Author: Steve Robinson

A new poll by Pan Atlantic Research shows the race for Maine’s Second Congressional District is leaning in favor of the Republican challenger. Republican State Rep. Austin Theriault, of Fort Kent, leads Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden 47-44 percent with a slight edge among registered votes. (See full poll below) The survey, conducted from September 5th to 15th, carries a margin of error of 3.5 percent, indicating that the race is very tight. Pan Atlantic Research found just nine percent of likely voters remained undecided in the race. Although Theriault’s lead falls within the margin of error for the poll,…

Asian restaurant owners in Maine have become targets for sophisticated and often lucrative burglaries at the hands of well-organized, highly advanced home invaders. Apart from their nationality and their ownership of small-businesses, the victims in this crime spree also have one other thing in common: police suspect they have ties to the black-market marijuana trafficking operations that have proliferated throughout Maine in the past four years. What’s more, law enforcement believe the perpetrators of these break-ins are members of criminal organizations with insider knowledge of where to find large stockpiles of cash. “We’re asking anyone with knowledge of these burglaries…

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley released a report Monday detailing the failures of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) that contributed to the nearly successful July 13 assassination attempt on former Republican President Donald Trump. The failures detailed in the report represent “the most stunning breakdown in presidential security since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy,” according to Hawley’s office. [RELATED: Trump Targeted in Second Assassination Attempt at Florida Golf Club…] In an X post, Hawley said the report detailed “multiple failures of Secret Service & [Department of Homeland Security] – including new allegations & numerous unanswered questions due…

An alleged ABC News employee has stated that the news outlet struck an agreement with Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign to give the Democratic candidate preferable treatment during the Sept. 10 presidential debate, according to social media posts that circulated broadly on Sunday. The social media posts included images of what are purported to be a sworn affidavit from the alleged ABC News whistleblower dated Sept. 9, the day before the debate. Some of the allegations against ABC News, as well as the employees’ personal information, are redacted from the images that spread throughout social media on Sunday. ABC…

Maine’s top newspapers offered short shrift Monday morning to the second apparent assassination attempt on former Republican President Donald Trump, an attempt that was foiled by U.S. Secret Service agents protecting the 2024 Republican nominee at one of his Florida golf courses. [RELATED: Trump Targeted in Second Assassination Attempt at Florida Golf Club…] As of Monday morning, the Bangor Daily News and the Portland Press Herald both featured local stories—including a piece about a dangerous intersection in Bangor and an in-depth investigation into the piping plover—while downplaying the attempt by suspected gunman Ryan W. Routh, 58, to gun down Trump…

The suspected gunman, arrested Sunday in Florida after his assassination attempt on former Republican President Donald Trump was foiled by the U.S. Secret Service, has been identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh. [RELATED: Trump Targeted in Second Assassination Attempt at Florida Golf Club…] Routh, who was apprehended on I-95 after fleeing his sniper post alongside a chain link fence surrounding the Palm Beach golf course, was described by law enforcement as living in Hawaii. Online records suggest Routh most recently maintained a residence on Kamehameha Highway in Kaaawa, HI. Although Routh had previously tweeted about having supported former President Trump…

Former President Donald Trump is safe after what the FBI is calling an apparent second assassination attempt unfolded on Sunday at his Florida golf club in West Palm Beach. Trump’s campaign confirmed the incident shortly after reports surfaced, stating that the former Commander-in-Chief was “safe following gunshots in his vicinity.” Multiple state and federal law enforcement agencies later confirmed that the U.S. Secret Service had opened fire on a gunman who was positioned with a line of sight that would have potentially allowed for an open shot on the former president. At a press conference following the incident, the Sheriff…

After we published a story regarding the University of Maine’s decision renege on a deal to sell the Hutchinson Center in Belfast to Calvary Chapel Belfast, an official from the University of Maine system reached out to complain about our characterization of the move as “caving” to anti-Christian pressure. So enjoy this opinion editorial underscoring precisely why the University of Maine’s decision is not only anti-Christian, but a despicable act of cowardice and a disservice to Mainers. The “chancellors” of the taxpayer-funded university can claim to have discovered some new financial reason why Calvary Chapel Belfast’s purchase offer actually isn’t…

The University of Maine can couch their decision to rescind the sale of the Hutchinson Center to Calvary Chapel Belfast in whatever legalese helps them sleep at night (or avoid a lawsuit), but there’s no mistaking this for what it is: brazen anti-Christian discrimination. More than that, it’s pure cowardice on the part of the University of Maine System (UMS) administrators who went along with this sham. [RELATED: UMaine Rescinds Offer to Sell Hutchinson Center to Belfast Church…] For those who haven’t been following the drama, UMS decided to sell the Hutchinson Center, they accepted multiple bids, and Calvary Chapel…

As legions of you noted in emails to me, Thursday morning’s Maine Wire newsletter malfunctioned. As the political aphorism goes, mistakes were made. By way of explanation, we’re actively working on ways to improve our website and our email newsletter, so there are going to be some bumps in the road. We’re good at exposing corrupt politicians and vast foreign criminal conspiracies, but it turns out email newsletters are more challenging. Bear with us, because I can assure you our goal is to improve and streamline the delivery of our news product. As always, you can direct your complaints, tips,…

An Edgartown man has pleaded guilty to charges related to an armed bank robbery on Martha’s Vineyard, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Miquel Antonio Jones, 33, admitted in federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit armed bank robbery and one count of armed bank robbery and aiding and abetting. U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young scheduled Jones’ sentencing for Dec. 2. Jones was initially indicted in March 2023, and additional charges were brought in April, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. Prosecutors say Jones, along with co-conspirators Omar Johnson, Tevin Porter, and allegedly…

Four individuals from Massachusetts and New York face charges in connection with a health care fraud scheme that allegedly involved submitting false insurance claims for more than $1 million in medical expenses purportedly incurred during international travel, federal prosecutors said Monday. The phony medical events the individuals claimed to have had while traveling overseas were no run-of-the-mill visits to the doctor’s office. According to the Department of Justice, the suspects fabricated gun shot wounds, hit-and-run accidents, and stabbings as part of a scheme to collect unwarranted payouts from insurers. Henry Ezeonyido, 36, of Brockton, Massachusetts, has been indicted on one…

A 59-year-old man was found dead in an apparent suicide at a state park in Washington County on June 8, according to a report from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The man, identified as Zhiwei “Jerry” Xiao, was discovered in his vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head. The handgun, a Beretta M92FS, was found in his right hand, and authorities determined the shot was self-inflicted. Washington County Deputy Matthew Carter, who responded to the scene, noted that a single round had been fired from the weapon. A 9mm shell casing was found in the back seat of the…

The city of Portland has ordered a property owner to clean up a hazardous waste site left behind by an intravenous drug user — including recently used hypodermic syringes — or face unclear enforcement actions by the Department of Public Works. According to an email exchange obtained by the Maine Wire, a city official instructed the owner of 257 Oxford Street to clean up the trash behind an apartment building — which included used needles, clothing, food waste, a big screen TV, and empty alcohol containers. [RELATED: Triad Weed: The Movie – Everything You Need to Know…] The property owner…

A 36-year-old New York man is facing multiple charges following a pursuit and altercation with Portland police early Monday morning. Francis O. Olukogbon, of Uniondale, N.Y., was arrested after a vehicle pursuit that ended in a foot-chase on Everett Street. At around 2:36 a.m., a Portland police officer attempted to pull over Olukogbon’s sedan after he allegedly ran several blinking red lights. Despite police lights and sirens, the suspect continued driving until he eventually stopped, according to the police report. When officers approached the vehicle, Olukogbon reportedly became combative and fled on foot. Following a brief chase, officers apprehended him,…

The Mills Administration and the Maine Service Employees Association (MSEA-SEIU Local 1989) have reached an agreement Thursday to resolve a labor complaint that will see state employees receive a one-time $2,000 payment and initiate a classification study aimed at modernizing pay structures. Although state workers will receive what amounts to a consolation prize via the cash payment, the settlement is a clear victory for Gov. Janet Mills (D) and yet another embarrassing defeat for MSEA leadership, including its new president Mark A. Brunton and the union negotiating team. The agreement, announced on Sept. 5, 2024, follows months of strained negotiations…

The U.S. Justice Department is intensifying its efforts against Chinese organized crime networks operating in Maine, following a series of raids targeting illicit marijuana cultivation sites throughout rural communities in the state. On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney of Maine Darcie McElwee’s office filed lawsuits seeking the seizure of two properties raided earlier this year by county sheriffs, one on the Douty Hill Road in Sangerville and another on Upper Main Street in Norridgewock. All told, the Department of Justice is now aiming to confiscate six properties suspected of being part of a sophisticated criminal enterprise operated by Chinese criminal organizations. The…

Two men were arrested on Thursday in Farmington following a significant drug bust that resulted in the seizure of cocaine, fentanyl, firearms, and suspected drug proceeds, according to state police. Jason Robbins Miguel Alvarez Jason Robbins, 42, of Farmington, and Miguel Alvarez, 39, of Webster, Massachusetts, were taken into custody by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) and the Farmington Police Department. Both men face charges of aggravated trafficking in cocaine and fentanyl. The arrests culminated a three-month investigation by the MDEA’s Western District Task Force and the Farmington Police, which involved undercover drug purchases. Investigators determined that Robbins was…

Maine Wire Reporter Seamus Othot contributed to this story. The small family home at 254 Academy Road in Monmouth may appear like any other Chinese-controlled blackmarket drug house in Maine. The windows are obscured, security cameras dot the perimeter, and a dumpster sits near the driveway for disposal of marijuana detritus. The house and attached garage are both hooked up to independent 200-amp power entrances. Multiple mini split heat-pumps – far more than a typical 2,000 square foot home would need — speckle the exterior. Then there’s the odor of marijuana and rotting plant debris, the food and drink rubbish…

Former House Democratic Leader Maureen Terry of Gorham scoffed at then-Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) for proposing a 2021 bill to increase Maine’s Homestead Exemption to $50,000 on the basis that “taxation is theft.” The bill would have increased Maine’s Homestead Exemption from $25,000 to $50,000, thereby lowering the amount of property taxes many Mainers are required to pay. As Faulkingham was introducing his bill, Rep. Terry could be seen in the Zoom recording of the committee hearing sneering, making faces, and laughing, as if the idea of helping reduce the property taxes was too ridiculous for the Taxation…

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. narrowly met the Maine Secretary of State’s deadline to withdraw his name from the Pine Tree State’s presidential ballot on Tuesday evening. The development will likely work to the benefit of former President Donald Trump, as Kennedy’s candidacy was largely regarded as taking votes away from the Republican candidate, whom Kennedy endorsed last Friday. As of 4:30 p.m., Kennedy had not submitted the necessary paperwork to have his name removed from the Nov. 5 ballots. [RELATED: Former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard Joins RFK in Endorsing Trump…] The deadline for submitting the forms was 5:00…

The director of Maine’s Bureau of General Services has resigned his position with the state less then two months after the Maine Wire reported on a state contract he awarded to a landscaping company owned by his brother. William J. Longfellow, a longtime state employee, had served as the director of the Bureau of General Services for several years, a role that tasked him with evaluating and approving vendor contracts. In March, Longfellow signed off on a landscaping contract that was awarded to Longfellow Holdings, LLC, a company that is owned and operated by Longfellow’s brother. [RELATED: Maine Awards State…

The Bangor Daily News, the media arm of marketing firm Bangor Publishing Company, on Tuesday published its latest report into the boogeyman of anti-government extremism in Maine. From Christopher Polhaus, the Biden-backing pro-Ukraine war Wyoming man whose business partner raised $100,000 for a Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, to Tom Kawczynski, a former town manager who posted ridiculous things on social media, the Bangor newspaper has developed a fetish for identifying, publicizing, and “exposing” anyone in Maine who can be vaguely connected with a person or group the Southern Poverty Law Center claims is bad. It’s a strategy that’ll generate…

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has accused the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of pressuring the company in 2020 to censor accurate reporting about then-Democratic candidate for president Joe Biden. The allegation, which Zuckerberg made in an Aug. 26 letter to the House Judiciary Committee, raises the prospect that America’s top law enforcement agency coerced a private company into censoring truthful information about Biden in order to influence the outcome of a presidential election. In the letter, Zuckerberg addressed the controversy surrounding Meta’s handling of a New York Post story involving corruption allegations against President Biden’s family. [RELATED: CIA Contractors Colluded…

