includes a dinner of chili, corn bread, dessertand beverage. A vegetarian chili also will be available.

The silent auction is from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and closes promptly,in preparation for the live auction from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., featuringguest auctioneer Dave Ames.

Up for bid, this year, is everything from a boat ride down thePenobscot River and sailing into Penobscot Bay to an authenticraccoon coat, a flag that's been flown over the U.S. Capitol, giftcertificates, and OHS all-sports passes.

The AFS 'We are the World' quilt, currently on display at MerrillMerchants Bank in Orono, is this year's raffle item.

As always, all proceeds benefit the Orono AFS InterculturalPrograms Scholarship Fund.

Volunteers sought for Bangor literacy program - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

Some people, when they hear the words, 'Literacy Volunteers,'think of tutors teaching people who cannot read how to read.

But Mary Marin-Lyon, executive director of Literacy Volunteers ofBangor, reminds you that 'low literacy' affects '37 percent of ourneighbors.'

She describes 'low literacy' as having 'poor reading or Englishskills' that can often make people 'feel ashamed, frustrated andembarrassed.'

Low literacy can often prevent individuals 'from helping theirchildren develop important skills,' may limit job and earningprospects, or even prevent people from participating, effectively, incommunity activities.

To help your neighbors overcome such life obstacles, you can, injust a few hours a week, tutor an adult in reading or help him or herlearn the English language.

Lyon has announced that Basic Literacy Tutor Training will beconducted 6-9 p.m. five consecutive Wednesdays beginning Wednesday,Sept. 12, at United Technologies Center, 200 Hogan Road in Bangor.

Although there is no cost for the class and $25 is requested tohelp defray the cost of the book and materials, scholarships areavailable.

The LVB course in English Language Learner Tutor Training isplanned for 6-9 Monday and Wednesday evenings beginning Wednesday,Oct. 17, at UTC.

If you can help your neighbor become a better reader, or helpsomeone learn English, call LVB at 947-8451.

St. Croix International Quilters have two opportunities for thoseinterested in that activity.

The first is a free workshop with Lynda Coffey, who will teach youto make a quilted tote bag, at 6 p.m. Wednesday Sept. 5, at theMethodist Homes Recreation Center on Palmer Street in Calais.

The other is a machine quilting field trip beginning at MooseIsland Quilting, 445 Gin Cove Road in Perry, to view 'a demonstrationof Dana Bard's Long Arm Quilting Machine,' wrote Kathryn Mekelburg,'then off to have a noon lunch at the New Friendly Restaurant.'

After lunch, the group will travel to Charlotte Elementary School,where Bard will teach a workshop on machine quilting.

For more information, call Mekelburg, 454-0654.

Laura Mitchell reminds everyone that you are invited to the UnitedWay of Eastern Maine 2007 Campaign Kickoff, 'From Baby Steps to BusStops,' from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, at Bass Park inBangor.

The event includes a complimentary lunch from Hannaford, 'and theopportunity to experience a temporary installation of a Born Learningtrail, an outdoor-activity walking trail with 10 stations forchildren and their parents to learn and have fun together,' Mitchellwrote.

Speakers include Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe and UWEMCampaign Chairman John Rohman.

If you plan to attend and are not already registered through yourworkplace, you are encouraged to call UWEM at 941-2800.

More information is also available at www.unitedwayem.org.

Jackie Nicholson wants women to know that you need not be a memberto attend the Hancock Woman's Club monthly meeting at 7 p.m.Thursday, Sept. 6, at the Hancock Community Center.

After a brief business meeting, Nicholson wrote, you will hearpsychologist, author and former City College of New York professorDr. Douglas Kimmel speak on 'The Art of Aging.'

Kimmel, who specializes in gerontology, practices in Hancock.

Refreshments will be served, and more information can be obtainedby calling HWC president Charline Sheridan at 422-8969.

With fans worldwide honoring the memory of the late entertainer,Elvis Presley, who died 30 years ago this summer, local fans have achance to 'pay their respects,' so to speak, and support a worthycause at the same time.

Grace United Methodist Church of Bangor announces its secondannual 'Dessert With Elvis' is 6-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, atSpectacular Event Center, 395 Griffin Road in Bangor.

The public is invited to an evening of entertainment featuringElvis impersonator Bruce Nye, the Elvis Guy, a silent and liveauction and a dessert buffet.

Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the door on the dayof the event, or in advance, at Patrick's Hallmark in the BroadwayShopping Center, the Grasshopper Shop and Rebecca's in downtownBangor, or at Grace Church, 193 Union St. in Bangor.

Auction items include jewelry, gifts, restaurant and store giftcertificates and theater, Penobscot Bingo and sports events tickets.

Proceeds will benefit the church's ministry and community outreachprograms. More information can be obtained by calling the churchoffice at 942-8320.

Bangor Y auction to raise scholarship funds - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

Last year, the Bangor Y Benefit Auction raised more than $25,000,reported Carrie Anderson-Paquette.

Proceeds from this year's 7th annual auction 'will be used by theYMCA and YWCA of Greater Bangor to develop programs that benefitBangor area youth and provide scholarships to those who are otherwiseunable to participate,' she wrote.

The Bangor Y Benefit Auction is 5-11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, atSpectacular Event Center, 395 Griffin Road in Bangor.

Tickets are $30 and can be obtained at the Bangor Y, 127 HammondSt. or 17 Second St.

Your admission includes dinner, raffles, a silent auction, a liveauction with emcee and auctioneer Dick Catelle, and a dance after thefestivities.

One of the major raffle items is an Old Town Canoe-Kayak package.

Silent auction items range from large to small, from event ticketsto tools.

The live auction includes everything from sports packages andtelevision advertising to books personalized and donated by StephenKing and artwork of Bill Bracken, Debra Daniels and Vitauts Knuble.

Anderson-Paquette reported the fundraiser has moved to a newlocation 'to accommodate more people and showcase our items better.'

With good attendance and spirited bidding, perhaps last year'samount can be surpassed and even more young people will benefit fromall the Bangor Y has to offer.

The public is invited to the St. Croix Historical Society meetingat 7 tonight at The Holmestead in Calais.

Guest speaker Douglas Dougherty will discuss his new book aboutthe history of Todd's Point.

Joni Miller reminds members 'a vote will be taken to amend thebylaws regarding dues increase.'

Refreshments will be served.

Here's a last-minute notice about an event that's been six monthsin the planning, but Mary Jo Sanger hopes tomato lovers will findtime to attend.

Tom Roberts of Snakeroot Farm in Pittsfield is the featuredspeaker during a free Brown Bag Lunch at noon Tuesday, Nov. 8, atPage Farm and Home Museum on the campus of the University of Maine inOrono.

'The whole program is about tomatoes,' from heirloom tomatoes tohybrids and from how to keep tomatoes to how to plant them, Sangersaid.

The program will feature 'everything everybody ever wanted to knowabout usual and unusual varieties of tomatoes,' she added.

'Tom Roberts is an organic farmer who attends many of the farmersmarkets' in this area, she said, 'and his program should be ofconsiderable interest.'

Roberts sells organic produce and flowers and is also the marketmaster for the Pittsfield Farmers Market.

You are invited to attend the 2005-2006 Maryann Hartman Awardsceremony from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, in the Buchanan AlumniHouse on the University of Maine campus in Orono.

This lovely new facility on College Avenue is fully handicappedaccessible.

This is the 20th year the Women in the Curriculum and Women'sStudies Program has presented this award to Maine women ofdistinction.

The 2005-2006 honorees are Judith Isaacson, Jean Lavigne, DorothySchwartz and Brooke Hayne.

Isaacson is being recognized for her writing and lectures on herHolocaust experience and those of others.

Lavigne is being honored for her HIV-AIDS activism and herleadership in making benefits available to same-sex partners in theUMaine system.

Schwartz is receiving the award for making the Maine HumanitiesCouncil a major state cultural institution and a model for thecountry.

Hayne, who initiated Gay-Straight activities at her high school,despite opposition, will receive the Young Women's Society JusticeAward.

There is no fee and the event is open to the public, butregistration is necessary to arrange for seating and lightrefreshments.

If you would like to attend, please call 581-1228.

The public is welcome to attend a gathering of the AmericanAssociation of University Women, Penobscot Valley Branch, in honor ofa late member, Anne Johnson.

The program, coordinated by Mary Jo Sanger and Kathryn Olmsteadwith Cassie Gibbs and Mary Bird, is 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, at PageFarm and Home Museum on the campus of the University of Maine inOrono.

In addition to her AAUW activities, Johnson promoted the SchoolGarden Network, for which she wrote a series of articles thatrecently have been reissued in booklet form and distributed to Maineschools.

Johnson also co-founded the Orono Farmers Market.

Young journalists revive Bangor High paper - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

BANGOR - Reporters on the Bangor High School student newspaperwere up against the clock Saturday, putting their wordsmith skills togood use as they composed headlines for the sports section.

Tossing ideas back and forth, they finally settled on some cleverphrases that met with everyone's satisfaction.

'This is hard for one person, but we can feed off each other,'said Casey Dunn, co-editor of the Ram-Page and one of five studentsputting finishing touches on only the second issue since the schoolstopped publishing a paper three years ago.

The classroom of science teacher and Ram-Page adviser Al Banfieldwas a flurry of activity as the reporters - who double as editors -toiled to meet deadlines. Along with Dunn, co-editor Kaitlin Walmsleyand entertainment editor Krysta Koncinsky were creating headlines,proofreading copy and measuring space for stories and pictures.Meanwhile, Richard Korman and Carlin Puckett were using a computerprogram to plot out the finished product that would soon be taken tothe office of the Ellsworth American to be published.

Banfield was everywhere, pointing out the clock that was tickingaway, offering suggestions and dispensing advice.

Producing the school newspaper has gotten easier as staff membershave learned how to compromise and to manage their time better, theysaid. Seeing their stories in print and hearing the positive feedbackthat has ensued have become sources of pride.

