Crime/Public Safety

Memorial Held for Highway Workers

(Fairfield)  A memorial procession Saturday honored the memory of two Maine Department of Transportation workers killed when a driver apparently ignored cones and barrelled into a construction zone, striking a semi and forcing the two workers over a barrier onto the road below.  The procession traveled from the MDOT Fairfield Training Center to the Augusta Civic Center to honor the lives of James Brown and Dwayne Campbell.  The motorcade included vehicles from Maine D O T, regional partners, and departments of transportation from across New England and beyond.

Child Injured in Ski Accident

(Rumford)  A nine-year-old was lifeflighted Saturday to a hospital in Rumford after a reported skiing accident on Black Mountain.  NewsCenter Maine reports the child was said to be unconscious in cardiac arrest when the helicopter was requested.  According to Rumford Fire, the child ran into a tree.  It’s the second reported skiing incident this year in Maine involving an injured child.  On February 17th, a five year old apparently fell from a chairlift at Sunday River.

Local Politics

Portrait Removed

(Augusta)  A portrait of the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell has been removed from a wall at the Maine Statehouse.  Mitchell, a Democrat, served in the U.S. Senate from 1980-1995, but has been under increased scrutiny over his alleged ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.  The Portland Press Herald reports Mitchell is referenced hundreds of times in documents released by the DOJ as part of its investigation into Epstein.  

Bill Requires Timely Audits

(Augusta)  The Maine legislature is considering a bill that requires county governments to file annual audits within 12 months of the end of each fiscal year and for the state auditor to review them as they are submitted, in order to ensure they are complete.  If unable to file an audit on time, the bill allows for request of an extension from the Office of the State Auditor.  The original bill, sponsored by Republican Senator Marianne Moore and other Washington County lawmakers, was intended to provide bankruptcy protections to counties and municipalities in financial crisis after exhausting all other reasonable options to avoid bankruptcy.  Multiple counties are reportedly behind on audits, mostly due to a critical shortage of county auditors, a specialized field that requires specific skills other audit situations may not involve..

Economy

Logging and Forest Trucking Boost Maine’s Economy

(Northern Maine) Paper, pulp, and prefabrication for affordable housing.  The forests of Northern Maine play a critically important role in the state’s economy.  MaineBiz reports the logging and forest trucking industry added an estimated $1.3B to the Northeast region in 2024, with Maine contributing $534M of that amount. According to a study released last week, the numbers represent close to 4500 jobs statewide, with the industries pumping an estimated $61M into state and local tax coffers.  

Education

Langley Awarded SkillsUSA “Pillars of Success” Award

(Ellsworth)  Brian Langley is one of those very involved people – and that’s been a great thing for the people of Hancock County.  Langley and his wife own the Union River Lobster Part, and Brian has served as a State Legislator, an educator at the Hancock County Technical Center, and current Executive Director of Bridge Academy Maine, where he is a tireless advocate for Technical Education.  This week, Langley was awarded the Skills USA “Pillars of Success” Award.  Langley was presented with the award at a surprise meeting of students and staff, being told only he was there to offer a sendoff to this year’s Skills USA competitors.

Magnificent March at Versant Power Astronomy Center

(Orono)  Did you catch the six planetary alignment Saturday evening?  That’s just the beginning of a Magnificent March!  The sky’s the limit at the Versant Power Astronomy Center on the UMaine campus in Orono.  Director Shawn Laatsch tells Downeast Digest, the month begins on Friday nights with “Incoming!” a look at how asteroids, meteorites, and comets have changed our planet and helped us to understand our solar system.  At 2 p.m. Sundays, a brand new family program – “Furry Astronauts”.  Join four animal friends as they discover a spaceport on the edge of their forest and learn about space travel.  This month’s music show, Sundays at 4, features Daft Punk:  Give Life Back to Music.  Always something for everyone at the Planetarium – learn more and get tickets at the door or ahead of time at astro dot u maine dot e d u.

Environment

Blood Moon

(WaPo)  Fingers crossed for clear skies tomorrow night as the moon is plunged into the Earth’s shadow, turning it red for 58 minutes.  The color of the so-called “Blood Moon” is caused by earth’s pollution.  It will be followed by a total lunar eclipse Tuesday morning that will be visible over the entire Lower 48, Alaska and Hawaii.  For those of us here on the East coast, the heavenly happenings will provide another rarity – a selenialion (suh-uh-NEE-lee-on), when both the sun and eclipsed moon are simultaneously visible.  Partiality begins at 4:50 a.m. Eastern time, with totality beginning at 6:04 a.m. as the moon sets and the sun rises.

