Author: Edward Tomic

A Buxton man was sentenced Thursday to just over a year in prison following his December conviction for posting a death threat against Jewish people on Twitter — now X — in 2021. Brian Dennison, 27, of Buxton, was found guilty of transmitting a threatening interstate communication by a federal jury on Dec. 7, 2023, after a three-day trial. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jon Levy sentenced Dennison to 12 months and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. When delivering the sentence, Judge Levy “noted that threats like the one Dennison communicated are corrosive and…

Authorities discovered a “massive marijuana grow” operation Wednesday at a farmhouse on Route 133 in Jay, according to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. [RELATED: Somerset County Sheriff, DEA Bust Major Triad Weed Hub in Harmony, Maine…] According to a press release from Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Steven Lowell, Detective David Davol obtained a search warrant for the farmhouse, the exact address of which has not been disclosed. The Wednesday raid involved the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office along with officers from the Jay Police Department, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Border Patrol, Wilton Police, and the Maine Office…

Democratic Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) on Wednesday introduced a bill alongside a bipartisan group of his House colleagues that would impose sanctions on any Chinese military firm that provide material support to Russia. [RELATED: Jared Golden Signs Letter Urging Biden Admin to Send More Weapons to Ukraine…] The legislation comes amid ongoing concerns among Biden administration officials over Beijing helping Russia build up its defense industrial base to bolster their war effort against Ukraine. The bill, called the “NO LIMITS Act,” would give People’s Republic of China (PRC) military firms identified by the U.S. government 180 days to withdraw from…

Democratic Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) took to X Wednesday to slam the Biden administration’s recent approval of a massive foreign-owned offshore wind energy project off the coast of Massachusetts. [RELATED: Maine Scores a Victory for Lobstermen in the Face of Potentially Devastating Offshore Wind Development…] Rep. Golden’s statement comes after the Biden administration approved the new offshore wind project, New England Wind, on April 2, which will be the country’s eighth large offshore wind energy project to be greenlit and will be located south Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. https://twitter.com/RepGolden/status/1780591507809944009 Avangrid, the company set to install over 100 wind turbines as part…

A shipment originating from China containing over 1,000 pounds of a methamphetamine precursor powder was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Chicago last week. According to CBP, the shipment was heading toward Wood Dale, Chicago, from Shenzhen, China, when it was detained on Thursday, April 11 by CBP officers and found to contain 26 boxes of unknown powder. [RELATED: ‘Gargantuan’ Seizure of Meth Worth $117 Million at Texas-Mexico Bridge: Border Officials…] The two types of powder in the shipment were sent to CBP’s Laboratories and Scientific Services for testing. Chicago CBP intercepts 1,117lbs of Methamphetamine precursor…

A South Berwick man formerly employed by the U.S. Postal Service as a postal carrier in southern Maine has pleaded guilty to stealing cash and gift cards from mail on his delivery route. Russell Joaquin, 48, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland to theft of mail by postal carrier. In court records, prosecutors allege that between January and May 2023, Joaquin opened and stole the contents of greeting cards from his postal route. According to Maine U.S. Attorney’s Office, Joaquin admitted to U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General investigators that he had stolen greeting cards from…

Disclosure: The Maine Wire is a project of the Maine Policy Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to expand individual liberty and economic freedom in Maine. Once a national leader in education, Maine’s K-12 public schools system is facing a multitude of challenges, including declining reading and math scores, an increase in behavioral and mental health issues among students and a dire teacher shortage, according to a new report published Tuesday by the Maine Policy Institute. The 91-page report, entitled “The Decline of Maine K-12 Education,” was authored by Maine Policy Institute education fellow and social science researcher Jonah Davids,…

The Maine House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a proposal to implement a required 72-hour waiting period between the sale and delivery of firearms, with certain exceptions for sales between family members, to law enforcement, and sales of antique firearms. [RELATED: Patriot’s Day: Maine Dems Mark Anniversary of American War for Independence by Voting for Gun Control…] The bill from Sen. Peggy Rotundo (D-Lewiston), LD 2238, would require that a seller of a firearm not deliver a firearm to a buyer sooner than 72 hours after the sale agreement. Under the proposed legislation, a seller found to have violated the…

A Brazilian national charged with raping a minor in Massachusetts has been arrested by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after he fled to Portland, Maine. According to ICE, the Brazilian national along with his mother and father were apprehended by Border Patrol in July 2021 after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally near San Luis, Arizona. [RELATED: From Texas to Maine, Biden’s Lawless Border Fuels Illegal Alien Crime Wave…] The Brazilian noncitizen and his family were then served with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice Immigration judge, and were released on an order of recognizance. Orders of…

Smith and Wesson has threatened to shutter its 44,000-square-foot Houlton facility if a Democratic gun control bill under consideration in Augusta becomes law. The proposed bill passed this week by in the House of Representatives. It would allow firearms manufacturers to be sued civilly over damages tied to the illegal sale or marketing of their products, a risk that could drive manufacturers out of the state, according to a Friday letter from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a national firearms industry trade association. [RELATED: Cape Elizabeth Democrat Pushes Bill to Hold Firearm Manufacturers and Distributors Liable for Damages Resulting…

A month-long joint investigation between the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) and the Portland Police has led to the arrest of a Portland man on multiple counts of drug trafficking charges and the seizure of more than 100 grams of fentanyl. James Ferrar, 30, of Portland, was arrested without incident Thursday afternoon on three counts of unlawful trafficking in schedule W drugs as he allegedly delivered fentanyl to an undercover agent in the west end of Portland, MDEA said in a press release. MDEA and Portland Police have been investigating Ferrar for the past month as he allegedly distributed fentanyl…

Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) on Thursday released a statement praising the Biden administration’s move to expand background checks on gun show and online sale of firearms. “More Americans die from misused firearms than car crashes every year, and yet America’s gun ownership laws are far more lax and allow weapons to get into the wrong hands,” Rep. Pingree said. “I have supported expanding background checks since coming to Congress, but only the Biden Administration has succeeded in closing dangerous loopholes that have enabled the illegal acquisition of firearms,” Pingree said. “Now, Congress must build on this effort and pass long-overdue universal background check…

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey on Friday announced that he was filed a lawsuit against Monsanto alleging that the agricultural biochemical giant knowingly manufactured and sold dangerous chemicals. In his 47-page complaint, filed Thursday in Cumberland County Superior Court, Attorney General Frey accuses Monsanto of selling polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) while knowing the harms they pose to humans, wildlife, and the environment. [RELATED: Maine AG Frey Announces Multistate Lawsuit against Meta for Social Media Harms to Children…] According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the federal government banned PCBs for most uses in the 1970s due to the negative health effects…

