William Bly, the defense attorney for 23-year-old Garrett Cheney of North Berwick, alleges jury tampering. Meanwhile, a juror calls his claims “ridiculous.”

Superior Court Justice William Anderson, who presided over Cheney’s trial, heard argument on two motions Bly filed. Arguments at the Penobscot Judicial Center lasted less than 30 minutes.

While leaving for lunch during the July trial, three jurors were approached by an unnamed man who asked them not to let Cheney become “another Casey Anthony,” referring to the summer’s widely publicized trial of a Florida woman accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. Anthony was acquitted.

Because of the man, Bly motioned Tuesday to acquit his client based on jury tampering during this summer’s trial.

He said he would also be satisfied if Cheney was granted a new trial in the death of Jordyn Bakley, a 20-year-old elementary education student, on Middle Street in Orono on Jan. 30, 2010.

Jurors informed the court about what had happened and were questioned by Anderson. At the time, Bly and district attorney R. Christopher Almy had no qualms about continuing the trial.

“[Bly] had a chance right then and there to say ‘jury tampering,’ but he said ‘nope,’” Debbie, a juror who did not want her last name published, said.

Now, Bly says jurors must have been influenced by the man since they deliberated for only two-and-a-half hours.

“If this was a verdict of guilty that came back in two-and-a-half days, we wouldn’t be standing here today,” Bly said. “They made such a quick decision, and they didn’t even review all the evidence.”

Debbie called Bly’s accusations that the jury did not fully deliberate “ridiculous,” saying she didn’t follow Anthony’s trial and heard nothing about it until it was nearly over.

“It’s not as if we went in [to deliberate] and said, ‘He’s guilty. Let’s just sit here for a couple of hours,’” she said.

Bly said the jury did not ask for any testimony to be read back to them during deliberation or open all the evidence provided to them, including pieces of the front bumper of Cheney’s truck he said were still wrapped in paper after deliberation ended.

“We opened everything,” Debbie said, denying Bly’s claims that the bumper was not unwrapped.

Combined with the man asking jurors to convict Cheney, Bly believes Anthony’s acquittal unfairly prejudiced jurors against his client, which he claims he could not have known when the jurors were questioned.

“They made their decision far in advance of the close of evidence, and that’s improper,” he said after the hearing. “Fundamental justice at the very least would require a new trial.”

‘There was no jury tampering’

The subject of Bly’s motions, whose identity isn’t publicly known, addressed three jurors on their way out of the courthouse.

Debbie, a juror and mother of three, was one of them. She denies he affected her decision.

“All of us jurors were heading out to the parking lot for lunch … . It was myself and another juror and a gentleman in front of us, and we were the last ones out,” she said. The man told them, “‘don’t pull a Casey Anthony on us, string him up’ and something like that.”

Debbie said she wrote down the license plate number of the man’s car and gave it to court officials when she returned from lunch.

“I don’t know what [Bly] hopes to prove, but there was no jury tampering,” Debbie said. “We all really deliberated hard because we knew this person’s life was at stake.”

Debbie had never served on a jury before.

Cheney is similar in age to her oldest child, and she said she still carries the weight of her decision.

But she doesn’t regret it.

“I can feel for Cheney,” she said. “He did what a lot of college kids do.

“Two lives are ruined because of what happened one night.”

Debbie acknowledged that the jurors did not ask for any testimony to be read to them again but said they considered all the evidence. She said the jurors drew maps of the crime scene and fit the broken pieces of grille back in place during deliberation.

“The grille fit. The pictures we looked at, some were terrible, but we studied them,” she said. “When he said we didn’t look at any evidence, that’s false.”

She said she based her decision to vote guilty on what she saw as Bly’s failure to make his case.

“His lawyer really had no evidence. All he did was try to discredit all of the other witnesses,” she said.

What’s next?

“‘What has changed?’” Almy asked, repeating Anderson’s question during argument. “There is a verdict that Mr. Bly doesn’t agree with, but that is a matter of opinion.”

Almy said the length of deliberation is what truly upset Bly, saying “that’s not the issue.”

“It’s not the length of deliberation that counts,” Almy said after the hearing. “In our opinion, the evidence was overwhelming.”

Bly’s second motion was for the court to release information about the jurors, which Almy objected to. Bly is asking for jurors’ identities to question them about the incident and to determine if it influenced their opinion of Cheney.

Almy’s memorandum was provided shortly before the trial, and the court granted Bly 21 days to review it and respond.

“Each of the fifteen jurors in this case reaffirmed after the confrontation outside the courtroom, which occurred on July 26, 2011, and after the Casey Anthony verdict, which was entered on July 5, 2011, that they could be fair and impartial in this case, and the assessment of their impartiality should stand,” Almy wrote in his memorandum.

