Author: Edward Tomic

A nationwide search of prospective candidates who might turnaround the struggling Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has instead landed on former Deputy Commissioner Sara Gagné-Holmes. Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) announced Thursday that she will nominate Gagné-Holmes to serve as the next commissioner of DHHS, a sprawling government bureaucracy tasked with managing child welfare services and Maine’s bloated welfare rolls. Gagné-Holmes has been serving as the department’s acting commissioner since the start of June, following the resignation of previous DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew in May. [RELATED: Lambrew Out at Maine DHHS…] She served as deputy commissioner of…

World War II veteran William Pekrul took the stage at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, receiving raucous applause when he declared that he would re-enlist in the U.S. military if Donald Trump is elected president this November. WATCH: The 98-year-old Wisconsonite, father to 11 children, said that if President Trump was back as commander-in-chief, he “would go back to re-enlist today” — a statement that was met with a standing ovation from the crowd of Republicans. “And I would storm whatever beach my country needs me to,” Pekrul added. “Some call us the greatest generation,” he said. “That’s an…

Three people were arrested on drug charges on Tuesday after police found a large quantity of fentanyl, methamphetamine and a loaded handgun in an East Millinocket home. [RELATED: Good Boy! East Millinocket Police K-9 Sniffs Out Meth and Fentanyl During Traffic Stops…] According to East Millinocket Police, at about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, an officer observed a vehicle in the driveway of a residence on Granite Street in Millinocket, and recognized the occupant of the vehicle as 47-year-old Lisa Lamson of East Millinocket. Police said that Lamson, who the officer learned was at the Granite Street residence to pick up…

Democratic U.S. Rep Jared Golden (ME-02) has recently taken thousands of dollars from corporate Political Action Committees (PACs) and other fundraising vehicles aligned with corporate interests, according to his most recent campaign finance filings. The influx of corporate PAC dollars runs contrary to Rep. Golden’s much-publicized philosophy in previous campaigns, where the Democratic incumbent has boasted of relying on Maine-based donors rather than money from interest groups. Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings from the Committee to Elect Jared Golden, Golden’s primary campaign fundraising committee, show that between May 23 and June 30, Golden accepted well over $15,000 from corporate PACs.…

Two people were arrested over the past week after an East Millinocket Police K-9 was able to alert officers to the presence of illegal drugs in vehicles during traffic stops, police announced on Tuesday. Shortly before p.m. on Thursday, July 11, East Millinocket Police Sgt. Mallory Clayton conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Main Street in East Millinocket for multiple motor vehicle violations. East Millinocket Police K-9 Derby was deployed during the roadside investigation for a drug sniff of the vehicle, and alerted Sgt. Clayton to the presence of illicit substances in the vehicle. Upon searching the vehicle,…

Several towns in Southern Maine have “donated” a total of nearly $200,000 in support of a project to build a 200-unit “campus style” housing complex for migrants spearheaded by the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG). The project, called “Safe in Maine,” is aiming to raise a total of $2 million for the migrant housing complex, and has so far received $212,000 in donations — almost all of which has come from taxpayer-funded grants from town governments. [RELATED: Mills Admin, Nonprofits, and Big Biz Back New Migrant Resettlement Agency for Maine…] On the Safe in Maine Facebook page, the organization boasts…

In her first interview following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Saturday, the head of the Secret Service revealed that the shooter was identified as a “potential person of suspicion,” but that police were unable to locate him before he opened fire at the Pennsylvania rally. [RELATED: U.S. Secret Service’s Failure, Sluggish Response to Trump Assassination Attempt Raise Concerns…] U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle made the revelation in an interview with ABC News on Monday, after reports came out earlier that day that local law enforcement had spotted the would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks “in or just-outside”…

A Maine man pleaded guilty on Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland to filing fraudulent applications for over $215,000 COVID-19 relief loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced. [RELATED: South Portland Habitual Offender Who Obtained a $20k PPP Loan for his ‘Courier’ Business While on Probation Arrested for Drug Trafficking… ] In court records, federal prosecutors alleged that 49-year-old Frederick Avery of North Berwick submitted two fraudulent applications for PPP loans between April 2020 and September 2021. On the loan applications, Avery claimed to be the owner of a travel…

The Portland Development Corporation (PDC), a division of the city’s Housing and Economic Development Department that is in charge of approving commercial loans, this week will consider a proposal to allow borrowers to apply for interest-free loans. A memo dated July 12 to the PDC board members from Nancy Martin, the city’s Business Programs Manager, outlines the proposed “Inclusive loan policies.” “The City of Portland is increasingly diverse, and features many business owners frominternational backgrounds,” the memo reads. “Their contributions to the local economy are numerous.” In order to “increase financial access” to the business owners from “international backgrounds,” Martin…

A 17-year-old male was found dead at the scene of a shooting in Lewiston on Sunday, one of three shooting incidents that occurred over this past weekend, according to Lewiston Police. The first shooting occurred at about 10:30 p.m., when Lewiston Police received a 911 call for shots fired at 77 Rideout Avenue. At the scene officers found a deceased male in the road. The victim was identified by police as 17-year-old Sahal Muridi of Lewiston. [Note: The Maine State Police initially issued an incorrect spelling of the victim’s last name (Murdi), and later issued a correction to Muridi.] The…

A South Thomaston man was arrested for aggravated assault in Rockland on Sunday after reportedly kicking a victim repeatedly in the face, according to Rockland Police. Rockland Police officers responded to a reported assault in progress just after midnight on Sunday. [RELATED: Rockland Police Issue PSA Asking Witnesses to Break-Ins and Vandalism to Come Forward…] Witnesses told police that they had seen the victim on their hands and knees being repeatedly kicked in the face. Officers observed blood at the scene and located the victim nearby. The victim was transported to Pen Bay Medical Center with significant injuries to their…

Following his brush with death Saturday evening at a Pennsylvania campaign rally, a grateful Donald Trump described the assassination attempt as a “very surreal experience” and acknowledged the miraculous nature of his survival. “I’m not supposed to be here, I’m supposed to be dead,” Trump told the New York Post aboard his private plane on Sunday en route to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. “I’m supposed to be dead.” “The doctor at the hospital said he never saw anything like this, he called it a miracle,” Trump said, adding that if he had not turned his head slightly to…

