Author: Edward Tomic

A Scarborough man who was found passed out in his car at a Portland gas station was arrested after the police discovered he was in possession of methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and a handgun, Portland Police announced Monday. Portland Police responded to the Rusty Lantern convenience store and gas station at 2282 Congress St. shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday, for a report of a man passed out in his vehicle as the gas pumps. Police say that upon arrival, officers discovered 33-year-old James Selberg Stross of Scarborough passed out in the driver’s seat of a running vehicle, with a…

A traffic stop Wednesday afternoon in Topsham led to the arrest of a an illegal alien on felony drug trafficking charges and the seizure of over 100 grams of fentanyl and crack cocaine, the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday. According to the Sheriff’s Office, at about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, deputies conducted a traffic stop in Topsham near the intersection of Main Street and Old Augusta Road. While the initial cause for the traffic stop was the driver allegedly using a handheld device, deputies became suspicious when the male driver “claimed not to understand English but responded to every…

A Maine man who allegedly confronted and shot at Cumberland County Sheriff’s deputies with a firearm outside of a residence in Harrison was shot and left with serious injuries, the Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday. According to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to Hawk Ridge Road in Harrison shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, due to a report of an armed man who threatened to harm himself. Cumberland County deputies responded to the residence, where the male subject, later identified as 57-year-old Arthur Lefebvre, was uncooperative and fired multiple rounds at law enforcement, the Sheriff’s Office said. Law enforcement…

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has granted nearly half a million dollars to a Lewiston-based nonprofit in order to fund support services for refugees, immigrants and asylum-seeking migrants who are victims of domestic or sexual violence. According to a no-bid contract document published by the Mills administration Tuesday, the Maine DHHS will be granting about $462,000 to the Immigrant Resource Center of Maine — formerly known as United Somali Women of Maine — for the specialized victim resources. “The purpose of this agreement is to provide victims who are a part of immigrant, refugee and/or asylum…

The Bayside neighborhood in Portland has accounted for nearly a third of the city’s arrests and about 40 percent of all overdoses citywide, according to Portland Police Chief Mark Dubois. After a disturbing video showing open drug abuse, violence and public indecency in the Bayside neighborhood went viral earlier this year, the Portland City Council’s Health and Human Services and Public Safety Committee began receiving regular updates on crime statistics and police activity in the neighborhood from Chief Dubois. [RELATED: Portland City Officials Respond to Disturbing Video Showing Drug Abuse, Fights, Crime in Bayside Neighborhood…] Speaking to the Committee on Tuesday,…

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey announced on Tuesday that a Portland woman has been found guilty of charge of theft by deception in connection to a million-dollar investment fraud scheme. Jody Flynn Dalvet of Portland was found guilty by a County jury on Nov. 4, 2024, after prosecutors presented evidence that Dalvet orchestrated a years-long scheme to mislead five local Maine investors into paying her company, Icy Gulch Resources, more than one million dollars. According to the Maine Attorney General’s Office, from November 2011 to April 2014, Dalvet induced the investors to pay her company by promising large returns and…

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin (R) to serve in his cabinet as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Zeldin served four terms as a Republican in the U.S. House representing Long Island, and narrowly lost a race for governor of New York against incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2022. “It is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator,” Zeldin wrote in a post to X Monday afternoon shortly after the news of Trump’s choice broke. “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back…

In a statement issued following former President Donald Trump’s resounding victory over Vice President Kamala Harris last week, the executive director of the Maine American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the nonprofit is “prepared to act” to resist the “dangers” posed by Trump’s return to the presidency. [RELATED: Maine ACLU Demands Portland Stop ‘Criminalizing Homelessness’, Calls Encampment Sweeps ‘Inherently Racist’…] “For 105 years nationwide and 56 years in Maine, the ACLU has consistently and fearlessly defended all people’s constitutional freedoms and fought politicians’ abuses of power – and we are not stopping now,” ACLU of Maine Executive Director Molly Curren…

Four suspects were arrested on drug charges last week after the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office found approximately $40,000 in methamphetamine, fentanyl and crack cocaine during their second search of a Solon residence in just under two months. At about 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division executed a search warrant at the Solon residence of Cory Miller, as the result of a monthlong investigation into alleged drug trafficking taking place at the house. Miller’s Solon residence was previously raided by law enforcement on Sept. 13, 2024, after which he was charged with two counts…

A Maine doctor has been arrested and charged with sex trafficking after being accused of running an illicit massage business as a front for prostitution. Peter O’Donnell, 68, of Yarmouth, was taken into custody by police Thursday morning after police searched both his doctor’s office on Forest Falls Drive in Yarmouth, and a Freeport massage parlor police say was serving as a front for prostitution. [RELATED: NY Man Accused of Sex Trafficking at Portland Massage Parlor, Threatening Elderly Woman with Gun, Received $20K PPP Loan, Recruited Victims Online…] According to police, O’Donnell recruited and employed at least two alleged victims…

On the heels of a disappointing election Tuesday for Maine Republicans, in which they failed to obtain a majority in the State House of Representatives, Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) successfully defended his position as the House Republican Leader for Maine’s 132nd Legislature. Faulkingham, who faced competition for the top House GOP spot, emerged from the leadership elections in Augusta Friday morning as the caucus’s choice to continue guiding them through the upcoming term. State House sources told the Maine Wire that in the running for House Republican Leader was Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Phillips) and former Assistant Republican House Leader…

Wes Pelletier, a longtime member of the Maine Democratic Socialists of America (Maine DSA) was elected to the Portland City Council on Tuesday, making him the second democratic socialist who will be serving on the city’s nine-member policymaking body. [RELATED: ‘They’re not gonna jump up and bite ya’: Socialist Portland City Councilor Claims ‘no public health risk’ Caused by Used Heroin Needles…] Pelletier’s win in Portland’s 2nd District came after a ranked-choice runoff against second-place Nancy English. Having received a plurality of the votes in the first round of voting, Pelletier eventually clinched the tabulation over English with 53.1 percent,…

Two Portland City Councilors are seeking to put a 180-day prohibition on the approval of new hotel projects in the city in order to prevent what they call the “serious public harm” posed by continued hotel development. The proposed order, sponsored by Councilors Kate Sykes and Pious Ali, would place a 180-day moratorium on new hotel projects and expansions in Portland. [RELATED: Maine’s Unprecedented Housing Crisis Is Worse Than You Think…] In an Oct. 28 memo to Portland Mayor Mark Dion and the rest of the City Council, Sykes and Ali wrote that the pause in hotel development would give…

