Portland Press Herald from Portland, Maine • 1

Planned Scarborough retirement community closer to reality IB wwwportlandcom mi km jJrcss Jfaalii Guy Gannett Communications Volume 136 Number 99 Wednesday OCTOBER 151997 60 cen rs 42 PAGES MNk HD1L1OJN Two Maine television stations to be sold to Gannett Co Inc The sales of WCSH TV in Portland and WLBZ TV in Bangor will bring a multibillion dollar media giant to Maine By DEAN LUNT Stall liter PORTLAND Gannett Co Inc will buy two Maine television stations WCSH TV (Channel 6) in Portland and WLBZ TV (Channel 2)in Bangor end ing a local 72 year connection to broadcasting here while introducing a multibillion dollar giant to the Maine media landscape rederic Thompson whose family founded WCSH radio in 1925 and WCSH TV in 1953 said Tuesday that fundamental changes sweeping the broadcast industry such as govern ment deregulation satellite distribu tion and costly new technology forced the family to sell was a tough decision but an inevitable he said future is a little murky and we had to decide what was best for the family and what was best for our employees We felt that if we had to keep investing constantly to make capital expendi tures it would only come out of the hide of our Thompson said no major personnel changes are planned at the station although he will no longer be con nected to WCSH Virginia based Gannett is one of the largest media companies reporting revenue of $44 billion last year It publishes 89 newspapers including USA Today will operate 20 television stations after adding the two in Maine and is involved in numerous other media related ventures Gannett Co: is not connected to Guy Gannett Communications a Portland based company that owns WGME TV (Channel 13) and The Portland News papers which publishes the Portland Press Herald and the Maine Sunday Telegram The sale by The Maine Broadcasting System made up of Maine Radio and Television Co and Maine Broadcasting Co was announced Tuesday and is expected to close by January The price was not announced The sale still must be approved by the CC Station employees were told about Please see WCSH Page 7A i HMb 1 jBhb Pw Sluff photo In Jut li Mfltuii Ihc sale of WCSH 1V at Congress Square in Portland to the Gannett Co will end 72 years of a local tics to Maine broadcasting Inmates named in jailbreak conspiracy Authorities sav one of the alleged plotters was Leslie Lynds accused in the kidnapping death of Virginia Jackson By SARAH RAGIAND Staff Wilier Leslie Lynds accused of the Day murder of a Scarbor ough grandmother has been named in a plot to escape from the Kenne bec County Jail ederal agents say Lynds and four other inmates expected a bag of handguns to be tossed over the wall Sunday morning so the inmates would be able to keep guards at bay while they scaled the wall and made a dash to a waiting getaway car No charges have been filed against Lynds in connection with the escape plot But Assistant US Attorney Mike Love said the investi gation is continuing and the men involved could face federal charges for conspiracy and aiding and abet ting the attempted escape of a federal prisoner Kenneth Meader 48 of Vienna who will soon be sent to a federal prison to serve a 35 year sentence on drug and gun charges was the mastermind of the plan according to court documents The plot was foiled last week when two of the five alleged con spirators Jason ournier and Clifford told authorities about the plan named Meader as the leader and identified Lynds and Sylvain Launiere as co conspirators Lynds the most high profile a Ta JaMTOr Marlins head for World Series lorida Marlins pitcher Kevin Brown right and catcher Charles Johnson the former Portland Sea Dog celebrate Tuesday night after beating the Atlanta Braves 7 4 to clinch the National League pennant Hie Marlins now advance to the World Scries to face cither the Baltimore Orioles or Cleveland Indians Story 1 Aswiiutcd Press Slaying of white deer saddens admirers Those who watched the unu sual doc mature in Lyman believe anyone would kill it The hunter is less sentimental By MARK SHANAHAN Staff Writer LYMAN When she first saw it two years ago Elizabeth Boothby thought it was a goat an all white runaway from one of the small family farms that dot the landscape in this rural comer of York County Then she looked again and disco vered that the guest in the field behind her house actually was a snow white deer called a by biologists because of its unusually light color "She was Boothby said Tuesday understand why anyone would want to kill Many residents here who used to watch the Single white deer graze at dusk along Day Road have been shocked to learn that the mature doe was shot and killed Oct 2 on the first day of bow hunting season While there is no rule against hunting white deer in Maine and the animal apparently was shot on land open to hunting Boothby and her neighbors are angry They cannot fathom how a person could shoot such a unique and beautiful creature no need of said Sherryl Jones "People used to stop night after night to watch her She glowed like a John Gagnon the bow hunter who shot the deer was unapologetic Tuesday when told of the reaction to the killing He called the ghost deer a and said it has more value dead than alive me the brown ones are prettier but a white deer is a trophy something the 37 year old Lyman resident said a hunter hard to explain Normally I like to shoot does but this Mounted high on the wall at Please see DEER Back page this section Clinton inquiry extended