Author: Edward Tomic

A political science professor at the University of Maine (UMaine) sent out a recruitment flyer for the UMaine Orono Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), a left-wing activist group that describes themselves as “anti-ICE” and hopes to turn the public university into a “sanctuary school” for illegal aliens. Robert Glover, a UMaine associate professor of political science with degrees from the University of Connection and University of Massachusetts, sent out the recruitment email to students. Glover’s research focuses on public policy and political engagement, and he is “pursuing ongoing projects related to drug policy attitudes and the attitudinal impacts of…

A service provider for the state’s Office of MaineCare Services left several expletive-ridden voicemails for a Republican state senator early Friday morning after he voted against the Maine Democrats’ $120 million MaineCare bailout plan on Thursday. On Thursday afternoon, the emergency spending bill sponsored by Rep. Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook) on behalf of the governor meant to address the $118 MaineCare funding gap failed to secure two-thirds support within the Senate. The Senate’s Assistant Minority Leader Matt Harrington (R-York) said multiple times during the Thursday legislative debate that Republican lawmakers were willing to remain in the chamber and work out a…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that they will be repurposing the Biden administration’s “CBP One” phone application, which was used to facilitate the entry of migrants into the U.S. along the southern border, into a portal that illegal aliens can use to report that they will be self-deporting from the country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under the Biden administration used the CBP One app to allow migrants in Mexico to submit advance information and schedule appointments at eight southwest border ports of entry, ostensibly to mitigate the dangers associated with illegal entry and human…

Maine State Police are investigating the death of a Massachusetts man who was found deceased from a gunshot wound at a residence in Palmyra in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the Somerset County Regional Communications Center received a 911 call reporting a shooting at 531 Madawaska Rd. in Palmyra. Deputies from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and discovered a deceased male inside of the residence. The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit also responded to the scene and conducted an investigation throughout the day on Wendesday. State police have…

Dr. Nirav Shah, former head of the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC), will be joining the faculty of Colby College this fall to teach courses on public health, the liberal arts college announced on Thursday. Shah, who served as head of the Maine CDC from 2019 to 2023 and was Maine’s leading public health authority during the COVID-19 pandemic, left the state to serve as the principal deputy director of the federal CDC in January 2023. [RELATED: Maine Journalists Fawn Over Outgoing Nirav Shah…] Later that year, he briefly served as the acting director of the…

The City of Portland will be saddled with providing services at the city’s 179-bed shelter for single asylum-seeking migrants after the immigrant advocacy nonprofit that was originally going to take over services at the shelter was unable to secure sufficient funding. [RELATED: Portland’s $4.6M, 179-Bed Shelter for Migrants Slated to Open Later This Month…] The construction of the shelter, located at 166 Riverside Industrial Parkway and owned by Developers Collaborative (DC) Blueberry LLC and DC Management LLC, was funded by a $4.59 million grant from the Maine State Housing Authority. The large capacity shelter was set up to be exclusively…

The Oxford County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday that following a multi-day search they have arrested a suspect accused of crashing his vehicle into ski lift gates and the slopes at Sunday River Resort in Newry. Deputies responded to Sunday River at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 9, to investigate a report of an aggravated criminal mischief incident that had occurred at the resort during the early morning hours. At the resort, deputies observed that there was significant damage and large deep ruts in the ski slopes behind the South Ridge Lodge, believed to have been caused by a vehicle…

The Maine State Police and Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday announced that they have concluded the investigation into the deaths a mother and daughter who were found dead in Farmington in late December of 2023. On the morning of Dec. 27, 2023, 76-year-old Jean Robinson and her daughter, 53-year-old Allison “Joy” Cumming, both of Farmington, were found deceased at Joy’s small business, the Pawsitive Dog Kennel, located at 274 Red Schoolhouse Road in Farmington. Autopsies were performed on the two victims by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta a day later, which determined that both Robinson and…

Cumberland Police on Wednesday announced the arrest of a man accused of orchestrating a sophisticated online fraud scheme targeting a local Maine resident. In a joint operation with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, on March 10, Cumberland Police arrested Zhangqi Xie, 44, for of theft by deception, a Class B offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $20,000. Police say Zhangqi Xie has an address in Flushing, New York. Xie’s arrest comes after Cumberland Police received a report on March 5 that a local resident had been scammed out of…

During remarks on the Senate floor on Tuesday, U.S. Senator from Maine Susan Collins (R) claimed it was a “myth” that European countries have not done their fair share to provide aid to Ukraine in their war with Russia. Sen. Collins’ remarks come as the Trump administration lifted a pause on intelligence sharing and security assistance to Ukraine after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine had accepted a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to accept the deal. [RELATED: Ukraine Agrees To 30-Day Ceasefire Pending Russian Approval] President Trump has…

The Lewiston Police Department on Tuesday issued an update on their investigation into a shooting that occurred outside of a mosque Friday evening, stating that both the victim who suffered a gunshot wound and the members of the mosque have been uncooperative with police. Police responded to Masjidu Salaam Mosque at 243 Bartlett St. in Lewiston at about 9:45 p.m. on Friday to numerous reports of gunfire heard in the area. Upon arrival at the scene, police spoke with a witness who confirmed the shooting had taken place in the parking lot of the mosque, where a Ramadan service was…

An amendment to Governor Janet Mills’ $120 million supplemental budget request passed the Senate on Tuesday afternoon that would place modest limits on the state’s ballooning General Assistance program in exchange for exempting temporary and emergency shelters. General Assistance is a taxpayer-funded welfare program administered on the municipal level in Maine that provides the poor and indigent with vouchers to pay for housing and basic necessities. While the welfare program is administered at the municipal level, Maine law requires the state to reimburse those cities and towns for 70 percent of the spending. The amendment to the supplemental budget request,…

Maine State Senator and former House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland) has introduced a bill that would extend taxpayer-funded prescription drug discount program coverage to certain noncitizens residents of Maine. Sen. Talbot Ross’ bill, LD 842, would provide coverage under the Maine Rx Plus Program to noncitizens living in Maine who might otherwise qualify for the federal Medicaid program if not for their “immigration status.” Maine Rx Plus is a state-run program that provides discounts on prescription drugs to Maine residents. In order to qualify for the program, a resident can have an income of up to 350 percent of…

