HOMELESS ASSAULT
3 teens charged after recorded attack on homeless in Maine
AUBURN, Maine (AP) — Police say a video of a pair of homeless people being assaulted led to the arrest of three teenagers in Auburn, Maine. Two girls, ages 14 and 16, were charged Sunday with aggravated assault while a 15-year-old boy who reportedly recorded the attack was charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. The attack happened in Moulton Park. The victims who were assaulted declined to cooperate with investigators.
GULF OF MAINE-WARMING
Researchers: Fast-warming Gulf of Maine set record in 2021
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Gulf of Maine, one of the world’s fastest-warming ocean waters, soared to a new new record for surface temperature. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute announced Monday that the surface temperature in 2021 was more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit above the long-term average. Researchers said the 2021 average was 54.14 degrees Fahrenheit (12.3 degrees Celsius) compared to 53.63 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius) in 2012. The warming represents a continuation of a trend. Researchers say the rate of warming in the Gulf of Maine has been nearly triple that of the world’s oceans since the early 1980s.
DIGITAL PARK PASS
Senators want a digital “America the Beautiful” pass
BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) — Senators from Maine and Montana want the National Park Service to create a digitized version of a pass that provides access to hundreds of protected sites. Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine and Republican Sen. Steve Daines of Montana said this month that a digital version of the “America the Beautiful” pass would be helpful for park visitors. The paper version of the pass provides access to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. The senators have made their case to National Park Service Director Charles Sams.
SHIPYARD CAUCUS
Lawmakers form caucus to support four US shipyards
KITTERY, Maine (AP) — Maine’s congresswoman is a member of a new caucus that will focus on the country’s public shipyards. Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree said Friday the caucus was created to provide support to the nation’s four public shipyards, including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine. The others are Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Washington and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Hawaii. The shipyards repair and retrofit aircraft carriers and submarines.
BRIDGE PROJECT
Work on key Maine-NH bridge to finish ahead of schedule
KITTERY, Maine (AP) — A more than $60 million project to rebuild a bridge that serves as a key entry way into Maine is wrapping up ahead of schedule. The Maine Department of Transportation says it plans to complete construction on the Piscataqua River Bridge two months ahead of time. The department says the work should be finished by the end of March. The state said the project goal is to make safety and mobility improvements. It says the work should preserve the bridge for another half century. The bridge is at the border of Maine and New Hampshire.
GOVERNOR CANDIDATE-CHILD PORN
Ex-Maine gov candidate out of jail after child porn arrest
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A former gubernatorial candidate in Maine has bailed out of jail after his arrest on charges of possession of child pornography. Officials with the Hancock County Jail said Eliot Cutler made bail in the afternoon on Saturday after a day in custody. He had been held on $50,000 bail. The Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit arrested Cutler without incident on Friday at a home he and his wife share in Brooklin, about 130 miles from Portland. The 75-year-old twice ran for governor as an independent, using his personal wealth to pay for the two unsuccessful campaigns in 2010 and 2014.