“If every time there’s a conviction in this country after the Casey Anthony case, does that mean every verdict is suspect?” Almy asked after the hearing.

If Bly’s motions are denied once he files his response, the trial would be over and sentencing would begin. Bly said he would expect sentencing to occur in November in that situation.

With a warrant out for his arrest, Cheney turned himself in to Maine State Police in Orono on April 16, 2010. According to an April article in The Maine Campus, pieces of debris at the crime scene matched damage to Cheney’s vehicle.

He pleaded not guilty in May 2010 to charges including manslaughter, aggravated criminal operating under the influence of intoxicants, leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in serious bodily injury, and criminal operating under the influence of intoxicants.

Cheney was also involved in an accident at 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 30 on Interstate 95 in Etna, approximately 30 minutes after Bakley was struck, the article said. He is free on $50,000 surety bail.

Darryl Brown, director of the State Planning Office, and Carlisle McLean, Gov. Paul LePage’s senior policy advisor on natural resources, sat smack in the middle of the council chamber at Old Town City Hall Wednesday night.

In front of them were critical members of Juniper Ridge Landfill Advisory Committee. Behind them was a public constituency mostly longing for action on a long list of environmental concerns.

The forum was altogether civil, but it grew heated at times.

One resident told state officials the landfill needs to be “thrown the hell out of Old Town.” Another said the dump was a case of “environmental injustice.”

Such exchanges are considered commonplace in Old Town, where the landfill has been state-owned and overseen by the Maine State Planning Office since 2003.

The polarization surrounding the site came after a deal that year when the state acquired the property. The Georgia-Pacific paper mill threatened to leave Old Town and lay off 600 workers in 2003 if it had to continue paying for the daily operations of the landfill.

Shortly after the deal, Vermont-based Casella Waste Management was the only bidder on a state offer to operate the facility. Casella signed a 30-year contract and paid the state $26 million.

‘A number of concerns’

In the time since the purchase, many on the Juniper Landfill Advisory Committee, established in 2004 by the state legislature to act as a liaison between the public and the parties involved with the facility’s operation, have felt powerless and ineffectual in dealing with both Casella and the state. 

“As a committee, our hands are completely tied,” said committee chairman Peter Dufour of Old Town. “Our authority is unclear, and we need clarification from the state because we cannot make appeals, we can not challenge permits, and we cannot regulate the tons of trash that enter our town every month.”

Brown and McLean were on hand to hear such claims and the public’s grievances as part of a concentrated effort undertaken by the State Planning Office that will examine how to best manage Maine’s solid waste policies and its processes for disposal.

“We’re here to listen to everyone.  We want to know what’s wrong and how we can fix the problems,” Brown said.  “We want to talk with everyone who has a dog in the race. We’re traveling across the state, and we’re here to listen.”

The advisory committee seemed eager for the opportunity to be heard Wednesday night. Brown heard a lengthy list of longstanding issues the town has had with the landfill. 

Juniper Ridge is one of only two state-owned landfills. The closest privately owned facility, approximately 20 miles south in Hampden, stopped accepting refuse at the end of 2010. 

Shina recommended the state find more room to dispose of its waste and expressed worries over the landfill’s expansion. He recommended new waste sites be developed to the north and east of Old Town as far away as Presque Isle.

The state only recently acquired a landfill in Millinocket, and the closest site to Juniper Ridge is a private facility in Norridgewock, nearly 70 miles to the west.  For Old Town, this means nearly 2,000 truckloads of waste are brought to Juniper Ridge each month, according to committee member Ralph Leonard. 

“A huge problem is transportation,” Leonard said. “We have these big trucks meandering down our small streets, and it is a safety issue.”

Leonard said the trucks come from as far as Massachusetts, something all members of the advisory committee, as well as members of the public, protest.

“Well, I hope you brought your truth-brush, because there really are a number of concerns,” committee member Ted Shina of Old Town said to Brown and McLean.

Maine waste via Massachusetts

By law, Juniper Ridge’s obligation is to process construction and demolition debris (CDD) generated only in Maine.

However, the statutory language for defining out-of-state waste remains nonexistent. This has allowed Casella to process waste generated out-of-state in Maine, thereby turning it to in-state waste.

Committee members and members of the public are convinced that Juniper Ridge is processing more out-of-state waste than anything else.

And all available statistics validate their concern.

In 2010, according to an annual report released by a division of Casella Waste Management, 53 percent of all materials delivered to the site were recycled while 47 percent of the materials were left in landfills.

Casella’s own figures indicate that 85 percent of that refuse came from Massachusetts, where it is illegal to dump any CDD in landfills.

