Northern New England News

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Patrick

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Post what you will here about anything exciting, construction specific or otherwise, regarding the towns and cities of Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
 
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Visitors to York Beach take advantage of southern Maine's balmy weather during the Memorial Day weekend on Sunday. The sun buoyed the spirits of business owners, as well, as many suffered heavy damages from flooding two weeks ago.
 
my mom's a science teacher so I really had to post this

NH students fare well in nationwide testing

By JOHN WHITSON
Union Leader Staff

The nation?s future scientists will likely hail from New Hampshire in disproportionate numbers.

Participating for the first time in nationwide science testing, Granite State fourth- and eighth-graders performed at or near the top in nearly every category when compared to their peers.

?I am pleased to see that New Hampshire continues to be at the top in all areas assessed,? said state Commissioner of Education Lyonel Tracy in a statement yesterday, alluding to past test scores in reading and mathematics. ?We need to continue to support high standards for our children in order to build upon these successes.?

Results from the 2005 science portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly referred to as ?the nation?s report card,? were released yesterday.

NAEP randomly selects a sample of schools and students ? about 2,500 to 3,000 pupils in each grade ? in every participating state. Six states didn?t take part in the test.

Fourth-graders: New Hampshire tied Virginia with the highest overall scores at 161. The national average was 149. New Hampshire also had the lowest (17) percentage of students testing below proficiency.

Forty-six percent of those students tested at the basic level, which was second in the country behind West Virginia at 47 percent. New Hampshire and Virginia were also tied at the top with 35 percent of their students testing proficient.

The only area in which New Hampshire?s fourth-graders didn?t shine was the percentage of students testing at the advanced level. Two percent of students in the state hit that mark, but several states had 3 and 4 percent testing advanced, and Virginia led the nation with 5 percent.

Eighth-graders: With the national average score at 147, New Hampshire tied Vermont and Montana with the second-highest scores at 162. North Dakota was first at 163.

Twenty-four percent of New Hampshire students tested below proficiency, but that was second best in the country, with only North Dakota?s 23 percent being lower.

New Hampshire was third in the nation with 36 percent of students testing at the basic level, behind only Maine and Wyoming at 37 percent. Thirty-six percent of Granite State students tested proficient. Several other states had 36-38 percent of their students test at that level, and North Dakota led the way with 39 percent.

Four percent of New Hampshire students scored at the advanced level, with only Massachusetts (6 percent) and Wisconsin (5 percent) faring better.

"To have our students statewide perform among the very best says something about the quality of educational programming in our schools,? said Manchester Assistant Superintendent of Schools Frank Bass.

Tracy said the information should prove useful in the future in shaping science curriculum and testing. ?This baseline data will provide New Hampshire with another assessment measure,? he said.
 
A River Cuts a New Course, Leaving a New Hampshire Town High and Dry

By KATIE ZEZIMA
The New York Times

EPSOM, N.H., May 25 ? Nicholas Tilton and Jamie Lucier's wedding ceremony was supposed to be held outside an old lumber mill here on May 20, with a waterfall on the Suncook River serving as the perfect backdrop. The river, however, had other plans, and chose not to show up.

A week before the wedding, the Suncook River jumped its banks and cut a new course during torrential rains and flooding, leaving a 1.52-mile stretch of what was once river close to empty. Now, the patio of the restaurant that replaced the mill is overlooking two dams and some rocks, all bone-dry.

State officials are still trying to determine why the river moved. One theory is that a man-made gravel pit near the river removed sediment that would have created a natural dam. Another is that the area contains a natural depression. Or it could be a combination of the two.

"It flooded over, but when the water receded it took the path of least resistance," said David Wunsch, the New Hampshire state geologist. "It found a path where it could get out of its channel and make a shortcut. Why it did ? that is a question."

Victor Baker, a professor of hydrology at the University of Arizona who is not familiar with the situation in Epsom, said that changing course was a natural process in the history of a river, and that it could occur more quickly because of construction or other human interference. The process is relatively common in large rivers with big flood plains, including the Mississippi, but is less common in New England.

"In New England, the flood plains are relatively narrow, maybe a few miles across," Professor Baker said. "The rivers can shift across those, and it may seem dramatic in a small town."

"It's not as common in New England" as in other places, he added.

No homes or businesses were destroyed along the Suncook River's new course. But what the river left behind is striking ? moss-covered rocks, quicksand and a huge sandy pit that looks like a scene from the Southwest. Many residents now refer to it as the Grand Canyon.

The river's new path has caused a controversy in this town, 11 miles east of Concord. Should the river be allowed to stay where it is or be moved back to its old bed?

Owners of businesses and land along the river, as well as people downstream who now have sand and silt in their backyards, want it put back. Some other people would rather let nature take its course and leave the river where it is. Others don't want to foot a hefty bill to redirect it.

"We want them to reroute the river back because we don't want to lose the river," said Rich Paro, who works at the Lazy River Campground.

The river was once the campground's main attraction, drawing canoeists and kayakers. The campground was severely flooded, but is open and full for the holiday weekend, even though it is now by an almost dry riverbed.

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"People like the river," Mr. Paro said.

Donna Mailhot-Dornhofer, who owns Center Epsom Antiques, thinks the river knows what is best.