'It's exciting to hear that people are reading something youworked so hard on,' said Walmsley.

But the time crunch continues to be a challenge. 'We're startingto realize that unless we're here every free second, it's not goingto come out on time,' she said.

Last published three years ago, the Ram-Page had been on hiatussince teacher Junita Drisko stepped down after 15 years as adviser.

The first issue of the reborn newspaper came out in October justbefore homecoming weekend. It included a front page photo of astudent preparing for the event 'to say we're back and we're timely,'Banfield said. Possibly four more issues will be published this year,he said.

The first Ram-Page also had a story about students Ben Weissman,Dave Kleinschmidt and James Bailey, who all scored perfect scores ontheir SATs, as well as a feature on the Bangor High Junior ReserveOfficer Training Core.

'It's interesting to see what types of things high school studentscare about,' said Shannon Martin, University of Maine assistantprofessor of journalism and director of UM's Center for StudentJournalism, which sponsors an annual high school newspaper conferencewith recognition for outstanding student journalism.

The more than 70 high school newspapers across the state varywidely in terms of content, according to the center.

Contained in the upcoming issue of the Ram-Page is a story aboutAlex Parks, a blind student, and another about United TechnologiesCenter in Bangor. Also included are stories about the school's AIDSactivists and about Jue Wang, the top student in the class.

'There's so much going on at school it's not hard to findstories,' said Dunn.

Including movie reviews, a horoscope and an advice column in theirpaper, Bangor students aim for an 'upbeat, lighthearted' publication.But they hope also to write serious stories. Down the road, plans areto find space for an editorial page as well as letters to the editor.

'The more mix of stories, the more interesting a newspaper is,'said Banfield, a former copy editor at the Bangor Daily News andsports writer at the Kansas City Star and Times.

Newspapers not only teach art, business, communication skills andethics, they 'help fulfill a high school's role as an institution,'said Kathryn Olmstead, UM associate professor of journalism andformer director of the Center for Student Journalism.

When high schools are going through the accreditation process,it's one of the things that is looked at 'to see if it's a qualityschool,' she said.

While the Ram-Page previously was produced as part of a BangorHigh school journalism course, the newspaper now is anextracurricular activity.

The upside is that staff can be drawn from students with a broadrange of interests, said Banfield. But, since most of those involvedin the newspaper are also involved in a host of other activities,it's a challenge to find the time to sit down and actually impart theins and outs of journalism.

'Learning is done on the fly,' he said.

Rams standout Weston taking talents to Bates Bangor senior will join basketball, football teams - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

The Bates College men's basketball team has developed a fruitfulconnection with Bangor High School in recent years.

Zak Ray, a star guard for the Rams who was named the state's 2003Mr. Basketball, went on to become one of the top players in the NewEngland Small College Athletic Conference during his four years atBates.

And Alex Gallant, a forward who led Bangor to the 2007 Class Astate championship, was part of the Bobcats' regular rotation duringhis first year at the Lewiston school this winter.

Now Ryan Weston, who helped Bangor to a 42-2 record, one statechampionship and two Eastern Maine Class A titles over the last twoseasons, plans to join Gallant on the Bates roster next season.

'I went there for a visit, and I loved the coach and I thought itwas a beautiful campus even though they had a lot of constructiongoing on,' said Weston, a 6-foot-5 center. 'The campus wasabsolutely gorgeous, everybody was really friendly and willing toanswer your questions.'

Weston said his familiarity with two local players on the team,Gallant and sophomore guard Chris Wilson of Brewer, also helped withhis decision, as did the team's style of play.

'I knew a couple of the guys on the team in Chris and Al, and Igot to see them play and see how coach [Joe] Reilly coached,' hesaid. 'I loved the way coach Reilly coached - hard, intense man-to-man defense similar to what we do here at Bangor.'

Weston, a Bangor Daily News third-team All-Maine choice as ajunior, was the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A Northplayer of the year this winter while leading Bangor in scoring (12.7ppg) and rebounding (8 rpg) despite averaging barely 20 minutes ofplaying time per game.

Bates finished the 2007-08 season with a 17-8 record, qualifyingfor the NESCAC playoffs before bowing to Bowdoin of Brunswick in thequarterfinals.

Weston's athletic career at Bates won't be confined tobasketball, as he also plans to join the Bobcats' football team thisfall.

'When I was visiting there I met the football coach [MarkHarriman], who it turns out had been a referee in our quarterfinal[basketball] game last year against Leavitt, and I decided I wantedto play two sports instead of having to give up one,' Weston said.'The coaches supported me 100 percent in doing that, so Bates seemedlike a pretty good option for me.'

Weston, a first-team All-Pine Tree Conference Class A tight endlast fall while helping Bangor reach the Eastern A final, won't bealone among Bangor football players matriculating to Bates. FellowAll-PTC first-team honorees Tyler McDade (linebacker) and KyleVanidestine (running back/defensive back) also are planning to playfor the Bobcats beginning this year, Weston said.

Weston is hopeful the blend of new talent and experiencedveterans will help Bates emerge from a struggling period in itsfootball history. The Bobcats have finished 1-7 each of the last twoyears.

'It's a program on the rise,' he said, 'and there's a lot ofdesire and a lot of passion there.'

Martin wins Gatorade honor

Ryan Martin of Maranacook of Readfield has capped off a cleansweep of the state's top schoolboy basketball honors with hisselection as Maine's Gatorade Player of the Year.

That selection, released Monday, comes in the aftermath of the 5-foot-9 senior guard leading the Black Bears to a 22-0 record and the2008 Class B state championship and being named Mr. Basketball onFriday night during the Maine McDonald's Senior All-Star Banquet.

Martin concluded his high school career with a stellar seniorseason that propelled Maranacook to its second state title in threeyears.

His contribution? Martin averaged 23.1 points and 2.6 assists pergame while shooting 61 percent from the field, 60 percent frombeyond the 3-point arc and 88 percent from the free-throw line.

He scored a school-record 56 points - including eight 3-pointers -in the Black Bears' regular-season finale, a 97-60 victory over OakHill of Sabattus. He then was named Eastern B tournament MVP for thesecond time in three years after averaging 25 points in three games.

Martin followed that effort with a game-high 26 points as theBlack Bears defeated Cape Elizabeth 56-46 in the Class B statefinal.

A three-time Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B playerof the year and a two-time Bangor Daily News All-Maine choice,Martin ended his career with 1,899 points.

Martin was a four-year starter for coach Rob Schmidt's BlackBears but burst onto the scene in a statewide sense as a sophomore.

Martin averaged 34 points in three 2006 Eastern B tournamentgames, including 41 points in a semifinal win against Medomak Valleyof Waldoboro and 35 in Maranacook's championship-game victory overPresque Isle. He also set an Eastern B tournament record with 18made free throws in the semifinals.

Maranacook went on to defeat Mountain Valley of Rumford in thatyear's state final, but the Black Bears were ousted in the 2007regional quarterfinals before regaining the gold ball this winter.

Martin's Maranacook team compiled a 69-13 overall record overfour years, including 59-4 during the last three years.

Martin is expected to announce his college plans by the end ofthis week, with options including Maine, Vermont, Quinnipiac, KeeneState and Franklin Pierce.

Corrigan faces sporting choice

Caribou High School senior Kyle Corrigan has the most importantpart of his college selection process settled.

He's headed to the University of Maine-Presque Isle in the fallto study athletic training.

He's also going to play a sport for the Owls, but he's not yetsure which one - and he has two high-quality options.

'It's either soccer or basketball,' he said. 'I just want to playone, and I don't know which one I'm going to play yet. It's going totake a while.'

Corrigan earned All-New England honors from the Maine SoccerCoaches Association last fall after breaking a 30-year-old schoolsingle-season goal-scoring record with 27 while leading the Vikingsto a 12-3 record. He finished his career with 51 goals and 13assists.

This winter, the 5-9 guard was one of the top basketball playersin Eastern Maine Class B, earning first-team All-Big East Conferencehonors and All-Aroostook accolades while leading Caribou to a 17-3record and a berth in the regional tournament.

Corrigan also was a McDonald's senior all-star.

'It's just where my heart is and which sport I have more funplaying,' said Corrigan of his eventual choice. 'It's not reallyabout all the success, it's about what I feel.'

Corrigan's favorite sport has changed over the years, whichlikely will make his decision all the more difficult.

'When I was little it was baseball, then in the middle-school erait was basketball,' he said. 'Once high school came around, I reallygot into soccer, so it's definitely shifted.'

eclark@bangordailynews.net

Bangor area youth choirs holding auditions - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

Reorganized four years ago, the 12-year-old Bangor Area Children'sChoirs, which include the Treble Choir and Youth Choral, will conductchoir auditions for new members from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22,and Thursday, Sept. 23, at All Souls Congregational Church onBroadway in Bangor.

Director Michele Hall reports the first choir rehearsal for the2004-2005 season is 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28, at the church.

The choir schedule includes the 'Nutcracker' performance with theBangor Symphony Orchestra and Robinson School of Ballet thisDecember, in which first-year choir members do not participate; aformal winter concert in January; the state choir festival in March;performances at school assemblies in April; and also a final concertthat month.

Youth Choral events include an October appearance at the BangorMuseum and Center for History, a February cabaret evening and aweekend trip 'for fun and relaxation with a little bit of work,' atthe end of April, Hall wrote.

Singers must be no younger than 9 years old and no older than 16as of Friday, Oct. 1, and while there is a yearly tuition of $200,financial assistance is available through choir scholarship funds.

Auditions for new members are a two-day process, Hall explained,and those who try out are asked not to prepare any music since eachsinger performs the same audition.

The individual audition is Wednesday, Sept. 22, and callbacks willbe made that evening.