But according to figures provided by Rep. Robert Duchesne, D-Hudson, only 9 percent was recycled, and 91 percent was dumped.

“The issue of redefining out-of-state waste is of utmost concern and a top priority,” Brown said.  “We are going to pass what we’ve heard tonight along to the governor and the legislature.”

Duchesne’s figures include all material delivered to the facility, whereas Casella’s figures include three different ways of processing waste, all considered beneficial and therefore deemed recycled.

“We find ourselves challenging out-of-state waste constantly, with little or no success,” Dufour said. “We keep accommodating material from out-of-state with our land and our resources.”

When pressed by Ralph Coffaman of Old Town — who was once threatened with expulsion from the meeting for ignoring calls to calm down — on how much out-of-state waste enters the landfill, McLean responded.

“Technically, under the law, there wouldn’t be any out-of-state waste coming into that landfill that is municipal solid waste,” she said.

“So we burn it and bring it here, then it’s not out-of-state waste?” Coffaman said.

He then turned to Dufour, the committee chairman.

“I feel like you’re not representing me,” Coffaman said, “because that trash ought to go.”

A committee of ‘beggars’

The advisory committee also lamented that it receives no funding from the state, even though the legislature ordered the town to create it. 

“We’re out here like beggars, expected to serve the city and state,” said Leonard. “We need the ability to appeal, we need more authority, and we need to be able to intervene.  Even if we could do all these things, how are we expected to do this kind of work without any funding?”

For the most part, committee members were given no answers, and when asked after the forum what the next step was in resolving the committee’s concerns, Brown and McLean said they could do little other than pass their recommendations along to the legislature.

“Clearly, the advisory group is critical to this whole process,” McLean said.  “But we really are not in a position to give any of these answers right now. The executive branch of government and the legislative branch of government are two separate things.  So stay tuned on the issue of funding.”

Though members on the advisory committee labeled the legislature’s role in reforming waste management policies as largely apathetic, lawmakers may be the town’s only hope.

Both Brown and McLean acknowledged one purpose of the forum was to gather information that will help push a piece of legislation, LD 693, which was tabled at the end of the last session, through both chambers of the legislature.

If passed, it would allow advisory committees, like the one in Old Town, to appeal licensing and permitting decisions and intervene in related proceedings in order to give the groups more authority to play an active role in the waste disposal processes of their towns. 

It would also direct the State Planning Office to provide the financial and administrative support the Juniper Ridge Landfill Advisory Committee has requested. 

Still, many of the town’s residents feel as if their efforts are becoming futile.

“Look the state has made up their minds,” said Orono resident Paul Schroeder.  “Casella is calling the shots, and the state is calling the shots, and I don’t have much faith in listening to the public trying to change the course of public policy.

“Each time the state discusses this, it’s always the same thing. They listen, but we never get any answers.”

And, according to a top LePage advisor, “senior leadership” within the university system has told the governor the system office’s efficacy is harmed by “squandering and squashing of innovation.”

The letter, delivered to trustees at a Sept. 19 meeting in Bangor, also asked trustees to find a new chancellor “with a proven track record as an agent of change.” Chancellor Richard Pattenaude announced in May that he would step down in summer 2012.

The letter, addressed to board of trustees chairwoman M. Michelle Hood, was delivered by Jonathan Nass, a senior policy advisor to LePage on a number of issues, including education.

Perhaps most notably, LePage asked trustees to “take a hard look at the notion of a central office” and whether it “adds value” to the system or “adds cost and bureaucracy.”

“He’s heard the system office hasn’t let campuses run with the ball,” Nass said. “[Senior leadership] said new ideas brought to the chancellor weren’t well-received.”

In an email statement following Nass’ remarks, system spokeswoman Peggy Markson cited the AEWC Advanced Structures and Composites Center and classes in innovation engineering at the University of Maine as examples of system innovation.

“Chancellor Pattenaude has long said that a system is strong only if it has strong campuses. Our campuses have significant room for moving forward with new ideas and programs,” Markson wrote. “We try to provide plenty of room for campuses to move forward with new ideas.  However, our office looks at things within the context of the entire University of Maine System, not just one campus.”

When asked who has been reporting problems, Nass said he didn’t want to go into specifics. He also said the letter wasn’t “a call for abandoning the system office” or even a knock on Pattenaude. Others close to university have told the governor the central office is efficient, Nass said.

“I think the chancellor gets a bad rap — it’s the way the system is designed,” Nass said. “Funds to each campus are still being distributed on a model from 1969.”

