Crime/Public Safety/Drugs
Maine DOT Installs Traffic Cameras
(Augusta) The Maine Department of Transportation began installing traffic cameras this week at key locations along I-95 and I-295. MDOT officials say the cameras are aimed at improving highway safety. Cameras will be monitored 24/7, and the public will be able to access them to see current conditions. Installations are expected to be completed by the end of October.
Alton Fatal Crash
(Alton) Maine State Police are investigating a Tuesday morning crash that claimed the life of a LaGrange man. They say 42 yo Matthew Parsons was southbound on Route 16 in the Penobscot County town of Alton about 10 a.m. yesterday when his vehicle crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a car driven by 70 yo Peter McCormack of Alton. Parsons was pronounced dead at the scene. McCormack was taken by LifeFlight to Eastern Maine Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Route 16 was closed for several hours while authorities reconstructed the crash.
Powassan Virus Detected in Hancock County Resident
(Hancock Co) Powassan virus has been detected in a Maine resident in Hancock County, and West Nile Virus has been detected in a bird in York County. Public Information Officer Vanessa Sperrey tells Star 97.7, both are the first detections of those infections in Maine this year. The Maine CDC is sending an advisory to clinicians to remind them to consider testing for mosquito- and tick-borne arbo-viruses in patients with unexplained fever, meningitis, or encephalitis, particularly those with outdoor exposure or recent travel to areas where such infections have been detected.
Local Politics
Bellows Rejects DOJ’s Request for Voter Information
(Augusta) Secretary of State Shenna Bellows Tuesday issued some strong words in rejecting the Department of Justice’s request for the voter information of every Maine citizen. Maine is among the most recent states to receive a request for voter files under the Trump Administration. In rejecting the request, Bellows said, “The Gulf of Maine is awfully cold, but maybe that’s what the DOJ needs to cool down,” adding, “So, here’s my answer to Trump’s DOJ today – go jump in the Gulf of Maine.” The Secretary of State said the DOJ does not get to know everything about citizens just because they want to; she accused the federal government of overstepping its bounds in the request.
Frey Joins Lawsuit Against Blocked Funding for Planned Parenthood
(Augusta) Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey on Tuesday joined a coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump Administration for the so-called “Big Beautiful Budget Bill”; specifically the defunding provision that targets Planned Parenthood, Maine Family Planning and other reproductive health centers. Frey called it a direct attack on the healthcare access of millions of low-income women, disproportionately affecting women, LGBTQ-plus individuals, and communities of color.
Collins Requests NIH Funding
(Washington, DC) Senator Susan Collins and twelve other colleagues have sent a letter requesting the release of funding for the National Institutes of Health. An Act promising those funds was signed into law earlier this year and contains funding to support NIH initiatives across a range of critical research areas, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and rare pediatric disorders. Collins has repeatedly voiced opposition to cuts in NIH funding.
Golden, Fishing Groups Push for Delay on Right Whale Protections
(Augusta) Congressman Jared Golden has joined a number of commercial fishing groups in pushing to delay rules designed to protect the endangered right whale, whose numbers have dwindled to just about 370 the last 15 years. The Bangor Daily News reports the rules, which will mean expensive changes in how fishermen catch and haul lobsters, are currently paused until 2028, but Golden and others are pushing for a moratorium until 2035. Environmentalists oppose the pause, citing the species’ declining numbers and endangered status, although statistics show whale deaths from entanglement in lobster fishermen’s gear is almost nonexistent.
King Pulls Support of Israel Due to Gaza Situation
(Washington, DC) Senator Angus King is calling for an end to all U.S. support for Israel, as long as there are children in Gaza who are starving as a result of actions by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The Bangor Daily News reports King’s declaration comes after continued reports and photos of dying and malnourished children in Palestine surfaced over the weekend as Israel continued to bomb Gaza in the now nearly two-year-old war. Monday’s strikes by Israel reportedly killed at least 36 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip. President Trump on Monday disagreed with Netanyahu’s claim there is “no starvation” in Gaza. Aid agencies and the UN have continued to warn Gaza’s more than 2 million residents are severely food insecure due to Israel’s actions. Meanwhile, the U.K. on Tuesday said it would recognize Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel agrees to a cease-fire, pressuring Israel to halt a war that has put Gaza on the brink of famine.
Sanford Police Chief Announces Run Against Chellie Pingree
(Sanford) Sanford’s police chief has thrown his hat into the political ring, announcing this week he plans to run against Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree for a chance to represent southern Maine in Congress. Republican Eric Small wrote on FB, “Maine deserves better … Maine families are struggling with rising crime, open borders and failed drug policies that are destroying our towns.” The career law enforcement officer said he would work to ensure Maine does not become a sanctuary state and would “prioritize the needs of the state’s residents.” WMTW reports Pingree has represented the first Congressional District since 2009.
