Tragedy struck the nation on Wednesday after a Georgia high school student opened fire on his classmates and teachers. Law enforcement took the 14-year-old, Colt Gray, into custody after he allegedly murdered four people. As with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018, the Emanuel AME Church shooting in 2015, and the Umpqua Community College shooting in 2015, the FBI had received credible tips about Gray’s potential threat well before the shooting. As with previous incidents of gun violence, Democrats, as always, were quick to use the Apalachee High School tragedy for political gain.
Days after the country’s children returned to school, Gray opened fire on his classmates, murdering two students, 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn and 14-year-old Christian Angulo, and two teachers, 39-year-old Richard Aspinwall and 53-year-old Christina Irimie, in the deadliest school shooting this year. Nine others were injured, including eight students and one teacher. They were hospitalized but are expected to recover. The shooting stopped only when a school resource officer confronted Gray, ordered him onto the ground, and took him into custody. Gray will be tried as an adult, with his court appearance to be determined at a later date.
The Apalachee school received advance warning of the shooting via a mysterious phone call, according to a law enforcement statement given to CNN. The unidentified caller claimed that Apalachee would be the first of five schools targeted in a series of mass shootings. Schools in the surrounding area were locked down, but no other incidents occurred. Officials have not revealed whether they believe Gray himself made the phone call. Details quickly emerged revealing that the FBI received tips last May about online posts Gray made threatening a mass shooting. At the time, local sheriff’s deputies interviewed Gray, but he denied making the threats. Local schools were nonetheless notified of the risk.
The Apalachee shooting continues a growing trend of law enforcement being aware of credible threats prior to incidents of mass violence but failing to take meaningful steps to prevent the loss of life. Investigations surrounding the Lewiston shooting found that Robert R. Card, Jr. had previously threatened to carry out an attack on a U.S. military facility. Although his fellow U.S. Army Reservists, many of whom were also law enforcement officers, understood that he was unstable and likely dangerous, Maine law enforcement failed to enforce the state’s “Yellow Flag” law, which would have allowed them to temporarily remove weapons from Card’s possession.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris both expressed their sadness over the murders, but only one of them tried to exploit it for political gain. Trump mourned the murders, while Harris used the incident for political points.
“Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA. These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster,” said Trump in a Truth Social post.
“Today, Doug and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short by gun violence at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Our hearts are with the students, teachers, and families impacted by this shooting, and we are grateful to the first responders and law enforcement on the scene. This is a senseless tragedy — and it does not have to be this way. We must end the epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all,” said Harris on X.
President Joe Biden issued a similar statement, using the murder of children as an opportunity to brag about prior advocacy for Second Amendment restrictions. Historically, Democrats have jumped at the opportunity to use mass shootings to further a political agenda. Mainers experienced this firsthand, after Gov. Janet Mills (D), Sen. Angus King (I), Rep. Jared Golden (D), and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) all used the tragic shooting in Lewiston to push for stricter gun control regulations. At the state level, Democrats successfully forced through a 72-hour waiting period law. Now, anyone trying to arm themselves for personal defense will have to wait three days before acquiring the necessary protection.
The Pine Tree Pulse
As Mainers grapple with astronomical housing costs, unaffordable groceries, and a rapidly growing tax burden, Gov. Janet Mills attempting to placate state workers with $2,000 lump sums. The payments are part of a settlement reached between the Mills Administration and the Maine Service Employees Association (MSEA), which represents workers in the state’s executive branch. The MSEA has been pushing unsuccessfully for a new contract, expanded benefits, and higher pay for more than 18 months now. Despite loyally backing Democratic candidates in state elections, including Gov. Mills, the MSEA negotiators have found the Mills Administration unwilling to offer concessions during tense negotiations.
In a press release, Department of Administrative and Financial Services Commissioner Kirsten Figueroa defended the Mills Administration’s treatment of state workers and described prior pay increases as significant. The governor has continually resisted the union’s demands for a substantial pay increase, instead making low-ball offers and minor concessions.
The latest move will give each of the over 9,000 MSEA members a one-time lump payment. That $2,000 will have to satisfy union workers until the conclusion of a newly ordered study on Maine’s state workforce. The study is not expected to conclude until the end of 2025. In May 2026, the union will begin to bargain with Mills based on the study’s findings. The Maine Wire has covered Mills’ fight against her own employees extensively. You can find that reporting here. As more than one MSEA member has told the Maine Wire, you can expect a surge is retirements post-November once state workers who were already on the fence collect their exit bonuses.
