Maine State News

These kids want to go to school. The main obstacle? Paperwork.

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:58:40 +0000

Onerous re-enrollment requirements, arcane paperwork and the everyday obstacles of poverty are preventing those children from going back.

Monday’s powerful storm latest example of bad weather made worse by climate change

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:50:09 +0000

It was the unseasonably warm weather that Maine is experiencing due to an increase in heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that gave the wet winter storm its powerful punch, scientists say.

She bought a colorful vase at Goodwill for $3.99. The rare piece sold at auction for $107,000

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:38:47 +0000

The auction house that sold it knows of only one other in this form and color combination. It is in a private collection.

With ‘deep sadness’ Gov. Janet Mills ponders Lewiston mass shooting

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 23:30:29 +0000

No easy answers for what should come next, but determined to consider every option.

Colorado Supreme Court bans Trump from the state’s ballot under Constitution’s insurrection clause

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 23:30:28 +0000

Donald Trump’s attorneys had promised to appeal any disqualification immediately to the nation's highest court, which has the final say about constitutional matters.

Colorado Supreme Court bans Trump from the state’s ballot under Constitution’s insurrection clause

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 23:27:47 +0000

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday declared former President Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause and removed him from the state’s presidential primary ballot, setting up a likely showdown in the nation’s highest court to decide whether the front-runner for the GOP nomination can remain in the race.

The decision from a court whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

“A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,” the court wrote in its 4-3 decision.

Colorado’s highest court overturned a ruling from a district court judge who found that Trump incited an insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but said he could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear that the provision was intended to cover the presidency.

The court stayed its decision until Jan. 4, or until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case.

Trump’s attorneys had promised to appeal any disqualification immediately to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has the final say about constitutional matters.

Story by Nicholas Riccardi, The Associated Press

Man killed in shootout with Portland police had been on probation for domestic assault

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 23:08:22 +0000

Kyle Desmarais, 42, was released from prison in February after he served time for domestic violence aggravated assault.

As climate warms, that perfect Christmas tree may depend on growers’ ability to adapt

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:49:26 +0000

For decades, Christmas tree growers and breeders have been preparing for a future of hotter weather and warming soil; the trees being grown right now are the beloved holiday traditions of tomorrow for millions of families.

A Palestinian baby girl, born 17 days ago during Gaza war, is killed with brother in Israeli strike

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:47:22 +0000

RAFAH, Gaza (AP) — She was born amid war, in a hospital with no electricity in a southern Gaza city that has been bombarded daily. Her family named her al-Amira Aisha — “Princess Aisha.” She didn’t complete her third week before she died, killed in an Israeli airstrike that crushed her family home Tuesday.

Her extended family was asleep when the strike leveled their apartment building in Rafah before dawn, said Suzan Zoarab, the infant’s grandmother and survivor of the blast. Hospital officials said 27 people were killed, among them Amira and her 2-year old brother, Ahmed.

“Just 2 weeks old. Her name hadn’t even been registered,” Suzan said, her voice quivering as she spoke from the side of her son’s hospital bed, who was also injured in the blast.

The family tragedy comes as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza nears 20,000, according to the Health Ministry. The vast majority have been killed in Israeli airstrikes which have relentlessly pounded the besieged Gaza enclave for two and a half months, often destroying homes with families inside.

The war was triggered when militants from Hamas, which rules Gaza, and other groups broke into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, and abducting 240 others.

The Zoarab family were among the few Palestinians in Gaza who remained in their own homes. Israel’s onslaught, one of the most destructive of the 21st century, has displaced some 1.9 million people — more than 80% of the territory’s population — sending them in search of shelter in U.N. schools, hospitals, tent camps or on the street.

But the Zoarabs stayed in their three-story apartment building. Two of Suzan’s sons had apartments on higher floors, but the extended family had been crowding together on the ground floor, believing it would be safer. When the strike hit, it killed at least 13 members of the Zoarab family, including a journalist, Adel, as well as displaced people sheltering nearby.

“We found the whole house had collapsed over us,” Suzan said. Rescue workers pulled them and other victims, living and dead, from the wreckage.

Israel says it is striking Hamas targets across Gaza and blames the militants for civilian deaths because they operate in residential areas. But it rarely explains its targeting behind specific strikes.

Princess Aisha was only 17 days old. She was born on Dec. 2 at the Emirati Red Crescent Hospital in Rafah while there was no power at the facility, Suzan said — less than 48 hours after bombardment of the town and the rest of Gaza resumed following the collapse of a week-long cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

“She was born in a very difficult situation,” Suzan said.

As of Monday, 28 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals across the Gaza Strip were reported as out of service, the U.N said, while eight remaining health facilities were only partially operational. Amid the devastation, some 50,000 Palestinian women are pregnant, the WHO said.

Princess Aisha and Ahmed’s parents survived — their mother, Malak, with burns and bruises on her face, their father, Mahmoud, with a fractured pelvis. As Mahmoud lay in his bed at Rafah’s Kuwati Hospital, Suzan brought him the two children for a final goodbye before they were buried.

Mahmoud grimaced with pain as he pulled himself up to cradle Ahmed, wrapped in a white burial shroud, before falling back and weeping. His wife held Princess Aisha, also bundled in white cloth, up to him.

Dozens of mourners held a funeral prayer Tuesday morning outside the hospital in Rafah, before taking Princess Aisha, Ahmed and the others killed in the strike for burial in a nearby cemetery

“I couldn’t protect my grandchildren” Suzan said. “I lost them in the blink of an eye.”

—-

Magdy reported from Cairo.

Maine airports see more people trying to bring guns through security

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:45:12 +0000

Airports in Augusta, Portland and Bangor have reported a total of 14 incidents of people trying to bring firearms through security checkpoints so far this year, a number that is twice what was reported for all of last year.

Elf Bar and other e-cigarette makers dodged U.S. customs and taxes after China’s ban on vaping flavors

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:41:24 +0000

Until recently, the Chinese manufacturer behind Elf Bar e-cigarettes was able to slip its products passed U.S. customs officials.

