Welcome to the Sunrise Herald with Giselle Goodman, the place to go to get the news from overnight and this morning...

IN THE WEATHER

At 9 a.m., it was 52 degrees with developing clouds in downtown Portland.

There is a good chance for mostly cloudy skies today, and don't be surprised by a shower or two. An unsettled weather pattern is floating in the skies above and will be there for the next couple days, threatening rain and bringing cooler weather. Highs only in the 60s today.

From Bill in ROCKLAND: 46 degrees with high scattered clouds here in Rockland at 5:30. No wind to speak of.
From Mark in BRUNSWICK: We've got sunny skies here, but not for long as clouds are moving in. 48 degrees now, with just a breath of wind.

ON THE ROAD:

• Two road improvements in the Rockland/Rockport area might cause some traffic trouble from now until the Fourth of July holiday weekend. They are...

   1) Work on drainage along Maverick Street (Route 17). On parts of Maverick Street, guardrails will be replaced. On Route 1, guardrails will be upgraded, excavation work will be done on in slopes and some curbs will be replaced.

   2) Once drainage work is complete, Maverick Street (Route 17) will be repaved and resurfaced from the Route 1A intersection to just beyond the Old County Road. Crews will also be shimming and repaving a section of Route 1 that begins just south of the Glen Cove Rest Area and continues for 2.6 miles north.

Paving on these projects will be done at night, and detours will be in place during the work. Expect detours to show up on May 27 and 28, and then from June 1 through June 5.

ON THE OCEAN:

Western wind blows 5 to 10 knots. Seas are 2 to 3 feet with showers likely.

High tide at 1:40 p.m. Low tides at 7:26 a.m. and 7:23 p.m.

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WELLS — The fire department was called to the Ocean Overlook Campground just before 8 a.m. for a report of a fire in a large camping trailer.

Ocean Overlook is located on Route 1 and is a park for recreational vehicles that summer in Maine. The fire was showing from the vehicle when crews arrived and a dispatcher said they are still at the scene.

Although it is unclear how much damage was done, the dispatcher did say there were no reports of injuries.

PORTLAND — Keep your eyes on the skies this morning if you are around Allen Avenue. You might see “Big Max,” the giant RE/MAX hot air balloon, which was scheduled to arrive at the Portland Arts & Technology High School around 8:30 a.m.

Students from the schools will be treated to an interactive demonstration of how to operate the balloon and what makes it work. After the demonstration free tethered balloon rides will be offered to teachers and a member of the RE/MAX balloon team will stop by each classroom for a question and answer session with the students.

The team plans to be at the school until 1 p.m.

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BELFAST — Ever dreamed of owning a sardine factory?

You're in luck. There's one for sale. The former Stinson Seafood sardine plant, on the Belfast waterfront, goes on the auction block next month and will be sold to the highest bidder.

The owners of the plant hope new owners can develop the 3.6-acre property, which has 1,000 feet of river frontage.

The property is owned by Belfast Bay LLC investment group, which initially attempted to turn it into a commercial-residential-marina complex.

The cannery used to be a busy place when Maine was a mecca for sardine production. At its peak, the sardine industry in Maine packed some 300 million sardine tins per year. The Belfast cannery closed in 2001. Today, there is just one sardine factory left in Maine. (AP)

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AROOSTOOK COUNTY — Seniors who live in the flood ravaged north will get a financial helping hand from the feds.

According to Sen. Susan Collins, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration on Aging approved a $30,290 grant to assist in addressing the needs of senior citizens affected by the flooding from heavy rains in March.

The funding will be directed to the Aroostook Agency on Aging.

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WATERVILLE — Financial guru Robert E. Diamond Jr. will be the keynote speaker this Sunday at Colby College’s 187th commencement ceremonies.

A total of 522 seniors will receive their diplomas, said Colby spokeswoman Ruth Jacobs.

The event is open to the public and starts at 10 a.m. on the lawn in front of Miller Library. It will be held in the Alfond Athletic Center in the event of rain.

Those who go will get to hear a motivational speech from Diamond, who is a 1973 Colby graduate. He majored in economics there. Now, Diamond is president of the London-based Barclays PLC which is to open a customer-care center in Wilton, bringing 50 jobs to the area.

He is credited as the architect of strategies that have produced record performances for Barclays through Barclays Capital, Barclays Global Investors and Barclays Wealth.

In 1993, Diamond joined the Colby Board of Trustees. His son, Charlie, will be a freshman at Colby in the fall.

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A regular Sunrise Herald feature, combating the harmful rays of too much bad news. Get your daily dose of the good stuff here.

The National Science Teachers Association has a new leader, and he hails from Maine.

Dr. Francis Eberle, executive director of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA), will serve as the association’s new executive director. He succeeds Dr. Gerry Wheeler, who will retire after 13 years with the association.

Eberle was selected by the board of directors after an exhaustive nationwide search that involved hundreds of candidates from around the country. He will take the lead at the end of August.

“Francis brings tremendous passion, leadership, and experience to this position,” said John Whitsett, president, NSTA. “We are pleased to be joined by such a distinguished and accomplished leader in the science education community, who shares the association’s commitment to improving and enhancing science teaching and learning for all.”

GEORGETOWN — The children of this small town will get a special treat today when First Lady of Maine Karen M. Baldacci and Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar kick-off the ninth year of Read With ME at their elementary school.

The event begins at 10 a.m. at the Georgetown Central School. The First Lady will unveil this year’s featured book The Cat at Night, which was written and illustrated by Ipcar, who is 90-years old and resides in Georgetown.

The book was originally published in 1969. The book, which has been out of print for more than 30 years, has been specially republished by Islandport Press of Yarmouth for the 2008-9 program of Read With ME.

Baldacci, joined by Ipcar, will read the book to a group of kindergarten students. The book will be distributed to Maine’s more than 18,000 kindergarten students in the fall as part of the literacy outreach program.

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