"If we're not going to get the Old Man in the Mountain back, we're not going to get a river back," she said, referring to the state's iconic rock figure, which collapsed in 2003. "I don't want to be putting my tax money into that."

There are also environmental concerns. The river contains a rare mussel that is on the state's endangered list. The shift's effect on the mussel is unknown.

The town has asked the state to study putting the river back, and various agencies are scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss the situation. A town meeting is planned for next Monday.

In town, many theories abound as to why the shift happened and how the river could be put back.

Al Bickford, 73, a lifelong resident whose father used to own the mill, is the town's resident river expert. Mr. Bickford thinks the breach happened in a place where officials removed a beaver dam about 10 years ago, weakening the bank. Robert Griggs, who owns the land the mill is on, suggested building a beaverlike dam with cut trees and sand, saying the river could be back to its old course in a week.

Julie Clermont, a town selectwoman who lives near the river, said she was not sure what the town would do. But she said that because of budgetary restrictions, any action would require a special vote.

"It's dividing the town," Ms. Clermont said.

She said she would side with the townspeople if it were put to a vote, but is not sure how she feels about the issue. Ms. Claremont enjoyed kayaking on the river when it flowed near her home, and she said she was uncertain whether moving it back was a good idea.

Nature decided to move the river on May 14 and 15. Town officials and volunteers sandbagged the dams near the mill and points along the river that were prone to flooding.

Suddenly, residents said, the high water at the dam by the mill started to recede and flow backward until it drained out like a bathtub, exposing the rocky bed.

Mr. Bickford worked with the Fire Department to pinpoint possible flooding spots, but missed the one where it breached.

"That old son of a gun blindsided me," Mr. Bickford said. "I've got to say, emotionally, it hurts. It's like losing an old friend. I've lived on the river, fished the river. The river has always been a part of my life."

As for Mr. Tilton and Ms. Lucier, their wedding in the old mill went on as planned. The couple was married outside in front of a large rock.

Mr. Tilton's mother, Leigh, said she had been extremely nervous about the rain and had prayed all week before the wedding for the water to go down, so the restaurant would not flood and the couple could marry near the waterfall.

"God must have misunderstood my prayer because the water did go down, all of it!" she said in an e-mail message. "There is no waterfall. There is no river! Just an empty riverbed. The reception hall was dry. Another example to be careful what you pray for!"
 
Two dead in fiery I-93 crash, two children saved

By PAT GROSSMITH
Union Leader Staff

BOW ? Two children were saved by passersby Sunday night before a Chevy Blazer burst into flames after it veered off Interstate 93 in Bow, crashing into trees and claiming the lives of the children's parents.

Paul McLaughlin, 31, and Kerrie Marshall, 32, both of Haverhill, Mass., were thrown from the Chevrolet SUV. Neither was wearing seatbelts.

McLaughlin died at the scene and Marshall died from her injuries about 9:30 p.m. at Concord Hospital. Jeffrey Morse, 7, the son of Marshall, and Kayla McLaughlin, 10, McLaughlin's daughter, were in the rear seat and in seatbelts. They suffered injuries described as not life-threatening.

Passersby rescued both children moments before the Blazer was engulfed in flames, according to police.

The accident happened at 6:34 p.m. State police said a preliminary investigation revealed the Blazer was driving south in the left passing lane when it drifted into the high speed breakdown lane.

McLaughlin, who police said was driving, over-corrected to the right and lost control.

The Blazer crossed three southbound lanes and rolled onto the shoulder, striking several trees and catching fire.

Speed and alcohol may be factors in the crash, state police said.

The Bow and Concord fire departments as well as the state Department of Transportation assisted at the scene.

Trooper Stanley Dombrowski of Troop D, Concord, is leading the investigation. Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to call state police at 271-3636.
 
The annual Old Port Festival kicks off at 11 a.m. today with a parade down Exchange Street. Following are other scheduled events:

Kids Entertainment Stage: Temple and Middle streets: noon - Wayne from Maine; 1 p.m. - Pulse Dance Company, dance and hip-hop performances; 1:30 p.m. - story time with the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram; 2 p.m. - Wayne from Maine; 3 p.m. - Bob Nixon the Magician.

The Children's Museum of Maine will offer kite-making, block prints and coloring book creations. Face-painting will be available free from 3 to 5 p.m. Look for kiddie rides on Federal Street: roller coasters, Tilt-A-Whirl, giant slides and more.

Upper Market Street by Post Office Park: TNT Freestyle Motocross Demo with X-Games stars Tommy Clowers and Jeff Tilton; shows at 1 and 3:45 p.m.

Post Office Park, Exchange and Middle streets: Unplugged in the Park - acoustic music

World Beat Stage, Federal and Exchange streets: noon - Inanna; 1 p.m. - Jordan Bennisan, West African music; 2 p.m. - Grupo Esperanza; 3 p.m. - Inanna; 4 p.m. - Dos Canoso.

Rock Stage, Fore and Silver streets: 12:15 p.m. - Lost On Liftoff; 1:15 p.m. - The Kingpin Wrecking Crew; 2:15 p.m. - Pete Kilpatrick; 3:15 p.m. - Paranoid Social Club; 4:15 p.m. - As Fast As.

