Drug overdose deaths increase by more than 20% in Maine
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The number of drug overdose deaths in Maine increased by nearly a quarter in 2021. The Portland Press Herald reports an estimated 636 people died of overdoses last year, up 23% from the previous year. Researchers informed Maine lawmakers this week that the growing number of deaths is related to fentanyl being laced into other drugs without the knowledge of the user. University of Maine researcher Marcella Sorg told lawmakers the trend in Maine reflects a growing problem nationally.
Trial of Maine man in Alaska woman’s death underway
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The trial of a Maine man who is charged in the death of a woman at an Alaska university in the 1990s is underway after numerous delays. Forty-seven-year-old Steven Downs, of Auburn, is on trial for charges including murder and sexual assault in the death of 20-year-old Sophie Sergie in 1993. The Sun Journal reports the trial is expected to last six weeks. Downs was a freshman at University of Alaska at Fairbanks at the time of Sergie’s death. She had been staying with a friend who was a student at the university when her body was discovered in a bathroom.
POWER OUTAGE-NORTHERN MAINE
Thousands lose power in far northern Maine
MADAWASKA, Maine (AP) — Thousands of customers were without power in far northern Maine due to a disruption of electricity on the other side of the Canadian border. Power company Versant Power said more than 11,000 customers lost power Wednesday. Almost all of those were in Aroostook County. The utility says customers in communities including Fort Kent, Madawaska, Frenchville and Saint Agatha were dealing with interruptions in service. The utility said the cause of the outages was unknown on Wednesday evening.
OFFICER CHARGED-MAINE
Portland officer charged with assault for on-duty incident
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Portland police officer has been charged with assault for an incident that happened on duty last May. Officials said Wednesday that patrol officer Christopher Crout was issued a summons after an investigation into the incident on May 2. The investigation was initiated after a standard Portland Police Department review of the incident, and the Cumberland County district attorney reviewed the findings. Portland Police didn’t release details of the incident, and the victim was not identified. It wasn’t immediately known of Crout had an attorney. He’s on administrative leave.
WARMING WATERS-MAINE
Waters off New England hit record fall temperature in ’21
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine science center reports a body of water off New England and Canada had its warmest fall surface temperatures on record last year. The Gulf of Maine has long been a focus of climate scientists because it is warming faster than most of the world’s oceans. The Gulf of Maine Research Institute said last week that average sea surface temperatures in the gulf reached 59.9 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 degrees Celsius). The Portland Press Herald reports the figure is about 7% higher than long-term average.
DOL-DATA BREACH
DOL miscue allows personal information to be seen by others
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The Maine Department of Labor says personal information belonging to 146 unemployment benefit recipients were seen by others because of a mistake made while uploading tax documents. Officials said Wednesday that the documents were loaded into the incorrect accounts, making the benefits and other details available for others to see for about 90 minutes. The exposed data did not include birth dates, banking information or full social security numbers.
REWRITING CORRECTIONS LAWS
Report says Maine should change language in correction laws
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — According to a report that’s under review by a lawmaking committee, Maine should rewrite some of its laws relating to the state corrections department so that the language is not demeaning to people in its system, who are regularly referred to in statutes as “prisoner, inmate or convict.” The Sun Journal reported Tuesday that the push to rewrite laws has wide support in the state, including from Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and lawmakers like Rep. Bill Pluecker. The state corrections commissioner has created a department-wide initiative to use person-centered language to de-stigmatizing incarceration.