Gov. Janet Mills (D) has signed a bill clarifying what constitutes a “billing statement” under state law. Last year, Maine prohibited banks from charging customers a fee for opting to receive paper statements, but concerns were raised in the interim that the language was too broad. Credit unions brought up to lawmakers that this change not only eliminated fees for regular monthly statements, but also prevented them from charging to fulfill labor-intensive requests, such as…

An Ohio man is the first person to be convicted under the Trump administration’s Take It Down Act, a federal law criminalizing posting nonconsensual explicit imagery.James Strahler II, 37, of Columbus, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to cybercrimes, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.The offenses included real and AI-generated sexually explicit images and threats of violence to numerous victims, the DOJ said.Strahler had installed more than 24 AI platforms and more than 100 AI…

Veazie, Maine, a tiny town sandwiched between Bangor and Orono, has proven size doesn’t matter.The town’s K-8 school has been named the best in the country – in the face of Maine’s disastrously failing schools, no less.Veazie Community School, where cops greet the kids arriving every morning and going home each afternoon, received the honor from Education Insider Magazine.The school’s focus on academic achievement is the key to its success, the magazine says.”Our success stems…

The Bangor Police Department arrested a Hermon man on Sunday after he reportedly threatened a woman with a firearm. [RELATED: Windham Man Arrested for Domestic Violence After Reports of Shots Fired…] At approximately 10:10 p.m., Bangor police responded to reports of a domestic violence incident at a Broad Street residence. Officers arrived and spoke with the residents. Following an investigation, police learned that Garrett Foss, 31, of Hermon, had allegedly assaulted the home’s resident and…

The following article was prepared by the Maine Issues & Action PAC, a political advocacy committee formed by Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Phillips). The opinions expressed below are those of the author. The Office of New Americans State Network is a project of the Washington, D.C.-based American Immigration Council and the New York City-based World Education Services. Both parent organizations are 501(c)(3) nonprofits that work with the ONA State Network to develop ONAs in states across…

The Maine State Police arrested a Lewiston woman on murder charges on Friday after she allegedly shot and killed a 22-year-old woman. [RELATED: Skowhegan Man Arrested and Charged with Murder Following Augusta Shooting…] At approximately 1:26 a.m., the Lewiston-Auburn Communications Center received a call reporting a shooting on Union Street. Lewiston police responded with assistance from the Maine State Police. When law enforcement arrived, they discovered a woman suffering from a gunshot wound. The shooting victim,…

The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) arrested a New York man on Friday and seized over a pound of cocaine along with nearly $40,000 in suspected drug proceeds during a Portland raid. [RELATED: Ellsworth Woman Charged With Aggravated Drug Trafficking After Traffic Stop, MDEA Says…] The MDEA began an investigation into interstate cocaine trafficking with assistance from the South Portland Police Department. The investigation led officers to surveil an Airbnb on Emery Street in Portland,…

The Westbrook Police Department arrested a 23-year-old man last week following a months-long investigation into the alleged dissemination of child pornography involving minors under the age of 12. [RELATED: Central Maine Town Manager, Dead By Suicide At 31, Was Under Police Watch…] Police arrested James Saunders, 23, of Westbrook, at his Kennard Street residence on a warrant on March 24, though police only issued a release on Monday. Investigators secured the warrant after a months-long…

Gateway Community Services CEO Abdullahi Ali, a failed candidate for the 2024 presidential race in Jubbaland, Somalia, is selling his four-bedroom Hardy Road home. Gateway Community Services CEO Abdullahi Ali — a top Maine Democrat insider who has been hailed by liberal newspapers for his work on behalf of “New Mainers” — may be saying goodbye to the state where he built a multimillion-dollar Medicaid agency. On Monday, Ali’s primary residence at 58 Hardy Road…

Applications for Maine’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Program opened Monday, allowing Mainers to take up to twelve weeks of paid leave to care for a sick family member, as well as to bond with a newborn baby or newly adopted child. Also eligible for leave under the program are those who are experiencing a serious health condition and are rendered unable to work for an extended period, and anyone serving as a…

A painter is suing Bill Belichick alleging the home the former NFL coach owns with his Maine gal pal was a dangerous work site.Andrew Jackson said he fell during a painting job at Belichick’s home on Nantucket, a pricey island off the coast of Massachusetts.Jackson claims the home had improperly maintained plastic sheeting or coverings that are used to protect the floor and furniture, creating a “dangerous and unsafe” environment for him to work in.…

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ (Maine DHHS) Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) issued a no-bid contract worth nearly $800,000 in taxpayer money to house a non-citizen at an Oakland residential care facility, state contract documents obtained by the Maine Wire reveal. The shocking cost of the taxpayer-funded medical care the Mills Administration provided for a single non-working non-citizen began Feb. 2022. But it was only proposed via the legally required…

Central Maine community officials are now trying to deny they failed to alert the public about an alleged pedophile running town hall.Six days after Town Manager Nicholas Nadeau shot and killed himself, Skowhegan selectboard members issued a canned, innocent-sounding bereavement statement.“This is a difficult moment for town government and the community,” the board said. “We extend our condolences to Mr. Nadeau’s family, friends, colleagues, and all those affected by his passing.”Yet a day after that…

A Fairfield father says that a federally funded health clinic operating within Lawrence High School provided his minor daughter with a baggy of prescription anti-depressants without his knowledge or consent. When the girl’s father, Eric Sack, discovered the baggy of pills over the weekend, his daughter told him that it was provided to her by the Bulldog Health Center, a School Based Health Center (SBHC) at Lawrence High School. Sack saw the the pills as…

The Portland Police Department arrested two homeless men during a drug investigation on Sunday after responding to a report of trespassing at 15 Temple Street, home of the Twenty Seven Variety convenience store and The Works Bakery Cafe. [RELATED: Portland Development Director Issued Assault Summons Following Congress Street Incident…] At approximately 9:14 a.m., Portland officers responded after a business owner requested that two men be ordered to leave his premises. Officers arrived to allegedly see…