Minutes from a Sept. 14, 2009, trustees meeting confirm the issue has been discussed at length. Then-trustee Norman Fournier then said a task force recommended trustees “look at the funding formula because it had not been adjusted for 40 years.” Fournier couldn’t be reached by press time.

In the letter, LePage said resource allocation to campuses is outdated and urged “at least an incremental reform” to the practice.

“Currently, system funds are largely distributed based upon a formula that is the same as it was in the formation of the system in the late 1960s,” LePage wrote. “This rigid practice hinders innovation and suppresses true system-wide reform.”

After Nass delivered the letter, Pattenaude said LePage “offers us valuable ideas and reinforces the sense of urgency we feel to make the university system more efficient, more affordable and more responsive to the needs of the state.”

“Many of these efforts are underway, but we look forward to meeting with the governor and discussing his thoughts as we work together to better serve the people of Maine,” Pattenaude said.

In the letter, LePage also recommended examination of potential savings on services between the Maine Community College System and university system.

“The governor is not happy with the status quo,” Nass said. “I don’t think he’s coming in with any preconceived notions.”

Retraction: A story that appeared on page A1 of the Oct. 25, 2010 version of The Maine Campus used incomplete information when referring to overlaps between University of Maine and University of Maine System budgets.

Only 36.4 percent of UMaine’s 2011 preliminary budget was for financial management, development, student affairs and facilities management, part of the president’s office, administration and finance and research, areas also with system budget lines.

This statistic was errantly rounded to 37 percent in that original story and interpreted later in A1 stories on Sept. 8 and Sept. 29 as being indicative of duplication between UMaine and the system office. Online versions of those stories have been edited accordingly.

In an editorial on Sept. 29, it was said UMaine Vice President for Administration and Finance Janet Waldron verified the duplication. She verified the original statistic, but not in the context of duplication.

Leaving the building nearly an hour later, he made a discovery all too familiar to students at the University of Maine — his bike was nowhere to be found.

Someone came by and rode off into the sunset with a free set of wheels.

Frequent readers of Police Beat will notice a distinct similarity between Shyduroff’s case and many others that happen weekly around the Orono campus — it was left unlocked while he went inside.

“I generally don’t leave my bike unlocked. I know that’s kind of asking for it,” Shyduroff, a sixth-year physics student, said. “I didn’t really care because it’s a cheap bike, but it’s a major inconvenience.”

According to University of Maine Police Department Detective Keith Mercier, 22 bikes have been reported to UMPD as stolen since Jan. 1, 2011.

Going into October, that figure may seem low compared to the final totals from past years — 69 in 2009 and 68 in 2010 — but several factors, like poor riding weather in the winter or students not bothering to file a report, skew the numbers.

“We hardly have any in the summer,” Mercier said, explaining a possible reason for the disparity. “It’s such a hard animal to wrap your head around, this bike theft thing.”

“The majority are just people leaving them unlocked,” he added. “A lot of them are kids going on joy rides across campus and the owner has no idea where their bike went.”

Mercier said students without a proper lock could always stop by the Public Safety building to grab one of the free cable gun locks provided by UMPD.

“We’ve got a pile of them,” he said.

Second-year animal and veterinary sciences student Jessica Nyholm also recently lost a bike to a bandit.

Arriving at Penobscot Hall around midnight Sept. 3, she secured her bike to the rack with a combination lock. Upon leaving the dorm building the next morning, she found someone had taken both her bike and the lock.

“I don’t know if they clipped the lock or figured [the combination] out or what,” Nyholm said.

While she admits she only changed one of the four tumblers on the combination after wrapping the cable around her bike and the rack, Nyholm is baffled someone would go through the trouble of breaking through her lock to steal her bike.

“My bike isn’t even nice. I mean, it’s rusty,” Nyholm said of her missing Huffy.

Nyholm’s experience of losing a properly secured bike is part of a growing trend of campus cycle thefts. Within the past week, Mercier said two locks had been cut — one by a thief and another by UMPD, who were forced to remove a bike from a dorm stairwell that was in violation of campus fire codes.

Even with a total of four clipped locks this semester, Mercier does not believe this to be part of a coordinated effort seeking to profit from pilfered property.

“I don’t think we have this secret bicycle theft ring on campus,” he said, adding that minimal earnings from such a venture would lead most would-be thieves to seek more valuable targets.

The case of Raul Urbina’s missing bike might at least partially debunk Mercier’s theory, however. A resident of the University Park housing complex located just off of College Avenue, Urbina left his apartment one morning to find just a cut cable lock where he left his $500 Fuji Nevada 1.0 mountain bike secured to a post the night before.

According to Urbina, several residents of the complex often leave bikes unlocked on a regular basis, including a friend of his whose bicycle was still sitting on a grassy lawn the morning Urbina found his snipped cable.

