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Hundreds join Freeport Flag Ladies to mark 9/11: Gov. LePage, entire Maine congressional delegation among state dignitaries on hand

FREEPORT — The Freeport Flag Ladies maintained their decade-long tradition of waving the Stars and Stripes and were joined by Gov. Paul LePage, Maine’s entire congressional delegation, the commanding general of the state’s National Guard and several hundred others in a show of patriotism on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The group paused twice for moments of silence at the precise times that hijacked jetliners flew into the World Trade Center’s twin towers.

But the ceremony wasn’t all somber. Motorists honked their horns as people flanking both sides of Freeport’s Main Street cheered and waved their flags.

Click to read more of David Sharp’s Associated Press story in the Bangor Daily News.

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The 25 most moving 9/11/11 front pages use type, color, photos, illustration to evoke memories | Poynter.

The 25 most moving 9/11/11 front pages use type, color, photos, illustration to evoke memories | Poynter..

Portland seen as welcoming home to immigrants after 9/11 | Bangor Daily News

Paul Bradbury, then the facilities engineering manager at the Portland Jetport, was in a staff meeting the morning the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. When the second plane hit, everyone in aviation knew it was some form of terrorism, Bradbury said.In the days that followed, details emerged. The world learned that Mohamed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari came to Portland, stayed at the Comfort Inn in South Portland, bought gas at a local Exxon, took some cash out of ATMs, stopped at Walmart and dined at a Pizza Hut.

Then they left their rental car at the Jetport parking lot and boarded a US Airways Express flight into Logan Airport in Boston, where they boarded the plane they would turn into a weapon.

They exploited a weakness in American society, the common wisdom that people should comply during a hijacking, mugging or robbery.

U.S. aviation essentially was shut down for about two weeks. When flights resumed, things were changed in Portland and across the country.

“When we reopened, we’d taken this huge mental and psychological hit, so part of the recovery was psychological, too. We had National Guard at the airports with machine guns,” said Bradbury.

Click for the rest of the story by Matt Wickenheiser in the Bangor Daily News.

9/11: When innocence was lost | The Washington Post via the Bangor Daily News

WASHINGTON — For Karen Hughes, counselor to the president of the United States, Sept. 10, 2001, was a day of celebration and relief. It was her wedding anniversary. She and husband Jerry dined at a favorite restaurant in the Watergate and reviewed the drama and chaos of the previous months.

There’d been the long presidential campaign, the disputed election, the move to Washington. They had to move a second time when the first house didn’t work out. Then a freak summer rainstorm had flooded their basement, soaking their possessions.

All that was finally behind them. And so she could say:

“We’ve survived the worst.”

And: “Things can only get better from here.”

That Monday – call it 9/10 – was the last day of a certain kind of American innocence.

Click for the rest of the piece by Joel Achenbach of The Washington Post reprinted in the Bangor Daily News.

For border towns, attacks changed a way of life | Bangor Daily News

After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, changes at Maine’s border crossings were not subtle. More officers were added at ports of entry, inspectors became more vigilant and, in some cases, new ports were constructed.

Although less visible, the division of cross-border communities is one of the long-lasting impacts of the attacks and the heightened security and border restrictions that resulted.

Before 9/11, the border between Maine and Canada was more a line on a map than a barrier. Border agents from both countries often simply waved through the familiar faces they saw frequently crossing the international boundary. Residents of Aroostook County attended churches in New Brunswick. Canadians bought cheaper gas in The County. Socializing with friends and family on the other side of the border was routine.

Reports shortly after 19 hijackers flew planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon said some of the men had entered the U.S. through Canada. Although not true (the hijackers flew into the U.S. from Europe, Asia and the Middle East and had visas issued by the U.S. government), work to better secure the border soon was under way.

While millions of federal dollars have been spent on improving infrastructure — such as building new crossing facilities in Calais, Van Buren and Forest City — the change that has most affected Aroostook County residents is the requirement for a passport, passport card or NEXUS card, an alternative offered through U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to cross the border.

Click to read the rest of the story by Jen Lynds, Diana Bowley, and Sharon Kiley Mack in the Bangor Daily News, along with video.

 

Bangor Air National Guard base bigger, more active after 9/11 | Bangor Daily News

The mission and scope of the Maine Air National Guard base in Bangor — the state’s only active military base and home to the 101st Air Refueling Wing — developed into something new in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“We’re a lot more active,” MAINEics pilot Lt. Col. Adam Jenkins, who is the 132nd Air Refueling Squadron commander, said recently.

