Local bachelor Maine’s most eligible

Published in the Current

SCARBOROUGH (Oct 13, 2005): A former Scarborough resident who thinks black is "such a sexy color" has been named Maine’s most eligible bachelor by a national women’s magazine, and was featured on national television broadcasts Wednesday.

Shane Bradstreet, 23, is a bartender and night club manager in Portland. He appeared on NBC’s “Today” show and ABC’s “Live with Regis and Kelly” Wednesday morning, after being named one of the nation’s 50 most eligible bachelors by Cosmopolitan magazine. One bachelor was featured from each state.

The magazine, which its publisher said was on the streets Tuesday but was not in local stores Wednesday afternoon, showcased what it called “the nation’s most knee-weakening single guys.”

Bradstreet, who moved to Portland from Scarborough recently, said his sister nominated him for the award. The first he heard of it was a phone call "out of the blue one day" telling him he had been chosen.

In his profile on Cosmopolitan’s Web site wrote that he used to be shy before becoming a bartender. He said he loves sushi and goes out to Japanese restaurants.

He also admitted to a frustration with women, saying he doesn’t “understand how sometimes they can do an instant 360.” He said one woman he was dating “wanted to rip my face off” because he did her laundry for her and “accidentally mixed whites with colors.”

Holy Cross students raise $5,500

Published in the Current

SOUTH PORTLAND (Oct 6, 2005): Students at Holy Cross School in South Portland raised $5,474.09 to help victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, in several events, including a two-mile walkathon, a coin donation drive, a bake sale and a dress-down day.

Most of the money will go to Catholic Charities, which is helping with the relief efforts. About $300 will go to a program with the National Catholic Educational Association that helps rebuild Catholic schools destroyed by the storms, and to support Catholic school students affected, according to the school's principal, Deacon Steve Harnois.

"Our faith tells us we have to give housing to the homeless, clothe the naked, feed the hungry," Harnois told the students during a rest stop at the one-mile mark of the walkathon, which went along Broadway in South Portland from the school building to the Southern Maine Community College campus and back.

Editorial: Eyebrows in the sky

Published in the Current

SCARBOROUGH (Oct 6, 2005): The proposal that Scarborough taxpayers may be asked to cough up $54 million for a new intermediate school and a renovated middle school – on top of the $27 million already borrowed for the high school renovation and expansion – will no doubt raise eyebrows in town. Read about the idea on Page 1.

The $27 million high school is already the most expensive local-funding-only school project in the state’s history. Before the paint is even dry on that – and while there still remain questions about the building’s durability – the town’s school department wants to surpass it with a $35 million brand-new intermediate school and a $19 million renovation to the middle school.

After that, there’s the prospect that the town’s elementary schools could need expansion or replacement, according to Superintendent Bill Michaud. All three now hold some classes in modular additions.

It’s enough to make some seniors – many of whom have pledged support for more school building in exchange for a $1.2 million center to call their own – choke a bit on that promise.

While Board of Education Chairman David Beneman expects people will love the idea – he said it would be “exceedingly popular” – other board members are wary. Dianne Messer has an idea that might trim $19 million off the tab, but that would still leave what would still become the most expensive town-only school project in state history. Board member Christopher Brownsey accurately predicts the idea to spend that much money will be “a hard sell.”

And the school administration and its construction partners are not making that sell any easier. After the school board and the Town Council refused to pay for an independent review of the high school construction, the town’s code enforcement department required it.

And the study found some structural problems independent engineers fear might shorten the useful life of the high school building. They recommended the town, with project architect Harriman Associates and general contractor Pizzagalli Construction, purchase a long-term insurance policy to pay for any repairs that might be needed as a result of the structural deficiencies.

Now Harriman, already enlisted to plan for the upcoming $54 million in new building, and Pizzagalli are defending their work, saying there is no need for an insurance policy.

It’s great that they are so confident in their work, and they’re absolutely right. The town has no need for an insurance policy. The companies should agree to cover the costs of any repairs or other work required as a result of these possible shortcomings.

These are good companies, staffed by skilled, dedicated professionals. Their word, and a legally binding lifetime warranty (regarding just the problems identified by the outside engineers), should be enough. If they’re right, and the building is fine, they have nothing to lose. If they’re wrong, it’s their fault, and they should fix it.

If the companies are not sure their work is up to snuff, then they can decide how to pay for an insurance policy to cover the problems they have created. They have another option, of course: to go back in, rip out the problem areas – and work covering many of them – and replace it all up to proper standards, at their own cost.

The school department needs to stand firm, ensuring that Harriman and Pizzagalli provide exactly what the building agreement asked for, including adherence to all relevant building codes.