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is planning to spend $26,000 on an online English language learning platform to assist the state’s adult education programs that are seeing an increase in “multilingual learners.” [RELATED: Mills Admin, Nonprofits, and Big Biz Back New Migrant Resettlement Agency for Maine…] The Maine DOE submitted a request to waive competitive bidding on Thursday, seeking to pay a total of $26,250 to the EnGen English language learning platform to reserve 250 seats in their adult education programs. According to Maine DOE, “multilingual learners” (MLs) account for over 50 percent of all adult education students statewide. [RELATED: Democrats…

The Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce released a statement on Friday slamming two minimum wage-related ballot question proposals sponsored by City Councilor Kate Sykes, former co-chair of the Maine Democratic Socialists of America (Maine DSA). [RELATED: Maine City Exploring Universal Basic Income Program, $20/Hour Minimum Wage…] Sykes was a key organizer in several previous Maine DSA-led ballot initiatives in Portland, including one that raised the city’s minimum wage to $15 per hour, “Green New Deal” building ordinances, and rent control. Now, Sykes has sponsored two referendum questions that the City Council will consider putting before Portland voters on the ballot…

Four fishermen from Maine and one from New Hampshire were sentenced in federal court in Portland this week for their involvement in a scheme to sell unreported Atlantic herring, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced Thursday. A total of eight Mainers and one New Hampshire man have now been sentenced, including the owner, captains and crew of a commercial fishing vessel, “The Western Sea,” as well as the owners of local Maine fisheries accused of purchasing the unreported Atlantic herring. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sets quotas and catch limits for commercial fishing vessels…

In response to several incidents of break-ins, vandalism and a recent arson incident, the Rockland Police Department has issued a public service announcement requesting that the public call law enforcement to come forward as witnesses. According to Rockland Police, during their recent investigations, several witnesses who either saw or heard something did not call law enforcement. “While each [witness] had their own reasons, we found that often witnesses are under the false assumption that ‘someone else will see or hear this and call it in’ or ‘I don’t want to be a bother to the officers,'” Rockland Police stated in…

Portland City Manager Danielle West has nominated a member of an international humanitarian non-governmental organization (NGO) to serve as the next director of the city’s Health and Human Services (HHS) department. [RELATED: Portland Nearly Triples Social Services Staff Within Three Years, Outpacing Police, Publics Works, Parks Divisions…] The city’s HHS Director position has been vacant since the resignation of Kristen Dow in December. The City Council is slated to vote on the appointment of Maggie McLoughlin, director of programs for the NGO Mercy Corps in Abuja, Nigeria, at their next meeting on Monday, July 15. McLoughlin has held senior management…

Portland Police Chief Mark Dubois on Tuesday provided an update regarding police presence in the city’s Bayside neighborhood, a crime hotspot, to the City Council’s Health and Human Services and Public Safety. In April, Portland Police increased officer presence in the neighborhood in response to a disturbing video published by a Bayside landlord showing open drug use, violence and public indecency outside of his building. [RELATED: Portland City Officials Respond to Disturbing Video Showing Drug Abuse, Fights, Crime in Bayside Neighborhood…] Following the video and after complaints from residents, Chief Dubois doubled the dedicated Bayside patrol detail to include four…

The Portland Police Department is seeking approval from the Portland City Council to purchase a $39,000 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), or drone, for use in search and rescue operations, accident reconstructions, and during the execution of high-risk warrants. Portland Police Chief Mark Dubois presented the department’s proposal to the Portland City Council’s Health and Human Services and Public Safety Committee on Tuesday. According to Chief Dubois, the request comes due to the Portland Police Department being “significantly understaffed.” “In order to maintain public safety in an efficient manner, it is imperative that we utilizetechnology to the fullest extent,” Dubois wrote…

Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at preventing noncitizens from registering to vote before this November’s elections. The order, entitled the Only Citizens Will Vote Act, directs Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane to immediately take “all necessary steps” to ensure that noncitizens are prevented from registering to vote and from participating in the state’s elections. [RELATED: Mills, Bellows Cozy with Progressive Group ‘Studying’ Noncitizen Voting in Maine…] “Idaho already has the most secure elections in the nation, and we’re going to keep it that way. My executive order – the ONLY CITIZENS WILL…

Three people have been arrested on drug trafficking charges and for child endangerment after a raid on a Lewiston apartment containing a 9-year-old child resulted in the seizure of a large amount of fentanyl a firearm, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) announced Tuesday. At about 7 a.m. on Tuesday, MDEA agents, alongside officers from the Lewiston Police Department, executed a search warrant at an apartment at 229 Blake Street in Lewiston. The search warrant was the result of a month-long investigation into the trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine at the apartment, MDEA said. Inside the apartment, law enforcement located…

A 30-year-old woman is facing multiple charges in connection to a theft Monday night at the Rockland Public Landing, and the vandalism of several cars in the city’s South End discovered Tuesday morning, Rockland Police announced Tuesday. According to a press release from the Rockland Police Department, officers responded to a call around 10:30 pm on Monday for reports of property damage and a stolen canoe near the Rockland Public Landing. Officers located 30-year-old Sierra McDonald in the stolen canoe just off the shore. While attempting to speak with her, McDonald reportedly entered the water, undressed completely, and then boarded…

Portland Police announced Tuesday that a 25-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly displaying a handgun and threatening to shoot customers inside a fried chicken restaurant. According to police, at about 1:50 a.m. on Saturday, the Portland Regional Communications Center received a 911 call for a report of a male threatening customers with a handgun at 408 Forest Avenue, Crown Fried Chicken. [RELATED: Portland Police Investigating Armed Robbery at Fried Chicken Restaurant…] Police say that by the time officers arrived at the restaurant, the suspect had fled. Witnesses told police that the suspect had displayed a handgun that was in…

Maine’s Democratic Governor and Secretary of State attended an event last year hosted by a progressive lobbying organization that was looking to “study” allowing noncitizens to vote in local and state elections. Both Gov. Janet Mills and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows attended the League of Women Voters of Maine’s (LWVME) biennial convention in June 2023, which took place at the Holocaust & Human Rights Center on the University of Maine at Augusta campus. 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…

Two teenagers from Yarmouth are facing drug trafficking charges after being found in possession of a large amount of cocaine during a traffic stop in Portland, police announced Monday. [RELATED: Multiple Teenagers Arrested as Portland PD Seizes 400 Grams of Cocaine, 6 Handguns, and $44,000 Following Drive-by Shooting…] According to Portland Police, the traffic stop occurred just after midnight on Monday, when the vehicle in question made an illegal U-turn. During the stop, police found that one of the occupants of the vehicle, 18-year-old Cole Swan of Yarmouth, was violating bail conditions. 18-year-old Cole Swan of Yarmouth | Source: Cumberland County…

A man has been charged with manslaughter and operating under the influence after a fatal head-on collision in Gray on Saturday, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. The crash occurred at about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday on Portland Road near the intersection with Sugar Maple Road. Jean Claude Nshimiyimana, 43, charged with manslaughter and OUI | Source: Cumberland County Jail Jean Claude Nshimiyimana, 43, is accused of driving drunk in a 2022 Jeep Gladiator and crashing head-on into a 2019 Chevrolet Suburban that was traveling in the opposite direction. Nshimiyimana, who according to arrest records has an address at…

The Sanford City Council on Tuesday discussed a request from a City Councilor for the yellow Gadsden Flag to be flown in front of Sanford City Hall on the Fourth of July, but ultimately did not move forward with a vote on the request. The Gadsden Flag is one of the most popular symbols of the American Revolution, featuring a coiled rattlesnake with the words “Don’t Tread on Me.” The flag, which in recent decades has become a popular political symbol among libertarians, is named after Christopher Gadsden, a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress who designed the flag…

Portland Adult Education (PAE), the adult student component of Portland Public Schools, is seeking to leverage $200,000 in property taxes to continue funding a workforce training program that last year taught almost exclusively immigrant students. The PAE workforce training program first launched in fiscal year (FY) 2020 as a pilot program, funded with $100,000 from the Downtown Portland Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. In TIF districts, municipalities freeze property taxes at an original assessed value in a specific area, and then derive revenue from increased property assessments within the district over time. The city then approves development programs to authorize…

A Dominican national facing felony drug trafficking charges after his arrest last month in Prospect, Maine, is an illegal alien with a pending case for his deportation from the U.S., according to arrest records obtained by the Maine Wire. Darvin Ruiz, a 21-year-old man from the Dominican Republic with an address in Lawrence, Mass., was arrested on June 22 in Prospect by Maine State Police. Ruiz was charged with aggravated trafficking of fentanyl and unlawful trafficking of schedule W drugs, both felony level offenses. 21-year-old Dominican national Darvin Ruiz | Source: Twin Bridges Regional Jail Booking records from Twin Bridges…

The Mills Administration is seeking to pay $485,000 in taxpayer funds to a nonprofit in order to pilot a “Progressive Employment” model in Maine geared toward bringing addicts and recovery and “justice involved individuals” into the state’s work force. [RELATED: Mills Admin, Nonprofits, and Big Biz Back New Migrant Resettlement Agency for Maine…] According to a request to waive competitive bidding filed last week by the Maine Department of Labor (DOL), the Mills Administration wants to direct $485,000 to the Bangor-based Eastern Maine Development Corporation (EDMC) to coordinate the “Progressive Employment” program. “Progressive Employment is a model that helps job seekers…

Natasha Irving has been serving as District Attorney of Maine’s Sixth Prosecutorial District, which covers Sagadahoc, Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties, since getting elected for the first time in 2018. Irving, a Democrat and self-described progressive, ran on a platform focused on restorative justice policies, which include providing people convicted of crimes with alternatives to incarceration, such as treatment or rehabilitation programs, and to take into account the “collateral consequences” that may result from a criminal conviction. The Maine Wire obtained several policy and procedure memos through public records requests from District Attorneys in other states across the country that…

A Portland man is facing terrorizing and criminal use of explosive charges after allegedly threatening his former domestic and constructing a bomb in a Brighton Corner apartment, according to the Portland Police Department. The incident in question occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 29, when the Portland Police Special Reaction Team, crisis negotiators and Hazardous Device Unit (Bomb Squad), alongside the Maine State Police Tactical Team, executed a high-risk search warrant at 22 Runnels St. in Portland. Earlier on Saturday, Portland Police were alerted that 39-year-old Daryl Walsh of Portland had made threats to his former domestic partner…

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced on Friday that the Biden administration will be allowing up to 309,000 Haitian migrants currently living in the U.S. to seek Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which will prevent them from being deported from the U.S. According to the DHS, the redesignation and extension of TPS for the Haitian migrants is due to “humanitarian challenges” on the island nation, including an ongoing gang violence crisis that led to the resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry in April, following a massive jailbreak. [RELATED: DeSantis Deploys National Guard to Stop Potential Haitian Migrant…

Despite a disastrous performance by President Joe Biden at the first presidential debate versus former President Donald Trump that sent Democratic pundits into an immediate panic, Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) reaffirmed her support for the 81-year-old presumptive nominee at a Thursday evening debate watch party in South Portland. Gov. Mills, speaking to a crowd of roughly 50 attendees at the watch party, said that she is supporting President Biden because he “has done the most to help the state of Maine.” [RELATED: Our View: We Agree With Janet Mills. For the Good of Democracy, Biden Must Stay in the…

A fatal single-vehicle crash involving a Tesla on Thursday in Naples, Maine, resulted in a significant firefighter response due to fires caused by a debris field of batteries from the electric vehicle, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office . The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene of the crash at 752 Harrison Road in Naples, alongside firefighters from Naples, Casco, Sebago, and Bridgton. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection also responded to the scene. Photo courtesy of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office “The crash presented significant hazards to first responders and area residents due to the vehicle…

The Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Maine CDC) is looking to spend $200,000 on a marketing campaign focused on encouraging Mainers to get updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines. [RELATED: Maine DHHS Looks to Spend $200k on COVID-19 ‘Vaccine Equity’ Program…] According to a request to waive competitive bidding document published Tuesday, Maine CDC plans to hire the Westbrook-based marketing firm Ethos Marketing and Design in order to carry out the campaign. “The goals of the campaign are to increase awareness that about [sic] eligibility for updates vaccinations against COVID-19 and the flu and encourage Maine people to get…

Former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) has been absent from the meetings of the state racial equity commission she co-chairs for at least six months, according to meeting minutes published by the commission. [RELATED: Maine House Speaker Appoints New DEI Commissioner From Org That Gave $175k Taxpayer-Funded Grant to Her ‘Domestic Partner’…] The Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous & Tribal Populations (PCRITP) is a taxpayer-funded board tasked with “ending structural racism” in Maine established by the Legislature in 2019. The bill to establish PCRITP, LD 777, was sponsored by Speaker Talbot…

