A Saco woman remains in custody at York County Jail in Alfred after being charged with elevated aggravated assault for a stabbing on Christmas Eve.

Maine Department of Public Safety Spokesman Steve McCausland said Pamela Young, 48, allegedly stabbed Dale Berube, 50, about 20 times in the apartment they share at 25 Thornton Ave.

Saco police officers responded to a 911 call made by Young around 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 24 and found Berube in a bathtub in the apartment. Maine State Police detectives joined the investigation because of the severity of Berube’s injuries, McCausland said.

Berube was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland and underwent emergency surgery on Christmas Eve. A hospital official said he remained there Tuesday, in satisfactory condition.

Young was charged Dec. 24 and made her first court appearance at Maine District Court in Springvale on Dec. 27. Her bail was set at $15,000, McCausland said.

Fishing crew rescued after boat gets stuck

U.S. Coast Guard crews, Scarborough Marine Patrol and good Samaritans rescued three mariners near Biddeford Pool Monday afternoon.

The Coast Guard received a distress call around 1:40 p.m. from the Misty Dawn II, a 42-foot commercial fishing boat from Portland. The captain told the Coast Guard the boat ran aground with three people onboard. The captain said before they lost communication that crew members were donning survival suits.

“I am stuck on a ledge outside of Wood Island and need immediate assistance. My boat is still floating, but we’re on the ledge and if it gets any windier the boat will roll over,” the captain said in an audio recording released by the Coast Guard.

A Coast Guard 47-foot motor lifeboat crew, cutter Jefferson Island, an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew and local agencies were sent to the boat’s last  known location. Scarborough Marine Patrol arrived on scene at 2 p.m. and transferred the mariners from the sinking boat to the fishing vessel Titan, which was nearby.

There were no injuries and no signs of pollution. Coast Guard crews escorted the Misty Dawn back into the harbor after it was floated from the rocks.

OOB awarded funds for new skate park

The Old Orchard Beach Police Department received a grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation to be used to build a new skate park in town.

The $5,000 grant will be used along with local funding to create a skate park to replace one taken down because it was in disrepair. Old Orchard Beach was one of 15 projects across the country to receive funding from the organization named for skateboarder Tony Hawk.

The skate park will cost between $70,000 and $100,000, according to Recreation Director Jason Webber. The town council last year allocated $30,000 for the park.

For more information about helping with project fundraising, call 934-0860.

Thornton to expand course offerings

Thornton Academy next year will expand its course offerings to include afternoon and evening classes.

The Saco school will add more than 15 to 20 new classes beginning next fall. Adding two new blocks to the school schedule builds on a five-year pilot program to bring more specialized classes outside of the regular 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. school day.

Beginning next school year, students can choose to take classes on select days from 2 to 3:15 p.m. or in the evening. Programs offered in the past outside the regular school day included writing workshops with poet Martin Steingesser and classes on philosophy, China, Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and discrete mathematics.

Bike center receives funds

The Community Bicycle Center of Biddeford has received a undisclosed financial award from the Corning Inc. Foundation to engage more students in after-school programs.

The funding will be used to provide Biddeford children bicycle-related, asset-building experiences. The money will enable the center to offer programs at no cost to all participants.

The Community Bicycle Center’s after/out-of-school programs include drop-in bike maintenance, a girls-only riding group, seasonal mountain bike and road rides, making art with recycled bike parts and formal bike repair training groups.

Corning Inc. Foundation annually fulfills 136 grants worth about $3 million.

Store robber still at large

Biddeford police continue to investigate a Dec. 28 robbery at the Rite Aid pharmacy on Alfred Street.

Deputy Police Chief JoAnne Fisk said an armed man entered the store at 6:49 p.m. and demanded OxyContin from pharmacy workers. Employees provided the man an undetermined amount of pills and he fled on foot, she said.

Witnesses described the suspect as a white male, 5 feet, 8 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and about 160 pounds. He was wearing dark pants and a grey hooded sweatshirt. 

Anyone with information should contact police at 282-5127.

– Staff Writers Gillian Graham and David Harry