Attorney General Janet Reno resolve questions about presidential fund raising phone calls So launching the next step in investigating By ROBERTO SURO I he Washington Post WASHINGTON Attorney General Janet Reno took the next step on Tuesday in a legal process that could lead to an independent counsel investigation of President phone calls to donors She said she needed more time to determine whether there is evidence he made any illegal solicitations from the White House aced with a deadline today to either extend the probe or drop it Reno told a special three judge panel that she decided to move to the preliminary investiga tion allowed under the Independent Counsel Act to resolve several factual and legal questions have been unable to determine whether there is sufficient specific and credible evidence to suggest a violation of federal criminal by Clinton Reno said in her notification to the judges citing complexity of the factual and legal issues presented by this The preliminary investigation begun Tuesday will examine only whether Clinton may have violated a federal law prohibiting campaign fund raising on federal property by making phone calls to solicit contributions to his 1996 reelection effort decision is an important step in the process that could lead her to recommend the appointment of an independent counsel but Justice Department Please see RLNO Page 7A growth in jobs wages barreling ahead economic forecast will guide tax revenue estimates That could indicate the state will get a windfall By NANCY PERRY Staff riter AUGUSTA Maine employers will create more jobs and pay higher wages as the state's economy continues to flourish over the next year state economic forecasters agreed Tuesday as they upgraded their pr edictions But the Consensus Economic orecasting Commis sion tempered its new for ecast with warnings that Maine could face tough financial times again by the turn of the century could go away just as fast as it occurred" Michael Donihue a Colby College economist who serves on the commission said of Maine's rapid economic growth during early 1997 Meeting at the State House Tuesday five private economists who advise the state on trends in unein Plcasc see GROWTH Back page this section member of the group is awaiting tnal on murder and kidnapping charges in connection with the death of Virginia Jackson Jackson was abducted at knife point from the parking lot of supermarket in Scarborough and beaten to death Her body was left in the woods nearby Lynds and hts girlfriend Leah Estes were arrested and charged with the crime a month later 7 Launiere 37 of Gray was arrested in July and charged with escape after fleeing from Cumber land County deputies bringing him to court for an arraign ment on theft and forgery charges Earlier that month he was arrested and charged with reckless conduct with a firearm unauth Plcasc see JAIL Back page this section Sluff pholo by John Putriquin BIOI I JI KB MM Chief Deputy Dewey Martin Jr discusses fatal crash at a news conference Tuesday Pursuit was by the book bosses say triple fatal crash in Standish is still under investigation by the state police By ALAN CITN DENNING Staff Writer Two Cumberland County deputies followed high speed pur suit policy last weekend when they chased a car that caused a triple fatal accident in Standish top department officials say difficult and as painful as it is for the families (of Die victims) there is nothing I can see we could have done to prevent that terrible terrible tragedy" said Chief Deputy Dewey Martin Jr He said the only thing that could have made a difference was if a second deputy involved in the chase Ijarry Cote had had a spiked mat in his cruiser which he did not Police frequently place spiked mats in the road to stop drivers who flee But the mats are costly and not all police cruisers have them Killed in accident were Joshua Williams of Portland the 18 year old driver of the Mazda hatchback being pursued and the occupants of a Plymouth minivan struck by the Mazda Richard and MEMORIAL SERVICE Joshua Williams' funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 am today at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland Phyllis Ham both 58 of Indianapo lis Ind The condition of Ryan Selby 16 a passenger in the Mazda and the only crash survivor was upgraded Tuesday from serious to fair Selby was transferred from Maine Medi cal Center's special care unit to a general ward He declined a request to be interviewed a hospital spokeswoman said Martin held a news conference Tuesday to make this message clear Cpl Kevin Joyce and Deputy Cote were justified in chasing Wil liams 10 miles along Route 35 from Windham to the intersection with Route 25 in Standish Martin said he concluded the deputies had followed the depart chase policy after talking with the deputies after reviewing a tape recording of their convcrsa Plcase sec CRASH Back page this section Quote of the Day will not be unresponsive to local conditions but the bottom line will come into 1A Douglas Gomery journalism profes sor on the Gannett newspaper purchase of WGSI1 and WLBZ ood Health To keep an old abbey going a Sicil ian baronessa runs a restaurant and shares her dishes li a cookbook 1C The Weather Mostly cloudy and damp with hit and miss showers high 55 60 Drizzle pos sible tonight low near 50 12B Index Hdohe 3c Horoscope 5C Abby 4C 1 anders 4C Business 6D Legals 8D Classified 9D Lottery 2A Comics 4C Television 5C Deaths 11B Theaters 3C Editorials 8A lip Side tC ft' MEMORIAL SERVICE.