The Maine American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has issued a statement denouncing the use of a New Hampshire federal prison by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain suspected illegal aliens. [RELATED: Maine ACLU Vows to Resist ‘repression and totalitarianism’ of Second Trump Administration…] Last month, media outlets began reporting on a leaked memo, signed Feb. 6, that indicated ICE was intending to use FCI Berlin, a medium-security prison in Berlin, N.H., to hold immigration detainees in custody. That memo noted that the units at FCI were not currently available due to there being a “substantial amount of preparation…

Rockland Police on Monday announced the arrest of an 18-year-old accused of stealing $40,000 from a vehicle in February while out on bail conditions from prior criminal charges. Police say that Zachary Gilbert, 18, of Rockland, was arrested on Friday, March 7, and was charges with felony theft and violation of conditions of release. According to police, at the time of his arrest, Gilbert was on five sets of conditions of release from prior criminal charges. The arrest comes weeks after police began their investigation into the theft of approximately $40,000 from a vehicle in Rockland. Police said they believed…

An illegal alien who was arrested late last year and found to be a member of the Venezuelan transnational criminal street gang Tren de Aragua has been deported to Ecuador, U.S. Border Patrol Houlton Sector announced Sunday. According to Border Patrol, a resident agent assigned to Maine’s Calais Station arrested the foreign national near Old Orchard Beach in December 2024 for illegal reentry after deportation. Source: USBP Houlton Sector / Facebook A subsequent investigation into the illegal alien revealed that he is a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, Border Patrol said. After 77 days in jail, the alien…

A shooting outside of a mosque in Lewiston on Friday night interrupted a Ramadan service and left a 19-year-old injured. Lewiston Police say they responded to the parking lot of “Masjidu Salaam Mosque” at 240 Bartlett St. at around 9:45 p.m. on Friday to reports of a shooting. [RELATED: Somali-American Maine Rep Says Immigrants’ ‘lives at stake’ in 2024 Election, Claims Lewiston was ‘dead town’ Before Immigrants Made it ‘booming city’…] A 19-year-old man was injured in the shooting, and took himself to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said. The victim’s name has not been released. Police suspect…

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have revealed new details about the Chinese national now facing deportation after being charged with sex trafficking in connection to a massage parlor he operated in Rockland. [RELATED: Owner of Rockland Asian Massage Parlor Charged with Sex Trafficking Now Being Held in ICE Custody…] Tian “Adam” Tao, 54, owner of “Asian Massage” in Rockland, was arrested on Feb. 20 by Rockland Police on charges of sex trafficking, and was then transferred into the custody of ICE and was held at the Cumberland County Jail on a federal immigration hold. In a Thursday press release,…

A Canadian citizen was caught trying to smuggle a large bag of methamphetamine pills over the northern border by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, the agency announced this week. CBP says that on Friday, Feb. 28, officers at the U.S.-Canada port of entry in Ogdensburg, N.Y., encountered 32-year-old Canadian citizen Raphael Leblond-Lacroix attempting to cross the border into the U.S. in a commercial vehicle. CBP officers referred the commercial vehicle for additional inspection, during which a large bag of approximately 130 pills were found in the truck cab. Further inspection resulted in the discovery of multiple containers and…

The City of Portland’s recently implemented “syringe buyback” program is showing signs of effectively increasing the number of syringes returned the city’s syringe exchange and of reducing the number of used needles littering the city, according to a city memo published this week. Portland’s Syringe Services Program (SSP), commonly referred to as “The Exchange,” is part of a statewide “harm reduction” program overseen by the Maine CDC that distributes hypodermic needles to people who inject drugs. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maine CDC had rules in place that required SPP participants to exchange used needles for sterile syringes at a 1:1…

Two people out on bail were arrested in Rockland on Thursday after police found cocaine and other narcotics in their vehicle during a traffic stop. Rockland Police say they were conducting proactive patrols around a suspected drug trafficking location in Rockland around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, when they stopped a vehicle for multiple traffic violations. During a search of the vehicle, police found approximately five grams of cocaine base (crack cocaine), along with other smaller amounts of other suspected illegal drugs. The operator of the vehicle, 30-year-old Brianna Willis of Waldoboro, was arrested and charged with felony unlawful possession of…

A Maine high school track and cross country coach published an op-ed Thursday in the Bangor Daily News defending the participation of biological males in girls’ sports. The author of the op-ed, entitled “There is no place for hatred in running,” is Isaac Vaccaro, a math teacher and head coach of cross country, indoor track and outdoor track at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill. Vaccaro, who has coached high school cross country and track for five years, wrote that he has “seen adults publicly humiliate and harass trans athletes at meets. I have seen adults cyberbully trans athletes, facilitated…

A Brunswick-based LGBTQ advocacy nonprofit will be hosting a “queer wildlife day” later this month, during which participants will learn “how Queerness exists in animal relationships and behaviors.” Queerly ME will be hosting the “queer wildlife” event on March 24, featuring animal ambassadors from the Center for Wildlife in Cape Neddick — which include various species of turtles, owls, hawks and other animals. [RELATED: Maine Pushes State Sponsored LGBTQ “Outdoor Extravaganza”…] A promotional image posted by Queerly ME features pictures of animals with several LGTBQ-related captions, such as turtles having “non-binary coloration” and “same-sex attraction,” and an owl with the…

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, alongside a coalition of 21 other Democratic state attorneys general, on Wednesday were able to secure a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration, blocking their planned steep cuts to research grants at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The injunction, granted Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston, takes the place of a temporary restraining order against NIH that halted its attempts to slash the research overhead funding, and will prevent the Trump administration from proceeding with the cuts until a final ruling in the case is made. “The imminent risk of halting…

An illegal alien from Ecuador was arrested in Maine on Sunday for operating under the influence (OUI), and is now being held on an immigration detainer by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), booking records show. [RELATED: Illegal Alien’s Speeding, Reckless Passing Maneuver on I-95 Left Maine Woman Dead, Husband Critically Injured: MSP Crash Report…] Luis Garcia Cajilema, 34, was arrested shortly after 11 p.m. on Sunday by Maine State Police at a residence in Gray, and was transported to the Cumberland County Jail. Jail booking records indicate Cajilema was charged with OUI (alcohol), a Class D offense. Luis Garcia…

