Andrew Birden

Stories from Andrew Birden

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Beloved Fort Kent teacher and civic activist has died
Andrew Birden
4 February 2012

FORT KENT - Rose Charette, a respected and beloved educator, veterans advocate and community activist, died Friday morning at a Fort Kent hospital.

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Crossword solution for February 1, 2012
Andrew Birden
31 January 2012

In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.

Macho Chef
Macho Chef: Super Bowl
Andrew Birden
31 January 2012

Okay, I'll admit it.  Each year, I only start paying attention to football about six weeks before the Super Bowl.

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CanAm Crown celebrates 20
Andrew Birden
31 January 2012

ST. JOHN VALLEY - Organizers for the Can-Am Crown Sled Dog Race are planning a slew of activities this year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the popular event.

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Crossword solution for January 25, 2012
Andrew Birden
25 January 2012

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Jigsaw puzzle: Cold Shot
Andrew Birden
25 January 2012

COLD SHOT JIGSAW - Marc-Andre Bedard of Quebec discharges a cartridge and lines up for his next shot at the NorAm Biathlon Cup on Saturday. - Birden image

To solve an easier version of this puzzle, click on this LINK or the image shown here.

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Upcoming Events in the St. John Valley
Andrew Birden
25 January 2012

WEDNESDAY, 1/25

Lasagna Rolls - FK Sr. Ctr., 11 a.m.

FK vs. WIS (JV Girls) - 4 p.m.

FK vs. MAD (Boys) - 5:30/7 p.m.

St. David Post Office closure meeting - St. David Parish, 6:30  p.m.

 

THURSDAY, 1/26

Chicken-a-la-King - FK Sr. Ctr., 11 a.m.

Charlemagne - FK Sr. Cntr. 1 p.m.

MAD vs. GHCA (Boys) - 6:30 p.m.

FK Sr. Cntr. - Annual Meeting  and elections

Macho Chef
Macho Chef: Dishwashing daydreams
Andrew Birden
24 January 2012
If I can pass on any useful knowledge to my kids, I would advise them to make enough money to hire somebody else to do the dishes.  Because the truth of the matter is that my dislike for washing dishes is shared by the entire family, including Mrs.
Fort Kent, Madawaska schools delayed by two hours
Andrew Birden
24 January 2012
ST. JOHN VALLEY - According to the Fort Kent Police Department, schools in School Administrative District 27/AOS 95, and Madawaska School District will open two hours later due to icing on the roads from a nighttime storm of freezing rain.
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Chilly NorAm closes with mass starts
Andrew Birden
22 January 2012

FORT KENT, Maine - Late Saturday night and into Sunday morning, temperatures dropped to -18 degrees Fahrenheit (-27.8 C) in Fort Kent, Maine, forcing organizers to delay the mass start for both the men and the women biathletes on the second day of the North American Cup Biathlon competition.

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Bitter temperatures do little to cool NorAm enthusiasm
Andrew Birden
21 January 2012

FORT KENT, Maine - With temperature at -3 degrees Fahrenheit, which is barely 1 degree above the minimum allowable temperature for a biathlon event, 44 biathletes from across the United States and Canada competed in the first day of the Biathlon NorAm Cup No. 3 contest.

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The publisher's voice - A brief interruption in service
Andrew Birden
21 January 2012

As I write this, I am looking out on a typical winter day in Fort Kent, with snow falling gently and trucks and cars making their careful way back-and-forth on Main Street.

Behind me is chaos.

Some folks have noticed that there was little new news on the Fiddlehead Focus website on Friday. There is a reason. Early Friday morning, a man broke into the offices of Fiddlehead Focus and Paper Signs Ink, stealing equipment and vandalizing the interior.

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NorAm Cup brings national attention this weekend
Andrew Birden
18 January 2012

ST. JOHN VALLEY - Fifty athletes will converge at the Tenth Mountain Lodge, a world class biathlon venue nestled in the hills above the small town of Fort Kent, Maine in order to compete in the NorAm Cup biathlon competition.

Macho Chef
Macho Chef: Lab rats
Andrew Birden
18 January 2012

I call it a cooking innovation.  My family refer to it as The Experiment.

It begins when a child  asks, "What's for dinner?"

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Crossword solution for January 18, 2012
Andrew Birden
17 January 2012

In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.In order to see the solution, you must click on the title of this article and scroll down.

 

Valley courtesy results in car accident
Andrew Birden
13 January 2012

FORT KENT - A common courtesy in the St. John Valley resulted in an automobile accident on Thursday in Fort Kent.

It is a common occurrence for drivers to slow down and stop in the road on major thoroughfares in order to allow pedestrians to cross the street or to allow another driver to pull onto the main road from a side street. This courtesy led to an expensive accident.

Logging truck loses 10 logs, damages two cars
Andrew Birden
Julie Daigle
12 January 2012

FORT KENT - Police in Fort Kent confirmed on Thursday that a logging truck traveling Route 11 on Wednesday had lost 10 logs on the road at approximately 4:40 p.m.

Details are limited at this time, but the Fort Kent Police logbook said that two minutes after the initila report, the dispatcher received a report that two cars had "blown tires" as a result of the logs.

At press time, no one had responded to calls to the Maine State Troopers in Houlton for information on the incident.

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Chimney fire at Focus publisher's house
Andrew Birden
12 January 2012

FORT KENT - At approximately 6:10 p.m., the Fort Kent Fire Department responded to a report of a chimney fire at 671 Frenchville Road...hang on.  That's my house.

There is nothing like ordering your children, wife and mother-in-law to grab their coats and head out into a dark night of sub-zero weather because the house might be on fire. It catches your attention.

On Wednesday night, as we were preparing dinner, a woman knocked on our door and told my wife we had a chimney fire.

Macho Chef
Macho Chef: Total ice
Andrew Birden
10 January 2012

The other day I was driving to the grocery store on one of those freakishly cold mornings and I was grateful my car's engine managed to start, instead of giving me a single "errr" followed by clicking sounds.  When I slid into the driver's seat, all the warmth from my body slurped  right into the vinyl seat leaving me numb from the waist down.

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Dogsled races set for this weekend
Andrew Birden
10 January 2012

EAGLE LAKE - Mushers and fans of sled dog racing will converge this weekend in Eagle Lake for the Irving Woodlands Eagle Lake 100 and Mad Bomber 30.

Race organizer John Kaleta said the snow is good for racing and he expects many spectators and racers to be on hand for the excitement.