Crime/Public Safety/Drugs
Hancock County Increases Sheriff’s Budget
(Ellsworth) When it comes to staffing shortages, it’s especially difficult for law enforcement agencies tasked with maintaining public safety. Maine State Police have had to reduce patrols in rural areas, and that means adjustments on the part of county sheriff’s departments. Last year, Washington County added a deputy position to the sheriff’s budget to offset the reduced presence of Maine State Police. The Bangor Daily News reports Hancock County will follow suit in 2024 by also funding an additional deputy position. Hancock County also plans to boost pay for patrol officers. Still, law enforcement is stretched thin, and recruiting new officers has proven difficult.
(Ellsworth) Hancock County this week finalized its budget for 2024. One of the more difficult decisions was how to provide adequate police coverage while fewer qualified candidates are applying for police jobs. The Bangor Daily News reports the sheriff’s budget was increased to allow for hiring an additional deputy. Sheriff Scott Kane had reportedly proposed three or four new positions, but commissioners were reluctant to budget for that with the current recruiting issues. They did concede Sheriff Kane was rightfully concerned about having adequate coverage to meet the county’s public safety needs, especially as Maine State Police continue to reduce patrols in rural parts of the state.
44th BLETP Graduates
(Ellsworth/Machias) Congratulations to the Ellsworth Police Department’s Evan Cottle, Taylor LeBlanc of the Machias Police Department and the 57 other members of the Maine State Police, Maine Warden Service, Maine Marine Patrol and other agencies. They’ll soon be graduates of the 44th Basic Law Enforcement Training Program. The program is an 18-week residential training program that began in August and concludes with a graduation ceremony this Friday, December 15th, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro.
(Vassalboro) Back in August, 67 cadets began an 18 week residential training curriculum known as the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program. This Friday, 59 of those cadets will graduate. The graduates hail from various police departments, the Maine State Police, the Maine Warden Service, Maine Marine Patrol, and other agencies. The Ellsworth Police Department’s Evan Cottle and Machias PD’s Taylor LeBlanc will be part of this year’s class. The graduation ceremony is set for this Friday, December 15th, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro.
Local Politics
Legislators Address Protecting Rural Seniors’ Access to Care
(Washington, DC) Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed a rule that would mandate new minimum staffing standards for long term care facilities. The rule would mean 75% of nursing homes would have to increase staffing – a particularly difficult hardship in rural areas that already face staffing shortages. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King last week joined a bipartisan group in introducing the “Protecting Rural Seniors’ Access to Care Act”. The legislation would prohibit institution of the rule and would instead establish an advisory committee to report to Congress and make practical recommendations to strengthen the workforce. The bill is endorsed by more than 90 organizations.
(Washington, DC) More than 90 organizations are backing a proposal by Maine Senators Angus King and Susan Collins and a bipartisan group. The legislation is entitled the “Protecting Rural Seniors’ Access to Care Act” and comes in response to a rule put forth earlier this year by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that would mandate new minimum staffing standards for long term care facilities. That rule would mean 75% of nursing homes would have to increase staffing – a hardship, particularly, in rural areas that already struggle with staffing shortages. The legislation would instead establish an advisory committee to report to Congress and make practical recommendations to strengthen the workforce.
IRS Reversal Will Result in Relief Checks Being Taxed
(Augusta) In a reversal last week, the IRS verbally informed Maine’s tax agency that those $450 winter energy relief payments issued to Mainers earlier this year will be taxable. The Bangor Daily News reports the IRS published guidelines this summer indicating those payments made to more than 880,000 Mainers would not be subject to federal taxes. Finance Commissioner Kirsten Figueroa has written to an IRS lawyer asking the federal agency to not tax the relief payments, expressing concern the IRS will hold taxpayers responsible for a decision they’re not willing to put in writing or publicly announce. The payments are not subject to state tax.
(Augusta) The Mills Administration is objecting to an IRS decision received verbally on December 7th that reverses public guidelines issued this summer indicating those $450 winter energy relief payments would not be subject to federal taxes. The Bangor Daily News reports the December 7th decision is a stunning reversal. Finance Commissioner Kirsten Figueroa has written to an IRS lawyer asking the federal agency to not tax the relief payments, expressing concern the IRS will hold taxpayers responsible for a decision they’re not willing to put in writing or publicly announce. The payments are not subject to state tax. The relief checks were issued to some 880,000 Mainers in early 2023.
Constitution Hall Moving Out of Maine Coast Mall
(Ellsworth) Self-proclaimed Ellsworth conservative John Linnehan is moving his Constitution Hall out of the Maine Coast Mall and into his home. The Bangor Daily News reports Linnehan plans to keep the entity going as a personal project rather than a nonprofit and hopes to be out of the former movie theater space at the mall by the end of December.
(Ellsworth) Constitution Hall will soon be a thing of the past at the Maine Coast Mall in Ellsworth. The Bangor Daily News reports the nonprofit was opened in January 2022 by John Linnehan, a self-proclaimed evangelical Christian and conservative. Linnehan reportedly posted a video when he first opened Constitution Hall saying he hoped to “turn Maine red” by having every Democrat voted out of office. Linnehan plans to be out of the space by the end of the month and says he will run the entity out of his home as a personal project, rather than a nonprofit.