Q97.9 Stage, Moulton Street (go to the Q97.9 Stage for set times): Teddy Geiger ("For You I Will"), Jeannie Ortega ("Crowd- ed"), Frankie Jordan ("Once Again"), Mario Vazquez ("Gallery").

Maine Songwriters' Associa- tion/Acoustic Coffee Stage, Dana Street: noon - Jonathan Call; 12:30 p.m. - Carolyn Currie; 1 p.m. - Sparrow Talk; 1:30 p.m. - Judd Mulkerin; 2 p.m. - Light Head; 2:30 p.m. - Heather Caston; 3 p.m. - bullyclub,; 3:30 p.m. - Mark Nelson; 4 p.m. - Tree By Leaf; 4:30 p.m. - Emilia Dahlin.

WPOR Country Stage, Fore and Union streets: noon - recording artist Ashley Monroe; 1 p.m. - the Coming Grass; 2 p.m. - Carolina Rain; 3 p.m. - Ashley Monroe; 4 p.m. - Carolina Rain.

Times and performers are subject to change.
 
Assault on officers earns 11 years
A Portland man who knocked out one police officer and choked another to the point of unconsciousness was sentenced to 11 years in prison Thursday in Cumberland County Superior Court.

Justice Thomas Warren determined that Ibrahim Muhammed, 31, poses a serious danger to "anyone on the streets of Portland," following last year's attacks on two police officers and two homeless men.

Warren ordered Muhammed to serve consecutive sentences for the assaults against police officers Brian Regan and Stephen Black, even though they occurred at the same time and place. Warren said they were separate acts and deserved separate prison sentences.

Warren sentenced Muhammed to a total of 15 years, with four years suspended. On his release he will be on probation for three years.

Both officers testified at the hearing. Regan said he was losing his vision and starting to get weak as he was choked by Muhammed.

"When I started to pass out, I thought, honest to God, he was going to kill me," Regan said.

Regan was treated for broken teeth, nose and hand, and damage to his windpipe. He also injured his back.

Black said he has permanent scars on his face as a result of the attack. Both officers said they were pleased with the length of the sentence.

Regan and Black were looking for a suspect in two apparently random attacks on homeless men in Portland on Feb. 17, 2005. Black approached a man who matched the description and was "cold cocked" with a surprise punch by the suspect, said Deputy District Attorney Meg Elam. Elam said that Muhammed jumped on Black and continued to punch him after he was unconscious.

Regan arrived at the scene and tried to protect his fellow officer. Muhammed attacked him, too, finally choking him and trying to grab his gun, according to a witness. A bystander helped get Muhammed away from Regan until another officer arrived.

Elam sought a 17-year prison sentence with no time suspended. "An attack that vicious and that unprovoked should cause the court to have concern for any community into which Mr. Muhammed is released," she said.

Muhammed also spoke at the hearing and suggested that the case had "been blown out of proportion."

"I'm not a common criminal," said Muhammed, who used to work as a security agent and night club bouncer. "I firmly believe in law enforcement and I understand the need for law enforcement. I might have been a police officer myself."

Muhammed stressed his potential for rehabilitation. "People like me don't belong in jail," he said. "I still have a future. I still can make it."

Muhammad has lived in Portland since he was 14. He graduated from Portland High School in 1994. His jobs have included three years as a day-care teacher at the East End Children's Workshop. He has had four assault convictions since 1996.

His defense lawyer, Maura Keaveney, said that most of the crimes occurred in 2004, a period when Muhammed was hospitalized three times for mental illness. She said the assaults on the officers were not the kind that normally result in maximum sentences.

She recommended a sentence that would release Muhammed immediately on probation. "I think it would help Mr. Muhammed get the help he needs," Keaveney said.

She said Muhammed has not decided if he will appeal his conviction or the sentence.

But Warren said that he agreed with the officers and Elam when they said Muhammed posed too great a danger to society to be released. Warren said Muhammed's mental health history does not lessen the seriousness of his crimes.

"The fact that he doesn't understand what happened makes him all the more dangerous" he said.
 
We must be mainers when a moose is spotted in one of the densest sections of our biggest city.

Thats right, a moose was spotted on munjoy hill today, a neighborhood densely packed with tripple deckers and almost completely inaccessible except for by highway or through the middle of downtown....meaning the moose had to take one or the other. this is what MH looks like for those who dont know

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it was a giant moose.
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The appearance of two moose in Maine's largest city kept police and game wardens busy for most of the morning Tuesday.

One moose, spotted in Portland's Back Cove early in the morning, was chased toward Payson Park and allowed to go free.

A short time later, another moose was spotted on Munjoy Hill, where it darted from an alley onto Atlantic Street and into the path of a tow truck.

A South Portland animal-control officer was called to shoot the injured moose with two tranquilizer darts, then a biologist killed it with an injection. Wildlife officials said the stressed animal would not have survived.

Both moose looked like young bulls, possibly yearlings driven off by mothers ready to give birth, said Mark Latti, spokesman for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

"It's on its own for the first time, looking to find its own territory," Latti said of a young bull. "But a lot of times they don't have the sense to stay out of places where they shouldn't be."

Pete Dubuc, 30, of Portland was exercising on the Back Cove jogging path when he saw the moose at about 6:45 a.m. "I was just walking, minding my own business, and I saw him out of the corner of my eye," he said.

