WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2011
VOL. 2 NO. 243
PORTLAND, ME
Snow plow drivers plead for patience BY DAVID CARKHUFF
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No fear of heights
Inside the parking ban process
THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN
At the height of today’s nor’easter, 350 snow plows will swarm over the primary roads of Maine, and with the storm will come another constant — impatient drivers. Plow drivers see all kinds of motorists — the reckless, imprudent, overzealous. “You get the whole gamut, some will come up tight and stay right on their back end, others will go flying around them, and conditions are worse in front of a plow,” said Brian Burne, highway maintenance engineer with Maine Department of Transportation, in charge of the state’s snow and ice program. ‘I think the main thing is people, I don’t know if they figure if they drive fast they can get out of it quicker. They
PORTLAND’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
City manager Joe Gray talks about making the dreaded call — see page 6 tend to overdrive conditions. It would be nice if they could slow down and give the plows room,” Burne said. Today may not be the best day to test your bad-weather driving skills. Margaret Curtis, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the bulk of today’s storm will land between see PLOWS page 6
$2.3 million for efficiency, infrastructure OK’d for USM BY MATT DODGE THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN
The University of Southern Maine received $2.3 million for building improvements and energy efficiency on Monday as a state board approved the school’s plans for a bond package passed last June. The University of Maine System Board of Trustees approved $800,000 from general obligation bonds for
energy efficiency on campus, $875,000 to renovate Luther Bonney Hall and $700,000 for infrastructure improvements to the science buildings on the Portland campus. “These improvements for USM are long overdue,” USM Student Body President Ashley Willems-Phaneuf wrote in an e-mail to USM students Monday afternoon. see USM page 3
On a bridge pier about 30 feet high, Arthur Ware (left) and Wes Richards sand concrete attachments for the next step — installing 6.5-foot tall beams on the Route 26/100 bridge in Falmouth Tuesday. Both men were wearing safety harnesses tied off on the pier. The Railroad Crossing Bridge in Falmouth spans the Presumpscot River and the Pan Am railroad line near the Portland town line. The new bridge is being built downstream of the current bridge. Construction is expected to be completed by the fall of 2011, the state reports. Once the new bridge is opened, crews will dismantle and remove the old bridge. The total cost of the bridge replacement project is $10.5 million, and CPM Constructors of Freeport is the contractor for the project. The existing Railroad Crossing Bridge was built in 1932 and is 834 feet long, according to the Maine Department of Transportation. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)
‘It was vile,’ says killer of his actions DAILY SUN STAFF REPORT
Gurney
“Vile” is how Chad Gurney described his own actions after he was arrested. Gurney is on trial for the May, 2009 ritualistic killing of 18-year-old Zoe Sarnacki.
The video of his tearful statement was played yesterday during the second day of what is expected to be a two-week trial before a judge. He waived rights to a jury trial and is offering an insanity defense.
The prosecution introduced the tape that showed Gurney being questioned by Portland police detectives. One section of the tape played in court shows the officer telling him “It is a big deal taking responsibility for see ACTIONS page 3
Act your age around your kids, don’t look it
Eco-Elegance recycles wedding accessories
Baby food idea grew organically
See Maggie Knowles on page 5
See Business on page 8
See Natalie Ladd, page 8