The Maine Trust for Local News (METLN), the nonprofit organization that owns the Portland Press Herald, Lewiston Sun Journal and more than a dozen other regional newspapers, announced on Tuesday that it will be laying off 49 employees and reducing certain print publications as part of a new cost-cutting effort. [RELATED: Press Herald Faces More Job Cuts After “Trust for Local News” CEO Gets Massive Pay Hike…] METLN will be eliminating 36 full-time and 13 part-time positions, who jointly comprise 13 percent of the organization’s total workforce. In addition, multiple newspapers under the Trust’s control will be either reducing or…

Two suspects in a fraudulent check cashing scheme that targeted a bank in Waterboro and other banks in the area were identified by the York County Sheriff’s Office on Monday. The York County Sheriff’s Office say they were called to Partners Bank in Waterboro in January for a report of two males attempting to cash forged checks from a business in New Hampshire. By the time deputies arrived at the bank, the suspects had already left after cashing one forged check in the amount of $1,800. Upon further investigation, law enforcement learned that the two male suspects had visited several…

Following a month-long investigation into suspected drug trafficking, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a Norridgewock home that resulted in four arrests and the seizure of over $20,000 in illegal drugs and multiple firearms. Deputies and detectives from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, alongside a detective from the Waterville Police Department, executed the search warrant at the Madison Road property in Norridgewock at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27. Upon executing the search warrant, law enforcement observed two male suspects fleeing from the residence. Both suspects were later apprehended in the wooded area behind the residence.…

The U.S. Department of Education has launched an online “End DEI” portal for parents, teachers and other community members to submit reports of discrimination based on race or sex occurring in public K-12 schools. The portal allows for the submission of a school or school district and provides a form for detailing any potential discriminatory practice taking place. “The U.S. Department of Education is committed to ensuring all students have access to meaningful learning free of divisive ideologies and indoctrination,” a statement from the department about the portal reads. “This submission form is an outlet for students, parents, teachers, and…

A Windham man with a suspended driver’s license was arrested last week for operating under the influence (OUI) and multiple other charges after he allegedly sped past Westbrook High School at over 65 miles per hour, police say. The speed limit in school zones is 15 miles per hour when school is in session, as defined by Maine state law. According to Westbrook Police, officers received a report of a dangerous driver on Stroudwater Street shortly before 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Officers were able to locate the vehicle near the cemetery on Stroudwater Street and observed the vehicle…

In an interview published online last week, recently elected Portland City Councilor for District 2, Wes Pelletier, a longtime member of the Maine Democratic Socialists of America (Maine DSA), praised Maine Gov. Janet Mills for picking a fight with President Trump over the issue of biological males competing in women’s sports. Pelletier was elected as 2nd District City Councilor in November after winning a plurality of the votes in the first round and clinching the ranked choice tabulation. He joined District 5 City Councilor Kate Sykes, the former co-chair of Maine DSA, as the second democratic socialist on the Portland…

A Republican-led bill introduced on Wednesday would allow Maine municipalities to place limitations on the state’s ability to resettle migrants into their communities. [RELATED: Catholic Charities Maine Plans to Resettle 150 Refugees in 100-Mile Radius Around Bangor…] The bill, LD 422, “An Act to Require the State to Obtain Municipal Approval Before Placing Noncitizens in the Municipality,” was sponsored by Republican Rep. Gregory Swallow of Houlton. Under Swallow’s bill, the state would be prohibited from placing noncitizens within a municipality without that municipality’s prior approval, and would allow municipalities to put a limit on the number of noncitizens the state…

Maine Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow “clean elections” candidates running for state office to use taxpayer-funding campaign financing to pay for caregiving services for their dependents. [RELATED: “Clean Elections” Funds Might Extend to Secretary of State, AG Candidates If Offices Go Up for Popular Vote…] The Maine Clean Elections Act (MCEA), enacted in 1996 by voter referendum, allows candidates for governor, state senator and state representative who meet certain requirements to receive public funding to finance their campaigns. Under current state law, all taxpayer funds distributed to a certified “clean elections” candidate must be used for…

Brunswick Police on Thursday announced the arrest of three individuals accused of operating an organized retail theft scheme targeting stores and companies across Maine and in other states. Police say they were notified on Wednesday by a member of Hannaford’s loss prevention team of three individuals stealing a large amount of over the counter medications and beauty products at the Elm Street Hannaford location in Brunswick. Shortly after arriving at the scene, officers were able to locate and arrest three suspects a short distance from the store: Angie Cubillos, 24; Alan Rodriguez, 38; and Marlene Santaelle, 29. According to Brunswick…

Over the course of Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ six years in office, her administration has handed out millions of taxpayer dollars to dubious and in some cases outright absurd initiatives through no-bid contracts. The expenditures, required to be disclosed by the state as Mills administration waived the competitive contracting process in order to make them, range from supporting “chestfeeding” with plus-sized nursing bras, race-based tourism to the state, training students in Maine’s failing public schools to be climate change activists, and paying media outlets for positive coverage. Vaccine Marketing Campaigns, “Chest-feeding” and “Safe Consumption Sites Over the last eight months…

An illegal immigrant from Jamaica who was released into the country under the Biden administration has been arrested by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Boston after he was charged with assaulting a family member. According to ICE, 26-year-old Jahmari Taffari Westcarth, a Jamaican national, illegally crossed the southern border into California on Dec. 30, 2022, after which he was apprehended by Border Patrol, and released into the country with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge. [RELATED: Illegal Alien Previously Hired by York County Jail Arrested by ICE After Jail Set Goal of…

The Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Maine CDC) will be spending an additional $500,000 to extend its marketing campaign focused on encouraging Mainers to get updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines through this September. The Maine CDC previously paid the Westbrook-based marketing firm Ethos Marketing and Design $200,000 to promote this campaign from May 2024 to the start of this year. This latest half million dollar extension more than doubles the spending. [RELATED: Maine DHHS Looks to Spend $200k on COVID-19 ‘Vaccine Equity’ Program…] According to a request to waive competitive bidding document published Monday, the Mills administration will be paying the…

The owner of a massage parlor in Rockland who last week was arrested and charged with sex trafficking is now being held in the custody of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Cumberland County Jail, booking records show. [RELATED: Owner of Rockland Asian Massage Parlor Tied to NY Organized Crime Arrested for Sex Trafficking…] Tian “Adam” Tao, 54, owner of “Asian Massage” in Rockland was arrested last Thursday by Rockland Police on charges of sex trafficking. Rockland Police previously coordinated with federal Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to execute a search warrant at the Rockland massage parlor, during which Customs…