The Sudanese refugee who in July was arrested for allegedly threatening to shoot up a fried chicken restaurant in Portland reportedly told customers that he was “going to have a mass shooting in here,” court records indicate. [RELATED: Portland Police Arrest Man Accused of Threatening to Shoot Up Fried Chicken Restaurant, Seize Fully Automatic Rifle, Drugs…] Portland Police announced on July 9, 2024, that they had arrested 25-year-old Anthony Lobor of Portland on charges of criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, threatening display of or possession of a concealed weapon and violation of conditions of release. Court records indicate that…

Kiernan Majerus-Collins, a former member of the Maine Democratic Party State Committee for Androscoggin County, called Republican voters the “most privileged people on Earth” and said that the differences between the Taliban and the GOP are “hard to find” in a social media post this week. Majerus-Collins, a former school committee member for Lewiston Public Schools, made the comment on a Sunday Facebook post from Rob Korobkin, who describes himself on his website as an “independent journalist.” “The MAGA guys out here even drive around with pickup trucks with flags blowing over the bed and assault rifles inside,” Korobkin wrote…

The owner of a Boston-based pizzeria chain with locations throughout Massachusetts was sentenced last week to more than eight years in federal prison for the forced labor of undocumented foreign nationals, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on Monday. Stavros Papantoniadis, aka “Steve Papantoniadis,” 49, of Westwood, Mass., owner of Stash’s Pizza, was sentenced on Friday, Oct. 25, to 102 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $35,000 fine. Papantoniadis was convicted of three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced…

An arrest has been made in connection to Monday afternoon shooting in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood that left one man dead, Portland Police announced Tuesday. [RELATED: Portland City Officials Respond to Disturbing Video Showing Drug Abuse, Fights, Crime in Bayside Neighborhood…] Police say they responded to the area of Portland and Alder Streets at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival at the scene, officers found Edgar Cando, a 31-year-old man from Portland who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Cando was transported to Maine Medical Center, where a succumbed to his injuries. According to police,…

Last month the Maine Department of Education (Maine DOE) launched a first-in-the-nation project aimed at bringing collections of children’s picture books about race, diversity and immigration into all public schools across the state. [RELATED: Maine Education Chief: “Academic Learning” Takes Backseat to Social-Emotional, Gender, and Race…] The initiative, called The Pine Project’s Welcoming Libraries, is a collaboration between the Maine DOE and the Portland-based nonprofit I’m Your Neighbor Books. “I’m Your Neighbor Books cultivates welcoming behaviors and builds a sense of belonging in all our communities by increasing access to and engagement with Immigrant and New Generation children’s literature,” the nonprofit…

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Tuesday will hold the first competitive auction for roughly 850,000 acres in the Gulf of Maine designated by the Biden-Harris administration for offshore wind energy development. [RELATED: Biden Celebrates Offshore Wind ‘Progress’ Despite Industry’s Major Struggles, Cancellations…] The eight areas up for lease sale lie on the Outer Continental Shelf off of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, and if fully developed have the potential to provide approximately 13 gigawatts of offshore wind energy — enough to power 4.5 million homes, according to BOEM. Under President Joe Biden, the federal government has approved…

Two men, including one Chinese national, were arrested in Farmington on Monday after police discovered 115 pounds of marijuana in the back of a van after the pair was pulled over for speeding on Fairbanks Road. [RELATED: Triad Weed: How Chinese Marijuana Grows Took Over Rural Maine…] The Monday afternoon traffic stop was made by Farmington Police Sgt. Jonathan Parker, who stopped the van on Fairbanks Road for speeding, Deputy Police Chief Shane Cote told the Lewiston Sun Journal. Police called in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) patrol to assist in the traffic stop. When a border patrol…

A Lewiston man known as “Biggie” was arrested on Wednesday and is now facing federal drug and firearm charges after investigators found more than 300 grams of cocaine and ten firearms at his residence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced on Thursday. According to federal prosecutors, police searched the Lewiston residence of 24-year-old Nasir Kenya-Malik White, aka Biggie, on Wednesday evening. Nasir Kenya-Malik White, 24, of Lewiston | Source: Maine Department of Corrections Investigators recovered more than 300 grams of suspected cocaine, as well as ten firearms, including several “assault-style rifles,” during the search, prosecutors said.…

The Maine Commission on Public Defense Services, formerly known as the Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services, is seeking to hire immigration law consultants to assist the state’s public defenders in their representation of noncitizen defendants. According to a Request for Proposals (RFP) document posted by the Mills administration on Thursday, the state is seeking proposals from attorneys and law firms that would provide immigration law consultation to public defenders who are representing indigent noncitizen clients in criminal and juvenile cases. “The successful Bidder will provide prompt immigration law consultation and advice to attorneys representing indigent non-citizens in criminal and…

Four people were arrested on drug trafficking charges after authorities found over $200,000 worth of fentanyl and methamphetamine inside of a home in Aroostook County on Tuesday, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency announced. The search and subsequent arrests came as the result of a months-long investigation into suspected drug trafficking at the home at 1057 Van Buren Rd. in Caswell. Caswell is a small town north of Caribou that sits on Aroostook County’s border with New Brunswick, Canada. According to the MDEA, agents found over two pounds of fentanyl, over a pound of methamphetamine, and over $19,000 cash in suspected…

The number of apprehensions of migrants entering the U.S. illegally across the northern border in Maine’s Houlton Sector reached a new high in fiscal year 2024 (FY24), representing a six-fold increase over the number of apprehensions in 2021, according to data published this week by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Throughout FY24, from October 2023 through September 2024, CBP reported a total of 344 encounters with migrants at the U.S.-Canada border in Maine — up from 300 in FY23, and just over six times the amount of migrant apprehensions in 2021. Border encounter data includes the apprehension and processing…

Portland Mayor Mark Dion on Monday offered an apology to the city’s Jewish community for his vote last month in support of a resolution that called for a divestment of the city’s funds from a long list of entities allegedly “complicit in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.” [RELATED: Portland City Council Unanimously Passes Israel Divestment Resolution…] Mayor Dion called his vote a “serious mistake in judgment,” saying foreign policy falls outside of his responsibility as mayor, and that passage of the resolution only served to marginalize the city’s Jewish community. WATCH: “Upon personal reflection, and following many private conversations I…