Bill Belichick, the longtime head coach of the New England Patriots foot team, has cited Massachusetts’ income surtax as a significant hurdle in his efforts to recruit top NFL talent. Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, Belichick said the so-called “Millioniare’s Tax” levied by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts works against the New England Patriots organization when they’re trying to recruit players, even practice squad players. “It’s taxachusetts, yeah,” said Belichick, when asked about the penalty successful people pay for the luxury of living in Democratic Gov. Maura Healey’s state. [RELATED: ICE Arrests Brazilian Illegal Alien Charged in Massachusetts with Attempted Murder,…

Top Republican budget officials have called for a thorough review by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) of a recent proposal from the Biden administration that would provide financial relief to Medicare insurers. While the Biden administration has described the one-time payments to insurers as a “demonstration program,” Republicans have alleged that bailout is an attempt to use taxpayer dollars to protect vulnerable Democrats on Election Day. In a letter sent Monday, House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) and Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) demanded and CBO review and highlighted Republicans’ criticism of the Medicare payouts. [RELATED:…

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has said its investigating after Democrats attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago made a disgusting discovery: there food was infested with maggots. According to a local TV station, the Chicago Police and the FBI are investigating to determine whether someone intentionally slipped the maggots into the Democratic food chain prior to Wednesday morning’s breakfast. https://twitter.com/BenBradleyTV/status/1826322519541878832 It’s unclear whether any DNC attendees ate any of the food that was reportedly contaminated with fly larvae. “Our team acted immediately to clean and sanitize the area, ensuring that the event could continue without further incident,” a spokesperson…

The new leader of the Democratic Party, Vice President Kamala Harris, has unveiled a slate of economic proposals that would do nothing but harm the American economy and make Americans poorer. In case you haven’t been following along, Harris has endorsed price-controls for grocery stores, subsidizing housing demand with $25,000 credits to new home-buyers, raising the corporate income tax to 28 percent, and adopting a 45 percent tax on longterm capital gains. Harris even went so far as propose a 25 percent tax on unrealized capital gains for some high net-worth individuals. If Harris set out to craft a set…

Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, is expected to unveil a slate of economic proposals on Friday in North Carolina, including a plan to offer new homebuyers as much as $25,000 in downpayment assistance. The plan to subsidize housing demand followed an earlier announcement that Harris wanted to impose government-controlled pricing on grocery stores in order to protect American consumers from greedy grocery store operators. Harris’s housing proposal, which may seem enticing to young people in the market for their first homes, led many political observers to ask the obvious question: Won’t every home-seller just increase…

Two days after Christmas 2023, the bodies of Jean C. Robinson, 76, and her daughter, Allison “Joy” Cumming, 53, were found dead at 274 Red School Road in Farmington, the location of Joy’s small business, the Pawsitive Dog Kennel. The Maine State Police (MSP), two weeks later, said the Chief Medical Examiner had ruled that both Robinson and Cumming died as the result of homicide. The MSP said an autopsy for both women had been completed on Dec. 28, but the state police agency gave no further information about the investigation into the killings, including the way the women were…

Vice President Kamala Harris will unveil a plan to use the federal government to control grocery stores prices at Friday campaign event in North Carolina. The plan will include a federal ban on “corporate price-gouging,” according to reporting NBC correspondent Yamiche Alcindor. Harris also wants to grant new authority to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Justice Department attorneys to impose harsh penalties on companies suspected of violating these rules. The price-control scheme is an attempt by Harris, the presumptive 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, to rein in the inflation the U.S. economy has experienced under the Biden-Harris administration. Food, energy,…

The White House wants to give an estimated $5 billion in taxpayer money to health insurance companies in order to prevent Medicare premium increases caused, in part, by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. The controversial move is intended to stop private health insurers from raising Medicare Part D prescription drug premiums, but Republican critics argue the timing suggests the potentially illegal move is purely political. Proposed Medicare rate increases are typically submitted during the summer and announced in September. If it moves forward, the White House’s gimmick could prevent seniors from getting alerts about prescription drug cost increases…

A Maine mother says her daughter, Nicole M. Dunham of Orrington, was called up to join the Minnesota National Guard as a convoy support medic in 2005—the same year Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz retired from the Minnesota National Guard in order to skip a deployment to Iraq. “Nicole Marie Dunham went to war in place of the Governor of Minnesota,” said Mary Dunham in a Monday morning interview with WVOM’s George Hale and Ric Tyler Show. “Maybe not his rank, but my daughter from Maine went to war, and he didn’t, he didn’t fulfill his commitment. Nicole’s commitment was over.…

A lawsuit filed in federal court on Thursday challenges the constitutionality of Maine’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program, alleging it violates the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of lawyers and their clients. The complaint, filed by Dedham resident E. David Wescott and the limited liability company Russell Johnson Beaupain, contends that the mandatory IOLTA program forces them to support causes they oppose. The plaintiffs are suing several state entities, including the Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, the State Court Administrator, the Maine Justice Foundation, and the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar. According to…

Peter Mills, the former executive director of the Maine Turnpike Authority, emerged this week as one of the top faces of “Republicans for Harris.” The group mirrored in Maine the sudden emergence of a supposed Republican outpouring of support nationally for far-left Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. But in secretly recorded audio obtained by the Maine Wire from a citizen journalist, Peter Mills revealed that the entire group is astroturf organized by Amy Cookson, a campaign staffer for Vice President Harris’s campaign. In the recorded audio, Mills, who is the brother of Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and is himself…

The latest case of fighting racism with racism comes with an added dash of climate change hysteria-induced mental illness, courtesy if the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardners Association (MOFGA). On Aug. 24 from 9:00am to 12:00pm, MOFGA will host “Ecology of Grief: Mourning and Celebrating Changing Forests,” a workshop intended to help people cope with their neuroticism over climate change. The event is free to attend… unless you’re white. For whites, the cost of admission is between $50 to $125; MOFGA members are asked to chip in $75. Leading the grief counseling session are Elizabeth Grey, a professional facilitator with…

Once upon a time, a newspaper editorial was a beacon of thought, a voice that carried weight and commanded respect. It was an instrument of intellect, raising unconventional ideas and stirring action towards noble goals. Nowadays, the Bangor Daily News’ editorials bear an uncanny resemblance to the impassioned rants you might find on your boomer aunt’s Facebook page, especially after she’s indulged in a marathon of MSNBC and a bag of wine. Here’s a suggestion for the publisher: consider replacing the entire editorial team with ChatGPT. Simply feed the OpenAI language model this prompt: “Write an opinion editorial about [insert…