The moose was on the land side of Baxter Boulevard near Vannah Avenue, running on a grassy slope between the road and some homes. It then ran into Back Cove and swam toward Tukey's Bridge.

A Marine Patrol officer and Portland police firing bean-bag shells chased the moose out of the water and into Payson Park, Latti said.

Around 9:30 a.m., police received a report of another moose in the city, running around the densely populated East End. Charlie Roussel, who drives a tow truck, was headed east on Atlantic Street when the moose darted out from Gilbert Street, a narrow alley paved with stone, and was struck by the truck.

"I did not even have a chance to stop," Roussel said.

The collision did little damage to the truck's reinforced bumper but badly injured the moose, which retreated behind a Volvo parked in Mary Lou Cooper's yard, leaving one of its short, velvet-covered antlers in the street.

"I came out to shake a rug and saw him down there," Cooper said. She was trapped in her house for the next hour and a half while authorities waited for a specialist to use tranquilizer darts. Wardens said they could not simply shoot the animal because houses were nearby.

Instead, the darts put the moose to sleep, then a biologist administered another injection to put it down.

Authorities shoot moose when they get too close to the highway or endanger the public in other ways, Latti said.

In 2003, a large crowd of people gathered to watch a moose in Back Cove, leaving it no escape route. Officers, worried that the moose might charge and injure someone, shot the animal. Afterward, some people criticized the action as inhumane.

Moose are sometimes driven from woods by bugs and will seek to cool off from the heat in places like Back Cove. The first moose may have come down to Back Cove at night when it was cool and quiet to look for food and take a dip. The morning traffic and joggers probably scared it, Latti said.

The moose on Munjoy Hill weighed between 500 and 600 pounds, said Warden Jason Luce, although the meat was rendered inedible by the tranquilizing drugs. The Warden Service disposed of the carcass.

The presence of two moose in downtown Portland is rare. "It's like lightning striking twice," Latti said. But the number of moose in the southern part of the state has grown in recent years.

None of the 2,825 moose permits issued last week are for hunting districts in the southern part of Maine. But the state is examining whether to expand such a hunt to this region.

"Certainly when the moose hunt was instituted in 1980, there were very few moose in southern Maine," Latti said. "Slowly, the areas open to moose hunting have expanded, but not yet into southern Maine."

The department will report on its findings to the Legislature next year, he said.

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Michael Kneeland of the Marine Patrol mans a boat as police and state game wardens attempt to divert a moose who was swimming in Portland's Back Cove on Tuesday morning. Game Warden Jason Luce theorized the animal may have been trying to cool off

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Michael Kneeland of the Marine Patrol helps direct a moose in Portland's Back Cove toward Payson Park. The moose had been heading in the direction of Tukey's Bridge but was diverted to the park and allowed to go free


Dave A of Hampden, me
Jun 21, 2006 1:53 PM
A few years ago Munjoy Hill are was a tough part of town. Seems as though it still is for some. Note to "ELK's , Lions and Eagles. You may be pursued and sedated. Proceed with caution..LOL
Sorry about the loss of a young moose, everyone did what they could for him..

Too bad the moose didn't find Deering Oaks. For a city of 65,000 no one(except passed out drunks) goes there for fear of walking on the grass. They could have had the whole place to themselves.
 
I'm not sure this guy really wanted to kill himself, either that or he didn't plan it very well - The Granite St. Bridge is the shortest and probably the busiest of the four major bridges in Manch

Breaking: Firefighters find bridge jumper in river

Filed 31 minutes ago

Manchester ? A man was pulled unconscious from the water after jumping off the Granite Street Bridge into the Merrimack River this morning in front of dozens of witnesses.

Drivers trapped in stalled traffic, construction workers and police assigned to the Granite Street widening project saw the man walk onto the bridge at about 9:45 a.m., step over the south guard rail and, without hesitating, jump feet first into the water.

?I see him over there standing on the rail, and next thing I know he?s gone,? said Kevin McNeff, a E.D. Swett employee who had a bird?s-eye view from his seat in a nearby crane. Swett is a contractor involved in the construction project.

McNeff said he immediately climbed down and told his supervisor, who ran to the police officer working the detail.

Police and fire officials quickly began coordinating a rescue mission, knowing recent rains have again turned the Merrimack into a churning torrent.?The water?s fairly high and the current?s very swift,? said First District Chief Daniel Goonan, command officer on the scene.

While police ran along the breakdown lane of Interstate 293 on the west side of the river, two inflatable fire department rescue boats from Central Station were put in the water from the boat launch beside Merchantsauto.com Stadium.

Police Sgt. Steve Simmons said it was important for officers on shore to keep an eye on the man in case he submerged and divers had to be called in.

?The police on Queen City Bridge actually saw him floating by,? said Simmons.

Just south of the bridge, seven firefighters in the two rescue boats were able to grab the man and quickly pull him in. ?He wasn?t huge, but it?s not easy,? said firefighter Ryan Cashin, who was in one of the boats.

?They started CPR immediately,? said Goonan.

Simmons said the man, who was not identified, appeared to be in grave condition when he was taken from the boat ramp in an ambulance to Catholic Medical Center.

Sen. Lou D?Allesandro, who witnessed the jump, praised rescue crews for their ability to reach the man only about a mile downstream.

