Bill would expand northern border commission another decade
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A bill introduced by a group of U.S. senators in northern New England would allow a 10-year reauthorization for a commission that provides funding and jobs for economic development projects across the region. New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s office says the Northern Border Regional Commission bill “encourages business retention and expansion, invests in public infrastructure and promotes tourism.” The bill broadens the commission’s ability to award grants to projects to address the opioid epidemic and other substance use disorders; child care and health care needs; and housing construction or rehabilitation.
Oldest New England Patriots fan dies at 106
MEXICO, Maine (AP) — A Maine woman recognized by the New England Patriots as their oldest fan has died at age 106. Myrtle Milledge, of Mexico, was well into her 40s when the Patriots became a franchise in the old American Football League in 1960. The Patriots honored Milledge as their oldest fan earlier this month by giving her a personalized jersey complete with the number 106 on the back. Her obituary in the Sun Journal says Milledge died peacefully on Tuesday at the Hospice House in Auburn. She was predeceased by her husband Frederick in 1970.
Owner of statue of segregationist judge says it’s in storage
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The owner of a statue of a former U.S. Supreme Court chief justice says he has removed the statue at the request of county commissioners. The statue of Melville Fuller, who was from Maine, was removed without warning from its granite base outside Kennebec County Courthouse on Sunday. Fuller supported segregation laws and the Maine Supreme Judicial Court requested the county move the statue in 2020. Robert Fuller Jr., a relative of the chief justice, owns the statue. He said in a letter to the Kennebec Journal on Wednesday that county commissioners never required him to give advanced notice of his intention to remove the statue.
ODD-HARD HAT FOUND
MaineDOT hard hat discovered 3,300 miles away in Norway
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A man in Norway discovered a Maine Department of Transportation hard hat more than 3,300 miles away from its home. The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that Sigbjørn Eide was collecting trash earlier this month along Norway’s coast when he came across the white hard hat buried in seaweed. Eide said he found out the hat belonged to the Maine Department of Transportation and reached out to the department through social media. MaineDOT posted on Facebook about the find, saying it wouldn’t ask Eide to return the hat. The department is planning to send him some items from the state.
NAVY DESTROYER-SOLDIER
Delegation, governor want destroyer to be named for war hero
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s congressional delegation and governor are urging the Navy to name a destroyer for a hero who sacrificed his life while attempting to rescue a downed helicopter crew in Somalia. Master Sgt. Gary Gordon, of Lincoln, and another Delta Force soldier volunteered to help and fought until they ran out of ammunition in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. Their heroism was subject of the book and movie, “Black Hawk Down.” Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden, and Gov. Janet Mills made their formal request this week in a letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.
MAINE LEGISLATURE
Equal rights amendment gets 1st vote in Maine Legislature
A proposed equal rights amendment in Maine enjoys broad support from Democratic lawmakers and the governor, but it failed to get a two-thirds majority in its first vote in the House. The House voted 80-57 Wednesday along party lines in favor of amending the Maine Constitution to prohibit discrimination based on gender. It now goes to the Senate. Both chambers would have to approve the measure by two-thirds majorities to send the amendment to a statewide vote to be ratified.
FATHER’S DEATH-SON ARRESTED
Man charged with killing father in Maine city
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Police in Maine’s largest city say they arrested a man after finding the body of his father in an apartment. Portland police said they found the body of the 50-year-old man on Tuesday. WMTW-TV reports police say they arrested his 22-year-old son and charged him with murder after an investigation. Police did not release any other details about the investigation on Wednesday afternoon. It was unknown if the son had had hired an attorney.
TREE TRIMMING-POWER COMPANY
Maine utility to trim 4,600 miles of trees to reduce outages
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A Maine power company says it plans to trim thousands of miles of trees this year to try make the state’s energy grid more reliable. Central Maine Power said Wednesday the $27 million trimming program will target 4,600 miles in 2022. Maine is the most heavily forested state in the country, and falling trees and limbs are the leading cause of power outages. The power company says it uses five-year cycles of tree work to reduce outages. That makes certain that about a fifth of the system is trimmed every year.
CONSTRUCTION ZONE-TROOPER HIT
Trooper hurt in construction zone crash on Maine, NH border
KITTERY, Maine (AP) — A Maine State Police trooper was injured near the border of Maine and New Hampshire when a vehicle hit his cruiser in a construction zone. Police say the crash happened on the Piscataqua Bridge on Interstate 95 and injured 43-year-old Trooper Thomas Welch on Wednesday morning. They say Welch was transported to a hospital for injuries that were not life threatening. Police from Maine and New Hampshire were still reconstructing the crash and investigating on Wednesday evening. They said the occupants of the pickup truck that struck the cruiser were not injured.