Maine officials were caught off guard by Monday’s powerful storm

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:40:00 +0000

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AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s preparations ahead of Monday’s destructive storm lagged those made before other recent and weaker weather events, with officials citing wind speeds and rainfall that came in far higher than expected.

Nearly 420,000 Mainers were without power Tuesday morning. Two people died after being hit by trees and another two are missing after their car was swept into a western Maine river. Severe flooding along rivers cut off rural areas of Maine. The state’s two major utilities, Central Maine Power Co. and Versant Power, warned that it could take days to restore power.

Many residents were surprised by the power of the storm, and officials were too. For example, the Maine Emergency Management Agency did not issue a news release ahead of Monday’s storm, as it did ahead of last week’s smaller storm and Hurricane Lee in September. Gov. Janet Mills had only issued statements closing state offices before declaring a state of civil emergency late Tuesday afternoon for 14 counties hit hardest by the storm.

“We are looking at a multi-day recovery effort right now, and Maine people can do their part by exercising vigilance and caution,” Mills said.

Monday’s wind speeds and several inches of rainfall that broke precipitation records in Bangor, Houlton and Caribou were more than initially forecast from the National Weather Service, noted Vanessa Corson, a spokesperson for the state EMA.

She noted that the agency used social media to share flooding information and forecasts over the weekend ahead of the storm. It also held a Sunday call with county agencies and Emergency Response Team partners to discuss expectations and staffing for the storm, Corson said. The agency’s emergency operations center was activated as of Tuesday afternoon.

CMP spokesperson Jon Breed said the utility serving more than 650,000 customers was expecting roughly 60 mph winds. Versant, which covers parts of central and eastern Maine, started planning last week for Monday’s storm but “didn’t necessarily expect” winds to surpass 80 mph like they did in Maine and other parts of the East Coast, spokesperson Judy Long said.

Forecaster Mike Haggett, who lives in Kennebunk and has a devoted following on his Pine Tree Weather website and social media pages, had warned Sunday the third storm for the region in the last three weeks was “shaping up to be the most potent.” He thought that many Mainers may have partially checked out on the storm due to holiday preparations.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the business of the holidays and lose track of what’s happening,” Haggett said.

CMP and Versant reported a combined total of 376,000 customers remained without power as of early Tuesday afternoon. In Maine’s capital of Augusta, the Kennebec River had spilled across a waterfront parking area to the eastern block of downtown buildings around noon Tuesday. It was almost at eye level along Water Street in nearby Hallowell.

Entire neighborhoods across Maine were eerily dark into Tuesday night. Monmouth resident Jason Grundstrom-Whitney said he was not expecting to have to periodically sit in his car to charge his phone in between going to the dentist in Augusta and other errands that day.

Grundstrom-Whitney, a retired substance use counselor, said he and his family lit a “forest of candles” in their apartment Monday night. He expressed frustration at CMP’s restoration times and felt forecasting could have been better but appreciated the balmier temperatures outside.

“You can’t begrudge them,” he said of meteorologists and emergency management officials. “New England is a difficult place to forecast weather.”

What to do with fallen wood during storm cleanup

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:34:13 +0000

This story was originally published in October 2017.

If Mother Nature gives you downed trees, you could simply look on the bright side — like how many cords of firewood have suddenly become available.

But when it comes to turning those fallen trees into manageable pieces of wood, those who are in the business say it is best and safest to leave it to the experts.

“We take classes on how to do it,” said Andrew Marquis of Marquis Tree Works in St. Agatha. “Around here, everyone has a chain saw but if it’s a really large tree or if you lack experience, hire someone who knows what they are doing; there are just too many variables that can go wrong for the inexperienced,” Marquis said.

Marquis and his crew are no strangers to cutting trees down, but they prefer doing the job themselves.

“When trees are blown or pushed down by Mother Nature, we hate it,” Marquis said. “If it’s been blown down there can be pressure points you don’t see [and] when you cut into it there is a danger of it springing back or rolling over on you.”

It was still too windy Oct. 30, 2017, for Patrick Deighan, owner of Maine Tree Solutions in Newburgh, to go out and assess how many trees were down in his area. But he knows there will be a lot.

“I’ve gotten 15 or 20 calls so far from people with downed trees, but when it’s this windy it can still be dangerous,” he said. “I’ll probably head out later today and if I do see any blocking driveways I can cut them out, but if they are near power lines, it’s going to have to wait.”

Trees, according to Marquis, are excellent conductors of electricity.

“You really need to assess the situation,” Marquis said. “If the tree is on a live power line or resting on a metal guardrail and there is a line touching the guardrail even 1,000 feet down the road, it’s still dangerous, so let the guys who know what they are doing take care of it and stay out of their way.”

A storm on Oct. 30, 2017, left more than a half million Mainers without power, flooded roadways, downed trees and one heck of a mess to clean up.

It also took out Sarah and James Higgins’ chicken run when a giant birch on the couple’s Brewer property toppled in the high winds.

“It’s a wreck,” Sarah Higgins said. “The coop is perfectly fine, but the run is literally mooshed in half.”

Now the Higginses, like countless property owners across the state, are looking at a tree that once stood tall, but is now lying on its side.

Of course, cutting the tree up is the first problem.

What, then, does one do with several cords of unexpected wood in the yard?

“They can use it for firewood,” Marquis said. “Split it, cord it, stack it or put it on a pallet and let air circulate under it.”

If it’s rotted in places, the best solution is to cull those pieces out and have them hauled away.

Deighan said it depends on the tree, but for the most part any hardwood — maple, beech, birch — makes perfectly good firewood, as long as it is allowed to season for at least a year. That means this storm’s fallen trees will make great firewood for October 2018 and beyond.

“Right now any wood from a tree that just fell is way too wet,” he said. “Let it season through the summer and you have next year’s wood — unless you like having a log that takes forever to burn and just keeps sizzling.”

More than that, it can create a real hazard.

Burning wood that is “green,” or not seasoned, creates creosote — the tar-like substance that is a byproduct of burning wet wood. It’s highly flammable, so buildup of creosote inside a chimney can lead to chimney fires. Likewise, burning softwood in an indoor furnace isn’t recommended.