A declassified report by the Canadian National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) revealed earlier this year extensive foreign interference in Canada’s elections and legislative affairs. According to a new report from independent journalist Sam Cooper of The Bureau, the NSICOP report, taken together with non-public intelligence documents obtained exclusively by Cooper, show that Chinese nationals, backed by the Chinese Communist Party, have engaged and are engaging in sophisticated efforts to infiltrate and manipulate all levels of Canada’s economy and government. The Special Report was prepared by NSICOP — the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee –…

A Canadian-born illegal alien with outstanding warrants for grand theft and armed robbery was caught stealing more than $3,000 of food, booze, and lobster from Hannaford in Damariscotta. Cristian Ariza-Padilla, 49, the culinary hand behind Ann’s Book Bistro and Koko’s Sandwich Bar, was nabbed by Damariscotta police on July 17, according to a story broken Aug. 1 by the Lincoln County News, a locally owned weekly newspaper. [READ LCN HERE] According to LCN’s reporting, Ariza-Padilla is allegedly Canadian-born illegal alien, whose illegal presence in the U.S. was only uncovered after his arrest on theft charges. The Damariscotta lugging and subsequent…

Protesters sympathetic to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas descended on Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, at one point torching several American flags in apparent protest of Israeli Prime Minister’s Benjamin Natanyahu’s address to Congress — and address Maine Sen. Angus King and Rep. Chellie Pingree both boycotted. Although Maine-based far left groups attempted to organize bus trips for activists to attend the anti-Israel activities in the nation’s capital, some remained behind to attend low-energy demonstrations in Augusta and Portland. https://twitter.com/TheMaineWire/status/1816181954712412641 Outside of the fringe left Democratic circles, Netanyahu’s speech was generally regarded as pro-American and pro-democracy, a rousing call to defend…

The Maine Democrat’s candidate for State Senate District 19 was charged with Operating Under the Influence (OUI) in May, according to records obtained by the Maine Wire. Bruce S. Bryant, 62, of Rumford was summonsed and had his initial court appearance on July 8 in South Paris District Court following an incident involving an officer from the Rumford Police Department just after 11:30 pm on Friday, May 10, according to police records. Democrat Bruce S. Bryant The incident occurred on Route 2. Although Bryant’s campaign registration documents list an PO Box in Dixfield, Oxford County property records show Bryant owns…

President Joe Biden is out of the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination—whether he knows it or not—and already his lean and hungry wolf of a vice president, Kamala D. Harris, is projecting a sense of inevitability around her ascent to the top of the ticket. Notably, former President Barack Obama, commonly viewed as the real marionettist in contemporary Democratic Party politics, hasn’t endorsed Harris; neither has former nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Also on that list of Kamala non-endorsers: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker emeritus and stock trading guru Nancy Pelosi, as well as House Democratic…

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., the incumbent Democratic presidential nominee for 2024, announced Sunday that he will be dropping out of the presidential race, according to a letter published by his campaign. In the letter—dated July 21, 2024, but bearing no presidential seal—Biden has faced mounting calls from wealthy progressive donors, as well as elected Democrats, to step aside following a debate performance in which his cognitive deficits and ailing health were glaringly obvious. Despite Biden’s very obvious health struggles, Maine’s top Democrats had continued to back him right up until Sunday. This week, Maine Gov. Janet Mills and House…

The Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), a 501(c)4 nonprofit that litigates against governments and left-wing activists in defense of American civil rights, responded on Thursday to the news that the Mills Administration flagged one of their social media post to the Maine State Police as a potential security threat. In case you missed it, FPC retweeted a Maine Wire video in which Gov. Mills told one of her liberal allies in corporate television media that she wanted a ban on a popular type of semi-automatic rifle. FPC responded by reposting the video with a simple message directed at Maine’s governor: “Hey…

Documents obtained by the Maine Wire via a Freedom of Access Act show that Gov. Janet Mills’ personnel referred social media posts from the Firearms Policy Coalition and the Maine Wire to the State Police, flagging them for the governor’s Executive Protection Unit. The tweet in question contained a video from an interview in which Gov. Mills told a liberal reporter that she was considering a ban on a popular form of semi-automatic rifle in the wake of the Oct. 25 mass shooting in Lewiston. The Firearms Policy Coalition, a 501(c)4 nonprofit that litigates in defense of American’s civil right…

State Sen. Joe Baldacci (D-Penobscot) is among vehement critics of former President Donald Trump now sending his prayers to the 2024 Republican presidential nominee following his attempted assassination on Saturday. But a review of Baldacci’s social media posts shows the Bangor area pol has frequently highlighted extreme anti-Trump rhetoric, including a meme calling for “MAGA” to be “Dead and Buried”. Baldacci has also reposted several videos from anti-Trump former Republican Adam Kinzinger, who left Congress for a gig in cable news as a token GOP talking head. Kinzinger has emerged as one of the more extreme anti-Trump voices, regularly calling…

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly A. Cheatle remains at the head of the law enforcement agency tasked with protecting American presidents and presidential candidates despite the catastrophic failures that allowed a would-be assassin to fire several shots at former Republican President Donald Trump. Thomas W. Crooks, the alleged gunman in Saturday’s shooting, managed to outsmart the nation’s premier executive protection team with lethal effect. Despite a joint team of Secret Service agents, snipers, and local law enforcement in Butler County, Penn., Crooks was able to bring a ladder to the backside of one of the only buildings in the area…

As Maine gears up to spend billions of dollars in taxpayer money subsidizing offshore wind turbines, similar projects proposed or in operation off the New England coast are struggling to survive the harsh environment and growing costs. Last year, the parent company of Central Maine Power pulled the plug on an offshore wind power development off the cost of Massachusetts after cost increases render the project non-viable, a move that cost the company $48 million in termination fees. The company judged that the whopper of a fee was a more prudent course than plowing forward with a power purchase agreement…

In the hours following Thomas M. Crooks’ attempted assassination of former Republican President Donald Trump, questions immediately began to swirl over the U.S. Secret Service’s chaotic, slow, and inept security and evacuations protocols before and after the shooting. “I have already contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and am also calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing,” said Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the ranking Republican on the House Oversight Committee. Much of the criticism centered on the obvious question: How was a shooter allowed to take a firing position just 150 yards from Trump’s…

