Crime/Public Safety/Drugs
Lambrew Faces Questioning from Lawmakers Over Embattled Child Welfare Program
(Augusta) The head of Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services faced grilling from lawmakers about the state’s troubled child welfare program this week. The Portland Press Herald reports Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew acknowledged problems within the system and told lawmakers listening to and supporting caseworkers will be the priority when hiring a new director to lead the office. Committee members are looking for ways to fix what has been called a “broken system” after a spate of child deaths in recent years have been blamed on abuse.
(Augusta) Lawmakers this week questioned the head of Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services, Jeanne Lambrew, about the state’s embattled child welfare program. Director Todd Landry stepped down last month after an alarming number of child deaths across the state were blamed on parental abuse, and an outside consulting organization issued critical reports about the agency’s handling of specific cases. According to the Portland Press Herald, Republican lawmaker Jeff Timberlake assigned the blame to the top, saying, “It goes all the way to the top, which starts with you, Commissioner.”
Harrington Fatal Fire
(Harrington) A Wednesday night fire in Harrington claimed the life of a woman who was living in a truck camper. Authorities were called to 19 Becky Lane about 7:30 and discovered the camper on fire and a body believed to be that of 40 yo Carol Curtis inside. Curtis was living in the camper on the property. While it was not her property, she did have permission to be there. The body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to confirm the victim’s identity. Investigators will try to determine a cause of that blaze.
(Harrington) A woman who was living in a truck camper in Harrington died Wednesday night when the camper caught fire. First responders were called to 19 Becky Lane about 7:30 p.m. and found the camper ablaze with a body inside. The victim is believed to be 40 yo Carol Curtis who did not own the property but had permission to park the camper there. The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office will attempt to confirm the victim’s identity. The Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating to determine a cause.
Surge in Homicide Cases Stretches Investigators
(Maine) Homicide cases in Maine have surged this year, with eight homicides in eight days in November – and 51 homicides so far this year. 18 of those were related to the Lewiston tragedy. Still, the numbers are staggering in a rural state with a relatively small population. In an average year, there are 20 homicides total. WMTW reports the surge has stretched thin the resources of Maine State Police and its criminal investigation division. Authorities say they have created a state police investigator’s position and are looking outside the agency for seasoned investigators to come work in homicide and major crimes units. Three such positions are to be sworn in on Monday.
(Maine) A recent rash of homicides is stretching thin the resources of Maine State Police and their criminal investigation division. Homicide cases in Maine have surged this year, with eight homicides in eight days in November alone – and 51 homicides so far this year. 18 of those were related to the Lewiston tragedy. In a typical year, investigators handle 20 homicides. WMTW reports they’ve created a state police investigator’s position and are looking outside the agency for seasoned investigators to bring their experience working in homicide and major crime units. Three such positions will be sworn in on Monday.
Senators Tackle Gun Violence
(Washington, DC) Centered around the 30th anniversary of the Brady Bill last week, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Hank Johnson this week renewed their push for comprehensive gun violence legislation by reintroducing their Gun Violence Prevention and Community Safety Act. The legislation looms in the shadow of continued gun violence across the country, including the October 25th murder of 18 people in Lewiston. As of Thursday, the Gun Violence Archive reports 632 mass shootings in the U.S,. On Wednesday, a 34 yo man in Texas went on a rampage that left his parents and four other people dead. A gunman on the University of Nevada at Las Vegas campus Wednesday shot three people dead before turning the gun on himself.
(Washington, DC) New Mexico Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich is an avid hunter who was once endorsed by the NRA. Kaiser Health News reports he has also watched his two sons grow up learning both to hunt and to duck and cover in mass shooting drills. In the wake of recent mass shootings, Heinrich told the Associated Press he sees a generational shift that has made those who grew up inside gun culture re-evaluate views and see them as not just a black and white issue. The outcome is a new iteration of gun violence legislation from Heinrich and Maine’s Senator Angus King that zeroes in on the parts of a gun that make them most dangerous, rather than attempting to ban assault weapons outright.
Wrong-Way Driving Deaths
(Maine) It’s been an especially deadly year for drivers involved in wrong way crashes on Maine roads. The Maine Department of Public Safety reports so far six people have been killed as a result. The Bangor Daily News reports a devastating wrong-way crash on the Turnpike in Portland on November 29th resulted in the deaths of three people. Another three were killed last May on I-295 in Falmouth. That’s more than in the previous four years combined, and there have been several other close calls. Wrong way fatalities have been trending upwards across the US in the past decade.
(Maine) Wrong way drivers have caused at least six deaths across the state this year – more than in the last four years combined. The Maine Department of Public Safety reports a devastating wrong-way crash on the Turnpike in Portland last month claimed three lives. Three more were killed in a wrong-way crash last May in Falmouth. The Bangor Daily News reports there have been multiple other close calls in addition to those two crashes. Officials say wrong way fatalities have been trending upwards across the US over the past decade.
