Bar Harbor

More than $1 million intended to pay a contractor was sent to a fraudulent bank account.

Bar Harbor attorneys were back in court today at the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, for the latest arguments in a lawsuit concerning the town's controversial 1,000-person daily limit for cruise ship visitors.

Proponents of the moratorium said it will give them to time to study the impact that visitor accommodations have on traffic, permanent housing and the town's water, sewer and other infrastructure.

Bar Harbor residents have narrowly rejected a proposal to replace the town's 1,000-person cap for cruise ship visitors.

When residents of Bar Harbor go to the polls next month, they'll be asked to approve a new ordinance that would raise the limit on cruise ship visitors, and replace the existing cap of 1,000 people per day enacted two years ago.

The town council approved a new ordinance that sets a daily limit of 3,200 cruise passengers a day. But it won't go into effect unless residents vote to eliminate the original 1,000 passenger daily cap this fall.

The potential ordinance would set up a new licensing system for the town to enter into contracts with cruise lines, said council chair Valerie Peacock. The year-round daily limit would be 3,200 people, and the town sets a monthly cap that varies by season.

Town officials in Bar Harbor have approved new rules for the town's cruise ship ordinance.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals denied the motion without prejudice, which means businesses can request an injunction again at a later time.

Bar Harbor businesses are asking a federal court to stop the town from enforcing a daily cruise ship passenger limit until their appeal is decided.