The Portland City Council on Monday rejected a resolution proposed by Mayor Mark Dion that was aimed at reducing the number of hypodermic needles littered throughout the city by reimplementing a 1:1 ratio at the city’s syringe exchange program. [RELATED: Maine Is Handing Out Free “Boofing” Kits to Help Fentanyl Addicts Squirt Drugs Up Their Butts…] 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. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maine CDC had rules in place that required SPP…

Two people are dead and several others were hospitalized from carbon monoxide poisoning at a home in Freedom that was previously identified as an illegal marijuana grow operation. [RELATED: Maine Law Enforcement Raids Waldo County House Linked to Chinese Drug Trafficking Network…] Authorities were called to the home on Belfast Road at around 6 a.m. on Tuesday after a report of a propane leak, but responders discovered that the actual source was carbon monoxide, stemming from a severed heat exhaust pipe, the Freedom Fire Chief told WABI. The exact cause of the incident is being investigated alongside the Waldo County…

A man previously convicted of felonies in multiple states was arrested on drug trafficking and firearm charges on Friday after police found a large quantity of illegal drugs and a handgun during a search of two properties in Auburn. [RELATED: Auburn Drug Bust Results in Arrest, Seizure of Large Quantity of Counterfeit Pills Containing Fentanyl…] According to Auburn Police, on Friday, Oct. 18, members of the department’s Proactive Community Enforcement (PACE) Unit, alongside member of their patrol division, executed a search warrant at 124 Goff St. and 21 Swett Ave. in Auburn. The searches resulted in the discovery of 217…

A political action committee (PAC) affiliated with the progressive Maine People’s Alliance has made a large independent expenditure in support of their employee, Penobscot State Senator Mike Tipping (D), who is running for reelection in Senate District 8. [RELATED: Maine Planned Parenthood PAC Drops $90k on Online Advertising for State House Candidates…] Sen. Tipping is a longtime employee of the MPA — according to his most recent personal financial disclosure with the Maine Ethics Commission, Tipping works as a research director for both the MPA and their 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm, the Maine People’s Resource Center (MPRC). Source: Maine Ethics Commission…

A Portland man was arrested Sunday evening after allegedly threatening someone with a firearm and shooting into the ground, Portland Police announced on Monday. Shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Portland Police responded to a report of a male threatening someone with a gun in the area of Forest Avenue and Bedford Street. Police say that they were able to track down the suspect on Fessenden Street within minutes based on a description. Matthew Litka, 28, of Portland, was arrested and charged with criminal threatening and reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. According to police, Litka was found in possession…

During their meeting on Monday, the Portland City Council will be considering a resolution that would call upon the City Manager to reduce the exchange ratio at the city-operated Syringe Services Program (SSP) to 1:1 due to concerns from residents over the improper disposal of used needles. Portland’s 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. [RELATED: Maine Is Handing Out Free “Boofing” Kits to Help Fentanyl Addicts Squirt Drugs Up Their Butts…] Current Maine CDC guidelines allow for the syringe exchanges…

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s Maine-based Political Action Committee (PAC) this week spent $90,000 on online advertising spread across 38 different candidates running for the Maine House of Representatives this November. [RELATED: New England’s Top Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Clinic Operator Projects $8.6 Million Deficit Over Next Three Years…] According to filings with the Maine Ethics Commission, on Wednesday, Oct. 16, the Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund PAC made a $90,000 independent expenditure to GMMB, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based Democratic political consulting and advertising firm. The total $90,000 expenditure was spread evenly across a total of 38 candidates, with roughly $2,400 being…

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Thursday that the agency has successfully apprehended and deported a Salvadoran fugitive who was “hiding out” in Virginia to avoid facing terrorism and homicide charges in his home country. [RELATED: Previously Deported Dominican National Reentered US to ‘peddle poison,’ Arrested for Carjacking, Drug Trafficking: ICE…] ICE said that deportation officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C. removed 38-year-old William Alexander Albanez-Herrera on Oct. 4, and turned him over to Salvadoran authorities. According to ICE, Albanez-Herrera is a documented member of the international criminal gang MS-13, who was wanted by authorities…

A Hermon resident was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly fleeing the scene of an accident and leading police on a high-speed chase along I-95, Bangor Police said in a press release. Bangor Police responded to a call at the Best Buy parking lot on Bangor Mall Blvd., where witnesses reported that a man had backed into another vehicle and attempted to leave without providing information. Upon arrival, officers found the man, later identified at 64-year-old Everett Buzzell of Hermon, still inside his vehicle. When questioned, Buzzell reportedly denied involvement in the accident. Police say that as officers attempted to complete…

An investigation into suspected drug activity at a residence in Auburn led to the seizure of a significant amount of illegal drugs and the arrest of a man with previous convictions, Auburn Police announced Wednesday. Auburn Police say that their Proactive Community Enforcement (PACE) Unit, assisted by the patrol division, executed a search warrant at 134 South Main St. in Auburn on Tuesday, after investigating reports of ongoing suspected drug activity occurring at the residence. During a search of the residence police found approximately 14 grams of cocaine base (crack cocaine), two grams of cocaine, 133 fentanyl pills pressed to…

Ann Cook, a Maine public school teacher who in 2022 was recorded going on a bizarre racially-charged political rant in front of a middle school student, has now allegedly been caught on video absconding with a Trump campaign sign from a Yarmouth intersection, according to video obtained by the Maine Wire. [RELATED: Secret audio reveals Maine teacher ranting about politics, mocking Trump-supporting parents…] The video footage of the incident, captured on a game camera placed near the intersection by the sign owner, appears to show a woman removing the sign from the public right-of-way and bringing it to her vehicle…

A former Portland educator has been sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material, following an investigation that began with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen on Tuesday sentenced Travis McCutcheon, 54, to 42 months in prison, to be followed by eight years of supervised release. McCutcheon previously pleaded guilty to the possession of child sexual abuse material on May 15, 2024. “Although the evidence discovered does not reflect that Mr. McCutcheon possessed materials involving any of his students, his conduct…

Portland Police announced on Wednesday that they have arrested a 19-year-old man in connection to an early Tuesday morning shooting at an apartment building that left a juvenile victim with life-threatening injuries. [RELATED: Juvenile in Stable Condition After Being Shot at Portland Apartment Building…] Less than a day after the shooting, police arrested Dominic Moncada-Sanchez, 19, of Portland, and charged him with aggravated attempted murder, elevated aggravated assault and violating conditions of release. 19-year-old Dominic Moncada-Sanchez | Source: Cumberland County Jail Police say they took Moncada-Sanchez into custody at about 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday in South Portland, with the assistance…

