by: Michael R. Sisak | citizensvoice.com

Three days after taking over a Maine newspaper chain, former Times Leader editor and publisher Richard L. Connor doled out a sizable chunk of company cash to buy a sport-utility vehicle for his son, the chain's current publisher alleged Wednesday.

The purchase, MaineToday Media publisher Lisa DeSisto said in a memorandum to staff, was the first in a series of Connor misappropriations totalling more than $500,000. The memorandum was published on the Portland Press Herald website.