Those singers contacted for the callback attend a group auditionthe following day and are notified of the results by 9 p.m. Friday,Sept. 24.

Last year, choir members represented 12 towns and 17 schools inthe Bangor area.

For more information, call Hall at 947-2023.

OHI is hosting a Longaberger Basket Bingo with doors opening at 11a.m. and games beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, at the BrewerEagles Club. The club's members are volunteering their time andfacility for the fund-raiser.

OHI assists people with disabilities to live productively in theircommunities, and is raising funds to take 40 individuals to DisneyWorld.

Each game will have a basket prize, reports OHI's Duane Hall.

Also, two top staffers filled baskets in a challenge to see whosebasket sells the most cards. The loser must come to work one day withblue hair!

Admission is $10 for 15 games, with an additional cost for thechallenge.

For information, call Hall at 848-5804, ext. 119.

AARP's national president, Marie Smith, is making her first tripto our area, and you are invited to welcome her as she discusses'Social Security: Our Future to Protect; Our Children's Future toSecure.'

Sponsored by AARP and the Eastern Area Agency on Aging, Smith willaddress the proposed changes in Social Security beginning at 10 a.m.Tuesday, Sept. 21, at Spectacular Events, 395 Griffin Road, Bangor.

Refreshments will be served, but in order to attend you mustpreregister.

Registrations may be made by calling (800) 432-7812.

For more than five years, Oriental Jade Restaurant in Bangor hasoffered its dinner buffet fund-raiser program for school groups andnonprofit organizations.

Co-owner Lillian Lo wants those groups to know that September isthe perfect month to host one of these events, since most bookingscome later in the year.

Adult representatives of high school, middle school, sports,church and other nonprofit groups should call and book their fund-raiser as soon as possible to obtain the most current availableopening.

The owners take a small percentage of the profits for taxpurposes, but give a generous percentage of the balance to the hostorganization. Often, a group can raise more than $1,000.

Book your Oriental Jade dinner fund-raiser by calling 947-6969.

Camden Garden Club members invite to you Beverly Reese Church'spresentation of Tablescapes: Creative Entertaining at 11:30 a.m.Thursday, Sept. 23, at MBNA's Ginley Hall on Route 1 in Northport.

Church, an author, designer, businesswoman and lecturer, travelsthroughout the country speaking on entertaining.

Preferred seating admission for the luncheon, slide show, magicaldemonstration, book sale and silent auction is $100, and includes a$65 tax-deductible donation to Maine Coast Heritage Trust.

Regular seating admission is $50 and includes a $15 tax-deductible donation to MCHT.

To order tickets, call Sally Fernald at 236-4502 or Sue Crowe at236-2668.

Membership rates for the Special Garden Club available at theSamoset Resort in Rockport by calling (877) 880-8857.

Tax cap jeopardizes Bangor private school funds - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

BANGOR - The city's annual subsidy to three private schools may bein jeopardy.

For the first time in many years, funding for All Saints CatholicSchool, Bangor Christian School and John Bapst Memorial High Schoolhasn't been included in Bangor City Manager Ed Barrett's recommendedbudget.

The city's finance director explained earlier this week that thecuts are forced by a tight budget, which is 'wholly attributable tothe effects of LD 1,' the new state law that caps the amount of taxesto be raised for municipal services.

'In order to comply with the requirements of LD 1, we had to cut asignificant amount of funds from the proposed budget beforerecommending it to the council,' said Finance Director Debbie Cyr.

The private schools have requested a total of $97,800 for 2006.The bulk of the money would go to All Saints, which uses itscontribution for busing pupils to and from St. Mary's (pre-kindergarten to fourth grade) and St. John's (fifth grade to eighthgrade). John Bapst puts its allotment toward passes for the city bus,while Bangor Christian School (pre-kindergarten to 12th grade) spendsits subsidy for co-curricular activities such as field trips.

Also making a dent in Bangor's finances is the state's recentdecision to stop reimbursing communities' private school subsidiesbeginning July 1, said Cyr. The state now absorbs 21 percent of thecity's expenses.

City councilors will discuss private school funding during ameeting beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 31. A decision likely won'tbe made until June, Cyr said.

Funding for private schools is always 'a hot topic,' she said. Sherecalled that, in the 1990s, an attempt to eliminate the city'scontribution was forestalled by a huge public outcry.

'It's one of those [decisions] that's hard,' she said, noting thatcouncilors believe it's important to support education. 'But to usetaxpayer money for it always [leads to] a discussion, especiallysince we raise a significant amount of taxes to support our own[public] schools.'

City Councilor Dan Tremble predicted an uphill battle for theprivate schools. 'Any group will have a hard time getting money backin the budget,' he said. 'There's not a lot of extra money unless wewant to raise taxes.'

Under LD 1, the city possibly could raise taxes above the cap butonly by getting voter approval in a citywide referendum.

Tremble said he would have preferred to see the subsidy phased outinstead of eliminated outright, 'if that's the direction we want togo.'

Although LD 1 has restricted municipal spending, it resulted in a$2 million increase in state aid for education for Bangor, he pointedout.

The city has received a number of e-mails and phone calls, almostall in favor of keeping the private school subsidy, Cyr said.

According to some arguments, parents of Bangor children who attendprivate schools are taxpayers and thus are entitled to services.Supporters also contend that the city saves money when childrenattend private school.

But Cyr said Superintendent Robert Ervin has told her the costs ofabsorbing those students would be 'minimal.'

Marcia Diamond, principal at All Saints, said parents also havesafety concerns. Sidewalks aren't always available and aren't alwaysplowed, making it difficult for elementary school pupils withinwalking distance. Also, registered sex offenders live in the vicinityof the schools.

Bangor Christian contributes daily to the city's economy bybringing people to Bangor through the school's academic and sportsprograms, said Principal Jim Chasse. Without the funding, the schoolmay have to cut teachers and programs or raise tuition, he said.

Landis Green, headmaster at John Bapst, said because the city'sfunding is limited to Bangor students, it affects only a smallpercentage of the school's enrollment which comes from nearly 50communities in a 60-mile radius.

Pats' arrival set for 1:15 Wednesday Bangor's Hackett dumps Dallas for world champs - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

BANGOR - Bangor High School football coach Mark Hackett revealedMonday that he recently switched football teams.

At least, he has switched his support of football teams: from theDallas Cowboys to the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

'To be honest with you my two favorite teams have been theUniversity of Maine and the Bangor Rams and now it's going to be theNew England Patriots,' Hackett said during a press conference at cityhall detailing the specifics of Wednesday's visit by three members ofthe Patriots and team owner Bob Kraft.

'I used to be a Cowboys fan, but with what's been going on thisyear I'm now with the Patriots,' Hackett said, explaining that hisfirst year as a head coach has been a dream season with the Ramsgoing undefeated and winning their first state title in 20 years.

Hackett's revelation of changing teams came after Maine coach JackCosgrove had said that he was excited to take part in Wednesday's12:30 p.m. rally at the Bass Park grandstand.

'These are my three favorite teams, the Bangor Rams, the MaineBlack Bears and the New England Patriots,' Cosgrove said. 'It's agreat day for the sport of football to see this type of event takingplace in Bangor, Maine.'

The Patriots will arrive at Bangor International Airport at 1 p.m.and then take a police escort to Bass Park, where the team isexpected to arrive at 1:15 p.m. Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri, teamcaptain Lawyer Milloy and defensive end Bobby Hamilton will greet thecrowd along with Kraft, who will have the Lombardi Trophy. The trophywas awarded to the Patriots after they defeated the St. Louis Rams 20-17 on Vinatieri's final-second 48-yard field goal in Super BowlXXXVI.

The team will then be honored in a proclamation by Bangor MayorMichael Crowley, who will also give them a key to the city. The teamwill leave at 2 p.m. and fly down to Portland for a parade at 3 p.m.

At noon, fans can enter Bass Park where they will be givencommemorative team photos of the Super Bowl champs printed by theBangor Daily News. At 12:30 p.m., members of the UMaine and Bangorfootball teams will address the rally.

Cosgrove said that players not attending classes will try toattend, while Hackett said that his team will be excused from school.

'I don't know about the rest of the school. I'm suspecting thatwe'll be adding members to the 62-man roster,' Hackett said jokingly.

Hackett said the students are 'fired up' and eager to see thePatriots.

'I don't think they really believe it's going to happen because alot of people think 'why would they stop by in Bangor, they're goingto Portland?' We just keep telling them, 'hey we beat Portland, maybewe can get them up here,'' Hackett said. 'It's a big deal to us andwe can talk and joke about it, but the people involved in gettingthem to stop by ... that makes me proud.'

Crowley praised the efforts of several city officials and membersof the media in working together to convince the Patriots to visitBangor. The city was also aided by Bangor native Nick Carparelli Jr.who was working in the Patriots office and delivered invitations toKraft.

Memorial service to be held for former Bangor athlete killed in rollover - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

STANDISH, Maine -- Saint Joseph's College has canceled itsTuesday afternoon classes and athletic contests to accommodate thoseheading to Bangor to attend a memorial service for student ClarkNoonan, a former Bangor High star athlete killed in a rolloveraccident on Saturday, college spokeswoman Charmaine Daniels saidMonday.

Noonan, 20, was a sophomore business major and basketball playerfor the Monks who died when the car he was a passenger in went offthe road not far from the Standish campus and became entangled in achain-link fence after rolling over several times.

'Clark touched so many people, and his impact will always be felton our campus and our basketball program,' Rob Sanicola, Noonan'sbasketball coach at Saint Joseph's, said Monday in a statementreleased by the college. 'It's an honor that I got to be part of hislife.'

Sanicola described Noonan as a dedicated student athlete who madea positive impact on all he met.

'Clark was such a good-hearted young man who had so much to offerto his peers, his coaches and our community,' he said. 'His honesty,dedication, discipline, enthusiasm and dependability always camethrough.'