A Dominican national who earlier this year was deported after being convicted of dealing fentanyl was arrested by federal immigration authorities in August following his illegal reentry into the U.S. and arraignment on charges of carjacking, assault and drug trafficking. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a Tuesday press release that they arrested 33-year-old Dominican national Luis Esmeraldo Rodriguez in Roxbury, Mass., on Aug. 12. The ICE arrest came after Rodriguez was arraigned in Roxbury District Court on June 10 on charges of assault and battery of a household member, destruction of property, indecent exposure, carjacking, two counts…

Two brothers are facing drug trafficking charges after police raided their apartment in Lewiston, discovering a cocaine, fentanyl, guns and a large amount of cash suspected to be the brothers’ proceeds from selling drugs. On Tuesday, Oct. 15, Lewiston Police executed a search warrant at 108 Pierce St., Apartment No. 3. During a search of the residence, police found 12 grams of cocaine base (crack cocaine), 10 grams of fentanyl, one shotgun, one handgun that police say was previously reported stolen by its owner, and over $15,000 cash in suspected drug proceeds. Items seized during the search of the Haji…

The principal of a public high school in South Paris forwarded a recruitment email from the Maine Democratic Party to his students seeking to enroll them as volunteers for political canvassing and phone banking on behalf of the Kamala Harris presidential campaign. Paul Bickford, Principal at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School (OHCHS), forwarded a Sept. 28 email from a Maine Democratic Party field organizer to his freshmen students, with the subject line “[Attention Freshmen] FWD: Looking for Volunteers for Maine Democrats.” “Hi all, I am forwarding a volunteer opportunity that was sent to me for anyone interested,” the public high…

The Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous & Tribal Populations (PCRITP), Maine’s taxpayer-funded racial equity board, has hired a new operations director who previously received media attention due to formerly living in the Minneapolis neighborhood where George Floyd died. The Permanent Commission was established by the Legislature in 2019 as a result of a bill sponsored by House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland). Speaker Talbot Ross and Penobscot Nation Ambassador Maulian Bryant co-chair the Commission, which is tasked with a mission of “ending structural racism” in Maine. [RELATED: Rachel Talbot Ross Has Not Been to a Meeting of…

The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC), a Portland-based immigrant advocacy nonprofit organization, is looking to target recently naturalized “New Mainers” with voter registration and turnout efforts. [Exclusive: Records Show Votes Cast Under Names of Non-Citizens in Multiple Maine Elections Since 2016…] In a Monday email, MIRC Executive Director Mufalo Chitam shared a flyer that contained information on key voter registration and absentee ballot request deadlines, as well as demographic data on the number of recently naturalized U.S. citizens in Maine. “MIRC is committed to supporting Maine’s immigrant communities to vote and make their voices heard!” the email reads. Flyer shared…

A juvenile is in stable condition after being shot early Tuesday morning at an apartment building on Forest Avenue in Portland, police stated in a press release. [RELATED: Police Investigating Shots Fired on Eleanor Street in Portland…] According to Portland Police, at 2:21 a.m. on Tuesday, officers responded to 1390 Forest Ave. for a report of shots fired. Located at 1390 Forest Ave is the Meadowbrook affordable apartment building, which according to the Portland Housing Authority is part of a project-based voucher program for elderly and disabled residents, and families with dependents. Upon arrival at the apartment building, officers discovered…

Portland Police responded late Sunday night to reports of gunfire on Eleanor Street. At about 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13, Portland Police officers arrived at 12 Eleanor St. to find the front of a duplex peppered with bullet holes. Police say that officers could smell gas due to a gas line being struck by the gunfire. The Portland Fire Department responded to the scene and turned off the gas line, and notified the utility company Unitil. Authorities are continuing their investigation and have not yet announced any suspects. Police are urging anyone with information to come forward by contacting…

At a workshop on Tuesday the South Portland City Council will discuss a proposed ordinance that would eventually prohibit the use of certain gas-fueled lawn equipment powered by two-stroke engines, a move city officials say will help reduce carbon emissions and air pollution. [RELATED: South Portland Approves Spending Nearly $15,000 to Lease Three New Electric Vehicles…] The ordinance, initially proposed for a workshop by the city’s Sustainability Department in March 2023, would place a citywide ban on the use of gas-powered two-stroke leaf blowers starting one year from its passage. A prohibition on a wide array of other two-stroke engine…

A search of a Lewiston apartment by police and agents with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) last week resulted in two arrests the seizure of fentanyl, psilocybin mushrooms, methamphetamine and a firearm. On Thursday, Oct. 10, officers from the Lewiston Police Department and MDEA agents executed a search warrant at 251 Blake St., apartment #39 in Lewiston. During a search of the apartment, investigators seized 142 grams of fentanyl, five grams of psilocybin mushrooms (commonly known as “magic mushrooms”), two grams of methamphetamine and a pistol. Other evidence of drug trafficking was also discovered in the residence. Items seized…

Just one day after the Maine Wire dropped a bombshell report on whistleblower records indicating multiple noncitizens have illegally voted in elections in Maine, a progressive nonprofit took to a left-wing media outlet to brag about handing out voter guides to noncitizen immigrants in the run-up to the 2024 election. [Exclusive: Records Show Votes Cast Under Names of Non-Citizens in Multiple Maine Elections Since 2016…] The League of Women Voters of Maine (LWVME) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit lobbying organization that is the Maine chapter of the National League of Women Voters of the U.S. Although describing itself as a “nonpartisan” organization,…

A Cornville man will serve two years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of sexual assault, following an investigation that began in 2021, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office announced on Friday. In April 2021, Somerset County Sheriff’s Office Detective Jeremy Leal launched an investigation into a report of sexual assaults against an adult female that had allegedly occurred over the course of three years, beginning in 2016. Upon completion of the investigation, Detective Leal submitted the case to the Somerset County District Attorney’s Office for review and potential charges. In July 2023, a Somerset County grand jury indicted…