D?Allesandro was talking on his cell phone while stopped in traffic on I-293, waiting to exit onto Granite Street when his morning took a dramatic turn.

?I?m talking to my secretary and I see a guy jumping off the bridge,? he said, talking from the boat ramp shortly after the man, who he described as white, bald, shirtless and in his 60s.

(For full coverage, see UnionLeader.com and the New Hampshire Union Leader on Saturday.)
 
Former Manchester mayor hospitalized

From Staff Reports

MANCHESTER - Robert A. Baines, the three-term mayor who oversaw the city's coming of age as a business and cultural hub, will undergo emergency surgery tomorrow morning to remove a blockage in his colon.

He was undergoing tests today at Elliot Hospital after suffering severe abdominal pain Monday.

The blockage was discovered when he went for medical attention Tuesday, according to family friend Raymond Buckley.

Baines was elected in 1999, when the city was emerging from the economic collapse of the early 1990s, and it took off under Baines.

Downtown's reputation shifted from a white-collar workplace to an after-hours party spot. Minor league baseball returned to the city and the riverfront saw a resurgence in devlopment. Businesses plowed millions into rehabilitation of once-neglected Millyard buildings, where the city's technology sector clipped along and the Segway Human Transporter was born.

And houses, storefronts, parks and schools all underwent upgrades and facelifts. Schools especially benefited under Baines, who pushed through a $110 million package to renovate and expand school buildings.

Baines was honored as Citizen of the Year by the Manchester Chamber of Commerce in February.
 
Quadruple murder stuns Maine
Chief: 'It's a crime of horrific proportions'

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CNN.com

NEWRY, Maine -- A cook was charged Tuesday with shooting and dismembering the owner of a bed-and-breakfast and killing three other people in a grisly Labor Day weekend crime spree that has shocked people across the Maine countryside.

State Police chief Col. Craig Poulin refused to discuss a motive for what he called the worst homicide case in Maine in 14 years.

Christian Nielsen, 31, told detectives that his four-day rampage began with an Arkansas man on Friday and continued two days later with the slaying of the owner of the Black Bear Bed & Breakfast where he was staying in Newry, according to state police. The daughter of the inn's owner was then killed along with a female friend when they arrived there unexpectedly Monday, authorities said. (Watch police describe 'gruesome, unusual' crime -- 3:36)

The dismembered bodies of the three women were found Monday at the white 1830s farmhouse in Maine's ski country near the New Hampshire line, about 75 miles northwest of Portland. Nielsen then led detectives to the man's burned remains in the woods about 15 miles away.

"It's a crime of horrific proportions," Poulin said.

Nielsen was charged with four counts of murder and smiled as he left court after being ordered held without bail.

Poulin would not say how the victims had been dismembered.

The victims were identified as bed-and-breakfast owner Julie Bullard, 65, who lived at the inn; her daughter Selby, 30; Cindy Beatson, 43, both of Bethel; and James Whitehurst, 50, of Batesville, Arkansas.

Nielsen had recently been renting a room at the Black Bear while working at another bed-and-breakfast in nearby Bethel. Whitehurst, who was in the area on family business, also had been staying at the Black Bear.

State Police Sgt. Walter Grzyb said the two men did not know each other beyond the fact that they were both staying at the same inn.

"We're all just numb with shock," said Robin Zinchuk, executive director of the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce. The area is about 75 miles northwest of Portland.

Nancy White, co-owner of the Sudbury Inn, was stunned to learn that the cook she and her husband had hired this summer had been arrested on murder charges. She described him as a reliable employee and a good cook.

"The whole thing is surreal. It's a shock to this small community," she said.

Police assured residents they had nothing to fear. "We believe no one else was involved, and there are no additional victims," Poulin said.

Julie Bullard had decided in February to close the Black Bear, Zinchuk said, and there was a "For Sale" sign out front.

Maine has a low crime rate. Its last quadruple murder was in 1992, when Virgil Smith set fire to a Portland tenement, killing a woman, two men and a 10-month-old baby.

Nielsen had a history of driving offenses that included an arrest for drunken driving, but nothing more serious, police said.
 
Police officer shot, critically wounded, suspect sought in huge city manhunt

Manchester ? A city police bike patrol officer is fighting for his life this hour after he was shot about 3 a.m. near the intersection of Lake Avenue and Lincoln Street. Police are intensively searching the area, which has been closed to outside traffic.

Law enforcement authorities released few details, but sources identified the victim as officer Michael Briggs, who has been honored in the past for heroism in the line of duty. He is in critical condition at Elliot Hospital.

Police said they are looking for Michael "Stix" Addison, 26, of Manchester in connection with the shooting. He is described as a black man, 5-foot-8, 180 pounds with black hair.

Police are stopping and searching cars. A state police helicopter searched from overhead. Neighborhood schools were locked down for part of the morning as a precaution.

Nicole Black, 24, who was staying at her boyfriend's place near the scene of the shooting, woke up at quarter to three to the sound of six gunshots. She grabbed binoculars to view the scene on the street below.

"The first thing I saw was that cop lying down right there where the pool of blood was," Black said. "There were maybe five cops around him. One was saying, 'Just breathe, just breathe.' You could tell they were trying to get this guy to hold on."