Bangor High School boys varsity basketball coach Roger Reed saidNoonan's death was a tragic loss.

'What a waste of a great life, because he was such a great youngman,' his former coach said. 'He had unbelievable drive anddetermination. I can't explain how saddened I am by this.'

Noonan was a two-year varsity basketball player at Bangor HighSchool, where as a senior in 2010 he earned Bangor Daily News third-team All-Maine recognition as well as All-Kennebec Valley AthleticConference first team, all-defensive and all-academic honors.

A candlelight vigil was planned for 11 p.m. Monday at SaintJoseph's College to honor Noonan's life. The vigil was to begin inHealy Chapel and end at the Harold Alfond Center, Daniels said.

Campus officials held community meetings over the weekend toprovide emotional support for students and staff, made griefcounselors available and on Sunday dedicated Mass in Noonan's honor,she said.

'At this time, the college is focused on mutual support, prayerand healing,' Daniels said.

A memorial service for Noonan will be held on campus at a laterdate, she said.

The fatal crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Three otherSt. Joseph's students in the car -- driver Tyler Hall, 19, ofPittston, James Philbrook, 20, of Auburn and Terence Cullen, 21, ofIowa -- each suffered injuries that were not life-threatening andwere taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

A nursing supervisor did not return a call Monday seekinginformation on the condition of the students.

Police said Hall was speeding in his Mazda 626 before he lostcontrol of the sports car.

A dispatcher for the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department onMonday referred all questions about the deadly crash to Capt. DonGoulet, who could not be reached for comment.

The Sheriff's Department is working with the Cumberland Countydistrict attorney's office, which was closed Monday because ofPatriots Day, to determine if any charges are warranted againstHall. A Cumberland County Jail official said late Monday afternoonthat the Sheriff's Department had not arrested the driver.

Noonan is survived by his parents and a sister of Bangor. Apublic service is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Bangor BaptistChurch, 1476 Broadway. Visiting hours are 4-6 p.m. at the church.

In his obituary printed in the Bangor Daily News, Noonan's familysaid he loved to compete in sports but more important he lovedmaking memories with his family.

'Clark's favorite place to be was 'on the island' in Islesboro,'his obituary states. 'For 20 years he spent part of his summervacation at the family home. It was here that he learned to sail,kayak, played Monopoly but most of all he spent time with hisfamily. Many of our favorite memories were created while together onvacation.'

Condolences to the family may be expressed atwww.BrookingsSmith.com.

Rams softball eyes title Brewer practicing on Bangor track - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

Even though the calendar says spring has arrived, there wascertainly a nippy, winter-like feeling in the air Monday.

However, inside Bangor High School, there were signs of theseason amidst Red Barry Gymnasium, with softballs popping into mittsand athletes running laps around the perimeter of the basketballcourt.

Even though preseason practices for spring sports teams don'tofficially start for another week, the state's softball and baseballteams were allowed to bring in five pitchers and five catchers forworkouts starting Monday.

The bulk of the preseason workouts for softball, baseball, trackand field and tennis commence on March 30.

After riding a young nucleus to the Eastern Maine Class Achampionship game a year ago, Bangor is certainly expecting to getback to that plateau this spring, and perhaps go even further.

Junior pitcher Sam Bedore, who had an outstanding sophomorecampaign for the Rams, ultimately has lofty goals for herself andher teammates.

'I'm hoping to do a lot better this year and carry my team alittler further than we got last year, hopefully get that statechampionship,' said Bedore.

Bedore is one of the top pitchers statewide, and she's hoping off-season work contributes to potential success.

'I actually played all year down at Frozen Ropes in Portland sothat helps a lot,' said Bedore, who noted that her arm strength isup to par.

'I'm feeling good,' she said. 'I think I'll do better than lastyear. I've been working more on my riseball and a screw but otherthan that just trying to get better at my other pitches.'

For now, Bedore and her teammates will be focusing onconditioning and working their way into softball shape.

Coach Don Stanhope's Rams graduated only four seniors from lastyear's squad, and should be a legitimate contender for the EasternMaine crown.

Bangor fell to Brewer in last year's regional final en route tothat school's first state softball championship.

Witches to practice at Bangor

The good news for the Brewer High outdoor track program is thatin a couple of years, the Witches will have a new home facility.

The bad news is that Brewer will be without a home for a coupleyears while the new track facility and elementary school areconstructed.

However, the Witches have a practice facility to call home thisspring, as they'll hold workouts at Bangor's Cameron Stadium.

Brewer will generally practice there daily from 4:30 p.m. to 6,after Bangor's practices conclude while the Witches will share thefacility with John Bapst.

Since all three programs have solid relationships with oneanother, the decision was a fairly easy one.

'What it came down to was we have a good relationship with Bangorand [Bangor athletic director Steve] Vanidestine,' said Brewer coachJamerson Crowley, whose team held its preseason informationalmeeting Monday with practices set to begin next week.

Crowley added that Bangor's staff and John Bapst coach BrucePratt were generous in letting the Witches use the facility.

The coach also noted that certain groups won't be on the trackevery day. For example, the distance runners may only do a couplespeed workouts a week while jumping pits and throwing facilities andcages could be shared.

'It'll be kind of similar to what we do in indoor,' Crowley said,referring to winter practices at the University of Maine field housewhere a throng of teams generally practice simultaneously.

Brewer won't be on the track when preseason camp opens, but withits first meet set for April 17th in Belfast, the Witches wouldprefer to get on the track as quickly as possible.

'The second week we plan to be on if everything works out,' saidCrowley.

PVC schedule released

The first Penobscot Valley Conference high school track meet isexactly one month from today.

The conference released its 2009 schedule recently, which kicksoff April 24 with a multi-team meet at Hampden followed by meets atMount Desert Island in Bar Harbor and Orono a day later.

Girls contenders Bangor and Brewer will face off twice during theregular season while the Hampden boys have one meet apiece withBangor and Brewer.

The MDI Relays will be held two weeks before the leaguechampionship meets on May 16.

Bangor and Foxcroft Academy will host the respective large andsmall school championship meets this year, with the Class A-B meetat Cameron Stadium May 29 and the Class C meet a day later in Dover-Foxcroft.

rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net

Bangor, Maine, teacher to launch new career as NASA program chief. - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

By Ruth-Ellen Cohen, Bangor Daily News, Maine Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Dec. 2--BANGOR, Maine -- Ellen Holmes, a fourth-grade teacher at Fairmount School who was involved with the new Challenger Learning Center of Maine, is leaving next month to work for NASA.

Holmes said this week that she has taken a position as program manager for the nation's space program, developing materials for middle school educators to teach math and science concepts using NASA technology.

She will be based at the Langley Research Center in Norfolk, Va., responsible for developing video and Web resources as well as printed material for teachers and students.

Holmes, whose last day will be Dec. 22, said her time in Bangor has been special.

'I've really fallen in love with the children -- and their families -- here at Fairmount. The colleagues I work with are just tremendous,' she said.

Her first assignment will be in Cozumel, Mexico, where she will oversee a film crew documenting how archaeologists use satellite data to track changes in the Mayan ruins that have resulted from climate conditions and the movement of the Earth's crust.

She also will work with NASCAR to develop a series of materials that showcase the math, science, engineering and technology involved in the sport of auto racing. Many of the technologies used in NASCAR are used by NASA.

Holmes said she has been interested in space since she was a young student, inspired by her science teachers from Warsaw Middle School in Pittsfield where she grew up.

As a teacher, she came to realize that space studies can be a 'powerful tool' to pique young learners' interest in math and science.

In 2001, she was one of 50 educators nationwide selected to participate in a NASA educator workshop in which teachers received training on how to live and work in space. The following summer she led that program at the Kennedy Space Center.

This past summer she was selected to be a 'NASA Educator Ambassador' and was sent to Sonoma State University in California to receive training in astrophysics and nuclear physics. The goal was to train educators to use NASA data from the Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope set to launch in early 2006.

In September, Holmes helped launch the state's only official NASA Educational Resource Center at the Challenger Learning Center on Cleveland Avenue across from the Bangor International Airport. Now educational materials and professional development opportunities can be offered to teachers throughout Maine free of charge.

As a result of her connection to NASA, Holmes has brought a number of unique resources to Maine. She has provided professional development workshops for educators, mediated live satellite links to the International Space Station, and brought astronauts, space vehicle engineers and space experts into area classrooms.

Holmes, who has taught in Bangor schools for 12 years, said leaving would be tough.

'But it's like being drafted by the NBA -- it's hard to say no to your dream.'

To see more of the Bangor Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bangordailynews.com.

Bangor, Maine, Studies New Bass Park Zoning for Racetrack Casino. - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

By Dawn Gagnon, Bangor Daily News, Maine Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Dec. 10--BANGOR, Maine--As part of preparations for a racetrack casino at Bass Park, city staff and elected officials are considering zoning changes for Bass Park. Grandstand renovations are under way to accommodate the first 250 of the 1,500 slot machines developer Capital Seven LLC plans to install as one of the centerpieces of its $30 million redevelopment plan.

As things stand, most of the 305-acre Bass Park complex is located in a park and open-space zoning designation, a district encompassing the racetrack, grandstand, barns, shared parking area and municipal golf course.

The exceptions are the Bangor Auditorium and Civic Center, zoned government and institutional service district, the small parcels of city-owned land on adjacent Buck Street and Webster Avenue now zoned residential and the parking area behind the Irving station on Main Street, which is zoned general commercial and service district.

In a recent memo to City Manager Edward Barrett and City Solicitor Norman Heitmann, Planning Officer Katherine Weber proposed a new zoning district -- called the Bass Park District.

The new district was modeled after the city's Waterfront Development District, another area undergoing redevelopment, Weber noted in her correspondence with city administrators.

