Welcome to the Sunrise Herald with Giselle Goodman, the place to go to get the news from overnight and beyond...

IN THE WEATHER

At 9 a.m. it was 32 degrees in downtown Portland.

The snow is here, and it is heaviest in York County, prompting Maine Turnpike officials to drop the speed to 45 mph between the York and Saco tolls. In Portland, it was coming down very lightly. Pretty.

The snow will move its way north as the day progresses, leaving 1 to 3 inches behind at the most. Highs in the mid to upper 30s.

Even so...

DO YOU READ THE SUNRISE HERALD ON A REGULAR BASIS? WANT TO BE A WEEKDAY WEATHER WATCHER?
I could really use a couple, especially since the weather is obviously not planning on easing up anytime soon.

So, if you are a morning person, don't mind early morning phone calls on stormy days and ARE NOT my mother, then e-mail me, ggoodman@pressherald.com and sign up!

ON THE OCEAN:

Casco Bay sees a little activity today, with south westerly winds blowing 10 to 15 knots, with gusts of up to 20 knots expected. Seas 2 to 3 feet.

High tide today in Portland at 3:29 p.m. Low tides at 9:15 a.m. and then again at 9:28 p.m.

ON THE ROAD:

• At mile 5 in York a northbound lane closure is scheduled between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. for road work.

• Between mile 31 and 33 in Biddeford a southbound lane closure is scheduled between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for road work.

• Between mile 38 in Saco and Exit 53 in Falmouth north and southbound lane closures are scheduled between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. for road work.

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THE NEWEST NEWS:

THE MASSACHUSETTS MAN CHARGED WITH A FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT on Long Lake in Harrison over the summer is asking the court to suppress evidence in the case.

Attorney Neale Duffett said law enforcement officers failed to respect 38-year-old Robert LaPointe Jr.'s Miranda rights or honor his right to counsel. LaPointe was charged with manslaughter after an Aug. 11 boating accident that killed Terry Raye Trott of Naples and Suzanne Groetzinger of Berwick. Prosecutors say their smaller craft was sliced in half by LaPointe's speedboat in the accident that took place after dark.

The motions seek to suppress evidence gathered as a result of a search and blood test on LaPointe, the search and seizure of his boat, his detention after the crash, and statements made to law enforcement officers. The motions were filed in Cumberland County Superior Court.

LaPointe, of Medway, Mass., is also charged with aggravated operating under the influence and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon in the crash.
(AP)

HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE GOV. JOHN BALDACCI. For today, at least.

The governor at 2 p.m. today will make his annual journey to a maple tree on the Capitol Street side of the Blaine House grounds, where he will do what many Mainers consider a sure sign that spring is forthcoming: tap the tree.

But Maine's other annual ritual, Maine Maple Sunday, is a little more complicated this year, since the fourth Sunday of March 2008 falls on Easter.

Some Maple sugar farms are dealing with the date by hosting their syrup sampling a week earlier. Others are going ahead with the traditional date.

Our Portland Press Herald report, which ran on Saturday, can be read by clicking this link.

Plus a full list of which farms are serving syrup on which days can be found by clicking this link.

One of those farms serving up the sap this coming weekend is Snell Family Farm in Buxton, where they began tapping trees a week ago. The Snell family puts out about 300 taps every season, although some of the tree have been too difficult to reach with the snow depth.

"We had a couple good runs, but now it's cold again," said Ramona Snell. "It's just on hold."

No worries for the sweet tooth. Ramona Snell said there will be more than enough for pancakes, sausages and the like this weekend where breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 1:30 p.m., on both Saturday and Sunday.

Snell Family Farm is located at 1000 River Road (Route 112) in Buxton.

A HOME IN JACKMAN (SOMERSET COUNTY) WAS DESTROYED by fire after a furnace malfunctioned.

The Jackman-Moose River Fire Department released this photo yesterday. The fire broke out Sunday night in a home owned by Mike and Annette Gagnon of Auburn, who were not in Jackman at the time.

The heat melted vinyl shutters and broke two windows on another home about 20 feet from the burning building. No injuries were reported.


Photo courtesy the Jackman-Moose River Fire Department.

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