A homeless man was arrested in Portland on Tuesday for allegedly chasing children through a grocery store parking lot while brandishing a knife, according to a Wednesday press release from the Portland Police Department. Police say that at approximately 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, officers were dispatched to the Shaw’s parking lot on Auburn Street due to multiple reports of a male chasing children through the parking lot with a knife. Curtis Charles Crawford, 54, charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and criminal trespass | Source: Cumberland County Jail Upon arrival at the parking lot, police arrested 54-year-old Curtis…

The Portland Police Department is investigating a shots fired incident that occurred at a residence on Grant Street just before midnight on Tuesday. According to police, officers responded to a report of shots fired at 77 Grant St. in Portland shortly before midnight on June 25. Upon arrival, evidence of a firearm being discharged several times in the area was discovered, including bullet holes found in the glass front door of the residence and a parked vehicle. No one was injured in the shooting, police said, though several children were in the home at the time of the shooting. “Six…

On Tuesday, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee released a new report revealing that active Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractors were among those who signed the infamous October 2020 statement claiming that the Hunter Biden laptop story “has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information campaign.” Just weeks before the 2020 presidential election, the New York Post published a bombshell report on emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop, that showed how he used his father’s position as vice president for personal gain in business dealings. [RELATED: Ex-Hunter Biden Partner Devon Archer Testifies Then-VP Joe Biden Put on Phone During Business…

The District of Columbia Court of Appeals has suspended Hunter Biden’s license to practice law in Washington, D.C., due to his conviction on three felony counts earlier this month, according to Tuesday court filing. Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby wrote in the court order that Biden is “suspended immediately” from practicing law in the District of Columbia due to Biden being found guilty of three felony counts, offenses that appear to be “serious crimes” under the D.C. Bar Rules. The president’s son, 54, was convicted by a federal jury on June 11 of three felony charges related to his purchase of…

A motorcyclist was taken to the hospital in critical condition on Monday after being struck by a car at an intersection in Portland, according to the Portland Police Department. Shortly after 5 p.m. on Monday, police responded to a report of a serious motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Brighton Avenue and St. John Street in Portland. Police issued an alert at 5:50 p.m. that the area of the intersection was closed to traffic due to the crash. Per Portland Police, a 36-year-old male motorcyclist was driving westbound on Brighton Avenue when “for an unknown reason, he laid the…

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the World Trade International Bridge in Laredo, Texas, intercepted a shipment of over $5.1 million in marijuana being smuggled over the border by two Mexican nationals, the agency announced Monday. The seizure of the narcotics occurred on Sunday, June 23, when a CBP officer at the World Trade Bridge referred a 38-year-old Mexican citizen driving a semi-trailer truck — purportedly hauling a commercial shipment — for secondary inspection. Alongside the driver in the truck was a 33-year-old Mexican citizen, CBP said. Upon a canine and non-intrusive inspection of the truck’s conveyance,…

A Maine man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to charges related to his role in a large-scale nationwide methamphetamine trafficking ring, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office announced last week. [RELATED: ‘They’re playing Grand Theft Auto, for real’: New Details Emerge Related to Southern Maine Teenage Drug Trafficking Network…] Emil Dzabiev, 44, of Scarborough, Maine, pleaded guilty last Tuesday to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2, 2024. Dzabiev was initially arrested and charged along with seven other defendants in July 2021, and subsequently charged…

A Maine doctor has agreed to pay $629,000 in a civil settlement agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to resolve allegations that he received Medicare reimbursements for fraudulently prescribing orthotic braces. [RELATED: Migrant Resettlement Agency Chronically Over-billed MaineCare, Has Not Repaid Taxpayers: Audit…] As part of the civil settlement agreement, announced on Friday by U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine Darcie McElwee, Jamie P. Loggins, M.D., agreed to pay a total of $629,056 to resolve allegations that he defrauded the government in violation of the federal False Claims Act. Under federal Medicare statutes and regulations, providers may only…

Internal documents from a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “Experts Group” obtained by conservative legal organization America First Legal (AFL) reveal how the Biden administration viewed supporters of former President Donald Trump, religious people, and people in the military as domestic terrorist threats. [RELATED: Biden DHS Secretary Appoints Ex-Intel Officials Who Lied About Hunter Biden’s ‘Laptop from hell’ to New DHS ‘Experts Group’…] The documents, published by AFL on Friday as a result of the organization’s lawsuit against the Biden administration, are from the DHS “Homeland Intelligence Experts Group.” The first set of documents shows the group strategizing about possible…

On Thursday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released updated statistics concerning illegal border crossings and narcotics seizures at the southwest border for May 2024. Border Patrol agents encountered more than 117,900 migrants between ports of entry at the southwest border in May, the CBP monthly update reports. Although the figure represents about a nine percent decrease in encounters from April, and is far below the three-year high of over 300,000 migrants found crossing the border illegally in December 2023, monthly migrant apprehensions remain at levels several times higher than throughout the Trump administration. [RELATED: Biden Admin Offers ‘mass amnesty’ to…

On Thursday CNN announced that the June 27 presidential debate will be one-on-one between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump, excluding independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from the stage as he did not meet the network’s polling and ballot access requirements. “Presidents Biden and Trump do not want me on the debate stage and CNN illegally agreed to their demand,” RFK Jr. said in a Thursday campaign press release. “My exclusion by Presidents Biden and Trump from the debate is undemocratic, un-American, and cowardly.” “Americans want an independent leader who will break apart the two-party duopoly,” Kennedy said. “They…

Two Portland Police officers involved in a December 2023 shooting that resulted in the death of an aggravated assault suspect were acting in self defense, according to an investigation by Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey. The incident in question occurred at about 11:40 p.m. on Dec. 17, 2023, when Portland Police responded to a report of an aggravated assault in progress where a handgun was displayed. The assault suspect, 42-year-old Kyle Desmarais, fled in a vehicle southbound on I-295 and was stopped officers on the Exit 2 off-ramp in South Portland, at which point Portland Police officers Jacob Webster and…

On Maine’s June 11 primary election day, a conservative political action committee says it collected more than 40,000 signatures on a petition in favor of implementing photo voter ID laws in the state via referendum next year. [RELATED: Election Day: Proposed Voter ID Law, People’s Veto of National Popular Vote Among Signature Collection Efforts…] The initiative, Voter ID for ME, is led by Dinner Table PAC, a political activist group led by Alex Titcomb and State Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn), which has become a fundraising powerhouse for conservative causes in the state. The most recent filings with the Maine Ethics…

