Welcome to the Sunrise Herald with Giselle Goodman, the place to go to get the news from overnight and onward...
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IN THE WEATHER

At 9 a.m., downtown Portland was under clear, dry skies at 65 degrees.

Whopper storms came through, as if you didn't already know, sparking lightning-strike fires in places like Gray, Kennebunk and Sanford. But those storms are out to sea, leaving behind a glorious day. Sun, dry air, warm temperatures, cooling breezes. Good day to be a summer visitor in Maine!

THANKFULLY, the hail is gone, all melted away. And the storms are a thing of the past, as our Weather Watchers can attest...

From James in Cape Elizabeth: It is a gorgeous morning with bright blue skies and a temp of 55. Those t-storms yesterday produced almost 0.5 inches of water but no hail and no power outages. Have a great day.

From Shawn in Yarmouth: What a glorious morning! It is 56 degrees, clear blue sky, dry air and sunshine!!! A wonderful day to spend outside and not in the office cubicle.

From Mark in Brunswick: Wow, what a morning! Gone are the clouds, mist and showers, and now we have unfiltered sunshine with no clouds and 57 degrees.

From Karen in Steep Falls: Temperature is 58 degrees at 7 a.m. There is a slight breeze with slightly hazy skies. It's just a beautiful morning. We had hail the size of marbles yesterday afternoon!! A break from that crazy weather will be welcomed!

ON THE ROAD:

• The Auburn Police Department is warning drivers to be aware that sometime during the week, they will be conducting an OUI (Operating Under the Influence) checkpoint within the city. The enforcement effort is part of an OUI enforcement grant the department received from the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety. In order to be as efficient as possible in nabbing drunk drivers, the department does not disclose the exact location of the checkpoint.

ON THE OCEAN:

Been wanting to get out on the ocean to play? Today is the day! Gentle southwest breezes blow 5 to 10 knots with soft, rolling seas. Perfect day for a Schooner parade in Boothbay Harbor, don't you think?

High tide was at 4 a.m. and will be high again at 4:36 p.m. Low tide will be around 10:17 a.m. and then again at 10:42 p.m.

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THE NEWEST NEWS:

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The University of Maine athletic department has finished third in the 2008 America East Academic Cup standings.

Results were announced Tuesday evening in Orlando at the annual league meeting. Vermont won the America East Academic Cup. Maine and Vermont shared the Academic Cup in 2007.

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LEWISTON (AP) — Lewiston city councilors have approved a $1 million sale of the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Tuesday's vote was 5-2.

The deal transfers ownership of the Colisee to Firland Management, based in Veazie, and its president, Jim Cain. Firland is to begin paying the city $50,000 per year in 2013 and then $100,000 per year from 2023 through 2028. The deal gives Firland until April 2009 to officially assume ownership.

Cain has until noon Friday to come up with $250,000 in collateral to guarantee his company's side of the deal.

According to terms, Firland would continue to honor the contract with the Lewiston Maineiacs semi-professional hockey team.

The sale would end the city's subsidy of the ice arena, which reached $488,000 last year. It does not erase the $5.7 million debt the city has accrued since 2004 to renovate the facility.

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OTISFIELD — State Police say a young brother and sister from New Jersey suffered broken legs yesterday morning when the ATV they were riding went off a dirt road and slammed into a tree.

The ATV was being operated by a 10-year-old boy with his 8-year-old sister as a passenger. They were following their uncle, who was riding a second ATV on a short dirt road off Bolsters Mills Road.

The two children, whose names are not yet available, were flown to a Lewiston hospital by Lifeflight helicopter. Troopers said the injuries would have been worse if the children had not been wearing their helmets.

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KENNEBUNK — Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Wells Water District Trustees vote today on whether to sell water from Branch Brook in Wells to water-bottler Poland Springs.

The water district and Poland Spring have been in discussions for about a year and a half regarding a contract that would give Poland Spring permission to drill several bore holes into sandy soil on the north side of Branch Brook in Wells. The company would draw up to 250,000 gallons of water per day, though the exact quantity has not been established.

The company would pump the water through a mile-long pipe to a fill station to be built on Route 109 in Sanford, where it would be loaded onto trucks and sent to the Poland Spring bottling plant in Hollis.

In return, Poland Spring would pay the water district a per-gallon rate that is expected to total $250,000 per year to start and could grow to as much as $750,000, depending on the quantity sold. The water district trustees held a public hearing last week where residents came out in force against the plan.

To make their voice heard, opponents of the plan are hosting a press conference at 2 p.m. today outside the water district's offices at 92 Main St., Kennebunk.

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OF NOTE TODAY:

PORTLAND — The city will host a public meeting at 6 p.m. today to update and discuss plans for recreational space and trail development on Ocean Avenue.

City Councilor Cheryl Leeman and representatives from the Portland Landbank Commission will provide an update of the Parks and Recreation "Community Findings Report" and plans for the Ocean Avenue open space recreation and trail development.

The meeting is at the Presumpscot School, 69 Presumpscot St.

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CASCO — Award-winning photographers who make up the newly formed Maine chapter of "Flashes of Hope" will gather at Camp Sunshine today for a photo shoot of children with life-threatening illnesses.

Families who are photographed today are given complimentary portraits, taken by the volunteer shooters.

"The images we donate in our private photo shoots for families help children feel better about their changing appearance by celebrating it, in a participatory, healthy way," said Kevin Brusie, a Maine photographer who started the Flashes of Hope Maine chapter. "It's important for a lot of families that they have a portrait that forever captures the bravery, grace and dignity of their child, and we think that this is a small way to help out during what must be an incredibly challenging time."

To learn more and to view some of the extraordinary photos taken through this program, visit www.flashesofhope.org

Posted at 09:00 AM

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