TRANS HOUSING DISCRIMINATION
Panel: Facility discriminated against transgender woman
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s human rights panel has ruled in favor of a transgender woman who complained that she was discriminated against when she was denied a room by an assisted living facility. The Maine Human Rights Commission voted 3-2 on Monday that there were reasonable grounds that Sunrise Assisted Living in Jonesport violated the Maine Human Rights Act and discriminated against the complainant on the basis of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. The petitioner complained to the commission that Sunrise would not admit her because the facility was concerned she wanted to reside with a female roommate.
MAINE TRIBES-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Violence Against Women Act to include Maine Native Americans
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The reauthorized Violence Against Women Act includes language to make sure Maine’s Native American tribes are protected under it. Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree pushed for the inclusion of the language. She said Monday the change brings Maine’s tribes under the jurisdictional provisions of the Violence Against Women Act, as it does for other nationally recognized tribes. Pingree said the fix is a “long-overdue correction.” Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis said Native American women living in Wabanaki territories in Maine previously lacked access to protections and resources afforded their peers elsewhere.
STATE HOUSE CLOSED
Maine State House closed due to burst water pipe
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The Maine State House is closed because of a burst water pipe. A spokesperson for House Speaker Ryan Fecteau advised State House workers that the water system problem caused the temporary closure of the building. A notice also went out Monday morning telling staff to work remotely until more information becomes available. Committee meetings were still scheduled to happen as planned.
POLICE PURSUIT-COURT RECORDS
Courts, BMV act after license retained after fatal crash
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles and court officials have scrambled to close a gap in tracking and sharing information about criminal convictions that should result in license suspensions. The problem surfaced when a man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter following a crash during a police pursuit caused another crash — again while being chased by police. A one-page document that would’ve allowed the BMV to process his driver’s license suspension was never sent by court staff despite the BMV’s requests. On Friday, officials including Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Valerie Stanfill, Maine’s chief justice, came to an agreement on correcting the problem, but details haven’t been released.
WATER DISTRICT LOCKOUT
Water district says fired super locked accounts on exit
MADISON, Maine (AP) — A Maine water district says its former superintendent locked its board of trustees out of key systems when he was on his way out. The Anson-Madison Water District in Madison said the former superintendent changed email and Amazon account passwords as well as locking trustees out of financial, mapping and billing applications. The Bangor Daily News reported that the trustees filed a lawsuit via their attorney in U.S. District Court in Bangor. The trustees fired the superintendent in November. His attorney told the Daily News that “there are disputed facts on how this all took place.” He said he and the former superintendent planned to meet with the district.