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

SUNRISE: 5:33 a.m. SUNSET: 7:44 p.m.

At 9 a.m., it was 53 degrees in downtown Portland.

Today will begin with clouds and showers, but with any luck, the sun will shine this afternoon, raising temperatures into the 60s. However, showers will continue on into the evening and tomorrow.

THE SUNRISE HERALD WEATHER WATCHERS REPORT:

Shawn in Yarmouth says: Here in Yarmouth, it is a gray start to the day. It is 50 degrees and a cover of steel gray clouds hides the sun. It appears to have rained overnight and there is a light breeze blowing. Hopefully the small amount of rain will bring the fire danger down a bit. Happy Friday!!!!.

Jim in Cape Elizabeth says: It's Friday and you know what that generally means here in Maine.....ay-uh.... dismal weather has moved in. I don't believe there is a saying for how May arrives, (ala March) but happy May Day. Those May poles may be a little soggy as at 6 a.m.; it is 48 here in Cape Elizabeth with a slight breeze, but more visible is the fog and mist that has descended upon us. Let's hope that as the weekend progresses, the weather improves. So, everyone have a good weekend, enjoy your Mint Juleps on Derby Day, and we'll see you next week!

Mark in Brunswick says: A gray day outside in Brunswick with intermittent showers and 50 degrees.

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ON THE ROAD:

A number of traffic snags throughout the state can be found in the links below. Nothing unusual, though.

    • The Maine Department of Transportation has a useful map which shows you where traffic is disrupted. Check that out by clicking this link.
    • The Maine Turnpike Authority always posts its planned traffic advisories on its website in a day-by-day format. You can visit that web page by clicking here.

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ON THE OCEAN:

A small craft advisory is in effect through this afternoon. Southwest winds 10 to 20 knots with gusts up to 30 knots. Seas 5 to 8 feet with some foggy areas. Seas drop to 3 to 5 feet this evening. Showers pretty much all day and into the night.

High tide at 5:22 p.m. Low tide at 11 a.m. and again at 11:20 p.m.

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IN THE NEWS:

PORTLAND (AP) -- The Roman Catholic Church is announcing precautionary steps to prevent the spread of swine flu at Masses in Maine.

This weekend, parishes will hand out flyers about the flu, also known as H1N1. The handout will explain the differences between regular seasonal flu and a pandemic flu and what people can do to protect themselves.

Bishop Richard Malone said parishioners who feel ill should stay at home and not attend church gatherings until fully recovered. Those at Mass will be told not to shake hands during particular times and will be asked to receive Holy Communion in the hand rather than on the tongue.

Also, consecrated wine will not be shared until further notice.

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AUGUSTA (AP) -- Attorney General Janet Mills is warning Mainers to beware of swine flu scams.

People have been getting e-mails with the phrase "Swine Flu" in the subject line. The e-mails can have links to ads for a supposed flu medicine.

The attorney general says clicking on those sites poses a danger that a person's credit card information will be stolen or that the consumer will be tricked into buying bogus medicine or a worthless product.

Mills warns against opening any spam e-mails that purport to sell products against the swine flu.

Reliable information about swine flu is available on the Web sites of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Maine CDC.

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AUGUSTA (AP) -- A bill that would repeal portions of the state law that brought Maine in compliance with the Real ID anti-terrorism law is up for legislative review.

The Legislature had passed the law in order to ensure Mainers' licenses and IDs would be accepted for federal identification purposes.

The bill up for a public hearing before the Transportation Committee today would repeal the requirement that state issue driver's licenses and non-driver identification cards only to individuals who present documentary evidence of legal presence in the United States.

It would also prohibit the use of biometric technology, such as retinal scans, facial recognition or fingerprint technology in the production or storing of license information.

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SCARBOROUGH -- Hannaford Supermarkets may build a store in Turner, according to an announcement Thursday during a presentation to the Turner Board of Selectmen.

The store, approximately 36,000 square feet with a full-service pharmacy, is proposed for an 8-acre site at the intersection of Route 4 and Snell Hill Road.

Projected to open in 2010, it would employ about 100 full- and part-time associates.

The proposed store site is next to property owned by the Androscoggin Land Trust. The Hannaford plan would include creating public trail access to the land trust property, as well as making parking spaces available for persons who use the trails, according to press release.

For additional information, click here.

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THE GOOD NEWS:

An occasional Sunrise Herald feature, combating the harmful rays of too much bad news.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Windham High School was honored recently for their outstanding school health education programs with the inaugural Blue Apple Health Education Awards by the American Association for Health Education.

The health education program was awarded the Blue Apple Award with distinction, tying for the association's highest honor.

The Blue Apple is presented annually in recognition of individual school's leadership and commitment to providing quality health education that promotes healthy behaviors and increased learning for all students, according to a press release.

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Want a reason to smile today?

In celebration of "May Day," Minott's Flowers will be giving out free roses to people walking by their store at 25 Temple St. in Portland.

The give-away will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until supplies run out.

File photo

Copyright 2009 Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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