Former Republican President Donald J. Trump emerged bloody but in a fighting spirit after several shots were fired towards his podium at an event in Pennsylvania on Saturday, with one of the bullets appearing to wound his ear. “Fight! Fight! Fight!” Trump bellowed just seconds after surviving a hail of gun fire, resisting his security detail raise a fist of defiance. “During Former President Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the evening of July 13 at approximately 6:15 p.m., a suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” the Secret…

State of Maine employees will no longer be in charge of landscaping at the State House after Bureau of General Services Director William J. Longfellow signed off on a contract for the groundskeeping work with Longfellow Holdings, LLC — his brother’s family business. Alden Longfellow’s Landscaping and Excavation, of which Longfellow’s brother, Jonathan Longfellow, is president, will provide lawn and plant maintenance at for the State House grounds, as well as several other properties in Augusta, Hallowell, and Vassalboro. In an email to the Maine Wire, a spokesperson for Longfellow, Sharon Huntley, said that Longfellow “removed himself from the substance…

An economist from the Arabella Advisers-backed Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) has admitted that illegal aliens entering the U.S. under the Biden Administration are more likely than legal immigrants to commit crimes. However, he believes that a “quicker” way to lower crime rates in America is to deport a random sample of U.S. citizens. “I believe unauthorized immigrants are younger and more likely to be men than other immigrants. Which might account for at least some of the difference in crime rates,” James Myall, MECEP’s Economic Policy analyst and “lead on the inclusive economy,” said on X last week.…

Hey Maine Wire Readers, Messages began pouring in last night about some unusual activity around our Facebook page. We can confirm that Facebook was begun censoring Maine Wire stories going back to even December. This includes removing links that elected officials posted to their own pages, blocking traffic to the Maine Wire, and limiting our visibility. Facebook (aka Meta) has always embraced censorship, and even began targeting some of our content on the solar subsidies last week, but their efforts really went into overdrive last night. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that it’s happening right after that splendid debate.…

State and federal officials are remaining tight-lipped over an April 26 multi-car crash that left an Albion woman dead and sent her husband into critical care on a Life Flight to Portland. According to witnesses, the accident was caused by Oguzhan Cildir, 23, an illegal alien who entered the U.S. without authorization in January. More than 62 days after the fatal accident, no charges have been filed against Cildir, and a police source tells the Maine Wire that state police are still waiting for a toxicology report. Gloria J. Cascio, 53, died unexpectedly on April 26, 2024 after a vehicle…

A state committee formed in 2005 to ensure compliance with Maine’s government transparency law — the Freedom of Access Act — has partnered with the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) to collect alleged examples of FOAA becoming too “burdensome” for town employees. The request, emailed this week to Maine town clerks by the MMA’s Rebecca Lambert, aims to bolster the position of government officials and some members of the so-called “Right to Know” advisory committee that Maine’s FOAA is skewed to heavily toward transparency and taxpayer rights. “The Right to Know Advisory Committee, established to oversee Maine’s Freedom of Access Act,…

A top union official appeared to mock conservatives for focusing on “God” and “guns” at a June 8th event headlined by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden. “The radical right knows the social issues divide us and economic issues divide us – they are going to strictly focus on social issues: 3 G’s Gays, God and Guns,” IAM Political and Legislative Director Hasan Solomon, of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said at the June 8 Maine State Council of Machinists Conference in South Portland. Image courtesy of AFL-CIO Communications Director Andy O’Brien Brian Bryant, the international president of…

The school board members and superintendent of a public school in Damariscotta blamed a Newcastle mom and the Maine Wire for threats emailed to the district last year — even as the board member leading the smear campaign admitted in an email thread that he had “no details and no idea if these threats were related” to the mom or the Maine Wire. The Jan. 13, 2023 email, penned by then-board member Jesse Butler, came a few weeks after Amber Lavigne, the mother of two Great Salt Bay Community School students, expressed her frustration at a Dec. 2022 public school…

A dispute over a state contract for courier services has led to the disruption of a popular program used by Maine kids to obtain library books otherwise not available at their local library. The Inter Library Loan (ILL) program is a state-funded service that allows Mainers to request books from 203 public libraries across the state and have them delivered to their local library. It’s a popular resource for young readers, especially within Maine’s homeschooling community. However, following the conclusion of the contract evaluation process, one of the companies that was pursuing the contract has filed an appeal disputing the…

Mainers were evacuating flooded homes, long lines were forming at gas stations, and more than half the state was without power. Yet for several days during some of the worst power outages Maine has experienced since the Ice Storm of 1998, Gov. Janet Mills (D) was nowhere to be found. Now, Gov. Mills and her Department of Public Safety (DPS) are continuing to withhold public records sought in January that would shed light on precisely where she was during those crucial initial days, why her office failed to produce any public comment during that period, and what she might have…

The heavily taxpayer-funded floating offshore wind technology developed by the University of Maine at Orono and touted by the Mills Administration has failed to advance to the third round in a prize contest held by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The so-called “FLOWIN Prize” contest was conceived President Joe Biden’s DOE as a way to identify the most viable technologies to float industrial-scale wind power generating facilities in the deep coastal waters off the U.S. Unfortunately for UMaine and lead project researcher, Dr. Habib Dagher, the university’s VolturnUS design, which was piloted via the Aqua Ventus research project, was…

California’s job market isn’t as rosy as official state and federal employment figures suggested in 2023, according to a bombshell report from the non-partisan California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO). According to the latest revised numbers, the Golden State may have actually lost jobs in the last quarter of 2023, despite earlier claims of massive job gains. The LAO, overseen by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee of the California State Legislature, published its findings in a report titled “Newest Early Jobs Revision Shows No Net Job Growth During 2023.” The report contradicts previous optimistic reports, exposing the harsh reality of California’s…

A federal indictment unsealed on Monday charged Los Angeles-based associates of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel with collaborating with Chinese underground banking networks to launder over $50 million in proceeds illicit drug trafficking. The superseding indictment, which includes 10 counts, follows a multi-year investigation known as “Operation Fortune Runner.” The indictment, returned on April 4, names 24 defendants who are accused of conspiring to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, laundering various currencies, and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Key defendants, including Edgar Joel Martinez-Reyes, 45, of East Los Angeles, allegedly employed complex and sophisticated methods to disguise the origins of drug…

