VIRUS OUTBREAK-MAINE
New unemployment claims trend downward in Maine
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — New claims for state unemployment insurance in Maine have dipped below 2,000 for the first time in months. The Maine Department of Labor recorded about 1,700 initial claims for state unemployment insurance for the week that ended Feb. 27. The number hadn’t been below 2,000 since November. The unemployment rate for December, the most recent month for which statistics are available, was 5%. That’s less than half what the rate was in April 2020, but nearly twice the December 2019 rate.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-IMMIGRANTS-JAIL
Suit seeks information on immigrants held in county jail
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Three groups believe U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is using the Cumberland County Jail as a short-term detention center for immigrants and are suing for information. The ACLU of Maine, the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project and the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic also want information about transfers and plans for an ICE facility in Scarborough. The federal lawsuit filed Wednesday said the federal agency violated the Freedom of Information Act by failing to respond to a request on Jan. 15.
STATE POLICE FORENSIC LAB
Defense lawyer alleges “systemic failure” at Maine crime lab
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A criminal defense lawyer claims that officials have withheld information that could reveal “systemic failures” at the state police forensic lab and has filed a lawsuit against Maine for the release of those documents. The Bangor Daily News reports that Lyman-based lawyer Amy Fairfield said Tuesday in a filing that the public deserves transparency in how the criminal justice system operates. Fairfield submitted a Maine Freedom of Access Act request last year for information about the resignation of a crime lab employee in 2012 after he allegedly lied to superiors. Prosecutors have disclosed to several defendants that evidence the employee was involved with may have credibility issues.
HYDROPOWER TRANSMISSION CORRIDOR
Lawmaker wants cross border hydropower permit reconsidered
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine is asking the Biden administration to reevaluate its approval of a presidential permit for a $1 billion project aimed at bringing Canadian hydropower to the New England grid. The permit issued by the Department of Energy in January provided the green light for the interconnect at the Canadian border. On Thursday, Golden raised several concerns, including the adequacy of the environmental review and public input in his letter Thursday to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.