Crime/Public Safety

Airplanes Seized by IRS at Maine Airfield

(Eliot)  The IRS in December seized six airplanes and an airstrip at a Maine airfield.  The Bangor Daily News reports the scale of the seizure is notable because private planes are rarely seized in Maine.  The seizure came to light yesterday when a search warrant used was unsealed in Portland.  The IRS says the owner of the planes, located at Littlebrook Airpark in Eliot, failed to pay $1.6M in taxes.  Thomas Shaughnessy, the accused, says the matter involves a divorce and is being fixed, but the IRS says Shaughnessy has refused to cooperate for years and still owes.  The search warrant claimed Shaughnessy shields assets, moves funds, and uses “alter ego” corporations to hide money.

BMV Partners with Domestic Violence Prevention Non-Profit

(Augusta)  In recent years, more than a third of homicides in Maine have been the result of domestic violence.  That’s according to the most recent Maine crime data from 2024.  To raise awareness, WABI reports the Bureau of Motor Vehicles is partnering with Maine-based non-profit, Finding Our Voices.  The BMV plans to show Finding Our Voices posters on TV screens at all 13 locations across the state.  The posters depict three domestic abuse survivors who range in age from 18 to 85.  FOV founder Patrisha McLean says every woman on the poster got out, and she wants others to know they can, too, and that help is out there.  Learn more at finding our voices dot net.

Local Politics

Cannabis Controversy

(Maine)  Signers beware.  Advocates for the state’s recreational marijuana program say people collecting signatures for a possible citizens’ initiative to end the program are misrepresenting that program.  According to the Portland Press Herald, circulators are accused of telling voters the initiative would improve the quality of cannabis sold in stores.  However, they say, the 15-page proposal, which is being pushed by Mainers for a Safe and Healthy Future – would instead end all recreational sales and home growing operations in 2028.  Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said there is little she can do about the alleged deception because, sadly, you have the right to lie under the First Amendment.

TPS for Maine’s Somali Population Threatened

(Maine)  The Trump Administration this week said it is ending the Temporary Protected Status program for Somali immigrants.  Maine’s Somali population numbers around 3,000 and is largely centered in Lewiston and Androscoggin County.  The Portland Press Herald said it’s unclear how many of the state’s Somali population would be affected, but the move is likely to face court challenges.

Voter Approval Needed for Permanent Fixes from Storm Damage

(SW Harbor)  Flooded roads inundated and impassable, pavement buckled like paper, working waterfronts destroyed – the devastating storms of two years ago are still fresh in the minds of many.  The Mount Desert Islander reports Southwest Harbor is moving toward a permanent fix for damages caused there by the storms.  The project has a price tag of just over $460K and will be completed by Whitcomb Landscaping, the only bidder, and matched by the town sum of $197K.  The majority of the costs will be offset by FEMA funds.  A public meeting is set for March 23rd, with a secret ballot vote to approve the town’s portion the following day.  If approved, the project will then have the green light to get started.

Economy

Bangor Mall Lawsuits

(Bangor)  The City of Bangor is anxious for a judge to issue a decision in the ongoing lawsuits against the owner of the Bangor Mall.  The City twice sued the owner, Namdar Realty Group, in late 2024.  The Bangor Daily News reports the cases are awaiting an opinion from Penobscot County Superior Court Justice Bruce Mallonee.  Bangor is seeking at least $2.1M in fines for ongoing code issues, with the majority of the fines accumulating daily until repairs are completed.  A reporter who visited the mall on Monday observed at least eight buckets next to wet floor signs in the Mall’s hallway due to ongoing roof leaks.

Music Box Mansion for Sale

(Wiscasset)  The 9K square foot estate once held countless music boxes and served as a museum for the enchanting antiques.  Now, the Wiscasset home on High Street, once known as the Musical Wonder House, is for sale for $1.3M.  The 12 bedroom, 8 bath mansion was built in 1852 as a double house for a pair of ship captains and their families.  It became a seasonal museum in 1963, with a group of investors boasting an impressive collection of Swiss, French, and Austrian music boxes dating from 1810 to 1910.  The Bangor Daily News reports the purveyors had a falling out, the last member died, the museum closed in 2014, the collection was sold, and the bank foreclosed on the house.  The current sellers bought the home in 2018 for under $200K and rehabbed it.  They say with approval from the town,  it would be perfect for a bed and breakfast style rental.  