A man was lying on the ground, too, handcuffed. "I heard him say something about, 'I was just standing on this corner trying to get weed for my girl,'' Black said.

The situation in the neighborhood was tense. Steve Provencher, who called 9-1-1 after hearing six or eight shots, encountered two police officers when he went into the alley next to his house. Their guns were drawn and they ordered him to show his hands and identification, he said.

"They are doing a yard-to-yard search" said police Capt. Richard Tracy.

A man who lives nearby said he heard about six shots around 3 a.m. Monday.

"We heard six loud bangs go off," said Robert Tarr, a member of the Neighborhood Watch crimefighting group in the area. He said he was on his porch just before 3 a.m., when he heard shouting and shots.

"It sounded like a bunch of arguing," Tarr said. After the shots, he said he heard more shouting.

Heavily armed police cordoned off a wide area of the inner city before dawn. As residents began leaving the area for work and school, officers wearing helmets and flak jackets and carrying shotguns searched car trunks.

A police helicopter was overhead. Officers with dogs searched below.

The Boston Herald reported on its web site today that Addison formerly lived in Boston and with his adoptive father in Brockton, Mass.

A spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department told the Herald, ?Boston police are working with the Manchester police in their efforts to locate Michael Addison.?

Briggs was one of four Manchester police officers honored with New Hampshire Hero Awards last year for their bravery in evacuating residents of a burning apartment building just blocks away from the scene of his shooting.

On July 25, 2004, the four helped the 19 residents of a 10-unit building at 418 Union Street escape a 3:30 a.m. fire.

The annual award, sponsored by the New Hampshire Union Leader, is given to state residents who have risked their own lives in attempts to save others.

Mayor Frank Guinta yesterday said his prayers are with the Briggs family.

"No words can be found to properly address this situation. It is simply horrible and nothing can change that fact," Mayor Guinta said.

More details will be posted on UnionLeader.com throughout the day.
 
Iteresting and shocking; that is quite terrible to hear, actually.

As a matter of fact, Portland had something like this happen last week. A So.Po. officer was shot four times (once in the head) while he was attempting to locate a suspect wanted for kidnapping and terrorizing. they shot the guy back, and he is now in critical condition at maine medical center being watched over by prison guards (in addition to medical staff, that is, lol).

He was a man from Brooklyn, and they also found a scale, some money, and a bunch or cocaine in his apartment. Why are these things always tied to someone from boston, NYC, or in this case brockton? cant those people stop polluting our towns and cities and stay where they are from, or else behave themselves at least...
 
Patrick said:
Iteresting and shocking; that is quite terrible to hear, actually.

As a matter of fact, Portland had something like this happen last week. A So.Po. officer was shot four times (once in the head) while he was attempting to locate a suspect wanted for kidnapping and terrorizing. they shot the guy back, and he is now in critical condition at maine medical center being watched over by prison guards (in addition to medical staff, that is, lol).

He was a man from Brooklyn, and they also found a scale, some money, and a bunch or cocaine in his apartment. Why are these things always tied to someone from boston, NYC, or in this case brockton? cant those people stop polluting our towns and cities and stay where they are from, or else behave themselves at least...

It seems like its been a pretty rough news week in Northern New England altogether. The news out of Vermont is really disturbing.
 
^ yes indeed. That girl attended the university from which I just graduated in May, meaning even though I did not know her I obviously saw her a million times seeing as how the school is so small....she was a senior, which adds to how bad the whole thing is, but even worse is the fact that she was pronounced missing by her parents who were up for homecoming weekend! absolutely terrible.
 
Smuttynose said:
Police officer shot, critically wounded, suspect sought in huge city manhunt

Manchester ? A city police bike patrol officer is fighting for his life this hour after he was shot about 3 a.m. near the intersection of Lake Avenue and Lincoln Street. Police are intensively searching the area, which has been closed to outside traffic.

Law enforcement authorities released few details, but sources identified the victim as officer Michael Briggs, who has been honored in the past for heroism in the line of duty. He is in critical condition at Elliot Hospital.

Police said they are looking for Michael "Stix" Addison, 26, of Manchester in connection with the shooting. He is described as a black man, 5-foot-8, 180 pounds with black hair.

Police are stopping and searching cars. A state police helicopter searched from overhead. Neighborhood schools were locked down for part of the morning as a precaution.

Nicole Black, 24, who was staying at her boyfriend's place near the scene of the shooting, woke up at quarter to three to the sound of six gunshots. She grabbed binoculars to view the scene on the street below.

"The first thing I saw was that cop lying down right there where the pool of blood was," Black said. "There were maybe five cops around him. One was saying, 'Just breathe, just breathe.' You could tell they were trying to get this guy to hold on."

A man was lying on the ground, too, handcuffed. "I heard him say something about, 'I was just standing on this corner trying to get weed for my girl,'' Black said.

The situation in the neighborhood was tense. Steve Provencher, who called 9-1-1 after hearing six or eight shots, encountered two police officers when he went into the alley next to his house. Their guns were drawn and they ordered him to show his hands and identification, he said.

"They are doing a yard-to-yard search" said police Capt. Richard Tracy.

A man who lives nearby said he heard about six shots around 3 a.m. Monday.