Urbina speculated that several features commonly only found on more expensive bikes — disc brakes, adjustable front suspension, a lightweight aluminum frame — draw a thief’s interest mores so than the other unlocked rides scattered throughout the area.

Further conjecture by Urbina placed the source of the thiefs at a local bus stop.

“There is a small construction there for kids to wait for the bus,” he said, adding that on several occasions he has seen people milling around that area past 10 p.m.

Nyholm stands a better chance of being reunited with her wheels than Shyduroff for one simple reason: her ride carries a UMPD identification tag that helps officers locate the rightful owner of a found bike.

“It’s a no-brainer if it’s registered with the department,” Mercier said. “A lot of the time, we can find the owner before they even know it’s missing.”

Previously, students have had to make the trek out to the Public Safety building on Rangeley Road to register their bicycles, filling out a form with basic contact information and a description of the bike before being issued a sticker carrying a unique number.

Soon, however, the age of technology will once again allow people to remain in the comfort of their homes as UMPD is currently setting up an online registration service similar to the existing program for keys.

For those reluctant to surrender their personal information to The Man, being reunited with a stolen bike can be a much more time-consuming activity for both officers and victims that carries no guarantee even if the bike is found by UMPD.

Without any identification, officers do not know whom to contact when a bicycle is found and officers do not regularly check the descriptions on official reports against the bikes impounded behind the Public Safety building. A false identification could be made with vague description, which could lead to the wrong person receiving the wrong bike.

“The entire process is so frustrating,” Mercier said, adding that a bike is “not a car or a motorcycle where you have a [Vehicle Identification Number] or registration plate where you can look up who the owner is.”

For students who have lost their unregistered bikes and wish to get them back from UMPD if recovered, Mercier said the best policy is to periodically check with the police or look through the impound.

Otherwise, it could sit chained to the rack for six months, after which point it would either be given to the blue bikes program run by the MaineBound Adventure Center or donated to a local charitable auction.

“John Doe can report his bike stolen on Monday, we can find it Tuesday, and he could not get it back if he doesn’t follow up and come look at the bikes,” Mercier said.

Sometimes just keeping a sharp eye out can turn up a missing bike. Shyduroff previously lost a bike at the beginning of winter to a thief outside of Knox Hall, only to be reunited with it the following spring.

“One of my friends found it in the woods, actually,” he said.

A repeat victim, Shyduroff believes the issue of bike theft points to a larger issue of a lack of respect for fellow students on campus.

“I don’t even park my car on campus anymore because I don’t want stuff stolen out of it,” he said. “I think it’s representative of the way people treat each other on campus.”

However, with the many handicapped, service loading, visitor, timed areas and loading zones taking chunks out of that number, the supply of student parking spots dwindles.

Within a year, the university hopes to bring in a consulting service to analyze on-campus parking.

The university follows a national standard that most colleges and universities abide by, said Alan Stormann, assistant director for security, parking and transportation. There is a maximum of two commuter permits given for every commuter space, while 1.2 permits are allowed for every one resident spot and 1.4 for every faculty space.

There are 2,120 commuter parking spots on campus and 1,887 resident spots.

In 2009, the number of parking permits sold to commuters totaled 4,069, and in 2010, 3,893 were sold. As for residents, in 2010 there were 1,883 permits sold and 2,063 in 2009. None of these numbers represents the maximum amount of parking permits the university is allowed to sell to commuters and residents.

“Commuters are always coming and going on campus,” Stormann said, validating the sale of more permits than there are spots.

“Technically, we do have enough parking,” said Elaine Clark, executive director of Facilities Management, Real Estate and Planning for UMaine.

Clark said the university hopes to bring in Gray-based Gorrill-Palmer Consulting Engineers, Inc., to survey the campus and provide a transportation and parking study. Clark said the university has done similar studies in the past.

A study on the parking and transportation aspects of campus could provide the university with essential information of how to best utilize and control parking on campus.

Fiscal year information for 2011 on parking fines and permits shows that over $600,000 was collected from student permit fees and fines, with more than $83,000 made from staff permits and fines.

According to the 2011 fiscal year report, money collected from parking fees and tickets was funneled into a nearly $1 million fund spent on roadway maintenance, snow removal, the Bangor Area Transportation program’s free service for students and general parking services.

There are plans to further develop the campus and take steps to foster a more sustainable and green environment. These plans are still conceptual under the Campus Master Plan.

Sketches of future walkways and proposed buildings can be seen in the 178-page Master Plan Report. Within that lies a conceptual plan for the university that could improve parking.