“A lot of the newer wood stoves have catalytic converters, and the higher, thicker sap content in the softwoods can really gunk those up,” Deighan said.

However, if you use an outdoor wood-fired furnace that pumps heat into the house, Deighan said, that can burn all varieties of soft and hard wood regardless of how green it may be.

Softwoods include fir, spruce and cedar.

If you don’t want to season wood for a year, though, or don’t need the wood at all, Deighan said another option is to have the tree sections simply hauled away to a lumber yard or biomass processing plant.

Over at the Higgins house, Sarah Higgins said she had some chain saw-savvy friends on the job cutting up the birch tree and clearing out around the chicken coop.

“I’m not sure what we will do with the wood,” she said. “We may try to integrate some of the stumps into a new chicken run, or if anyone wants some firewood, here it is.”

As for the flock of 16 birds, Higgins said there were no injuries to report.

In fact, the 11 Rhode Island Reds and five Bard Rocks seemed to have nary a feather ruffled.

“The chickens could really have cared less,” she said with a laugh. “A couple of them got over the broken fencing, but when I went out with a bag of mealworms, they just came running back [and] we’ve wrangled them all back into the coop while we take the tree down.”

Former Houlton co-op hockey coach returns to lead Blackhawks

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:30:58 +0000

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Tony Marino is back as the head coach of the Houlton/Hodgdon/Katahdin hockey cooperative high school team after replacing Karl Enroth.

Marino, who coached the Blackhawks for six seasons from 2013-14 to 2018-19, served as an assistant during Enroth’s two seasons as the head coach.

Marino took over the Blackhawks in the 2013-14 season and, after going 2-51 in his first three years, guided them to a 9-8-1 campaign in 2016-17 and an 8-9-1 mark in 2017-18. They went 3-14-1 in his final season before former head coach Joel Trickey took over for the 2019-20 season and went 4-14.

There was no season in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Enroth took over the next year. The Blackhawks went 3-15 last season after a 1-13 campaign in 2021-22.

“It’s always exciting to do it. I like high school hockey,” said the 50-year-old Marino.

The Blackhawks have played just one game so far, losing to defending Class B North champion Messalonskee of Oakland 5-0.

He said his preparation for games is going to be a little different than it was in the past.

“I really learned a lot from Karl,” Marino said. “It was eye-opening. People do things different ways, and it’s always good to get another perspective.”

He wasn’t sure he would be able to coach with his busy work schedule, but he has been able to juggle both.

“It’s going to be really exciting to see how the season goes,” said Marino, who is also looking forward to coaching his son, Patrick, a sophomore center. Marino said it was one of the reasons he wanted to take the job.

Marino coached another son, Andrew, during his previous stint as the Blackhawks head coach.

He has 16 players, including five seniors, and he said his team will be solid on defense and goaltending.

Goalie Dawson Cole was a second team All-Class B North all-star last season.

“Goal-scoring and attacking are our points of emphasis right now,” Marino said. “That’s what we’re working on.”

Enroth feels Marino will do a good job.

“He knows the players, the returnees and the new kids, and he knows the area,” Enroth said.

Enroth is the golf pro and general manager at the Megunticook Golf Club in Rockport, and had to step back from coaching to oversee a major renovation at the clubhouse.

Enroth and partner Michelle own rental cabins and a tavern in Mount Chase, a town in Penobscot County that borders Aroostook County.

He had previously guided Camden Hills High School in Rockport to a 111-76-6 record in 10 years as its head hockey coach before having his contract terminated after the 2017-18 season.

Enroth and Marino worked with developing the youth program in the Houlton area and Marino said it has grown well.

“We have a couple of teams at the 10-under level,” Marino said. “The numbers are pretty good.”

The Blackhawks will play again on Thursday when they visit archrival Presque Isle at 7 p.m.

CMP again struggles to communicate with customers during restoration

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:29:56 +0000

The state's largest utility has been criticized in the past for failing to provide solid information during catastrophic events.

Letter: Adopt clean car standards to expand consumer choice and reduce costs

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:11:07 +0000

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

The Dec. 12 column in the Bangor Daily News opposing proposed clean cars standards for Maine includes what I believe are several unsubstantiated claims, and I hope to correct the record ahead of a vote on this important standard for Maine.

Adopting these standards is consistent with Maine’s long-standing practice of adopting strong fuel-efficiency and tailpipe pollution standards going back decades, and they are needed to meet Maine’s greenhouse gas reduction targets as required by law. Zero-emission vehicle drivers can save $20 to $30 every time they fill up, and the standards are designed to ensure Mainers can participate and benefit as the clean energy transition happens and not get left behind.

The standards only apply to automakers, and establish a gradually increasing sales requirement starting with model year 2027. There are no purchase requirements for individuals or businesses whatsoever, and the standards don’t apply to used vehicles sales — the large majority of vehicle sales in Maine. Mainers are and will be free to purchase whatever vehicles they choose if the standard is adopted.

The column references an “apparent lack of enthusiasm” for EVs here in Maine, but the number of EVs on Maine roads has more than tripled in the past three years. Mainers that drive EVs love them: NRCM’s 2022 survey of every EV owner in the state found that 98 percent of them would recommend an EV to a friend. EVs save money and reduce pollution. Our job now is to expand consumer choice and reduce costs for more Mainers by adopting the Advanced Clean Cars II standards.

Josh Caldwell, climate and clean energy outreach coordinator, Natural Resources Council of Maine
Augusta

Letter: Electric Vehicle standards would be a bad choice for Maine

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:06:05 +0000

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

I run a bus business, and we contract with schools to transport students to school and to sporting events. We had the opportunity to use an electric bus, and I can say from that experience, it would never meet the needs of the school systems.

First of all, the drive from Rockland to Augusta, a distance of 43 miles, used 70 percent of the battery. There’s no way we could get back without spending hours charging. On top of that, the bus had to be heated with diesel because the battery could never support that high need for power. In my experience, an electric bus cannot meet the transportation needs of the school systems in Maine. How do you get the kids to state athletic events if the vehicle uses 100 percent of its power after about 65 miles?