A former York County Jail corrections cadet was among a group of suspected illegal aliens taken into federal custody by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Cumberland County Jail last month. [RELATED: York County Jail Hiring Sanford’s ‘New Arrivals’…] Mauricio Romeu, 45 | Source: Cumberland County Jail Mauricio Romeu, 45, was one of five migrants arrested by ICE in a single day on Monday, Jan. 27. Booking records at the jail indicated that ICE was holding Romeu on an immigration detainer, which the agency lodges against aliens who have been arrested on criminal charges and who the agency has…

A man has died after being struck by a vehicle outside of Portland’s Homeless Services Center, Portland Police announced on Monday. Police say they responded to a serious motor vehicle accident at 7:25 p.m. on Sunday in the area of 654 Riverside Street, the address of the city’s Homeless Services Center. A car driven by a 26-year-old Portland man struck a 37-year-old Portland man who was walking in the roadway, police said. The victim was taken to Maine Medical Center where he later succumbed to his injuries, police said. The victim’s identity is currently being withheld pending next of kin…

The president of the Armenian Cultural Association of Maine on Thursday sent a letter to Gov. Janet Mills calling for the resignation of Tarlan Ahmadov, the recently appointed director of the Maine Office of New Americans (ONA). Ahmadov, who was appointed by Gov. Janet Mills as ONA director in December 2024, already began facing calls for his resignation earlier this week after The Maine Wire revealed his history of making anti-Armenian comments on social media, including now-deleted posts on X referring to Armenians living in the U.S. as occupants and aggressors, and suggesting that celebrity Kim Kardashian is a terrorist…

The owner of a Rockland massage parlor police believe to be tied to organized crime in New York was arrested this week for sex trafficking. Tian “Adam” Tao, 54, of Gardiner, was arrested on Thursday by Rockland Police, with assistance from the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, Gardiner Police and U.S. Homeland Security — the primary law enforcement agency responsible for investigating interstate sex trafficking. [RELATED: Investigation into Rockland Asian Massage Parlor Tied to NY-based ‘organized crime’ Leads to Prostitution Charges for 11 Men…] Rockland Police previously coordinated with federal law enforcement for a December 2024 raid on the “Asian Massage”…

The Maine Secretary of State’s Office pressured Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to remove posts that they flagged as “misinformation” — including a post reporting an incident of potential ballot stuffing — in the leadup to the 2022 midterm elections, emails obtained by the Maine Wire show. The emails, received under Maine’s Freedom of Access Access (FOAA), reveal that the Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ communications director, Emily Cook, repeatedly flagged Facebook posts as “misinformation” and reported them to be censored. [RELATED: Weaponized: Congressional Report Details Biden Era Abuse of Government Power to Censor Dissent…] CISA, an agency within…

Newly obtained emails show a wave of heated, anti-Christian opposition from community members and University of Maine staff after UMaine initially agreed to sell the Hutchinson Center to Calvary Chapel Belfast, a Christian church. The emails, secured through a Freedom of Access Act request, reveal deep outrage over the church’s conservative beliefs, with some calling the sale “horrifying” and “appalling.” [RELATED: UMaine Rescinds Offer to Sell Hutchinson Center to Belfast Church…] UMaine rescinded its decision to sell the Hutchinson Center to Calvary Chapel Belfast last August, after the church was initially chosen as the winning bidder among three offers, with…

Several members of Maine’s Armenian community are calling for the resignation of the director of the Maine Office of New Americans (ONA) due to his history of making anti-Armenian comments on social media. Tarlan Ahmadov was appointed by Gov. Janet Mills as ONA director in December 2024. Ahmadov previously served as the director of the Division of Programs at Maine Department of Labor’s Bureau of Employment Services, and as the state refugee coordinator with Catholic Charities Maine. [RELATED: Janet Mills Names Director of Taxpayer-Funded State Migrant Resettlement Office…] ONA, the state migrant resettlement office, was initially put forward in an executive…

Gov. Janet Mills announced on Tuesday that Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Patrick Keliher, who shouted “F— you” to a fisherman during a public hearing just weeks ago, will retire from his position on March 14. Keliher, the longest-serving commissioner in the history of DMR, was reappointed by Gov. Mills in 2019, after serving in the position since 2012. In her Tuesday statement, Mills said that Keliher “served this Administration and the people of Maine with great distinction.” “Under his leadership, he tackled many significant challenges to Maine’s commercial fisheries and marine industries, while leading an…

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday announced a multimillion-dollar domestic and international ad campaign warning criminal illegal aliens against coming to the United States. The domestic version of the minute-long ad, which features DHS Secretary Noem speaking in front of a backdrop of American Flags, mugshots of arrested illegal aliens, and footage from the southern border, warns illegal aliens to leave the U.S. now or face deportation. “The choice is yours,” Noem says in the ad. Those who are deported will be permanently barred from the United States, but if those who are here illegally leave…

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Tuesday released statistics showing a marked decrease in encounters with illegal aliens along the southwest border following the executive actions taken by President Donald Trump on his first day in office. Immediately after his inauguration on Jan. 20, President Trump signed a series of executive orders aiming to crack down on illegal immigration, including reinstating the “remain in Mexico” policy for asylum-seeking migrants, ending “catch and release,” and shutting down the CBP One phone application, which was used by migrants to schedule appointments at points of entry along the border. [RELATED: Trump’s Day…

The Trump administration has fired Darcie McElwee, the Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Monday that McElwee, who had held the position as Maine’s chief federal law enforcement officer since her appointment by President Joe Biden in 2021, had been terminated. [RELATED: Justice Department Ramps Up Crack Down on Chinese Mafia in Maine; Janet Mills Still Silent…] McElwee will be temporarily replaced by Craig Wolff, a career prosecutor who has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney since 2002. Now Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of…

Two Maine Border Patrol stations that cover areas of responsibility of over 100 miles of the U.S.-Canada border have new agents in charge, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced last week. The Border Patrol designates the Houlton Sector as the entire state of Maine, its border with Canada, and its coastline. The agency maintains stations in Calais, Fort Fairfield, Houlton, Jackman, Rangeley and Van Buren, each with their own area of responsibility for patrolling between CBP ports of entry. [RELATED: Northern Border Migrant Apprehensions in Maine’s Houlton Sector Hit New High in 2024…] On Wednesday, Feb. 12, CBP announced…

