Author: Steve Robinson

Xisen Guo, 68, pleaded guilty Jan. 14 to federal drug trafficking charges, becoming the first individual in Maine to do so as the result of an investigation into a massive rural drug trafficking operation linked to Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations. Guo, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, was arrested at 549 Main Road in Passadumkeag during a raid that uncovered an unlicensed marijuana cultivation operation. While his guilty plea pertains solely to illegal marijuana trafficking at that location, court records reveal much more information than has previously been reported, including what appears to be an act of kidnapping as…

Northern Light Health, the nonprofit that operates some of Maine’s largest health care providers, is bringing back COVID-19 Era mask mandates for all employees. “Beginning Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 7 am, all staff will be required to wear a Northern Light Health issued masks in all areas,” Deborah M. Sanford, vice president of Nursing and Patient Services, said in a Monday email to employees. “This change was made led by recommendations from our Infectious Disease team in response to the Maine CDC tracking upward trends of respiratory illness, including influenza and COVID across our state,” Sanford said. Light A…

The Maine Gambling Control Unit (MGCU) reported that sportsbooks in the state accepted $52.7 million in bets during December, a 1.5 percent increase from the previous month. That gambling activity resulted in just $417,000 in taxes from the month’s wagers, according to information provided by MGCU to Covers.com. The two legal sportsbooks in Maine, Caesars and DraftKings, recorded the following performance in December, according to Covers: OperatorBetting HandleGross RevenueCaesars Retail Sportsbooks$452,000$17,000DraftKings Mobile Sportsbook$44.7 million$3.4 millionCaesars Mobile Sportsbook$7.6 million$500,000Total$52.7 million$3.9 million DraftKings has maintained a dominant position in Maine’s sports betting market since its launch, with its gambling volume for 2024…

Donald J. Trump, once a twice-impeached political pariah navigating the stormy seas of legal battles, made history Monday by becoming the 47th president of the United States. Taking the oath of office on the hallowed grounds of the Capitol, Trump cemented his return as the ultimate political phoenix, delivering a fiery inaugural address that promised a “Golden Age” for America. “It’s been a long journey,” Trump declared before a packed Rotunda. “But today, we prove that nothing is impossible in this great nation. The American people have spoken—and they have chosen greatness.” WATCH and SHARE highlights from Trump’s Second Inaugural…

President Donald Trump is expected to issue hundreds of Executive Orders on his first day in office, including several orders aimed at restoring order to America’s southern border with Mexico, combatting transnational criminal organizations, and reversing the Biden Administration’s immigration policies. Of President Trump’s first-day Executive Orders, 11 will make sweeping changes to immigration enforcement, according to several news reports. At an event for supporters Sunday night in Washington, D.C., Trump seemed to corroborate the claim that his Day One use of executive authority will be extensive. “Oh, you’re gonna have a lot of fun tomorrow watching the news,” said…

Just hours before leaving office, President Joe Biden issued presidential pardons for retired Gen. Mark A. Milley, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “This issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” Biden said in the statement. https://twitter.com/TheMaineWire/status/1881319888372842565 “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country,” he said. Neither Milley nor Fauci…

Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) told House Republicans that if they can’t support raising taxes as outlined in her budget, then they should expect her to sign whatever proposal legislative Democrats put on her desk, including a potential increase in Maine’s income tax. According to House Republican leaders, the Mills Administration informed GOP lawmakers that she would pursue a Democrats-only budget that included tax increases during the Friday, Jan. 10 briefing — even before she had formally released her plan, LD 208. Last Friday, Jeremy Kennedy, the governor’s chief of staff, and Kirsten Figueroa, the Commissioner of the Department of…

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows provided an update to the Maine Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee regarding the administration of the state’s voter registration systems in 2024 on Wednesday. The letter, addressed to the committee chairs, Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec) and Rep. Laura Supica (D-Bangor), Bellows provided the following stats: Maine’s Central Voter Registration (CVR) system supported 1,040,701 active voters as of Jan. 1, 2025 90.8 percent of the state’s voting-age population is registered to vote, including 182,583 inactive voters 22,611 voter records were deleted in 2024 due to required list maintenance activities, including 12,892 deceased voters and…