In a Wednesday statement marking Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, U.S. Senator from Maine Angus King (I) said that “the path to freedom isn’t complete” and more work needs to be done to make the country “more inclusive, more welcoming, and more just.” [RELATED: “They should have a green card stapled to their diploma”: Angus King Sponsors Bill to Remove Green Card Cap for Immigrant STEM Graduates…] “For more than 150 years, Juneteenth has reflected the contradiction inherent in America’s identity – it is both a celebration of the freedom that defines…

A Maine woman has been sentenced to More than a year in federal prison for stealing from her employer and spending thousands on personal purchases, entertainment and dining, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced Tuesday. Christine Bangs, 64, of Buxton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland on Tuesday to a year plus a day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Bangs was also ordered to pay over $535,000 in restitution to her former employer, and $70,000 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for filing a false tax return in 2020. In…

A Dominican national pleaded guilty Monday in a Bangor federal court to possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute after being found with high quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine during a traffic stop in Maine. According to court records, in November 2023, 42-year-old Lenin Nova-Nova of the Dominican Republic was a passenger in a vehicle that was subject to a traffic stop by an East Millinocket Police officer due to an issue with the vehicle’s headlights. Federal prosecutors alleged that Nova-Nova identified himself to the officer using an alias that had an outstanding warrant for arrest. U.S. Immigrations and…

Visit Portland, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization that promotes tourism in the greater Portland area, is set to launch a $74,500 marketing campaign targeted towards “LGBTQ+” and “BIPOC” — Black, Indigenous, and people of color — markets, following approval of the plan by the Portland City Council on Monday. [RELATED: Bienvenido a Maine: Mills to Spend $2.5M on Ads to Grow State’s ‘racial, ethnic, and multilingual workforce’…] During their Monday meeting, the Portland City Council voted 5-2 to approve the agreement for fiscal year 2024-2025, under which the city will remit to Visit Portland nearly $1.5 million in assessment fees collected…

A New York man is facing up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in a Bangor federal court on Monday to being a felon in possession of a firearm and to a conspiracy charge related to a straw purchasing scheme. [RELATED: Lewiston Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Cash and Drugs-for-Guns Straw Purchase Scheme… According to court records, 30-year-old Tyquinn Montell Cannon, aka “Q”, of Syracuse, N.Y., conspired with others in both Maine and N.Y. to illegally obtain firearms from federally licensed dealers in central and southern Maine through the use of straw purchasers. Cannon, who per the…

An Indiana man has been sentenced to three years in prison for his role as a money launderer in a multimillion-dollar advance fee scheme orchestrated from Nigeria, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas announced Thursday. Tochukwu Nwosisi, 52, of Indianapolis, Ind., was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay just over $900,000 in restitution. Nwosisi was convicted by a federal jury in March on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and concealment money laundering for his role in the scheme. “Those…

A Penobscot man is facing up to 20 years in prison after being convicted of the possession of child sexual abuse material for the second time, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced Friday. Kevin Lee Ross, 62, was found guilty on Friday by a federal jury in U.S. District Court in Bangor after a one-and-a-half-day trial. Ross was previously convicted of the same charge in 2014, and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. [RELATED: Nearly Half of Maine Sex Offenders Released Between 2005 and 2019 Offended Again: USM Report…] During the trial, prosecutors…

U.S. Border Patrol agents at a California gas station last week intercepted a shipment of 25 AK-47 style rifles believed to be headed to Transnational Criminal Organizations in Mexico, U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Friday. [RELATED: Mexican Cartels Targeting Americans in Timeshare Fraud Scams, FBI Warns…] According to CBP, on Wednesday, June 12, a Border Patrol K-9 alerted agents to a possible illicit conveyance in a Honda CR-V at a gas station in Blythe, Calif. Border Patrol agents were granted permission to search the vehicle, and discovered 25 AK-47 style rifles, 25 30-round magazines and two pistols, CBP…

The Portland Board of Public Education next week will consider a resolution to form a committee that would evaluate and make recommendations on changing the school district’s attendance boundaries for pre-kindergarten to 8th grade students. Attendance boundaries are the means by which the district determines what school students shall attend. [RELATED: Portland Schools Seek to Spend $224,000 on Hiring English Language Teachers for ‘new arrivals’…] According to a summary of the proposal by Portland Public Schools (PPS) Superintendent Ryan Scallon, the community advisory committee would be tasked with recommending changes “to address demographic disparities that lead to inequitable resource allocation…

A man wanted on a warrant out of Connecticut for manslaughter was arrested in Bangor on Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals Services (USMS) announced in a press release. According to USMS, 42-year-old Walter Lawson of Bridgeport, Conn., is a suspect wanted in the State of Connecticut for the charge of 1st degree manslaughter. Walter Lawson, 42, of Bridgeport, Conn. | Source: Penobscot County Jail The District of Connecticut USMS requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals’ Maine Violent Offender Task Force to locate and apprehend Lawson. The joint investigation led law enforcement to Bangor, Maine, where USMS Task Force members located…

A Maine woman was sentenced in a Bangor federal court on Wednesday for speeding away from a U.S. immigration checkpoint in Aroostook County and leading Border Patrol agents on a high-speed pursuit. Chief U.S. District Judge Lance Walker sentenced 25-year-old Shania England of Lincoln, Maine, to 79 days time served and three years of supervised release. England previously pleaded guilty to the charge of fleeing and evading a U.S. immigration checkpoint in February 2024. According to court records, in May 2023, England and a passenger were traveling southbound on I-95 when they were stopped at an immigration checkpoint in Sherman…

In remarks on the House floor on Wednesday, Democratic Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (CD-1) advocated for shifting funds from the construction of border fencing to pay for more migrants to be bused into Maine, and to pay for migrant housing and expenses. WATCH: Rep. Pingree’s remarks came during the House Appropriations Committee debate on the fiscal year 2025 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill. A Democrat-proposed amendment to the appropriations package would move $600 million from the construction of border fencing to a municipal emergency shelter program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Shelter and Services…

Enforcement officers with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas have arrested five illegal aliens who are currently wanted for murder in the U.S. or abroad within a two-week span, the agency announced Wednesday. The recent string of arrests by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers in in the Houston and Waco, Texas areas included: On May 23 in Galveston, Texas, a 38-year-old Honduran national, currently wanted in Mexico for allegedly murdering two gang members during a botched attempt to hijack a shipment of narcotics; On May 24 in Splendora, Texas, a 21-year-old Mexican national, wanted in Veracruz,…

