Welcome to the Sunrise Herald, this morning with on-line reporter Dieter Bradbury. This is the first place you should go to know about:

THE WEATHER AND OTHER STUFF
At 9 a.m., it was 20 degrees in downtown Portland. Try to enjoy your morning commute today, because the drive home may be dicey. While temperatures climb to the high 20s, it will cloud up this afternoon, and what forecasters are calling "a little snow" is supposed to start falling. The roads may be icy by evening, and 3 to 6 inches are likely before the snow tapers off on Thursday.

Does anyone know when 6 inches became "a little snow?" Just wondering.

FOR MARINERS:

High tide in Portland at 5:56 a.m. and 6:29 p.m. Low tide at 12:18 p.m. Winds will be variable today, swinging into the southeast at 5 to 10 knots by late morning and afternoon. Seas will run around one foot, with snow this afternoon reducing visibility to one nautical mile.

FOR TRAVELERS:

• The lowest regular gas prices in the area today are $2.97 a gallon; the highest are $3.29 a gallon.

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THE NEWS FROM:

• PORTLAND — A prominent Maine runner who made the U.S. 1998 Olympic track team is the new boys' indoor track coach at Cheverus High School.

The school announced today that it has hired Bruce Bickford, a native of Benton who competed against Cheverus in the 1970s when he ran for Lawrence High School.

"Bruce has spent much of his life as a successful track athlete and coach himself, and he will be bringing his valuable experience to the Cheverus program," said athletic director Gary Hoyt.

A graduate of Northeastern University, Bickford was a member of the U.S. national track team and the Olympics team, specializing in the 10,000 meter run.

He was Pan American Games champion and 10,000 meter record holder in 1987. He is also a former American junior record holder in the steeplechase and indoor 3-mile run.

Bickford has coached at Pine Manor College, Northeastern, Villanova University, Brandeis and the University of Southern Maine. He is a member of the Maine Running Hall of Fame and the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.

• A 27-year-old Portland woman was thrown through the passenger window of her pickup truck on Tukey's Bridge early today.
Maine State Police said Jaime Hyler lost control of her Toyota Tacoma and struck a concrete barrier at the southbound entrance ramp of Washington Avenue at 1:10 a.m.
Hyler was transported to Maine Medical Center, but her injuries are not considered life-threatening, police said. She was not wearing a seatbelt, and the force of the impact sent her through the window.
Police said the crash may have been alcohol or drug-related.

• Portland police arrested a local man on a burglary charge inside an office building on the waterfront early today.
An employee at the Thomas Block, 100 Commercial St., called 911 after hearing someone rummaging around inside the building around 12:30 a.m., police said.
When officers arrived they found Edwin Rodriguez, 24, inside the building with no explanation for why he was there.
Rodriguez was booked on a burglary charge at Cumberland County Jail.

• SIDNEY — If you're a snowmobiler, it doesn't get much better than this, and the Maine Warden Service wants to make sure you keep riding safely.

At 2 p.m. today at the service's headquarters in Sidney, state officials and private snowmobile enthusiasts will hold a press conference to promote safety on the trails.

Riders are out in full force this year, thanks to the early season snowfall - which has left up to 3 feet in some areas already. Sledders are being encouraged to plan ahead for their rides, not drink and ride and respect landowners' rights.

Six people died in snowmobile accidents in Maine last year and 155 people were injured. More than 91,700 machines were registered in the state.

At today's event, acting Col. Greg Sanborn of the warden service will discuss trail safety, ice and water conditions, laws and penalties and plans for special enforcement efforts.

He'll be joined by Bob Meyers of the Maine Snowmobile Association, which supports enforcement programs, trail safety checks, snowmobiler education and club membership.

• SCARBOROUGH — There's a party goin' on at Scarborough Middle School this morning.

The Frannie Peabody Center, southern Maine's AIDS services organization, will be participating in an awards rally at the school at 7:30 a.m.

The event was scheduled to thank the students for participating in the 21st annual Ed Wimert Bike/Walk-a-thon for AIDS.

More than 100 students participated in the 8-mile walking course, and while bad weather forced cancellation of the biking component, the students still raised more than $10,000.

That brings the total raised for AIDS services over the years by Scarborough Middle School students, staff and volunteers to more than $135,000. Party down, kids!

• AUGUSTA — Gov. John Baldacci will join with leaders of the Maine Community College System Wednesday to announce a major new initiative focused on rural Maine.

Details of the initiative will be disclosed at an 11 a.m press conference in the Cross Office Building in Augusta. The plan includes significant new gifts and system investments that target the needs of rural Maine residents.

The announcement follows a listening tour across the state during the summer and fall, when community college leaders met with some 400 residents in a series of 16 meetings. The results were compiled into a report with recommendations, which will be released at today’s press conference.

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