The Maine Wire’s Edward Tomic covered the latest move by the Portland City Council in its battle against the Israeli government. Earlier this week, Tomic detailed a new measure put forward in Portland to financially divest from companies working with Israel. Councilor April Fournier proposed the measure, apparently believing that Portland can stop the deaths of Palestinian civilians more than 5,000 miles away — even as the city struggles to stop homeless people from marauding on the streets with machetes and defecating on small businesses’ stoops. The other councilors apparently agreed with Fournier and approved the measure with a unanimous vote. It is unclear which companies will be included in the ban, and Fournier failed to respond to questions from The Maine Wire. The council voted in January to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sure to look to the Portland City Council for guidance when determining wartime foreign policy.
Maine’s largest Christian school has taken another step in its fight against the state’s religious discrimination. The Maine Wire’s Libby Palanza has the latest on that situation. Bangor Christian School has filed a federal appeal in its case against the state of Maine, claiming that the state has prevented them from receiving funds due to their religious beliefs. The dispute has been ongoing since 2021, when Maine law changed to prevent religious schools opposed to liberal gender ideology from receiving certain state funding. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey decided that the school’s traditional Christian values constituted sexual discrimination. The school first filed suit in 2023.
Around The World
Watch: The Maine Wire’s Seamus Othot caught an unhinged pro-Harris protester on camera on the ground at the New Hampshire Harris rally.
Read: Edward Tomic breaks down the new economic policy unveiled by Harris at the Granite State rally while key tools remained offline for Veteran business owners.
Watch: Putin endorsed Harris for President after previously saying a Biden presidency would be better for Russia than Trump’s return to power. Nevertheless, the Biden administration has continued to try to link Trump to Putin, claiming that Russia wants to influence the election in his favor. Harris has not yet publicly accepted Putin’s endorsement.
Read: Vocal Trump critic and renowned RINO (Republican in name only) Liz Cheney has endorsed Harris for president. She joins the ranks of other illustrious Republicans such as CNN commentator Adam Kinzinger in signing on to the “Republicans for Harris” movement. Cheney’s support for Harris is unlikely to sway Trump voters away from the Republican candidate.
Read: Relatives of Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) have come out in support of Trump, posing with “Walz’s for Trump” signs. Trump proudly accepted the endorsement on social media.
Read: The Biden-Harris Administration has accused Tenet Media of taking Russian money to spread propaganda. The federal indictment claims that Tenet’s founder, Lauren Chen, knew the source of the funds and duped employees into accepting them. Tim Pool, Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, and Lauren Southern were all cited as being duped into taking the Russian money. Pool has claimed that he was unaware that he was accepting Russian funds and denied changing the content of his programs under the direction of his new benefactor.
Read: Netanyahu denied claims by the Biden Administration and left-wing media outlets that Israel is close to a ceasefire deal with Hamas. This is far from the first time Biden and the liberal media have falsely claimed that a ceasefire was imminent. In reality, the war continues to rage on, Hamas shows no signs of releasing the remaining hostages, and Israel continues to pursue its goal of complete eradication of anyone involved in the October 7 attack.
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The very small population state of Maine has 9000 people employed in the State’s “Executive Branch” That is a lot of Blessed “Executives” for less than a million and a half population and now the Governess is going to Bless each and everyone of them with gift of $2000.00, or a total of $18,000,000, of taxes from those of us who still work for a living.
And the best part ? Mainers need to get used to living in this failed state, because they thought “Ranked Choice Voting” might be fun, and voted in favor of it. There is no “republican party” in Maine left to oppose the tyrant “governor”, since they all fled and are hiding away with THEIR millions, leaving their former voters holding the bag. There is literally no one left to vote for in Maine, as if your vote even mattered. Congressional District 2 should seriously consider seceding from the failed state of Maine, in order to get away from this tyrant who is destroying the state with no opposition at all. My “tax paying” family is looking at properties elsewhere, since it’s become apparent that Mainers will just lay down and take this. What better example does one need of why women DO NOT belong in political positions of power, than Janet Millstone (D) CCP ?
Good TV this AM.
No time wasted in charging a minor, a 14 year old, being charged with murder.
A parent being charged also. They have parenting problems in Ga. as well as Maine.
And a mother who is a failure as the result of drugs.
the States Failure to control durgs leading to all of this.
Keep the current flow of drugs coming Joe , Keep the border open !!!
Americans being pushed out of their homes in Aroua Co. Joe.
And some Mainers not wanting Law and order,; go easy on them, let them grow that weed Jane!
Governor, evert illegal grow house in Maine should have been shout down by now. You are failing.
Why are there no comments allowed on the Elder Fraud article?
Regarding state funding of Christian school students: why does the U.S.. still deny state funding to church-related schools when every other first world country recognizes that accredited church-related schools meet the state’s K-12 secular subjects education requirements as do state schools, sometimes better, PLUS provide religion education? We stopped JFK’s federal aid to state schools only with that argument and two House Dem stalwarts close calls in 1962.…..and converted RFK!!!