Will the Oxford Maine Casino be forced to shut down? (UPDATE)

Maine Superior Court nullifies Oxford Casino development permit

OXFORD — One year — nearly to the day — after the Maine Board of Environmental Protection issued a permit granting development of the Oxford Casino, the permit was nullified by Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy. 


 “The law is pretty clear that without a permit they can’t operate. And, presumably, if the department (DEP) doesn’t shut them down, the Gambling Control Board will.” 


According to the suit, “in its rush to permit the casino project, the applicant (BB Development) failed to conduct the studies necessary to affirmatively demonstrate that either Phase I or the full project proposal meets legal standards.” And, that rather than “correct these errors and omissions, the department (BEP) actually accelerated the permitting process,” granting the permit in “less than half of the 180-day statutory review period, despite ongoing staff concerns regarding the lack of data,” violating state law and its own rules in the process by not considering cumulative environmental impact of the entire project when complete.

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UPDATE:

Maine's radio news team including news director, Dave Alpert; reporter, Ed Fairbanks and Augusta chief, Mal Leary have provided the following which you can hear:

The Oxford Casino will remain open, despite a court decision that nullifies its Department of Environmental Protection site permit.  The DEP says it will follow a judge's order and reopen the permit review process, but won't pursue closing down the casino. Attorney Stephen Hinchman, representing the Androscoggin River Alliance, which challenged the DEP's granting of the permit, says the DEP is now violating state law by allowing the casino to continue to operate.  Hear him.

Maine lobstermen finding more odd colors in the catch

PORTLAND, Maine -- Reports of blue, orange, yellow and other odd-colored lobsters used to be a rarity.

But these days, it's common to hear several stories a month about a lobsterman bringing one of the quirky crustaceans to shore.

Scientists, lobstermen and dealers say more bizarrely hued lobsters are being caught.

One explanation for the rise is that the overall lobster harvest has soared in recent years, to more than 100 million pounds in Maine last year, making it likely that more unusual lobsters are being caught.

The popularity of cellphone cameras and social media has also made it easier to spread the word -- and photos -- about strange lobsters.

Normal lobsters are a mottled greenish-brown, but some come in a variety of colors because of genetic variations.

Great bike ride on the Eastern Trail in Maine Sunday 21.4 miles!

View 7/8/2012 11:26 AM E TRAIL in a larger map  (No Image? Click this link: http://ow.ly/c6Tw9)

7/8/2012 11:26 AM Eastern Trail in Maine

Recorded: 7/8/2012 11:26 AM

Start/Finish: 43.506092,-70.442935 Thornton Academy Parking Lot (Saco, ME)

Mid-point (turn around): 43.58790, -70.31004 Pleasant Hill Disc Golf (Scarborough, ME)

Summary: This was a great ride and there were lots of great people along the ride.  The most ground can be covered on bike.  I recommend using mountain bikes on this trail as it can be sandy in spots and the wider tires help a bit.  Overall the trail has been well maintained.


The views were limited in this stretch of trail but it was very quiet and peaceful with the occasional open  stretch of marsh with an occasional egret to view.  The green heads were limited but present.  The trail system is funded and payed for by the surrounding eight communities, but is maintained by Granite State Gas Company who's pipeline runs the length of the trail system.


This particular trail system runs from Canada to Florida and more information can be found at: easterntrail.org   

Updated 15 hours ago

Created by My Tracks on Android.

Total distance: 34.37 km (21.4 mi)
Total time: 3:50:45
Moving time: 2:32:00
Average speed: 8.94 km/h (5.6 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 13.57 km/h (8.4 mi/h)
Max speed: 38.70 km/h (24.0 mi/h)
Average pace: 6.71 min/km (10.8 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 4.42 min/km (7.1 min/mi)
Min pace: 1.55 min/km (2.5 min/mi)
Max elevation: 22 m (74 ft)
Min elevation: -33 m (-107 ft)
Elevation gain: 867 m (2844 ft)
Max grade: 11 %
Min grade: -16 %
Recorded: 7/8/2012 11:26 AM
Activity type: bike

Missing Dresden, Maine boy found alive

(Dresden, Maine) - Maine game wardens teamed up with volunteers to do a grid search of woods near the area where 12-year-old Michah Thomas was last seen.

Search and rescue teams brought in dogs to try and pick up Micah's scent on the ground while airplanes and helicopters searched from above and boats looked along the shores of the eastern river.

Then, during an afternoon media briefing, Maine game wardens stopped in the middle of a press conference. A moment later, an ambulance raced away from the fire station and game wardens announced Thomas had been found alive and was being treated by EMS.

Game wardens say a civilian searcher found Micah along the river, his voice hoarse from yelling all night long, barely being heard.

A marine patrol boat brought him to the shore to the waiting ambulance. Micah told game wardens he got lost in the woods and spent the night along the shore of the river.

For Micah's family, it was the outcome they had hoped for after 22 hours of worry and fear.

Micah was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation, but game wardens say he's lucky - Micah spent a very cold and wet night all alone in the dark and survived - and now he gets to go home with his family.

Belfast, Maine, Pushes Ahead With Rail-Trail Along Key Corridor

Congratulations to the community of Belfast along Maine's central coast for its determined strides recently toward developing a new rail-trail.

Town officials said last month they are ready to go ahead and build a walking and recreation trail along a 3.5-mile, 100-foot-wide rail right-of-way between the Armistice footbridge in downtown Belfast and the Waldo town line to the northeast.

According to a story in Waldo Village Soup, Belfast council voted in 2010 to purchase the right-of-way along approximately three miles of the old Belfast and Moosehead Lake rail corridor for $200,000, with the intention of creating a multi-purpose trail.

Despite widespread demand for the transportation and recreation benefits that rail-trails invariably bring, there has been some opposition to the city's proposal from a handful of residents who own land along the corridor. Landowners have expressed unfounded fears that a trail close to their property would increase vandalism, crime and dumping.

To its credit, the city has not let threats of legal action by landowners dissuade it from building the community resource, inspired by the tremendous success of rail-trails in similar-sized communities across the region.

When complete, the rail-trail will add much more than its own three miles to the region's trail network. The corridor will link several preserves on the west side of the Passagassawakeag River, which are managed by the Camden-based Coastal Mountains Land Trust (CMLT). CMLT has pledged $100,000 toward the city's land purchase expenses related to building the trail.

The rail-trail will also connect to the planned Belfast Harbor Walk, which is slated to stretch from the Armistice footbridge south along the water to Steamboat Landing.

Carl Knoch, manager of trail development for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's Northeast Regional Office, visited Belfast in the fall of 2010 and was struck by the great potential of the corridor.

"There really isn't anything like it in that region," he says. "It is fantastic to see the city acting so decisively to provide an amenity that will do so much for many residents and businesses."

Photos by Carl Knoch/RTC.