New Maine border chief is agency vet familiar with state
FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine (AP) — The new U.S. Border Patrol chief for Maine’s border with Canada is a veteran of the agency who has also served on the border with Mexico. William Maddocks was official sworn in as chief of the Houlton sector during a Tuesday ceremony, the Bangor Daily News reported. The sector’s previous chief had been Jason Owens, who is slated to be transferred to Washington, D.C., to instruct incoming border agents. Maddocks has served in the border patrol since 1997 and has made stops in the Rio Grande Valley and Yuma, Arizona.
Feds eye new rules to protect right whales from fishing gear
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal ocean regulators are considering new rules to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from fishing gear. The whales number only about 360 and are vulnerable to entanglement in the gear. Most of the government’s efforts to protect them has focused on regulating gear used to harvest lobsters and Jonah crabs. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it is working on a new phase of rules that will focus on other fisheries, including those that use gillnets and those that use traps and pots.
Maine gov: Approval of COVID-19 vaccine means get your shot
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s governor says the full approval of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine means it’s time for the state’s remaining unvaccinated people to get their shots. Maine Gov. Janet Mills said getting vaccinated is especially important because of the rise of the delta variant in the state and elsewhere. Mills, a Democrat, said there is “no time to waste in getting your shot” because of the rise in cases and hospitalizations in Maine. The federal government announced full approval of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday.
RIGHT WHALE PROTECTION
Feds eye new rules to protect right whales from fishing gear
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal ocean regulators are considering new rules to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from fishing gear. The whales number only about 360 and are vulnerable to entanglement in the gear. Most of the government’s efforts to protect them has focused on regulating gear used to harvest lobsters and Jonah crabs. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it is working on a new phase of rules that will focus on other fisheries, including those that use gillnets and those that use traps and pots.
DROUGHT RELIEF
Drought disaster relief loans available for Maine businesses
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s governor is calling on small businesses around the state to apply for federal disaster loans that are available because of the drought the state suffered earlier in the summer. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said farm-related entities in nine Maine counties can apply for the low-interest economic injury disaster loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration. Mills said any Maine businesses impacted by the drought, which damaged crops for farmers, should see if they are eligible for a loan. The loans can be up to $2 million. Applications are due by April 13.
GIANT RUBBER DUCKY
Giant rubber ducky takes flight; where will it land next?
BELFAST, Maine (AP) — A 25-foot inflatable duck named Joy has disappeared after bringing days of delight to a seaside Maine community. Belfast Harbor Master Katherine Given says the rubber ducky was removed Saturday because of weather concerns brought by Tropical Storm Henri. She says people were upset to see the duck leave the harbor. The duck’s arrival two weekends ago remains a mystery. But Given says she received an anonymous letter from someone claiming to be responsible. She says the letter alludes to the duck landing somewhere else after Belfast.
HEALTH EQUITY
Maine taps leader for new health equity office
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine’s state health department says it has hired a policy specialist to lead its new office that will address health disparities in the state. Ian Yaffe will be the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of Population Health Equity. He currently works as the chief operating officer of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID-19 Social Supports Program. State health commissioner Jeanne Lambrew said Yaffe has a track record of building relationships between the state and communities that experience health disparities.
CREMATION LAWSUIT
Crematorium accused in lawsuit of letting bodies decompose
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Maine residents are suing a Lewiston cremation business on allegations that it allowed the bodies of family members to decompose without refrigeration. The Sun-Journal reported last week that in June the state Board of Funeral Service shut down the business and revoked its funeral licenses when they said they found unrefrigerated bodies stacked in its basement. The lawsuit brought against the business by six Mainers says that the business violated its contract with the families and intentionally inflicted emotional distress on families who trusted it to handle remains with care. Kincer’s lawyer has declined to comment.