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., it was 58 degrees in downtown Portland.

Think it's chilly this morning? Just wait until tomorrow. Already, there is a frost advisory for interior Cumberland County as well as other parts of the state. After the sun goes down, cold air from Canada arcs into the state, and by daybreak, temperatures with be in the 20s to 30s across the mountains and foot hills of western Maine.

On the bright side, once the sun comes up today, it will warm up and temperatures will be in the upper 60s. Enjoy it while it lasts.

ON THE ROAD:

• THE USUAL STICKY SPOTS ARE STILL SUSPECT out on the road, such as Route 1 in Brunswick, the I-295 to I-95 interchange bridge in Scarborough and Warren Avenue in Portland. If you've been living with them already, you're used to the lane closures and lane changes. If it's all new to you, consider yourself informed.

ON THE OCEAN:

The cruise ship American Glory comes to Portland tonight, pulling into the Portland Ocean Terminal sometime around 10 p.m. and leaving Friday at around 8 a.m. The Glory is a much smaller ship considering some of our other seaworthy visitors. Although she brings only 40 passengers, this trip is noteworthy because, after a summer of calling Portland her home port, Glory goes south for the winter. Other ships, though, will be visiting soon. Click here to get the full schedule of ships expected to visit Portland in September and October.

On the water meanwhile, a northern wind blows 10 to 15 knots with gusts of up to 20 knots expected. Seas 1 to 2 feet.

High tide in Portland: 1:36 p.m. Low tides: 7:24 a.m. and 7:55 p.m.

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THE NEWEST NEWS:

News you need to know, now:

MARSHFIELD, Mass. -- A probable cause hearing is scheduled for today in Plymouth District Court for a carnival worker from Maine accused of raping two teenage girls he met while working at the Marshfield Fair.

Police said Witham exchanged phone numbers with the girls at the fair and later went to the Marshfield home of one of them, where the alleged attacks occurred Aug. 17.

Jeffrey Witham, 18, of Oxford pleaded not guilty to several charges, including rape of a child by force. He was released from jail however on personal recognizance after some of the charges against him were dropped, under condition he stay away from the alleged victims and witnesses in the case.

Witham is accused of statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl and forcible rape of a 13-year-old. The Plymouth District Attorney's office said there was not enough evidence to charge Witham with forcibly raping the older girl or assaulting and kidnapping the younger girl.

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WHITEFIELD -- Five Whitefield teens are facing charges in connection with a string of burglaries, thefts and vandalism.

Police declined to identify the gender of the teens, all of whom are 15 to 17 years old. All but one of the them have been released to parents pending further action from the district attorney's office and the juvenile justice system, said Lt. Michael Murphy of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department. One of teens remains in custody at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.

The arrests follows three months of investigation by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Murphy said. All of the incidents -- which include items stolen from a car and burglary, theft and vandalism at Calvary Baptist Church -- occurred in Whitefield, Murphy said.

There also were three separate incidents at the Sheepscot Links golf course involving burglary, theft and vandalism.

The stolen items include keys, cash, alcohol, candy, soda, chips and golf balls worth approximately $200. There also was about $200 damage to doors, window screens and a soda machine.

A few of the teens are believed to be involved in burglaries, thefts and vandalism at Whitefield Athletic Association's snack shack, Murphy said. The theft and damage in those incidents totaled about $200. Additional charges are pending, Murphy said.

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LIMERICK -- A bright orange fish pulled from the waters of Pickerel Pond is a non-native koi/carp - an invasive species that is illegal in Maine.

Officials from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife do not know how the koi, or Japanese Carp, got into the pond. The report came from Limerick Town Selectman Dean Lepage and a local resident, who noticed the fish swimming around the little pond. Koi are illegal to posses in Maine, and anyone who keeps them ornamentally (yes, these are the same fish you sometimes see at Chinese food restaurants) must be permitted to do so by the state.

The fish seen below (it is not an overgrown goldfish) was caught Sept. 10. Weighing three pounds, it was caught using "electrofishing", a process by which an electric current goes out from a boat stunning fish nearby, allowing them to be netted for identification.

The capture of this koi does not end the threat to Pickerel Pond. Biologists believe there is another koi in the waters, this one predominately white.

Why all the fuss? Consider this: A koi, which feeds on native fish species like trout or baby bass, can grow to be 50 pounds or more. One adult koi, same size as the one below, can produce more than 36,000 eggs. Comparatively, a brook trout of the same size produces only 1,200 eggs.

"Once koi or other invasive fish establish a reproducing population, there is little that can be done to eradicate or control the infestation," said Fisheries Biologist Francis Brautigam.

And just in case you are wondering - Koi taste terrible. They are bony, muddy, nasty-tasting bottom feeders.

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SKOWHEGAN --A Pittsfield couple arrested and charged with a home invasion robbery in Pittsfield in late August have been indicted by a Somerset County Grand Jury.

Robert E. Burt, 35, and Elizabeth Tansino, 41, aka Elizabeth Bernasconi, aka Elizabeth Burt, were each indicted on a charge of robbery Aug. 23 in Pittsfield.

According to police at the time, the couple were let into a home at Deer Hill apartments off North Main Street, allegedly brandishing a knife and demanding money. Police said the couple "roughed up" the female victim and left with a small amount of money.

The Grand Jury deliberated for two days before returning the indictment. An indictment is not an indication of guilt but a determination that enough evidence is present to proceed with a trial.

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OF NOTE TODAY:

Events coming up you might want to know about:

IN SOUTH PORTLAND -- The Maine Women's Lobby celebrates its 30th birthday at the Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks tonight.

At least 400 people are expected to attend the event, which begins at 6 p.m. The celebration is to honor the lobby, which for 30 years has been working toward the advancement of women in the workplace, in politics and in the society of Maine.

Headlining the celebration tonight will be comedienne Karen Morgan, hailed as "Maine's Funniest Mom."

People interested in learning more about the Maine Women's Lobby can click on this link.

Tonight's celebration, though, is not a public event.

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IN PORTLAND -- The city will mark the beginning of the rehabilitation of USS Portland's main mast, which is part of the memorial at the Fort Allen Park along the Eastern Prom.

The bill for the $150,000 restoration is being picked up by the City of Portland and Cianbro, as well as a few other businesses.

The repairs will include sandblasting the exterior paint, clean-up and repair of the structure, and repainting. The city will officially kick off the project at 10:30 a.m.today at Fort Allen Park.

Copyright 2008 Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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