A Morton, Illinois man has been indicted on multiple fraud charges for allegedly defrauding health insurance companies and the State of Illinois out of hundreds of thousands of dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Department of Justice. Aaron Rossi, 40, faces six counts of healthcare fraud, one count of mail fraud, and four counts of wire fraud — all part of an elaborate conspiracy to enrich himself by taking advantage of the COVID-19 scare. Rossi, the CEO of Reditus Laboratories in Pekin, Illinois, is accused of establishing policies that financially benefited himself and defrauded healthcare providers from October…

New England’s power grid operator, ISO New England Inc., declared a level 1 emergency alert on Tuesday as a severe heat wave engulfed the northeastern United States. The alert was issued following unexpected outages in power generation, leaving the grid unable to meet demand while maintaining required reserves, according to Matt Kakley, spokesman for ISO New England. The grid operator, which serves 7.5 million homes and businesses across six states, saw electricity prices briefly spike to $1,993 per megawatt-hour, over ten times the day-ahead cost. Despite the warning and the brief spike in cost, ISO New England did not forecast…

Maine’s businesses are about to be hit with massive cost increases — in some cases of more than $50,000 for 2024 — thanks to a scheme devised by state lawmakers to subsidize solar power. According to letters sent to customers by Versant Power, Maine’s second largest electrical utility, the portion of small business’ electrical bills described as “stranded costs” is set to increase from 2023 to 2024 anywhere from 20 percent to as much as 1,644 percent. “A new, fixed monthly stranded cost dee is under review and would capture expenses and incentives to develop Maine’s renewable power generation and…

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division executed a drug search warrant at a residence in Anson Friday morning, Sheriff Dale Lancaster said in a press release. No individuals were present during the execution of the warrant. According to Somerset real estate records, the 264 Horseback Road property was purchased most recently by Baker Li, of Brooklyn, in Sept. 2021. Photo prior to Yuling Mei’s purchase of the house Photo of the property as it appears now showing sophisticated upgrades, including heat pumps, window coverings, electrical upgrades, and propane tanks. Records show the seller as Yuling Mei, of Brooklyn, NY,…

The United States is in the middle of a genuine open-borders crisis that is leading us, at best, to the collapse of our already unsustainable welfare state. At worst, we’re sleepwalking into an unprecedented crime wave and terrorist attacks on American soil. But for U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, the far left Democrat who has represented Maine’s coastal “from away” population since 2008, the solution is not stronger border security but more migrants and more taxpayer-funded busses to bring them to Maine. In comments this week, Pingree urged her colleagues to prioritize open borders and freebies for non-citizens over national security…

Mexican transnational criminal organizations are increasingly targeting American timeshare owners in sophisticated fraud schemes, according to a new report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). These scams have cost victims more than $300 million, primarily affecting older Americans, whom the agency describes as particularly vulnerable to such crimes. The FBI has observed a rise in these scams, where criminals deceive timeshare owners into parting with large sums of money under false pretenses related to their properties. This type of fraud, often considered a form of elder fraud, has devastating impacts on victims, said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Paul…

Everyone living in Maine understands that we’re in the middle of a housing affordability crisis. Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED) and the Maine Housing Authority reveal that the problem is much more severe than you may think. Put simply, the housing situation in Maine is worse than at anytime in nearly three decades — and the trend line suggests things aren’t going to get better anytime soon. According to MaineHousing’s “Affordability Index,” which measures the ratio between median home price and median income required to buy a home at that price, 79.1 percent of Maine…

A recent audit by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has revealed significant deficiencies in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) processes for screening and vetting asylum seekers and noncitizens applying for admission into the United States. The report, dated June 7, 2024, highlights technological, procedural, and coordination gaps that could pose serious risks to national security as the U.S. continues to experience record levels of illegal immigration. The audit identified that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have struggled to fully implement effective screening measures. The OIG found that although CBP…

The Bangor Daily News, a once-vital news source for northern Maine that has transmogrified into a left-wing taxpayer-subsidized propaganda rag, has outdone themselves with their latest bizarre editorial on the GOP primary for the Second Congressional District. Beginning with the obviously deceitful premise that the editorial board wanted to interview candidates Mike Soboleski and Austin Theriault with open minds and decide whom to endorse, the writers of the editorial proceed to insult the Republican candidates — and conservatives generally — for several paragraphs. The BDN concludes with an endorsement of Soboleski, but only because he gave them the proper respect…

Sixty-two percent of registered voters in the U.S. — including a third of registered Democrats — support the mass deportation of illegal aliens, according to a CBS / YouGov poll conducted last week. “A nearly six in 10 majority of voters say they would favor, in principle, a new government program to deport all undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. illegally,” CBS wrote. “That isn’t purely partisan, it includes a third of Democrats. It rises to nine in 10 Republicans,” the outlet said. Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-trump-biden-neck-and-neck-06-09-2024/ The support for mass deportations comes as the U.S. has experienced record levels of illegal immigration at…

The Maine State Police executed a search warrant at a property in Parsonfield Friday morning that was suspected of harboring an illegal marijuana cultivation operation. “On Friday, June 7, 2024, at approximately 8: 45 a.m., members of the Maine State Police alongside the Office of Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) executed a search warrant at 424 Maplecrest Road in Parsonsfield,” a state police spokesperson said in an email. [RELATED: Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ Brother Helped Transfer Nine-Acre Black Market Cannabis Grow to Chinese National “Mother” Living in Guangdong Province: Triad Weed…]…

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday it has concluded an investigation into an alleged assault by a teacher against a student at Gray New Gloucester Middle School. The teacher has been identified as Thomas Morawiec, a 48-year-old speech therapist. Morawiec has been charged with a Class “D” misdemeanor for assault. The investigation found that Morawiec assaulted a twelve-year-old student on March 25, the Sheriff’s Office said. The incident, however, was not reported to authorities until May 28, 2024, when the parents of the victim informed the Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer assigned to the Gray New Gloucester School District.…

A Congolese illegal alien was arrested last month at the Maine-Canada border and is being held without bail at the Somerset County Jail as the District Attorney’s office pursues an order to have him extradited to the Iowa over active warrants related to a sexual assault conviction. Eric R. Ngirimpa, 36, was delivered into the custody of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) dropped him at the U.S. Customs & Border Protection’s Jackman station on May 29, the Sheriff’s Office said in a press release. The RCMP informed a sheriff’s deputy that Ngirimpa had…