A major concern for me is the potential instability of the battery. The possibility that it could catch on fire is too horrific to think about. How do you get 40 children out of a burning bus?

I think the fact that the Board of Environmental Protection is considering mandating the sale of a high percentage of electric vehicles in Maine is beyond all reason. EVs are a bad choice for my business, and they are a bad choice for Maine.

Wayne Luce

Hope

West Newfield man pleads not guilty to murder charge

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 22:05:57 +0000

Gary Mariner, 65, is accused of killing Danielle Goodwin, 52, of Freeport, in September.

IRS to waive $1 billion in penalties for people and firms owing back taxes for 2020 or 2021

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:59:20 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS said Tuesday it is going to waive penalty fees for people who failed to pay back taxes that total less than $100,000 per year for tax years 2020 and 2021.

Nearly 5 million people, businesses and tax-exempt organizations — most making under $400,000 per year — will be eligible for the relief starting this week, which totals about $1 billion, the agency said.

The IRS temporarily suspended mailing automated reminders to pay overdue tax bills during the pandemic, beginning in February 2022, and agency leadership says the pause in automated reminders is a reason behind the decision to forgive the failure-to-pay penalties.

“Due to the unprecedented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, these reminders would have normally been issued as a follow up after the initial notice,” the IRS said in a statement.

“Although these reminder notices were suspended, the failure-to-pay penalty continues to accrue for taxpayers who did not fully pay their bills in response to the initial balance due notice.”

While the IRS plans to resume sending out normal collection notices, the Tuesday announcement is meant as one-time relief based on the unprecedented interruption caused by the pandemic, IRS officials said.

“It was an extraordinary time and the IRS had to take extraordinary steps,” IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel told reporters. He said the change will be automatic for many taxpayers and will not require additional action.

Taxpayers are eligible for automatic relief if they filed a Form 1040, 1041, 1120 series or Form 990-T tax return for years 2020 or 2021, owe less than $100,000 per year in back taxes, and received an initial balance-due notice between Feb. 5, 2022 and Dec. 7, 2023.

If people paid the failure-to-pay penalty, they will get a refund, Werfel said on a call with reporters. “People need to know the IRS is on their side,” he said.

Mainers may not have power restored until Christmas

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:49:15 +0000

Officials from Maine’s two largest electric utilities say it will likely take through the end of the week to restore power after Monday’s destructive storm, though the hardest-hit areas could be waiting until Christmas.

Restoration efforts could take into the weekend for heavily damaged areas, Central Maine Power said in a Tuesday morning update. Interior parts of the state likely have longer restoration timelines, perhaps from five to six days, because some areas are too heavily flooded to access, spokesperson Jon Breed said around 3:30 p.m.

The company serves 673,950 customers in central and southern Maine, and 262,050 were without power as of 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to its website.

Versant will work to restore power through the end of the week, spokesperson Judy Long said. The company serves 166,598 customers in eastern and northern Maine, and there were roughly 96,000 outages at the peak of the storm. About 80,000 customers remained without power as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, with the largest pockets in Bangor, Brewer, Ellsworth, Hampden and Orrington.

Monday’s wind storm brought widespread destruction and power outages to Maine just before December holidays. Two people are dead, and two others are missing after their vehicle was washed away in a flood in Mexico. No one can say exactly how long it will take to restore power, but Mainers should be prepared for days without it, according to the latest from its largest utilities.

“We have damage at our substations that needs to be repaired before we can move to distribution lines. That’s our focus today,” Long said, adding emergencies, like moving trees off power lines, will be prioritized.

CMP brought in “several hundred personnel” ahead of the storm, Breed said. More than 650 workers from as far away as Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and the Canadian province of Ontario are starting to arrive to assist with the removal of debris and trees.

In an update posted at 11 a.m. Tuesday, the company wrote that close to 2,000 people, including 1,400 line and tree workers across its service area, are working to bring power back to parts of Maine. Arborists, mechanics and damage assessors and others from CMP’s sister companies in New York and Connecticut are also involved.

Damage assessors observe broken trees and poles, transformers that need to be replaced and wires that need to be restrung, then decide the crews and equipment needed for repairs. They do this by driving the extent of circuits and in some cases flying helicopters.

Versant began preparing for the storm last week, relying on daily updates from its meteorologist and the National Weather Service. The company was prepared Monday morning with a full slate of internal and contractor crews and support staff, knowing the storm would likely be powerful, Long said.

As restoration wraps up in communities affected earlier by the storm, the company hopes to pick up more crews. No utility ever has enough workers to deal with a storm of this magnitude without help from contractors and other utilities, Long said.

“Our approach is to try to go after damage to circuits that serve the largest number of customers,” she said, which does not necessarily mean tackling cities before more rural areas.

CMP and Versant urged members of the public not to remove trees and branches from power lines. It may take time, but crews will get there, the companies said.

During storms such as these, CMP works with partners like the Maine Emergency Management Agency to clear roads for emergency vehicles and de-energize downed wires. Crews prioritize important facilities, including hospitals and water and sewer treatment plants.

“We will work around the clock until power is restored to all customers,” the company said.

Maine needs to create its own future, not just let it happen

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:49:05 +0000

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.

Peter Neill is the director of the World Ocean Observatory, producer of World Ocean Radio, a weekly audio feature on ocean issues, distributed worldwide, and host to the WERU Community Radio monthly program, Conversations from the Pointed Firs. He lives in Sedgwick.

Maine is strong because it is small; Maine is weak because it is small. Today it faces the challenges to its natural environment and the attractions of its quality of life. Various initiatives — offshore wind, and land-based aquaculture, for example — represent new opportunities for new industry, employment and tax revenue, although these face sometimes debilitating opposition from long-standing vested interests and fear of change.

The Maine economy is presently based on three primary elements: tourism, fisheries and manufacturing (mostly government subsidized). Our educational system reflects conventional organization and academic disciplines, and yet we face a pervasive decline in skilled personnel for the trades and other workforce specialties designed to meet even our present needs. In the past, we have experienced the outmigration of young people who left the state for better opportunities. And we must be aware that we are just one parasite or temperature gradient away from a collapse of traditional fisheries; just as we are one shift in the political wind from the catastrophic withdrawal of government grants, subsidies and contracts.