A traffic stop on Route 9 in Eddington last week led to the seizure 60 grams of fentanyl, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday. According Penobscot Sheriff Troy Morton, shortly before 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 3, a deputy assigned to the towns of Eddington and Clifton conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Route 9 in Eddington. Morton said that during the traffic stop, the deputy determined that a passenger in the vehicle was out of jail with five sets of bail conditions. The deputy conducted a search of the vehicle after establishing probable cause “based on…

Republican candidate in the 2024 primary race in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent) has accused his opponent, Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Phillips), of conducting a “fake poll” over the weekend. In a post to his campaign Facebook page Tuesday, Theriault accused “Team Soboleski and/or their allies” of conducting a push poll over the weekend “falsely attacking” Theriault and claiming that former President Donald Trump has not endorsed him. In a statement to the Maine Wire, a spokesperson for Soboleski’s campaign denied conducting any polling. President Trump gave Theriault his “Complete and Total Endorsement” in a March 27…

A former undergraduate student at Cornell University faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to making a series of violent threats against Jewish students on campus. Patrick Dai, 21, a former junior at Cornell originally from Pittsford, N.Y., pleaded guilty in a Syracuse federal court Wednesday to one count of posting threats to kill or injure another person using interstate communications. [RELATED: Maine DSA Stages Pro-Hamas Rally in Portland, Calls Terror Attacks on Israel “Morally and Legally Legitimate”…] As part of his guilty plea, Dai admitted that on Oct. 28 and 29, 2023, he posted several violent…

A former educator in Maine School Administrative District 75 (MSAD 75), who resigned following the district’s adoption of a “transgender and gender-expansive” student policy, launched a petition drive in defense of students’ right to free speech that was rejected last week by the district’s Board of Directors. MSAD 75 covers schools in Topsham, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, and Harpswell. The longtime MSAD 75 substitute teacher and paraprofessional Rebecca Brooks resigned in November after the school board approved the controversial transgender student policy following months of heated debate surrounding the policy’s balancing of students’ right to privacy and parents’ rights to be informed.…

A South Portland man has been found guilty of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor after three federal trials spanning over nearly six years. Willie Richard Minor, 63, formerly of Auburn, was found guilty Tuesday of the firearm possession charge in U.S. District in Portland. Minor was prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition due to a 2010 conviction in Maine Superior Court of assaulting his then-wife. According to court records, Minor admitted to having a gun in a November 2016 interview with Auburn Police, after which the police recovered the gun from…

The City of Portland’s Social Services Division, in charge of administering the city’s General Assistance program, has nearly tripled its number of full-time staff in recent years amid an influx in migrants arriving in the city and an ongoing homelessness crisis. [RELATED: City of Portland Looks to Hire Two Full-Time Migrant Resettlement Case Managers…] General Assistance is Maine’s municipal welfare program, and provides vouchers to the poor and indigent to assist them with buying food, medicine, fuel, paying their rent, and meeting other basic needs. The city has been using its General Assistance program to help house the thousands of…

The Falmouth High School Civil Rights Team on Tuesday gave a presentation on the Falmouth Public Schools’ recently adopted “Transgender and Gender Expansive Students” policy, that directs school staff to assist students in changing their “gender identity,” to use a student’s chosen pronouns and name, and to allow students to use restrooms and locker rooms facilities that “closely match their gender identity.” [RELATED: Falmouth Parents Rip Woke School District for Keeping Football Coach After Players Complained of Racism, Lack of Safety…] The policy also allows students to choose whether they want to stay in accommodations for boys or girls on…

A Salvadoran national who is a documented member of the notorious MS-13 transnational criminal street gang, and who was previously deported from the U.S., has been arrested by federal immigration authorities in Massachusetts after being charged with multiple counts of assault and battery. [RELATED: From Texas to Maine, Biden’s Lawless Border Fuels Illegal Alien Crime Wave…] According to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the 28-year-old Salvadoran first entered the U.S. illegally in November 2014 near Rio Grande Valley, Texas, after which he was given a notice to appear before an immigration judge for removal proceedings. In June 2016, nearly two…

A Caribou man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for his role in a large drug trafficking ring that was active in Penobscot and Aroostook counties. James King, 54, of Caribou, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor Tuesday to 165 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. [RELATED: California Man Accused of Running Massive Drug Trafficking Operation Out of Caribou Home…] King previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl on Sept. 25, 2023. The Caribou man is the tenth out of a…

In just under three years, the U.S. Department of Justice task force in charge of investigating and prosecuting instances of fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds has released a report detailing the seizure of more than $1.4 billion in stolen funds and over 3,500 defendants charged with federal crimes. The DOJ’s COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force (CFETF) was launched in May 2021, in order to identify fraud, recover assets, and prosecute wrongdoers who exploited the federal government’s massive pandemic-era relief programs for personal gain. [RELATED: Mills Admin Releases Report on Two Years and Nearly $1 Billion of COVID Relief Spending…] More…

The foreign-born population in the United States grew by 15.6 percent from 2010 to 2022, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau released Tuesday. Native-born is defined by the Census Bureau as anyone who is born in the U.S. or its territories to a U.S. citizen parent or parents, while foreign-born is defined as people who were not U.S. citizens at birth, including naturalized citizens, refugees, asylees, and unauthorized migrants. [RELATED: Federal Chair Touts Job Market, But Data Show Foreign Born Workers Make Up Almost All Post-2018 Job Growth…] In 2022, the foreign-born population was estimated to…

Maine’s taxpayer-funded racial equity commission has revised their public comment policy to disallow input from the public during meetings of their Finance and Operations Committee. The move to revise the policy came directly after the Maine Wire asked the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous & Tribal Populations (PCRITP) about a potential conflict of interest related to a $12,000 grant it awarded to a nonprofit run by the sister of House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland), who co-chairs PCRITP. [RELATED: Maine Speaker’s Racial Equity Board Gave Her Sister’s Nonprofit $12,000 for Black History Month…] Neither Speaker Talbot Ross…

