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 cloudy and 57 degrees in downtown Portland.

On this day of summer solstice, expect another day like yesterday...which could end up nice, or stormy, depending on your location in Maine. Some busy rain and thunderstorm activity to the west could push disturbed air our way.

More than likely in the Portland area, though, we'll see the fog burn off by late morning, with another sunny and breezy day, highs in the upper 60s, low 70s.

From Bill in Rockland: 56 degrees and extremely foggy in Rockland at 5:30 a.m. A slight breeze stirs the soggy leaves.
From Mark in Brunswick: I feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day as he awakes to the same situation over and and over and...58 degrees and overcast skies here in Brunswick. Looks like a chance of showers throughout the day...Here's to the weekend and maybe some sun tomorrow.
From Karen in Steep Falls: Very overcast but no rain right now. Temperature is 57 degrees at 7:20 a.m. It's nice to see the weekend weather looking a bit more sunny. Happy Friday!

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 fifth 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, coming at 10 to 15 knots and gusts up to 20 knots later this afternoon. Seas 2 to 3 feet. And as mentioned before, a chance for patchy fog, showers and thunderstorms through the day.

A decent day for: THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL SURFING DAY

Maine's part in International Surfing Day, brought to you by the Surfrider Foundation, takes place at Old Orchard Beach throughout the day. The event is meant to bring people together to enjoy the beach by helping to clean it up, respect the ocean and waves and share good food and company.

High tide was at 12:35 a.m. and will be high again at 1:18 p.m. Low tide was around 7:04 a.m. and will be again at 7 p.m.

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WAKEFIELD, N.H. (AP) — A Maine man is charged with attempting to burglarize a police officer's home in Wakefield, N.H., while the officer was at home.

Police say 62-year-old Paul Doyle of Acton knocked on the officer's door Wednesday morning, then kicked it in before getting a response. Police say Doyle and the officer who was not identified did not know each other.

Doyle fled but was quickly arrested by another officer responding to the call.

Doyle is charged with felony burglary.

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WESTBROOK — Police say they arrested a man last night who had prescription drugs that he shouldn't have had.

Paul Miller, 37, was taken into custody by the Westbrook Police Department around 11:30 p.m. after serving him with a search warrant of his residence at 9 Winslow St.

Miller was charged with "Possession of Schedule W Prescription Drugs," a Class C crimes punishable by up to 5 years in jail and a $5,000 fine. Schedule W drugs are drugs such as morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and hydromorphone. Miller is being held at the Cumberland County Jail.

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MILLINOCKET — We may never know the reason a mobile home burned here earlier this month, killing the woman who lived there, officials say.

According to information provided by Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public safety, fire marshals have been unable to pinpoint the cause of the June 8 fire which killed Constance Clayton-Willcoxen. She was found in her trailer which was gutted by flames.

Sgt. Ken Grimes of the fire marshal's office said the fire started in a front workshop room of the home, which is where the woman died. The room was extremely cluttered with household items and trash. All indications are the fire was accidental.

Due to the extent of damage, though, the exact cause will more than likely remain unknown.

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CHESUNCOOK – A New Jersey woman who became separated from her son during a hike to a campsite along Caucomgomoc Dam Wednesday afternoon was found safe by the Maine Warden Service yesterday.

Judy Preston, 67, of Washington Township, N.J., and her son, Randy Preston of Vancouver, British Columbia, were pulling a canoe through the fast water of Caucomgomoc Stream at approximately 4 p.m. Wednesday when Randy looked behind him to check on his mother and did not see her there, according to Warden Tom McKenney.

Fearful that his mother may have fallen into the water, Preston began searching the area to no avail. He got into the canoe and began a route down the Caucomgomoc Stream through Black Pond to Chesuncook (near Greenville) to seek help. The pair had spent the night Tuesday on Gero Island, across from Chesuncook.

“Mr. Preston had forgotten that he and his mother had made a plan that if she became too tired pulling the canoe that she would go into the woods and continue walking to the campsite,” Warden McKenney said. “He had panicked and thought something had happened to her. It was a miscommunication on both of their parts.”