According to Weber's proposal, the Bass Park District would encompass all the existing facilities, except the golf course, which would retain its current park and open-space designation. Existing uses -- such as the Bangor State Fair, exhibits, conventions, entertainment and sports events, recreation programs and sales and service functions -- would be allowed to continue.

Key new uses would be a racino, the gaming industry's term for a combined racetrack casino, and related improvements, including a conference center, hotel or inn and associated eating and drinking establishments.

City councilors reviewed the plan during a committee meeting earlier this month.

In response to questions from Mayor Dan Tremble and Councilor Gerry Palmer, Weber noted that the district would allow slot machines to be operated at Bass Park -- but only in conjunction with the racetrack there.

Noting that he thought of Bass Park as Bangor's version of Central Park in New York City, Palmer said he would not want to see agricultural uses there 'displaced' by more commercial ones, such as the slots parlor, hotel and other amenities Capital Seven proposes as part of its racino development.

'That's a question we have to look at,' he said. 'My concern is 'mission creep,' he added, 'that what once was green becomes something else.'

To see more of the Bangor Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bangordailynews.com

Some stores refusing Canadian money Bangor Chamber questions merchants' action - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

A New Brunswick shopper's complaint that she was unable to useher Canadian currency in four Bangor stores has prompted the BangorRegion Chamber of Commerce to question whether area businesses aremaking enough effort to welcome Canadian shoppers.

Earlier this month, Judy Robinson, 47, traveled to Bangor fromher home in Fredericton for a weekend of shopping. Nearing the endof her trip, she used up all of her U.S. dollars and tried topurchase items at A.C. Moore, Linens 'n Things, Bed Bath & Beyondand Quirk Chevrolet's pro shop, she said.

When her money was refused at each place, Robinson chose not topurchase the items with other means, such as her credit card, shesaid. She returned home and e-mailed the Bangor Region Chamber ofCommerce.

'When I questioned why they would not accept my money, thecashiers couldn't tell me in any of the stores. They didn't even tryto find out from the manager,' Robinson said in a telephoneinterview Friday. 'I wasn't treated badly, I just wanted to knowwhy.'

Robinson said the store clerks expressed 'an attitude andindifference.' Robinson owns a motel in Fredericton and said sheaccepts U.S. dollars.

Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce President Candy Guerette saidshe was surprised to hear Robinson's story. Guerette said she hadthought that most if not all Bangor-area stores accept Canadiancurrency.

'I find this very unsettling as this region has a strong, loyalcustomer base to our north. And right now, their dollar is strongerthan ours so they should be getting a premium,' Guerette saidWednesday. 'As a Chamber, we're wondering what we can do behind thescenes.'

Guerette said national chains generally do not allow their storesto take foreign currency.

Linens 'n Things' corporate office in Clifton, N.J., confirmedthat it is the company's nationwide policy not to accept any foreignmoney. Bed Bath & Beyond said it does not have a 'currencyconversion system' in place at any of its stores nationwide. A.C.Moore and Quirk did not return calls for comment.

No store is obligated to accept foreign currency, but JamesGerety, general manager of the Bangor Mall, believes it is goodcustomer service for storeowners to direct Canadian shoppers to thenearest place where they may exchange their cash.

'While we don't want to have to send those customers offproperty, sometimes we do,' Gerety said Thursday. At the BangorMall, each store sets its own policy on accepting foreign currency.

Brad Ryder, owner of Epic Sports in downtown Bangor, said heaccepts Canadian dollars and has a hard time imagining why any storewould not do the same.

'We try to follow our bank's discounting. In this case, it's 10percent in favor of Canadian money,' Ryder said. That means that ifa Canadian customer purchases a jacket with a $100 price tag, thatcustomer pays $90 in Canadian currency.

Ryder said he loses a 'minimal' amount of revenue when he goes todeposit Canadian money at his bank, but not enough to change hispolicy.

Bangor Savings Bank said Thursday that it does not charge a feeto customers when they deposit Canadian dollars or checks. The moneyis simply converted at the bank's current exchange rate, which onThursday was 92 Canadian cents to one U.S. dollar, according tospokeswoman Carol Colson.

Ryder does not keep track of how much of his revenue comes fromCanadian customers, but he said he rarely sees their currency in hisstore. He estimates that about 95 percent of Canadian shoppers usetheir credit cards.

Marden's in Brewer has long accepted Canadian dollars and posts asign near its registers advertising the store's daily exchange rate.On Thursday, the rate was 96 Canadian cents to one U.S. dollar.

Hotels and other lodging facilities seem to be more inclined toaccept Canadian currency. The Ramada Inn in Bangor has alwaysaccepted Canadian cash and now takes it at par, according to managerFree Martin.

The Stucco Lodge in Veazie has a sign on U.S. Route 2 advertising'Canadian dollar at par' and has kept the promise since 1994,according to owner Najam 'Andy' Hashmi.

'My repeat customers aren't going to go anywhere else,' Hashmisaid. He estimates that 70 percent of his customers are Canadian,and he said many of them bring him gifts when they come to stay withhim.

Canadian customers complain to him when area stores refuse toaccept their currency, Hashmi said.

Guerette recommends that Canadian shoppers use a credit or debitcard in stores that do not accept Canadian dollars. She said theChamber will urge all of its members to accept the currency and isthinking of reinstating the Canadian Appreciation Days that tookplace in the 1990s.

'They were very successful,' Guerette said.

On Friday afternoon, two Canadian shoppers, Bernie and NicolleChavarie of Grand Barachois, New Brunswick, were in Bangor for aweekend of shopping and stopped at the Dunkin' Donuts on Odlin Roadin Bangor. They said that for years they have assumed that theircash will not be accepted at any Maine businesses outside Calais.

'It's frustrating,' said Bernie Chavarie. 'We're supposed to begood neighbors.'

aravana@bangordailynews.net

Adelphia Customers in Bangor, Maine, Will See Hike in Basic Cable Rates. - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

By Liz Chapman, Bangor Daily News, Maine Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Apr. 2--BANGOR, Maine--Lucrative sports contracts and other rising programming costs will be paid in part by Adelphia customers who will see rate increases in their monthly bills beginning in April, a company official said Tuesday.

The basic cable package, which includes 70 channels, will increase $3.30 a month throughout most of the company's northern Maine territory, according to Gary Crosby, area manager for Adelphia.

Only a handful of the 132 communities served by Adelphia's regional office in Bangor will see a lower dollar increase, because they have fewer channels on their systems, Crosby said.

The basic cable charge for the 34 communities in the greater Bangor area, for example, will now be $41.25 a month. The company also is increasing its monthly access fee for digital service by $2 for all customers -- a $1 increase in the monthly access fee, for a total of $7 a month, and another $1 on any of the company's digital packages, which now cost between $15.95 and $35.95 a month.

'Every time an athlete gets another $1 million, [cable subscribers] pay part of that,' Crosby said Tuesday in explaining the increased cost to Adelphia and other cable companies to buy satellite programming.

Adelphia last increased rates in February 2002.

In addition to the programming cost increases, Adelphia also is facing typical inflationary costs for wages, benefits, utilities and other operational expenses, he said.

Crosby said the new rate increases are unrelated to the company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. He said the company hopes to emerge from bankruptcy 'pretty quick' and has started new cable service construction, which has been halted for more than a year.

'People should not be surprised that we're increasing our rates because it is a part of the world we live in,' Crosby said. 'It's Economics 101, really.'

Customers who buy high-speed Internet service from Adelphia will see even higher rate increases. The company will charge an additional $4 a month for its 'Advantage' packages, which include basic and digital cable as well as Power Link for fast Internet access.

The company's 'Total Advantage' package, which includes just about everything the company has to offer, will increase $7 a month, to $106.95 for those with their own computer modems and $109.95 a month for those who rent a modem from Adelphia.

And that's not the end of it, either. Crosby explained that Adelphia will now pass through to all customers the full cost of the annual 'franchise fee' paid to municipalities for the right to operate in each town or city.

The franchise fees vary from 1 percent to 5 percent and can be used for any municipal spending, although many towns finance their local access cable TV systems with the annual payment.

The law permitting the franchise fees stipulates that the fee cannot exceed 5 percent of a customer's cable bill. In many towns, customers already pay the entire fee to Adelphia, which turns around and sends it to city hall.

The fee is listed separately on customers' bills. Crosby said a few towns in Adelphia's northern region don't ask for any franchise fee, while some, including Bangor, get the full 5 percent.

Roger Raymond, Bucksport town manager and a member of the Bangor area consortium that negotiated the Adelphia franchises for the region, said Tuesday the towns have little say in the cable operation once the franchise agreement is set.

'We have no control over the fees,' he said.

He said most of the towns in the Bangor consortium receive the full 5-percent franchise fee.

To see more of the Bangor Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bangordailynews.com

(c) 2003, Bangor Daily News, Maine. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

Bangor business publication rejuvenated - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

BANGOR - Ed Pickett is back.

And so is his 'We hear that' column full of local businessanecdotes and other 'truthful rumors.' Pickett, the former editor ofthe Bangor Business Monthly, premiered an almost identicalpublication on New Year's Day.

The 62-year-old Bangor resident is back to working out of anoffice in the Phenix Inn in downtown Bangor after spending severalyears living and working in Portland. Pickett said Friday that Bangor-area business owners and former advertisers suggested he bring backthe monthly publication.

'Finally, I said, 'Let's go do it.' There's a need for such apublication and no competition in the local area. It's pretty muchthe same paper, we just started fresh with a new name,' Pickett saidFriday. 'The

concept's exactly the same.'

The first 20-page issue of the Bangor Business Journal featuredstories on the new University of Maine Museum of Art in NorumbegaHall; Pro Libris, a secondhand bookstore in Bangor; the latest retailsales numbers from the state; and an interview with the formerpresident of the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. Familiar columnistssuch as Frederic C. Hirsch, who writes about local media; ChuckOsgood, a KeyBank president; and Realtor Jon Dawson are back too.

