New coral protections coming to areas off New England
BOSTON (AP) — Federal regulators have signed off on new protections for thousands of square miles of deep-sea corals off New England. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday it has approved a final rule that designates the coral protection areas on Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine. The largest of the underwater areas is called the Georges Bank Deep-Sea Coral Protection Area and it is located mostly southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. NOAA officials say the protected zone places prohibitions on bottom-tending commercial fishing gear, with the exception of certain kinds of crab traps.
Bus bail out championed by Collins to start giving aid
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A program to help the U.S.’s bus companies survive the coronavirus pandemic that was championed by a Maine senator is now accepting applications. Republic Sen. Susan Collins co-wrote the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services grant program and said this week that the program is now open. The program is slated to provide $2 billion in coronavirus relief to bus, motorcoach and other passenger vessel companies. The pandemic has hit the nation’s approximately 3,000 private bus lines hard. Nearly all of them were shut down in the early stages of the pandemic and many have struggled to recover since.
Woman gets 14 years in prison for baby’s smothering death
BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — A woman who fell asleep in her car after using methamphetamine and smothered her 5-month-old daughter has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for negligent homicide. District Judge Kurt Krueger sentenced 32-year-old Audria Nickerson on Monday for the September 2019 death. Krueger gave her credit for 438 days of time served. Defense attorney Ellie Boldman said Nickerson’s childhood was fraught with abuse and neglect and that she became addicted to meth when she was 12. Boldman sought a shorter sentence that would focus on intensive, inpatient treatment.
MAINE MARITIME PRESIDENT
Maine Maritime leader to step down after next academic year
William Brennan, president of Maine Maritime Academy, plans to retire after the upcoming school year. Brennan assumed the post in May 2010, becoming the institution’s 14th president, and said his tenure was “the best job” he’d ever had. The announcement on Monday triggers a formal transition process that will be led by the Board of Trustees, which is setting up a search committee. Trustees will be assisted by a consultant, AGB Search. Brennan’s successor will be named in 2022.
DORMANT RAIL CORRIDORS
Maine looking for new uses for dormant rail corridors
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine is going to investigate potential new uses for dormant rail corridors in the state. Gov. Janet Mills recently signed into law a proposal that directs the Maine Department of Transportation to evaluate potential uses for the state-owned corridors. The department will eventually submit a report to the Maine Legislature. Democratic Rep. Art Bell of Yarmouth proposed the bill. He said Monday he is “hopeful that it will provide an opportunity to reimagine the way we interact with miles of dormant, state-owned rail corridors, lying fallow.”
SHIPYARD UPGRADE
Key component arrives for $158M upgrade at Navy shipyard
The Navy’s improvements at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard are taking a big step forward. Maine-based Cianbro spent a year and a half building the 5,000-ton, precast concrete entrance for one of the shipyard’s three dry docks. It arrived by barge on Monday. The so-called “Superflood Basin” project will make the shipyard less reliant on tides and allow submarines to enter Dry Dock No. 1 without a buoyancy assist system. It’s part of the Navy’s long-term upgrades to four public repair yards to speed maintenance and return ships and submarines to the fleet faster at a time of growing threats.
BABY EEL FISHING
Baby eels rocketed back up in value this year
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s fishery for baby eels recovered in value this spring. The fishery is one of the most valuable in the country on a per-pound basis. The baby eels, called elvers, are valuable to Asian aquaculture companies that raise them to maturity so they can be used as food. The eels are typically worth around $2,000 per pound, but fell to $525 per pound in 2020 due to disruption and economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But the Maine Department of Marine Resources reported recently that the eels were worth $1,849 per pound this year.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-MAINE
Maine’s agriculture fairs back on the moo-ve after year off
MONMOUTH, Maine (AP) — Maine’s agricultural fair season is back after a year off due to the coronavirus pandemic. The agricultural fairs, which celebrate Maine’s food producers and rural heritage, run from June to October every year. They started back up again on June 18 this year. The 26 fairs include events such as Common Ground Country Fair and Fryeburg Fair that draw thousands of people to rural Maine. The next fair on the schedule is the Monmouth Fair, which runs from Wednesday to Saturday. The fairs are returning as new COVID-19 cases are dropping in the state.
PLASTIC BAG BAN
Maine’s statewide single-use plastic bag ban starts July 1
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s statewide ban on single-use plastic bags will begin on July 1. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection said it is working with retail stores and restaurants to make sure they are ready. The Maine Legislature passed the ban in 2019 and it was initially scheduled to go into effect in April 2020. The state delayed enforcement of the ban due to aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. The first delay was because of concerns about the transmission of the virus, and a second delay was because of concerns stemming from disruption in packing supplies due to the pandemic.