Mainelife...thru the eyes of someone from away

Snowfall Totals Year To Date

So far, we've had 71.3 inches of snow. 
Normal totals for the year are 66.4 inches. 
We're tracking for a total of over 100 inches for the winter.

UPDATE (6:57 am) We're getting used to this:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAY HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 PM EST WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

SNOW TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES EXPECTED BY WEDNESDAY MORNING BEFORE CHANGING TO FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN IN THE MORNING AND THEN ALL RAIN BY AFTERNOON. THE RAIN MAY BECOME MIXED WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN BEFORE ENDING IN THE EARLY EVENING.

 

No Money? Do Not Pass Go

There are about 23,000 people in New Hampshire and Southern Maine who could have told David Theriault that eventually he'd be nabbed for EZ Pass violations....but maybe he didn't get that letter we all got.

Theriault, who is a cardiovascular technician at a local hospital has accumulated 1300 toll violations adding up to $1797 in unpaid tolls. 

His license was suspended last year in NH for EZ Pass violations. 
According to the news report, his EZ Pass account was empty, but he continued to use the EZ Pass Lane.  He was nabbed in a stakeout this afternoon at the York tolls, taken to the York County jail and released on $2500 cash bond.

Investigators Asking for Help

Investigators are asking for help in solving the Stage Neck Arson cases.  Anyone with information about the situation is being asked to call York Police at (207) 363-4444 or the fire marshal’s office at 1-888-870-6162.  Callers may remain anonymous if they wish.
Federal investigators from Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have joined the investigation. 

Stage Neck Fire Update

WCSH6 is reporting that police won't comment on whether there are any suspects in either fire. They will say this was a direct arsonist attack towards the hotel.
Damage from the latest fire is extensive. 
Foster's Daily Democrat photo gallery of the fire.

Stage Neck Inn Burns for Third Time in A Year

York's landmark hotel, The Stage Neck Inn, suffered its second major fire in two weeks and its third in less than a year.  Last night, the  four-alarm blaze started just before 7 pm and  more than 100 fire fighters from Ogunquit, Kittery, North Berwick, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and Wells Beach in Maine as well as Portsmouth and Newington, NH  were called in to help the York and York Beach (ayuh, we have two fire departments in town--don't ask, at one time we had four postmasters) fire departments battle the blaze.  This fire started in the back of the hotel near the offices.   

Two weeks ago, another fire, which started in an electrical shed, caused more than $500,000 damage and closed the inn for renovations.  Last year on February 3, another fire (laundry room) closed the inn for months.

Foster's Daily Democrat Article

Portsmouth Herald Article (with a quote from my tennis partner)

UPDATE: York Police are still investigating.

According to the log, a female caller asked to talk to a police officer about the fire sometime around 7:30 p.m., roughly 30 minutes after the blaze was first called in.

A short while later, York police contacted a Kittery dispatcher and asked for a patrol check on the residence of State Neck Inn owner Mark Foster, who lives in Kittery Point.

York dispatch also spoke to the company that handles the inn’s internal alarm. The first alarm came in at 6:51 p.m. on the second floor of the hotel, and the second at 7:01 p.m. on the third floor. By 7:07 p.m., the primary phone lines had failed.

UPDATE: Portland Press Herald reports that the State Fire Marshall says the last two fires are cases of arson

 

This Puts It All Into Perspective

The Coast Guard rescue helicopter just flew over the back yard headed out toward Boone Island.  It could be on assignment for one of the candidates in New Hampshire (it often sweeps the area right before Air Force One lands) or it could be on a rescue mission.  I hope it's the former.  If it's the latter, I wish them Godspeed and a successful mission. 

Iced Nubble

Tuesday is a New Day

After Gray Monday, it's time for a cheery image. 
On Saturday, in frigid (21 degrees in November qualifies--I dare you to say different) temperatures we went to Rockland to see the Lobster Trap Tree.
34 feet of evergreen shaped traps, donated by the Brooks Trap Mill  in Thomaston, and decorated with buoys from fishing families, and topped by a boiled lobster...doesn't get any better than this, does it? 

Talking With Stephen King

Maine's leading author shares his thoughts on current affairs and other stuff. 

Some nuggets include a discussion on determining whether waterboarding is torture:

So I said something to the Nightline guy about waterboarding, and if the Bush administration didn't think it was torture, they ought to do some personal investigation. Someone in the Bush family should actually be waterboarded so they could report on it to George. I said, I didn't think he would do it, but I suggested Jenna be waterboarded and then she could talk about whether or not she thought it was torture.

And Britney:

But Britney? Britney Spears is just trailer trash. That's all. I mean, I don't mean to be pejorative. But you observe her behavior for the past five years and you say, "Here's a lady who can't take care of her kids, she can't take care of herself, she has no retirement fund, everything that she gets runs right through her hands."

On writing:

They give you the keys to the playground and they say, "That's your job for now on, you play for the rest of us. You're the designated kid. Make up stories,"

Happy Monday