Crime/Public Safety

MSP Already Following ICE-Related Policies

(Augusta) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a Cumberland County corrections officer recruit Wednesday evening.  NewsCenter Maine reports the arrest prompted Sheriff Kevin Joyce to question the circumstances of the arrest and ICE’s enforcement priorities.  During a press conference yesterday, Joyce told the media their hiring practice is “pretty rigorous”, adding they periodically work with an immigration attorney to review I-9 forms to ensure each recruit’s compliance.  He said the recruit  who was arrested was “squeaky clean” with no criminal record.  Joyce criticized the number of ICE agents – between five and seven – involved in the arrest and their handling of the recruit’s vehicle, calling it a “show of force.”  The agents were recording removing the recruit from his vehicle, arresting him, and leaving his vehicle unsecured on a Portland Street, tactics Joyce called “bush league policing.”

(Augusta)  LD 1971 is not scheduled to go into effect until mid-July.  But the legislation, which prohibits state, county, and local law enforcement officers from investigating, detaining, arresting, or searching a person solely for immigration enforcement purposes, is already being implemented by Maine State Police.  Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck last month issued a directive immediately implementing the law’s underlying policies, limiting cooperation with ICE agents, for his agency.  The federal agents claim to be tracking down known sex offenders, drug dealers, and other criminals, but in numerous instances across the U.S. have taken into custody those with no record, those who are here legally, and even some who are American citizens without just cause, according to witnesses.  

Local Politics

King, Pingree Respond to Presence of ICE in Maine

(Washington, DC)  Senator Angus King and Representative Chellie Pingree issued statements about the so-called “Catch of the Day” …  the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Maine.  King said the President’s actions are a threat to constitutional norms, including sending armed and masked agents into cities and insisting on taking control of Greenland “with no rational basis of doing so.”  The Senator said he plans to fight back by moving to curtail the budget of ICE until they respect people’s Constitutionally guaranteed rights.  Pingree vowed to “hold this lawless Administration accountable for their abuses, demand transparency and get (Homeland Security Secretary) Noem removed.”  

Economy

Educational Organizations Get Funds for HVAC Training

(Maine)  Three of Maine’s educational organizations, including the Maine Community College System, have been awarded a total of  $1.2M in grants to expand workforce training programs in energy efficiency and building systems.  MaineBiz reports the goal is to expand the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning workforce and up-skill workers already on the job.  The programs are expected to serve as many as 1200 participants, including new and existing professionals in the field, while supporting 60 local Maine businesses.

Waldo County Maker of Lincoln Logs to Close Plant

(Burnham)  The Maine-based maker of Lincoln Logs and other wooden products plans to close its factory in Burnham.  The Waldo County firm, Pride Manufacturing, is expected to close the plant in April, leaving 115 workers out of jobs.  MaineBiz reports the company has a contract with toy manufacturer Hasbro, and at one point produced as many as 30 million Lincoln Logs a year.  The iconic building toy was created by a son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright more than a century ago.

New Lamoine Community Center on Table

(Lamoine)  The town of Lamoine will ask voters for approval for a new community center in March  The Ellsworth American reports the Lamoine Town Hall has hosted countless community gatherings over the years, but quickly becomes overcrowded in its small space.  Sealander Architects have been working with the town’s Select Board to increase not only building space, but parking.  Securing adequate land is still a work in progress; and while a Town Meeting vote could give the plan a green light, it would obligate no funding for land or construction.  Those matters would reportedly be decided in future votes.

Environment

Arctic Blast Expected

(Maine)  The Maine Emergency Management Agency is cautioning folks once again to expect an arctic blast this weekend.  The front is expected to move in tonight, bringing a dramatic cooldown and much colder conditions for the weekend, with highs near or below freezing and strong winds leading to significant wind chill.  They say expect Saturday and Sunday to be bitterly cold.  Bring the pets inside, make sure your pipes are protected, and be prepared for more snow in places.  Maine residents can call Maine 2-1-1 for up to date information on warming centers and cold weather assistance. In Ellsworth, the INSPIRE Recovery Center at 24 Church Street is open seven nights a week and weekends from 8 to 4.  

New Restrictions on Mercury-Containing Fluorescent Bulbs in Maine

(Maine)  Shedding some light on a new environmentally-friendly restriction here in Maine.  As of January 1, consumers and retailers in Maine can no longer sell or distribute fluorescent light bulbs that contain mercury.  The Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued a news release saying the decision follows enactment of a ban by the Maine Legislature in 2023.  The measure aims to reduce mercury pollution and protect public health and the environment.

