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 51 degrees and lightly raining in downtown Portland.

A good soaking was had yesterday, about 1 to 2 inches worth of rain fell in our area. That will be repeated today, with heavy driving rain at times this morning, with another one or two inches expected. It is expected to clear up by tomorrow,
hopefully giving our already swollen rivers a chance to settle down.

From Bill in ROCKLAND: Well, the thermometer says it's 44 degrees, but the wind is raw and blustery. The rain is just sprinkles at 5:40 a.m., but I expect that will be changing shortly to something more "downpourish." Indoor pursuits today, I guess.

From Mark in BRUNSWICK: Sunny skies and...oops, wait a minute, that was last week. The deluge seems to have stopped momentarily, but it is still raining, although not as hard, and the thermometer says 47 degrees.

From Shawn in YARMOUTH: It is VERY wet here this morning. 48 degrees and rainy. It rained hard all night. On a good note, the grass is greening up and the bulbs are getting taller.

From James in CAPE ELIZABETH: At 6:30 a.m., it was 48 here with 2.50 inches of rain accumulated. At least the fertilizer and broadleaf weed control put down a few days ago is now being watered in. We knew heavy weather was coming when I saw red-winged blackbirds on the feeders. Consider this liquid sunshine!
From Karen in STEEP FALLS:It's a wet 44 degrees this morning and the rain is steadily coming down. I found it kind of nice falling asleep to the sound of the rain. Happy Tuesday! Stay dry!

ON THE ROAD:

• Travelers in Falmouth should be aware that Merrills Bridge (on Falmouth Road – 400 feet east of Route 100) is closed until October as crews then replace the structure.

• On the Maine Turnpike between mile 67 and mile 68 in New Gloucester a southbound lane closure is scheduled between 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at the Mayall Road Bridge for bridge work. Fifty mph speed limits are in effect.

ON THE OCEAN:

A gale warning today is issued for today, as the storm swirling above Maine rages on.

In Casco Bay, a southeastern wind blows 25 to 30 knots with gusts up to 45 knots. Seas swelling 6 to 9 feet. Foggy, rainy and low visibility. In short, stay off the water in small boats.

High tide today in Portland now (5:57 a.m.) and 6:43 p.m. Tide is low around midnight and 12:23 p.m.

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A MACHIAS MAN CHARGED IN A DOUBLE KILLING in Marshfield from January is using an insanity defense.

The Associated Press is reporting that Richard Widdecombe Jr. entered pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental defect during an arraignment yesterday in Washington County Superior Court.

Affidavits indicate Widdecombe confessed to shooting 29-year-old Katie Cabana and 41-year-old Aaron Settipani early on Jan. 23 at Cabana's home in Marshfield.

Cabana's 6-year-old daughter, Autumn Rodgers, was shot in the foot. Cabana's two sons, ages 5 and 9, also were home but were not hurt.

THE COAST GUARD SENT a Jonesport-based lobster boat back to port because of problems with safety equipment.

The Coast Guard says it boarded the 34-foot Hee Haw on Monday and discovered that the boat was carrying an uncharged fire extinguisher and expired flares. The lobster boat's Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon also had an expired registration.

A Coast Guard patrol boat escorted the Hee Haw from its location south of Moose Peak Lighthouse back to port where it will remain until the problems are fixed.

A BARN AT THE WASHBURN-NORLANDS Living History Center in Livermore was lost to flames last night.

Diligent firefighters were able to save the center's historic two-story mansion, which was filled with antiques and artifacts.

The barn was leveled in the fire, which was reported just after 9 p.m. and took firefighters nearly two hours to knock down.

Washburn-Norlands Living History Center or, Norlands as it is fondly known to every 3rd grader in Maine, is the ancestral home of the Washburn family, which included governors, members of Congress, a secretary of state and a Civil War general. The 445-acre Norlands property is now a living museum and working farm with a meeting house, a schoolhouse, a church and a library.

A DEADLY TWO-CAR CRASH CLOSED the northbound side of the Maine Turnpike between the York toll plaza and the Wells exit last night, as police worked to clean up and reconstruct the crash.

State police dispatchers said the call of a head-on, two-car collision on the northbound side at mile marker 13.5 in Ogunquit came in just after 11 p.m. Two people were killed in the crash, the driver of one vehicle and a passenger in the other.

However, the names of the deceased are not available as police are still notifying next of kin.

The crash was so severe that the northbound side of the turnpike between York and Wells was closed for four hours, dispatchers tell us.

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Here's a new feature I'm trying out. I'll add it whenever I can. I'm often told "the press" only reports bad news, never the good news. So...here it is:

COLBY COLLEGE YESTERDAY RECEIVED HONORS FROM the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which said the school is the 2007-08 Individual Conference Champion for purchasing more green power than any other school in the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

The EPA has been tracking green power purchasing among collegiate athletic conferences through its College & University Green Power Challenge, which concluded Monday, April 28 with 40 schools and 18 conferences participating nationwide.

Because Colby purchases all of its electricity from renewable resources within Maine (low-impact hydro and biomass) and also purchases Green-E-certified wind power Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to offset energy use in its LEED-certified buildings, the EPA lists Colby as using 115-percent green electricity -- the highest percentage among the 40 participating colleges and universities.

GOV. JOHN BALDACCI YESTERDAY GAVE HONORS to Anne Pringle of Portland, whom he and the Maine Commission for Community Service announced as Maine's Volunteer of the Year.

Pringle was described as an energetic professional who serves with commitment, pride, and great initiative. In the past year alone, Pringle has dedicated 500 hours to serving the needs of mentally ill residents, preserving natural landscapes and participating on several boards of directors.

This was also sent by the governor's office about Pringle: "Since its inception in 1999, Anne has served on the Board of Directors of Spring Harbor Hospital. The hospital serves nearly 3,000 people in southern Maine each year that experience mental illness and substance use disorders. Presently, she is leading implementation of a Consumer Care Preferences system at the hospital. This new system allows personal preferences of an individual patient to be noted in their health record. The inclusion of these preferences in health records will enhance the comfort and overall recovery experience of patients when they are re-hospitalized.

Anne is also tireless in her efforts to maintain and improve Portland’s largest park, Deering Oaks. Over the past 10 years, Anne has single-handedly convened a Board of Directors and led fund-raising campaigns to benefit the Park. Currently, she is working on adding a landscape-based playground. The new playground would integrate innovative play elements into the natural landscape."

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