Maine taxpayers may have to foot the more than $20,000 bill for a motivational speaker to deliver a keynote address to educators at a Maine Department of Education (Maine DOE) event. According to a document requesting a waive of competitive bidding filed Monday, the Maine DOE is seeking to spend $23,500 on having “Happiness Expert” and author Amy Blankson speak at an event celebrating the department’s Maine Online Opportunities for Sustained Education (MOOSE) program. [RELATED: Mainers Are Paying For State Employees to Have ‘Storytime,’ Do Breathing and Relaxation Exercises, Attend DEI Workshops…] The MOOSE project, launched in response to the…

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey announced on Wednesday that he, alongside 42 other attorneys general, reached a $700 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) over allegations related to pharmaceutical giant’s marketing of baby powder products that contained talcum powder (talc). As part of the settlement agreement, which is pending judicial approval, the State of Maine will receive more than $4.8 million. In the nationwide lawsuit against J&J, the attorneys general alleged that the company deceptively marketed certain baby powder and body powder products that contained talc. The attorneys general claimed that the powder products, sold by J&J since the…

The Portland City Council’s Health and Human Services and Public Safety Committee on Tuesday voted to recommend repealing the city’s “cruising” ordinance, a rarely enforced traffic ordinance meant to deter the solicitation of prostitutes and drug deals. Under the ordinance, city code 17-5, signs may be posted upon request by Portland Police which designate “no cruising” areas. In such an area, drivers are not allowed to drive past three times within a two-hour period. Exempted under the ordinance are government and emergency vehicles, taxis, buses, or other vehicles being operated for business purposes. Violations of the ordinance are punishable by…

Republican President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate in Maine’s Second Congressional District — a district he won in both 2016 and 2020 — won big Tuesday night in Maine’s most watched primary election. State Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent), a former NASCAR driver who was backed by both former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and current GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), cruised to a landslide victory and will now face Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in November. Theriault ended the night with 66.5 percent of the vote to Soboleski’s 33.5 percent. Theriault’s opponent, State Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Phillips),…

A Westbrook man is facing multiple assault charges and one count of refusing to submit to arrest after allegedly headbutting a police officer while being arrested, Westbrook Police announced Tuesday. According to police, at about 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5, officers responded to a residence on West Pleasant Street in Westbrook for a report of disturbance. Upon arrival, officers discovered that the victim of an alleged assault had suffered a serious injury, and the victim was transported to the hospital, police said. Westbrook Police then located a residence where they believed the suspect was, and surrounded the house. After…

The president’s son, Hunter Biden, was convicted Tuesday of all three felony charges related to his purchase of a revolver in 2018, when prosecutors claimed he lied to a firearm dealer by stating on a form he was not using or addicted to illegal drugs. The federal jury, after about three hours of deliberation over two days, found the first son guilty of lying to a federally licensed firearm dealer, making a false claim on the mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not using narcotics and being illegally in possession of the gun for 11 days. Hunter Biden, 54,…

One of the three Democrats running for the Maine House of Representatives seat left vacant by House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross has withdrawn, just a day before the Tuesday primary. Maine State Sen. Ben Chipman submitted a withdrawal notice to Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Monday, according to a press release from the Secretary of State’s Office. The announcement does not include a reason for Sen. Chipman’s withdrawal from the ballot. Sen. Chipman was running for House District 118, a seat that until the close of the 131st Legislature was held by House Speaker Talbot Ross. Talbot Ross, now…

Two Massachusetts men are facing drug trafficking charges after a York County Sheriff’s Office K-9 successfully sniffed out fentanyl hidden in a Chinese food container during a traffic stop in Alfred. According to the York Sheriff’s Office, at around 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, a deputy stopped a vehicle on Biddeford Road in Alfred for an equipment violation. The operator of the vehicle was 23-year-old Miguel Hernandez of Lawrence, Mass., and the passenger was 27-year-old Layhonel Baez, also of Lawrence. After the deputy “noted indicators of criminal activity” during the traffic stop, the deputy’s K-9 Rebel conducted an exterior…

The Westbrook Police Department on Sunday announced the arrest of a juvenile suspect as a result of their investigation of a late May robbery. According to Westbrook Police, a report was received on Tuesday, May 28, of a juvenile being robbed and pistol-whipped on Maine Street in Westbrook near the old Warren Pool. Westbrook Police say they launched an investigation into the incident were able to identify a suspect. On Saturday, June 1, Westbrook Police officers assigned to detail at the city’s Together Days festival spotted the suspect, and arrested him without incident. Arrested was a 17-year-old male from Westbrook,…

Since 2020, the City of Portland’s Syringe Service Program has distributed thousands more hypodermic needles annually than were collected, according to a Portland Health & Human Services Department memo. The Monday memo was prepared by city staff after a request from Portland Mayor Mark Dion, in response to public concern over needles being observed littering public and private property in Portland. Syringe Service Programs throughout the state are overseen and primarily funded by the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (MECDC), which partners with local nonprofits to give out and collect clean hypodermic needles. [RELATED: Sanford Suspends Syringe Exchange Program,…

The South Portland City Council is set to discuss a proposal to allow a nonprofit to operate a transitional housing shelter for homeless families at a former middle school building in the city. [RELATED: South Portland Weighs Options for the Future of the Former Mahoney Middle School…] The proposal, sponsored by City Councilor Elyse Tipton, would allow the Portland-based organization Greater Portland Family Promise (GPFP) to “create appropriate space within the former Mahoney school building to provide transitional housing for families experiencing homelessness.” According to Tipton’s proposal, state funding would go to GPFP to operate transitional housing at the building,…

A homeless encampment located at Heritage Crossing in Sanford, the site of a large abandoned mill complex, is scheduled to be closed next week due to solid waste polluting the Mousam River. [RELATED: Sanford Suspends Syringe Exchange Program, Cleans Homeless Encampment…] At a Tuesday evening Sanford City Council meeting, City Manager Steven Buck said the Heritage Crossing homeless encampment has been expanding since the closure of the city’s winter warming shelter at the start of May. “The Heritage Crossing encampment was noted to have been growing in numbers, with people coming from undisclosed areas, as the case managers no longer…