The City of Portland has announced that it is looking to hire a new director for their Department of Planning and Urban Development, an executive post overseeing the city’s activities related to housing, land use, zoning, historic preservation, and other development matters. [RELATED: City of Portland Looks to Hire Two Full-Time Migrant Resettlement Case Managers…] The starting annual salary range for the municipal position is $119,868-$138,890, and falls under the supervision of the Portland City Manager, Danielle West. The new Planning and Urban Development Department head will oversee an operating budget of $1.9 million and a staff of 17 department…

A man was arrested Sunday in connection with a fire at the Burlington office of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I) that is being investigated as arson, the Department of Justice announced Sunday. Shant Soghomonian, aka Michael Soghomonian, 35, previously of Northbridge, Calif., was arrested Sunday under a federal criminal complaint charging him with using fire to damage the building where an office for Sen. Sanders is located, the Vermont U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release. In the complaint, federal prosecutors allege that on the morning of Friday, April 5, Soghomonian entered the building at One Church Street in…

Three individuals are facing drug trafficking charges after Auburn Police conducted a major drug bust at a South Main Street apartment over the weekend. On Friday, April 5, Auburn Police officers executed a search warrant at an apartment at 102 South Main St. in Auburn as part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation. Upon executing the warrant, police say they discovered a total of eight individuals inside the apartment. As a result of the search, police seized approximately 198 grams of cocaine base (crack), 91 grams of cocaine hydrochloride (powder cocaine), 8.6 grams of fentanyl, two grams of MDMA (ecstasy)…

The Vatican on Monday released a document condemning transgender surgeries, gender theory and surrogacy as “grave violations” of human dignity, equating them with murder, human trafficking, abortion and euthanasia. The 20-page declaration, entitled Dignitas Infinita, Latin for “Infinite Dignity,” was over five years in development, and was approved for publication by Pope Francis on March 25. [RELATED: Study Shows The Vast Majority of Children Confused About Their Gender Grow Out of The Feelings Without Intervention…] “Infinite Dignity” addresses and expands the teaching of the Catholic Church on more than a wide array of “grave violations” of human dignity, including poverty,…

In an uncommon display of evenhandedness in their coverage, several corporate media outlets have reported on the disinformation tactics used by Maine Democrats to smear a Republican state lawmaker as a Nazi sympathizer by taking her comments from a debate on a bill to restrict paramilitary training in the state out of context. [RELATED: Controversial Bill Targeting “Unauthorized Paramilitary Training” Passes Through Maine’s House…] Speaking in opposition to the bill — LD 2130 — before a vote in the House last Wednesday, Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) posed a rhetorical question asking what neo-Nazi demonstrators in Maine had done that was…

Despite hundreds of thousands of Mainers still being without power Friday following a nor’easter, Democratic lawmakers plowed ahead with a public hearing on a highly controversial “Red Flag” gun control bill. [RELATED: Maine Dems Use Snowstorm, Power Outages as Cover to Move “Red Flag” Gun Grab Bill…] The spring snow storm battered the state with heavy and wet snow, and with wind gusts over 50 mph that brought down trees and powerlines, resulting in more than 250,000 Mainers still being without electricity on Friday as the public hearing went on as planned. The public hearing, initially scheduled for 9 a.m.…

A Bangor Police officer was justified in shooting at a woman who was brandishing a pair of knives at two officers in a June 2023 incident, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey (D) announced Monday. The investigation conducted by the Maine Attorney General’s Office concluded this week by finding the use of deadly force by Bangor Police Officer Bobbylee Gillespie, which resulted in no injury to the woman in question, was justified due to a reasonable belief of serious bodily injury or death to herself or to the other officer on the scene. According to Attorney General Frey, shortly after 3…

A position on the state’s Right to Know Advisory Committee meant to represent advocates for Mainers’ freedom of access to public records and proceedings has been left vacant since last summer due to the lack of an appointment by House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland). Maine’s Right to Know Advisory Committee was established by the Legislature in 2005 with the purpose of upholding the integrity of the state’s Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) through general oversight, training and education, and ensuring best practices are in place for compliance by government officials with providing access to public records and proceedings. [RELATED:…

An “Economic Policy Analyst” at the left-wing dark money-funded think tank the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) is arguing that Maine should give up its “privileged position” in the Electoral College to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact for “the good of the country.” The MECEP staffer, James Myall, took to X Wednesday to argue in favor of LD 1578, a bill that would grant Maine’s four electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate garners the most popular votes nationwide, regardless of who the majority of Mainers votes for. The bill now heads for a potential signature from Gov.…

A Colombian national who was paroled into the U.S. after illegally crossing the border at Eagle Pass, Texas, has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Boston after he was released by a Massachusetts court despite facing charges of rape against a minor. [RELATED: Illegal Alien Facing 9 Counts of Child Sex Crimes Arrested by ICE After Being Released by MA Court…] According to ICE, the Colombian national was arrested by Border Patrol on July 3, 2022, shortly after illegally crossing the border into Texas, and was given a notice to appear before a Department of…

Lewiston Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of two out-of-state fugitives from Massachusetts, one of whom is wanted for a recent homicide. The arrests came on Tuesday afternoon following a coordinated traffic stop on Pleasant St. in Lewiston, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, police said. Police stopped 20-year-old Jeremiah Abreu, of Brockton, Mass., who is wanted on a warrant out of Massachusetts for a homicide that occurred this past weekend. According to CBS News Boston, Abreu is accused of shooting his brother, 27-year-old Sedrick Abreu, at a home in Brockton last Sunday.…

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Boston have arrested a Dominican national previously charged with homicide, strangulation, and assault and battery on unrelated fentanyl trafficking charges. [RELATED: Illegal Alien Facing 9 Counts of Child Sex Crimes Arrested by ICE After Being Released by MA Court…] According to ICE, the Dominican national unlawfully entered the U.S. at an unknown location and on an unknown date, after he was charged in the Dominican Republic with homicide — a charge for which Dominican authorities are seeking his custody. In December 2021, the aspiring “New American” was charged and arraigned on charges…

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Tuesday announced a series of large drug and illicit currency seizures near El Paso, Texas, including intercepting fentanyl that was hidden in a hamburger from being smuggled over the U.S.-Mexico border. CBP said a total of 62.18 pounds of methamphetamine, 25.27 pounds of fentanyl, 158.64 pounds of marijuana were intercepted, $162,539 of illicit currency was seized, and 44 fugitives were arrested within the last two weeks. [RELATED: Texas Border Officials Intercept Mexican National Attempting to Smuggle Over $1.1 Million Worth of Meth Across Border…] On March 14, CBP officers working at the Paso…

