Only in Maine

Meanwhile on the ME/NH border...

[HEADING=2][SIZE=7]Cow injured, driver unhurt after early-morning collision in Livermore Falls[/SIZE][/HEADING]
[pressherald.com/2023/04/13/suv-damaged-in-collision-with-cow-in-livermore-falls/]('https://www.pressherald.com/2023/04/13/suv-damaged-in-collision-with-cow-in-livermore-falls/')

By Donna M. Perry April 13, 2023

LIVERMORE FALLS — A cow was injured early Thursday when a driver collided with the animal as it roamed loose on a central Maine road, according to the local police chief.

The crash was reported at 3:22 a.m on Fayette Road, also known as state Route 17, Livermore Falls police Chief Mike Adcock said.

Jeremy Doiron, 42, of Jay was driving his 2014 Ford Escape when he collided with the cow, which was in the road.

Doiron was not believed to be injured, Adcock said, but his SUV was significantly damaged from the impact of the crash and had to be towed from the scene.

The cow, owned by Jean Castonguay, who has a farm on Fayette Road, had gotten loose and wandered onto the road, Adcock said.

you sure it wasn't a windmill??

Would have been tough pawning the loot...

[HEADING=2][SIZE=7]Casco man accused of stealing vehicle full of gravestones from funeral home[/SIZE][/HEADING]
[pressherald.com/2023/04/30/casco-man-accused-of-stealing-commercial-vehicle-from-funeral-home/]('https://www.pressherald.com/2023/04/30/casco-man-accused-of-stealing-commercial-vehicle-from-funeral-home/')

By Dennis Hoey April 30, 2023
[]('')
A Casco man is facing charges after he allegedly stole this truck, which was carrying gravestones and cemetery monuments, from the Hall Funeral Home in Casco on Saturday. Photo provided by Hall Funeral Home

A Casco man is facing charges after he allegedly stole a commercial vehicle that was carrying gravestones and cemetery monuments Saturday night from the Hall Funeral Home on Quaker Ridge Road in Casco.
The vehicle, which has a crane attached to it, is used to move cemetery markers, according to Naldo Gagnon, chief deputy for the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

Eric L. Nelson, owner and funeral director at Hall Funeral Home, on Sunday night said the truck contained two, slant faced stones and their bases, as well as one traditional upright family memorial with a base. Nelson said the stones and memorial stilled needed to be lettered and set this Spring ahead of their loved one’s interments. All three were unmarked.

“I am so glad that they were still intact and unharmed so that I’ll be able to keep my word and have them completed as I had promised,” Nelson said in an email.

In a news release issued Sunday, the Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Steven Locke, 32, of Casco. Locke has been charged with felony unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, violating his conditions of release, and operating with a suspended driver’s license. At the time of his arrest, Locke had 10 outstanding arrest warrants stemming from prior incidents with police, as well as 10 sets of preconviction bail conditions. Gagnon said that Locke did not explain his actions, asking instead for a lawyer.

The theft of the truck generated a lot of concern within the community as well as at the funeral home.
“This truck was loaded and prepped to deliver family stones and monuments so those have all been stolen as well. We are heartsick and heartbroken,” [Hall Funeral Home wrote on Facebook]('https://www.facebook.com/HallFuneralHomeCasco/posts/pfbid02zPeYXkS43USNDCe6w7g9v9yyejHWEzuESRkeGxVYYCaHyaXNDPTp3FKnSsC74MRzl'), prior to the vehicle being found on Sunday.

According to Gagnon, deputies from the Sheriff’s Office responded at about 9:50 a.m. Sunday to a report of a vehicle that had been stolen from the funeral home. Deputies were informed that the vehicle was taken in the last 12 hours.

At about 12:20 p.m. Sunday, someone who was familiar with the stolen commercial vehicle contacted authorities about an unknown male operating the vehicle on Roosevelt Trail – also known as Route 302 – in Casco. That tip that allowed deputies to locate the stolen vehicle on Heritage Hill Road in Naples.

The Sheriff’s Office said Locke was arrested without incident and transported to the Cumberland County Jail in Portland, where he was being held Sunday night on $10,000 bail for the outstanding warrants and without bail on the felony theft charges.

Hall Funeral Home thanked the Casco community with assisting police in locating the stolen truck and its contents.

“We cannot thank you all, our community, family, neighbors and friends for their support. With the help of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department, who immediately jumped into action this morning and a gentleman who thought he saw the truck and called the police, everything has been found safely with no damage to anything at all,” Hall Funeral Home said in a statement. “Thank you is not enough. We are so grateful to our neighbors and friends, out entire community for helping find the individual and assisting in getting our property returned.”