There is change in the wind. We are experiencing a renewal of people, young and old, from near and far, coming to Maine specifically for the quality of life that is reduced elsewhere by overpopulation, community conflict, and climate change. There is movement evident toward a shift in values enabling new structures and behaviors. The question becomes obvious: are we prescient enough to anticipate the needs of these new Mainers? Are we strong enough to have a strategic plan that will provide and accelerate the values these new “immigrants” bring to our community?

One of Maine’s historical strengths has been ingenuity, the spirit of invention that has contributed to a kind of practical “tinker” mentality that has given the world many things from the first trans-Atlantic television signal, sealed divers suit, machine gun and earmuffs.

That spirit is the basis for what today is described as “the creative economy,” a capacity that is traditionally characterized as art and culture, but which must now include science and communication as focus for creative minds everywhere. We know this creativity exists, as evinced by artistic rendition of our landscape, seascape and working life that lies at the core of tourism marketing and associated revenue and employment. We advertise that creativity by marketing brochures, media, and highway signs.

But it is so much more than complacent, stereotypical imaging. It is the authentic amalgam of independent creators — artists, musicians, poets and writer, yes, but, more recently, new farmers practicing new methods, new entrepreneurs building new companies, new engineers inventing new hardware and software reaching new global connections, and new scientists who find that their innovative research can be pursued here as easily as at an urban institute or an anonymous building amidst suburban highway sprawl.

But, we do too little to recognize this community as a serious aspect of our future. I believe that state government budgets in support of the arts and humanities are an embarrassment. We offer few ingenious incentives to lure such enterprise here or support it upon arrival. Our training programs are largely conventional, not enough to meet existing needs, and certainly not fully designed to train workers in the new skills required to take creative ideas from imagination to market. By not fully recognizing creativity as a vital economic force, measured both by finance and quality of life, we are ignoring what may be the most important force by which to create our future.

The demographic predictions of climate consequence indicate that Maine is one of the most beneficial places to live in the United States. Another wave from “away” is already arriving to rejuvenate our communities, our schools, our civic lives, and our values.

What will be our response? Will we fail to embrace that future because of a failure of imagination? Will we reinvent ourselves and move to acknowledge that this extant, expanding creative economy as the most important strategic opportunity we face to sustain and invigorate “the way life should be?”

The opportunity demands vision and leadership. Will we create our future, or just let it be?

Both lanes of I-95 to close in Bangor overnight Wednesday

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:48:32 +0000

Both lanes of the Interstate 95 bridge that carries drivers over Broadway will be closed for six hours on Wednesday night.

Maine Department of Transportation workers will be working to remove the overhead sign on I-95 that drivers travel under as they approach the off-ramps. Work will commence around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, continuing into Thursday morning and wrap up around 5 a.m., according to state officials.

A detour will be implemented, and drivers are asked to plan accordingly.

The overpass renovations are part of a multi-stage plan to add businesses along that section of Broadway, including a new Starbucks location.

Questions may be directed to the Maine DOT at 207-624-3000.

Janet Mills declares state of emergency due to powerful wind storm

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:41:55 +0000

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills declared a state of emergency in all but two of Maine’s 16 counties on Tuesday, a day after a powerful storm knocked out power to half the state.

The declaration from the Democratic governor allows Maine to respond quicker to the severe damage across the state. More than 420,000 households were without power early Tuesday, and many rural areas were cut off from main roads due to flooding and downed trees.

That came after Monday’s storm brought gusts of wind over 80 mph to parts of Maine along with a deluge of rain that caused flooding along inland rivers. Two people died while clearing debris, and another two were missing after their car was swept into a western Maine river.

Mills announced that she had declared an emergency at 4 p.m. Before that, the Democrat had been silent on the storm aside from statements announcing the closure of state offices.

Her declaration gives her sweeping power to manage the storm response and sets the state up to request federal disaster relief once it estimates the damage. Mills said she will evaluate the need for the emergency order daily and rescind it once it is no longer necessary. It applies to all of Maine except for Cumberland and York counties, which were less affected by the storm.

“We are looking at a multi-day recovery effort right now, and Maine people can do their part by exercising vigilance and caution,” she said.

Portland postpones clearing Harbor View Park encampment

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:39:28 +0000

PORTLAND, Maine — City officials did not start clearing a homeless encampment around the Portland end of the Casco Bay Bridge Tuesday morning as previously planned.

According to Maine Public, Portland city councilors approved a resolution Monday night opposing the plans to clear the encampment in Harbor View Memorial Park. The resolution passed on a 7-2 vote, with Mayor Mark Dion among those in opposition.

It’s unclear when the city will go through with its plan to remove the encampment, but Preble Street Executive Director Mark Swann, who was at the encampment Tuesday morning, said Portland City Manager Danielle West had communicated to him that action was being delayed until at least Dec. 28.

Preble Street is one of the city’s largest homeless services providers.

After the delay, Swann said, city officials would reassess the situation based on outreach workers’ progress in convincing encampment residents to seek shelter.

On Tuesday, as it became clear the city was not going through with previous clearance plans, campers emerged from their waterlogged tents, sharing cigarettes and drinking coffee brought by workers from Preble Street.

One camper, who gave his name as Chris, said he was going to start moving anyway. He indicated it would be somewhere else in the city but didn’t want to say where.

He also said he wasn’t interested in going to one of the city-run shelters because he had two dogs that would not be welcomed there.

“After seven years together,” he said, “we have an emotional bond.”

The city’s clearance plans came after it removed similarly large encampments from the Bayside Trail, the Fore River Parkway Trail and Deering Oaks Park earlier in the year. The state also removed an encampment from a parking lot on Marginal Way this fall.

With temperatures dropping, officials said they fear more tent-dwellers will be at risk for fires while trying to stay warm. Two people in tents, one in Portland and the other in Sanford, recently died in fires. In total, there have been 12 deaths in Portland campsites so far this year. Portland officials also said there have been seven overdoses at Harbor View, one being fatal.