The plan falls under the Proposed Access and Circulation Framework and will decrease vehicle traffic in the center of campus, bringing that traffic to the outskirts of campus, essentially creating a loop around the perimeter.

According to the plan, parking garages would be built on the edges of campus.

The focus on garages would be to encourage campus users to “park once and walk” with an enhanced pedestrian network. The interior of the campus would remain reserved for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

“This is a truly aspirational program,” Clark said. “We cannot afford it right now.”

The plan for parking garages could reduce pavement on campus while “nice grassy areas could be re-established,” Clark said.

Parking garages are priced per space to construct, and Clark gave an estimate of $20,000 per space to build one at UMaine. Clark is unsure how the campus would view the high cost.

“No one would want to pay” to park in a parking garage on top of construction costs, Clark said. “We’re just not there yet.”

Although the plan will not provide any immediate change for campus drivers, there is hope that park-and-ride lots at off-campus locations in Old Town and Orono can be established. The park-and-ride lots “could take 10 to 12 cars off campus,” according to Clark.

Clark said park-and-ride lots have been looked into before, but shuttle vans were not available at that time.

“It will definitely be looked into again,” she said.

Town Manager Sophie Wilson presented the initial framework for the ordinance that would restrict the use and sale but not possession of fireworks in the town of Orono, specifically including the University of Maine.

Initial framework for the Orono ordinance includes fines for illegal use of consumer fireworks as well as sale of fireworks.

Consumer fireworks consist of explosives such as sparklers and M-80s. The large-scale fireworks that illuminate the night sky on the Fourth of July will remain illegal for the average resident, meaning “The Cruel Mistress,” “Dark Night” and “Triple Diamonds,” advertised on bigfireworks.com, are still off-limits.

The council requested that Wilson develop a framework for the ordinance with the most restrictive language possible so the council can then listen to residents of Orono to determine what needs to be removed from the ordinance and discuss other concerns.

“My understanding is that the council wanted language that prohibited both the sale and the use [of fireworks],” Wilson said to the council at the meeting. “The idea being that we were going to get public comment and then you can change your minds based on what the community wanted.”

The initial framework for Orono’s fireworks ordinance is based on the ordinance passed in Portland and suited to fit the needs of the town of Orono.

“I borrowed liberally from Portland and tried to tweak it for our needs,” Wilson explained to council at the meeting. “I tried to embed it with the ordinance that we already have and then I tried to tie it back to the statute.”

On Sept. 20, the Portland Press Herald reported that the city council unanimously banned “the sale, possession and use of fireworks within city limits” in order to respond “to a new state law legalizing fireworks that will take effect Jan. 1.”

The Portland City Council established fines of up to $500 for selling fireworks within the city limits and of $200 to $400 for possessing them.

If a resident wishes to use, display or sell fireworks in the town of Orono, he or she will have to apply for a permit. In order to obtain a permit, the resident must possess the required licenses and training fireworks technicians must go through.

The initial framework also included language requiring that the applicant also list the town of Orono as an additional insured party. This would prevent an insurance company or anyone else from coming after the town of Orono if something were to go wrong at a fireworks display.

The proposal specifically includes the University of Maine under the jurisdiction of this ordinance.

“There is language continued throughout this that specifically includes the university,” Wilson pointed out to the council. “The university has indicated to us that they are fine with not being a place of sale or use.”

The council discussed the ordinance for a brief period and raised concerns over the framework that Wilson is going to address. The council also raised concerns over restrictions on how fireworks must be stored, specifically with regards to the safety hazards presented by storing explosive materials, and concerns over how to deal with people who would violate the new ordinance.

Another concern the council discussed is how to develop intent-to-sell laws. That will be addressed at its Oct. 3 meeting.

The council’s plan is to open up the ordinance for public comment and further development once there is an initial draft.

 “I’ve been meeting with Old Town Taxi and they’ve agreed to give us 10 percent off Thursday though Saturday,” Rosser said. He said they plan to begin the trial period Oct. 1.

Marty Millett of Old Town Taxi’s nighttime management is “allowing [Student Government] to audit the books” and adjust the discount appropriately, Rosser said.

“It’s not even a question, you dial this number, you get a ride,” he said.

Rosser and UMSG President Anthony Ortiz announced their candidacies in the next election for their current positions. Raymond Updyke, chair of the Fair Elections Practices Commission, said “[candidacy] forms are available this Thursday and must be sent in by next Thursday.”

EJ Roach, director of Campus Activities and Student Entertainment, reminded the senate that Friends and Family Weekend is this weekend, adding that over 600 parents are expected to come to campus. All events are free and open to students except for the lobster bake, which has already sold out.

A “Friday at 5” party will also be held across from the Buchanan Alumni House.

