Posted: 11:38 AM Updated: 12:38 PM The troubling trend came in a year that otherwise was relatively safe, says a Maine State Police spokesman. David Sharp / The Associated Press PORTLAND harmacy robberies in Maine more than doubled last year over 2011, and police are concerned the robberies are becoming more brazen. There were 56 pharmacy robberies last year, with drug addicts taking increasingly desperate measures, said Steve McCausland of the Department of Public Safety. In one instance, a man robbed a pharmacy inside a Wal-Mart filled with customers in broad daylight. "These are desperate acts by desperate people, and from a law enforcement perspective it's extremely troubling because of potential violence," McCausland said. The troubling trend that led a national pharmacy chain to post armed security guards and the establishment of a state panel to identify solutions came in a year that otherwise was relatively safe, McCausland said. The number of homicides for the year stood at 22, slightly below the 10-year average. Several, including a triple homicide in which the victims were left in a burning car in Bangor, were drug-related, police said. The number of fire deaths stood at 19, down from 23 in 2011 but far … Continue reading →

Published: Monday, December 31, 2012 at 4:57 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 9:59 a.m. The developer of the CVS Pharmacy-Chase Bank branch project is suing Sebastopol, a city where debates over development are often lengthy and virulent. The suit claims that a 45-day moratorium enacted by the City Council on new drive-thrus, an integral part of the CVS Pharmacy project planned for the vacant Pellini Chevrolet dealership, jeopardizes their proposal that already has the necessary approvals. An ordinance banning drive-thrus would be arbitrary, capricious, discriminatory, according to the suit filed in Sonoma County Superior Court on Christmas Eve. Sebastopol, like any city in California, is entitled to re-evaluate its policies while using emergency ordinances to maintain the status quo, Larry McLaughlin, interim city manager, said Monday in defense of the City Council action. McLaughlin also denied that the ordinance was directed at the CVS Pharmacy project, but meant to address the issue citywide. McLaughlin admitted, however, that the ordinance could mean that, if the City Council decides on enacting a ban on drive-thrus, that CVS would be affected. If you have not received a building permit or started building, the city can changes its laws, McLaughlin said. … Continue reading →

A Christchurch pharmacy is bucking the trend of national prescription fee hikes. Prescription charges will, from today, increase from $3 an item to $5 as the Government looks to cover the cost of extra health spending. The Community Pharmacy in Linwood, which since opening two years ago has charged under the rate at $1.50, will now charge no more than $3 an item. Pharmacist Ann Tiller said she and husband, Joe, set up the pharmacy to ensure medicine was accessible to those who could least afford it. She estimated the lower fees had saved the community up to $50,000 in prescription charges. It was difficult increasing prices an additional $1.50, she said. "We have people for whom even $1.50 is a mission, so $3 no doubt is going to make it that much more challenging. Hopefully, it's still at a sufficient level that people still come and get their meds. "We're just trying to keep it as low as we can." Pharmacies could set their own prices up to the higher $5 ceiling, but Tiller said choosing not to did not affect their bottom line. "Basically, it's like our donation back to the community. From the $3 to the $5, … Continue reading →

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Pharmacy robberies in Maine more than doubled last year over 2011, and police are concerned the robberies are becoming more brazen. There were 56 pharmacy robberies last year, with drug addicts taking increasingly desperate measures, said Steve McCausland of the Department of Public Safety. In one instance, a man robbed a pharmacy inside a Wal-Mart filled with customers in broad daylight. These are desperate acts by desperate people, and from a law enforcement perspective its extremely troubling because of potential violence, McCausland said. The troubling trend that led a national pharmacy chain to post armed security guards and the establishment of a state panel to identify solutions came in a year that otherwise was relatively safe, McCausland said. The number of homicides for the year stood at 22, slightly below the 10-year average. Several, including a triple homicide in which the victims were left in a burning car in Bangor, were drug-related, police said. The number of fire deaths stood at 19, down from 23 in 2011 but far below the average of nearly 50 a year during the 50s, 60s and 70s. There were no working smoke detectors in homes that caught fire in Orrington, where … Continue reading →