A recent survey during the intake process at the Homeless Services Center revealed the top barrier to accepting a bed was the loss of autonomy. In an attempt to counteract that concern, the city has extended the shelter curfew to 11 p.m.

Flooding prompts evacuations in some Maine cities and towns

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:30:07 +0000

Parts of several cities and towns are being evacuated as flooding continues in the wake of the storm that unleashed torrents of rain and high winds across the state Monday.

Fairfield

Fairfield issued a voluntary evacuation of Upper Main Street, including Cardinal and Crane Drive, on the river side of Water Street, and of Bunker Avenue and Mill Island, CBS 13 reported.

Lewiston

The city of Lewiston issued a flood evacuation Tuesday afternoon stating that residents of the following areas should leave no later than 5 p.m. today and remain away until Wednesday at noon:

– Switzerland Road at St. Peter’s Cemetery, 217 Switzerland Road to Gulf Island Avenue

– Tall Pines Drive from North Woods to Strawberry Avenue

– Oxford Street at Cedar Street

– River Street at Oxford Street, Nel Court

– Lincoln Drive

– Lincoln Terrace

– River Road at Ferry Road will have limited access

– Lincoln Street from Cedar Street to South Avenue

Authorities warned residents not drive in these areas or anywhere the road is flooded. Residents who need a shelter location, should go to the cafeteria at Connors Elementary, 400 Bartlett St. Residents who need help evacuating should call the dispatch non-emergency number: 207-784-6421.

Waterville

In Waterville, where the Kennebec River crested its banks, residents were evacuated from Water Street from City Scuba to Healy Court and surrounding areas, including the Hathaway Creative Center, according to the Kennebec Journal.

Migrant child’s death and other hospitalizations spark concern over shelter conditions

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:25:14 +0000

CHICAGO (AP) — The death of a 5-year-old migrant boy and reported illnesses in other children living at a warehouse retrofitted as a shelter has raised fresh concerns about the living conditions and medical care provided for asylum-seekers arriving in Chicago.

Medical professionals have worried for months about the disjointed healthcare system, saying new arrivals in the U.S. face numerous health issues. For many, the problems are either related to their journey, including trauma, or from living in crowded group settings where infections spread easily and quickly.

Five-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez was a resident at a shelter in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood when he suffered a medical emergency, then was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Comer Children’s Hospital on Sunday afternoon, the city said. Six more people living in the shelter — four children and two adults — were hospitalized this week, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford.

All had been living in the same shelter as Martinez, whose family arrived in Chicago on Nov. 30. The cause of death was still “pending” on Tuesday, according to Cook County medical examiner records.

While city officials on Tuesday dismissed the notion of an outbreak at the shelter, there have been clusters of illness at other shelters where people sleep on cots close to each other, including chicken pox and hand foot and mouth disease. Area doctors are growing increasingly worried about RSV and COVID-19 this winter.

“These are hard environments for people to rest and feel good and be able to take care of themselves,” said Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, who recently toured the shelter where the boy was living. She runs a nearby food pantry and has spent most of her medical career working with homeless, immigrant and low-income populations.

About 2,300 people are staying at the shelter, a former warehouse near downtown. The space has about 10 isolation rooms for when people get sick, according to Figueroa.

Questions about the environment for migrants come as Chicago is winding down its much-maligned practice of using police stations and airports for temporarily housing migrants arriving in the city. However, its use of shelters — which range from park district field houses to commercial spaces — have prompted equal criticism.

Residents have complained of faulty heat, water leaks, expired food and crowded conditions that are closed to the public, including reporters and some volunteers who were critical in providing medical care at police stations.

More than 26,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago over the past year by bus and plane with about 14,000 currently in shelters. Roughly 10,000 have been resettled into their own places, which is the city’s ultimate goal. Chicago recently instituted a 60-day limit for shelters, with the first batch of evictions taking effect next month.

In another setback earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration announced that it is scrapping plans for a temporary winter camp for migrants in the city’s Brighton Park neighborhood on the southwest side, citing the risk of contaminants at the former industrial site.

Some medical professionals worry that more migrants will end up back at police stations or on the street.

“We are going to be needed again very shortly,” said Sara Izquierdo, a medical student at the University of Illinois Chicago, who organized teams of medics to provide free care at police stations.

She and others argue that they city hasn’t done enough to provide basic care.

City officials say each person is evaluated for medical issues when placed at city shelters and the city has partnered with two organizations to provide weekly medical care at shelters.

The city also pointed to its partnership with Cook County, which set up a clinic exclusively for migrants last year on the city’s northwest side. As many as 100 patients are seen per day for vaccines, routine health concerns like rashes, and referrals for dental care or mental health issues. The clinic has seen more than 18,000 patients overall.

The Chicago Department of Public Health said Tuesday it didn’t appear the boy died from an infectious disease, though an investigation was ongoing. City officials also said that the other illnesses do not appear to have originated in the same shelter and “are consistent with ongoing seasonal respiratory trends.”

“There is no evidence of an outbreak at the shelter,” the city said in a statement Tuesday.

City officials also offered a fuller account of the day the boy died, saying the family left the shelter for the day and returned around 2:30 p.m. About 13 minutes later, shelter staff saw a medical emergency, called 911 and administered first aid, including chest compressions, until medics arrived.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has directed blame at border states. He told reporters earlier this week that “the conditions in which people are arriving in Chicago are quite disturbing,” he said. “People are showing up in very extreme circumstances. Very very unhealthy.”

He cited Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s practice of busing migrants to northern cities without notice and migrants’ strenuous, perilous journeys from their home countries as reasons for the health issues shelter residents are facing.

“They’re just dropping off people anywhere. Do you understand how raggedy and how evil that is?” Johnson said.

The shelters are run by a private-staffing company, Favorite Healthcare Staffing, which city officials have said provides some basic medical care and calls ambulances. At the Pilsen shelter, one Chicago organization has helped with medical care a few hours a week.

