Research finds more Lyme-carrying ticks in Maine forest
ARROWSIC, Maine (AP) — Researchers with a Maine university and hospital say new research shows ticks that can transmit Lyme disease have been increasing in abundance in a forest in the state’s mid-coast region over the last three decades. Lyme disease is spread by infected deer ticks and can cause damage to joints, the heart and the nervous system if not treated. Researchers from the University of Maine and Maine Medical Center Research Institute’s Lyme & Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory collected ticks from small mammals in Holt Research Forest in Arrowsic to track prevalence. They released their findings Monday.
Maine lawmakers pass bill to prevent campus sexual assault
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A committee of the Maine Legislature has approved a proposal that backers say would better support sexual assault survivors on college campuses. The bill from Democratic Senate President Troy Jackson would require prevention and trauma-response training for college students and employees. It would also make sure Maine colleges designate advisors to support survivors. The Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee approved the proposal on March 18. Other states including New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut have passed similar bills. Maine’s bill now needs the approval of the full Legislature.
BEACH KILLING
Man charged in partner’s death on beach enters insanity plea
YORK, Maine (AP) — A man who was charged in the death of his partner on a Maine beach has entered a plea of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity. Police found Rhonda Pattelena dead on Short Sands Beach a year ago. An autopsy later determined she died from blunt force injury to the head. Police charged Jeffrey Buchannan with murder stemming from Pattelena’s death. Both were from Bedford, Massachusetts. The Portland Press Herald reports Buchannan’s attorney said during a Monday hearing that he is requesting an independent evaluation of his client.
PARKING LOT KILLING
Man convicted in parking lot killing sentenced
AUBURN, Maine (AP) — A Maine man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of a Massachusetts resident in an Auburn fast-food parking lot has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Police initially charged Trai Larue, of Lewiston, with murder stemming from 21-year-old Roger Cornell’s 2020 death. Cornell, of New Bedford, was found injured in the parking lot and later died at a hospital. Larue was sentenced in Androscoggin County on Monday. WCSH-TV reports some of his sentence will be suspended.
MONTENEGRO OFFICIAL
Maine governor meets with Montenegro defense chief
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s governor has welcomed the chief of defense of the Balkan country of Montenegro. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills met with Brigadier General Milutin Đurović at the Maine State House on Monday. She also signed a proclamation declaring the day “Montenegro-Maine Partnership Day.” Mills office says the state and country have a history of cooperation that stretches back 15 years. Mills said Montenegro has been a source of stability and freedom in the Balkan region in a time of turmoil due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
BABY EEL FISHING
Maine’s lucrative baby eel fishery starts this week
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s lucrative fishery for baby eels starts this week. Baby eels, called elvers, are sometimes worth more than $2,000 per pound because of their value to Asian aquaculture companies. Maine has the only significant fishery for the eels in the U.S. The fishing season runs from Tuesday to early June in Maine’s rivers and streams. It can also end early if fishermen run out of quota before early June. The industry has dealt with price swings in recent years. The eels sank to $525 per pound in 2020 and rose to about $1,850 last year.
STOLEN MARIJUANA
Police suspect weed businesses hit by same group of burglars
GORHAM, Maine (AP) — The robbery of an estimated $59,000 worth of weed products from a Maine marijuana business in October was just one of a string of weed-related burglaries in New England that police suspect are being organized by the same group. The Portland Press Herald reported a warrant granted by a Maine judge in January shows multiple recreational marijuana businesses in Maine and Rhode Island have been burglarized in the past two years. Gorham police said the building’s security cameras caught video of a license plate, leading them to a potential suspect with an address in New Bedford, Massachusetts. No arrests have been made. The Gorham Police chief declined to comment.