Portland Press Herald from Portland, Maine • 13

Saturday SEPTEMBER 14 2002 Local State Out Sr About 8B Deaths 7B Weather8B SECTION Bl Gunshots hit cars in Westbrook Police believe a group of youths fired a 25 caliber gun at two moving cars By DAVID BENCH Staff Writer WESTBROOK Police suspect that a group of youths fired a 25 caliber gun into at least two moving cars on William Clarke Drive last week In one incident the slug dented the side door and could easily have killed the 61 year old woman who was driving police said In a sec ond random shooting someone fired into the front grille of a car driven by a 21 year old University of Southern Maine student each case innocent people could have been killed by these reck less said Westbrook Police Chief Steven Roberts The shootings happened on Sept 6 just before 10 pm Jean Winslow of Windham and her friend Connie Hemingway of Gorham had spent the evening at the Club in Westbrook and were headed back to Gorham in ChevroletLumina As they were passing the Blais uneral Home near the business dis trict bypass Winslow said she heard six shots in quick succession fol lowed by a thump on the side door She want to slow down in traffic but she pulled over in a few minutes and found a quarter inch round dent in the door about 12 inches below the window never thought it was a she said never been shot at Winslow said she did not see any one shooting and believes that the shots were random possibly coming from the woods near the road The women continued on to Gorham returning about an hour later to report the incident Please see SHOOT Page 6B ft JH Portland based Ric Weinschenk who is accused ofbuilding defective homes has filed for bankruptcy protection Developer being sued says bankrupt Ric Weinschenk is defending himself against the lawsuit claiming unfair trade practices By MARK SHANAHAN StaffWritcr A Portland developer who is on trial in a lawsuit alleging he built and sold defective homes has filed for bankruptcy The construction company owned by Ric Weinschenk filed for bank ruptcy protection this week just as the trial on charges of unfair trade practices was beginning Despite the last minute filing by Ric Weinschenk Builders Inc Supe rior Court Justice Kirk Studstrup refused to postpone the trial which began as scheduled Wednesday morning in Kennebec County Supe rior Court Weinschenk who has designed and built dozens of distinctive houses in Greater Portland over the past decade is accused by the state Attorney Office of failing to comply with applicable building codes and construction standards The state contends that expensive homes in three Weinschenk subdivi sions in Portland Cottage Parte Summer Place and Willow are sus pect According to the lawsuit chim neys in the subdivisions are poorly built floors roofs and stairs are flawed and some glass fireplace doors are to Please see BUILDERPage 6B Private pilot sets off security scramble A foray into Canadian airspace draws a military escort the BI and the AA By DENNIS HOEY Staff Writer WISCASSET A local businessman flying home from a Midwestern trip was escorted by military fighter jets and ordered to land at the Wiscasset Municipal Airport on riday after he entered Canadian airspace Kenneth Boudin Jr 43 of Edge comb was met at the airport by BI and ederal Aviation Administration officials who wanted to question him He was released around 3:30 pm Authorities said Boudin will not be charged with any crimes for crossing into Canadian airspace But the inci dent underscores the height ened state of alert toward air traffic particularly pilots of small planes told me I did absolutely noth ing said Boudin who has been flying for 16 years was doing their jobs But it caused a lot of Boudin said he was flying his single engine Piper Cherokee PA 32 at an unusually high altitude 17000 feet over Canada when Canadian authori ties tried to contact him He had departed from an airport in Pelston Mich at 7:40 am with the intention of reaching Wiscasset without stopping for fuel He was returning to Maine alter spending the week with relatives in Wyoming but had not filed a flight plan To reach Maine as quickly as possi ble Boudin flew at a high altitude where he could reach higher speeds The plane was on autopilot for some time course took him over about 100 miles of Canadian airspace but attempts by Canadian authorities to reach him went unanswered Boudin said his radio was tuned to a frequency that could have been accessed by offi cials but for some reason it was not airplane was intercepted by 16s from the 158th ighter Wing of the Vermont Air National Guard said Capt Jeff Roosevelt a spokesman for the Guard Several 16s were on a routine training mission when the request came in Roosevelt said request came through from the AA and the Northeast Air Defense Sector asking that we provide support to intercept the unknown Roosevelt said Boudin said he had no idea he was causing any alarm until a fighter pilot pulled up next to him somewhere over Plattsburg NY The pilot looked at him before giving Boudin a thumbs up Boudin who was wearing an oxygen mask due to the high altitude gave the Please see PLANE Page 6B cc They told me I did absolutely nothing wrong Everybody was doing their jobs But it caused a lot of havoc 99 Kenneth Boudin Jr pilot from Edgecomb Pickup crashes into Windham business Safe sWfii I SB "JBaaiMMWMKai Photo by Mike Milieu Tri State Lock and Safe Co in Windham was heavily damaged