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this week announced the arrest of an illegal Guatemalan national who was released by a Massachusetts court after being arraigned on multiple counts of child rape. ICE agents with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston apprehended 49-year-old Jose Fernando-Perez in Framingham, Mass., on Feb. 2. [RELATED: Illegal Alien Charged with Aggravated Child Rape at Healey Hotel Arrested 8 Months After Maine Wire Exposé] According to ICE, Fernando entered the country on an unknown date and at an unknown location while avoiding inspection by immigration officials — what is commonly referred to as a ‘gotaway’…

Portland Public Schools will be working with the Portland Education Association, the district’s teachers’ union, to form a task force aimed at creating a “progressive” student discipline policy, officials agreed at meeting earlier this week. [RELATED: ‘Words can hurt more deeply than any fist’: Portland School Board Responds to ‘unsettling’ Comments from Public Regarding Student Violence…] Portland Education Association President Kerrie Dowdy described the union’s proposed initiative at a Tuesday evening business meeting of Portland Board of Public Education. “The Portland Education Association has proposed to the superintendent a task force to review Portland Public School student discipline policies and…

The Lewiston Police Department will hold two information sessions for parents later this month regarding the city’s youth, gun safety and “substance use challenges,” as part of the department’s plan to address a surge of gun violence incidents over the past year. [RELATED: 14-year-old Shot in Lewiston, Refuses to Cooperate with Investigators: Lewiston PD…] The first of these sessions is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Montello School Cafeteria, and the second at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27, at the Lewiston Middle School Auditorium. “We will talk about what we’re seeing with Lewiston youth, gun…

A man was shot and killed by police in Lincoln after allegedly trying to attack officers with a knife. Officers responded to a trespassing complaint at 7 Whalen St. shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Lincoln Police said in a press release. According to police, the complainant reported that Derek Beach, 37, was at the residence in defiance of a protection from abuse order. Police say Beach also had bail conditions that barred him from returning from the residence at the time of the complaint. Upon arrival at the Whalen Street residence, attempts by the responding officers to negotiate with…

A lifetime sex offender registrant from Lewiston was arrested this week after he attempted to meet what he thought was a child for a sexual relationship during a law enforcement sting operation. Lewiston police say that the undercover investigation targeted 48-year-old Luke Johnson of Lewiston. According to the Maine Sex Offender Registry, Johnson is a lifetime sex offender registrant due to prior state convictions on charges of solicitation of a child and possession of sexually explicit material depicting a minor. As of 1999, those convicted of a sexually violent offense in Maine are required by statute to register as offenders…

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have taken a total of 12 suspected illegal aliens into federal custody at the Cumberland County Jail just this week, according to the facility’s booking records. [RELATED: ICE Arrests Five Suspected Illegal Aliens in Single Day at Maine’s Cumberland County Jail…] A dozen inmates at the jail taken into custody since Sunday, Feb. 9 have a judicial status that indicates they are in the custody of ICE or have an immigration detainer lodged against them. This represents an apparent increase in the pace of arrests compared to the period prior to U.S. President Donald…

When homeless encampments flourished throughout Maine’s largest city in 2023 and 2024, Maine’s newspaper reporters were eager to tell the sad story of down-on-their-luck Mainers who had been failed by the state’s generous social services. In dozens of instances, they turned to one man—46-year-old Bruce Cavallaro—the quasi-mayor of whatever homeless camp the reporters were covering on any given day. [RELATED: Maine DEA Executed a High-Risk Search Warrant on a Drug Distribution Operation in a Portland Apartment…] Tragically for Maine’s newspaper reporters, their favorite spokesperson for “Mainers experiencing homelessness” was arrested Thursday as part of a high-risk search warrant executed on…

Border Patrol agents recently apprehended five individuals who illegally crossed the U.S.-Canada border near the northernmost Border Patrol station in Maine. Chief Patrol Agent Juan Bernal, head of Border Patrol Operations in Maine’s Houlton Sector, announced in a post to social media on Monday that agents recently apprehended four Indian nationals and one Algerian national who had illegally crossed the border. [RELATED: Northern Border Migrant Apprehensions in Maine’s Houlton Sector Hit New High in 2024…] “Crossing into the U.S. illegally is never good, especially on a frigid morning without proper clothing,” Bernal wrote. “Van Buren Station agents recently apprehended four from…

U.S. Senator from Maine Angus King (I) is renewing his push for his “Kids Off Social Media Act,” a bipartisan bill he first introduced last year that would ban children under the age of 13 from social media. “Children in Maine and across the country deserve protection from the potential harm posed by social media — especially during their most vulnerable years,” said Sen. King in a Tuesday press release. Though most social media apps already have an age restriction for children under 13 years old, 40 percent of kids between eight to 12 years old access these apps regularly anyhow,…

Republican U.S. Senator from Maine Susan Collins has stated that she will be voting to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), verifying reports from Monday that nominee successfully addressed her earlier concerns and now earned her support. “After extensive public and private questioning and a thorough examination of his nomination, I will support Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services,” Sen. Collins said in a Tuesday statement to the Maine Wire. “In response to my questioning at the HELP [Health,…

Three people were arrested are facing a slew of narcotics and other charges after police found methamphetamine, fentanyl, a handgun and other drug trafficking paraphernalia in a vehicle at a convenience store in Medway over the weekend. East Millinocket Police say an officer observed a suspicious vehicle parked at a local convenience store in Medway on Sunday evening, and recognized one of the occupants at 25-year-old Lindsay Gardner of Linneus. Police say Gardner appeared under the influence and began to physically resist when asked to exit the vehicle. The officer also observed drug paraphernalia inside of the vehicle, according to…

A Maine Democratic lawmaker made a Facebook post for Black History Month celebrating Assata Shakur, an FBI’s most wanted terrorist who was part of the revolutionary extremist organization the Black Liberation Army (BLA) and Black Panther Party (BPP) and who escaped from prison in 1979 while serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of a police officer. Shakur — who was named JoAnne Deborah Byron at birth — has become something of a folk hero for far left anti-cop activists despite, or perhaps because of, her conviction for first-degree murder in the execution-style killing of New Jersey state trooper…