A political cartoonist who developed an online following among anti-Trump readers of the Washington Post has been arrested on charges that he possessed child sexual assault material. Darrin Bell, who has been celebrated in left-wing media for unflattering caricatures of Trump voters, Republicans, and parent rights advocates, was taken into custody Wednesday morning by Sacramento County Sheriffs Deputies, according to multiple media outlets. The Sheriff’s Office has said Bell’s arrest was the first by the task force connected to AI-generated material. Such material was incorporated into existing child pornography law on Jan. 1. https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1879830822838206807 Bell’s arrest drew widespread attention from…

A high-ranking official at the cabinet-level state agency admitted Wednesday that she intentionally withheld a report from lawmakers last year to protect the Office of Cannabis Policy’s legislative agenda. Anya Trundy, the deputy director for legislative affairs for Maine’s Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS), made the shocking confession during the Office of Cannabis Policy’s first appearance before the legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. According to Maine law (Sec. B-19. 28-B MRSA §113, sub-§1), Trundy was required to submit a report to the committee on Feb. 15, 2024, as lawmakers were returning to Augusta for the second half…

Maine’s chief cannabis regulator said Wednesday that the Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) is aware that it’s been issuing licenses to individuals associated with transnational organized crime. However, the agency lacks the authority to deny licenses to those who apply for medicinal cultivation licenses even when the applicant was previously linked by law enforcement to illicit cannabis activity, said OCP Director John Hudak. At a hearing before the Maine Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee (VLA), Director Hudak attempted to address concerns about the hundreds of illegal cannabis cultivation operations in mostly rural Maine that are controlled by Asian Transnational…

The state of Maine is staring down a $450 million “structural deficit” for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. “Structural deficit” is the term government employees use when the state’s economists are predicting money allocated by lawmakers or spent by Gov. Janet Mills will be nearly half-a-billion short of the revenue collected in taxes. It’s kind of like saying that you have a “structural deficit”—as opposed to a problem—when you’ve got $37 in your checking account but you were planning on spending $2,000 on cocaine, DraftKings, and strippers over the weekend. The massive spending crisis follows the state’s unprecedented spending binge the…

Maine’s Democratic Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-CD1) says the wildfires raging in Southern California are the result of rising temperatures, stronger winds, and longer droughts — all caused by climate change. “It’s clear that climate change is helping fuel these fires,” Pingree said in an Instagram post. In a similar post on BlueSky, Pingree predicted that the fires will, because of climate change, “only get worse.” Interestingly, Pingree posted a similar message at the same time on X about the LA fires but failed to identify climate change as the culprit. Although the fires are still raging and an investigation has…

The Maine Republican Party on Saturday elected York County GOP Chairman Jim Deyermond to serve as the chairman of the part’s state committee, replacing Joel Stetkis, a former Republican state lawmaker from Canaan. “I’m excited to get rolling and get to work — the next elections are right around the corner and Maine badly needs conservative values to fix the direction of the state,” Deyermond said. “I look forward to getting our message out and bringing Republicans, Independents, and people of all political stripes together to win. I appreciate this opportunity to represent all Maine Republicans,” said Deyermond. Deyermond, a…

The Mills Administration warned lawmakers Tuesday that Maine’s looming half-a-billion dollar budget shortfall and a $118 million projected MaineCare deficit may mean the state needs to increase revenues—which is government-speak for raising fees and taxes. Although the memo mentioned potentially reducing some expenditures already obligated under existing law, the administration was clear that the only revenue-increasing option Gov. Janet Mills (D) isn’t currently considering is a broad increase in Maine’s income tax. Maine currently has among the highest tax rates of any state in the country, with a WalletHub study pegging our tax burden at the 3rd highest in 2023.…

The Maine State Police (MSP) have arrested a suspect in the murder of William “Nate” Robinson, 34, of Austinville, Virginia, whose body was found inside a trash barrel in the Schmid Preserve in Edgecomb on December 3, 2023. The Maine Wire previously reported on Dec. 19 that the Maine State Police were investigating a homicide linked to the location of an illicit cannabis operation at 57 Conant Road in Turner—a location previously described in police records obtained by the Wire as being controlled by a “Chinese gang” from New York. [RELATED: Maine State Police Investigating Homicide at Illicit Cannabis Grow…

