The Portland Daily Sun, Saturday, July 23, 2011

Page 1

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2011

VOL. 3 NO. 122

PORTLAND, ME

PORTLAND’S DAILY NEWSPAPER

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699-5801

A TD Bank readerboard on Congress Street shows a Friday afternoon temperature of 108 degrees. The official high, recorded at the Portland Jetport, was 101 degrees, a new record for July in Portland, the National Weather Service reported. (DAVID CARKHUFF PHOTO)

A sizzling new record

Triple-digit heat leads to new record high for July in Portland BY CASEY CONLEY AND MATTHEW ARCO THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

Temperatures climbed to 101 degrees yesterday in Portland, setting a new all-time high for the month of July, according to the National Weather Service.

Meanwhile, excessive heat across the region put pressure on the New England electrical grid, led to a run on fans at local stores and tested the patience of some city residents. Fortunately, the second day of an expected threeday heat wave did not result in any serious injuries or heat-related deaths. First responders fielded several heat-related calls in Portland but nothing considered life-threatening.

Margaret Curtis, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gray, said the temperatures were in the triple digits in Portland for much of the afternoon on Friday, marking a first for the month of July. The previous high for July, which occurred July 21, 1975, was 99 degrees. The all-time high in Portland is 103. New England is feeling the effects of a heat wave

Craig: ‘Sometimes you gotta shake the tree’ Departing police chief reflects on his impact BY MARGE NIBLOCK

SPECIAL TO THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN

When James Craig was sworn in as Portland’s police chief in May 2009, he made reference to his best friend Randal Simmons, who had been gunned down during a stand-

off in Los Angeles the previous year while on a SWAT team assignment. There are several photographs of Simmons hanging in Craig’s office behind his desk. One is titled, “Final Escort Home.” It has an image of Simmons running, superimposed over one of the funeral procession. Ten thousand people attended the funeral. Craig and Simmons were best men at each other’s weddings. Craig is the godfather of Simmons’s son. They attended the police

see HEAT page 8

academy together and couldn’t have been closer. Craig will always carry Simmons next to his heart. Simmons was also a minister who worked with youth on weekends. Sometimes he’d be donating his free time to try to help juveniles that he’d locked up the previous week. He left a legacy of working with young people, steering them away from trouble. “He was inspiring to me in my work with see CRAIG page 6

Police Chief James Craig in November.

Consistency in politics the latest belly laugh

Misery loves milestones

Emmylou Harris coming to the State

See Bob Higgins on page 4

See Curtis Robinson’s column on page 5

See the Music Calendar, page 16

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The Portland Daily Sun, Saturday, July 23, 2011 by Daily Sun - Issuu