A Guatemalan national living illegally in the U.S. since at least 2011 has been arrested by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being charged in June with forcibly raping a Massachusetts child. [RELATED: ‘We work very well with ICE’: Cumberland County Sheriff Defends Decision Not to Honor Immigration Detainers…] Deportation officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston were able to track down and apprehend the illegal alien in Lowell, Mass. in late September, after he was released from custody by a local court that refused to honor an immigration detainer. According to ICE, 38-year-old Guatemalan national Maynor…

At their meeting next Tuesday, the Sanford City Council will consider adopting a resolution seeking to reform the city’s state-licensed syringe distribution program. For more than a year, city officials and residents have said that the taxpayer-funded needle distribution program—which is supposed to promote public health—is, in fact, causing a public health crisis due to contaminated needles littering public areas. [RELATED: Sanford Officials: Maine CDC No Help in Dirty Needle Crackdown…] The Maine CDC authorizes Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) as a “harm reduction” initiative aimed at reducing the spread of blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis by providing active…

The Maine Department of Education (Maine DOE) entered into a “partnership” with the nonprofit Maine Trust for Local News in order to develop a marketing campaign meant to generate “goodwill” among Maine voters towards the state’s public school system, emails obtained by the Maine Wire reveal. In September, the Maine Wire reported that the Mills administration disclosed a $117,300 no-bid contract with the Maine Trust for Local News, owner of the Portland Press Herald and more than a dozen other news publications across the state, for a marketing campaign with the Maine DOE. [RELATED: Mills Admin Discloses Payments to Press…

Law enforcement seized three firearms from an Ogunquit inn housing 20 noncitizen “scholar” visa holders after a report of shots fired led to an hours-long shutdown of part of Route 1, according the Ogunquit Police Department. Police say that at approximately 3:50 a.m. on Monday, the Wells Emergency Dispatch Center received a report of shots fired at the Hideaway Inn, located at 67 Main St. in Ogunquit. Officers from the Ogunquit, Wells and York Police Departments responded to the scene, and upon arrival encountered a group of people outside who fled to inside of the inn upon seeing law enforcement,…

A Peru, Maine woman has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for drug trafficking charges after selling more than 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine to an undercover police officer across multiple controlled buys. Mandy Lynn Shorey, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen to 180 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking methamphetamine and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to court records, Shorey was involved in a series of four drug transactions between July 2022 and January 2023, during which she sold approximately…

At the close of a Monday evening forum between Maine’s Second Congressional District candidates Congressman Jared Golden (D) and State Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent) hosted by NBC-affiliate News Center Maine, the news station abruptly cut off Theriault’s closing statement for a commercial break — a blunder the station attributed to an error in their computer system. Monday’s candidate forum marked the second time Golden and Theriault have taken the stage together to go head-to-head on policy issues before the November election, after a debate hosted by WGME last week. [WATCH: Highlights from Golden v. Theriault ME-CD2 Debate…] Throughout the…

Police are actively looking for a suspect believed to be responsible for a stabbing at a dollar store in Sanford’s Midtown Mall that left one man injured. According to Sanford Police, the stabbing incident occurred at about 10 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6, at the Family Dollar located in the Midtown Mall on Maine Street in Sanford. A male victim, identified by police as 59-year-old Robert Wilson of Sanford, was found at the scene on his knees with bystanders actively controlling the bleeding from multiple stab wounds, police said. Wilson was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland for treatment…

On the anniversary of terrorist attack against Israel carried out by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, a member of the Portland City Council voiced her opposition to a proclamation in remembrance of the event, refusing to condemn the terrorist organization’s massacre of civilians in the name of “equity.” WATCH: Monday’s meeting of the Portland City Council fell on Oct. 7, marking one year since the Islamist terrorist group Hamas launched an attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 Israelis and taking about 250 people — including U.S. citizens — hostage. Portland Mayor…

The number of veterans experiencing homelessness in Maine nearly quadrupled from 2021 to 2022, and remains at levels higher than the previous seven years, according to a report from the Maine State Housing Authority (MaineHousing) published this summer. [RELATED: Mills Admin Outlines Recommendations for Meeting State Housing Production Goals by 2030…] In June, MaineHousing, a quasi-governmental agency, released their annual Point-in-Time Report for 2024, which represents a count of homeless individuals living in the state — both sheltered and unsheltered — conducted on Jan. 23, 2024. Point-in-time counts must be reported by each state annually under federal requirements, as part…

Federal tax dollars that could be supporting relief efforts in disaster-stricken parts of Appalachia were instead diverted resettle tens of millions of foreign nationals who illegally entered the United States during the Biden-Harris Administration—and some of Maine’s top politicians supported the diversion of funding. Members of Maine’s congressional delegation Sens. Angus King (I), Susan Collins (R), and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) last year advocated for the expansion of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) program that diverted the disaster funding toward shelter and resettlement services for migrants, including asylum seekers, refugees, and illegal aliens. The use of taxpayer dollars intended…

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) on Friday announced that they have arrested 40 fugitives wanted for various violent offenses as part of a joint operation with the Lewiston and Biddeford Police Departments. The arrests come as part a month-long initiative called “Operation Triple Beam,” a national operation led by the U.S. Marshals in partnership with federal, state and local law enforcement focusing on areas impacted by violent crime. During the operation, the USMS’ Maine Violent Offender Task Force, along with the Lewiston and Biddeford Police Departments, successfully apprehended a total of 40 fugitives with a connection to Maine. The 40…

The Maine Labor Climate Council, a purported coalition of labor unions pushing for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine, is actually a front organization of the Maine People’s Alliance, a progressive activist and lobbying organization, records show. [RELATED: Biden Celebrates Offshore Wind ‘Progress’ Despite Industry’s Major Struggles, Cancellations…] According to a filing with the Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions, the nonprofit Maine People’s Alliance has registered to operate under the “assumed” name of the Maine Labor Climate Council. The Maine People’s Alliance network has received millions of dollars in funding from the progressive dark-money network run by the…

A political action committee (PAC) founded by the Maine Education Association this week spent $75,500 on digital advertisements in support of six Democratic candidates running for State Senate this November. According to campaign finance records, Citizens Who Support Maine’s Public Schools, a political spending arm of Maine’s teachers’ union, bought $75,500 worth of digital ads from the public relations firm Berlin Rosen on Wednesday, Oct. 2. [RELATED: Planned Parenthood Spends Thousands to Unseat Maine House Democrat Who Opposed Late-Term Abortion Bill…] The independent expenditure was made in support of six Democratic candidates currently running for the Maine Senate, with amounts…