Preston reached a Chesuncook store at approximately 10 p.m., and the proprietors there tried to reach the Maine State Police through e-mail.

“They sent out an e-mail but it didn’t get to the State Police,” McKenney said. “They later found out it accidentally was sent to a dentist’s office.”

After being contacted Thursday, the Maine Warden Service dispatched five watercraft, two aircraft, nine wardens and the MWS Dive Team. She was found walking in Chesuncook Stream at approximately 8:45 a.m. by warden officials.

Ms. Preston had found a travel bag that her son had left alongside the stream. In it were gear, granola bars and other safety essentials, McKenney said.

“She’s fine and she’s calm,” McKenney said. “The only thing is that the bugs got to her.”

View Larger Map
The area where Judy Preston spent a night lost in the Maine woods.

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BANGOR — Two northern Maine men are facing up to 40 years in prison each and some hefty fines after being found guilty of drug charges for their roles in an international marijuana distribution ring.

A federal court jury on Wednesday found 54-year-old Raymond Fogg of Winn and 42-year-old Anthony Caparotta of Caribou guilty of marijuana distribution and Social Security fraud.

Prosecutors said Fogg and Caparotta worked for Michael Pelletier, an Aroostook County man who was convicted of running a multi-million-dollar marijuana smuggling operation from his wheelchair while collecting disability checks. Pelletier, formerly of St. David, was convicted by a jury trial in 2007 and is now serving a life sentence.

The jury learned that the marijuana would be smuggled in from Canada, across the St. John River in northern Aroostook County by people working for Pelletier. Then it would be distributed in multi-pound quantities.

The jury found that Fogg and Caparotta were responsible for distributing between 220 and 2,200 pounds of marijuana between 2004 and 2006 after it was brought into Maine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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AUGUSTA — Corrections officers thwarted a Kennebec County Jail inmate’s suicide attempt late Thursday afternoon, Sheriff Randall Liberty said.

The officers found Abraham Zorrilla, 21, of Lawrence, Mass., sitting in a shower stall with a piece of bed sheet tied to the shower’s valve around his neck, Liberty said.

Officers made the discovery at 5:35 p.m. and administered first aid, Liberty said. “He was having a little difficulty breathing.”

He was transported to Maine General Medical Center at 5:48 p.m.

Hospital staff determined Zorrilla to be in stable condition and released him to jail officers. He returned to the jail at 7:41 p.m., according to Liberty.

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LYMAN — There was a serious car accident late last night on the Clark's Pond Road.

Detailed information on the crash, a single car hitting a tree, is not yet available. However, when Lt. Gary Fecteau of the York County Sheriff's Department comes on duty, Sunrise Herald hopes to bring you more, including the name of the victim and the extent of the injuries. Keep checking in...

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DOWNTOWN PORTLAND IS GOING TO THE DOGS!

Today is "Take Your Dog to Work Day." And to celebrate, Planet Dog is having a party.

As you read this, Post Office and Tommy's parks in the Old Port are lit up with bright orange balloons proclaiming "Adopt!" as well as canopies that will display dog-friendly products, and of course, dogs, dogs and more dogs.
The highlight of the event is a pooch parade that starts at 11:30 at Brian Boru. The celebration continues at 2:30 p.m. in the parks where dogs who need good homes from local animal shelter will hang out, get petted and hopefully find homes. Other fun events include face painting, a photo booth and giveaways.

The event is being put on by Planet Dog to encourage foster and permanent homes for shelter dogs.

"Over 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized each year because too few people choose adoption," said Catherine Frost, Planet Dog's brand manager and product champion. "As animal lovers and advocates, this is just not acceptable to us."

During the event, Planet Dog will promote, announce and then promote again its national public service campaign "rescue. raise. love. adopt" (click the cocker spaniel to link to the Website) which encourages people to consider the "underdog" when bringing a dog into their lives.

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