Barber shop broken into for fifth time
MANCHESTER (AP) — The owner of a Manchester barber shop says his business has been broken into for the fifth time in the past three months.
Dana Geneseo says he’s installed a video camera, alarm system and even a windowless door at Dana’s Barber Shop since the first break-in on Sept. 2, but that didn’t stop someone from trying to rob the store again on Tuesday.
Video surveillance shows someone rooting around the store for about two minutes before leaving empty handed.
Geneseo tells the Kennebec Journal that he learned his lesson after the first break-in when a 40- inch flat screen television and about $1,000 in cash was stolen.
He no longer keeps anything of value in the shop overnight, not even petty cash.
Officer waiting when teen enters home
NEW GLOUCESTER (AP) — Police say a teenager from New Gloucester picked the wrong house to break into this week.
The Cumberland County Sheriff ’s Office says 18-yearold Michael Farling broke into the home Wednesday morning through a bedroom window and was greeted with a surprise.
The sheriff ’s detective investigating a series of daytime burglaries in the area was waiting inside.
Farling was arrested without incident and charged with burglary and violation of conditions of release.
The Portland Press Herald reports that Farling was being held in the Cumberland County Jail on $50,000 cash bail Wednesday night, pending a court appearance in Portland on Friday.
Gov. LePage defends Medicaid cuts
SALEM TOWNSHIP (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage has defended his efforts to close Maine’s budget gap by cutting millions of dollars in Medicaid funding.
The Republican told about 100 people Wednesday in Salem Township that there is not enough money to pay for the program’s benefits.
The visit was part of Le- Page’s “ Capitol for a Day” tour around the state.
LePage is proposing closing the gap by ending Medicaid coverage for 65,000 Mainers, including the poor, elderly and children.
The governor — in response to questions from the audience — acknowledged that rooting out welfare fraud could help close the gap.
LePage also expressed frustration with the recent Forbes magazine’s review of the 50 states that rated Maine last for being business-friendly.
Man charged with sexual assault
BUCKSPORT ( AP) — A Bucksport man has been charged with sexually abusing a young girl several times over a three-year period.
Authorities say 48-year-old Steve M. Kane has been charged with offenses including unlawful sexual contact, gross sexual assault, and sexual abuse of a minor.
According to court documents, there were 12 alleged assaults against the girl between April 2008 and March 2011. The girl was under age 14 most of that time.
The Bangor Daily News reports that Kane was indicted by the Hancock County grand jury last week and arrested by police. He was released on $50,000 bond and is prohibited from having any contact with people named in the cases as well as any children under age 16.
Charter school panel nearly complete
AUGUSTA ( AP) — The Maine State Board of Education has nearly completed its appointments to the State Charter School Commission, allowing a second pathway to approval of charter schools.
The board on Wednesday announced the appointments Richard Barnes of Kennebunkport, Donald Mordecai of Scarborough, William Shuttleworth of Camden and Shelley Reed of Wayne. They’ll join two members of the school board who were selected to serve in October. One other school board slot remains open.
In Maine, charter schools can be proposed by the commission or by local school boards.
Charter schools receive public funds but are operated independently of the traditional public school system. They have more flexibility than traditional public schools over decisions concerning curriculum and instruction, scheduling, staffing and finance.
Official: Paper mills, park can co-exist
TOWNSHIP 1 RANGE 8 ( AP) — The president of Great Northern Paper Co. says a national park proposal by conservationist Roxanne Quimby doesn’t threaten the supply of wood for the mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket.
Peter Hanson told 75 Katahdin Area Chamber of Commerce members this week that the park would have to grow far beyond 70,000 acres to present a problem. The Bangor Daily News says Hanson has concerns about federal air quality standards but feels a national park and his paper mills can co-exist.
Quimby, founder of Burt’s Bees, wants to donate land she owns next to Baxter State Park to the National Park Service.
Her proposal has met with mixed reaction across the state but also has met with fierce local opposition. East Millinocket residents voted against allowing a feasibility study.
Bookkeeper guilty of embezzling $166K
AUGUSTA ( AP) — A former bookkeeper for the Maine Trial Lawyers Association has pleaded guilty to embezzling $166,000.
Bettysue Higgins of Gardiner entered her plea Wednesday in Kennebec County Superior Court.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 3. The Kennebec Journal reported that Higgins’ sentence will be capped at six years under a plea agreement between the prosecutor and Higgins’ attorney.
The 54-year-old Higgins was charged with stealing the money between May 2006 and September 2010 by writing more than 200 association checks to herself for cash and forging the signature of the executive director. Authorities say she used the money for personal use, including online social networking games.
Maine farmers eligible for disaster help
PORTLAND (AP) — Farmers in 13 Maine counties are eligible for federal disaster assistance for damages from excessive rain, cold, high winds, flooding, extreme heat and other weather events this year.
Maine Congressman Mike Michaud said Wednesday the U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued two new disaster declarations for Maine.
One of the declarations frees up disaster aid for farmers in Aroostook, Hancock, Penobscot, Washington, Knox, Piscataquis, Somerset and Waldo counties who suffered damages from weather disasters from May through September.
The other disaster declaration frees up assistance for farmers in Oxford, Androscoggin, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties who suffered losses due to flooding, excessive rain and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Irene that passed through Maine in late August.
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