The water quality in the Belgrade Lakes has been declining for 40 years and researchers worry it might take immediate action to reverse the trend.

A West Gardiner man pumping gas at Four Corners General Store barely jumped out of the way of an SUV that was hit by a vehicle that ran a stop sign at the intersection, police say.

Around 90 farms participated in Sunday’s Open Farm Day, a promotional event organized by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

Police say Joshua Salois, 31, wasn’t wearing a seatbelt when his car went off the road Sunday afternoon in Litchfield, rolled, hit a tree and ejected Salois.