Driver dies in head-on collision in Pembroke, Maine
PEMBROKE, Maine (AP) — Maine State Police say a driver has died after he was struck in a head-on collision in Pembroke. Police said the crash happened when another driver crossed the center line on a road and struck Hardy Preston’s car on Wednesday night. The 58-year-old Preston, of Edmunds Township, died at the scene. The other driver, who was 17, suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital. Police said that distracted driving and driving too fast appear to be factors in the crash.
DOUBLE FATAL CRASH-ARREST
Police arrest driver in crash that killed 2 in Maine
WATERBORO, Maine (AP) — Police in Maine arrested a Waterboro man on charges stemming from a July crash that killed two people. The Waterboro crash killed 45-year-old Mark Schepis of Waterboro and 12-year-old Luke Stephenson of Waterboro. Police charged 64-year-old Charles Stoddard with two counts of manslaughter stemming from the crash on Wednesday. Police said Stoddard was driving when his vehicle left the roadway, struck the marquee of a cafe and hit the two pedestrians while they were waiting to be seated at the cafe.
OZONE WARNING
Ozone levels will be elevated in parts of Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The Maine Department of Environmental Protection says parts of Maine will experience elevating ground-level ozone concentrations. The agency said the ozone levels are expected to reach unhealthy levels for the southwest coast and the high elevations of Acadia National Park on Thursday. The agency said elevated ozone levels can cause reduced lung function and irritation among children, healthy adults who exert themselves and people who suffer from a respiratory disease. The Maine DEP said residents can protect themselves from unhealthy air quality by adjusting their schedules to avoid strenuous outdoor activity during the afternoon.
DIGITIZING MAIL-PRISONS
Ohio prisons to digitally scan mail to thwart drug smuggling
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio prisons system plans to digitally scan virtually all incoming mail for inmates to thwart drugs smuggled by soaking them into paper. The agency says each prison facility will have scanning equipment to digitally copy mail under a contract with a company called GTL. The contract is worth an estimated $22.7 million annually. The scanned mail will be delivered to tablets or wall-mounted kiosks that inmates already have access to. Legal mail will be exempt from being digitized. A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, JoEllen Smith, says that in the interim, the agency has been photocopying thousands of pages of mail a month.
COOLING CENTERS
Cooling centers opening in Maine amid heat advisory
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory in the state of Maine, and cooling centers are opening in the southern part of the state. The heat advisory began at noon on Wednesday and is scheduled to stay in effect until Friday at 8 p.m. Temperatures are expected to reach the 90s, and it will feel like it’s more than 100 degrees due to high heat and humidity. Cooling centers are opening in Portland at Troubh Ice Arena, the South Portland community center and other locations in Falmouth, Scarborough, Lisbon and elsewhere.
TRANSMISSION CORRIDOR-VACATED LEASE
Judge vacates lease, jeopardizes transmission corridor
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine judge has vacated a lease of public land to Central Maine Power Co. for a 1-mile section of a planned 145-mile transmission corridor that could jeopardize the entire project. Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy ruled Tuesday that the agreement to lease the land was invalid because public land officials failed to make a required finding that the lease would result in no reduction or substantial alteration to the public lands. The Portland Press Herald reports that opponents of the corridor sued to object to the state’s lease to Central Maine Power of the publicly owned land in West Forks and Johnson Mountain.
CANNABIS SALES
Recreational cannabis sales in July smash previous months
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Retailers in Maine sold $9.4 million in adult-use cannabis products in July, which is 45% more than the previous month. The Portland Press Herald reported Monday that business owners credit the boom to summer tourism, the July Fourth holiday, a larger array of products and falling prices. Sales for recreational marijuana have increased each month since the market first opened in the state in October last year. Also for the first time, July sales in recreational marijuana essentially matched sales of medical marijuana in the state. The Maine Office of Marijuana Policy says it collected more than $943,000 in sales tax revenue in July.