Crime/Public Safety/Drugs
Baby Overdose
(Mexico) Authorities say a 9 month old was overdosed on drugs at a home in Mexico, Maine on Monday. Police and EMS personnel responded to a Roxbury Road address after receiving a report of an unresponsive infant. The baby was transported to Rumford Hospital where she was admitted and treated for a drug overdose, with multiple doses of Narcan administered to revive her. Authorities say the infant tested positive for cocaine and marijuana and was suffering from an opioid overdose. Police seized approximately 60 grams of cocaine from the residence. The Oxford County Sheriff’s Office arrested 28 yo Timothy Child of Dixfield on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful drug trafficking and violating conditions of release. Authorities say at the time of his arrest, Child had three separate sets of bail conditions.
(Mexico) A 9 month old baby was rushed to Rumford Hospital on Monday, where police say she tested positive for cocaine and marijuana. Doctors also determined the child was suffering from an opioid overdose. Police had responded to a Roxbury Road address in Mexico on the report of an unresponsive infant. First responders administered multiple doses of Narcan in order to revive her. While at the home, officers seized approximately 60 grams of cocaine. According to the Oxford County Sheriff’s office, 28 yo Timothy Child of Dixfield was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful drug trafficking and violating conditions of release. Authorities say at the time of his arrest, Child had three separate sets of bail conditions.
Maine State Police Investigating Death of Missing Person
(Dayton) Maine State Police are investigating the death of a woman reported missing from Newport News, Virginia, whose body was found Monday in Dayton. 23 yo Renee Cleveland’s family said they last heard from her on Saturday. They had posted on FB that Renee had driven to Maine on Thursday evening, arrived at an AirBnB she booked on Friday, then checked out Saturday morning, last contacting her family by phone Saturday evening. About 3:30 Monday afternoon, authorities received a 9-1-1 call reporting a deceased female inside a vehicle parked near the Goodwins Mill Road in Dayton. The woman matched the description of Renee given by her family. Police say there is no danger to the public. An autopsy will determine a cause and manner of death. The family expressed gratitude for the public’s help on their FB page and asked for privacy but did not release further details.
(Dayton) The body of a woman reported missing from Newport News, Virginia over the weekend was found in her vehicle in Dayton on Monday. The family of 23 yo Renee Cleveland said on FB she had driven to Maine on Thursday evening, arrived at an AirBnB she booked on Friday, then checked out Saturday morning, last contacting her family by phone Saturday evening. They say her phone was then turned off, and they were unable to contact her. About 3:30 Monday afternoon, authorities received a 9-1-1 call reporting a deceased female who matched Cleveland’s description inside a vehicle parked near the Goodwins Mill Road in Dayton. Maine State Police say there is no danger to the public. An autopsy will determine a cause and manner of death. The family expressed gratitude for the public’s help on their FB page and asked for privacy but did not release further details.
Local Politics
Nomination Papers Due for Ellsworth Offices
(Ellsworth) Four people have thus far taken out nomination papers hoping to fill the two seats open on Ellsworth City Council this year. Incumbent Steve O’Halloran, whose term is expiring, is running again, while Councilperson Casey Hanson, whose term is also expiring, says she does not plan to run. Besides O’Halloran, others taking out papers for the open seats include John Linnehan, Jon McInnis, and Cale Roberts. As of Tuesday afternoon, O’Halloran and Linnehan had returned their papers. There will be an open seat on the School Board, as Abby Miller does not plan to run again. Thus far no candidates have taken out nomination papers for that position. And the two incumbents on the Ellsworth Public Library’s Board of Trustees are so far running uncontested – Craig McDonald, the current Board Chair, and interim trustee Vivek Philip. Nomination papers must be returned to the Ellsworth City Clerk’s office before Friday, September 6th at 12:30 p.m.
Congresswoman Pingree Advances Importance of the Arts
(Augusta) Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is spending this week highlighting the importance of Maine’s arts and cultural landscape. Pingree, a longtime advocate for arts and humanities funding in Maine and nationwide, is joining the Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities on a three-day tour of the state that includes a visit to the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, the Scarborough High School Civil Rights Club, the Portland Museum of Art, and a visit to Chebeague Island Historical Society, among others. Pingree oversaw an appropriations bill for FY 2023 that dedicated the highest-ever level of funding for the arts and humanities.
Economy
This week, we’re taking a look at ARPA Funding. Counties received different amounts of the federal funding, based on population, in order to help them recover from the effects of the pandemic. As you can imagine, allocation of the funds is and has been a daunting task given largely to the County Commissioners. Today, we take a look at how those funds were distributed in Aroostook and Waldo Counties.
(Houlton) The deadline for designating allocation of ARPA funds is approaching. Funds must be earmarked by the end of this year and projects completed by December 31st, 2026. Scott Pelletier is the ARPA Fund Administrator for Aroostook County. (((ARPAArstk 1 “…water, sewer, broadband, negative economic impact.” :18))) Pelletier said the money was split about 50/50 between taxable entities and nonprofits, based on their decrease in real income, higher unemployment and a decline in sales and/or revenue due to the pandemic.
(Houlton) ARPA funding – all 16 counties received the federal funding in order to offset the economic impact caused by the pandemic. How much counties received was based on population. How the money was allocated varied widely. Scott Pelletier is the ARPA Fund Administrator for Aroostook County. He says at this point, all the funds for Aroostook County have been allocated, and much of the money designated has already been put to good use. (((ARPA Arstk 2 “…of the money has been expended.” :16))). The deadline for designating funds is December of this year, and funded projects have to be completed by December 31, 2026.