Lincolnville Votes in Favor of Development Moratorium
(Lincolnville) It took just 15 minutes without any public comment for the citizens of Lincolnville to vote unanimously in favor of a 180 day moratorium on major nonresidential developments in the coastal Waldo County town that is home to just over 2300 people. The Pen Bay Pilot reports the decision drew cheers from the 250 residents in attendance, not one of whom voted against the measure. The moratorium was proposed after a North Carolina-based real estate development company filed preliminary plans to build a more than 10,000 square foot retail store on Drakes Corner. While the specific project wasn’t named, the company’s representative projects include such chains as Taco Bell, Dollar General, Starbucks and others.
(Lincolnville) The town of Lincolnville left no doubt this week where they stood on retail development proposed for Drake’s Corner. No specific retailer was named, but earlier this year, a North Carolina-based real estate development company filed preliminary plans to build on the site. The Pen Bay Pilot reports the company’s representative projects include Dollar General and Taco Bell stores. At a meeting earlier this week, the 250 residents in attendance voted swiftly and unanimously in favor of a 180-day moratorium on major nonresidential developments, and that moratorium could be extended. The vote took less than 15 minutes, without a single public comment and was followed by cheers from those in attendance.
Economy
Jonesport Boatyard Sold
(Jonesport) The Jonesport Shipyard is in new hands – a move the new owner says he made based on concerns about losing working waterfront. The Working Waterfront reports new owner Jon Johansen is well known as President of Maine Lobster Boat Racing and publishes a monthly newspaper entitled Maine Coastal News. Johansen said he’d recently learned of another boat shop on Beals Island being sold to a Florida resident. He says that person then closed it off with a locked gate. Johansen said he didn’t want to see the Jonesport Shipyard on Moosabec Reach lost as well.
(Jonesport) Sune and Patricia Noreens owned the Jonesport Shipyard for 38 years. When it was time to sell, one area resident said he didn’t want to lose the working waterfront. Enter Jon Johansen, the well-known President of Maine Lobster Boat Racing, Maine Built Boats, and the Penobscot Marine Museum Board. The Working Waterfront reports Johansen purchased the business after learning of another shipyard on Beals Island that was purchased by a Florida resident. He says the buyer then closed it off with a locked gate. Johansen says he plans to add a welding and machine shop and a mezzanine to the back of the shop to provide easier access to boats in the bay and that he may even replace the current building with a new one.
Environment
Federal Monies to Help Protect Endangered Right Whales
(Augusta) $17 million dollars is coming to Maine to help improve data regarding endangered North Atlantic Right Whales. The funding comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Maine Department of Marine Resources will use the grant to conduct passive acoustic monitoring on the whales. DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher says the goal of the research is to show what’s happening in the Gulf of Maine so whales can be protected in a way that doesn’t devastate Maine’s lobster industry.
(Augusta) A lack of data on the presence of North Atlantic right whales and fishing efforts in the Gulf of Maine has resulted in uncertainty in models the federal government uses to determine the risk of serious injury and mortality to those whales by lobster gear. NOAA is sending $17M to Maine to help improve such data. The Maine Department of Marine Resources will use the grant to conduct passive acoustic monitoring on the whales in order to show what’s happening in the Gulf of Maine. It’s hoped that will lead to whales being protected in a way that doesn’t devastate Maine’s lobster industry.
Pennsylvania Shelter Proposes Taylor Swift Challenge
(Pennsylvania) The Pennsylvania SPCA is proposing a unique challenge today to celebrate Taylor Swift’s choice as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. Swift poses on the magazine cover with her rescue cat, Benjamin Button. To honor Swift on her birthday today, they’ve issued the Taylor Swift Challenge – challenging folks to donate $13 to a shelter of their choice in Swift’s name. Here’s hoping that’s a lucky thirteen for the many local shelters that do so much for rescue animals.
(Pennsylvania) The Ark in Cherryfield, The SPCA of Hancock County, Spirit’s Place in St. Albans, Forgotten Felines of Maine, the Old Town Orphanage, the Bucksport Animal Shelter. These are just a few of the area shelters whose staff work tirelessly to save abandoned and unwanted animals. In celebration of Taylor Swift’s birthday today, the Pennsylvania SPCA has issued the Taylor Swift Challenge – challenging people to donate $13 to the shelter of their choice in Swift’s name. The music icon and Time’s Person of the Year poses on the magazine cover with her rescue cat, Benjamin Button. We’re sure they’d both approve.
Winter Solstice Celebration at the Jesup
(Bar Harbor) The Winter Solstice is approaching, and the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor invites you to join them in embracing the magic of the season. A celebration will take place at the library from 4 to 7 p.m. on December 21st, with snacks, live music, crafts and community togetherness to kick off the longest night of the year. The family friendly event is free and open to all.
(Bar Harbor) A week from tomorrow is the longest night of the year – the Winter Solstice. Don’t curse the darkness! Celebrate the beginning of longer days at the Jesup Memorial Library. The gathering is December 21st from 4 to 7, with snacks, live music, crafts and community togetherness. The family friendly event is free and open to all.
Sports
The Bruins back on the ice tonight for an away game against the NJ Devils.
Celtics beat the Cavs 120-113. Boston and Cleveland meet for a rematch Thursday at TD Garden.
Boys’ 12/12 Games: Bucksport over GSA, Calais beating Narraguagus, Machias beats Jonesport-Beals, Shead over Woodland, and Orono defeating Washington Academy.
Tonight – the Shead girls at Machias, Ellsworth Lady Eagles taking on Foxcroft Academy, Jonesport Beals Royals will try to rule over the Sumner Tigers, and Narraguagus at Calais.