A Maine Democratic lawmaker has introduced a bill that would launch a two-year, state-funded pilot program to provide inmates recently released from the state’s prisons with paid transitional housing for six months. LD 244 or “An Act to Provide Safe, Short-term Housing to Indigent Individuals Recently Released from Correctional Facilities,” is sponsored by State Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland), former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. [RELATED: Rachel Talbot Ross Has Not Been to a Meeting of Her Own DEI Commission for Six Months…] The bill, which had a public hearing before the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety…

Portland Police announced Monday morning that they are investigating two deaths in the wooded area behind Hannaford on Riverside Street. Police say they received a call reporting two unconscious males in the wooded area behind the Hannaford shortly after 7:40 a.m. on Monday. Upon arrival, police found 57-year-old William Liese and 44-year-old Lee Thomas Johnson, both deceased. Both men are believed to have been homeless, police said. “The department is now investigating the circumstances around these unattended deaths,” Portland Police said. “Autopsies will be scheduled and cause and manner of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief…

A traffic stop following a police chase in South Portland early Saturday morning led to the arrest of two Massachusetts men on drugs and weapons charges after police found large amounts of suspected drugs in the vehicle hidden in candy packaging. South Portland Police say that at about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, an officer in a marked police cruiser on Westbrook Street observed a vehicle passing at a high rate of speed. When the officer began to follow the vehicle with lights and sirens on in order to attempt to conduct a traffic stop for the speeding violation, the vehicle…

The head of U.S. Border Patrol operations in Maine’s Houlton sector, which covers encompasses the entire state, coastline and U.S.-Canada border, warned against illegal northern border crossings in a statement issued last week, citing harsh and dangerous winter conditions. [RELATED: Border Patrol Agents in Caswell Arrest 2 Romanian Nationals Who Illegally Crossed US-Canada Border…] “The winter season poses some serious dangers in the State of Maine,” said Chief Patrol Agent Juan Bernal in a video posted to X on Friday. “For anyone attempting to cross the U.S. border illegally, just be aware that you’re putting yourself in a very dangerous…

A Guatemalan national, who was previously deported three times from the U.S. and served a nearly six-year prison sentence in Oregon for assault and weapons charges, pleaded guilty in a Maine federal court this week to illegally reentering the U.S. Jorge Martinez-Urizar, 50, a Guatemalan citizen, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Portland to entering the U.S. after a prior removal. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent conducted a records check on Martinez in November 2024, and determined that he had been removed from the…

Over a year after the tragic mass shooting that rocked Lewiston in October 2023, scrutiny has emerged over how one Maine nonprofit organization distributed funds raised in response to the tragedy. While more than two-thirds of the funds went directly to victims, nearly a third was parceled out to an array of local nonprofits, many of which were arguably unrelated to the mass shooting. The Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1983, launched two concurrent fundraisers just two days after the Oct. 25 mass shooting, on Oct. 27, 2023. One of the two funds was for victims…

A man previously arrested for a stabbing in Portland is now being accused of trying to grab, kiss and give alcohol to a 13-year-old girl who was walking home in Westbrook on Wednesday. Westbrook Police say they received a call at about 1:35 p.m. on Wednesday from a citizen reporting that an unknown male had “grabbed a 13-year-old family member by the shoulders and attempted to kiss them, while the victim was walking home.” The male suspect also allegedly offered the minor victim alcohol. Police say that although the juvenile was able to break free from the male suspect and…

The Mills administration is seeking an organization to award $300,000 to administer the state’s “social equity program,” a taxpayer-funded affirmative action business development initiative for disproportionately incarcerated, racial, ethnic or tribal populations, according to state contract documents published Friday. [RELATED: Maine House Speaker Introduces Bill to Establish State ‘Social Equity Program’ Pushing Affirmative Action for Business Development…] Maine’s state government is now required to provide a social equity program after the passage of LD 1517, a bill first introduced by then-House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) in July 2023. The bill in its first incarnation was entitled “An Act to…

The South Portland Police announced late Thursday afternoon that they had arrested 20-year-old Ahmed Basheer Awad, who is suspected of injuring a man in a Wednesday shooting at the Maine Mall. South Portland Police, along with numerous other law enforcement agencies and emergency services, responded to the Maine Mall shortly before 4 p.m. on Wednesday for a reported shooting in the mall’s food court. A male victim in his late-20s was found at the scene with a gunshot wound to his right leg. The victim was taken the Maine Medical Center and was “doing well” after surgery, according to an…

Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ (D) Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) is partnering with a Brunswick-based nonprofit organization to fund the training of Maine students to be climate change activists. [RELATED: Hack-o-Rama: Longtime Dem, Gov Employee Hired in $121k per Year Role as Maine ‘Green Schools Director’…] According to a state contract document published Thursday, the Mills administration will be paying the Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA), a 501(c)(3) environmental activist nonprofit organization, a grant of $8,844 for the project. The project will include funding for educational conferences and for students to organize climate change activist groups at…

Police have identified but are still attempting to locate the individual suspected of shooting another person inside the Maine Mall Wednesday afternoon. In a Thursday morning press release, police identified 20-year-old Ahmed Basheer Awad of Westbrook as the suspected shooter. Police say they have obtained a warrant for Awad’s arrest for elevated aggravated assault, a Class A felony. More charges are expected as their investigation continues, police said. Ahmed Basheer Awad, 20, of Westbrook | Source: South Portland Police South Portland Police announced shortly after 4 p.m. on Wednesday that the Maine Mall was closed due to an “active situation,”…

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey on Wednesday joined with the attorneys general of 14 other states in issuing a statement committing to protecting access to so-called “gender-affirming care” in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump aimed at ending federal funding for sex-change “transition” procedures on children. [RELATED: Maine AG Aaron Frey Defends Revamped “Transgender Trafficking” Bill Condemned by Red State AGs…] The order, entitled “Protecting Children From Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” was signed by President Trump last week and states it is the policy of the U.S. not to “fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called…

