A 9,600-ton Bath Iron Works’ destroyer with missile-defense and anti-submarine warfare is on a new mission.The USS Gonzalez, launched 20 years ago from Bath, has officially set sail from Naval Station Norfolk to strengthen naval operations in the Atlantic, the Navy reports.The vessel’s deployment from Virginia comes after months of intensive training, maintenance, and certification.The destroyer and its 300-member crew will operate as part of the U.S. 2nd Fleet. As tensions mount in the Middle…

Cummings Baldwin ran for governor on his record – literally.In 1986, the 32-year-old Auburn resident said he believed his own life on the streets and three prison terms had given him a unique perspective on Maine – a view that would allow him to try to improve conditions in the Pine Tree State.”Another candidate hasn’t got enough street education to know what’s going on,” Baldwin said in a newspaper interview 40 years ago.”How can he…

United States Postal Service officials say things have gotten so bad it may be out of business by the end of the year. Unless someone comes up with a better funding mechanism or the service becomes a private company, mail delivery will soon be a thing of the past, they said. In a nutshell, the post office has become a victim of the internet – no one is writing letters anymore. And that means of…

The New Hampshire state police arrested a Massachusetts 18-year-old on Monday after he allegedly led them on a multi-town pursuit while high after fleeing police in Maine and eventually crashed into a wall. [RELATED: Maine State Police arrest suspect in Skowhegan homicide after pursuit across three states…] At approximately 12:30 a.m. NH State Trooper Daniel Bourque spotted a 2014 Chrysler 300 allegedly speeding at 118 mph in Greenland on I-95. Borque attempted to stop the…

The Rockland Police Department arrested a Warren man on Sunday after he allegedly tried to force a driver off the road, seemingly without motive. Law enforcement received multiple 911 calls reporting a vehicle operating erratically and traveling at high speeds. At approximately 9:00 a.m., Rockland officers spotted the vehicle allegedly driving into oncoming traffic in an attempt to recklessly pass another driver despite a double yellow line. Officers then pulled the vehicle over and identified…

Of the 85,000 registered snowmobilers in Maine, how many have ended up?Ended up – stranded on an ice floe.If you can think of your worst day on a sled, consider the plight – or flight – of your brethren in Mackinac, Michigan.Seems a snowmobile operator got stranded on ice near Mackinac Island. An aerial rescue was first attempted but blizzard conditions prevented local or Coast Guard helicopter teams from taking flight.The resourceful Coast Guard then…

The Maine State Police Bomb Squad responded to Limington on Monday after a resident reportedly discovered a grenade near a dumpster. [RELATED: Just Lying Around: Cumberland County Bomb Squad Called to Remove WWII British Artillery Shell…] At approximately 5:30 p.m., a Limington man called the Augusta Regional Communications Center with a strange report, claiming that he found a grenade near a dumpster along the town’s Number 1 Road. Maine State Police troopers responded and corroborated…

Both the Maine State House and Senate have unanimously approved an emergency bill expanding the state’s sales tax exemption for the sale and delivery of residential electricity. Originating as a proposal to establish a refundable tax credit worth as much as $600, LD 2078 was later amended to a more straightforward expansion of the existing structure. Under current state law, the first 750 kilowatt hours of electricity are exempt from sales tax, as well as…

When Steve Collins first got hired by the Maine newspaper that publishes paid content from the state’s Democrat governor, he came out of the closet.Collins, upon his appointment as political columnist, announced he was a Democrat.“Since I’ll be writing a fair amount about state and local politics in this new role, I should tell you up front that I’ve been a Democrat since day one,” Collins proudly boasted a year ago.Not that it was a…

It’s “old home days” for an Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyer – the newest in the Navy – built in Bath, Maine. The USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG-124) floated March 13 into Boston Harbor for a scheduled port visit. During the layover, sailors assigned to the ship participate in community-engagement events and host public tours. “Our arrival in Boston is a meaningful milestone as our crew prepares to commission the Navy’s newest destroyer and bring…

The annual Maine Fungi Fest suddenly ain’t so annual.To wit, the Mainers who like shrooms have yet to find a facility willing to host their yearly get together this spring.Jonathan Leavitt, who has previously organized the fungi fest, decided after last year’s convention he would focus on other professional pursuits.First held in 2022, Maine Fungi Fest is an annual event celebrating “All Things Fungi, Plant Based Healing, and Evolving Consciousness.” As a sponsored project of…

Having once been ousted from the Freedom, Maine selectboard, a retired actress was hoping for political redemption.But voters Friday rejected Heather Donahue’s candidacy.The former star of The Blair Witch Project was trounced by Kory Boulier, who won the open seat with 92 votes.Donahue placed second in the three-way race, receiving only 79 ballots.The ex-actress was elected in 2024 to the board, only to be recalled last year after voters decided she overstepped her authority as…

The Penobscot Sheriff’s Department is investigating after a person was stabbed during a possible home invasion in Mattawamkeag on Thursday. [RELATED: Woman Arrested following Bangor Stabbing Incident…] At approximately 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, a 911 caller reported a possible home invasion at an Indian Avenue residence involving a stabbing. Deputies responded and discovered that the stabbing victim had fled in a vehicle. They tracked the victim to another residence and confirmed that he had been…

PORTLAND — A Gorham man was sentenced today in the U.S. District Court in Portland to 25 years in prison for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material, as announced by federal authorities in Maine on March 12, 2026.  Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker sentenced Cody J. Merrill to the term, followed by 15 years of supervised release, and ordering Merrill to pay $105,000 in restitution to the victims identified in the material…

TAMPA – A U.S. KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft was downed over western Iraq on Thursday while conducting operations in support of Operation Eric fury and rescue efforts remain underway following the incident involving two aircraft in U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) airspace. The loss occurred during routine flight operations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, with one KC–135 reported down, and the second aircraft landing safely per an official command press release. Officials explicitly stated that…