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Department executed on Thursday morning its 19th search warrant of the year as part of an ongoing investigation into the sprawling network of drug trafficking sites run by Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations. According to Sheriff Dale Lancaster, the enforcement action, which occurred at a residence in Solon, resulted in the seizure of a large amount of illegally cultivated cannabis, but no arrests. The Maine Wire has previously visited the property, at 21 North Main St., and observed the tell-tale signs of a marijuana cultivation operation, including the obvious smell of marijuana, blacked-out windows, and recent electrical…

Several readers have forwarded the Bangor newspaper’s Monday story on illicit Chinese-controlled marijuana grow sites in Norridgewock, so I figured it was worth posting some comments. The taxpayer-subsidized newspaper has finally decided to do something on the triad weed beat other than re-write law enforcement press releases or review court filings. Their gumshoe reporters were apparently oblivious to the vast criminal conspiracy that cropped up in their backyards until conservative media shamed them into covering it. However, the story the paper ran Monday is an unsubtle argument that Maine law enforcement should stop cracking down on the Chinese mafia drug…

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R) grilled FBI Director Christopher Wray Tuesday over the ties between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chinese organized crime networks in Maine. “What is the FBI’s theory about why Chinese nationals or Chinese transnational criminal organizations are setting up these illegal marijuana growing operations in states like Maine?” Sen. Collins asked Director Wray. Wray answered that foreign organized crime networks are likely setting up illicit marijuana cultivation and trafficking operations because it’s lucrative and low-risk. “[O]ur assessment is that it’s a combination of the fact that it is activity that can be done relatively cheaply,…

Maine Democrats, a category that includes Sen. Angus King, regardless of what his alleged political pronouns are, have failed a fundamental test. By failing to condemn the radical injustice that played out in New York City this week, they have shown disdain for America’s traditional justice system and the U.S. Constitution. The mask is off, and they are revealed to be shamelessly lustful for partisan power. On Thursday, one of the most ludicrously corrupt show trials in the history of criminal justice reached it’s inevitable, preordained conclusion: a jury of New York City liberals found former President Donald Trump guilty…

In a case that has been widely panned by mainstream legal analysts, former Republican President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump has been found guilty by a New York City jury on 34 felony counts related to hush money payments made nearly a decade ago to a sex worker. The case is one of several instances of left-wing prosecutors waging lawfare against the former Republican president using questionable tactics and novel legal theories. As Democratic President Joe Biden seeks a second term, Democrats are hoping the guilty verdicts will tilt the scales in their favor and reverse the…

The Somerset County Sheriffs’ Office on Thursday executed a search warrant at a suspected illicit marijuana grow located at 71 Denbow Road in St. Albans, according to residents in St. Albans who observed the operation. In July 2020, the property was purchased by Yuting Lum of Middle Village, NY; however, Lum sold the house in April 2022 to Kai Hua Zhang of Staten Island, NY. Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster released the following press release Thursday afternoon: On Thursday, May 30, 2024 at approximately 0945 am, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division executed a drug search warrant at a…

A police department in southern Maine is seeing an “uptick” in the number of driver’s licenses issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to individuals using the social security number “999-99-9999”. “We’ve seen an uptick in [BMV] using 999-99-9999 for social security numbers,” wrote Darcie L. Valido, the Assistant Director of Operations for Sanford Regional Communications, in a May 23 email to various police departments in southern Maine. In the email, which was obtained via a Freedom of Access Act request, and a phone interview, Valido said she sent the email because the bogus social security number can cause…

A federal report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has revealed has revealed that Maine has the highest percentage of foreign-owned land of any U.S. state. “The state of Texas has the largest amount of foreign-held U.S. agricultural land with over 5.4 million acres,” the USDA report states. “Maine has the second largest amount of foreign-held agricultural acres, with just under 3.5 million.” By percentage, Maine has more of its privately held agricultural land under foreign control (21.1 percent) than any other state, according to the report. The vast majority of that land is timberland owned by Canadians or Canada-based…

Maine Sen. Angus King is concerned that the Chinese Communist Party, which rules the People’s Republic of China, is coordinating with the Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) that operate hundreds of illegal drug trafficking sites throughout Maine. In comments to WGME, King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he was worried about the intelligence collection that Chinese drug traffickers may be engaging in on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “In many ways, there’s no such thing as a private business in China,” King told WGME. “Every business has a link to the government, and that’s one of…

Some of the migrants illegally entering the U.S. over the unsecured southern border are trying to “game” the American asylum system, according to comments from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “The reality is that some people do indeed try to game the system,” Mayorkas told CBS in an interview. [RELATED: Chinese Citizen Charged With Felony Drug Trafficking in Maine Invokes “Asylum” Claim to Avoid Deportation…] “That does not speak to everyone whom we encounter, but there is an element of it, and we deal with it accordingly,” he said, without elaborating on how DHS deals with bogus asylum…

The U.S. Department of the Interior has announced a series of public meetings following its Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for the first offshore wind energy auction in the Gulf of Maine. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is opening a 60-day public comment period that will close on July 1, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The public meetings follow the April 30 announcement from the Biden Administration that it would auction off the rights to build industrial-scale wind turbine arrays in the Gulf of Maine. “In another step by the Biden-Harris administration to support the growing momentum across…

A months-long investigation culminated in a drug raid at a residence on Mercer Road Friday morning, resulting in the arrest of a 55-year-old man, described in a press release as a “Norridgewock man.” [RELATED: Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ Brother Helped Transfer Nine-Acre Black Market Cannabis Grow to Chinese National “Mother” Living in Guangdong Province…] The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division executed a search warrant at approximately 9:49 a.m, according to the press release. [RELATED: The Triad’s Electrician: Meet the 87-Year-Old “Frontman” for Chinese Marijuana Grows in Maine…] The Sheriff’s Office said the operation, led by Detective Lieutenant Carl Gottardi…

If you’re looking to grow thousands of pounds of black market marijuana out of rural houses in Maine, you’re going to need a licensed Master Electrician to get your commercial-grade electricity approved. That’s exactly what Tong Q. Lu, the owner of China Wok on Broadway in Bangor, found in J. Martin Vachon. Vachon, an 87-year-old master electrician, previously told the Maine Wire that he’s been living at a property Lu owns, lending his expertise to unlicensed Chinese cannabis growers in exchange for room and board. [The Triad’s Electrician: Meet the 87-Year-Old “Frontman” for Chinese Marijuana Grows in Maine…] The Maine…