Gagnon also thanked the community for assisting police with their search for the missing truck.
“Information was spreading throughout the community and the Sheriff’s Office was receiving multiple updates from area citizens regarding suspicious activity in the area during the morning hours,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office would like to emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activities within your communities. Observant community members often deter criminal activity and certainly can provide valuable information for investigations.”

Decent restaurant, but unlike others far from NY, I don't pimp local restaurants. When anyone wants a local recommendation, they can always PM me...

Close, but there is no Road Construction season, it should be "Mud Season"...

It's always good to scare away an invasion from the south...

New Hunting Opportunity???

[HEADING=2][SIZE=7]Bison put down after running loose in Aroostook County[/SIZE][/HEADING]
Caribou police said the owner of the bison shot the animals with a rifle

CARIBOU, Maine — Several bison that had gotten loose and were wandering around Aroostook County have been put down, according to an update Tuesday evening.

"The owner of the bison had people come to the area and dispatch the animals," [according to Caribou police]('https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0L3A5nmZx9QPm1ifFVK3kje8mTuWZHprdQbx1XmBfQjtWs2wA1G8YmfE6pUpxFsQSl&id=100069024705824'). "Police were not involved in the dispatching of the animals."

Sgt. Mark Gahagan of the Caribou Police Department told NEWS CENTER Maine the owner of the bison shot the animals with a rifle.

Earlier in the day, police said at least eight bison were running in the area of Dow Siding Road across from the Caribou Motor Inn, [according to a Facebook post.]('https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=556899859954166&set=a.162601136050709')

Gahagan said the bison swam across the Aroostook River and back during the pursuit. Officials' biggest concern was that the animals would make it to Route 1, which connects Caribou and Presque Isle, Gahagan said.

The incident comes after [Fort Fairfield police reported Friday]('https://www.facebook.com/100064695580588/posts/626015632898284') six bison had escaped from their fenced pasture. Fort Fairfield Police Chief Matthew Cummings told NEWS CENTER Maine the bison were from Lone Wolf Bison, a farm owned by Craig Smith.

Caribou police confirmed with NEWS CENTER Maine that the incident is related to the loose bison in the Fort Fairfield area over the weekend.

Credit: Caribou Police Department

So I found out yesterday they have brown tail moths. And the caterpillar can cause a severe rash if you come in contact with its hairs. I know this because my daughter has the rash pretty bad and had to go to the doctor. The rash can last days or weeks on sensitive people.
Keep them up there please ?

So I found out yesterday they have brown tail moths. And the caterpillar can cause a severe rash if you come in contact with its hairs. I know this because my daughter has the rash pretty bad and had to go to the doctor. The rash can last days or weeks on sensitive people.
Keep them up there please ?

Yeah, nasty SOBs, along with black flies and mosquitoes the size of 747s, welcome to Maine.

So I found out yesterday they have brown tail moths. And the caterpillar can cause a severe rash if you come in contact with its hairs. I know this because my daughter has the rash pretty bad and had to go to the doctor. The rash can last days or weeks on sensitive people.
Keep them up there please ?

Roccus and his trusty .410 will keep them in check

Roccus and his trusty .410 will keep them in check

You know using the .410 to blast the nests isn't such a crazy ass idea. The nest in oaks, and my oaks are huge, so short of cutting down the tree this might be the only possible solution.

That being said, I've been using tungsten loads for Porcupines and Woodchucks so I can "bury them at sea", saving the bald eagles scavenging them from lead poisoning. However at $4 a throw for tungsten, I wouldn't be using them for skyblasting moth nests...

You know using the .410 to blast the nests isn't such a crazy ass idea. The nest in oaks, and my oaks are huge, so short of cutting down the tree this might be the only possible solution.

That being said, I've been using tungsten loads for Porcupines and Woodchucks so I can "bury them at sea", saving the bald eagles scavenging them from lead poisoning. However at $4 a throw for tungsten, I wouldn't be using them for skyblasting moth nests...

Was just a thought and could be fun

You know using the .410 to blast the nests isn't such a crazy ass idea. The nest in oaks, and my oaks are huge, so short of cutting down the tree this might be the only possible solution.

That being said, I've been using tungsten loads for Porcupines and Woodchucks so I can "bury them at sea", saving the bald eagles scavenging them from lead poisoning. However at $4 a throw for tungsten, I wouldn't be using them for skyblasting moth nests...

$4 bucks for that kind of fun........................I'm in. :)

$4 bucks for that kind of fun........................I'm in. :)

Road trip!!!???

Road trip!!!???

