Lawmakers approve plan to increase dental insurance value
Maine Senate approves student loan relief for home buyers
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine is close to approving a proposal to forgive up to $40,000 in student loan debt for some first-time home buyers. The Maine Senate voted in favor of the proposal on Tuesday. The Portland Press Herald reports the state might make the program available to income-qualified buyers who agree to live in the home for at least five years. The proposal does not require the home buyers to have graduated. Supporters say it’s based on a similar program in Maryland.
One of US’s most rural states looks to expand rural law
FORT KENT, Maine (AP) — One of the U.S.’s most rural states is looking to improve access to lawyers for residents who live far from urban areas. The Maine Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a proposal from Democratic Senate President Troy Jackson that would authorize the University of Maine School of Law to open a satellite rural legal aid clinic in Fort Kent. Jackson, who represents a district in far northern Maine, said the move is about protecting the rights of rural Mainers while creating opportunities for young people to pursue legal education.
UTILITY REFORM BILL
Maine senate committee fails to agree on utility reform bill
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A Maine legislative committee has failed to compromise on the provisions of a utility reform bill that seeks to introduce new accountability measures for electric utilities in the state. The Portland Press Herald reports the senate committee members were split three ways on the bill in a vote Friday. That means the full state legislature will consider the different versions of the bill with a vote in the senate expected next month. Last month, Gov. Janet Mills introduced the bill that attempts to fix utility performance issues by forcing companies to meet regulatory standards around customer service, complaints, reliability and power restoration.
LYME DISEASE-MAINE
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.
SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS
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.