Three people in a Bangor apartment were arrested Thursday afternoon and are facing drug trafficking charges, the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) announced Thursday. Agents from both MDEA and the U.S. DEA, with assistance from the Bangor Police Department, executed a search warrant on Thursday at an apartment located at 54 Charles Street in Bangor. The search warrant came as the result of a months-long investigation into drug trafficking by MDEA’s North Central Task Force, which included undercover purchases of fentanyl, the agency said. During the search of the apartment, over 200 grams of cocaine base (crack) was seized, as…

The Board of Directors of Maine’s Regional School Unit 40 (RSU 40) on Thursday evening voted to delete a transgender student policy that allowed boys to use girls’ locker rooms and restrooms, and directs staff to assist transgender or “gender expansive” students with gender transitions. [RELATED: Maine High School: ‘Gender Expansive’ Boys Can Compete in Girls Sports and Sleep in Girls Rooms on Overnight Field Trips…] RSU 40 covers the municipalities of Friendship, Union, Waldoboro, Warren and Washington. The RSU 40 “Transgender and Gender Expansive Students” policy — coded “ACAAA” — is nearly identical to other transgender student policies adopted…

Democratic Congressman Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd District on Wednesday issued a statement calling for a vote on a bill that would establish legal protections for a “right to contraception” and sterilization. [RELATED: Soros Family Favorite: Jared Golden Collects Campaign Contributions from George Soros’ Sons, Daughter-in-Law…] The bill in question, the “Right to Contraception Act,” would enshrine access to contraceptives as “a fundamental right, central to an individual’s privacy, health, well-being, dignity, liberty, equality, and ability to participate in the social and economic life of the Nation.” Contraceptives, as set forth in the bill, are defined as any drug or device intended to prevent pregnancy,…

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a nonprofit organization that advocates for stricter measures against illegal immigration into the U.S., issued a statement Tuesday denouncing President Joe Biden’s recent executive order aimed at curtailing the number of illegal border crossers receiving asylum. The Biden administration’s executive actions, unveiled on Tuesday after months of the president claiming that he lacked the authority to act on the border crisis without Congress, will temporarily shut down asylum requests by migrants at the southern border once Border Patrol records 2,500 daily encounters on average over a seven-day period. The suspension on asylum requests…

More than half of registered voters in the U.S. say they are living paycheck to paycheck under the Biden administration, and that the state of the economy is the number one topic they want to see in a presidential debate, according to a NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll published on Wednesday. The poll, which surveyed 1,000 registered voters, was conducted between May 28 and 29 via an online panel. According to the survey, about 58 percent of respondents said that they are currently living paycheck to paycheck and disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the economy, and about two-thirds reported that they…

A Windham man who operated an account named “Femboy Cassidy” on a messaging application has pleaded guilty to the distribution and possession of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced Wednesday. Cote Noonan, 33, of Windham, pleaded guilty to the charges on Wednesday in a Portland federal court. Noonan faces a minimum of five years and up to 20 years imprisonment, as well as a fine of up to $250,000 on the distribution of child pornography charge. On the charge of possessing child pornography involving a prepubescent minor, he faces up to 20 years in…

After four terms serving in the Maine House of Representatives, Republican State Rep. David Haggan is looking to move into the Senate, while his wife Kimberly is running to take his vacant Hampden seat in the House. Rep. Haggan, a longtime high school and middle school teacher in Regional School Unit 22, termed out of House after the close of the 131st Legislature, and is running for election to Senate District 10. Senate District 10 covers the Hampden area, and includes municipalities in both Penobscot and northern Hancock counties. First term State Sen. Peter Lyford (R) is the incumbent running…

The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is seeking to spend $2.5 million on a two-year marketing campaign to attract new workers to the state, according to a Request for Proposal (RFP) document published Monday. The Department is seeking bids from marketing, communications and public relations firms for the “workforce attraction” campaign, which will “brand and promote the State of Maine as a place to work and live.” [RELATED: Mills Admin, Nonprofits, and Big Biz Back New Migrant Resettlement Agency for Maine…] According to DECD, the campaign comes as a part of Gov. Janet Mills’ (D) 10-year Economic…

The left-wing Maine American Civil Liberties Union (Maine ACLU) has come out in opposition to a proposed ordinance in the City of Bangor that would ban people from loitering on narrow medians on high-volume or high-speed roads. [RELATED: Maine ACLU Demands Portland Stop ‘Criminalizing Homelessness’, Calls Encampment Sweeps ‘Inherently Racist’…] The proposal, considered on Monday by the Bangor City Council’s Government Operations Committee, would make amend the city’s loitering ordinance to make it unlawful “for any person to loiter, either alone or with others, on medians less than six feet wide in high-volume or high-speed traffic areas, due to safety concerns.”…

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey (D) on Tuesday announced that his office and the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC), a collection of migrant advocacy organizations, are working together to warn migrants in the state about getting unauthorized legal advice. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and MIRC launched a new website aimed at “Protecting New Mainers from Immigration Scams,” that provides migrants information on who is qualified to give them legal advice on their immigration cases, and allows migrants to report immigration scams through an online portal. “Immigration law is both complicated and extremely consequential. We are deeply concerned about the…

The Cumberland Town Council on Monday voted in favor of painting a crosswalk with a rainbow pallet of colors in support of Pride Month. According to a May 29 memo to the Town Council from Cumberland Town Manager William Shane, the move comes as a result of two years of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training for town staff, which led to the staff reaching out to local churches to “discuss how the Town can be more active and involved in Pride Month.” The cost of the rainbow crosswalk, which will be located at the intersection of Tuttle Road and…

Portland Public Schools is seeking to spend over $200,000 in federal funds on hiring four English language teachers who will serve as interpreters for “new arrivals” in the school district. The proposed allocation of the funds, a total of $223,918, comes as part of a federal grant through the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). [RELATED: Portland Spends 50 Times More Per Person on Welfare Than Other Maine Cities, Spent 73% of All General Assistance Dollars Since 2019, Records Show…] Portland Schools is looking to use a portion of the grant money to fund the hiring of four full-time…

A Norway man who was accused of filing numerous fraudulent applications to gain over $240,000 from a pandemic-era relief program has been sentenced to two years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced Friday. Merton Weed Jr., 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen on Friday to 24 months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Weed was also ordered to pay $253,646 in restitution. [RELATED: Norway Man Charged with PPP Loan, FHA Mortgage Fraud Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison After Plea Deal…] According to court records, Weed…