Environment
Fisherman Hauls in Giant Lobster
(Casco Bay) A fisherman in Casco Bay has this month’s best story to tell. WMTW reports lobsterman George Stover caught a 20 pound blue tinted lobster. The giant female was egg-bearing, so after a quick photo op with George’s wife, Karen, the hefty crustacean was gently placed back into the ocean to raise her young.
Powerful Quake Rocks Ring of Fire
(Kamchatka, Russia) A powerful earthquake off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula last night prompted tsunami warnings in Japan, throughout the Pacific, and along the entire western coast of the United State and most of the rest of the Americas. The 8.8 magnitude quake, which hit about 7:20 p.m. Eastern, is said to be the sixth largest in recorded history. Authorities in Hawaii reported tsunami waves began arriving around 1 a.m. this morning, although residents had ample warning to move to higher ground, and no widespread damage is being reported so far.
EPA to Revoke Legal Basis for Tackling Climate Change
(Washington, DC) The Environmental Protection Agency plans to revoke the legal basis for tackling climate change. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency will rescind a 2009 declaration which concluded that planet-warming greenhouse gasses pose a threat to public health and upholds the government’s legal authority to combat climate change. Maine officials, including Attorney General Aaron Frey, Representative Chellie Pingree, and Governor Janet Mills, said the proposal from the US EPA undercuts more than a decade’s worth of progress toward protecting the health of the planet and its people. The Governor cited recent extreme weather and flooding that threatens the environment, public health, and the economy.
Crews Work to Clean Up Rockland Oil Spill
(Rockland) The Coast Guard, Maine Marine Patrol, and D-E-P are ALL monitoring pollution from a grounded vessel in Rockland Harbor. Officials told WABI the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is being used to make sure oil and fuel on board “THE ENDEAVOR” are cleaned up properly. Fifty gallons of diesel were removed by the D-E-P, and a containment boom was placed around the ship.
Health
Northern Light Health Names CEO
(Bangor) Northern Light Health has named a new CEO. The healthcare organization announced Tuesday the hiring of Dr. Guy Hudson, a pediatric urologic surgeon. Dr. Hudson previously served as Chief Executive of a healthcare provider in Alaska, where he had a proven record of leading critical access hospitals and serving rural communities. Of particular interest, Northern Light reports Hudson has a record of “leading financial turnarounds in hospital systems.” Northern Light Health reportedly lost $156M and was carrying nearly $617M in debt at the end of 2024, according to the Bangor Daily News. Current CEO Tim Dentry, who announced his retirement earlier this year, will serve until Dr. Hudson takes over in October.
Economy
Governor Mills Cuts Ribbon on Affordable Housing
(Newcastle) Governor Janet Mills yesterday cut the ribbon on a new 16-unit affordable apartment complex in downtown Newcastle. The two eight-unit apartment buildings, part of Governor Mills’s Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program, feature Maine-made wood-fiber insulation and stem from the Maine Jobs & Recovery Act. Over the past three years, the program has supported construction of more than 400 new apartments in Maine communities, from Sanford to Presque Isle.
Infrastructure
Town of Machias Plans for Future for Upper Machias Bay
(Machias) Who can forget the unimaginable pictures of a flooded downtown Machias during a storm that impacted much of eastern Maine in January 2024? Then-Town-Manager Bill Kitchen said he and others were caught off guard with how quickly things changed with the storm. The town of Machias and the Sunrise County Economic Council are leading a community-engaged process to plan a healthy, resilient, and prosperous future for Upper Machias Bay, and they’re looking for public input. It’s hoped the master plan will promote civil public conversations about such crucial issues as options for the Machias Dike replacement project, flood protection for the downtown commercial district and more. You’ll find a link to the survey in the latest issue of the SCEC bulletin.
Stonington Again Forced to Import Drinking Water
(Stonington) “Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink” – so goes the famous line from Coleridge’s poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” … and so goes the situation once again this summer in the town of Stonington. The Bangor Daily News reports for the fourth summer in five years, Stonington officials are having to buy tens of thousands of gallons of water from off-island due to a short supply … the result of dry weather and increasing tourism. The town says residents are increasingly subdividing buildings into smaller apartments for tourist dollars, which adds to dwindling water supplies. Combined with a nearly totally dry July, that’s led to the town’s need to spend about $10K on 100,000 gallons of water to get them through August, when tourism tends to slow.
MDOT Commissioner Retires
(Augusta) Bruce Van Note will retire as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation next month. Under Van Note’s leadership, MDOT paved thousands of miles of roads, repaired hundreds of bridges, and strengthened efforts to protect infrastructure from extreme storms, according to the Office of Governor Janet Mills. Upon his retirement, Governor Mills will appoint Deputy Commissioner Dale Doughty as Acting Commissioner. Van Note’s official retirement date will be August 15th.
Dow to Be Inducted into MAB Hall of Fame
(Ellsworth) And a big congratulations to our very own Mike Dow! Star 97.7 learned yesterday Mike will be inducted into the Maine Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame at the 2025 Annual Meeting and Awards GALA. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy!