Stories by Staff Star Herald

10 years ago

Two Washburn DI teams bound for global contest

WASHBURN NEWS

 The Washburn Destination Imagination teams went to the University of Maine at Orono to compete in the 2016 state competitions on Saturday, April 9, 2016 with two of the high school teams taking home first-place trophies in their challenge categories.

They will be working hard to raise the funds needed to travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to compete in the 2016 Global Competition, where they will be interacting and competing with students from all over the world.

10 years ago

Northern Lights sets final concert Sunday

MAPLETON NEWS

 The Northern Lights Youth Choir will host a final concert on Sunday, April 24, 2016, at 6 p.m. at the State Road Advent Christian Church.

This concert will conclude their nine-concert spring tour of Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. The public is welcome to attend.

10 years ago

Ashland warden lauded for exemplary service

WINSLOW, Maine — The Maine Warden Service celebrated its 136th anniversary recently with an annual awards banquet at the Winslow VFW, and a local game warden was among those given special recognition.

Warden Andrew Smart of Ashland was among 18 wardens and one Maine state trooper who were given Exemplary Service Awards, which are presented when, in the opinion of the Awards Board, a warden has rendered relevant outstanding service which deserves special recognition.

10 years ago

Free program tackles dining with diabetes

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer a four-week class to help diabetics and their families learn about proper nutrition.

The program is free and open to anyone with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, along with family members and caregivers. Classes will be held Thursdays, May 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2016, from 1-3 p.m. at the Presque Isle Extension office, 57 Houlton Rd.

10 years ago

‘Trash to Fashion’ honors Earth Day

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Studio 923 Art Club will host its first Trash to Fashion Show on Earth Day, Friday, April 22, 2016.

The show, to be held at 7 p.m. in Wieden Auditorium, will feature the fashion design skills of students and community members in a runway show. All creations are made exclusively from recycled materials. The public is welcome; there is a suggested $5 ticket price.

10 years ago

From Our Files: April 20th

102 Years Ago – April 16, 1914

Bushels of potatoes — The Star-Herald is informed by G. F. Snow, General Agent of the B. & A. R. R., that the B&A delivered 614, 939 bushels of potatoes to Northern Maine Jct. during the week of April 5th to 11th inclusive.

10 years ago

Disabled senior citizen needs help from landlord

To the editor:

I have lived in this area for several years now and have been happy here most of the time. When I first came I was in senior/disabled housing for many years and had a nice smoke-free apartment and quiet neighbors in a quiet neighborhood. After eight years smokers were allowed in the building and I am very allergic to smoke of any kind and developed a severe lung infection after they were there one weekend. It took a long time and lots of different medicines to get over it.

10 years ago

Aroostook ambassadors all

IN THE CITY

 Were you aware that tourism is Maine’s largest industry? In 2015, Maine had over 33 million visitors, which generated almost $8 billion in sales and directly supported over 94,000 jobs — about 14 percent of the jobs in the state.

Many here in rural northern Maine might wonder what that means for them. In fact, Aroostook County does draw hundreds of thousands of tourists each year for our unparalleled outdoor recreational activities; for our large regional events such as the Can-Am Sled Dog Races, Loring Land Speed Trials, Crown of Maine Balloon Fest, New Sweden’s MidSommar Festival, Fort Fairfield’s Potato Blossom Festival and more; and even for local history venues such as the many small museums and historical societies that dot the county.

10 years ago

Inside the First Amendment: Without LGBT rights, religious freedom fails

This week Gov. Pat McCrory of North Carolina scrambled to contain the damage caused by passage of a state law limiting bathroom access for transgender people and eliminating local anti-discrimination ordinances based on sexual orientation.

Under mounting pressure from civil liberties advocates and business interests, McCrory made what critics called cosmetic changes, notably issuing an executive order expanding the state’s employment policy for state workers to cover sexual orientation and gender identity.

10 years ago

Americans should have the opportunity to get to know Supreme Court nominee

I strongly believe the Senate has a Constitutional obligation to consider nominations to the Supreme Court, and that is a responsibility I take very seriously. As part of my effort to fulfill that duty, I met with the President’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, in my office on Wednesday, April 13, 2016.

The meeting with Judge Garland lasted about an hour, and we had a very thoughtful and productive discussion that helped me better understand his judicial philosophy and his temperament. And importantly, it also helped me get to know him better as a person.