Education

Tremont Students Build for the Future

(Bass Harbor)  Our favorite local story of the day comes from Bass Harbor, where Tonya Prentice’s sixth grade science team earned Overall Best in Show in the “Build the Moon” challenge.  The Lunar Legends were up against 70 teams in 19 states, Puerto Rico, and South Korea, tasked with building a home on the moon where there’s no hardware store or resources for construction.  The Mount Desert Islander reports students were given regolith, or moon soil, and assigned the job of creating a solid building material, using various additives and binders.  In the process, students studied moon conditions, then tested and refined their mixtures to come up with a brick that was both strong and durable.  The bricks went through rigorous testing, then were used to build a scaled version of a lunar landing pad.  Tremont Consolidated School and Maine Space Consortium will participate in a recognition assembly for the Lunar Legends this afternoon at 2:15.  Keep reaching for the stars, kids.

Health

Castine Primary Care Moves to Blue Hill

(Castine)  Northern Light Health’s Castine primary care practice will be relocating to the Sussman Health Center in Blue Hill next month.  The Ellsworth American reports the small practice in Castine has faced challenges similar to those of other small practices, with staffing difficulties, inconsistent access, and high operating costs, according to Northern Light.  Castine staff will contact patients to help them transition to Blue Hill or another provider of their choice before the February 27th move.

Infrastructure

Transmission Line Controversy

(Maine)  Following years of controversy that included a citizen referendum, lawsuits, and delays, the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line will begin commercial operations this week.  That’s according to documents filed with Maine regulators.  The Portland Press Herald reports the 145-mile line connects a hydropower generation facility in Quebec to a converter station in Lewiston, cutting through Franklin and Somerset counties.  The NECEC will reportedly add 1200 megawatts of renewable electricity into the New England grid.

Human Interest

Common Ground Fair Poster to Feature Border Collie

(Unity)  Good boy!  The 2026 Common Ground Fair poster will feature a Border Collie, tongue out in joy, surrounded by flowers.  This year’s fair in Unity is set for September 25-27.  The popular event is hosted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and celebrates rural life and organic farming,  with a focus on educating fairgoers on sustainable practices.  The 2026 event is the fair’s 50th and is sure to, as always, draw folks from across the state and across the country.

Loaves and Fishes Members Attend Non-Profit Day at Statehouse

(Ellsworth)  Members of the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry Board were in Augusta this week, attending Maine Non-Profit Day at the Statehouse.  The day was sponsored by the Maine Association of Nonprofits and was designed as a day of educating, networking, and learning from others.  Members met with Senator Nicole Grohoski and other political leaders, as well.  Loaves and Fishes provides food and life skills training with a goal of eliminating food insecurity in Hancock County.

Fiance Surprised Bride in Preschool Where They First Met as Toddlers

(Houston)  With all the draining news out there, we wanted to end our newscasts today with this uplifting story about a young Texan who gathered the support of an entire preschool class in order to treat his fiance to a surprise bridal shower.  Here’s the twist – the kids were part of the Houston classroom where Sean Folloder and Zoe Kampf first met as toddlers.  The Good News Network reports Folloder’s grandmother was a teacher at Shlenker School where Zoe and Sean attended as 4-year-olds.  Their paths would cross again at a summer camp in 2021, the two began dating, and the rest is history.  Walking into her classroom where she now teaches, Zoe was met with a troupe of children dressed in floral garlands and bow ties who handed her a tiara and sash.  Folloder teaches geometry at a nearby high school.  He popped the question Christmas Eve 2024, and a wedding is planned for January 2026 – hey, that’s any day now.  

National News

Importance of Midterm Elections

(WaPo)  With everything hinging on the mid-term elections, the Washington Post reports the Trump Administration is pulling out all the stops, including an attempt to change the rules before the ballots are cast.  Trump has called for support from his MAGA base, openly stating he’s fearful a Congress controlled by Democrats could investigate and impeach him and stymie his agenda.  Among the President’s efforts, demands that Republican state lawmakers redraw congressional districts to guarantee wins (a process known as gerrymandering), the prosecution of political opponents, a push to toughen voter registration rules and attempts to end the use of voting machines and mail-in ballots.  In addition, the Post writes, Trump has gutted the role of the nation’s cybersecurity agency in protecting elections.  A spokesperson for the President said his only motivation is “doing what’s best for the American people and ensuring each of their votes counts.”

Trump Flips Off Auto Worker at Ford Plant

(Dearborn, Michigan)  Photos continue to flood social media, showing the U.S. President flipping off an autoworker at a Ford plant in Michigan Tuesday, after the man yelled out “pedophile protector” as Trump toured the plant.  Cellphone video captures Trump mouthing “F…. you” twice and raising his middle finger in response.  The White House said the gesture was “appropriate” given the heckling.

Women’s March Calls for Nationwide Day of Action

(Undated)  The Women’s March is calling for a day of nationwide action on January 20th, asking citizens to walk out of work, school, and everywhere else, saying, “it’s time to stop cooperating with facism.”  The Women’s March organizes regular days of action, focusing on issues such as voting and reproductive rights and climate justice and challenging what they say are anti-democratic forces.  

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