State News From The Associated Press 4-5-21

Lawmakers want new help for vets with dementia implemented

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The congressional delegations of Maine and Alaska want the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to work quickly to implement a law designed to address a gap in care for veterans who suffer from early-stage dementia. The delegations want the VA to implement provisions of the State Veterans Homes Domiciliary Care Flexibility Act, which Congress passed late last year. The law gives the VA the ability to waive eligibility requirements for domiciliary care for veterans with early-stage dementia.

Collins, King want to grow greenhouse gas reduction program

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s two U.S. senators have joined a push to expand a multistate effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King said they are joining other senators on a legislative effort to grow the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The initiative seeks to use the market to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the power industry. Collins and King said they support a proposal that would establish an Office of Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Sense of hope accompanies Passover, Easter in New England

BOSTON (AP) — The Easter and Passover holidays were accompanied by more relaxed restrictions on houses of worship and gatherings in New England, along with worries about the spread of COVID-19. Bishop Thomas Brown of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine said the Easter holiday feels different from last year. People now have a better understanding of the pandemic — and they see light at the end of the tunnel. Rabbi Andrew Vogel of Temple Sinai in Brookline, Massachusetts, said there’s a confluence of hope surrounding the Jewish Passover, which ends Sunday evening, and the Christian celebration of Easter, also Sunday.

TOM BRADY CARD

Tom Brady rookie football card fetches $2.25M at auction

NEW YORK (AP) — Quarterback Tom Brady is proving he’s the GOAT not just on the football field but also in the collectibles market: A rookie football card just sold for $2.25 million. The card was signed by the GOAT himself. The price fetched through online sports auction house Lelands broke a football card record that was previously held by none other than Brady. Another rookie card previously sold for $1.32 million on PWCC Marketplace last month. Brady’s seven Super Bowl victories earned him title of GOAT, or Greatest of All Time.

DRUG SENTENCES

Maine senator wants reforms for drug sentencing rules

BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) — Maine’s independent senator says he supports a proposal to change federal mandatory drug sentencing policies to allow more flexibility. Sen. Angus King said the Smarter Sentencing Act would give federal judges authority to conduct individualized reviews to determine appropriate sentences for some nonviolent drug offenses. He says the country’s “one-size-fits-all” approach to sentencing has unfairly resulted in nonviolent offenders spending decades in prison. The act has the support of a group of senators that includes mostly Democrats along with Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah.

COD FISHING

Maine cod fishery posted smallest catch in history in 2020

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — One of the oldest marine industries in the United States suffered the least productive year in its recorded history last year in part because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Maine cod fishery stretches back centuries and has been in dire straits in recent years because of tough new management measures and a lack of fish. The 2020 fishery brought less than 59,000 pounds of fish to the docks. That is more than 20,000 pounds less than 2017. That was previously the least productive year. The fishery routinely topped 10 million pounds per year in the 1980s and early 1990s.

BORDER AGENTS

Border patrol agents are being sent to the southern boarder

Hundreds of Border Patrol agents from the northern border and coastal areas are being reassigned to assist with a surge at the southern border. Customs and Border Protection says agents from the Houlton sector are among more than 300 border agents who are being temporarily redeployed. Officials say both the number of families and unaccompanied children trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border is growing.