The city has spent about $94 million for Favorite Healthcare’s services — nearly 70% of its total spending, despite critics’ claims that Favorite’s costs are exorbitant and shelter conditions and resident treatment are poor. The company, which staffs the shelter where Martinez had lived, said they are working with the city and other authorities to investigate the incident.

“We are heartbroken to learn of the death of a child at a Pilsen shelter on Sunday, and we send our deepest condolences to his loved ones and community. We take the safety and wellbeing of all shelter residents seriously,” Vice President Keenan Driver said in an emailed statement.

A vigil for the child and family is scheduled for Wednesday evening.

___

Savage is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Stay safe, stay warm and stay kind during storm recovery

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:04:48 +0000

The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.

The storm on Monday surprised many people across the state, and left a string of wind damage, flooding and power outages in its wake. At least two people have died, and at least two others remain missing as of Tuesday afternoon. Dangerous flooding has swelled into roadways and community centers, many roads have experienced closures and hundreds of thousands of people have lost power.

In short, it has been scary and ugly out there. And for some, relief might take a little while to arrive. An update from Versant Power indicated that some outages could stretch multiple days. Gov. Janet Mills also emphasized the expectation of a “multi-day recovery” in a statement announcing that state offices would be closed for the entire day on Tuesday, after closing early on Monday.

“My administration remains in close contact with Maine’s county emergency management agencies and with our electric utilities,” Mills said in part of the Tuesday statement. “We are expecting a multi-day recovery effort at this point, and, for now, we continue to strongly encourage people, especially those in more heavily impacted areas, to stay off the roads to give crews the space they need to clear debris and restore power as quickly as possible.”

Unfortunately, people need to be prepared for the dangers, challenges and inconveniences to last several days. The sun may have come out Tuesday afternoon in much of the state, but for many, power might remain out for a while. With unseasonably warm temperatures set to drop as the week goes on, Mainers should familiarize and re-familiarize themselves with recommendations and best practices about how to stay safe and warm during sustained power outages, particularly during the winter months.

Our BDN colleague Emily Burnham has put together a helpful list of ways to do just that. With temperatures expected to dip below freezing Tuesday night and again later this week, people should be conscious of the potential for pipes to freeze. With many furnaces not working, people should be very careful with alternative heating sources and make sure they are safe for indoor use — including that they won’t cause carbon monoxide poisoning. As emphasized by the Maine Emergency Management Agency, generators should never be run inside homes and other indoor areas, and people should make sure generators are 15 feet away from — and exhaust is not directed toward — windows, doors and vents.

For people who are unable to stay warm at home or looking to charge their phones, MEMA’s website includes a list of warming and other centers in communities around the state. When in doubt or without the ability to check the website, people should contact their local municipal office or public safety department to see what resources are available. People can also call 211 for information about available resources.

“Our website has a list of warming and charging centers and disaster/emergency shelters. These facilities are operated at the local level, they are not run by the state,” MEMA spokesperson Vanessa Corson said in a statement to the BDN editorial board. “Not all centers offer the same amenities; some are strictly to get warm and charge your phone while others may have showers or food. If you have medical needs or special requirements, such as powered medical equipment or medication requiring refrigeration, call the center ahead and discuss your needs. There may be stipulations on pets. Visit: Maine.gov/MEMA or call 211 Maine to find out where the centers are located.”

According to MEMA, freezers and refrigerators should be kept closed when the power goes out, and a refrigerator should keep food cold for roughly four hours while a full freezer should maintain temperature for about 48 hours. The agency recommends throwing food out if the temperature gets to 40 degrees or higher.

If people lose food bought using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, they can apply within 10 days to have that replaced.

The Maine Forest Service also has recommendations for storm cleanup. These include safely addressing downed trees and branches, and contacting utilities companies whenever power lines are entangled with trees.

BDN staff has also compiled a list of stores and restaurants in Bangor that remained open as of Tuesday, and connected with area residents as they prepared for more time without power. Along with preparedness, kindness will also be key in the next few days. There is great power in small acts of kindness, like the unknown man who helped someone pay for gas and get home to Stetson Monday night when her tank was running out, the gas station was only taking cash and she didn’t have any.

There is almost sure to be continued frustration for folks during the ongoing storm recovery. But as much as possible, let’s try not to be frustrated with each other. Let’s be patient with the staff at local stores and restaurants as they deal with long lines and logistical challenges. Let’s be patient with each other, not knowing what exact situation everyone else is facing right now. And let’s check in on family, friends and neighbors to offer help when we can.

“Mainers are tough and we won’t let this slow us down,” Nick Oettinger of Winterport told the BDN at Hannaford on Tuesday morning. We appreciate and agree with the sentiment.

Regardless of how tough Mainers are, the impacts of this storm are still going to slow some of us down more than others. We trust that the Mainers in a position to help will be there for each other this week. And we expect that local and state government will step up to provide resources to those in need, and will ask the federal government for help as well. Mills declared a state of civil emergency on Tuesday afternoon for 14 of Maine’s 16 counties, with the exception of Cumberland and York counties. This mobilizes state resources and sets the state up to request additional federal help.

If you need help, please ask for it. And if you can offer help, please do so.

Portland murder suspect pleads guilty at last minute

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 20:49:38 +0000

Damion Butterfield chose not to hear the jury's verdict Tuesday, and instead pleaded guilty to killing Derald Coffin in April 2022, agreeing to serve 35 years in prison.

Photos: Mainers assess damage from devastating Monday storm

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 20:35:31 +0000

The devastating wind storm that hit Maine left nearly 420,000 without power and at least two dead across the state on Monday. Several western Maine communities were hit hard by flooding, which closed roads and blocked off routes. In Bangor, some stores and restaurants in remained open Tuesday.

Maine State News

These kids want to go to school. The main obstacle? Paperwork.

