WASHINGTON – A new CBS News/YouGov poll found that 80 percent of Americans support requiring a valid photo ID to vote, giving Republicans fresh ammunition as the U.S. Senate takes up the SAVE Act in a sharply divided debate over election security and ballot access. The survey, conducted March 16 through March 19, found support for photo ID requirements across party lines, including 95 percent of Republicans, 65 percent of Democrats, and 79 percent of…

VERMONT — Vermont left-wing activists have engineered a mock-tour attraction of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facilities in the form of rented minibuses and the deployment of performative tactics.  The event, branded as ICE Tours VT is organized by Blaine Paxton, 56, a Burlington resident decking out federal voyeurs in oversized inflatable eyeballs and custom merch drew nearly two dozen thrill seekers. Guided by a group of actors…

LEWISTON, Maine — The Lewiston City Council voted 5–2 Tuesday night to give final passage to an amendment to the city’s administrative ordinance governing how municipal departments and employees may interact with federal immigration enforcement, capping off yet another heated debate over a measure that has deeply divided the council, residents, and city leadership. At the center of the dispute was a single word with major consequences: whether city employees could cooperate with federal immigration…

AUGUSTA, Maine — A citizen-led initiative aimed at designating school sports participation and facilities by sex is officially headed to the November 2026 ballot after the Maine Secretary of State’s office confirmed the petition met the required signature threshold. According to the Secretary of State’s determination, 8,067 petition forms containing 79,692 signatures were submitted on February 2, 2026. Following a review, 71,033 signatures were deemed valid, exceeding the required 67,682 signatures by 3,351 and qualifying…

LEWISTON, Maine – Lewiston Police Chief Carly Conley sharply criticized the Lewiston City Council on Monday, ahead of its Tuesday city council meeting, accusing councilors of sidelining police input and advancing immigration ordinance language that could create confusion for officers and undermine trust within the department. In a message addressed to Mayor Carl Sheline and members of the council, Conley said she was “disappointed” with how the immigration ordinance was handled and urged the council…

A planned Maine data center could be canceled due to legislation that would ban such projects in the state, developers say.The facility is set to be built at the site of a former paper mill belonging to International Paper in Jay, a town in Franklin County.Developer JGT2 Redevelopment has reportedly reached a deal with Sentinel Data Centers to occupy 1 million square feet, according to DataCenterDynamics.com.However, the project may now be under threat due to…

LEWISTON, Maine — The Lewiston City Council is set to revisit the long-running issue of unmet needs among survivors and families affected by the October 25, 2023, mass shooting, with the City Council agenda posted online showing the Maine Resiliency Center is slated to appear before councilors at the Tuesday, March 17 meeting. At the center of the discussion is a resolution authorizing city staff, working with the council and community partners, to develop and…

A midcoast Maine House seat is looking to go red after eight years trending blue, with no announced liberals so far in the race this year. Ray Thombs of Union announced he’s seeking the GOP nomination for House District 44, which represents Warren, Hope and Union. Thombs becomes the second announced Republican, the other being Brady Clark of Hope.”Many families and small businesses are feeling squeezed by rising costs and increasing regulations,” Thombs said. “We…

Having run the state’s successful medical-marijuana campaign, Jonathan Leavitt has found a new calling – theater.Leavitt has now written, and will be directing, a show called “An Evening at Dave’s Sauna,” based on “a legendary Maine hotspot,” leather thongs, straps and jock-style harnesses included!The play, which has experimented at small venues, is slated to debut in full production this May at Stevens Square Theater in Portland. The show is based on some of the sauna’s…

FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — Investigators with the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office arrested a juvenile male Friday in connection with the two arson fires that occurred on Park Street in Fort Fairfield earlier this week. According to the Fire Marshal’s Office, the arrest took place at about 11:30 a.m. on March 13, 2026. The juvenile was charged with arson in connection to the March 10 fires. Working with a Juvenile Community Corrections Officer, investigators placed the…

The tragic midair crash over Iraq of two KC-135 refueling tankers involved planes identical to those based in Bangor.The reliable workhorse tankers have been in use by the U.S. military since the 1960s.The 101st Air Refueling Wing, known as the “MAINEiacs,” is the primary air refueling unit stationed at Bangor Air National Guard Base.As part of the Maine Air National Guard, it operates KC-135 Stratotankers to provide midair refueling support.One of the tankers involved in…

A South Portland man faces up to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty on Thursday to cocaine trafficking charges after selling to undercover Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) investigators three times. [RELATED: South Portland Habitual Offender Who Obtained a $20k PPP Loan for His ‘Courier’ Business While on Probation Arrested for Drug Trafficking…] Between February and March 2024, an MDEA posing as a drug trafficker purchased cocaine from Lynel Moultrie, 43, of South…

A descendant of the Reese’s chocolate family was the wrong guy to try to sell fake candy to.Brad Reese, whose name you’ll associate with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, ran into a Florida convenience store last month and grabbed a bag of Reese’s Valentine’s candy.Once he threw a few pieces into his mouth, Reese says, “I took two bites and had to spit it out,” reports TheGuardian.com.Reese is a Reese’s aficionado who makes a point of…

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows signed onto a letter with eight other left-wing secretaries of state demanding written confirmation from the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary nominee that no ICE agents will be present at polling places. [RELATED: New Poll Shows 63% of Mainers Back Ban on Shenna Bellows’ Noncitizen Voters Raiding Elections…] “That we even have to ask for written assurances that the federal government won’t deploy armed agents to the polls…

AUBURN, Maine — Speaking at the Lincoln Dinner in Auburn, gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles delivered an energized and deeply personal speech Saturday night, telling Republicans that Maine is at a political breaking point and arguing that the state is ready for major change in 2026. Charles framed the moment in stark terms, saying frustration is building across Maine and comparing the political mood in the state to the national climate in 2016, when Donald Trump…