"We heard six loud bangs go off," said Robert Tarr, a member of the Neighborhood Watch crimefighting group in the area. He said he was on his porch just before 3 a.m., when he heard shouting and shots.

"It sounded like a bunch of arguing," Tarr said. After the shots, he said he heard more shouting.

Heavily armed police cordoned off a wide area of the inner city before dawn. As residents began leaving the area for work and school, officers wearing helmets and flak jackets and carrying shotguns searched car trunks.

A police helicopter was overhead. Officers with dogs searched below.

The Boston Herald reported on its web site today that Addison formerly lived in Boston and with his adoptive father in Brockton, Mass.

A spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department told the Herald, ?Boston police are working with the Manchester police in their efforts to locate Michael Addison.?

Briggs was one of four Manchester police officers honored with New Hampshire Hero Awards last year for their bravery in evacuating residents of a burning apartment building just blocks away from the scene of his shooting.

On July 25, 2004, the four helped the 19 residents of a 10-unit building at 418 Union Street escape a 3:30 a.m. fire.

The annual award, sponsored by the New Hampshire Union Leader, is given to state residents who have risked their own lives in attempts to save others.

Mayor Frank Guinta yesterday said his prayers are with the Briggs family.

"No words can be found to properly address this situation. It is simply horrible and nothing can change that fact," Mayor Guinta said.

More details will be posted on UnionLeader.com throughout the day.

they nabbed him in boston:

Man arrested in Mass. in N.H. police officer shooting

MANCHESTER, N.H. --A man suspected of shooting and critically wounding a police officer has been arrested in Boston, police said Monday.

Michael "Stix" Addison was arrested without incident about 5:30 p.m. in an apartment in the city's Dorchester neighborhood, said David Estrada, a police spokesman. A massive search had been going on for him all day as dozens of the officer's colleagues stood vigil at a Manchester hospital.

The wounded officer, Michael Briggs, was honored last year for rescuing people from a fire in 2004.

SWAT teams from state and city police searched a wide area for Addison, 26, of Manchester.

When Briggs was shot around 2:45 a.m. Monday, Manchester police were looking for Addison on a reckless conduct warrant. Police said the charge stemmed from Addison being with a gunman who allegedly fired several shots at an apartment building in Manchester early Sunday. No one was hit.

Police said Briggs was shot while on his patrol bicycle near the intersection of Lake and Lincoln Streets. He remained in critical condition Monday afternoon at Elliot Hospital, a spokeswoman said.

Gov. John Lynch and Attorney General Kelly Ayotte visited and said their hearts go out to Briggs' family.

In November 2003, Addison and another man pleaded guilty to criminal restraint for holding another man against his will in Derry in a drug dispute, http://www.Unionleader.com reported.

Also Monday, the paper reported that a Manchester restaurant clerk who was robbed at gunpoint last week identified Addison as the robber who fired two shots during the holdup.

An Internet search found a previous address for Addison in Brockton, Mass. A message left at a phone number belonging to family members there was not immediately returned.

A man who lives about a block away from the shooting scene said he and his wife heard six shots around 3 a.m. Monday, followed by yelling and arguing.

"We heard six loud bangs go off," said Robert Tarr, who was on his back porch taking in laundry from the line when he heard the shots. He said he quickly called police.

His wife, Pauline, was inside, sitting at her computer desk when the shots rang out.

"It took me right off my chair," she said, saying she was worried about the safety of their four children.

Other neighborhood residents said they heard seven, eight or even 10 shots.

Nicole Black, 24, who was staying at her boyfriend's place nearby, told http://www.unionleader.com that after the shots woke her, she grabbed binoculars and looked outside.

"The first thing I saw was that cop lying down right there where the pool of blood was," Black said. "There were maybe five cops around him. One was saying, 'Just breathe, just breathe.' You could tell they were trying to get this guy to hold on."

Black also saw a man lying on the ground, handcuffed, she said.

Tarr, a member of a neighborhood watch group working with police to combat prostitution and drug dealing, said things had been getting better -- until now.

"Now we're back to square one again. It's going to make people really on edge," he said.









Well, hes lucky he didnt end up like the guy from portland--who was shot back by police and later died at maine med. story below:

Arrest attempt results in exchange of as many as 20 shots of gunfire in South Portland

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine --A police officer was released from the hospital but a man accused of firing at officers as they attempted to serve an arrest warrant remained in critical condition on Thursday, authorities said.

Officer Steven Connors of the South Portland Police Department and assailant Terrel Dubois of Portland were hit multiple times in a brief gun battle in which witnesses said as many as 20 shots were fired Wednesday night.

Connors, who was shot four times, underwent emergency surgery before being released Thursday from Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Dubois, 22, remained in critical condition at the same hospital, where he was under police guard. He was reportedly hit several times.

Three Portland officers joined Connors in going to the apartment building to arrest Dubois, who was wanted on charges of kidnapping, criminal threatening and terrorizing, all related to a domestic violence incident, as well as for violating bail conditions, South Portland Police Chief Edward Googins said Thursday.

When the four went into the building to make the arrest, Dubois confronted them and the two sides exchanged gunfire, Googins said.

Connors was shot in the right side of his head, his right shoulder, his left torso and his left hand, Googins said.