Monday’s powerful storm latest example of bad weather made worse by climate change

She bought a colorful vase at Goodwill for $3.99. The rare piece sold at auction for $107,000

With ‘deep sadness’ Gov. Janet Mills ponders Lewiston mass shooting

Colorado Supreme Court bans Trump from the state’s ballot under Constitution’s insurrection clause

Colorado Supreme Court bans Trump from the state’s ballot under Constitution’s insurrection clause

Man killed in shootout with Portland police had been on probation for domestic assault

As climate warms, that perfect Christmas tree may depend on growers’ ability to adapt

A Palestinian baby girl, born 17 days ago during Gaza war, is killed with brother in Israeli strike

Maine airports see more people trying to bring guns through security

Elf Bar and other e-cigarette makers dodged U.S. customs and taxes after China’s ban on vaping flavors

Maine officials were caught off guard by Monday’s powerful storm

What to do with fallen wood during storm cleanup

Former Houlton co-op hockey coach returns to lead Blackhawks

CMP again struggles to communicate with customers during restoration

Letter: Adopt clean car standards to expand consumer choice and reduce costs

Letter: Electric Vehicle standards would be a bad choice for Maine

West Newfield man pleads not guilty to murder charge

IRS to waive $1 billion in penalties for people and firms owing back taxes for 2020 or 2021

Mainers may not have power restored until Christmas

Maine needs to create its own future, not just let it happen

Both lanes of I-95 to close in Bangor overnight Wednesday

Janet Mills declares state of emergency due to powerful wind storm

Portland postpones clearing Harbor View Park encampment

Flooding prompts evacuations in some Maine cities and towns

Fairfield

Lewiston

Waterville

Migrant child’s death and other hospitalizations spark concern over shelter conditions

Stay safe, stay warm and stay kind during storm recovery

Portland murder suspect pleads guilty at last minute

Photos: Mainers assess damage from devastating Monday storm

The Wells Jetty, pictured during storm surge on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023.

A car floats in a flooded parking lot at the Hathaway Creative Center alongside the Kennebec River in Waterville, Maine. A severe storm on Monday flooded rivers and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP

A man pauses at the edge of a flooded road near the Kennebec River, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Fairfield, Maine. A severe storm on Monday flooded rivers and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Maine State News

These kids want to go to school. The main obstacle? Paperwork.

Monday’s powerful storm latest example of bad weather made worse by climate change

She bought a colorful vase at Goodwill for $3.99. The rare piece sold at auction for $107,000

With ‘deep sadness’ Gov. Janet Mills ponders Lewiston mass shooting

Colorado Supreme Court bans Trump from the state’s ballot under Constitution’s insurrection clause

Colorado Supreme Court bans Trump from the state’s ballot under Constitution’s insurrection clause

Man killed in shootout with Portland police had been on probation for domestic assault

As climate warms, that perfect Christmas tree may depend on growers’ ability to adapt

A Palestinian baby girl, born 17 days ago during Gaza war, is killed with brother in Israeli strike

Maine airports see more people trying to bring guns through security

Elf Bar and other e-cigarette makers dodged U.S. customs and taxes after China’s ban on vaping flavors

Maine officials were caught off guard by Monday’s powerful storm

What to do with fallen wood during storm cleanup

Former Houlton co-op hockey coach returns to lead Blackhawks

CMP again struggles to communicate with customers during restoration

Letter: Adopt clean car standards to expand consumer choice and reduce costs

Letter: Electric Vehicle standards would be a bad choice for Maine

West Newfield man pleads not guilty to murder charge

IRS to waive $1 billion in penalties for people and firms owing back taxes for 2020 or 2021

Mainers may not have power restored until Christmas

Maine needs to create its own future, not just let it happen

Both lanes of I-95 to close in Bangor overnight Wednesday

Janet Mills declares state of emergency due to powerful wind storm

Portland postpones clearing Harbor View Park encampment

Flooding prompts evacuations in some Maine cities and towns

Fairfield

Lewiston

Waterville

Migrant child’s death and other hospitalizations spark concern over shelter conditions

Stay safe, stay warm and stay kind during storm recovery

Portland murder suspect pleads guilty at last minute

Photos: Mainers assess damage from devastating Monday storm

The Wells Jetty, pictured during storm surge on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023.

The Wells Jetty, pictured during storm surge on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023.

A car floats in a flooded parking lot at the Hathaway Creative Center alongside the Kennebec River in Waterville, Maine. A severe storm on Monday flooded rivers and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP

A car floats in a flooded parking lot at the Hathaway Creative Center alongside the Kennebec River in Waterville, Maine. A severe storm on Monday flooded rivers and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP

A man pauses at the edge of a flooded road near the Kennebec River, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Fairfield, Maine. A severe storm on Monday flooded rivers and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A man pauses at the edge of a flooded road near the Kennebec River, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Fairfield, Maine. A severe storm on Monday flooded rivers and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Man accused of killing 4 university students in Idaho loses bid to have indictment tossed

Lewiston, Auburn issue flood evacuation orders for areas of the cities

Orange tabby cat named Taters steals the show in first video sent by laser from deep space

Proposed electric vehicle regulation would submit Mainers to California’s dictates

U.N. Security Council in intense negotiations on Gaza humanitarian resolution, trying to avoid U.S. veto

Apple to halt sales of its newest watches in U.S. over patent dispute

Ex-Proud Boys leader is sentenced to over 3 years in prison for Capitol riot plot

Pope’s approval of gay blessings could have impact in places where rights are restricted

Two people missing after vehicle is swept away by flood waters in western Maine

Illegal crossings surge in remote areas as Congress, White House weigh major asylum limits

Flooding Kennebec River leaves wake of destruction as thousands remain without power in central Maine

Portland postpones Harbor View homeless encampment sweep

Storm triggers catastrophic flooding; 330,000 customers still without power

Toy Fund helps ease trauma for children escaping domestic violence

Portland council approves funding for North Deering affordable housing plan

Iceland volcano erupts after weeks of warnings

Biddeford cheese shop owner recounts armed robbery; suspect arrested

Defamed Georgia poll workers who won $148 million from Giuliani sue him again

Sandra Day O’Connor lies in repose at the Supreme Court

Texas governor signs bill that lets police arrest migrants who enter the U.S. illegally

Marvel, Disney drop actor Jonathan Majors after he’s convicted of assaulting his former girlfriend