HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

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 27 degrees and windy in downtown Portland.

A blustery day today in the Portland area, with a cold north wind blowing between 21 and 25 mph. Sunny, though, which will make it feel almost warm in places like, say, inside a greenhouse.

What's it doing in your neighborhood?

READ THE SUNRISE HERALD ON A REGULAR BASIS? WANNA 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 (or sending a few e-mails) and ARE NOT my mother, then e-mail me, ggoodman@pressherald.com and sign up!

ON THE OCEAN:

This strong north wind brings us a gale warning on Casco Bay today, with 20 to 25 knot winds, gusting up to 35 knots. Seas at 2 to 4 feet.

High tides today in Portland at 9:23 a.m. and 10:02 p.m. Tide goes out around 3:46 p.m.

ON THE ROAD:

• ON THE MAINE TURNPIKE: At mile 3 in Kittery, a northbound lane closure is scheduled between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. for road work. --- Between mile 31 in Biddeford and 35 in Saco, 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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WHAT'S NEW:

A 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL FROM BLUE HILLwill represent Maine in the national spelling bee after winning the state competition, according to a release from the Associated Press.

Imogen Page won the 2008 Maine State Spelling Bee on Saturday by spelling words such as "susceptible," ''kahuna" and "nirvana."

She and 15 other middle-school students, representing the state's 16 counties, participated in the event at Eastern Maine Community College.

Imogen has spent most of her life in London and moved to Maine four years ago.
The national spelling bee takes place in May in Washington, D.C.
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OTHER NEWS:

SOME OF THE QUESTIONS FROM THE WEEKEND THAT MAY BE ANSWERED TODAY:

WHO ASSAULTED A STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE-FARMINGTON?
Police are searching for the person who assaulted a female student in her residence on campus around 3 p.m. Saturday.

College spokeswoman Jennifer Eriksen says the woman was pushed up against a wall in a basement stairwell at Scott Hall.

The suspect demanded money and went through the woman's belongings before fleeing. The woman suffered minor injuries.

The suspect is described as a white male around 20 years old who was wearing blue jeans, a black skull cap and a black hooded sweatshirt. Anybody with information should contact the campus police at 207-778-7400.

WHO IS THE MAN FOUND BEHIND A BUILDING IN WATERVILLE AND HOW DID HE DIE?
An autopsy scheduled today may help answer those questions.

The unidentified body of a white man with short, dark hair was found late yesterday afternoon behind the Morning Sentinel building on a steep embankment that ends at the Kennebec River. According to an Associated Press report, the man was dressed in blue jeans but was wearing no shirt. However, blood could clearly be seen on his upper back. The body was discovered by two teenage boys, 14 and 17, who were waiting in the newspaper parking lot for their father, who is a reporter there.

Waterville Police Detective Sgt. John Gould says police are treating the death as suspicious.

WHAT CAUSED A FIRE IN SANFORD THAT GUTTED AN INDUSTRIAL BUILDING?
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms will be in Sanford today to try and answer that question.

The Saturday afternoon fire destroyed a building at 11 Presidential Lane, which is near the Sanford Municipal Airport.

Among the building's four commercial tenants was DM Technologies, which makes capacitors that process signals and store energy for electronic devices. The capacitors are made of tantalum, a metal that firefighters at the scene said burns at high temperatures when ignited.

State fire marshals investigated the scene but determined that they would need help from the ATF, which has a unit dedicated to assisting local and state authorities with arson and explosives investigations.

WHERE IS RAY PAINE FROM CORNVILLE?
Paine, 49, is still missing after his snowmobile was found in the Kennebec River, near North Anson, Sunday morning by the Maine Warden Service.

Paine was out snowmobiling with a friend when they decided to take separate routes back to where they were staying in North Anson. His friend arrived, but Paine did not. His girlfriend contacted the Maine Warden Service at 7:50 a.m. Saturday. His black 2007 Yamaha was found in the river by searchers on Sunday, as his family desperately continues to search for him.

According to Major Gregory Sanborn, acting colonel of the Maine Warden Service, the dive team will commence a search of the Kennebec River in North Anson at approximately 8 a.m. this morning.

A 13-year-old girl from Blue Hill will represent Maine in the national spelling bee after winning the state competition.
Imogen Page won the 2008 Maine State Spelling Bee on Saturday by spelling words such as "susceptible," ''kahuna" and "nirvana."
She and 15 other middle-school students, representing the state's 16 counties, participated in the event at Eastern Maine Community College.
Imogen has spent most of her life in London and moved to Maine four years ago.
The national spelling bee takes place in May in Washington, D.C.

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