U.S. Border Patrol agents in Caswell recently located and captured two Romanian nationals who illegally crossed the northern border into Maine by using an unmanned aerial system (UAS). [RELATED: Northern Border Migrant Apprehensions in Maine’s Houlton Sector Hit New High in 2024…] Chief Patrol Agent Juan Bernal of Maine’s Houlton Sector, which encompasses the entire state and the northeastern corner of the U.S.-Canada border, as well as Maine’s coastline, announced the arrest Wednesday morning in a post to X. “Thanks to a tip from a concerned citizen, Border Patrol Agents near Caswell, Maine used a small Unmanned Aerial System to…

A Maine Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill that would classify political affiliation as a protected class under the Maine Human Rights Act, on equal footing with sexual orientation, race, “gender identity” and other classes that are protected from discrimination in employment, housing, education and other public accommodations. Sponsored by Sen. James Libby of Cumberland, LD 10, or “An Act to Add Political Affiliation as a Protected Class to the Maine Human Rights Act,” would add “political affiliation” to the list of protected classes currently recognized in the Maine Human Rights Act. Current protected classes under the Maine Human Rights…

A federal jury in late January indicted three people for their alleged involvement in a massive 400-acre illegal marijuana cultivation that has been operating out of Navajo Nation land in New Mexico and involved Chinese investment and migrant workers, charging documents indicate. The nine-page indictment charges Dineh Benally, 48, his 78-year-old father, Donald Benally, and Irving Rea Yui Lin, 73, who federal prosecutors say is a California resident, with a slew of crimes related to the illegal marijuana operation, including the possession and distribution of more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. The charges stem from November 2020 raids from the 25 illegal…

A bill introduced in the Maine Legislature by a Democratic lawmaker seeks to help alleviate the caseload on the state’s public defenders by eliminating the misdemeanor-level crime associated with violations of bail conditions. The bill, titled “An Act to Amend the Maine Bail Code to Eliminate the Class E Crime of Violation of Condition of Release,” was introduced by Democratic Rep. David Sinclair of Bath, and had a public hearing before the Legislature’s Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Monday. Rep. Sinclair’s proposed LD 179 would repeal the provision of Maine state law that makes it a standalone Class…

Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) on Monday published a thread on X outlining what steps Congress, federal courts and the public can play to fight against what she called President Donald Trump’s “extreme actions.” [RELATED: Pingree Opposes Bill To Deport Illegal Immigrant Sex Offenders…] Rep. Pingree said in the thread that she frequently receives the question: “What are you going to *do* about it?” regarding President Trump’s actions taken during the first two weeks of his second term. https://twitter.com/chelliepingree/status/1886423768303558874 “It’s a fair point–especially when the President has thus far avoided any real accountability,” Pingree said of Trump, who was impeached twice…

The Portland Police Department says they have made significant progress in recent years with their investigations into unsolved homicides, with charges having in brought in four formerly unsolved cases in the last few years. In a Thursday press release, Portland Police announced that earlier this week, 37-year-old Shane Hall pleaded guilty to and was sentenced for manslaughter in the 2008 stabbing death of Frank Williams. Frank Williams was killed in Kennedy Park in the early hours of Aug. 16, 2008, when he was chased to the middle of the Fox Street soccer field where he was beaten and stabbed multiple…

The Maine Department of Education (Maine DOE) is seeking grant applications for $650,000 in available funding that will go towards professional development courses on climate education for Maine pre-K-12 teachers. [RELATED: Maine DOE Announces $650K in Grants for Climate Education Training…] Created by LD 1902, a bill passed in the 130th Maine Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills (D) in May 2022, the “Climate Education Professional Development Grant Pilot Program” is a three-year initiative aimed at enhancing climate science education in Maine schools through partnerships with nonprofit organizations. Priority for the grants is given to “communities historically…

A member of the international crime gang MS-13 who illegally entered the U.S. and was released into the country under the Biden administration was arrested by federal immigration officers in Boston last week. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Wednesday that Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston took 19-year-old Guatemalan national Luis Adolfo Guerra-Perez into custody in Boston on Jan. 22. “Luis Adolfo Guerra-Perez is an illegally present gang member, who has shown complete disregard for American laws,” said acting Boston Field Office Director Patricia Hyde on Wednesday. “He is a member of a violent street gang charged…

A Sanford man was sentenced to a decade in federal prison this week for the possession of fentanyl after police found a bag of the deadly synthetic opioid sticking out of his pocket during a 2023 traffic stop. Nicholas Delahunt, 39, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland on Tuesday to 120 months in prison to be followed by eight years of supervised release for possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute. The average minimum sentencing guideline for fentanyl possession was 90 months in 2022, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. According to court records, the drug possession charge against…

A previously deported illegal alien charged in Massachusetts with sex crimes, assault and armed robbery was arrested by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Boston last week after he was released in to the community by a county court. [RELATED: ICE Arrests Five Suspected Illegal Aliens in Single Day at Maine’s Cumberland County Jail…] Officers from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston apprehended 39-year-old Juan Alberto Rodezno-Marin in Boston on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Rodezno, a Honduran national, was arraigned in March 2023 in the Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn, Mass., for the charges of indecent assault and…

A total of 11 men are now facing charges of engaging a person for prostitution following a December raid on a massage parlor in Rockland, police announced on Monday. Rockland Police say they received a tip in late July 2024 from law enforcement in Lincoln County regarding an investigation into sexual acts that were being done in exchange for money at a local massage parlor. [RELATED: Police, Border Patrol Raid Asian Massage Parlor in Rockland…] The parlor in question, “Asian Massage,” had recently moved from Waldoboro to a location in Rockland at 193 Park St. Police say their investigation into…

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took five suspected illegal aliens into federal custody at Maine’s Cumberland County Jail on Monday. Booking records at the Cumberland County Jail show that five inmates booked at the jail in a single day on Monday, Jan. 27, have a judicial status that indicates the inmate is in the custody of ICE or has had an immigration detainer lodged against them. ICE lodges immigration detainers against unlawfully present noncitizens who have been arrested on criminal charges and who the agency has probable cause to believe are deportable from the U.S. [RELATED: 30 Inmates at…

A “career felon” with 12 prior convictions has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for drug trafficking and firearm charges after being caught with a gun and a large amount of fentanyl during a 2023 traffic stop in Augusta, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced on Monday. Ryan Partridge, 35, of Augusta, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor to 204 months in federal prison to be followed by four years of supervised release for distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possessing a gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.…