An Ellsworth man on federal supervised release for a previous conviction for possessing child pornography this week was sentenced to just over 12 years in prison after being caught in possession of child sexual abuse material again last year. U.S. District Judge Lance Walker sentenced 62-year-old Kevin Lee Ross of Ellsworth to 121 months in prison for the possession of child pornography, as well a 24-month sentence for violating the conditions of his supervised release. Kevin L. Ross (Source: Maine Sex Offender Registry) [RELATED: ‘This crime is among the worst I have ever seen’: Federal Judge Sentences Lewiston Man to…

The Gorham Police Department is warning residents to lock their cars after responding to more than 20 motor vehicle burglaries in a single night earlier this week. Police say that between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Wednesday, officers responded to between 25 to 30 reports of motor vehicle burglary. The reported burglaries occurred in the area of South Street and several of the surrounding large neighborhoods, police said. Gorham Police advised that residents keep their cars locked, and warned against leaving valuables visible in cars. Police are also requesting that anyone who may have video systems in the area…

A member of Venezuelan transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua was free in New York City for three weeks in September before being arrested by federal immigration enforcement despite his conviction on a felony firearm possession charge. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday announced the arrest of Javier Jose Albornoz Marchan, a 22-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela. Albornoz was taken into custody on Staten Island, N.Y., on Sept. 28. [RELATED: Venezuelan Criminal Organization Infiltrates New York City: Report…] According to ICE, Albornoz first entered the U.S. illegally near El Paso, Texas, on Sept. 22, 2022, when he was…

The Maine State Library is spending nearly $13,000 in taxpayer funds to create a toolkit meant for “caregivers” to teach children about “climate change and climate action.” According to a contract document published Monday by the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS), the Maine State Library will pay $12,775 to the Tennessee-based company The Healing Library to create the climate change toolkit. [RELATED: Children’s Book in Maine Schools Tells Kids to Trust Corporate Media — Not Their Parents: News Literacy Project…] “Working as a Content Creator and Project Manager, The Healing Library will create a kit of resources…

A Lewiston man was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Tuesday in a Portland federal court for sexually exploiting a child and possessing child sexual abuse material, a case which the sentencing judge said was “among the worst” she has ever seen. [RELATED: Maine Sex Offender Registrant Accused of Committing Dozens of New Sexual Assaults Against Child…] U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Timothy Doyon, 29, of Lewiston, to 35 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Doyon, who previously pleaded guilty on Oct. 24, 2023, was also ordered to pay $103,500 in restitution.…

The Lewiston Police Department on Tuesday announced that they had executed two search warrants, resulting in the seizure of a large amount of illegal drugs and six arrests. [RELATED: Fire Destroys Lewiston Drug Den, Site of Multiple Police Raids…] Lewiston Police say the pair of search warrants are related to ongoing investigations alongside the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). The first search warrant was executed at about 5 a.m. on Tuesday, at 117 College St. in Lewiston. The site of Tuesday’s raid is about a block away…

The Rockland Police Department announced on Tuesday that their officers will now be equipped with a new Kevlar cord restraint device, designed to control subjects and de-escalate situations in a less painful fashion than with tasers or pepper spray. The Kevlar cord device, called the “BolaWrap,” is manufactured by WRAP Technologies as a de-escalation tool for use in situations where a subject is experiencing a mental health crisis, is a danger to themselves or others, or is evading arrest. [RELATED: Rockland Police Issue PSA Asking Witnesses to Break-Ins and Vandalism to Come Forward…] When deployed, the BolaWrap shoots out a…

A Lewiston man pleaded guilty on Friday in a Bangor federal court to filing a fraudulent application to obtain an over $20,000 loan through a COVID-19 pandemic relief program, and now faces up to 20 years in prison. [RELATED: Maine Man “motivated by sheer greed” Sentenced to 1.5 Years for Fraudulently Obtaining Over $1 Million in PPP Loans…] Shahied Golden, 29, was accused of submitting a fraudulent application for a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in April 2021. Prosecutors alleged that Golden listed a false gross income for 2020, and falsely claimed that the $20,833 in loan proceeds were…

What started in 2008 as a small school for orphaned refugees living in Uganda is an operation that now provides education, accommodations, and medical care to over 1,300 refugees and vulnerable children who fled unstable and dangerous conditions in nearby East African countries. In this interview, the Maine Wire speaks with Byaruhanga Godfrey, or Pastor Godfrey, the founder and executive director of Angels Care Uganda, a non-governmental organization based at a refugee camp in western Uganda. Godfrey speaks to his experience with Angels Care helping provide humanitarian services to refugees, primarily children from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and…

A member of a Portland Public Schools committee charged with redrawing the school district’s attendance boundaries in order to address “demographic disparities” suggested at a meeting this Thursday that the district should try to minimize school choice in order to increase diversity across Portland schools. [RELATED: Equity: Portland Schools to Consider Redrawing Enrollment Boundaries to Address ‘demographic disparities’…] Portland Board of Public Education established the “Attendance Boundaries Advisory Committee” this August, with the purpose of evaluating and making recommendations to the full board for overhauling the school district’s attendance boundaries. Attendance boundaries are the means by which the district determines…

A longtime Democratic politician and government employee has been hired in a $121,000-a-year position at the Maine Department of Education (Maine DOE) as the state’s first “green schools director.” [RELATED: Mills Admin Discloses Payments to Press Herald for Publishing Positive Articles on Maine Public Schools, DOE Spending…] Glenn Cummings, former president of the University of Southern Maine and speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, began his work in the newly created position on Monday. According to a report from the Maine Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF), Cumming’s work will focus on facilitating coordination between climate…

A homeless man who earlier this year was charged with assaulting people with a machete, and who a month ago was arrested for an alleged knife attack in a Portland park, this week was arrested yet again on charges of assault and burglary. [RELATED: Homeless Machete Attacker — Released from Maine Jail — Arrested Again for Portland Park Knife Attack…] Ahmed Hussein Ismail, 38, who police have indicated is “unhoused,” was arrested by Portland Police on Thursday, Sept. 26, and charged with simple assault, burglary and violating conditions of release. Ismail is accused of forcing his way into an apartment…

York County District Attorney Kathryn Slattery this week touted the sentencing of a Maine man convicted of manslaughter in connection to a January 2021 fatal crash on the Maine Turnpike. District Attorney Slattery’s announcement comes over five months after an illegal alien caused a car crash on I-95 in Wells this April that left a Maine woman dead and her husband in critical condition — a crash for which it appears no charges have yet been filed against the noncitizen. [RELATED: Man Involved in Four-Car Crash That Left Maine Woman Dead Entered U.S. Illegally in January: Oguzhan Cildir…] David Herring,…

