Casco Bay service askedAssociated Press — A citizen s group plagued by the five-week-old Casco Bay Lines ferry strike has asked Maine’s Public Utilities Commission to grant emergency authority to the skipper of a 70-foot vessel to begin ferry service.ThePUC is to conduct a hearing on the request today.The Island Citizens Association sought the license for Capt. Elliot Winslow of Southport to transport passengers and freight during the duration of the strike, which began in early December.The vessel would run between Peaks Island and Portland.Currently, the management of Casco Bay Lines has only one ferry in operation The petition is the first such request-submitted since the stride began.