A Maine man pleaded guilty in a Massachusetts federal court Monday to a conspiracy to straw purchase firearms in Maine to traffic them to Massachusetts. Traveyon Richardson, 26, of Bangor, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to straw purchase firearms and one count of trafficking of firearms. The straw purchase of a firearm is an illegal purchase where the actual buyer of the gun, who is unable to pass a federal background check or does not want their name associated with the transaction, uses a proxy buyer who can pass a background check to buy the firearm for them.…

The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a train versus car collision on the Hammett Road in Enfield. On Monday, April 1, at approximately 4:15 p.m., the Penobscot Regional Communications Center received a report that a car had been struck by a train on Hammett Road in Enfield. Upon arrival, Penobscot Sheriff’s deputies confirmed that a car had been struck by a train and had come to rest a short distance down the tracks. The driver of the car, the lone occupant of the vehicle, sustained minor injuries, while none of the occupants of the train were injured. The car…

Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Monday signed into a law a bill that recriminalizes the possession of small amounts of drugs, rolling back the state’s first-in-the-nation experiment with the decriminalization of hard drugs. The new law, House Bill 4002, makes personal use possession a misdemeanor punishable by a jail sentence of up to six months beginning Sept. 1, as well as encourages law enforcement agencies to use deflection programs for addiction and mental health treatment as an alternative to criminal penalties. [RELATED: Oregon Officials Declare State of Emergency Over Fentanyl Crisis Ahead of Three Year Anniversary of Decriminalizing Hard…

Juan Bernal, Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Houlton Sector, is warning tourists who plan to come to Maine for the April 8 total solar eclipse against crossing the Canada-U.S. border illegally. [RELATED: Former U.S.-Mexico Border Official Selected as New Chief Patrol Agent of Maine’s Houlton Sector…] Northern Maine, which will be in the pathway of totality for the solar eclipse, is expected to receive a large influx of tourists from out of state and Canada for the rare celestial event. “It is Border Patrol’s mission to ensure the safety of our Nation by reducing the likelihood of…

Following a 10-month vacancy in the role, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Tuesday the appointment of a new Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO) at the State Department to head their Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Zakiya Carr Johnson, the appointee, will advance the State Department’s “deep commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA),” Blinken said in a Tuesday statement. [RELATED: Don Lemon Told Elon Musk “No Evidence” DEI Lowers Standards: Here’s the Evidence…] Johnson is a “social inclusion, diversity and equity expert and strategist” with over 20 years experience in international policy, according to her biography…

After a nearly two-week delay, the Maine House of Representatives on Tuesday once again took up consideration of a proposed bill that would sign the state onto the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. [RELATED: House Delays Vote on Joining the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact…] If Maine were to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact by passing the bill, LD 1578, the state’s four elector votes would be granted to whichever presidential candidate collects the most popular votes nationwide — regardless of who the majority of Maine voters cast their ballots for. The highly controversial bill was initially scheduled…

The Independent Commission tasked by Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) with investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding the Oct. 25, 2023 Lewiston shooting has announced that it will hold two public meetings to hear testimony from U.S. Army personnel, police, victims, and the Maine Medical Examiner’s Office. On Thursday, April 4, at 9 a.m., the Commission is scheduled to hear from some members of the U.S. Army Reserve, and expects to take testimony from the Director of the Department of Justice’s Victim Witness Services Unit for the District of Maine. The Maine State Police are also expected to offer testimony…

Lewiston Police announced the arrest of a 26-year-old man Monday after he was found trespassing in a common area of a Lisbon Street apartment complex while in possession of cocaine. Police say they were called to 282 Lisbon St. in Lewiston (Chestnut Place Apartment) for a report of a criminal trespass. Patrol officers responded and located 26-year-old Kamal Mohamed Haji Ali. According to Lewiston Police, Ali was found trespassing in a common area of the building. An investigation by Lewiston Police and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency resulted in Ali being found in possession of 82.8 grams of cocaine base,…

A bill sponsored by House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) would establish racial quotas for membership on the board in charge of administrating veterans’ homes throughout the state. [RELATED: Maine House Speaker Introduces Bill to Establish State ‘Social Equity Program’ Pushing Affirmative Action for Business Development…] Maine Veterans’ Homes (MVH), created by the State Legislature in 1977, provides long-term care services to veterans and eligible family members across six locations in Caribou, Scarborough, South Paris, Bangor and Machias. The administration of MVH is vested in their Board of Trustees, which under current state law consists of 13 members, appointed by…

An investigation is underway after a Bowdoin College student was found dead by police Sunday in a parking lot near the Frank J. Wood Bridge that connects Brunswick to Topsham. The 20-year-old female student from California was found deceased in a Main Street parking lot in Topsham shortly after 7 a.m. on Sunday, police said. The parking lot, located at 2 Main St. in Topsham, is currently being used to store construction equipment for the ongoing replacement of the bridge, Topsham Police Chief Mark Hagan said Sunday. According to Topsham Police, the student was enrolled as a student at Bowdoin…

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Boston have arrested an unlawfully present Guatemalan national who has been charged with multiple sex crimes against minor victims in Massachusetts. ICE deportation officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston apprehended the 33-year-old Guatemalan illegal alien on Thursday, March 28, near his residence in Lynn, Mass. “This unlawfully present Guatemalan national has been charged with sex crimes against Massachusetts children,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “His very presence in our community represents a dire threat to our residents.” “ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting…

More than 10 percent of the ballots cast in Maine’s March 5 Democratic presidential primary election were recorded as “blank” amid frustration among the progressive rank-and-file voters of the party with President Joe Biden over his administration’s handling of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. [RELATED: One-in-Five Portland Dems Blank Primary Ballots After Gaza Ceasefire Campaign Against ‘Butcher Biden’…] Prior to the March 5 primary, a coalition of pro-Palestine groups led a “ceasefire” write-in initiative as a protest against the Biden administration. The Maine write-in initiative came after a similar pro-Palestine campaign in Michigan, home of the largest Arab population in the U.S.,…

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reported the death of a 24-year-old Guatemalan woman who fell from the border fence near a Port of Entry at Otay Mesa, south of San Diego, California. According to CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), Border Patrol agents reported a group of migrants approaching the secondary International Border Fence, which is about 30 feet tall, at around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21. The group of multiple migrants was reportedly carrying a ladder. A Border Patrol agent arrived at the scene and observed a woman who had climbed to the top of the…