An investigation into a string of over 20 package thefts from a Westbrook senior citizen living facility has led to the arrest of two suspects, police announced Thursday. Westbrook Police say that they have been investigating over 20 recent reports of packages being stolen from the senior living facility. As a result of their investigation, Westbrook Police on Tuesday executed a search warrant at the residence of the individuals suspected of being behind the thefts. Police say the search of the residence led to the arrest of the two suspects and the recovery of stolen items from the facility, including…

Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), who during the COVID-19 pandemic implemented stringent prohibitions on public gatherings and stay-at-home directives, will be joining the U.S. Surgeon General for a discussion on the danger that “loneliness and isolation” pose to public health. The panel discussion, entitled “Building Resilience Through Human Connection,” is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 27, at 11 a.m., and will be hosted by the University of Southern Maine in Portland. Speaking on the panel, which is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis, will be Gov. Mills, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, and Maine DHHS…

Lewiston was rocked by a series of violent incidents Tuesday evening, with police responding to two separate reports of gunfire and a hit-and-run that ended in the arrest of a recently released suspect from Auburn. [RELATED: Lewiston Grapples with Gun Violence Surge after Two More Shootings in Less Than Two Weeks…] The first call came just after 6:30 p.m., when Lewiston Police responded to the intersection of Ash and Howe streets for a report of shots fired. Police say surveillance footage form the area showed two males firing a handgun down Howe Street toward the direction of Pine Street. Two…

While the mayor of South Portland recently recommended that elderly residents reverse mortgage their homes to handle a growing property tax burden, the City Council approved over $1 million in their fiscal year 2025 (FY25) budget to be spent on assisting migrants in the city pay for housing and buy food. Those seniors have also taken a back seat to higher priorities from the South Portland City Council, which has, in recent years, written into the city budget that addressing the climate crisis and promoting “equity” are top goals. South Portland Mayor Misha Pride’s comments — which have since sparked…

A Lisbon man with multiple previous state convictions for possessing and distributing child pornography pleaded guilty this week to a new federal charge of possessing child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced Monday. Joseph Gibson, 36, of Lisbon, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland to one count of possessing child sexual abuse material. According to court records, in September and October 2023, the Maine State Police identified and located an IP address at Gibson’s residence that had been used to download child sexual abuse material. When the Maine State Police…

The Mills administration has paid $120,000 to the Maine Trust for Local News (MTLN), the nonprofit that owns the Portland Press Herald and the Lewiston Sun Journal, to publish state-sponsored articles praising the Mills administration’s use of federal education dollars. The articles are intended to bolster “goodwill” toward the state’s public school system and the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) use of federal funding, according to state records reviewed by the Maine Wire. [RELATED: Five Months Later, “National Trust” Won’t Say Who Funded Takeover of Maine Newspapers…] According to the document, which disclosed the no-bid contract awarded to the nonprofit…

A Brownfield man was arrested on multiple drug and firearm charges following a raid conducted by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) and Maine State Police at his residence on Wednesday. During the raid authorities seized an estimated $90,000 in illegal drugs, several firearms, a large amount of ammunition, and over $25,000 cash in suspected drug proceeds. Maine State Police say the investigation into the Brownfield residence began several weeks ago, due to the suspected illegal possession of firearms by a prohibited person. Troopers identified the suspect as 52-year-old Joey St. Hilaire, of Brownfield, and learned over the course of…

A traffic stop in Lewiston shortly after midnight on Thursday led to the arrest of two men and the seizure of an illegally possessed firearm. Lewiston Police said the traffic stop occurred on Bates Street just after 12:30 a.m. on Thursday. While the vehicle came to a stop, a male passenger fled from the vehicle, leading to a short foot chase, police said. The male suspect was apprehended a block away from the stopped vehicle. Police say they found a .45 caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number during a search of the suspect’s backpack. [RELATED: Lewiston Grapples with Gun…

Amid discussion regarding recent property tax hikes at a South Portland City Council meeting last month, Mayor Misha Pride suggested that elderly residents living on a fixed income may want to consider reverse mortgaging their homes to manage the growing tax burden. [RELATED: South Portland Residents Passionately Address Property Tax Concerns at City Council Meeting…] At the Tuesday, Aug. 13 meeting, the City Council was discussing a proposal to allocate an additional $50,000 to the city’s Senior Property Tax Relief Fund, in response to a shift of the tax burden from South Portland’s commercial properties to residential ones, caused by…

Six police departments across Maine have been awarded a total of just over $2 million in federal grants to support various community policing initiatives, including the hiring of additional entry-level officers, school violence prevention and improving mental health crisis intervention. The $2,075,000 in grants were awarded to the Maine law enforcement agencies and municipalities as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant programs. The Justice Department’s COPS grant funding falls into four categories: the COPS Hiring program, to hire new entry-level law enforcement officers; the School Violence Prevention Program, to improve…

Sanford city officials and members of the city council were in agreement during their Tuesday meeting on the need to reform the syringe distribution program which has resulted in a “public health crisis” due to the large number of contaminated hypodermics improperly discarded throughout the city. Syringe Service Programs (SSPS) are authorized by the Maine CDC and are designed as a “harm reduction” initiative aimed at reducing the spread of blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis by providing active drug users with sterile syringes. [RELATED: ‘They’re not gonna jump up and bite ya’: Socialist Portland City Councilor Claims ‘no public…

During a town hall event Monday evening in Portland, Somali-American Maine State Rep. Deqa Dhalac (D-South Portland) claimed that immigrants’ “lives are at stake” in the 2024 election, as part of a rant against former President Donald Trump and defense of immigrants’ contributions to the country and state. Organized by the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC), Monday’s “Centering and Restoring The Community: Elections 2024” town hall at the Portland Public Library featured representatives from a number of Maine-based progressive nonprofit organizations. Speaking alongside Rep. Dhalac on the panel was Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, EqualityMaine Executive Director Gia Drew and Maine…

A motor vehicle crash on Main Street in Westbrook on Tuesday that left one car flipped on its side led to the arrest of one of the drivers on drug trafficking charges, and the seizure of over 40 grams of cocaine. The Westbrook Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene of the crash on Tuesday afternoon, at about 12:24 p.m., on Maine Street near Cumberland Street. Police say that responding emergency crews found that two vehicles were involved in the crash, with one car flipped on its side. There were no injuries reported from the crash. Source: Westbrook Police…