Despite gloomy national economic forecasts, Pickett said that itseemed like a good time to restart a publication focusing on businessin the Bangor region.

'Certainly there are problems with the economy, but ours locallyis in pretty good shape,' said the veteran editor. 'We're a specialtypublication. People who advertise with me are business-to-businessadvertisers. Somebody who reads my paper is interested in localbusiness news, so we're targeted at business readers, and ad ratesare relatively inexpensive. We hope to grow but maintain a 50-50 ad-to-news ratio.'

The Bangor Business Journal will be distributed on or around thefirst of each month to 240 businesses in Greater Bangor includingbanks, restaurants, hotels and small, specialty businesses. Pickettsaid that the first press run of 5,000 copies even turned a smallprofit.

The Bangor Business Monthly, the predecessor of the newpublication, first was published in 1995. It soon grew to includeDown East, Penobscot Bay, Midcoast, Androscoggin and Kennebeceditions.

John M. Christie, president of The Maine Business Monthly Group,cited declining advertising sales and the rising cost of newsprint asreasons for the paper's demise in May 2001. At that time, Pickettowned the Portland Business Journal.

In August 2001, Pickett announced plans to launch the PortlandMorning Sun, a free daily to be published Monday through Friday andavailable in Greater Portland. The first edition of 5,000 wasdistributed on Oct. 8, 2001, but lasted just 13 editions beforesuspending publication. Pickett said then that people he had expectedto invest in the fledgling venture backed out because of the unstableeconomy.

Pickett owned WLKN, a Lincoln radio station, in the early 1980s,and was an on-air reporter for ESPN for the first six years of thecable sports network's existence, covering skiing, including the 1980and 1984 Olympics.

He also edited and published Ski Racing magazine for a time, andworked as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun for nearly 10 years.

Bangor forum to examine recreational needs - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

You are invited, but reservations are required, to attend FusionForum, a presentation by Fusion:Bangor, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday,Jan. 25, at the Sea Dog Banquet & Conference Center, along the BangorWaterfront.

Admission is free and includes a buffet lunch for those who makereservations by Monday, Jan. 23.

To RSVP, e-mail rsvp@fusion

bangor.com; call the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce, 947-0307;or call Fusion:Bangor co-chairman Cary Weston, 945-9999.

The presentation is titled 'Recreational Facilities & Spaces: WhatDo We have, What Do We Need, and What's On the Way?'

Panelists include Blake James, interim University of Maineathletic director; Rod Towne of the Bangor Soccer Club; Hallie Tyler,Citizens' Initiative for a Dog Park; Gary Walker, All Pro Soccer &Sport; and Tracey Willette, Bangor Parks & Recreation superintendent.

The program is intended to fill you in about the recreationalfacilities, events, options and spaces available to you, fromorganized sporting events and sites to quiet getaways, and provideinformation about how you can help advance the programs and causesyou feel this area needs.

In a previous article regarding Fusion:Bangor, Weston pointed out'one of the goals in our mission statement is to have input and animpact on the future of the region and to connect with the history ofthe region.'

Friends and neighbors are hosting a benefit spaghetti supper forBilly Theriault, 35, of West Enfield.

The young father of one was injured recently in an automobileaccident and was left paralyzed from the waist down. He now residesin a local health care facility.

The Theriault benefit spaghetti supper is 4-6 p.m. Saturday, Jan.21, at the VFW Hall in West Enfield.

Admission is by donation.

The fundraiser will include a silent auction with items rangingfrom firewood to University of Maine men's ice hockey tickets, avehicle cleaning package valued at $100, oil changes, alignments andrestaurant gift certificates.

For more information, call Lori Porter, 745-0262.

In case your nonprofit board missed this, Merry Fogg of The BoardNetwork reminds you that you can 'learn how board self-assessment canfurther your mission' by attending 'Board Self-Assessment: A Road Mapto Improve Board Performance.'

The workshop is 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, Feb. 9, at Bangor SavingsBank's G. Clifton Eames Learning Center, 203 Maine Ave., Bangor.

A continental breakfast will be available at 8:30 a.m.

The workshop will inform you about what board self-assessment is,why it is worth doing, how it can further your organization'smission, when is a good time do it and what tools and resources areavailable to assist you.

The program fee is $70 for the first person and $55 for eachadditional representative of the same nonprofit.

To register, call Fogg at 874-1000, ext. 329, or e-mailmfogg@theboardnetwork.org.

For more information, visit www.theboardnetwork.org/

trainingevents.html.

The Penobscot Historical Society will hold its annual ValentineDine Out and Mystery Ride on Saturday, Feb. 11, reports AudreyPeasley.

Participants will meet between 5:15 and 5:30 p.m. at PenobscotElementary School, and 'everyone is welcome,' she added.

You must sign up before Wednesday, Feb. 1, with Marilyn Tapley, soshe can make the reservations.

Tapley's telephone number is 326-8231.

Peasley reports the event includes door prizes and urges you to'come join us for a great time.'

Sandra Gordon, community relations coordinator for Waldo CountyGeneral Hospital in Belfast, wrote that 'we have a great raffle goingon,' which is part of the hospital's effort to raise $1 million fromthe community to receive a matching grant of the same amount 'tobuild a new surgical services wing at the hospital.'

She also announced 'just this month, we reached our million-dollar goal' and that construction has started. Its completion isexpected to coincide with the hospital's 105th anniversarycelebration this spring.

'We are still accepting donations,' Gordon said, 'as the actualcost of the building project will be $2.1 million. The paintingraffle will help raise the extra amount.'

Local artist Celene Farris has donated an original oil painting,'Roadside Poppies,' which is on view in the hospital lobby.

Raffle tickets are $1 each or six for $5 and are available at thehospital gift shop, 118 Northport Ave. in Belfast.

For more information, or to order tickets by mail, call WCGHcommunity relations at 338-6204 or write WCGH, P.O. Box 287, Belfast04915.

Bangor chorus to mark 40 years with concert - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

Sincere congratulations to members of Bangor Community Chorus,who are celebrating their 40th anniversary season with a concert at3 p.m. Sunday, May 16, at First United Methodist Church on EssexStreet in Bangor.

Founded by Marian Vafiadis, the chorus has entertained throughthe decades in a variety of venues from hospitals to ballrooms toparks, wrote longtime member Carolyn McKinnon.

Conductor Joshua Schmersal will lead the singers, accompanied byColin Graebert, through favorites of past performances. Memorabiliawill be displayed and refreshments will be served.

Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

To learn more about this organization, visitwww.BangorCommunityChorus.org.

This is a last-minute invitation from Jim Settele to participatein a 'Labor for Your Neighbor Day,' Sunday, May 16, in severalBangor schools and at the Bangor Public Library.

'The school work starts around 10 a.m. and the library cleaningstarts at 1 p.m.,' Settele wrote of work being performed by 'membersof several Bangor churches' who 'are providing the manpower to cleanup playgrounds, do some gardening and apply some much-needed paintto several Bangor schools.'

Volunteers also will perform a 'deep cleaning of the Children'sWing of the BPL,' he added.

If you are interested in helping, call Settele at 989-3202.

Cathy Goslin reminds you the Maine Forest and Logging Museumsecond annual dinner and auction begins with a silent auction at5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 17, at the Black BearInn in Orono.

The cost for the buffet is $50, with half that amount being adonation to the museum.

Dinner reservations are being taken for individuals or for tablesof eight, and can be made by calling 974-6278 or e-mailinginfo@leonardsmills.com.

The town of Roque Bluffs is holding a dedication of the new RoqueBluffs Fire Station from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 16, in thatcommunity.

The public is invited to attend.

The event will recognize and honor the hard work of communitymembers who helped form the first Roque Bluffs Fire Department, andits first firefighters: Assistant Chief Wayne Hanscom, Capt. JosephThompson Sr., Lisa Hanscom, Ben Crocker, Scott Hanscom, KennethGetchell, Travis Preston, Roger Preston, Joseph Thompson Jr.,Jennifer Grant and the late Logan James Preston who, according tothe invitation, 'died at sea in March 2009, soon after joining hisfather, Roger, in the fire department.'

Jennifer Staples of Bangor and members of her Old Town AmericanCancer Society Relay for Life team hope you will join them for abowling fundraiser for the cancer society from 4 to 11 p.m. Monday,May 17, at The Sports Arena, 1640 Outer Hammond St., Bangor.

For more information, call Staples at 951-8222 or 907-6673, or e-mail jlstaples24@aol.com.

Joanne Worthen invites the public to the Robert A. Frost MemorialLibrary annual book sale May 17-21 at the library, 42 Main St.,Limestone.

The sale will be conducted from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.Monday, May 17, Wednesday, May 19, and Friday, May 21, and from 10a.m. to noon and 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 18, and Thursday, May 20.

If you have questions, call 325-4706.

Lanie Colson of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems HealthcareCharities reports Uno's Chicago Grill is holding a 'doughraiser' 'tosupport the Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health' May 18-20 at its Bangor location.

Colson wrote that 'up to 20 percent of your bill will be donatedto support cancer research at MIHGH.'

You can ask for a voucher when you arrive, or you can call JayPalmer at MIHGH, 973-9627.

Recently, many of us have sat in familiar rows and pews, biddingfarewell to individuals who were unique and integral parts of thefabric that makes us a community.

But one farewell tugged particularly hard at my heartstrings:Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Ronald Mills of Bangor, father of mydear friend Pat Stevens.

I remember a quiet, gentle man of the earth, usually in thebackground, lovingly overseeing the activities of his more vocalfamily members.

Ironically, he only 'told' his family, and us, what he left,after his death.

Maj. Mills was a much-decorated World War II hero whose life as ayoung man helped determine the course of ours, and for that we areeternally grateful.