An Auburn couple is facing multiple drug trafficking charges after police found $24,000 worth of illegal drugs at a woman’s apartment, Auburn Police announced Friday. On Thursday, at approximately 8:30 p.m., officers from the Auburn Police Department’s Proactive Community Enforcement (PACE) Unit conducted a follow-up at an apartment at 21 Spring St. in Auburn as part of an ongoing investigation into drug trafficking at the residence, police said. The renter of the Spring Street apartment, 28-year-old Sabrina Harps, was subject to bail conditions from a previous arrest requiring her to submit to searches for drugs and alcohol, according to Auburn…

A Maine banking executive says that for the United States, “evolving to a cashless environment” should be a priority because digital transactions allow for more oversight, tracking and control of payments. [RELATED: Beware the Digital Dollar and CBDCs…] Lucie Hannigan, senior vice president of cash management at Machias Savings Bank, argued in favor of creating a cashless society in an article entitled “How to make cashless payments work for your nonprofit,” published Friday by Mainebiz. “Reducing paper financial transactions and evolving to a cashless environment should be a priority,” Hannigan wrote. “Cashless payments provide a range of benefits to nonprofits,…

A drug trafficking investigation involving the South Portland Police Department and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) led to the arrest of a South Portland man with a lengthy criminal history in the state who obtained a $20,000 PPP loan from the federal government, [RELATED: Multiple Teenagers Arrested as Portland PD Seizes 400 Grams of Cocaine, 6 Handguns, and $44,000 Following Drive-by Shooting…] According to police, South Portland Police officers working alongside the MDEA arrested 42-year-old Lynel Moultrie of South Portland at around 10 a.m. on Wednesday. Moultrie faces four counts of trafficking in scheduled drugs, and is being held…

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the fraud-ridden cryptocurrency exchange FTX, was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday, the culmination of the disgraced former billionaire’s fall from grace after the collapse of his firm in November 2022. [RELATED: Sam Bankman-Fried’s Fraudulent FTX Crypto Scheme Funneled Cash to Left-Wing Groups Through Arabella Advisors: Lawsuit…] “A lot of people feel really let down, and they were very let down, and I am sorry about that,” Bankman-Fried told the Manhattan court Thursday before he received his sentence, according to CNN. “I am sorry about what happened at every stage,” he said. “And there are…

The Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, & Tribal Populations (PCRITP), which was established in 2019 by the Legislature to address “systemic racism,” received $1 million in federal funds meant to help Maine businesses and families recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. [RELATED: Mills Directs $6.5 Million of COVID-Era Funds to Maine Electrical Grid Upgrades, Favoring ‘Minority and Ethnically Diverse’ Business Owners…] According to PCRITP’s 2024 Annual Report, the commission received a one-time grant of $1 million in federal funds under Gov. Janet Mills’ Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan. Gov. Mills’ “Jobs Plan,” approved the Legislature in July 2021,…

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the Eagle Pass, Texas Port of Entry intercepted over $1.1 million worth of methamphetamine which was being smuggled across the border by a Mexican national, the agency announced Wednesday. According to CBP, the seizure occurred on Tuesday, March 25, at the Camino Real International Bridge, which connects the cities of Eagle Pass, Texas and the Mexican city of Piedras Negras over the Rio Grande. [RELATED: Border Agents Intercept $11 Million in Fentanyl at San Diego Port of Entry…] CBP says an officer directed a vehicle being driven by a Mexican citizen…

Former President Donald Trump has weighed in on the 2024 Republican primary race in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, throwing his “Complete and Total Endorsement” behind former NASCAR driver and State Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent). [RELATED: NASCAR Driver Austin Theriault Joins the Race for Maine’s Second Congressional District…] “Former NASCAR Driver Austin Theriault is running for Congress in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District against Democrat Jared Golden, who poses as a ‘bipartisan politician,’ but is instead completely beholden to the Radical Left,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Wednesday afternoon. “Jared Golden supports Joe Biden’s Open Borders Agenda, Out-of-Control Spending,…

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed into a law a bill that prohibits minors under 14 years old in the state from having social media accounts. “Social media harms children in a variety of ways,” Gov. DeSantis said Monday when signing the legislation, House Bill 3 (HB 3), on Monday. “HB 3 gives parents a greater ability to protect their children. Thank you to [Florida House Speaker Paul Renner] for delivering this landmark legislation,” DeSantis said. The bill, in addition to requiring social media platforms to terminate accounts held Florida children under 14, requires that the platforms permanently delete…

Portland Police held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to announce that their investigation of a drive-by shooting involving two vehicles in February has led to the discovery of a large and sophisticated drug trafficking organization involving youths aged 16 to 19 years old. The original shooting incident occurred on Monday, Feb. 26, in the area of Forest Avenue and Clinton Street at about 3 p.m., and involved the exchange of multiple gunshots exchanged between two vehicles as they drove through nearby residential side streets, Portland Police Interim Assistant Chief Bob Martin said Tuesday. The two vehicles were believed to be…

A suspect in a child sexual assault case in Strong died after crashing head-on into a tree during a police chase, Maine State Police announced Tuesday. Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home in Strong around 5 p.m. Monday to investigate an alleged sexual assault o a child. Police said 32-year-old Joshua Burdin of Strong was identified as the suspect, and had fled before deputies arrived. Deputies spotted Burdin driving a Subaru Impreza in Strong shortly after 6:10 p.m. Monday and tried to initiate a traffic stop, but he fled, police said. Burdin then led police on a chase…

A Moscow court on Tuesday again extended the pretrial detention for Bowdoin graduate and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich until June 30, according to state-run news outlet TASS. [RELATED: US Embassy “Deeply Disappointed” After Russia Upholds Detention of WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich…] Gershkovich has been in held in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison for almost a full year following his arrest on espionage charges on March 29, 2023, while working for the Journal in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. Russia’s Federal Security Service alleged that Gershkovich, the first American journalist to be arrested on charges of spying in Russia since the…

A 19-year-old man allegedly pulled a knife on employees while stealing alcohol from the Bangor Walmart over the weekend, police announced Tuesday. Bangor Police say they responded to a report of a shoplifting suspect at Walmart at about 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 23. Walmart loss prevention called police after the shoplifting suspect allegedly pulled a knife on store employees when they tried to stop him as he was attempted to leave the store with a shopping cart full of alcohol. Employees observed the suspect leave the store and get into a nearby vehicle, a description of which was given…

