A New Jersey man pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland to robbing two U.S. postal carriers at knifepoint and burglarizing two post offices.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine said during a one week period in January, 31-year-old Winston McLeod and another man broke into the Paris and North Monmouth post offices and stole money and equipment. The men then robbed two postal carriers in Lewiston.

The Attorney’s Office said investigators identified McLeod through a photo on the lock screen of a phone found outside a broken window at the Paris post office.

The two men were later arrested at a traffic stop.

McLeod is awaiting sentencing. He faces multiple years of imprisonment and fines.

“Woodlands to the Sea: Paintings of Maine” will feature “Cove at Twilight,” acrylic on canvas, by Andy Curran Submitted photo Submitted photo

“Woodlands to the Sea: Paintings of Maine” artist reception is set for 5-8 p.m. Friday, July 26, at Monkitree, 263 Water St. in Gardiner. The exhibit will be on view through Aug. 24.

Andy Curran has a deep appreciation for Maine and its woods and waters, saying “I love the sparkle of light on water, the flicker of sunlight on leaves, the ethereal quality of a sunset.”

For most, the experience of a beautiful sunrise or sunset is fleeting. We relish those moments that are never the same twice. For Curran, he will sketch, photograph and write about what he sees, “My paintings start with these observations,” he said according to a news release from the gallery.

In the studio he works from notes and photographs, to create acrylic paintings on canvas and wooden panels. They take days, months and sometimes years to finish.

“I am a slow, thoughtful painter, spending lots of time just looking at and living with my works in progress. Feeling my way into the scene. Finding the essence of place, to create a quintessential landscape, Curran Said. “Often my paintings are of a specific place, though I strive for them to have a universal quality that conjures a sense of place.”

Many will recognize Curran’s work from his line of cards under the name Dog Star Creations.
Curran is currently painting at home in his Buxton Studio and the Waldo County town of Palermo. In his Summer Studio he paints in a geodesic dome, on a ridge, in the woods of his girlfriend, Kipp. Both rural settings work well with his connection to the Maine pastural and coastal landscapes and enable him to access many of themes that are the inspiration for and representative of his paintings.

For more information call 207-512-4679 or visit monkitree.com.

Check out other upcoming entertainment events!

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Related Stories

Advertisement

Chase Morrill and his family’s dream Italian vacation home is complete, and we’re poring over every detail. Whether you missed the finale of Magnolia Network’s six-episode spin-off, Maine Cabin Masters: Building Italy—which documents the entire buying and renovation process—or want a closer look at the final design, House Beautiful can exclusively reveal photos of the incredible transformation.

For their European getaway, the Morrill family purchased a property with an asking price of $97,000 in the municipality of Fossalto, which is located in Italy’s mountainous region of Molise. It’s roughly three hours from Rome, meaning it’s also well positioned for travel. Nicknamed The Balcony House thanks to its four balconies, the five-bedroom home sits on 7.4 acres with sprawling views and an olive grove.

Exposed stonework and pale green stucco add character to the home’s exterior.

Advertisement

While structurally sound, the three-level house needed a serious overhaul to be functional. It’s presumably 100 to 200 years old and was likely renovated once around the 1960s or ’70s. So, Morrill, his wife, Sarah, and their four teenagers—along with MCM stars Ashley Morrill-Eldridge (Chase’s sister) and her husband, Ryan Eldridge—got to work. They also relied on a team of Italian contractors and got extra help from MCM star Jared (Jedi) Baker to refresh the property within a tight three-month time line.

Off the dining area, a balcony with a staircase leads to the home’s deck and lower-level family room.

Installing fundamentals like all-new electrical and plumbing and repainting everything was crucial, but the Merrill clan didn’t stop there. To open up the home’s hub—the kitchen—they removed a wall dividing it from the dining room and brought in gray cabinetry, yellow tile for the backsplash, and warm stone counters to complement the existing mismatched flooring. Expanding the existing bathroom on the third level, where the kids’ bedrooms are, was also must for the family of six.

By removing the wall between the kitchen and dining room, the team made room for a peninsula.

Exposed stone arches enhance the home’s rustic feel.

Advertisement

To turn former animal stables on the ground level into living space, they leveled the floor using recycled concrete that they fashioned from tearing down some of the walls. That allowed them to reconfigure it into a family room with exposed stonework, an additional dining area, and a second bathroom. They even turned the old animal trough into a storage bench by reusing the room’s old wooden doors as hinged lids. “All of us worked so hard on it,” Eldridge says of the new ground floor. “In my opinion, it’s our greatest room transformation ever.”

The former animal trough in the family room was turned into a storage bench.

When it came time to furnish and decorate the place, the team salvaged many pieces the previous owners had left behind: beds, nightstands, dressers, kitchenware, and decor including green glass bottles. They shopped locally for new materials, like stone for the kitchen counters, and special elements for the kids’ rooms, including lighting, wallpaper, and crown molding. The latter ended up being Morrill-Eldridge’s favorite part of the house. “It was fun seeing each one of their personalities come through in their rooms,” she says.

Maggie’s bedroom features an amber and gold light from Luce Più.

The MCM team designed a custom loft bed with a skateboard ladder and railing for Fletcher’s room.

Advertisement

Other items were built or DIYed by the team. For son Fletcher’s bedroom, the team built a wooden loft bed with a skateboard ladder. Morrill-Eldridge surprised her brother and sister-in-law with hand-stamped decorative pillows for the primary bedroom that match the blue patches of pattern seen on the walls, which was discovered underneath the paint. And perhaps the most special detail in the home is the mosaic they designed to go over the working fireplace in the kitchen. It features a lemon tree with six lemons, representing each member of the family.

The primary bedroom walls feature intentional patches of blue-gray pattern discovered underneath the paint.

On the exterior, the team added a staircase to connect the kitchen balcony to the ground level, where they also built a deck for dining and relaxing alfresco. The balcony railings were updated, and the exterior was refreshed with new stucco in a pale green shade that complements the surrounding landscape. Throughout the house, existing stonework was exposed to amplify the home’s charm. Plus, they even installed solar panels as an eco-friendly feature that also cuts costs.

The deck furniture is a mix of pieces by Bizzotto, the Maury’s brand Happy Garden, and L.L.Bean.

As far as rewarding projects go, this one tops the list. “The blood, sweat, and tears from all of us during the renovations is only the beginning of hopefully wonderful time spent in an amazing setting,” Morrill says.

During the spin-off finale, Eldridge declared, “We bring a lot of places back to life, but this could be our Mona Lisa—our masterpiece.”

Love looking at designer spaces for inspo? Us, too. Let’s obsess over them together.

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.