Staff photo by Joe Phelan

Jeremy Connor, of Augusta, practices his horseshoe pitching skills on Thursday evening at Hewitt/Bisbee Courts in Augusta. The horseshoe pitching courts are part of the the CARA complex on Piggery Road off Hospital Street on the the city's East Side.

No more handbags for sale
RANDOLPH -- Margaret Smith handbags are no longer being made.

Cony accreditation warning
AUGUSTA -- Cony High School's accreditation has been placed on "warning" status, despite a long list of commendations from the organization that conducted the review.

GARDINER: City, agency seen winning brutality case
A federal judge recommends clearing the Gardiner police chief and the city of claims it mistreated a man having a mental-health crisis.

Unionization rally targets medical staff
AUGUSTA -- About 40 members of the Maine State Employees Association rallied Monday at Buker Park to draw attention to their efforts to unionize employees at Medical Care Development, an Augusta-based nonprofit.

At what price an expanded Lithgow Library?
AUGUSTA -- Scaled-back proposals to renovate and expand Lithgow Library could save city taxpayers about $3 million, but cost them about one-third of the library space, compared to the proposed $8.9 million rehab shot down last year by 243 votes.

MANCHESTER: Town weighs fire station
MANCHESTER -- The Manchester Fire Station is aging, and an information session on a proposal to replace it is planned for Wednesday night.

Augusta schools seek athletic director
AUGUSTA -- The Board of Education meets Wednesday to consider hiring a new athletic director and take up several other items of school business.

Dresden-to-Richmond district progress
HALLOWELL -- A planned consolidation of four local school systems has passed state muster, becoming one of the first merger plans in the state to earn such approval.

Police Log
AUGUSTA -- An early-morning get-together involving minors and alcohol landed one teenager in police custody and two others with charges Monday after a brief scuffle with officers.

Briefs
RICHMOND -- An event to meet the local candidates will be held at Enterprise Grange 48, 15 Alexander Reed Road, at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

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SPECIAL REPORTS Capitals series Augusta

'THERE IS A GREAT FUTURE HERE' Augusta's layout obscures assets
[April 20, 2008]

Concord, N.H.

All the pieces fell into place for Concord a decade ago
[April 13, 2008]

Concord's business owners jump at chance in limelight
[April 13, 2008]

New Hampshire's Statehouse has proud past
[April 13, 2008]

Montpelier, Vt.

Augusta, Montpelier split on use of downtowns
[April 6, 2008]

Frugal approach keeps Statehouse well-preserved
[April 6, 2008]

Four factors contribute to city's success
[April 6, 2008]

'If you don't have pedestrian traffic, you can't cut it'
[April 6, 2008]

About this series Our three-part Sunday capitals project compares the capital cities of northern New England. Augusta, Maine's capital, is trying to reinvent itself. Two other New England capitals offer lessons.

APRIL 6: The Capitol and downtown are inseparable in Montpelier, Vt., a key reason the city remains vibrant. APRIL 13: Concord, N.H. invested in infrastructure 10 years ago. The payoff has been lower taxes and a healthier downtown. APRIL 20: Augusta's downtown merchants are committed to staying, and yearn for development along the Kennebec River.

Maine's aging boomers Maine's aging boomers face a different retirement [February 20, 2008] For many boomers, working longer is desire and necessity [February 19, 2008] Who will pay for long-term care? [February 19, 2008] New retirees' housing needs challenge communities [February 18, 2008] Impending retirements will have profound impact on Maine [February 17, 2008] Health care in crisis as work force declines [February 17, 2008] BOOMER PROFILE: Tim Bolton [February 20, 2008] BOOMER PROFILE: Sylvia Yeaton [February 19, 2008] BOOMER PROFILE: Harold Booth [February 18, 2008] BOOMER PROFILE: Penny Hathaway [February 17, 2008] BOOMER PROFILE: Mike Barden [February 17, 2008]

A look back at Maine's Governors
Dead Serious; Independent Jim Longley wanted to be 'the people's governor' [December 31, 2007] Devoted and Loyal Edmund Muskie made his mark on Maine, U.S. [November 26, 2007] 'Proper and efficient' Gov. Gardiner [November 5, 2007] Full-time governor Carl Milliken led Maine with forward thinking [September 24, 2007] Plaisted's term a painful legacy [August 27, 2007] Gov. John Hubbard 'Well-educated doctor' left his mark on Maine [July 30, 2007]

'For I Was Hungry' Series
"For I was hungry," a seven-part editorial series, documents the depth and breadth of hunger in Maine, from the dramatic increase in food pantries to the thousands of children who come to school hungry to the elderly with bare cupboards. For more, click here.