Seven Chinese nationals have been indicted on federal charges for their alleged involvement in a hacking group that spent over a decade targeting U.S. and foreign critics of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), politicians, and businesses to support the PRC’s economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives, according to an indictment unsealed Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). [RELATED: Chinese Billionaire Pleads Guilty to Straw Donor Campaign Contribution Scheme…] The seven defendants charged in the indictment are Ni Gaobin, 38; Weng Ming, 37; Cheng Feng, 34; Peng Yaowen, 38; Sun Xiaohui, 38; Xiong Wang, 35; and Zhao Guangzong,…

Linda Lorraine Bean, the granddaughter of L.L. Bean founder Leon Leonwood Bean and a force in Maine’s business and political landscape, died on Saturday, March 23, at the age of 82. “We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of Linda L. Bean,” said Veronika Carlson, president of Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine. “Linda was known for her amazing work ethic, entrepreneurial spirit as well as her pride and dedication to her home state of Maine and L.L.Bean, the company her grandfather founded,” Carlson said. “Our hearts go out to her family and friends.” Beside Bean’s own successful entrepreneurial endeavors, Linda…

The City of Portland has released a 2023 Year in Review Homeless Services report detailing the city’s response to the homelessness crisis, which at points last year reached a point of more than 200 tents in large encampments spread throughout the city. [RELATED: Portland Spends 50 Times More Per Person on Welfare Than Other Maine Cities, Spent 73% of All General Assistance Dollars Since 2019, Records Show…] The 41-page report, released Friday, presents data on the city’s outreach efforts at the encampments to bring the homeless into shelters, demographic data on the populations using the city’s shelters, and statistics on other…

Democratic Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (CD-1) issued a statement Friday claiming that U.S. aid to Israel is illegal due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “interference with humanitarian operations” in the Gaza Strip. [RELATED: Chellie Pingree Removes the Ukrainian Flag From Her X Profile, Quickly Puts it Back After Being Questioned…] Rep. Pingree’s statement comes after a group of six U.S. Senators sent a letter — signed by six Democrats and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont — to President Joe Biden calling on his administration to cease sending U.S. military aid to Israel unless Netanyahu’s government stops restricting humanitarian…

Independent Maine Sen. Angus King, alongside six of his colleagues, has introduced a bill that would allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to obtain a warrant to hold illegal immigrants charged or convicted of a violent crime in custody, even within jurisdictions that do not honor ICE detainers — so-called ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions. [RELATED: From Texas to Maine, Biden’s Lawless Border Fuels Illegal Alien Crime Wave…] Under current law, immigration detainers are lodged by ICE against individuals who have been arrested on criminal charges in the U.S., and who ICE has probable cause to believe are removable non-citizens. However, due to…

The South Portland City Council on Tuesday approved an order to spend nearly $15,000 to lease three new electric vehicles (EVs) for use by the city’s Code Enforcement, Assessor’s Office, and Facilities Department. [RELATED: EPA Announces “Strongest-Ever” Vehicle Pollution Standards, Expected to Dramatically Increase Sale of New EVs and Plug-In Hybrids by 2032…] The city issued Requests for Proposals (RFP) in December soliciting competitive bids from vendors to replace expired lease agreements of the vehicles currently held by the three municipal departments, with the stipulation that the vehicles must be 100 percent electric and new or in new condition. After…

Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday signed into law a bill that will expand the availability of public defenders in rural Maine to address a statewide shortage of eligible attorneys to represent indigent defendants. The bipartisan legislation, LD 653, passed unanimously through the Legislature earlier this week, will create two new public defender offices to serve Aroostook, Penobscot, and Piscataquis counties, and will add ten new public defense attorneys — increasing the total number statewide from 15 to 25. The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services, now renamed under the newly signed legislation the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services,…

A Maine man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role in a multistate methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy that operated Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and northern California. Jacob Parlin, 44, of Lebanon, Maine was sentenced Friday by Mass. U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin to 12 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. [RELATED: Maine Reports Nearly 10,000 Drug Overdoses in 2023, 16 Percent Decrease in Fatal Overdoses from 2022…] Parlin was convicted in November 2023 by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or…

Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced Wednesday that she has introduced legislation that would establish a minimum hourly wage for Maine agricultural workers. [RELATED: California Raised the Minimum Wage for Fast-Food Workers to $20 An Hour — So Chipotle and McDonald’s Are Hiking Prices…] The governor’s bill, LD 2273, was presented by House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland), and cosponsored by the co-chairs of the Legislature’s Committee on Labor and Housing, Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot) and Rep. Amy Roeder (D-Bangor). The legislation comes after Gov. Mills “reluctantly” vetoed a bill from the first session of the 131st Legislature in July 2023…

Two men from the New York City metro area were charged Wednesday with burglarizing two Maine post offices and robbing two U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carriers at knife point. A federal grand jury charged Winston McLeod, 30, of Orange, N.J., and Lance Funderburk, 30, of Brooklyn, N.Y. in a five count indictment Wednesday, charging each with two robberies, two burglaries, and conspiracy. According to the indictment, during a week-long period in January 2024, McLeod and Funderburk allegedly broke into the Paris and North Monmouth post offices, stealing money order printers, mail, computers, P.O. box keys, and other items. The…

Amid a push for stricter gun control legislation, Democratic lawmakers on the Maine Legislature’s Judiciary Committee had a closed-door meeting Wednesday with a top official from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), prompting indignation among Republicans and gun rights advocates over the lack of transparency. [RELATED: Left-Wing Activists Leverage Lewiston Tragedy to Push Expansive Gun Control…] The Wednesday informational session was held between Democrats and James Vann, the deputy assistant director of enforcement programs and services for the ATF. An ATF representative was initially supposed to join the Judiciary Committee for a pubic meeting, though that…

A Westbrook man was sentenced to 18 years in prison Tuesday for sexually abusing a child for the purpose of creating child sexual abuse material. Rayevon Deschambault, 28, was sentenced to 216 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, following his conviction on two counts of sexually exploiting a child in a two-day jury trial in Portland in January 2023. Deschambault also received a concurrent 27-month sentence on an unrelated charge of distributing cocaine base, after selling the drug to a confidential informant in August 2019. According to court records, in August 2019, Deschambault sexually abused a 14-year-old…