There will be a philanthropy carnival on Saturday in an effort to raise money for charitable organizations beyond campus. Roach said proceeds will go to 40 local charities.

Representatives from the Off-Campus Board announced Commuter Week hosted by the commuter and nontraditional students office.

On Monday, the topic is “Is my home safe?”; Tuesday’s is “Eating healthy”; Wednesday’s is “Renters’ rights and responsibilities”; and Thursday’s is “Hosting a responsible party.”

Each day will feature a light lunch and a raffle for gas cards, which Garcia says “are like nuggets of joy.”

It was also announced that Take Back the Night, an event that raises awareness for victims of domestic abuse, will be held at 5 p.m. Oct. 5 behind Fogler Library.

The dining debate will continue next Tuesday when Kathy Kittridge, director of Dining Operations, visits the senate. Sen. Kimberly Dao says “there’s a new register at Wells, but it’s not hooked up yet.” Dining will begin a program called “Ten Questions” as a way to build better communications between dining and students.

“Hopefully we’ll see some positive changes within the next semester and the semester after too,” said Dao.

Dean of Students Robert Dana attended Tuesday’s meeting.

“It’s great to have such a great shared government here on campus,” he said. “You’re affecting thousands of people, not just yourselves but the students after you. What you are [are] true, legitimate change makers.”

“We have a really new wonderful initiative launching this year: ‘Day of service to a lifetime of commitment,’” Dana said. “We’re hoping many, at least half [of first-year students] develop a commitment towards service.”

The senate allocated $2,638.17 to the Equestrian Team, $1,023.18 to the Cycling Club, $3,126 to the men’s club lacrosse team and $1,215 to other organizations. The senate also approved preliminary recognition of No Labels, which representative Logan Nee said, “is a unique approach to politics on campus in that it is nonpartisan.”

“Our system is about building consensus on [bipartisanship], not consensus,” Sen. Ben Goodman said.

Rosser swore in new senators Byron Andronik, Victoria Schuyler, Shadiyo Hassain-Ali and Elizabeth Tull.

The executives also appointed Sen. Casey Lancaster the new director of External Affairs.

“He’s shown a ton of enthusiasm at the interview. I have a ton of faith he’s going to do an awesome job,” Ortiz said.

Lancaster said he had been given a month’s worth of work after his appointment, but Ortiz said he confident Lancaster can handle it.

The University of Maine Police Department received a report of a man ripping antennas off cars in the Steam Plant parking lot at 5:38 p.m. Sept. 25. When officers arrived, they found Douglas Bryant, 49, of Bangor talking to himself and holding a car’s antenna. Bryant also tore a Maine license plate off a parked car. Bryant was summonsed for theft and criminal mischief, escorted off campus and given a trespass warning. Damage to the cars is estimated at $50.

Recalculating

UMPD received a report of a theft in the York parking lot at 2:59 p.m. Sept. 23. A GPS worth an estimated $150 was stolen from a locked car.

Sign of the crime

UMPD received a report of criminal mischief at the Phi Eta Kappa fraternity house at 1:33 a.m. Sept. 24. Brothers of the fraternity told officers a group of males walking past the house hollering damaged their sign before running away. Damage is estimated at $100.

Football fanatic

UMPD received a report of a theft in the Aroostook parking lot at 9:53 a.m. Sept. 23. An unlocked box containing $80, 10 sideline passes for UMaine club football games and a duffel bag were stolen from an unlocked car. The total estimated value of the items is $90.

Hilltop on-tap

UMPD received a report of an intoxicated female in the fourth-floor lounge of Somerset Hall at 1:09 a.m. Sept. 25. Zoe Swaffar, 18, was summonsed for illegal possession of alcohol by a minor by consumption and referred to Judicial Affairs.

Zach attack

UMPD officers on foot patrol in the Hilltop area of campus noticed the smell of marijuana coming from behind the Lyle Littlefield Ornamental Gardens at 11:23 p.m. Sept. 25. They found Zachary Dyson, 19, and Zachary Sargeant, 18. Both admitted to smoking marijuana. A search turned up a Ziploc bag and pill container full of marijuana and a lighter. Both were summonsed for possession of a useable amount of marijuana and were referred to Judicial Affairs.

Focus on the road

UMPD received a report of an accident at the intersection of Long and Hebron roads at 1:47 p.m. Sept. 23. A female riding her bike down the hill hit a blue Ford Focus traveling the same direction as it turned right onto Hebron Road. Although the bicyclist was thrown across the hood, she did not require medical treatment.