A teenager who was injured in a shooting in Lewiston last week is refusing to cooperate with investigators, Lewiston Police said Friday. Police say they responded to 129 Pierce St. at about 10 p.m. Thursday night for a report of a male suffering a gunshot wound to the leg. [RELATED: Lewiston PD Chief, DA Cite Lack of Funding for Spate of Unsolved Youth-Involved Shootings: 27 Shootings This Year…] At the scene, officers found the gunshot victim, a 14-year-old male, and began rendering aid. The teen was transported to Central Maine Medical Center where he was treated for the non-life threatening injury.…

An illegal alien who entered the United States as a “gotaway” and was convicted of lewd acts with a minor and driving under the influence was arrested by federal immigration enforcement officers in California last week. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Monday that Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) San Francisco arrested Juan Velasquez-Francisco in Sacramento, Calif. on Thursday, Jan. 23. [RELATED: Trump’s Day One Blitz: Sweeping Executive Orders Target Immigration and Border Security…] According to ICE, Velasquez is a Guatemalan national who first entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown date and location — what is commonly designated…

An illegal alien who entered the U.S. for the fourth time as a “gotaway” was deported back to his home country of Mexico this week, where he was wanted for the rape of a child, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Thursday. ICE says that Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston repatriated 59-year-old Nestor Flores Encarnacion to Mexico on Jan. 23, where he was handed over to Mexican authorities. ICE deportation officers transfer Flores to the custody of Mexican authorities | Source: ICE “This foreign fugitive brazenly entered the U.S. in violation of our nation’s laws on four…

Auburn Police are investigating a shots fired incident that occurred in the Grove Street neighborhood Sunday evening after a verbal confrontation between several juveniles in an apartment building. [RELATED: Auburn Police Investigate Shooting Involving ‘group of teenagers’…] Police responded to Grove Street shortly before 9 p.m. on Sunday for a report of several shots fired, and began canvassing the area to look for anyone who might have been involved. Grove Street was temporarily closed while investigators searched the area and interviewed witnesses. Police found several shell casings on the ground, and rounds that had struck an apartment building on Grove…

An American citizen and a Canadian citizen were robbed and attacked by two armed suspected Mexican cartel terrorists while hiking in the Jacumba Wilderness north of the U.S.-Mexico border this week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Thursday. CBP says that California’s El Centro Sector Communications received a call from the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch reporting that a man had been shot in the El Centro Sector area of responsibility, which covers roughly 70 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border of Southern California in the Imperial Valley. [RELATED: US Military Set To Deploy More Than A Thousand…

Town officials in Gray revealed during a Wednesday meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals that an applicant to the board received a realistic looking AI-generated phishing email that was requesting thousands of dollars be wired to an address. The single item on the meeting’s agenda was a request from two property owners to slightly reduce their property’s required front setback in order build an addition to a structure on their property. After the primary agenda item had concluded, the property owner, Steven Souchek, mentioned that he got a very realistic looking phishing email requesting thousands of dollars that was…

The superintendent of Lewiston Public Schools issued an announcement on Thursday on the “real fear” among the school community regarding the potential for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to make arrests on school grounds, advising families on their constitutional rights and recommending that they seek advice from a lawyer before being detained. Superintendent K. Jake Langlais sent out the letter just days after President Donald Trump took office and signed a series of executive orders and policy directives aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration, including a move that will allow federal immigration agencies to make arrests at schools,…

The Maine Department of Public Safety, through the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (MEMS), has announced the availability of $1 million in funding to address healthcare disparities and enhance emergency medical services across “underserved populations.” The state opened the requests for applications (RFA) earlier this month, under which eligible EMS agencies may apply for grants of up to $125,000, with a maximum of 10 awards available. “The grant focuses on a reduction in health disparities, improving and increasing healthcare resources offered by EMS to underserved populations and people living in rural communities,” the department wrote in the RFA. “It also…

A previously convicted felon was arrested Wednesday after Lewiston Police found a firearm in his apartment during a search connected to an open firearms investigation. On Wednesday afternoon, Lewiston Police executed a search warrant at 204 Blake St., Apt. #2 in Lewiston. Police say that the warrant was connected to an open firearms investigation. Investigators found a seized a firearm in the apartment. As a result of their investigation, police arrested 30-year-old Alan Scott-Ryerson of Lewiston on charges of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and refusing to submit to arrest. [RELATED: Somali-American Maine Rep Says Immigrants’ ‘lives at…

An Auburn man who was out on bail conditions stemming from an October arrest on drug trafficking and firearms charges was arrested again on Wednesday after being found with crack cocaine during a traffic stop, Auburn Police announced Thursday morning. Auburn Police say they have been investigating reports into ongoing drug trafficking being committed by 39-year-old Jose Mota of Auburn. In October, Mota was arrested on felony drug trafficking and firearm charges after police executed multiple search warrants. Jose Mota, 39, of Auburn | Source: Androscoggin County Jail The Auburn Police Proactive Community Enforcement (PACE) Unit received a tip on…

U.S. Senator from Maine Susan Collins was one of just two Republicans to join Democrats on Thursday in voting against President Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. The Senate voted 51 to 49 to advance Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Department of Defense, with Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Collins siding with all 47 Democrats in attempting to block his nomination. Thursday’s vote sets up a final confirmation vote for Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor and Army combat veteran, whose nomination generated a flurry of negative media attention after news reports containing allegations of alcohol…

At the opening of their Tuesday meeting, several members of the Portland Board of Public Education responded to “unsettling” comments they received from the public regarding violence by students in the district. The discussion stemmed from public reaction to a violent incident from last October involving Jemal Murph, the Lincoln Middle School Athletic Director. Murph was accused of punching a student near Dougherty Field at an after-school soccer game, after telling several students to disperse from the area. The incident, which was captured on cell phone video, shows several students pushing and shoving Murph, who retaliated with a punch to…

Authorities made six arrests during a Tuesday morning search of a Sanford residence being investigated as the site of suspected illegal drug trafficking. The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) and Sanford Police Department say that for the past month, they have responding to citizen complains and tips regarding potential drug trafficking occurring at 8 York St. in Sanford. During the investigation into the suspected drug trafficking operation, MDEA says they observed activity consistent with illegal drug trafficking, as well as individuals trafficking illegal drugs being armed with firearms. Additionally, undercover purchases of fentanyl were made by the MDEA from John…