Firm in Bangor, Maine, outfits paint-ball players for 'glorified game of tag'. - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

By Isaac Kimball, Bangor Daily News, Maine Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jul. 7--Picture this: You and half a dozen others crouch back against a wall of netting as you peer through plastic facemasks across a field of inflated obstacles. A whistle blows. You sprint across the field and dive be-hind whatever cover you can find, as myriad little flecks of color come hurtling through the air in your direction.

You start shooting back but then a 'pop-pop-pop' sounds off to your left. Taut with adrenaline, you feel the sting as paint splats on your exposed elbow, eliminating you from play. It's disappointing, yes; but no worries, the game will be over in three minutes, and you can play again.

What is this? World War III meets Jackson Pollack? A bored teenager's day-dream, or his mother's nightmare? No, it's paint ball, and for one store in Bangor, that 'pop-pop-pop' is the sound of business.

Splatz Extreme Sports Gear in the Broadway Shopping Plaza in Bangor has been selling paint-ball equipment for almost two years, taking advantage of the sport's enormous growth. While paint-ball has had some image problems over the years, it now supports several small businesses in Maine, and has even spawned its own regulatory organization.

The rules of paint ball are as easy to understand as its appeal. Players shoot paint-filled plastic balls at each other, and are 'out' as soon as they or their equipment is hit. Two main types of paint ball are played in Maine: woods ball and speedball. Woods ball is basically what it sounds like, with players or teams moving across a large wooded area to capture an objective or eliminate a competing team. Similar variants involve courses built to resemble a castle, a fort or an ur-ban setting.

Speedball is played on a small netting-enclosed course made of inflatable obstacles and surrounded by netting to protect spectators. Teams attempt to eliminate each other or cap-ture each other's flag. The television-friendly nature of speedball has helped participation in the sport increase by as much as 25 percent a year.

A paint-ball player for 17 years, Portland-area entrepreneur Brian Hanson first opened Splatz Indoor Paintball in a 36,000-square-foot building in Port-land in 2001. The inside of the building was set up as an urban tactical range. After looking around for a year and a half for a second site, Hanson chose Bangor because of the absence of paint-ball businesses in the area.

Splatz Extreme Sports Gear opened in Bangor in August of 2002. Hanson opened an outdoor paint-ball range on Outer Hammond Street in Hermon in August 2003. The Portland indoor range closed in January of 2003 when its lease ran out, but Hanson has been looking for a new site, and does have a shop in Portland with the same inventory as in Bangor.

Hanson is no newcomer to the business world. At 34, he says he has had some 17 businesses in the last 10 years, some of which worked better than others. He opened coffee kiosks and other enterprises in Novosibirsk, Siberia's largest city. In the United States he has been involved in both the fish trade and the club scene.

Lining the walls in the Bangor shop are brightly colored objects that resemble guns. However, Hanson and other paint-ball enthusiasts carefully refer to them as 'markers,' since 'guns' is a term not popular with parents and teachers. Hanson's shop in the Broadway Shopping Plaza boasts the largest inventory of these and their attendant projectiles and safety gear in the state. He also offers about 14 brands of skateboards along with skateboarding gear.

Hanson says the markers have come a long way from the first set, which were improvised from a tree-marking device for foresters. They are 'high-tech stuff' -- computerized and programmable to regulate the velocity and firing frequency of the balls, and are machined from ex-pensive materials.

Paint-ball markers vary widely in price, some costing as much as $1,500. Hanson says a basic setup for tournament play is likely to run about $2,000 including safety gear. Though he believes the economy is picking up, Hanson acknowledges that a sluggish economy might discourage people from getting into paint ball.

'But for those who play,' he says, 'it's their chosen sport,' adding that the cost of play has decreased over the years, so that a person can play all day for about $40.

Hanson says his biggest competitors are online. His youthful market is very comfortable with the Internet, what Hanson calls 'the great pricing equalizer.' That is why Splatz focuses on customer service, and why the staff is certified by the manufacturers to service their equipment.

Hanson says 80 percent of his customers participate in both paint ball and skateboarding, which, after inline skating, are the second and third most popular 'extreme sports' in the world. The majority of players are from 13 to 20 years of age, and about 80 percent are male. Explaining the game's addictive appeal to youth, Hanson says, 'It's an adrenaline game.' Hanson adds that those not interested in other team sports often try paint ball.

Splatz and several other paint-ball businesses are part of the Maine Recreational Paintball League, which allows individual players, teams, fields and retailers to come together to address common needs and concerns in what is still quite a young industry. The MRPL meets monthly to compare notes.

League president Josh Biermann of Portland says the MRPL was founded about four years ago to promote cooperation between paint-ball fields, with safety as the major focus. Safety classes and referee training, Biermann says, were seen as part of the solution to the sport's reputation as a dangerous or violent pastime, what he describes as the 'black eye' on paint ball.

Member paint-ball fields in the league enforce a maximum paint-ball velocity of 300 feet per second, though some fields opt for even lower speeds. According to Bangor police Officer Jason McAmbley, his department's standard issue handgun fires a bullet at 1,200 feet per second. Factoring in the threefold difference in mass, a paint ball has 1/50th the kinetic energy of a bul-let when leaving the muzzle, then loses energy rapidly due to its greater air resistance.

Players must check their markers on a 'chronograph,' Josh Biermann says, not just at the begin-ning of play but throughout the day, as temperature and other changes can affect the expansion of com-pressed air and especially CO2.

While it's difficult to make money in the paint-ball business, Biermann says, and a lot of businesses have come and gone in Maine, the number of players has continued to grow. He believes the MRPL has had 'an amazing influence' on peoples' impression of the sport, noting that parents who would never allow their children to participate are often impressed by the training and safety regulations imposed by the league. 'It's safe danger,' he says.

Brian Hanson holds that paint ball promotes positive values like teamwork. In woods ball especially, where refereeing is next to impossible, and even in speedball, the acknowledgement of hits is honor-based. Paint balls can sting, especially in the cold, and any player caught tagging an opponent more than two or three times is removed from play.

Wayne Doore, who works at Flying Dutchman Field in Dover-Foxcroft, says he never sees players get mad or trying to hurt each other.

'It's a glorified game of tag,' Doore says.

When asked if paint ball is connected to youth violence, the MRPL's Biermann says, 'I couldn't disagree more,' explaining that he has never shot a weapon in his life, and that he wouldn't participate in paint ball if it struck him as militaristic.

While there have been incidents of vandalism involving paint-ball markers, Biermann says the culprits are not 'real paint-ball players.' In other words, they are not likely to be members of a team or to have played at a field. Those committed to the sport, Biermann says, would avoid doing anything to give it a 'black eye.'

To see more of the Bangor Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bangordailynews.com.

The Pats are coming! The Pats are coming! Football champs bringing celebration to Bangor - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

A grass-roots effort has helped bring the Super Bowl champion NewEngland Patriots to Bangor.

The date, specific Bangor site and several other details are stilluncertain, but the team that beat the St. Louis Rams in the finalseconds to win Super Bowl XXXVI will visit Bangor, according toStacey James, the team's media relations director.

The visit is part of the team's Lombardi Trophy Tour and willoccur sometime between March and September.

The Lombardi Trophy, named for legendary Green Bay Packers coachVince Lombardi, is awarded to the Super Bowl champ. The city ofBangor is eager for the visit and the opportunity for football fansto meet the team and see the trophy, Bangor Mayor Michael Crowleysaid.

Crowley, who wrote to Patriots owner Bob Kraft inviting the teamto Bangor, said the team's visit is the result of a lot of hard workby several people in the community.

'When you look at the various messages that were drafted and sent,you can see that this was actually played out by a strong grass-roots effort,' he said. 'The Patriots management probably realizedthat a lot of people were working really hard to bring them here andwanted them here - perhaps more than anyone else.'

The effort to bring the Patriots to Bangor began a couple of weeksago when the team was honored in Boston and Kraft proclaimed that theteam would visit all six New England states to thank them for theirloyalty.

Skip Chappelle, events director for Bangor Daily News Enterprises,thought the city of Bangor, not Portland, would be the ideal placefor a celebration for the Patriots. Chappelle was motivated by arecent speech made in Bangor by Gov. Angus King, in which he saidthat local communities would be better off relying more on localinitiative and less on state handouts in taking control of theireconomic destiny.

Chappelle, a former head coach for the University of Maine men'sbasketball team and a fund-raiser for the school, took issue withKing's claim after Chappelle had spent a good part of his careerrecruiting athletes and students to the area as well as raising moneyfor the university.

'That touched a nerve with me,' Chappelle said.

Chappelle then contacted his friend, Old Town native and formerNew England Patriots coach Dick MacPherson, to help lobby Kraft tobring the team to Bangor.

'Dick MacPherson called the Pats office every day solid for a weekand I called every other day,' said Chappelle, adding that the Bangoreffort was also aided by Nick Carparelli Jr., who worked in thePatriots front office.

Carparelli's father, Nick Carparelli Sr., is a former basketballstar at John Bapst High School in Bangor.

MacPherson, Chappelle and the letter from Crowley all emphasizedBangor as an ideal location for the celebration because of itscentralized location, its facilities, business and community support,and its love of football.

The love of football was magnified through the recent high schooland college seasons, when Bangor High won its first state title in 20years and UMaine won its first NCAA Division I-AA playoff game.

Though the specifics for the trip are still in the planningstages, Crowley said it's 'an understatement to say that the city isexcited' about the visit.

Possible sites in Bangor for the visit are the Bangor Auditoriumand the Bangor Mall.

Crowley said the visit is meaningful for the region and added thatthe 'city is ready to put its best foot forward' to welcome the team.

Friends of Bangor homicide victim to protest grand jury's failure to indict - Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

BANGOR - The girlfriend of homicide victim Ralph Greenleaf, whodied Sept. 1 from injuries suffered after he was pushed and fellnear a bar under the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge, said she is outragedthat no one will face charges in his death.

