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 48 degrees and mostly clear in downtown Portland.

I nearly wept when I stepped outside my York County home at 4:30 a.m. A couple little spring peeper frogs (seen in the photo at right) somewhere in the swamp behind my house were cheeping out their big song. The swamp was also alive with the "glunk, glunk" of other bog frogs. I had to stand there and just listen. It was like hearing my jailer jingle the keys and turn the lock.

Anyway, it rained a little last night, but the clouds will clear out, sun comes out brightly, temperatures arcing into the mid to upper 50s, with afternoon highs approaching 60 along the coast.

Try to enjoy it; clouds and cold move in tomorrow and the weather doesn't improve again until Tuesday...maybe.

From Bill in ROCKLAND:: 41 degrees this morning and a light breeze here in Rockland with what appears to be scattering clouds.
From Shawn in YARMOUTH: What a gorgeous start to the day. I think I can even get away with a spring coat!! It is already 42 degrees here. The skies are clear, no wind and my neighbor does not have a fire going, which means it must be warm out. Certainly puts a spring in my step to hear that it might hit the 60's today!!! Yippee.
From Mark in BRUNSWICK: Different feel to the day this morning. 41 degrees, mostly clear skies, and instead of frost on the windshield, there’s dew.
From Karen in STEEP FALLS: It's a bright, sunny morning in Steep Falls. It's 34 degrees and there's frost on the cars again. Lots of snow is melting and I can now see the propane tank on my BBQ! Yea!

ON THE OCEAN:

Southern winds become westerly with gusts up to 20 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet.

High tide today in Portland at 3:19 p.m. Tide goes out at 9:02 a.m. and 9:14 p.m.

ON THE ROAD:

• Head's up Portlanders! At 9:30 a.m., the block surrounding the corner of Middle and Pearl Streets will be closed as crews work to bring a large granite slab up three stories. The slab will eventually become the kitchen island for the Moumene family, which recently moved to the Old Port from Boston and is renovating the Old Port apartment.

Betsy Moumene said she is not sure how long the road will be closed to traffic during the move. But she said the stone is so large it will take many people and a very strong crane to lift the stone, which is too big to fit up the stairs. It will have to go in the apartment through the window.

It might just be a sight to see, but certainly one to avoid if you are driving around the area and are in a hurry.

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A 28-YEAR-OLD SKOWHEGAN WOMAN is going to prison for three years for having sex with a 14-year-old boy just months after she finished a jail sentence for abusing the same boy.

Jessica Bowring was sentenced Wednesday in Somerset County Superior Court after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a minor and two counts of violating conditions of her release.

Bowring was convicted in 2006 of sexual assault and served about nine months in jail. She was prohibited from having contact with the boy after her release, but a prosecutor said Bowring sent the boy more than 4,000 text messages during a three-month period after she got out of jail.

You can read the entire article in the Kennebec Journal by clicking here.

THE STATE GOT A "SORRY, BUT NO" FROM the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which recently denied Maine's request for federal funding to help deal with the fallout of a unusually severe winter.

But Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins isn't ready to take no for an answer.

In a statement released today, Collins said she will support Gov. John Baldacci if he requests an appeal of the decision.

"I am very disappointed that FEMA did not approve this disaster declaration for Aroostook County," Collins said. "As a native of Aroostook County, I know that residents are no strangers to adverse weather conditions. But this winter's record snowfall has put an enormous financial burden on many local communities."

Baldacci has not indicated yet whether he will appeal the decision.

GOV. JOHN BALDACCI'S VETO of a bill to refine last year's sweeping legislation to consolidate Maine school systems continues to reverberate at the State House.

Monday's veto was sustained by the Senate. But last night, the House of Representatives went on record in support of repealing the entire consolidation law, which remains in the implementation stage.

A new bill filed by Baldacci, shorn of the elements he found objectionable, is still to be considered. In his veto message, Baldacci said his new bill is designed to allow school units to negotiate local cost-sharing agreements. It also aims to allow districts that receive a minimum special education subsidy to continue to do so when they join a new school district. (AP)

IN OTHER NEWS FROM AUGUSTA: GOV. JOHN BALDACCI WILL SIGN LD 2012, "An Act To Protect Children in Vehicles from Secondhand Smoke." The signing will be live and ceremonial at 1 p.m.. today.

The law, which will take effect 90 days after this legislative session ends, outlaws smoking in cars carrying youths under age 16. The bill authorizes $50 fines for violations, but only after the first year. In the meantime, warnings will be issued.

Maine's bill was modeled after an ordinance adopted in Bangor, the governor's hometown. California, Arkansas and Louisiana have passed similar laws, as have Puerto Rico and the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Other states are also looking at the issue.

KITTERY FIREFIGHTERS THIS MORNING responded to a call of a fully involved building at 2 Melody Court at around 4 a.m. When they arrived, they did find fire in the building but were able to extinguish it within five minutes, said a Kittery public safety dispatcher.

The green house is a residential building, but nobody was injured in the fire, which sounded much worse than it was when the call first came in.

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