After the shooting, police obtained a search warrant and recovered a handgun that they believe Dubois used in the shooting.

Based on what detectives saw in the apartment, they obtained a second warrant and recovered additional evidence that's expected to support more charges against Dubois, Googins said. He declined to elaborate.

The attorney general's office was investigating as it does in all incidents in which an officer uses deadly force.
 
Smuttynose said:
Sadly Officer Michael Briggs died today.

He was 35. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

o17briggs135.jpg



Michael Briggs has died

http://www.unionleader.com/article....rticleId=53de86ca-43d2-4eae-a6c0-bb8d7706f99e

that is so sad. he helped people get out of a burning building! he went above and beyond the call of duty, and then he was senselessly gunned down? That is a true tragedy. truly. I am sorry to hear that. Cop Killers get it the worst...that guy they nabbed in DOT is fucked for sure. he looked like old dirty bastard. in maine the officer who was shot lived with minor injuries, even though his head was grazed, and the guy who shot him was killed. i guess if it had to be someone who died, it should have been the cop shooter in both cases......rrrrr......so sad. I didnt know manchester had rough neighborhoods like the kind described in todays boston globe. downtown they called it....it didnt seem that dangerous when i was there, now i am thinking twice about revisiting!
 
Patrick said:
that is so sad. he helped people get out of a burning building! he went above and beyond the call of duty, and then he was senselessly gunned down? That is a true tragedy. truly. I am sorry to hear that. Cop Killers get it the worst...that guy they nabbed in DOT is fucked for sure. he looked like old dirty bastard. in maine the officer who was shot lived with minor injuries, even though his head was grazed, and the guy who shot him was killed. i guess if it had to be someone who died, it should have been the cop shooter in both cases......rrrrr......so sad. I didnt know manchester had rough neighborhoods like the kind described in todays boston globe. downtown they called it....it didnt seem that dangerous when i was there, now i am thinking twice about revisiting!

Manchester certainly has some sketchy neighborhoods, and this tragedy has really highlighted the crime issues that the city has been experiencing. I'm sure Manchester will take a hard look at those problems in the wake of this. More police officers should be hired, 'community policing' should be more widely used, maybe more sub-stations. The city has already been working on the slumlord problems, beefing up enforcement, and encouraging owner-occupied rental properties.

There aren't any miracle solutions though. Closing down all the nightclubs in Manchester would have done nothing to prevent this. It's also important to note that while these tragedies get all the headlines, Manchester is still a relatively safe city. This is "only" the third homicide this year, which still makes Manchester look like Cape Elizabeth compared to cities like Hartford.
 
Smuttynose said:
Patrick said:
that is so sad. he helped people get out of a burning building! he went above and beyond the call of duty, and then he was senselessly gunned down? That is a true tragedy. truly. I am sorry to hear that. Cop Killers get it the worst...that guy they nabbed in DOT is fucked for sure. he looked like old dirty bastard. in maine the officer who was shot lived with minor injuries, even though his head was grazed, and the guy who shot him was killed. i guess if it had to be someone who died, it should have been the cop shooter in both cases......rrrrr......so sad. I didnt know manchester had rough neighborhoods like the kind described in todays boston globe. downtown they called it....it didnt seem that dangerous when i was there, now i am thinking twice about revisiting!

Manchester certainly has some sketchy neighborhoods, and this tragedy has really highlighted the crime issues that the city has been experiencing. I'm sure Manchester will take a hard look at those problems in the wake of this. More police officers should be hired, 'community policing' should be more widely used, maybe more sub-stations. The city has already been working on the slumlord problems, beefing up enforcement, and encouraging owner-occupied rental properties.

There aren't any miracle solutions though. Closing down all the nightclubs in Manchester would have done nothing to prevent this. It's also important to note that while these tragedies get all the headlines, Manchester is still a relatively safe city. This is "only" the third homicide this year, which still makes Manchester look like Cape Elizabeth compared to cities like Hartford.



hahahaha lol that is hilarious that you referenced cape elizabeth...i didnt think people from NH would know about its reputation. also funny cause I was out there this morning looking at potential houses/property and i thought to myself " what a difference 5 or 6 miles can make (thats the distance between cape E. and downtown portland slums).


even though its only the third homicide, it seems like manchester has been having a lot of non lethal but still serious crime going on like stabbings, gun shots etc....

i am actually surprised that portland is becoming so safe these days (from my personal observations) but then again we have done exactly what you suggested manchester do: require landlords to occupy one unit of their rental units (thats why no more tripple deckers are being built i heard, cause no one wants to live in it as a landlord)...and we also have more intensified policing going on in our rougher neighborhoods. In parkside, for example, their is a community policing "hub" station where there is always a few staff police people and other social workers etc working on cases and policing the streets. and in kennedy park there have been off duty police officers hired by the portland housing authority to keep an eye on things at night during the summer (too cold to cause trouble in the winter :lol: ) but as soon as funding runs out for these positions you always can read in the paper how there were shots fired and brawls etc in the housing projects. so i agree with all of your suggestions./ also, a lot of our housing projects are now occupied by new arrivals, who, for the most part, seem to be peace oriented and peace loving, just trying to "make it" so to speak in america, with little time left over for trouble making (despite the desparate attempts of african immigrants to look like they are from the bronx haha).
 

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