Dale Lambert of Bangor said Wednesday that she and others will beout in front of the Penobscot Judicial Center at 11 a.m. Sundayprotesting the Penobscot County grand jury's decision Nov. 24 not toreturn an indictment in the death of Greenleaf, 47, who was known as'Greenie.'

'We just want justice,' said Lambert. 'His life was taken andit's just not right. Somebody needs to be held accountable.'

Lambert, who said she was Greenleaf's fiancee, was interviewed inthe Ohio Street apartment she once shared with Greenleaf, surroundedby his pictures.

Sitting at the kitchen table with her were her nephew, Frankfortresident Jack Thompson; a friend, Lisa Petersen of Bangor; and alongtime friend of Greenleaf, Amanda Hamblen of Bangor.

The group invited anyone who thinks justice has not been servedto show up at Sunday's rally.

'Somebody killed him. Somebody took his life and we are livid. Weare beyond angry,' Lambert said. 'He was my soul mate. My life willnever be OK again until somebody is held accountable for takinghim.'

Greenleaf suffered his fatal injury when he was pushed once by anindividual, fell and hit his head on the pavement, Bangor police Lt.Tim Reid, head of the detective division, said at a press conferencelast week.

'Sixteen people testified before the grand jury over two days,and they decided that it does not rise to a suitable level ofprosecution,' he said. 'The grand jury's decision effectively closesthis case.'

The incident occurred just after area bars closed early onSunday, Aug. 29. Around 1:25 a.m., an unconscious Greenleaf wastaken by ambulance to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Hedied three days later, at 11:20 p.m. Sept. 1.

Thompson said he was one of the people who testified before thegrand jury. He said Wednesday that he was standing nearby, by theentrance of Carolina Sports and Spirits, when he heard someone saythere was a fight, and he looked over and saw a group of five youngmen gathered around Greenleaf.

'The bouncers went over to break it up and those five guys leftand he was on the ground having a seizure,' Thompson said.

A member of the band playing at the bar called for an ambulance.

'They knew that night who did it,' Lambert said of policeinvestigators. 'They should have arrested somebody that night.'

Even though the case is closed, Bangor Police Chief Ron Gastiadeclined this week to release the police investigative files.

'The answer is no,' he said Monday evening.

The files are considered nonconviction data and do not qualify aspublic information, Gastia explained.

'I can release it ... but I won't do it,' he said.

The Bangor Daily News filed a freedom of information request withGastia on Tuesday morning and the department's records clerkresponded Tuesday afternoon, saying that under Maine laws the policefiles are confidential because they consist of intelligence andinvestigative information and their release would constitute anunwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

The Bangor Daily News filed a second request for information onTuesday with William Stokes, head of the criminal division of theMaine Attorney General's Office.

'Some of it you could get, but it would have to be heavilyredacted,' Stokes said Monday. 'Providing the data, withoutredaction, would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personalprivacy for the accused, witnesses and bystanders.'

But Stokes acknowledged that 'the public has an interest [in thecase] because someone is dead.'

On Wednesday, Stokes hedged on his earlier statement, saying heworried that even with the names removed it would be easy todetermine who pushed Greenleaf.

'Even if we take out the names of the witnesses, you could sortof connect the dots,' Stokes said. 'I'm consulting with my chiefdeputy ... on whether we can release anything. It may be that I willhave to deny your request.'

Still, without the reports to tell the official story, he noted,'The public is left with: What did really happen?'

Bernard Kubetz, legal counsel for the Bangor Daily News, said thelaw protects criminal investigative information.

'There is justification in their response that there is a statutethat protects from disclosure information, criminal investigativeinformation, that might constitute an unwarranted invasion ofpersonal privacy,' he said. 'There is a legitimate basis for thatposition.'

The Maine Attorney General's Office prosecutes all homicides inMaine.

Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy saidTuesday that he would not pursue any lesser charges against theperson who pushed Greenleaf.

'The grand jury's decision as far as we're concerned is bindingon any charges that would be brought,' he said.

After Greenleaf's death, the state medical examiner's officeconducted an autopsy and determined that he died of blunt force headtrauma and that the manner of death was homicide.

Greenleaf was a longtime employee of Roof Systems of Maine inBangor, where he worked as a kettle tender. He had worked for thecompany since 1992.

The Greenleaf case is in some ways similar to one that happenedin Portland's Monument Square in May, when William Googins, 20, ofGray allegedly punched Eric Benson, 24, of Westbrook one time,knocking him unconscious. Benson later died at Maine Medical Center.

Googins 'was indicted for manslaughter as well as aggravatedassault,' Stokes said.

Googins, who has pleaded not guilty, has said he did not realizethe punch would lead to Benson's death.

While there are similarities, 'the facts there [in Portland] aresignificantly different than the Greenleaf situation,' Stokes said.

Without going into the specifics of Greenleaf's case, he said,there are conflicting stories - from those involved as well aswitnesses and bystanders - about what led up to the confrontationbetween Greenleaf and the person who pushed him,

'You have an incident involving a number of different people invarious levels of intoxication, so you have conflicting versions,'he said. 'I can't give you the official version. It's not like allthe witnesses saw the same thing.'

According to Stokes, some of the witnesses said Greenleafprovoked a fight and others said he was provoked. Some said it wasself-defense, while others said he was attacked. And some of thewitnesses may have biases based on friendships, Stokes said.

'That is why we decided to present it to the grand jury to letthem sort it out,' he said. 'We thought the most appropriate thingwas to present it to a group of citizens and let them tell us whatthey think.'

While it is rare, there are occasions when someone dies as aresult of someone else's actions and the death does not result incriminal charges, Stokes said.

The Greenleaf case is effectively closed and is recorded as asolved homicide, Stokes said.

Greenleaf's loved ones said they hope a lot of people will comeout Sunday to support them and send a message that someone needs tobe charged in his death.

'I don't understand how there is not enough evidence to chargesomeone,' said Lambert, who continues to wear the engagement ringGreenleaf gave her. 'His life meant something. Where is hisjustice?'

BDN writer Judy Harrison contributed to this report.

nricker@bangordailynews.com

Gunners' girls; Bangor City duo to be coached by Arsenal.(Sport) - Daily Post (Liverpool, England)

Byline: ESTHER ECKLEY

FOUR talented teenage Welsh footballers have been given the opportunity to reach the top after being hand-picked to join one of the country's top academies, run by Premiership club Arsenal.

The four, who include two from Rhyl, are among just 25 youngsters who have been selected for the two-year course which got under way last week.

And the selection of 16-year-old Elerie Earnshaw and Kelly Davies, 17, is encouraging news for the future of women's football in Wales.

The two girls attended different schools and first met when they started playing at Bangor City's School of Excellence at the age of 13.

Both have gone on to become regulars in the Bangor City side, who are members of the national Northern division and current holders of the FAW Women's Challenge Cup.

Earnshaw, a striker, lives in Rhyl and started playing at the age of seven for local boys club, 'The Glans' where her talent was quickly recognised by coach, Paul Parry.

'The whole family is delighted and pleased at what Eleri's achieved, ' says her proud father, David, who is deputy head teacher at Ysgol y Berwyn in Bala.

'She did all the hard work of finding the information and applying for a place at the Academy. She is a gifted sportswoman and has always been enthusiastic and passionate about football and sports in general. The good thing about the Academy is that she'll be able to combine academic studies with her training every day.'

The former Ysgol Glan Clwyd pupil, winner of the school sports day's Victrix Ludorum for the past five years, has won two full Welsh caps to date after also representing her country at under14 and U16 level.

Her ambition is to follow in the footsteps of her idol, American soccer star, Mia Hamm. 'My long-term aim is to go to America and try to get a scholarship to study at either North Carolina or California college, ' she said. 'I want to play professionally, and the sport is looking to go that way in this country within the next couple of years.'

Davies, a midfield player, lives in Towyn and started playing football with her elder brothers, David and Neil, when she was only six years old.

A pupil at Emrys ap Iwan School, Abergele, she passed her GCSEs last year with flying colours and has mixed feelings about a two-year stint in London.

'I'll miss home, the Bangor players and especially going to watch Liverpool play, ' she said. 'We've got a family season ticket and it's a great feeling being at Anfield watching your heroes play right in front of you.'

Davies, who recently gained her first Welsh senior cap, added: 'I was delighted when I heard the news that I was accepted because I applied for a place last year but was on holiday in America at the same time as the trials.'

Davies' father, Colin, coaches the Bangor Ladies, helping goalkeeper Nikki Davies to become a Wales junior international. Her mother Anne, a parttime hairdresser and carer, said: 'When we went with Kelly to the trials, I was so amazed at the level of play and the breadth of talent.

'I'm very happy for her as it's a golden opportunity she shouldn't miss, but then again as a mother, I will miss her immensely.'

Academy assistant coach, Sian Williams, the Welsh international manager and captain of the senior Arsenal ladies team, said:

'They're both very skilled and talented individuals who will definitely go far.

They're both promising young players who deserve to go to the Academy and will improve daily in an environment where they play football on a daily basis.

'It's not going to be easy though because they'll have to study 15 hours a week, train for up to three hours a day and study most evenings.

'Women's football in the UK aims to turn professional by 2003, the year Kelly and Eleri finish their course. This will be a milestone for women's football and can only be a positive step forward in raising the profile of women's sport in general, ' added Williams.

There are 22 girls football clubs in Wales at pesent, a number that is expected to double over the next 12 months.

With their Welsh colleagues, Jo Price, 16, from St. David's and Milly Durrant, also 16, from Aberystwyth the Bangor City girls will be studying a BTEC Sports Science course during their time at Arsenal.

They will study at Oaklands College in Hertfordshire in the morning and play at the Arsenal men's training ground in London Colney in the afternoons.

Davies and Earnshaw were both members of the Bangor under-17 side which beat nine other teams in this summer's Ian Rush tournament at Aberystwyth, Eleri scoring a tournament record 12 goals in six games.

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