Human Interest

Spring Forward

(Undated)  Less than a week now before we see more daylight at the end of the evening.  March 8th marks the date our clocks spring forward – meaning that gain of evening light comes with a loss of an hour’s sleep.  The time change happens at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, so set those clocks before you go to bed on Saturday.

Ellsworth Family Fun Night

(Ellsworth)  The City of Ellsworth is marching into the new month with a Family Fun Night at the Moore Community Center.  Mark your calendar for Friday, March 13th from 5:30 to 7 to enjoy an evening designed to bring families together for movement, creativity, and connection, including an Open Gym, Pizza, and a phys ed and music fusion class.  The night is free to Ellsworth residents.  Learn more on the City’s FB page.

100th Newscast Winner

(Addison)  Congratulations to Lauren Gray of Addison.  She was one of many individuals and businesses who “liked” and  shared the post on my FB page for a chance to win a gift worth $100 in order to celebrate our 100th Downeast Digest newscast on the stations of Maine Internet Radio!  Lauren owns Liberty Perk, a small coffee stand in Addison that makes amazing coffee flavored drinks – she specializes in those iced coffee goodies.  Lauren will receive a $50 gift card  to the local small business of her choice, and we will donate $50 to a local charity of her choosing.  Thank you so much to everyone who entered, listens, reads our news on the website, and continues to support us.  There couldn’t be a more critical time to be aware of what’s happening locally, in our country, and in our world.

Weekend Happenings

(Undated)  It was a busy weekend for big events here in Maine, with no shortage of things to do.  Over at Woodlawn, families enjoyed hot chocolate while sledding, hiking the trails, and enjoying the next to the last Winter Market at The Barn.  In Belfast, the Ice Festival drew crowds who ooo-ed and aww-ed over the intricate frozen sculptures, including ice bars located outside various restaurants.  And up in Fort Kent, mushers took off in the Can Am Crown International Sled Dog races.  The 30 and 100 milers have wrapped up, with the mushers in the 250-mile race still out on the course.  Find complete results on the Race’s FB page.

National News

Trump Orders Strike on Iran

(Washington, DC)  The United States and Israel on Saturday launched a major attack on Iran.  President Trump called on the Iranian people to “rise up and take control” of their government and the Islamic leadership that has controlled the country since 1979.  The attack reportedly killed leader Ayatollah Ali Khameniei and triggered retaliatory strikes on other countries in the region.  A girls’ elementary school in Iran was hit in the attack, killing at least 100 and injuring scores more, according to the Associated Press.  Three US servicemen died, and five others were seriously wounded.  The attack apparently took place without Congressional authorization, sparking further outcry about Trump’s continued overreaching of authority.  Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress, not the President, the power to declare war.

Emergency Crews Dispatched to Detention Center

(NBC)  Since mid-September, emergency crews have been dispatched to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas at least eleven times to treat children in medical distress.  NBC News obtained EMS call logs and 9-1-1 audio that provided a glimpse into what happens when children fall seriously ill inside the centers, sparking a flashpoint in the national immigration debate.  Those who have visited the centers describe deplorable conditions, with people packed into small cells too tightly to lie down and given only aluminum blankets.  More than one person has compared them to concentration camps.

Epstein Files, Election Control Continue to Concern Americans

(Undated)  In spite of the attacks on Iran, concerned citizens and Democrats aren’t shying away from continuing to push for transparency regarding Trump’s involvement in the Epstein files.  Robert Garcia, a top Democrat on the committee investigating Epstein, has accused the Justice Department of whithholding files containing allegations of sexual abuse of a minor made against President Trump, whose name is mentioned literally at least a million times, according to a committee who used a search function to determine that.  Trump continues to push for executive power over elections ahead of the midterms, amidst growing dissatisfaction of his handling of the economy, immigration enforcement, and the alienation of foreign allies, and his dramatically sinking poll numbers.  

Government Cuts Ties with Anthropic

(Washington, DC)  It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but in a very real showdown, AI company Anthropic refused to allow the U.S. Government under President Trump to use its technology in autonomous weapons and mass surveillance of U.S. citizens.  A deal with Anthropic would have allowed the administration to attack countries without human safeguards and would have provided the government with a real Big Brother view of our lives.  Anthropic refused … and refused to back down, so Trump announced all federal government agencies must cease using the company’s A I tools.  Open AI late Friday signed a deal with the Pentagon for its AI tools to be used in the military’s classified systems, reportedly with guardrails similar to those requested by Anthropic.

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