Migrating motorcycle

UMPD received related complaints of disorderly conduct at 6:27 a.m. Sept. 23 and 1:28 a.m. Sept. 25. On Sept. 23, a custodian found a motorcycle parked on the handicapped access ramp of Gannett Hall. The same motorcycle was found hidden near the New Balance Student Recreation and Fitness Center on Sept. 25. UMPD has no suspects or witnesses in these cases and believes the owner of the motorcycle is the target of a prank.

Belgrade blunder

UMPD received a report of students brandishing weapons at 4:36 p.m. Sept. 25 in the Belgrade parking lot. Officers determined students were making a movie and the weapons were toys.

It’s obvious a goofy kid from Auburn, Maine — population of just over 23,000 — would get up and move in a matter of hours to Europe’s third-largest metropolis, behind only London and Moscow.

It’s pertinent that Barnies, whose only previous time out of the country was a quick trip to Montreal would now try to coexist in a culture completely different from anything you’d find in the U.S., let alone Maine.

Barnies agrees.

“I’m a pretty open-minded guy when it comes to new things in my life,” Barnies said Saturday afternoon over the phone, less than 24 hours before a plane trip that would change his life. “I’m expecting a huge difference than here. I’m not expecting a lot of people to speak English. I’m expecting a whole new society — people dressing differently, different foods I’ll be eating — everything.”

After working on his game all summer, Barnies inked a deal with Turkish Basketball Second League team, Istanbulspor. Similar to soccer leagues, the top two clubs in the TB2L get promoted to the Turkish Premier Basketball League for the upcoming season.

Barnies has always taken the road less travleled.

A pigskin lover growing up, Barnies wanted to play college football until a growth spurt in middle school made him physically awkward, both on the hard-court and the grid iron.

“I was a football player growing up and always wanted to play football at the college level,” he said. “I got a growth spurt in seventh or eighth grade and I made the eighth-grade team, but I was a big goof and didn’t know what I was doing.”

After growing into himself, Barnies turned into a decent basketball player, eventually earning a starting spot for the Black Bears in his sophomore year.

Steadily improving throughout his collegiate career, Barnies excelled as a senior, averaging over 14 points and close to eight rebounds per game while being named to the America East Conference First Team.

As his college games dwindled, Barnies began to set his sights on continuing to play basketball, but this time as a career.

In early June, Barnies spent some time in Philadelphia  and was able to work out for two NBA teams: the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics.

“At the beginning of June, I went down to Philadelphia for a month and a half with a bunch of guys from different schools, like Clemson and Morehead State, and made really good friends with guys,” Barnies said. “While I was there, I got a lot better playing against them.”

Barnies then took his game back to Maine, where he continued to work out while awaiting for a call from the agency representing him, Aretes Sports Agency.

When Barnies first spoke to me about playing abroad, he thought that the process would take him into June or July, but unusual circumstances with the upcoming NBA season — or lack thereof — delayed the process, as a number of NBA players have jetted to European and Asian countries to continue their play while the NBA figures out its labor mess.

“I think that’s why it came down to close to October until I got a job with a team,” Barnies said. “There’s so many teams trying to figure out who they can grab from the NBA. These organizations in Europe are shuffling a lot trying to get who they want. I started to think it was going to take a lot longer than it [already] has.”

Turkey has been a popular place for NBAers looking to go abroad. With some countries like China omitting an opt-out clause for stars to return to their NBA squads, other nations are basically renting NBA players until the lockout ends.

As of today, six players from the NBA last year have agreed to play in Turkey for the upcoming season, including former Celtic Semih Erden, Ersan Ilyasova from the Bucks, former All-Star Mehmet Okur, Darius Songalia, Sasha Vujacic and most notably, All-Star point guard Deron Williams.

Although Barnies would be chomping at the bit to D-up Okur, all these players secured jobs in the Turkish Premier League.

Barnies, on the other hand, is just thankful for a job right now.

“I’m pretty fortunate to get on a team now and secure a job,” he said. “My agent was telling me to get the first job out of the way because that’s usually the hardest one. Now I just have to prove myself to everyone.”

Barnies, who hopes to expand his game to some small forward — although “they know me as a four” — doesn’t exactly know what his salary is, and isn’t worried about it.

“I think what happens is, the more the team wins, the more I get paid,” Barnies said. “The more I play the more I get paid. I don’t know the beginning salary but my agent does. He’ll tell me as soon as I get there.

“I found out Friday morning, and I’ve been ecstatic,” Barnies said. “I leave [Sunday] morning.”

Barnies arrived in Istanbul Tuesday morning, according to his Facebook page. As he settles into a place he never saw himself visiting, learning a new culture he knows little about, Barnies wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“I’m not too worried about it because I know it will be 100-percent worth it.”