UPDATE: Shortly after publication of this story, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office announced that it had apprehended Jian Ji Wu, 63, in connection with the search warrant it executed Tuesday in Canaan. Wu will be held on $25,000 cash bail. Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster executed a significant drug search warrant on Tuesday, uncovering an extensive illegal marijuana cultivation operation in Canaan, Maine. The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division conducted the raid at a residence on Hinckley Road around 9 a.m., following a months-long investigation into suspected illicit activities. “This search warrant is part of a broader investigation, with…

In the town of Dexter, Maine, a seemingly abandoned property on Highland Avenue that once operated as an illicit marijuana cultivation site sits less than a mile from the U.S. Army Reserve Training Center on Prospect Street. In the driveway of that abandoned drug hub sits a BMW containing t-shirts affiliated with the Sijiu Association of NYC — a Chinese national group with ties to the Chinese consulate in New York and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Photographs obtained by the Maine Wire show the t-shirts strapped over the driver and passenger side seats in the BMW. In addition to…

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office on Friday raided yet another illegal cannabis growing operation — this time on South Road in the town of Harmony. “At the time of the search, no individuals were located at the residence,” the Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said in a press release. [RELATED: Triad Weed: How Chinese Marijuana Grows Took Over Rural Maine…] “In all, 1,277 growing marijuana plants, 25 pounds of processed marijuana and drug related documentation and drug related paraphernalia was seized,” Lancaster said. The press release indicated that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and federal Drug Enforcement Agency were…

A large number of Maine law enforcement officers executed a search warrant Monday morning at a location in Freedom, the Maine Wire has learned. The property is thought to be connected to the network of Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations (Asian TCOs) that are growing and trafficking black market cannabis in Maine. [RELATED: Triad Weed: How Chinese Marijuana Grows Took Over Rural Maine…] The 555 Belfast Road property raided Monday was purchased in Dec. 2021 by Austin Zhen, 33, of Brooklyn, New York. Zhen used a mortgage from Quontic Bank, a New York-based Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI). In a statement,…

The U.S. Justice Department is taking steps to seize of four properties in Maine linked to extensive illegal marijuana operations, according to recent court filings. The crackdown, revealed in a series of legal filings obtained by the Maine Wire, is the first indication that U.S. Attorney for Maine Darcie McElwee intends to seize properties tied to the sprawling network of illicit drug trafficking sites, a network the Department of Homeland Security has said is being run at the behest of Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations with links to the Chinese Communist Party. [RELATED: The Triad’s Electrician: Meet the 87-Year-Old “Frontman” for…

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced today the awarding of $2,500 scholarships to 2,500 high school seniors nationwide, including seven from Maine, as part of the prestigious 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. These students were chosen from a competitive pool of over 15,000 finalists based on their academic achievements, standardized test scores, leadership experience, essays, and school recommendations. Selections were made by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, ensuring that the winners exemplify the strongest combination of accomplishments and potential for success in challenging college studies. The Maine recipients are Wesley N. Haynes from Brunswick,…

Campobello Holdings, Inc. arrived in Downeast Maine with promises to convert an antique sardine cannery in Eastport into a seafood exporter that would connect local fishermen with markets in New York City and Asia. But according to documents, photographs, videos, audio-recorded phone calls, and witness interviews obtained by the Maine Wire, the venture devolved into a rat-infested unlicensed cannabis grow, and a video-surveilled flophouse for an unknown number of workers. At the helm of the operation was New York seafood dealer Wai Tat “Jimmy” Wong, who in 2014 convinced the LePage Administration and the Washington County Council of Governments to…

Just five American governors are more unpopular than Maine. Gov. Janet Mills (D), according to the Morning Consult analysis released Tuesday. The report, which is only available to subscribers, has tracked the popularity of U.S. governors among registered voters since 2017 using a standardized survey methodology that allows for direct comparisons of job performance among state-level executives. “Our definitive rankings of America’s most and least popular governors provide the exceedingly rare apples-to-apples, cross-country comparison of governors’ relative popularity among their own voter base, including by political affiliation, age, race and educational attainment,” the report summary states. “Each quarter, the U.S.…

Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster’s office took down yet another illegal cannabis cultivation and processing hub on Tuesday located in Harmony, according to sources who watched the law enforcement action take place. The 10 Cooley Road residence was purchased by Dongyan Liang of 72 Melrose Ave., Staten Island, N.Y. in Jan. 2023. Shortly after the purchase, Liang entered into a standard easement agreement with Central Maine Power (CMP), a modification commonly encountered when commercial-grade power is installed at otherwise residential properties to supply electricity to illicit marijuana grows. [RELATED: The Triad’s Electrician: Meet the 87-Year-Old “Frontman” for Chinese Marijuana Grows…

The 87-year-old self-described “frontman” for an elaborate Chinese-run drug trafficking organization active in rural Maine told the Maine Wire that he’s been living with a family of black market marijuana growers for nearly three years and helping them with electrical upgrades at facilities throughout the state. In exchange for his services, the immigrant family feeds him, provides some level of medical care, and takes him almost everywhere they go. That was just one of the stunning details revealed by J. Martin Vachon, a master electrician from Ellsworth, over the course of an hour-long phone interview — details that are confirmed…

The Democrat-controlled Maine State Legislature elected on Patriot’s Day — the holiday that commemorates some of the first battles in America’s Revolutionary War against a tyrannical government — by voting for more restrictions of Mainers’ Second Amendment rights. [Editorial: History Shows Gun Control Inevitably Becomes a Political Weapon…] According to Maine’s State Constitution, Article I, Section 16 further solidifies and clarifies the Second Amendment originally enshrined in the federal bill of rights, stating the following: “Every citizen has a right to keep and bear arms and this right shall never be questioned.” That language is contravened by Democratic Gov. Janet…

A Republican bill passed the Maine House of Representatives late Thursday evening that will result in tax increases on high-earners who live in and work in the Pine Tree State after 2025. The bill – LD 1231 – moved through the House amid confusion between Republican lawmakers as to what exactly the motion on the floor was, but the end result was that eight Republicans and every Democrat voted in favor of an earlier House roll call vote before the new tax-hiking scheme was passed with unanimous consent. The bill now tabled in the Senate, but if passed and approved…