Maine Works on Plan to Distribute Opioid Settlement Monies
(Augusta) A group of 15 people known as the Maine Recovery Council has been at work the past year in an effort to come up with a plan for distributing approximately $118M from lawsuits against the producers of opioids. The Bangor Daily News reports the funds will be received and dispersed over the next three decades. While some have urged the Council to speed up the process in order to help those working to slow overdoses and increase access to treatment, Council members say it’s important to set up a system that will endure over time. The group plans to hire a full time coordinator to help manage day-to-day operations and to have an application process in place soon.
(Augusta) Over the next three decades, $118M will flow into Maine as part of settlements from lawsuits against the producers of opioids. How and where the monies will be disbursed is the work before a council of 15 people known as the Maine Recovery Council. The team has been working for the past 12 months to come up with a system they hope will endure over time. The Bangor Daily News reports the Council hired an expert on the opioid crisis in September to help collect data and identify areas of greatest need, and there are plans to hire a full-time coordinator to help manage day-to-day operations. They hope to have an application process in place soon.
Local Politics
King Introduces Resolution to Recognize “National Yea of Democracy”
(Washington, DC) US Senator Angus King and colleagues have joined together to sponsor a resolution honoring 2024 as the “National Year of Democracy”. Saying democracy is under attack across the world, King contends the U.S. is no exception. Sixty-one countries have seen a significant increase in threats to the electoral process, civil and political rights, and the strength of government institutions in the past five years. Senator King said, “The peaceful transfer of power we enjoy in America is an historic anomaly – and one we should be proud to defend and protect.”
(Washington, DC) In just the past five years, sixty one countries, including the United States, have seen a significant increase in threats to the electoral process, civil and political rights, and the strength of government institutions. With that in mind, Senator Angus King has joined colleagues in sponsoring a resolution honoring 2024 as the “National Year of Democracy”. In introducing the resolution, Senator King said, “The peaceful transfer of power we enjoy in America is an historic anomaly – and one we should be proud to defend and protect.”
Social Security Overpayments
(KFF) More than two million people each year receive notices from the Social Security Administration, demanding payback for overpayment. KFF News reports that’s more than twice as many people as the head of the agency disclosed at a meeting earlier this fall. The Acting Commissioner reportedly read aloud from a document during the hearing, but KFF reports she repeatedly left out an entire category of beneficiaries listed. A Social Security spokesperson said those numbers were “unverified”. The problem of overpayments and repayment has terrified many Social Security recipients and plunged them into financial hardship.
(KFF) Weeks after KFF Health News and television stations broadcast a series on Social Security overpayments and a demand for repayments, the Social Security chief is ordering a review. More than two million people a year reportedly receive notices from the Social Security Administration claiming they were overpaid and demanding repayment. That’s more than twice as many as the agency disclosed at a meeting earlier this fall. Social Security officials claim the discrepancy is the result of numbers that are “unverified”. Such notices generally terrify the retired, disabled, or those struggling to get by on minimal income. A document obtained by KFF through the Freedom of Information Act showed relatively few beneficiaries contest overpayment notices and that many appeals or requests for waivers fail.
Education
High Court Hears Arguments in DHHS Confidentiality Case
(Augusta) The state’s highest court this week heard testimony over access to confidential child welfare documents. MPN reports the documents in question were turned over to the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, or OPEGA, but the department has refused to share the documents with lawmakers, citing confidentiality concerns. The legislative committee responded it’s tasked by the Legislature to investigate the child welfare system for the safety of Maine’s children; but that without the documents in question, its hands are tied. No timeline for issuing an opinion was given, but the Legislature is set to return to Augusta in January.
(Augusta) Lawyers on both sides of a Maine State Supreme Court case this week faced tough questioning surrounding DHHS’s refusal to turn over documents from the child welfare agency. DHHS argues the records in question were shared with the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability and cite confidentiality as a reason for not turning them over to lawmakers. MPN reports after a Superior Court judge sided with DHHS, lawmakers on the Government Oversight Committee appealed to Maine’s Highest Court. No timeline was given for the court to issue an opinion, but the legislature is slated to return to Augusta next month.
Human Interest
DCP Toy Drive
(Ellsworth) Don’t forget to head over to the Ellsworth WalMart tomorrow between 9 and 3. Downeast Community Partners will be there holding their annual toy drive to make sure no child goes without this Christmas.
(Ellsworth) Be sure to stop by the Ellsworth WalMart tomorrow between 9 and 3 and if you can, drop off a toy at Downeast Community Partners’ annual toy drive. Cheryl and the rest of the DCP staff work tirelessly to make sure no child goes without during the holidays.
(Undated) This fun little note to add to your calendar of trivia from our friends at WABI-TV – the last day of this year – 12/31/23 will be 123, 123.
(Undated) For the number geeks among us, our friends at WABI-TV shared with us the final day of 2023 – 12/23, can be written as 123123.
Sports
Patriots beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh 21-18. Patriots off on Sunday.
Sabres beat the Bruins 3-1. Bruins host the Arizona Coyotes in Saturday afternoon play.
The Ellsworth High School JV girls take at Narraguagus tonight; the boys JV and Varsity at Bucksport. Sumner girls take on Deer Isle/Stonington, Jonesport-Beals taking on Machias, and George Stevens boys vs. Central.