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 overcast and 58 degrees in downtown Portland.

What's in store for the weather today? It's anybody's guess. I can tell you for sure - no snow. Other than that, take a guess. Rain in some places, just clouds in others. The sun might come out in the late morning. Thunderstorms might pop up in the late afternoon. Essentially, the weather will be the same as it's been the past few days. One big question mark.

From Bill in Rockland: 54 left-over damp breezy degrees in Rockland at 5:30 - pretty foggy too.
From Marc in Brunswick: It's 58 degrees here and the skies are threatening showers this Monday, nope it's Tuesday - I mean Wednesday. Aaaah! Thursday! I imagine this cycle will end someday and the garden will start growing again.
From James in Cape Elizabeth:56 (ho-hum) here in Cape Elizabeth this morning. High overcast with mottled clouds. It actually feels nice despite the visible conditions. Cheers!
From Karen in Steep Falls:Another gloomy day. Temperature is 58 degrees at 7 a.m. It's a misty rain coming down. It sure beats the nickel-sized hail, wind and lightning we had Monday!
From Shawn in Yarmouth: It is 62 degrees here in Yarmouth this morning. Very gray, but no fog or wind. Maybe we will have some more sunshine like yesterday?

ON THE ROAD:

• I-295 southbound between Gardiner and Topsham still closed, traffic is still being rerouted to the Maine Turnpike or along Route 201. The closure is in its fourth day and is a major construction project. But by all reports, it seems to be going smoothly without causing too much delay. Only 10 more weeks to go. If you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen. E-mail me at ggoodman@pressherald.com or plug in a comment below.

ON THE OCEAN:

East wind blows 5 to 10 knots, changing from the south later in the day. Seas 2 to 3 feet. And, no surprise here, a chance for patchy fog, showers and thunderstorms through the day.

High tide was just around midnight and will be high again at 12:41 p.m. Low tide was around 6:28 a.m. and will be again at 5:56 p.m.

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UPDATED: PORTLAND — Two people were arrested late last night for robberies that occurred along Forest Avenue.

Richard Greenwood and Tasha Haskell are in the Cumberland County Jail this morning after allegedly taking part in two, possibly even three, robberies around 10 p.m. last night.

One was reported at Hannaford's supermarket, 295 Forest Ave., and the other was reported nearby at the Community Counseling Center , 343 Forest Ave.

Portland police began chasing the two in their vehicle when they were located on Baxter Boulevard. They followed until the pair crossed over into Falmouth. Falmouth police found the car unoccupied off Ledgewood Drive. With the help of a Falmouth K-9 unit, the pair were found in the woods, arrested and taken into custody.

Furthermore, South Portland police officers are trying to determine if the same pair were linked to a robbery reported there around 9:20 p.m., when a 42-year-old woman called and reported having a struggle with a male suspect who attempted to rip her purse from her shoulder while she was putting a shopping cart away in the Hannaford supermarket parking lot in South Portland.

Witnesses in that event heard the woman scream and saw the suspects leave the area. Police in South Portland were given a description of the car and license plate. They will be working with the Portland Police Department to determine if the two cases are related.

View Larger Map

The two Forest Avenue locations where Portland police say strong-armed robberies occurred last night.

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NEW HAMPSHIRE (AP) — The trouble with tainted tomatoes has come closer to home.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said yesterday that it had identified its first illness linked to salmonella-tainted tomatoes.
It's unclear whether the patient, a New Hampshire resident, was stricken in the state.

The outbreak, presently under investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has spread to 28 states and sickened 277 people identified so far.

Tomatoes considered safe to eat include grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and tomatoes still on the vine. Red plum, red Roma and round red tomatoes have been linked to the outbreak and are only safe to eat if they were grown and harvested from specific sources.

New Hampshire is on the FDA's list of states where it is safe to eat any tomatoes if they were grown and harvested in the state. The state's tomato season will begin shortly.

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STATEWIDE (AP) — There were no Powerball winners in last night's drawing.

None of the tickets sold for the Powerball game Wednesday night matched all six numbers drawn, which were:

      9-12-31-39-52 with a Powerball of 32 and a Power Play of 4.

If those numbers had been yours, you would have won or shared the $43.4 million jackpot. The prize increases to an estimated $53 million for Saturday.

Somebody, though, is going to have a good day in Indiana, Nebraska and Pennsylvania. Tickets that match the first five numbers, but miss the Powerball, were sold there. Those winners will take home $200,000 each.

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YARMOUTH — A recount will be held today in a Democratic House primary race in Yarmouth that ended in a tie.

Melissa Innes and Kimberly McLaughlin each got 485 votes in Tuesday's District 107 primary.

The recount is open to the public and will be held at the Maine Department of Public Safety, 45 Commerce Drive in Augusta. It will start at 9 a.m. and is expected to last at least four hours, Flynn said.

If the race is still tied after the recount, the Secretary of State will draw lots to determine the winner, who will face Republican Brian Bicknell in November's election.

Check back on www.pressherald.com throughout the day, as we will post an update once the results are in.

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SOUTH PORTLAND — The South Portland Police Department and Communities Promoting Health will offer a training session today designed to teach clerks and people who serve alcohol how to better identify fake ids and VIP (visibly intoxicated persons).

The training is at the Southern Maine Community College in Jewett Hall from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees will learn tricks on catching underage drinkers and fake ids and will come away with a better understanding of the policies and laws surrounding underage drinking and a better grasp on how to deal with people who are breaking the law.

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AUGUSTA — Two Maine public servants will be honored as leaders in their field by the Maine Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration at its annual meeting and awards ceremony today.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap will be given the chapter’s prestigious 2008 Public Administrator of the Year award and Philip Dionne, who owns and operates Philip A. Dionne, General Construction, will be given the chapter’s public service award.

Dunlap will be applauded to "honor his leadership and passion and compassion, and to recognize his contributions to Maine state government," according to a written statement released by Lisa Leahy, President of the American Society for Public Administration - Maine Chapter.

Dionne, meanwhile, will be recognized for his "effective career-related education and training expressed through a wide range of volunteerism."

In the release, Attorney General Steven Rowe had this to say about Dunlap: “Matt Dunlap shines when he gets in front of a television camera to advocate for a public policy position. However, he shines even more when, on a daily basis, he quietly assists citizens with accessing governmental services. Whether it be helping someone renew a license or access home heating fuel assistance, Matt is always ready to help a fellow citizen. Matt loves speaking with young students about their rights and duties as citizens and it shows. The people of Maine are fortunate to have Matt in their service.”

The awards ceremony will be held in Room 228 of the State Capitol.

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