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 46 degrees with a clouding sky in downtown Portland.

The day remains relatively raw and cold, as now-overcast skies will eventually give way to rain. By tonight, it should be coming down, pretty heavy at times, and that will stick with us on and off until Wednesday.

From Bill in ROCKLAND:: 38 and pretty foggy here at 5:45. Calm so far. Well, we had a pretty good run there for a while. Now, I guess the question is whether or not the rhubarb will make out all right.
From Shawn in YARMOUTH:It is 40 degrees here in Yarmouth with a bright sky, no wind and rain in the air. We need more rain for the grass to green up!
From Mark in BRUNSWICK: We have 37 degrees here in Brunswick with foggy skies. Asparagus has started to come out of the ground in the garden.
From Karen in STEEP FALLS: Hazy sunshine this morning with temps at 46. Hopefully the sun sticks around long enough today to enjoy a nice afternoon before the rain comes. Happy Monday!
From James in CAPE ELIZABETH: 40 here at 6:30 a.m. with rain on the way. Currently nice and calm but that is going to change if my weather nose is correct.

ON THE ROAD:

• Travelers in Falmouth should be aware that Merrills Bridge (on Falmouth Road – 400 feet east of Route 100) is closed today as crews under the supervision of the Maine Department of Transportation remove and then replace the structure.

The bridge was identified in January as one of the 288 "poor condition" bridges in Maine. During the current project, which will last until Oct. 15, traffic will be rerouted to the Leighton Road.

Crews will first relocate utilities starting this week and then will remove and replace the bridge.

ON THE OCEAN:

Our tame seas from the past week give way to a small craft advisory for hazardous sea conditions through this afternoon and until late tonight. Then, a gale warning comes up tomorrow.
For today, southeasterly winds blow 5 to 10 knots with gusts up to 20 knots. Rain will be likely this afternoon, with seas 3 to 5 feet.

Tomorrow, though, wild seas are expected in Casco Bay with wind blowing 25 to 30 knots with gusts up to 35 knots. Seas swelling 6 to 9 feet. Foggy, rainy and low visibility.

High tide today in Portland now (5:01 a.m.) and 5:49 p.m. Tide is low at 11:29 a.m. and 11:44 p.m.

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STATE POLICE AT 8:30 A.M. were called to Greenwood, in Oxford County, to investigate a report of a man in the water of a pond off 77 Big Island Lane after his boat flipped over.

Details of the incident were not available for this 9 a.m. report. Tune in later for more.

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OH BABY! WHAT A WAY TO GET OUT OF JAIL.

A Bethel woman on her way to jail went instead to the hospital Saturday night and delivered a baby after going into labor in the back seat of a police car.

Police said 23-year-old Tiffany Burlingame gave birth at Rumford Hospital on Saturday night after being arrested earlier in the evening for allegedly assaulting her husband in a fight while driving in Rumford.

Officer Doug Maifeld told the Sun Journal of Lewiston that Burlingame, who was eight months pregnant, started having contractions in the back of the police car. He said an ambulance met them at the police station and took the woman to the hospital.

The arrest charges, however, were not dropped.

A SIX-WEEK INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT ON I-295 begins today in preparation for the 22-mile stretch of southbound I-295 repaving, scheduled for mid-June. In today's work:

    • A 250-foot span of road south of the toll plaza near exit 51 in West Gardiner to just south of the Exit 49 off-ramp in Gardiner. It will also include the Exit 49 off-ramp and the Exit 51 on-and-off-ramps.

    •Drivers should be aware of changing traffic patterns, slow-moving construction vehicles and construction personnel. Speed limit will be reduced to 55 miles per hour for the safety of the public as well as workers. The public is asked to curtail all cell phone use and concentrate on travel through this work zone.

    •Drivers should expect to see daily lane closures. However, in an effort to try and reduce traffic issues with morning and evening commuters, ramp closures will only occur from 8 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. for Exit 49 and 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. for Exit 51. In addition, any operation conducted within 1500’ of the toll plaza will be conducted between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

THE CHANCE TO GOBBLE UP A WILD TURKEY IN MAINE begins today.

Maine's spring wild turkey hunting season kicked off Saturday, with a Youth-Only Day, designed to get budding turkey hunters out in the woods.
But today is the day grown-ups also may head out to the woods to find themselves a fowl. Hunters seeking a turkey must have a valid Spring Wild Turkey Permit and a valid Maine resident hunting license (or a valid nonresident or alien big game hunting license). A valid archery license also permits hunting of wild turkey with bow and arrow in Maine.

Roland “Dan” Martin, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said wild turkeys are found all over Maine, due to a "well-instituted restoration program."

I've been seeing them along the turnpike, running down Route 1 in York County and hanging out at the local playground. So, yeah, I'd say the program worked.

To get one, though, you can't just hang out on the shoulder of the Maine Turnpike with a gun. Here are the rules of the game:

    •Season A: April 28-May 3; May 19-May 24; May 26-May 31. Hunters with even-numbered birth years (years ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8) will be authorized to hunt during Season A.

    •Season B: May 5-May 10; May 12-May 17; May 26-May 31. Hunters with odd-numbered birth years (years ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9) will be authorized to hunt during Season B.

    •Spring Legal Hours: One-half hour before sunrise until noon (12 p.m.) local time.

    •Spring Areas Open to Hunting: Wildlife Management Districts 7, 10-18, and 20-26.

    • Spring Bag Limit: One bearded wild turkey per permit holder per season.

    •Spring Legal Method for Taking: Only shotgun gauges 10 through 20 using shot sizes 4 through 6, or bow and arrow may be used.

    •Calling devices: Electronic calling devices are legal.

MEANWHILE, IN MORE WILDLIFE NEWS, A PUBLIC HEARING IS SCHEDULED IN GREENVILLE today for wildlife officials to hear what people think about cutting the number of any-deer permits for this year's regular and muzzle-loading hunting seasons.

Because of the harsh winter's heavy toll on the deer herd, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is proposing to reduce the number of any-deer permits - also known as antlerless or doe permits - by 23 percent.

Commissioner Roland ''Dan'' Martin is recommending that about 51,000 any-deer permits be made available to hunters, a decrease of 15,150 permits from last year. He is also proposing to restrict the regular archery season and youth hunting day to bucks-only in some districts.

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