The price Mainers will pay for tobacco-free nicotine pouches, a popular alternative to chewing tobacco and cigarettes, has begun to soar statewide now that a 42 percent excise tax has been extended to the products. The tax expansion passed the legislature on strictly partisan lines, with only Democratic state lawmakers voting in favor and all present Republican lawmakers voting against it. Gov. Janet Mills (D) allowed the measure to become law without her signature in…

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

Given the Maine Wire’s role as the fastest growing media outlet in Maine and the preeminent investigative reporting team focused of transnational organized crime — specifically Chinese mafia growing ganja in rural Maine — more than a few readers have asked for my thoughts on yesterday’s vote on LD 2204. In particular, readers have asked that I weigh in on the objections raised by the Republicans who voted against this attempt at combatting foreign-controlled drug…

In 2020, 2021, and 2022, Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Aroostook) received more reimbursement via the State Legislature for travel, meals, and lodging than any other lawmaker in Maine — despite the fact that he maintained a residence less than three miles from the State House during that time. According to legislative rules approved by Senate President Jackson and House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland), the only person who needed to approve Jackson’s reimbursement requests, which…

Pity the plight of winning hundreds of millions in the coveted Powerball sweepstakes.The man who won the $167 million Powerball lottery is back in jail after allegedly burglarizing a Kentucky home, according to court documents.James Farthing was arrested Saturday on burglary and marijuana-possession charges.Farthing broke into the home where a victim said he stole $12,000 that she stored in her home, police said.This is the latest criminal investigation Farthing has been involved in since he…

The United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in a case challenging the legality of counting late-arriving absentee ballots. Originating in Mississippi, the case asks the Justices to decide whether mail-in ballots can be counted after election day if they are postmarked on time. More than a dozen other states have similar laws on the books allowing for these ballots to be counted, so the Court’s ruling later this year can be expected to…

“I mean, I have had some plants with a lot of tomatoes on them, but never in my life have I seen a single tomato plant with this much fruit on it. I was completely blown away.”The words are from James Prigioni, who makes popular gardening videos on YouTube.In one, Prigioni wanted to see if he could grow a tomato plant from the seeds of a tomato on a McDonald’s burger.He picked up a Deluxe…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday that it is temporarily easing fuel standards amid skyrocketing gas prices caused by the Iran war. [RELATED: Maine Joins Lawsuit Against Trump Administration Over Reversal of 2009 Greenhouse Gas Declaration…] “I just signed and announced a nationwide E15 and E10 fuel waiver to fortify U.S. fuel supply. This waiver ensures a robustly available supply of domestic fuel, providing Americans further relief at the pumps, and reducing our reliance on foreign…

The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department arrested three suspects during a drug raid in Hermon that allegedly led to the seizure of half a kilogram of drugs. [RELATED: Penobscot Deputies Arrest Men in Hermon and Garland on Domestic Violence Charges…] At approximately 1:30 p.m., the Penobscot Sheriff’s Special Response Team executed a search warrant at a Crogan Road residence in Hermon. Deputies obtained the warrant after a multi-month investigation into drug trafficking operations by a deputy…

Amid the growing George Mitchell/Epstein files scandal, two more Maine organizations are reviewing plans to rename projects currently bearing the former senator’s name.√ University of Maine is forming a committee to explore renaming The Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions and the UMaine Mitchell Peace Scholarship.√ Maine transportation officials are considering naming a new Islesboro ferry for someone other than Mitchell, who was their original choice.The possible rebrandings are the latest in a string of attempts…

The wife of Democrat U.S. Senate contender Graham Platner – potentially his best defender against a new anti-women campaign assault – has mysteriously disappeared when Platner needs her most.The question is “Where In The World Is Amy Gertner?” Last we heard from Gertner was two long months ago when she announced a fertility journey that would take her and Graham to the country of Norway for IVF treatments. The trip’s announcement from Gertner and her…

CONNECTICUT— A Hartford man was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison after amassing hundreds of thousands of dollars in Social Security disability, unemployment, and food stamps, while defrauding New England for over two decades. Ricardo Santiago, 60, received his sentencing from Judge Vernon D. Oliver in the U.S. District of Connecticut, along with three years of supervised release and a $371,686 restitution bill. As announced by the U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan, District of…

York County Sheriff William L. King appointed an attorney previously convicted for his role in a drug-related money laundering scheme to a board responsible for overseeing the York County Jail, where corrections officers keep being arrested. [RELATED: Dropping Like Flies: Yet Another York Corrections Officer Indicted for Smuggling Contraband to Inmate…] The attorney, Gary Prolman, was previously suspended from practicing law due to an inappropriate sexual relationship with a client and allegedly has a history…

ELLWORTH, Maine — A 28-year-old Lamoine woman was arrested Thursday, March 12, 2026, after agents with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency’s Downeast Drug Task Force, based in Ellsworth, conducted surveillance outside a local business and observed what they described as activity consistent with drug trafficking. According to an MDEA press release, agents, with assistance from the Ellsworth Police Department, conducted a motor vehicle stop on Bayside Road in Ellsworth. The woman, identified as Gabrielle Battis,…

NEW YORK — Progressive activists documented their government-hosted Islamic religious observance inside New York City Hall, in trend with leftwing selective-application of the constitution and contradicting their own beliefs regarding separation of church and state. Ariana Jasmine, an individual affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, posted photographs of herself and others breaking fast alongside socialist leader Zohran Mamdani in City Hall. The photographs of individuals breaking the Ramadan fast reveal participants sitting on rugs…