If voters are to have confidence that they will get $54 million worth of school building out of the new proposal, they need to be absolutely certain that they are already getting $27 million worth out of the construction they are already paying for.

Continuing next week
Our publication of Scarborough’s most recent property values, following the town-wide revaluation this summer, will continue next week. Roughly half of the list is in this week’s issue of the Current, on pages 13 through 20. They are sorted by street and house number. Please check back next week to get the rest of the data.

Jeff Inglis, editor

Cianchette pulls out of governor's race

Published in the Current

SOUTH PORTLAND (Oct 3, 2005): Peter Cianchette has pulled out of the race for governor, barely two months after announcing he would make another run for the Blaine House.

A South Portland Republican who lost to John Baldacci in 2002 and was one of two Republicans vying to challenge Baldacci in 2006, Cianchette announced Monday he would no longer be seeking the Republican nod.

In a statement, Cianchette said he had concluded he wanted to be near his children for "some of the most important years of their young lives."

The announcement came as a "complete surprise" to Rep. Harold Clough, R-Scarborough, who said he found out about it the same way many people did, in an e-mail Monday afternoon.

Clough said he expected more potential candidates to come forward now that Cianchette was out of the race, saying some people would have stayed out and supported Cianchette. Clough would not name names.

Rep. Darlene Curley, R-Scarborough, had been mulling a run for the Blaine House but decided earlier this fall not to run. She could not be immediately reached for comment, but attended Cianchette's campaign launch Sept. 13 at a rally at Bug Light Park in South Portland.

At that event, Cianchette formally launched his campaign with his wife, Carolyn, and children, Evan and Maria, by his side.

At the September event, he thanked his family for their support in his campaign efforts. In Monday's statement, he thanked his family for backing his decision to drop out of the race.

"My wife and children are my strongest supporters," Cianchette said in an interview.

He said he thought they might have wanted him to stay in the race. He also said they would have understood if his campaign duties – or those of being governor were he to win – kept him from attending their activities or other family events.

"I didn't want to miss those things," he said. He said other people had asked if he or a family member was sick, or if his poll numbers were down, and denied that either was the case.

Cianchette said it was time on the campaign trail that showed him "this is not the right time for me."

"Public service and the demands that come with a public life" need to fit well with other aspects of a person's life, he said. He did not feel his personal priorities would have received enough attention, were he to continue to run.

Trucker pleads not guilty

Published in the Current

SCARBOROUGH (Sep 29, 2005): The truck driver who caused the July 29 accident that killed a Scarborough woman pleaded not guilty Monday to nine misdemeanor charges stemming from the crash.

Scott Hewitt of Caribou faces charges in Kennebec County Superior Court of operating after suspension, possession of a suspended driver’s license, operating without authority, operating after being placed out of service, two counts of falsifying truck logs, operating without a medical certificate, operating while in possession of a radar detector and operating while in possession of a controlled substance.

Hewitt has not been charged with anything that holds him responsible for the death of Tina Turcotte, 40, whose car was crushed when Hewitt’s tractor-trailer failed to slow down behind her on I-95 in Hallowell. Turcotte and a truck ahead of her were slowing for a traffic backup ahead of them.

Kennebec County District Attorney Evert Fowle said the evidence did not allow him to charge Hewitt with manslaughter.

Michael Vaillancourt, the attorney for Turcotte’s husband, Scott Turcotte, said last week he was dissapointed Hewitt was not charged with manslaughter. And Turcotte’s mother and stepfather, Pat and Bob LaNigra, said last week they blame state lawmakers for not making better laws and police officers for failing to enforce existing laws. The LaNigras said if those two groups had done their jobs, Turcotte would still be alive.

Hewitt’s driving record contains more than 60 convictions and more than 20 suspensions of his license.

Hewitt finished a sentence on unrelated charges in Cumberland County Jail Wednesday, and was transferred to Kennebec County Jail, where he was being held on $100,000 cash bail or a $500,000 property bond.

A hearing in which Hewitt will request those amounts be lowered was slated for Wednesday morning, but has been put off until Oct. 7, according to a Kennebec County Superior court clerk.

Hewitt was originally going to be held on $100,000 cash bail. A judge changed Hewitt's bail requirements to allow him to post a $500,000 property bond as an alternative.

The new possibility of posting a property bond has alarmed state Sen. William Diamond, D-Windham, the senate majority leader and a former Maine secretary of state.

In a statement Monday, Diamond said he feared the bond would make it easier for Hewitt to post bail and get back on the road. Diamond noted that shortly after the fatal crash in July, Hewitt was again arrested on a charge of driving after suspension.