Penobscot County deputy sheriff dies in snowmobile accident
Curling is poised for a return to northern Maine
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (AP) — Curling may soon return to northern Maine. The Presque Isle Recreation and Parks Department is working to revive curling that ceased in the 1980s in the city. If so, it would be only the third curling group in the state. Maine’s other established groups are the Belfast Curling Club and the Portland-based Pine Tree Curling Club. Curling is a sport in which teams take turns sliding rocks down a sheet of ice toward a scoring area. Players furiously sweep the ice along the way to help speed up the stone or curl it around an opponent’s stone on its way to the target.
BIRD FLU-MAINE
Avian influenza discovered for 1st time in Maine
A highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected for the first time in a backyard flock in Maine. Federal officials confirmed the avian flu on Sunday and said state officials quarantined property in Knox County and eliminated the birds to prevent the spread of the disease. The virus is often spread to domestic poultry by infected wild birds. U.S. surveillance efforts have identified the virus in a number of states including New Hampshire, where it was found this month in 20 wild ducks.
MISSING CHILD ALERTS
Maine is 1st New England state with alerts for disabled kids
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine has become the first state in New England to create an alert system for missing children with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The Maine Department of Public Safety and supporters of the new system said it addresses a gap in emergency alerts in the state. The new program is part of the state’s silver alert system that was created more than a decade ago to inform the public about missing older residents who suffer from cognitive impairments. Eighteen states around the country have alert systems for children with intellectual and development disabilities.
OFFICER MENTAL HEALTH
Push to help officers, families with mental health struggles
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s Republican senator has joined a push to help families of public safety officers who have suffered mental health challenges or died by suicide. Sen. Susan Collins is part of a bipartisan group of senators that is working to help those families receive public safety officers’ benefits. Those benefits are currently limited to physical injuries. Collins says the program could be changed to provide financial support to families of firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians and others who die in the line of duty or are disabled. Collins said it would also allow families of officers who die by trauma-linked suicide to apply for benefits.
FOREVER CHEMICALS-MAINE
Governor aims to add funding to fight ‘forever chemicals’
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine lawmakers are going to consider more funding to fight “forever chemicals” as more farms discover contamination. The group of chemicals known as PFAS have been found in hundreds of farm sites where sludge or papermaking waste containing the toxins was spread. PFAS are also being found in wells and landfills. The chemical is linked to cancer and other health problems, and Gov. Janet Mills is proposing to add another $9 million into fighting the contamination, with more than a third going to improved testing. That’s on top of $30 million already in the budget dedicated to testing and mitigation efforts.
CHINA-MAINE LOBSTER
China accused of failing to buy more Maine lobster
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s congressional leaders say China has failed to live up to its promise to buy more Maine lobster under a deal that eased a trade war under former President Donald Trump. Maine lobster industry exports were hurt by retaliatory Chinese tariffs in 2018 and the lawmakers say the Maine lobster industry failed to see substantial export gains after China committed to buying more U.S. goods. The sparring over lobster came as the U.S. trade representative accused Beijing of failing to carry out market-opening promises made when it joined the World Trade Organization. China rejected the accusations.