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 37 degrees and really windy in downtown Portland.

Brace yourselves and grab something strong to hold onto - the wind is going to be howling today. The state is under a wind advisory until dusk. We should expect sustained 25 to 35 mph winds with gusts near 50 mph at times. As the wind picks up, temps go down. And maybe some trees. Or power lines.

FROM OUR WEATHER WATCHERS

• At 6:05 a.m. BILL in ROCKLAND said: 40 degrees this morning and clear, but that wild west wind blows away any thoughts of Spring. Brrrrr.

• At 6:05 a.m. MARK in BRUNSWICK said: "37 very warm degrees, clear and windy. The glacial mass on our front lawn is retreating, revealing the first of our Christmas decorations. We can now see the Christmas penguin's top hat. His twin is nowhere to be seen yet."

• At 6:30 a.m. SHAWN in YARMOUTH said: "At 6:20 in Yarmouth, it is 40 degrees and there does not seem to be any clouds. It is, however, blustery. Reminds me of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day."

• At 7 a.m., KAREN in STEEP FALLS said: "Good morning! Last nights winds had us without power for most of the night. This morning's bright blue skies and sunshine make up for it! Temp is sitting at 38. Still quite windy too."

SPEAKING OF POWER OUTAGES: Central Maine spokeswoman Gail Rice said about 1900 customers are currently without service.

"Hardest hit right now are the Skowhegan (about 800 customer accounts) and Alfred (about 700 customer accounts) service areas," she said.

As the wind picks up and the day marches on, she offers this advice: "Stay away from downed lines, and also avoid touching any tree limbs or branches that may be in contact with downed lines. Motorists should use caution if they come upon line or tree crews working alongside the road. Proceed slowly and give them
plenty of room to do their jobs."

ON THE OCEAN:

A gale warning out there today, considering the 25 to 35 mph sustained winds expected with 50 mph gusts. Big, stomach-churning 8-foot swells.

High tides today in Portland at 8:37 a.m. and 9:13 p.m. Tide goes out at 2:58 p.m.

ON THE ROAD:

• Keep in mind that it is really tough to hold onto a vehicle, especially the big ones (SUVs and such) when a 50 mph gust comes at you from the side. Keep both hands on the wheel and watch out for tumble-trash. I nearly got side-swiped by a trash can this morning. Things are flying around in this wind, that's for sure.

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BOWDOIN COLLEGE RECEIVED PRELIMINARY APPROVAL from U.S. Department of Education for its request to acquire approximately 175 acres at the Brunswick Naval Air Station when the base closes in 2011.

The additional land would be used to increase the size of the 215-acre Bowdoin campus.

The department's approval for a no cost “public benefit conveyance” of the land to the college is contingent on satisfactory remediation by the U.S. Navy of any environmental contamination discovered on the property.

Transfer of the land to Bowdoin – which was approved in August 2007 by the Brunswick Local Redevelopment Authority (BLRA) – is also contingent upon Navy acceptance of both the Department of Education and the local and BLRA recommendations.

NEWS NOW:FIREFIGHTERS ARE STILL ASSESSING THE DAMAGE: to the Antiques Revival Auction Gallery, at 893 Roosevelt Trail (Route 302) in Casco, which caught fire sometime around 3:15 a.m. and was still smoldering at 9 a.m.

Firefighters arrived to find the building fully ablaze. Officials said about 10 minutes later, the burning roof of the building collapsed. Firefighters pulled out of the structure and attacked the fire from the outside, trying to save what they could.

It was a big strong fire though, aided by strong winds, and officials are calling the building a total loss.

The state fire marshal's office is on scene now, investigating. It is not clear yet how it started, but since the business was closed at the time of the fire, there was nobody inside and no injures were reported.

Route 302 is open to travel, although rubbernecking is keeping the traffic moving slowly.

INVESTIGATORS ARE BACK IN Millinocket today to resume the search for a missing Connecticut man who went out snowmobiling Monday night on on North Twin Lake near Elbow Lake and did not return.

Approximately 20 members of the Maine Warden Service, including members of the MWS Dive Team, searched all day yesterday for the 42-year-old man who was last seen around 9:45 p.m. Monday.

The man's name is not being released at this time because not all of his immediate family has been contacted.

The Maine Warden Service was notified at approximately midnight Monday night that the snowmobiler had not arrived back at a family camp. About two-and-a-half hours later, after checking around the area of the lake in which he was sledding, wardens found fresh tracks that ended at open water.

After a full-scale search was launched, the snowmobiler's sled was found in about 40 feet of water around 2:30 p.m. yesterday.

Water conditions were bitterly cold and dark, and ice upon the lake was thinning and opening up. Divers were coming upon huge rocks and trees below the surface as they conducted the underwater search.

IF YOU MISSED THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE GAME SHOW on TV last night, then you missed watching a Mainer take home some fabulous prizes.

Pamela Parker, the postmaster of Long Island, was a contestant on the taped game show, which aired last night. She won more than $24,000, including a trip to Hawaii.

Parker charmed the audience and Pat Sajak alike with her down-home friendliness. She almost won the final bonus puzzle and had figured out "WE KNOW" followed by three blank letters. She guessed every pronoun except the one that correctly filled the blanks: "him." As time ran out, she gave her last guess as, "We know everything...we know nothing," getting a last laugh from the audience.

Seems to us Pamela Parker knows how to play "Wheel of Fortune" better than most of us. Congratulations, Pam.

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FROM 11:30 A.M. UNTIL 2 P.M.: The International Edible Book Festival
will be going on at the Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square.

The festival features books created out of food products that are displayed and then eaten. The annual festival is always during the first week of April. Proceeds go to the library's annual fund to purchase (nonedible) books and materials.

Last year, there were 60 entries, including ''Canterberry Tales,'' ''20,000 Leaves Under the Brie'' and ''The Adventures of Olive-R Twist.''

Although chefs, bakers and other food professionals often participate, employment in the food industry is not required. Anyone can create an edible book, and there is no entry fee.

This year's festival will be 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, but participants should start dropping off entries at 10:30 a.m. The exhibit and judging will be 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

People who are going to the festival to taste the books will receive three voting tickets and a plate for $5. There is no fee to just drop by and watch.

FROM 4 TO 5 P.M. Bruno St. Jacques of the Portland Pirates meets and greets shoppers at the new Goodwill Thrift Store in Biddeford, located at the Five Points Shopping Center on Alfred Road.

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