June 02, 2008
At 9 a.m., it was partly cloudy and 61 degrees in downtown Portland.

How about those thunderstorms over the weekend?! Love thunderstorms. Happy to have the rain.

But unless you are around Augusta or parts north today, you'll probably see nothing but partly cloudy skies, with the off-chance of a shower as the day progresses. Highs in the 70s.

From Mark in BRUNSWICK: 54 degrees this morning, and we have a thick cloud cover that looks like it could bring some showers.
From Bill in ROCKLAND: 52 degrees here at 5:30 a.m. Not much of a breeze, but some gray clouds off to the west seem to be drifting this way. Still blue sky right overhead though.
From James in CAPE ELIZABETH: At 5:30, it was 51 in Cape Elizabeth with the promise of blue skies. Winds are calm. Another beautiful day...too bad it is Monday. Back to the office.
From Shawn in YARMOUTH: At 6:30 this morning, it is 53 degrees, bright blue sky with a few puffy clouds off in the distance, no wind to speak of. Another beautiful day. It was wonderful to get some rain, but my lawn is still thirsty!

ON THE ROAD:

• Four big road improvement projects get underway in Freeport today, so drivers should be aware of possible delays and detours. Work on three of the projects is expected to be complete by the end of June, and the fourth is expected to be done by mid-July.

Starting today, and ongoing through June 6, and then again June 16 through 20, the off-ramp at I-295 exit 22 (Mallett Drive) will be closed to all traffic.

Message boards will redirect traffic to I-295 exit 20 (Desert Road). During this ramp closure, two-way traffic will be maintained on Main Street and Mallett Drive.

Overall, the improvements will include: repaving a section of Route 1 between West Street and Mallett Drive. Repaving Mallet Drive between Main Street and I-295, repaving South Street between Bow Street and West Street, improvements to drainage systems and guardrails along these roads and repaving the I-295 Exit 22 northbound ramp and reconfiguring the ramp to improve safety.

ON THE OCEAN:

In Casco Bay, wind comes from the southwest this morning, blowing 5 to 10 knots. The swell is 2 to 3 feet. Visibility is reduced due to a slight chance of showers through the early afternoon.

High tides at 10:14 a.m. and 10:26 p.m. Low tide was at 4:02 a.m. and will return at 4:10 p.m.

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BANGOR (AP) — A snowmobiler from Greene is suing two Maine game wardens claiming they violated his First Amendment right to free speech when they issued him a summons for making a rude gesture.

Thomas Dube admits gesturing his middle finger at wardens while snowmobiling in Piscataquis County in March 2007. But he says he did so only to express his displeasure with the way wardens jumped into the path of his machine and treated him after stopping him.

Dube was issued a citation for disorderly conduct, but the charge was later dropped. He is seeking a declaratory judgment that the wardens' actions were unconstitutional, along with compensatory and punitive damages.

In court papers, Assistant Attorney General William Fisher denied that the wardens violated Dube's right to free speech.

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FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) _ A man from Maine has died in a crash on Colorado Highway 287 that injured three other people.

The Colorado State Patrol say 28-year-old Christopher Douglas of Lisbon was riding in a northbound Toyota that was struck head-on by a southbound Chevrolet Avalanche that drifted into the wrong lane Saturday.

Twenty-year-old Avalanche driver Gregory P. Nessler of Fort Collins faces charges including vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of a drug.
Troopers say 24-year-old Amy V. White of Denver was driving the Toyota and suffered serious injuries.

Troopers say Nessler and his 20-year-old passenger Tyler Santomaso of Fort Collins suffered minor injuries.

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MAINE — Like military ships?

There will be a chance this summer to see a couple, as Maine's Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced planned visits from the USS Stephen W. Groves and the USS Whidbey Island, both active U.S. Naval ships.

  •The USS Whidbey Island (at left) will pay a port visit to Rockland during the Maine Lobster Festival, scheduled for July 30 through Aug. 4.

The senators tell us the USS Whidbey Island is the lead ship of the Whidbey Island-class of dock-landing ships and was launched on June 10, 1983.

She is home-ported in Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Virginia.

  •The USS Stephen W. Groves (photo on the right), is scheduled to visit Bucksport during the Bucksport Bay Festival, held July 25 through 28.

USS Groves, her casual reference, is named after Ensign Stephen W. Groves of East Millinocket who participated in the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942.

His namesake ship launched on April 4, 1981, from Bath Iron Works. It is home-ported in Mayport, Fla., and is a Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate.

These links will take you to the Navy sites, to learn more about:
The USS Whidbey Island

The USS Stephen W. Groves

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CALAIS(AP) — A museum here dedicated to showcasing the cultural heritage of eastern-most Maine will never again open its closed doors.

The Downeast Heritage Museum's board of directors made the decision after reviewing the museum's financial difficulties.

The museum opened in 2004 amid the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the St. Croix Island settlement. But it has struggled to remain afloat after predictions of a flood of tourists for the St. Croix celebration failed to materialize.
Executive director Jim Thompson said the museum's problems stem from a lack of sufficient operating capital from the day it opened.

The museum board is examining its options on what to do with the museum building. A decision is expected within a few months.

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SIDNEY — A fatal accident on I-95 closed the road for most of the night.

The highway, which was closed southbound from mile marker 120 to mile marker 113, was reopened at 6:30 a.m. The accident happened just around 2 a.m. at mile marker 117. State Police dispatchers say it was a two-car collision, head-on with one confirmed fatality and one seriously injured. Also, they said the car that caused the accident was traveling the wrong way.

More information will be provided as it becomes available.

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PORTLAND — The Skatepark Planning Committee kicks off its fund-raising campaign at 2:30 p.m. today to raise money for a new skateboard and bike park.

At the same time, the committee will also unveil its fund-raising logo designed by the winner of a city-wide contest, Meaghan Maurice, a student from Deering High School.

To raise funds, the committee is planning a "Buy A Brick" initiative, where skatepark supporters can purchase a brick for $50 that will be used for the construction of the park. Each brick can be inscribed by the donor and will become a permanent part of the park.

To date, according to the committee, Portland has donated 28,000 square feet of land at the Dougherty Field complex valued at $75,000 and allocated $75,000 of capital investment funds for the $325,000 skatepark design and construction budget. Most recently, the committee received a dollar-for-dollar matching grant of $50,000 from the Ollie Fund of the Maine Community Foundation. The committee hopes to have design proposals this fall and with a successful fund-raising campaign, construction is expected to begin next spring.

The fund-raising press conference and ground breaking is scheduled at Dougherty Field Complex - near the tennis courts – located on St. James Street.

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