AUGUSTA — Maine’s public safety commissioner pushed back forcefully Thursday against concerns that people in an emergency could be at risk amid a staffing shortage at the regional dispatch center, saying it is “reckless” and “damn right not true,” even as more than half of the positions there remain vacant. Commissioner John Morris acknowledged a shortage of […]
public safety
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Body pulled from a pond in Lisbon on Sunday evening
[UPDATE: Police identify drowning victim] LISBON — The body of a 61-year-old woman was pulled from a small, private pond off Potter Road on Sunday. Chief Marc Hagan said Monday that police were called about 6 p.m. about a possible drowning. When they arrived, they found the property owner had pulled the body out of […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Androscoggin County commissioner charged with operating under the influence
LEWISTON — A county commissioner, Matthew “Matt” Roy, was charged by city police early Saturday with operating under the influence. Roy, 33, who could not be reached for comment, represents Greene, Durham and part of Lewiston on the seven-member Androscoggin County Commission. His term ends this year. Roy is also a former Lewiston School Committee […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Lewiston shelter dog kills family Yorkie; two people injured
LEWISTON — Two people were injured Monday afternoon when they tried to separate two dogs at an apartment, where one of the dogs died of its injuries. “We’re just devastated,” said Diraida Santos, owner of the 5-year-old Yorkie that was killed. Santos said the attack occurred after a friend of her 17-year-old daughter stopped at […]
Posted inNation / World
U.S. data show increase in fatal crashes on April 20
U.S. drivers are 12 percent more likely to get into a fatal crash on April 20, the unofficial celebration of all things marijuana, even if they aren’t cannabis consumers, according to research published Monday. Researchers at the University of British Columbia and University of Toronto used accident data from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Senate rejects Nate Libby's pedestrian-safety bill
AUGUSTA — A bill to make more money available to municipalities for pedestrian-safety projects appeared dead after failing on an 18-17 party-line vote in the Senate Thursday. Sen. Nate Libby, D-Lewiston, sponsored the bill and said he is “increasingly disappointed” that lawmakers turned down the measure. The Maine Department of Transportation had said the new […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Crime rates down in Maine; Mexico remains high
As crime rates drop across the state, one tiny town in Oxford County stands out as the crime capital of Maine. Mexico, which has a population of 2,681 and bills itself as “the Gateway to the Western Mountains,” has a crime rate that’s 50 percent higher than any other municipality in the state, according to […]
Posted inMaine
Bates College confronts ‘distressing’ racial incident, promises reform
Private investigators hired by Bates College to look into complaints that security officers mishandled a confrontation with a black student at a May 13 dance on campus determined that the officers acted appropriately in difficult circumstances. The probe, detailed in a six-page report released this week by the college, found that one student had engaged […]
Posted inMaine
Lawmakers hit the brakes on Nate Libby’s pedestrian safety bill
AUGUSTA — A measure aimed at creating a state fund to help municipalities pay for pedestrian safety improvements is on hold. The bill proposed by Sen. Nate Libby, D-Lewiston, sought to create a fund in the Department of Transportation to bolster pedestrian safety through new lights, paint, signs, speed bumps and intersection fixes. Lawmakers hit […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
New Gloucester selectmen proceed with TIF amendments
NEW GLOUCESTER — Selectmen on Monday agreed to proceed with amendments to the town’s Tax-Increment Financing District, which covers the Pineland complex. Legal assistance will be required to complete necessary TIF amendments that would enable the use of TIF funds toward Public Works facility debt service in the future. The information will be sent to […]