A Portland man who in 2020 sold fentanyl-laced fake pills that killed a York County woman has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday. Marcus Mello, 27, was sentenced on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland for distributing fentanyl, using or carrying a dangerous weapon in a drug crime, and failing to appear before the court. U.S. District Judge Jogn Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Mello to 181 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In court records, prosecutors alleged that in May 2020, Mello sold 12 fake “percs” –…

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) announced on Tuesday that a Maine resident has tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV), a case which the agency says is the first locally acquired infection in Maine since 2020. WNV, like the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEE) and Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV), are viruses spread though the bite of an infected mosquito. The viruses cannot be spread form human to human or from human to animal. Infection with all three viruses usually starts with flu-like symptoms in humans, and can in severe cases develop into brain swelling (encephalitis)…

At a Portland town hall event Monday evening hosted by a collection of progressive nonprofit organizations, a lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maine said that he will be urging the State Legislature to pass laws protecting illegal immigrants from deportation, and compared federal immigration authorities to Nazis in 1930s Germany. The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC) hosted the town hall event, entitled “Centering and Restoring The Community: Elections 2024,” at the Portland Public Library. Speaking on the panel was Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, State Rep. Deqa Dhalac (D-South Portland), EqualityMaine Executive Director Gia Drew,…

Bangor Animal Control is continuing to investigate the mysterious disappearance of cats in Bangor’s Fairmount neighborhood, with officials saying multiple factors could be responsible for the recent uptick in unexplained vanishing felines—aside from wild predators. Animal Control Officer for the Bangor Police Department Trisha Bruen told the Maine Wire on Monday that the recent wave of residents reporting their cats as missing began this summer, and is now close to 20 cases. Residents in the neighborhood have been left perplexed by the sudden disappearance of their beloved pets, with some questioning whether wildlife is responsible due to the lack of…

On Tuesday the Sanford City Council is expected to discuss a “public health crisis” caused by a large number of contaminated hypodermic needles littered in the city as the result of a state licensed syringe distribution program. In early 2020, the Maine CDC licensed the Brunswick-based nonprofit Maine Access Points to operate a Syringe Services Program (SSP) in the City of Sanford without notifying city officials, according to a memo from City Manager Steven Buck. [RELATED: Sanford Suspends Syringe Exchange Program, Cleans Homeless Encampment…] Buck wrote that Maine Access Points operated the syringe exchange remotely out of a vehicle near Heritage…

The City of Portland is now seeking applications to fill the vacancy at the top of the city’s Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (JDEI) office, a role which boasts a starting salary of over $110,000. Portland’s JDEI office was launched in 2023 on the recommendation of the city’s Racial Equity Steering Committee, which itself was formed by then-Mayor Kate Snyder in July 2020, in the wake of the death of George Floyd. The city’s racial equity office has been without a director since May, when Umaru Balde, who joined the JDEI office in April 2023, resigned with little explanation from the…

Just ahead of the anniversary of the tragic mass shootings in Lewiston on Oct. 25, 2023, U.S. Senator from Maine Susan Collins (R) has introduced legislation to require the military to utilize state crisis intervention programs when service members pose a serious threat to themselves or others. [RELATED: Independent Commission Reveals Failures and Missed Opportunities by Law Enforcement Before Lewiston Shooting…] Sen. Collins’ “Armed Forces Crisis Intervention Notification Act,” co-sponsored by Senator Angus King (I), comes as a direct response to the investigations into the shootings conducted by the U.S. Army Reserve, the Independent Commission appointed by Maine Gov. Janet Mills…

A Salvadoran national living illegally in the U.S. was arrested last week on Nantucket Island by federal immigration officers after being charged with numerous sex crimes against a Massachusetts child. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Monday that they apprehended 28-year-old Bryan Daniel Aldana-Arevalo, a citizen of El Salvador, as part of an operation launched last week on Nantucket to serve arrest warrants for immigration violations, particularly targeting “violent offenders.” https://twitter.com/EROBoston/status/1835726057942462836 According to ICE, Aldana illegally entered the U.S. on an unknown date, at an unknown location, without being inspected by immigration officials — what is commonly classified…

The Bangor refugee resettlement office run by Catholic Charities Maine is planning to move 150 migrants into cities and towns within a 100-mile radius of Bangor over the next year. Catholic Charities Maine is one of three nonprofit organizations in the state that has been designated by the federal government to be a refugee resettlement agency, alongside the Lewiston-based Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services (MEIRS) and the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, based in Portland. [RELATED: Catholic Charities Maine Touts Taxpayer-Funded Migrant Resettlement Plans…] Under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), the president sets a ceiling for the number…

The New York man charged in April with criminal threatening and aggravated sex trafficking for running his “massage parlor” as a prostitution house received more than $20,000 worth of federal grants before threatening an elderly woman with a handgun, according to records reviewed by the Maine Wire. Changsheng Xiao, 45, who is listed on police records as being from Flushing, N.Y., was arrested in late April at 977 Forest Avenue in Portland — the address of Ping Wellness Center, a massage parlor in Portland’s North Deering neighborhood that advertises reflexology, massage therapy, facials, waxing, and “tui na,” a traditional Chinese…

A joint operation by the Portland Police Department and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) led to the arrest of a 35-year-old woman on drug trafficking charges and the seizure of nearly 90 grams of fentanyl. [RELATED: ‘They’re not gonna jump up and bite ya’: Socialist Portland City Councilor Claims ‘no public health risk’ Caused by Used Heroin Needles…] According to Portland Police, officers with the department’s Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) and MDEA agents made the arrest on Sherwood Street in Portland at about 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, as the result of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation. Nichole Staples, 35, of…

A Bangor-based homelessness fundraising organization is propagating educational materials aimed at helping homeless individuals avoid arrest for a variety of crimes, including drug possession, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. The Greater Bangor Houseless Collective describes itself as “a grassroots organization that provides mutual aid and low-barrier support to the unhoused community while building solidarity in the face of institutionalized inequity,” and collects donations to distributed water, food, first aid kits, tents and other supplies to the Bangor area’s homeless population. [RELATED: Bangor’s Lawless Tent City Results in Shooting Near UMA Campus: No Arrests…] On their website and social media pages,…