LEWISTON, Maine — Disgraced former Lewiston City Councilor Iman Osman returned to court on Monday at the Lewiston Courthouse, where he is facing two gun charges, but the legal case is only one part of the turmoil that continues to follow him. The next step in the case is a docket call planned for early June, a pre-trial hearing where the court reviews whether a case is ready to move forward, needs to be continued,…

AUBURN, Maine — Republican gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Bush delivered a wide-ranging and deeply personal speech Saturday night at the Androscoggin County Republican Committee’s annual Lincoln Dinner, presenting himself as a father, veteran, entrepreneur, and what he described as a “fanatic Maine optimist” determined to reverse what he says is the state’s economic decline. Speaking to a room filled with Republican activists and party leaders, Bush framed his campaign as an effort to spark what he…

The Cape Elizabeth–South Portland Democrats Facebook page posted photographs from a rally that appeared to offer a present-day politically violent response to President Donald Trump. The first photograph in the series shows an elderly man with a patchy white beard smiling broadly while holding a sign that reads: “THE KING HAS NO CLOTHES. THE FRENCH HAD AN ANSWER!” The reference appears to invoke the fate of France’s King Louis XVI, who was executed during the…

A lagging Democrat contender in Maine’s gubernatorial primary race apparently feels it’s time to get some needed effing attention.Not only for himself, apparently, but also for his fellow Democrat, U.S. Senate hopeful Graham Platner.How better to do it than show how effing manly you are?In a new video campaign ad that has gone viral over the internet, Troy Jackson goes full-scale obscene as he endorses the man he calls “brother.”“I’ve been in the Maine Legislature…

OK, enough of the Nazi tattoo already.Can’t we get back to the fun stuff like the “Great Sperm?”You remember, the good ole days, right?When Democrat U.S. Senate hopeful Graham Platner’s wife was talking about how manly he was? “I can say that, right?” as she coyly asked in a TV campaign commercial in which she gushed over his virility, exclaiming “Graham has great sperm.”Doesn’t that stand for anything anymore? Sources say Graham Platner is all…

PORTLAND, Maine — After months of political delay, public paranoia, and repeated second-guessing, the Portland City Council on Monday finally approved the Portland Police Department’s request to acquire its first drone, ending a debate that should have been settled long ago. The department plans to purchase the drone from Axon so it can work with its existing body and cruiser camera systems. https://portlandme.portal.civicclerk.com/event/8376/media The council rejected the proposal in November 2025 in a 4-3 vote,…

Maine lawmakers are considering a bill designed to provide financial support for reproductive and sexual health providers in the state amidst efforts at the federal level to restrict the flow of taxpayer dollars to abortion providers. According to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Amy Kuhn (D-Falmouth), LD 335 is “intended to protect Maine patients and their access to health care regardless of political attacks,” referring to recent federal actions targeting abortion providers. Under this bill, state…

The Nokomis Valley Middle School suspended an 8th grader for “bullying” after he mentioned a Title IX investigation against the school for allowing a trans-identifying male on the girls’ cheerleading team during a private conversation. [RELATED: DOE Launches Title IX Investigation Into Two Maine School Districts for Allowing Males in Girls’ Sports…] According to an incident report from the school, provided to The Maine Wire by the student’s guardian, the student simply made an innocuous…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump used his Tuesday evening State of the Union address to launch what he described as a national “war on fraud,” putting Maine in the crosshairs and naming Vice President J.D. Vance to lead the administration’s enforcement push. https://twitter.com/themainewire/status/2026493196994261391?s=46 The president’s message comes as Maine is already facing growing federal pressure over MaineCare spending, particularly autism services billing, and as high-profile providers tied to MaineCare are drawing scrutiny. Dr. Oz Puts…

If Maine legislators are really interested in fixing the nightmare known as the state Office of Child and Family Services, they need to talk to Sabrina Rose.Rose, who lives in Presque Isle, has written and published a new book about how she believes the state’s foster system failed her and others.The state “removed me from my mother’s care and placed me with strangers, promised me that life would turn out better that way.“But I still…

Local and federal law enforcement discovered an illicit biolab with links to China operating out of a Las Vegas home over the weekend, possibly containing biological agents with “unusually high transmissibility,” with potentially “extensive exposure” in the area. [RELATED: DCNF EXCLUSIVE: USAID Quietly Sent Thousands Of Viruses To Chinese Military-Linked Biolab…] The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) issued a statement and held a press conference on Monday, announcing a raid on a biolab located…

The U.S. Marshals executed a high-risk warrant on Howe St. in Lewiston on Monday, searching for two fugitives from justice wanted for a Massachusetts homicide—and the Maine Wire was along for the ride for the Marshals’ first-ever media embed operation. Thompson, right, was arrested on an outstanding Massachusetts warrant for homicide while Slade, left, was suspected of serving as an accomplice after the fact. Both individuals were transported to a nearby facility for processing. The…

A Woodland Pulp worker who was exposed to a gas leak at the Baileyville mill has died, officials said. The deceased employee, a University of Maine intern, was among mill workers injured in the leak Tuesday night. Injured workers were being treated at Calais Hospital for exposure, a mill spokesman said. The Baileyville Fire Department was summoned Tuesday night to the mill after employees were overcome by a gas release. Once on the scene, they…

LEWISTON, Maine — Amy Sussman, the aunt of Lewiston mass shooting victim Maxx Hathaway, said Monday that one nonprofit that received money from the Lewiston–Auburn Area Response Fund has agreed to return it, a development she described as the first meaningful step toward correcting what critics have called a betrayal of donor intent. Sussman has worked tirelessly on this issue and has been successful on getting national getting attention on this sensitive topic. Sussman appeared…

Virginia “Ginny” Oliver, known across the state as Maine’s “Lobster Lady,” has passed away at age 105. Oliver died quietly in the hospital, Wayne Gray, a longtime family friend, told News Center Maine. “Ginny” gained national and international attention for continuing to lobster well past her 100th birthday, becoming a symbol of longevity, resilience, and Maine’s working waterfront. “She was an inspiration for not only senior citizens, but everyone in the industry,” Gray said. “Sad…