riday morning when a Windham pickup truck veered across Route 302 and smashed through the retail store Jon Leroyer 46 suffered a seizure while driving south according to police Sgt Ron Ramsdell Ixroyetwas treated for minoLinjuriesNobodywasjn the business at die time No charges will be filed Ramsdell said WCSH to begin 10 pm newscast on WPXT Channel 6 will air NBC shows at 10 pm but Channel 51 has a time slot for By RAYROUTHIER Staff Writer Channel 6 producer of the most watched local television new programs in the Portland market announced on riday that it will launch a 10 pm newscast filling a void left when WPXT Channel 51 canceled southern only local 10 pm news in June Ironically WCSH will air its show on Channel 51 WCSH is obligated to show NBC programming at 10 pm but WPXT an affili ate of the lesser known WB Network had the time slot available WPXT has been showing the nationally syndicated at 10pm In this partnership WPXT has a chance to attract viewers with a local 10 pm newscast while WCSH gets its news product and its name out to a wider audience The 35 minute news program will begin on Oct 21 and run seven nights a week people have called or written asking us for a 10 pm Steve Thaxton president of WCSH said on riday excited to be partnering with WPXT to bring even more hours of news to The WCSH produced 10 pm news program will feature WCSH reporter Shannon Moss as the anchor along with meteorologist Steve McKay On the weekends Jennifer Rooks will anchor and Roger Griswold will do the weath er The local content will be provided by the reporters and photographers of WCSH and WLBZ (Channel 2) in Bangor which are both owned by the national Gannett media chain Some national content will come from USA Today Live (owned by Gannett) and from CNN Thaxton said the newscast will from other newscasts on WCSH The choice of stories might be influenced by the fact that the lead in audience people watch ing WB Network programs will be younger than typical audience Thaxton said The show will have more of a focus on arts and entertainment on weather and a emphasis on local events WCSH will sell some advertising on the new newscast and will be paid a fee by WPXT to produce it Thax ton said but he would not say how much the fee is Though this type of partnership is rare in Maine it has occurred in other parts of the country Gannett TV stations produce news Please sec NEWS Page 6B Health coverage available for 15000 more Mainers A Medicaid waiver will help those who get medical benefits at their jobs By TESS NACELEWICZ Staff Writer About 15000 more low income Mainers will qualify for health benefits through Medicaid because of a state effort to expand health care assistance to those who afford private insurance Ordinarily federal Medicaid insurance applies only to low and moderate income peo ple who are children are parents of eligible children or are disabled But in ebruary the state requested a waiver from the federal gov ernment to expand Medicaid coverage to low income adults singles and couples who disabled and have children On riday US Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson came to Portland to officially grant that waiver Speaker of the House Michael Saxl Portland who introduced legislation seeking the wajver said anotfer example of how Maine is becoming a national leader in health It ''I ivr TO QUALIY The expanded Medicaid coverage under the MaineCare program begins Oct I It applies to childless adults whose incomes are at or below the federal poverty guidelines which are $8860 per year for singles and 1 1940 for couples Eligible recipients must also meet asset guidelines Mainers who want to find out if they qualify can call the Consumers for Affordable Health Care helpline at 1 800 965 7476 from 9 a to 5 pm Monday through riday care reform He called it a situation forthestate many adults are working jobs that no longer offer or never offered access to health Saxl said Now he said many of them Pleasesee JNSUREPage 6B JL III MH KLi i 1 The AsMicwkd Press Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson seen after a news conference riday in Portland announced a Medicaidaiver to give insurance to low income people without children Biddeford council ready to let store remain open Councilors will consider an agreement to extend the lease for the lads Little Ladies clothing shop By TED COHEN Staff Writer BIDDEORD The City Council has reached a tentative lease agree ment designed to keep a fixture of downtown Biddeford in business On Tuesday councilors will con sider extending the lease for the Lads Little Ladies clothing shop which is on the ground floor of City Hall a little nervous about it because we had an opportu nity to discuss all thev said the owner Susan Daigle keeping my fingers Daigle took over the store which has operated on Main Street for 44 years three years ago City councilors began faying to force Daigle to find a different place a little nervous about it because we had an opportunity to discuss all the details But keeping tny fingers Susan Daigle owner of Lads Little Ladies for her store in July so that the city inance Office could expand into the space that her store now occupies Critics fear that the plans however well intended could effec tively shut down one of Main longtime businesses at a time when the downtown is struggling in the face of competition from Wal Mart and the nearby malls 'kJ Please see STORE Page 6B 1 TO QUALIY Bl.