I'd love for you folks to come up and rid my property of brown tail moth nests, BUT, and this is a dangerous "BUT", blissfully, there's nothing to waste your ammo on. My area had it's "invasion" 7 years ago. I had oozing blisters on my legs thinking it was poison ivy, but very confused as the only place I've seen poison ivy on our peninsula is 5 miles away by the lighthouse. Then the news started talking about the caterpillars and the "poison ivy" like symptoms...

We had one nest the next year, high up on a poplar close to the house, and The Admiral, who loves poplars and hates brown tail moths, wanted the nest removed. After much angst, she signed the tree's death warrant and I dropped it...

Don't let a lack of targets cancel your visit; any road trips to Maine are welcome. [USER=90]@Old Mud[/USER] and I are still awaiting a [USER=11]@cany[/USER] visit, although I'm guessing hell will freeze over before that happens...

I'd love for you folks to come up and rid my property of brown tail moth nests, BUT, and this is a dangerous "BUT", blissfully, there's nothing to waste your ammo on. My area had it's "invasion" 7 years ago. I had oozing blisters on my legs thinking it was poison ivy, but very confused as the only place I've seen poison ivy on our peninsula is 5 miles away by the lighthouse. Then the news started talking about the caterpillars and the "poison ivy" like symptoms...

We had one nest the next year, high up on a poplar close to the house, and The Admiral, who loves poplars and hates brown tail moths, wanted the nest removed. After much angst, she signed the tree's death warrant and I dropped it...

Don't let a lack of targets cancel your visit; any road trips to Maine are welcome. [USER=90]@Old Mud[/USER] and I are still awaiting a [USER=11]@cany[/USER] visit, although I'm guessing hell will freeze over before that happens...

On going work in progress for a ride

I've watched NorthWoods Law, quite a few people up there missing their teeth lol....

[URL unfurl="true"]https://news.yahoo.com/maine-woman-takes-raccoon-petco-172938196.html[/URL]

I've watched NorthWoods Law, quite a few people up there missing their teeth lol....

[URL unfurl="true"]https://news.yahoo.com/maine-woman-takes-raccoon-petco-172938196.html[/URL]

Yup, lots of fun "Above the Toothline", LOL...

Best one was a lady who crashed into a bald eagle about 7 years ago. She thought she killed it and put it in her trunk. She rushed to a local police or DEC office, can't remember and when the officer opened the trunk the STUNNED eagle was NOT A HAPPY CAMPER, jumping at the officer and taking off, IIRC...

I've watched NorthWoods Law, quite a few people up there missing their teeth lol....

[URL unfurl="true"]https://news.yahoo.com/maine-woman-takes-raccoon-petco-172938196.html[/URL]

Boy, that was a mistake...

[HEADING=2]Raccoon euthanized after woman brings it to an Auburn pet store and other customers kiss it[/HEADING]
[pressherald.com/2023/05/28/raccoon-euthanized-after-woman-brings-it-to-an-auburn-pet-store-and-other-customers-kiss-it/]('https://www.pressherald.com/2023/05/28/raccoon-euthanized-after-woman-brings-it-to-an-auburn-pet-store-and-other-customers-kiss-it/')

By PATRICK WHITTLE May 28, 2023

AUBURN— A raccoon in Maine was euthanized and tested for rabies after[ a woman brought it into a pet store for a nail trim]('https://www.pressherald.com/2023/05/25/a-woman-took-a-baby-raccoon-to-a-pet-store-where-it-was-kissed-wardens-have-concerns/') and some customers kissed it, state wildlife authorities said.

The raccoon tested negative for the disease, and there is no rabies risk to the public, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife spokesperson Mark Latti said Sunday. However, raccoons are one of the most common carriers of rabies in the state, and bringing the wild animal into a pet store constituted an unnecessary risk to public health, Latti said.

The woman, who has not been identified by authorities, brought the raccoon into an Auburn pet store on Tuesday, the wildlife department said. She was seeking to get the animal’s nails trimmed, which is a service the store does not provide to raccoons, the department said.

Several different people handled the animal and some kissed it, the wildlife department said. The store’s manager then asked the woman to leave and contacted the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the department said.

The raccoon was then tested for the disease, which came back negative, but necessitated euthanizing it, Latti said. There is no nonlethal test for rabies in animals, he said.

Rabies is almost always fatal in humans once symptoms appear, and potential sufferers need to seek treatment immediately. Wildlife is best left alone, though animal control authorities can also be notified if the animals appear to be in distress, Latti said.

“When they lose their fear of people they are more likely to become a nuisance or be run over by a vehicle,” Latti said.

The wildlife department said store customers who touched the animal should still contact their healthcare providers as a precaution. Raccoons are capable of transferring other diseases along to humans and other animals as well.

The pet store, a location of the national chain Petco, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. A representative for the local store referred a request to the company’s corporate office in San Diego.