(Belfast) Waldo County received just over 7 million, 700 thousand dollars in American Rescue Plan Dollars. We first spoke with Finance Director Kari Hunt, who told us that like Washington and Aroostook Counties, all their money has been designated as well. Much of Waldo County’s ARPA funding went into building a self-sustaining EMA building in Swanville that will help prepare the County for any emergency. The building has a self-sustaining food co-op, solar panels, and a wood stove, among other preparations. Hunt says Waldo County also divided $520,000 of those funds among the county’s 25 towns – $20,000 each – to use as needed.
(Belfast) Continuing our series on ARPA funding, Waldo County, like others, has designated all their funding, which totaled just over 7M, 700 thousand dollars. Waldo County EMA Director Dale Rowley, said in deciding how best to disburse the funds, the Waldo County Commissioners got together with Department Heads to determine needs, then prioritized those needs to best serve the county’s taxpayers and prevent the need for large bond issues in the future. While none of the funds went to non-profits, specifically, Rowley tells Star 97.7, the Commissioners did allot $520,000 to the County’s 25 towns – $20K each – for projects each town deemed most pressing.
Tomorrow, we head to neighboring Washington County and talk with County Manager Renee Gray about how their funds were designated and why the entire amount there went to one big project.
Bangor Firefighters Seek Pandemic Employee Pay
(Bangor) ARPA funds not only went to all 16 Maine counties, but also to some towns and cities. The Bangor Daily News reports the Bangor firefighters union is asking that city’s leaders to use remaining pandemic relief funding – about $2M of the roughly $20.5M received – to pay employees who worked during the pandemic. Councilors last year rejected a proposal to pay firefighters with the funds. If councilors give nod to the suggestion this time, about 500 Bangor employees, including firefighters, would receive about $1,500 each. That’s far less than the amount requested last year; but the union says it believes any amount would show their stepping up during the darkest days was appreciated.
(Bangor) ARPA funding was designed to help communities recover from the financial strains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did all 16 counties receive funds, but some towns and cities did as well. In Bangor, the firefighters union is asking that city’s leaders to use remaining pandemic relief funding – about $2M of the roughly $20.5M received – to pay employees who worked during the pandemic. The Bangor Daily News reports last year, Council turned down a request for such pay, albeit firefighters at that time asked for quite a bit more – two payments of $3,000 each for each firefighter who worked during the pandemic. If the current request is approved, about 500 Bangor employees, including firefighters, would receive about $1,500 each. The union says it would be a show of appreciation for those who put their lives on the front line during Covid.
Education
Censorship
(ABCNews) A new survey shows most Americans are opposed to book restrictions in public schools, even as schools and libraries across the country face record-breaking attempts to remove books from shelves, according to ABC News. The American Library Association says that in 2023, 4,240 different books were targeted for censorship, a 65% increase from 2022 and the highest ever documented by the ALA. Six in ten survey respondents saw age appropriateness as a valid reason to restrict students’ book access; but the report found far fewer say it’s legitimate to block access to books because they contradict parents’ political views, religious beliefs or moral values.
(ABCNews) In 2023, 4,240 different books were targeted for censorship. The American Library Association says that’s the highest level ever documented and was a 65% increase over 2022. ABC News reports a new survey shows most Americans are opposed to book restrictions in public schools, although 6 in 10 respondents saw age appropriateness as a valid reason to restrict students’ book access. The report found far fewer believe it’s legitimate to block access to books because they contradict parents’ political views, religious beliefs or moral values.
Environment
Brunswick Spill Update
(Brunswick) Another update Tuesday evening on that massive spill of A-triple-F foam at the Brunswick Executive Airport on August 19th. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection said staff and contractors maintained daily water sampling and foam recovery removal throughout the long weekend. The site was inspected Sunday after a rain event, but MDEP says no additional foam impacts were found. The DEP says the amount of foam observed and collected continues to gradually drop to reduced amounts that are easily contained and removed.
(Brunswick) The Maine Department of Environmental Protection says contractors and staff spent the long weekend maintaining daily water sampling and foam recovery from that massive spill of A-triple-F foam that occurred last month at a hangar at the Brunswick Executive Airport. The Department plans to supplement the ongoing water monitoring work this week in the south-southeast direction of Hangar Four, with soil samples taken from the vicinity and the park area. MDEP says fish tissue samples from nearby streams and the Androscoggin River will also be collected for testing. DEP says it will consider reimbursement requests from homeowners in a certain area who may have recently tested their drinking water wells for PFAS, those forever chemicals.
Infrastructure
Ellsworth Roadway Crack Sealing
(Ellsworth) From Washington Street to Shore Road to Christian Ridge Road, State Street and lots of roads in between. Look for Ellsworth Public Works to be doing crack sealing on roads beginning this week and for the next two weeks. Watch for crews in the road working, and the City advises motorists to be aware parts of the roadways where sealing is taking place may be down to one lane. A list of streets and roads impacted is available on our Star 97.7 FB page.
(Ellsworth) From Happytown Road to Myrick Street to Pond Avenue … and lots of streets in between. Motorists will want to use caution this week and for the following two weeks as Public Works crews endeavor to take care of some crack sealing on roadways throughout Ellsworth. A list of roads impacted is available on our Star 97.7 FB page. The City advises roadways where sealing is taking place may be down to one lane, and you’re asked to be cautious and alert for crews that will be working in the roadways.
Sports
Another loss for the Red Sox – last night’s game going to the Mets 7-2. Teams have one more game in that series tonight before Boston heads back home for a weekend series with the White Sox.