After 9/11, the Bangor-based air refueling wing added approximately 150 full-time active-duty personnel to its roster and now handles or manages nearly 15 percent of the air refueling missions worldwide, according to Lt. Col. Debbie Kelley, a spokeswoman for 101st.

The MAINEiacs have 10 KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, which essentially are flying gas stations that can refuel other airplanes — a crucial function during wartime — and now plays a key role in most military missions the U.S. undertakes, Maj. Gen. John W. Libby, adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, said last week.

“When America goes, we go,” Libby said. “That’s a big change for the air guard.”

Click for the rest of the story by Nok-Noi Ricker in The Bangor Daily News, along with video.

 

Red Cross, others accepting donations in Maine to help disaster victims | Bangor Daily News

Red Cross, others accepting donations in Maine to help disaster victims | Bangor Daily News

Mainers touched by earthquake in Japan, tsunami in Hawaii | Bangor Daily News

Mainers touched by earthquake in Japan, tsunami in Hawaii | Bangor Daily News

Day full of anxiety for Mainers as state’s sister city feels brunt | Portland Press Herald

A first-person account: Experiencing quake leaves Mainer in Japan rattled, but unhurt | Portland Press Herald

Mainers seek news of loved ones in Japan | Waterville Maine Sentinel

Mainers raise funds, work to help survivors | Bangor Daily News

Mainers raise funds, work to help survivors | Bangor Daily News

To help Haiti earthquake relief visit www.unicefusa.org.

Baldacci awards $100K to 4 storm-damaged counties | Bangor Daily News

Baldacci awards $100K to 4 storm-damaged counties | Bangor Daily News.

Storm spurs emergency declaration | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Storm spurs emergency declaration | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.

Storm brings blizzard conditions, closes services across state | Bangor Daily News

Storm brings blizzard conditions, closes services across state | Bangor Daily News.

Disaster declared for Maine red tide outbreak | Bangor Daily News

Disaster declared for Maine red tide outbreak | Bangor Daily News.

Report details frustration that led to Togus shooting | Bangor Daily News

Report details frustration that led to Togus shooting | Bangor Daily News.

Art for Haiti’s sake, as sale helps Konbit Sante: Media coverage of the traumatized nation has faded, so the sale in Portland also rekindles awareness | Maine Sunday Telegram

PORTLAND – The holiday season is bustling with weekend craft fairs, but one art sale Saturday served a special purpose.

The Konbit Sante Art Sale had three goals – raise money for the organization, raise awareness of Haiti’s plight and promote the work of Haitian artists.

The idea for the art sale was born when Skeek Frazee of South Portland, a member of the Konbit Sante Board of Directors, asked her women friends in the community for help in raising money.

“Women see it as a win-win,” said Karin Anderson, a principal of the Dala Consulting Group in Portland. In addition to buying art, “You learn through the art and conversations they have (about the art).”

Click for the rest of the story by Emma Bouthillette in the Maine Sunday Telegram.

Northern Maine Community College students prepare for offshore wind emergencies | Bangor Daily News

Northern Maine Community College students prepare for offshore wind emergencies | Bangor Daily News.

USM team holds DNA clues to spill’s impact on whales | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

USM team holds DNA clues to spill’s impact on whales | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.

Haiti suffers as U.S. delays rebuilding aid | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

Haiti suffers as U.S. delays rebuilding aid | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram.

Another generation will remember 9/11 | Kennebec Journal

St. Michael School honors

medical workers who rushed to help

 AUGUSTA, Maine – It was Sept. 10, but a Sept. 11 commemoration was nonetheless in order.

Students at St. Michael’s School gathered around the school flagpole Friday morning for a patriotic tribute to the medical professionals who played a critical role in the response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.

Firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel were the first to respond to those attacks. But medical professionals weren’t far behind them in aiding victims, and the 270-student Catholic school recognized them in a ceremony Sept. 11 last year.

“These are the men and women who take care of our sick, our suffering and our infirm,” Principal Jon Caron told students and parents gathered outside the school before classes began.

Three fifth-grade students raised the flag, those in attendance recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and they ended the 20-minute ceremony with a rendition of “This Land is Your Land.”

Click here for the rest of the story by Matthew Stone in the Kennebec Journal.

Unsettled nation marks 9/11 with rituals of sorrow | Associated Press story on Portland Press website

Islam controversies cast shadow over 9/11 events | Associated Press story in the Portland Press Herald

As Sept. 11 dawns, political backdrop hard to ignore | Associated Press story in the Morning Sentinel