President Joe Biden on Monday released a statement in support of his son Hunter as jury selection is beginning in the younger Biden’s federal gun trial in Delaware. In September 2023, a federal grand jury indicted the 54-year-old first son on three felony firearm offenses. [RELATED: Hunter Biden Pleads Not Guilty to Three Felony Gun Charges…] The indictment alleges that Hunter Biden lied to federally licensed firearms dealer when purchasing a revolver in 2018, claiming that he was not an unlawful user of narcotics or other controlled substances. Hunter is accused of knowingly making a false statement to the dealer…

The Portland Police Department’s bomb squad detonated a “suspicious package” found near an intersection Monday morning. Portland Police posted to X shortly before 9 a.m. on Monday that the bomb squad “is looking into a suspicious device” in the area of the intersection of Washington and Ocean Avenues, which lies between Portland’s Back Cove and East Deering neighborhoods. https://twitter.com/PolicePortland/status/1797612103416909920 Just after 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Portland Police announced that the Washington and Ocean Ave intersection had reopened, after a “suspicious package” was deemed not a threat by the Portland Police Department’s Hazardous Devices Unit (HDU). https://twitter.com/PolicePortland/status/1797652733350248624 In a Monday afternoon…

The Biden administration has closed hundreds of thousands of asylum cases filed by migrants, allowing the asylum program to operate as a “mass amnesty” for migrants to allow them to stay in the U.S. indefinitely, the New York Post reported Monday. According to the Post, asylum cases for over 350,000 migrants who don’t have a criminal record or are otherwise not deemed a threat to the country have been closed by the Biden administration since 2022. [RELATED: Brazilian Man Hid Involvement in 11 Murders on Visa, Asylum Applications to Enter and Remain in US: DOJ…] Terminating an asylum case means…

On Monday the Portland City Council will vote on extending an emergency order for the third time to prolong a 50-bed expansion to the city’s Homeless Services Center (HSC) into August. The City Council initially voted to expand the shelter by 50 beds via an emergency declaration in November, in response to public health and safety concerns regarding well over 200 tents in homeless encampments throughout the city. Current city data shows a total of 20 tents in the Portland in the area, with the majority being on private property. [RELATED: Out of State Homeless People are Clogging Portland’s Shelters…] While that…

A Brazilian man residing in Malden, Mass., was indicted on Wednesday for fraudulently obtaining a visa to enter the U.S. and lying on his asylum application, failing to disclose to immigration authorities his involvement in the murders of 11 people in Brazil — a 2015 incident known as the “The Slaughter of Curió.” Antonio Jose De Abreu Vidal Filho, 30, was indicted on two counts of visa fraud, two counts of perjury and one count of falsifying, concealing and covering up a material fact. Following his initial appearance in a Boston federal court on Wednesday, he is being detained until…

A Texas man has pleaded guilty in a Portland federal court to coercing and enticing a Maine child into sending him explicit photographs and videos, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine said Thursday. According to court records, in December 2021, 26-year-old Juan Jose Torres found a 13-year-old over Snapchat and coerced the child into sending him sexually explicit images and videos. The 26-year-old also, while knowing the victim was 13, communicated with the child over Instagram, text, phone and FaceTime, and sent the child sexually explicit images of himself while pressuring the victim to do the same,…

An Atlanta, Georgia man has pleaded guilty in to a counterfeit check scheme that netted him and a coconspirator nearly $70,000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced Thursday. In court records, federal prosecutors alleged that in March 2022, 33-year-old Rasheed Colbert, and a coconspirator, Mantavious Jones, 32, both of Atlanta, stole checks from the mailboxes of local businesses in Maine and then used the stolen checks to create counterfeit checks. The pair were accused of recruiting homeless people to provide identification in order to cash the counterfeit checks in exchange for money. The two Georgia men…

A Waterville man pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to conspiring to steal firearms from a federally licensed dealer and stealing a total of 15 firearms. In court records, federal prosecutors accused Damiean Marcial-Alexander, 21, of hatching a plan alongside a coconspirator in April 2022 to break into a Waterville firearms dealer and to steal multiple firearms. Investigators uncovered Instagram and text messages between the coconspirators planning the theft, including a map to the location from Marcial-Alexander’s apartment, as well as photos of the two men holding some of the stolen firearms, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District…

A Hancock man has been sentenced to two years probation and a $5,000 fine for kicking and pushing an FBI agent while the agents were attempting to execute a search warrant at his house. Chief U.S. District Judge Lance Walker sentenced Alan Howell Parrot, 69, of Hancock, on Thursday after a federal jury found Parrot guilty of assaulting a federal officer following a one-day trial in November. The incident in question occurred on June 22, 2023, when FBI special agents were attempting to execute a federal search warrant at Parrot’s residence in Hancock, according to court records. When the agents were…

A Republican-led House subcommittee investigating the origins of COVID-19 is requesting access to Dr. Anthony Fauci’s personal emails and phone records. The request, set forth in a Wednesday letter to Dr. Fauci from House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairmen Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), comes after Fauci’s former chief advisor testified to the subcommittee that the pair had a “secret back channel.” [RELATED: House Oversight Report: Top Scientists Suppressed COVID Lab Leak Hypothesis to Protect China…] Fauci’s former Senior Scientific Advisor, Dr. David Morens, testified at a May 22 hearing before the subcommittee that he “may have” sent information…

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued an open letter Thursday praising American university students engaged in pro-Palestine protests for being “on the right side of history.” Khamenei said that anti-Israel university students in the U.S. have “formed a branch of the Resistance Front” and have begun “an honorable struggle” against the “usurper and brutal Zionist regime.” [RELATED: Maine’s Largest Union Embraces Antisemitism…] https://twitter.com/Khamenei_m/status/1796171558035038495 “The greater Resistance Front which shares the same understandings and feelings that you have today, has been engaged in the same struggle for many years in a place far from you,” Khamenei said, directly addressing American college…

Maine’s Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (CD-01) on Wednesday applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for announcing a $7.7 million round of grants for Maine schools to purchase electric school buses. The $7.7 million EPA grant, which is funded by President Joe Biden’s “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” will help 15 school districts across Maine purchase a total of 38 “clean” school buses. The EPA’s $5 billion “Clean School Bus Program,” launched in 2022, has a goal of transitioning all traditional diesel-powered public school bus fleets to all-electric buses by 2035. However, the electric school buses in Maine that have already been…