Maine Sea Grant Receives $2M in NOAA Awards

(Orono)  The Maine Sea Grant Program at the University of Maine has received $2M in new funding.  The Pen Bay Pilot reports the grant will support research and outreach activities of the American Lobster Initiative and four 2025-26 American lobster research awards.  American lobster is among the nation’s most valuable fisheries, landing 113 million pounds worth $715M in 2024.  The research will be accessible to fishermen and policy makers and will help scientists and the industry understand how lobsters are responding to changing conditions and how best to sustain the fishery.

Funding for Right Whale Research Could Benefit Lobster Industry

(Maine)  NOAA says a congressional funding bill containing $30M for research related to the North Atlantic Right Whale could benefit Maine’s lobster industry as well.  The whales are some of the earth’s most endangered species, facing peril from entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, and climate change.  MaineBiz reports the government has steadily been investing in preventative measures to protect the whales, including promoting technologies to prevent vessel strikes and supporting the development of ropeless fishing gear.  The latest round of testing of such gear is scheduled to begin next month off Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  

Health

Maine CDC Creates Dashboard to Track Viruses

(Augusta) The Maine CDC has built a dashboard to track and understand the spread of viral respiratory illnesses, such as influenza and Covid-19.  The site’s graphs show recent viral activity and severity and are updated every Wednesday by 3 p.m., with each graph showing data through Sunday of the last reported week.  As of the end of last week, influenza levels across Maine were classified as moderate, COVID-19 Low, and RSV Very Low.  You can access the dashboard at Maine dot gov.

Human Interest

Oscar Nods

(NYT)  It’s going to be a good weekend to be indoors.  Thinking of taking in a movie?  The Oscar nods are out.  Sinners received the most ever nominations – sixteen.  Never heard of it?  Neither had we.  Set in 1932 Mississippi, the movie follows twin WWI veterans returning to the Delta to open a juke joint.  But their plans are derailed by a supernatural evil as they encounter a vampire-like force that preys on the Black community.   The movie “One Battle After Another” received 13 nominations.  Leo DiCaprio stars as a washed-up radical and doting dad in a movie that critics say, while it has a sense of urgency and a lot of gunfire, is snort-out funny.  Previews are available online.

Winter Market at Woodlawn Cancelled

(Ellsworth)  Woodlawn in Ellsworth has cancelled Saturday’s Winter Market, due to the weather forecast.  Stay tuned – we’ll keep you posted about when that will be rescheduled.

SW Harbor Police Department Revives Sand for Seniors Program

(SW Harbor)  Police Officer Rick Graham is spreading kindness, along with sand in Southwest Harbor.  The Mount Desert Islander reports, thanks to Graham, the town has revived its Sand for Seniors Program.  The program is not a new one, but has been dormant since 2010.  Last February, Graham joined the department and suggested bringing it back.  Of his own accord, he purchased the first 10 buckets to be delivered to elderly residents or anyone with mobility issues who may need to sand slippery walkways. The Town of Sullivan has a similar program run by Age Friendly Sullivan.  They deliver the buckets of sand at the beginning of the winter season and check them monthly to be refilled as needed.

National News

ICE Agents Detain Children from Minnesota School District

(Minnesota)  ICE agents  this week detained four children from a Minnesota school district, including a five-year-old.  Columbia Heights Public Schools officials accused the officers of using the terrified young boy as “bait”.  After detaining the boy’s father, they reportedly used the child to knock on the door at a residence to see if any other people were inside.  The Washington Post reports the events have inflamed tensions between residents and ICE agents, especially after the fatal shooting of 37 year old Renee Good earlier this month.  School Superintendent Zena Stenvik questioned why agents would detain a 5-year-old, saying “You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.”  

Trump Board of Peace  

(CNN)  President Trump has invited dozens of countries to join his so-called “Board of Peace”.  The board, initially formed as a limited body tasked with overseeing reconstruction of the Gaza Strip after the Israeli war, is struggling to attract Western allies.  So far, the only ones to sign on to the organization, which will be indefinitely chaired by Trump, have been Middle Eastern monarchs, Russia’s dictator, Vladimir Putin, and a Belarus leader wanted for war crimes.  European leaders are noticeably uninterested.  Board members would serve for three years, then pay a billion dollars for lifetime membership.  Opponents call it an effort to undermine the United Nations.

Smith Tells House Judiciary Committee “Trump Broke the Law”

(Washington, DC)  Former Special Counsel Jack Smith yesterday appeared before the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee and told them Trump wilfully broke the law.  ABC News reports Smith, who led the investigations into Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 election and alleged mishandling of classified documents, testified publicly for the first time about his probes.  Smith told the committee Grand Juries in two separate districts reached the same conclusion based on Trump’s actions as alleged in the indictments they returned.  Smith also declared the facts and the law supported a prosecution and that he made decisions not based on politics, but on facts and the law.

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