A Brazilian illegal immigrant who fled to the U.S. after breaking out of prison in his own country for an armed robbery conviction has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Boston. [RELATED: From Texas to Maine, Biden’s Lawless Border Fuels Illegal Alien Crime Wave…] Deportation officers from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston apprehended the 23-year-old unlawfully present Brazilian fugitive on Thursday, March 14, near his residence in Everett, Mass. ICE said the Brazilian national was in possession of fraudulent identification documents at the time of his arrest. According to ICE, the Brazilian fugitive…

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey announced Tuesday that he has filed a civil rights complaint against a Harpswell father and son for allegedly vandalizing numerous road signs and roadways with racist and antisemitic messages. William Deary, 49, and Hayden Deary, 18, are accused of spray-painting antisemitic and racist symbols and phrases in Harpswell, Brunswick, Bath, and Topsham on or about Jan. 7, 2024. Frey’s complaint alleges that the father and son spray-painted the phrase “Gas Jews” on a Harpswell intersection and on pillars supporting an Route 1 overpass in Bath. Other alleged vandalism by the Drearys, according to the complaint,…

A 21-year-old Bangor woman is facing multiple felony drug trafficking charges after a two-month Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) led to the seizure of large amounts of illegal drugs, cash, and firearms from a residence, the agency said Wednesday. [RELATED: California Man Accused of Running Massive Drug Trafficking Operation Out of Caribou Home…] According to the MDEA, an investigation was recently opened by the agency’s North Central Task Force into suspected drug trafficking occurring at 166 Larkin St. in Bangor. During their investigation, MDEA agents conducted controlled purchases of fentanyl and cocaine base from 21-year-old Jade Willette of Bangor, the…

Maine House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) has introduced a bill that would establish a state “social equity program” and advisory board to push affirmative action business development initiatives for disproportionately incarcerated populations. [RELATED: Rachel Talbot Ross Wants to Give Money to Criminals and “Disinvested” Communities to Help Them Start Cannabis Businesses…] The bill, LD 1517, was first introduced by the House Speaker during the first legislative session in July 2023, and was originally entitled “An Act to Create Equity in the State’s Cannabis Industry.” The first iteration of the bill would have established a “cannabis business equity program” to…

The Maine Democratic Socialists of America (Maine DSA) and the Maine Direct Action Solidarity Fund has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise bail money for their “comrades” who may be arrested during future pro-Palestine protests. According to a post shared to Maine DSA’s Instagram page, the crowdfunding campaign is “to raise bail funds for an upcoming action,” with the goal of raising a total of $2,723. [RELATED: Pro-Palestine Protestors Block Road Outside Bath Iron Works, Demand Shipyard Stop Arming “Imperialist Genocide”…] The “upcoming action,” which presumably would involve illegal conduct based on the need to raise bail funds, is not specified…

U.S. Senator from Maine Angus King (I) has joined a group of his Democrat colleagues in sponsoring the “Right to Vote Act,” a bill that would place significant restrictions on states looking to implement stricter voter ID laws. [RELATED: Maine Dems Unanimously Reject Voter ID…] The bill, introduced last week by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), would articulate a “fundamental right to vote” in federal elections for all U.S. citizens of legal voting age, and would prohibit any government action that “diminish[es] the ability to vote,” except for when that action is the “least restrictive means of significantly furthering an important,…

A billionaire Chinese national pleaded guilty Monday to a straw-donor campaign contribution scheme by which he made more than $10,000 in illegal donations to New York City and congressional candidates in the names of others. Hui Qin, 56, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was once listed on Forbes magazine’s list of billionaires and ran the now-defunct film and entertainment company SMI Culture based in Hong Kong. Qin pleaded guilty Monday to charges of making political contributions in the names of others, immigration fraud and producing a false identification document. The Chinese magnate has been incarcerated since…

A Lewiston man is facing up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to sending racist death threats to a black family living in his apartment complex, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine. Charles Allen Barnes, 46, of Lewiston, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of threatening communications in interstate commerce. In court documents, prosecutors accused Barnes of using Facebook Messenger to record and transmit a “racial-slur-laden” voice message in which he threatened “in graphic and violent terms” to kill his neighbor. Prosecutors said Barnes made repeated derogatory references to the neighbor’s race, and…

The Biden administration released a map Friday of a two million acre Wind Energy Area (WEA) in the Gulf of Maine that is designated for future offshore wind projects. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, said Friday that the finalized map represents a 43 percent reduction from its drafted area, and has the capacity to support 32 gigawatts of offshore wind energy — far exceeding Maine’s current offshore wind energy goal of 3 gigawatts. [RELATED: Another Offshore Wind Project Scuttled as Maine Charges Forward with Mills’ “Roadmap”…] Notably, the finalized…

The City of Portland has posted job advertisements for two new full-time case manager positions in their migrant Resettlement Program, who will aid newly arrived migrants in the city by connecting them with taxpayer-funded resources. The job postings come after Portland was provided a $364,000 grant from the Maine State Housing Authority (MaineHousing) in February in order to extend their migrant Resettlement Program for 12 months. [RELATED: MaineHousing Grants Portland $364,000 to Extend City’s Migrant Resettlement Program For 12 Months…] Since January 2020, Portland has resettled an estimated 4,200 migrants through their resettlement program. According to the job postings, the…

A Portland man is facing 12 criminal charges after leading police on a 20-minute chase Sunday afternoon. Portland Police said that at 2:17 p.m. on Sunday an officer observed a woman waving frantically for help out of the passenger side window of a vehicle on Forest Avenue. When the officer attempted to make a traffic stop, the vehicle continued on, leading to a 20-minute chase through Deering, downtown Portland, and eventually northbound on I-295, police said. According to Portland Police, several officers pursued the car and observed the female passenger open the passenger door of the moving vehicle. Police said…

The Independent Commission tasked by Maine Gov. Janet Mills with investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding the Oct. 25, 2023 Lewiston shootings has released an Initial Interim Report covering the missed opportunities by law enforcement to follow Maine’s “Yellow Flag” law procedure. Since November 2023, the Independent Commission has conducted seven public meetings, featuring testimony from the Maine State Police, U.S. Army officials, family members of victims, and the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office. [RELATED: Lewiston Shooter Robert Card’s Army Reserve Unit Was Filled with Cops…] Friday’s 30-page report is focused primarily on given an account of the actions of local law…

A Bangor man who was found with drug paraphernalia and a firearm during a traffic stop pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to charges of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and possessing controlled substances with the intent to distribute them. Andrew Blais, 37, of Bangor, was arrested by Bangor Police in October 2023 after police identified an active warrant out for his arrest during a traffic stop. According to court records, officers observed drug paraphernalia in open view inside Blais’ vehicle, and recovered bundles of cash and a loaded handgun from his person.…

Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) has been a staunch supporter of sending U.S. aid to Ukraine aid in their effort to repel the Russian invasion that began in February 2022 — so why did she remove the Ukrainian flag from her X profile? [RELATED: Chellie Pingree’s Wealth Has Surged as Member of Congress…] In March 2022, just a month after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his “special military operation” into Ukraine, Rep. Pingree joined a bipartisan congressional delegation on a trip to Eastern European countries in a gesture of support to Ukraine “in their fight against autocracy.” Screenshot of Rep.…

A Portland High School student brought a BB gun to school Thursday morning, prompting a response from police, according to the Portland Police Department. Portland Police spokesperson Brad Nadeau confirmed that on the morning of Thursday, March 14, police responded to Portland High School for a report of a student with a gun. Nadeau said that the student was in possession of a BB gun — a type of air gun that shoots metallic spherical projectiles similar to bearing balls. Nadeau did not provide any additional details regarding the incident. Portland High School Sheila Jepson sent a letter to school…

A Haitian migrant living in a hotel being used as an emergency shelter in Rockland, Massachusetts is being held without bail on a child rape charge after being accused of raping a 15-year-old girl. [RELATED: DeSantis Deploys National Guard to Stop Potential Haitian Migrant Arrivals as Gang Leaders Seize Island Nation…] Cory B. Alvarez, 26, of Haiti, was arrested Wednesday night after the 15-year-old girl, who also lived at the Comfort Inn in Rockland, told police Alvarez raped her, according to a police report. Alvarez is being held without bail pending the outcome of a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Friday,…

A California man has pleaded guilty to charges related to his role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy in Downeast Maine. [RELATED: California Man Accused of Running Massive Drug Trafficking Operation Out of Caribou Home…] Alex Hanna, 30, of California, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to drug conspiracy and money laundering charges. In court documents, prosecutors alleged Hanna coordinated shipments of methamphetamine from a source in California to multiple individuals who distributed it in Downeast Maine between May 2022 and March 2023. Hanna would ship methamphetine to willing participants in the trafficking conspiracy via USPS, or would…

A California man is facing multiple felony drug trafficking charges after a months-long investigation and sting operation led to the seizure of large amounts of illegal drugs from a residence in Caribou, the Maine Department of Public Safety announced Thursday. The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) Aroostook County Task Force recently launched an investigation into a suspected drug trafficking operation occurring at a residence at 21 Fontaine Dr. in Caribou, the agency said. During their investigation, MDEA agents conducted a controlled purchase of fentanyl from 40-year-old Jose Verdugo of Monrovia, California. A controlled purchase, or controlled buy, is when a…

A group of residents in a crime-ridden San Francisco neighborhood have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city of not doing enough to combat open-air drug markets and large homeless encampments, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The lawsuit, filed Thursday on behalf of a group of residents and businesses in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, does not seek monetary damages. Instead, the plaintiffs are seeking court orders requiring the city to end flagrant drug dealing and use in the neighborhood, according to the Chronicle. [RELATED: Maine ACLU Says Failed Proposal to Legalize Portland Homeless Encampments with Frequent Overdoses, Assaults, and…

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (ME-02) sent a letter Wednesday requesting that congressional appropriations leaders not include a pay raise for members of Congress in fiscal year 2024 (FY24). [RELATED: Golden Votes to Condemn Biden’s Border Policies, Urge Reining in Taxpayer-Funded Benefits for Illegal Aliens…] Golden’s letter comes as the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are negotiating finalization of the FY24 Legislative Branch appropriations bill, and whether or not to include language blocking a member cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The COLA provision would give most Capitol Hill lawmakers a 4.6 percent raise, or an $8,000 increase, on top of their standard…

A Bangor man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after he was caught by police in possession of multiple illegal drugs and a firearm while out on bail. Allen Henry, 49, was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District court in Bangor to 168 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possessing controlled substances with the intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Henry previously pleaded guilty on May 23, 2023. According to court documents, in May 2022, Brewer Police responded to a call for service and located Henry in a…

The Sanford Police Department are calling on the public to carry Narcan — an opioid overdose reversal drug — and take safety precautions after responding to three overdoses within 24 hours. [RELATED: Sanford Suspends Syringe Exchange Program, Cleans Homeless Encampment…] Sanford Police said Thursday that they responded to three overdoses in a 24-hour period between Monday, March 11, and Tuesday, March 12. Police said there have also been five non-fatal overdoses in Sanford within the past 30 days. “We urge people to take safety precautions if and when they are using substances,” Sanford Police said in a Thursday announcement. “Please…

U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) sent a letter to Biden administration officials Tuesday calling for additional steps to be taken against Russia in order to prevent Vladimir Putin from funding its war effort against Ukraine by selling its stockpile of gold. According to the Senators, Russia has been bypassing western sanctions by selling off its $151 billion gold reserves on foreign markets in exchange for cash. [RELATED: Angus King Introduces Legislation That Would Ban Energy Exports to China, Russia, Other Foreign Adversaries…] “Initial sanctions from the U.S. and foreign partners have caused Russia to shift—but not…

Lewiston Police announced Wednesday that an arrest has been made in connection to a robbery of a local convenience store. Police say they were dispatched to the store on Tuesday, March 12 at approximately 6:30 p.m. for a report of a robbery. After reviewing surveillance footage, speaking to witnesses, and gathering evidence, Lewiston Police identified 25-year-old Ali Abdi Mohamed, of Lewiston, as the suspect. Police say they tracked Mohamed to an apartment in Lewiston where he attempted to flee but was subsequently apprehended. Mohamed was charged with robbery, violations of conditions of release, and outstanding warrants of domestic violence assault,…

Democratic Maine Congressman Jared Golden (CD-2) voted in favor of a House Resolution Wednesday condemning the Biden administration’s immigration policies and calling for stricter border security measures. [RELATED: Golden Pitches Compromise Border Security and $66 Billion Foreign Aid Package on CBS’ Face the Nation…] The resolution, H. Res. 1065, passed by 226-193, with Golden one of 14 Democrats to vote with every Republican in favor of the resolution that accuses President Joe Biden and his Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of creating “the worst border security crisis in the Nation’s history.” “The Biden administration’s open-borders policies have incentivized nearly 9,300,000 illegal…