More than 80 cannabis industry stakeholders gathered Friday in Augusta to address the myriad challenges facing Maine’s adult-use and medical marijuana markets as the State Legislature prepares for its 132nd session. From testing issues to regulatory complaints, the discussion painted a sobering picture of an industry grappling with high operating costs, illegal competition, and intense dissatisfaction with state oversight. State Rep. David Boyer (R-Poland), who organized the event and played emcee during the day-long discussions, said the purpose of the gathering was to unite those across the cannabis industry to focus their energy and activism on shared political challenges. The…

The Democratic majority on the Joint Rules Committee voted Monday to preserve the controversial practice of “concept drafts,” brushing aside Republican leaders’ efforts to boost transparency in Maine’s legislative process. In a party-line vote, the committee rejected a Republican proposal to ban the placeholder bills, which critics say allow lawmakers to sidestep scrutiny and introduce sweeping changes to state law with minimal public input. Republican leaders Sen. Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook) and Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) have argued that concept drafts erode public trust and shield lawmakers from accountability. [RELATED: Lawmakers to Consider Limiting Use of Vague “Concept Draft”…

Maine’s Democratic leaders held a press conference in Bath on Thursday to tout the beginning of a new program that will see most Maine businesses and employers pay an additional one percent tax on paychecks to fund a paid leave program that will begin in 16 months. Starting with the first pay period of 2025, most Mainers will see smaller paychecks, thanks to the so-called Paid Family and Medical Leave program, which was signed into law last year by Gov. Janet Mills (D) as part of a supplemental budget bill. “The backbone of Maine are small businesses, and as a…

Advocates for Voter ID laws in Maine will mark a significant milestone on Monday with the submission of over 170,000 petition signatures to the Secretary of State’s Office, aiming to bring a citizen initiative requiring voter identification to the 2025 ballot. The grassroots effort, led by Dinner Table Action Executive Director Alex Titcomb and Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn), relied on minimal funding and more than 800 volunteers to gather the signatures. The legislation behind the petitions, if enacted, would require voters to present a photographic ID or otherwise prove their identity in order to cast a vote on Election Day.…

As many as 40 percent of the noncitizens present in Maine, including those who entered the U.S. illegally and those with legal alien status, may have voted in the 2024 elections or had votes cast in their names, according to records obtained and reviewed by the Maine Wire. That figure is based on a collection of MaineCare records obtained by the Maine Wire, as well as voter data from the Central Voter Registration (CVR) system maintained by Maine’s Secretary of State. While the MaineCare records show the individual’s immigration status, date of birth, and home address, the CVR records show…

A routine traffic stop on I-295 in Richmond on Dec. 28 turned into a major drug bust, leading to the arrest of two men allegedly trafficking fentanyl, cocaine base, and prescription narcotics. According to the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department, deputies seized more than 100 grams of fentanyl, 51 grams of cocaine base, and 100 OxyContin pills during the late-night operation near Exit 43. At approximately 10:08 p.m., a deputy stopped a vehicle for a defective headlight while working an impaired driving detail. The vehicle’s operator, who was unlicensed, and the passenger, who owned the car, quickly drew the deputy’s suspicion.…

Arkansas State Police arrested a 53-year-old Oklahoma man on Christmas Eve after a traffic stop led to the discovery of 248 pounds of marijuana, authorities said Monday. The story was first reported by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in an article published Dec. 30. [RELATED: Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ Brother Helped Transfer Nine-Acre Black Market Cannabis Grow to Chinese National “Mother” Living in Guangdong Province…] Xiong Ren, of Chickasha, Oklahoma, was stopped around 6:50 p.m. Tuesday along Interstate 40 near the 165-mile marker for a traffic violation, according to the agency. Ren was driving a white 2021 Ford F-150 at the…

The shooting of a 34-year-old Virginia man whose body was discovered in Edgecomb on Dec. 3 is tied to an illicit Chinese marijuana grow in Turner, the Maine Wire has learned. The Maine Wire previously reported on Thursday that the Maine State Police (MSP) were investigating a homicide at 57 Conant Road in Turner, the location of a massive marijuana cultivation facility controlled by Chinese criminal organizations. The MSP announced on on Dec. 10 that William N. Robinson, of Austinville, Va., had been found dead of an apparent homicide near a Lincoln County land preserve not far from the banks…

A Guatemalan illegal alien who was deported under the Trump Administration has been arrested for allegedly setting a sleeping subway passenger on fire, resulting in her death, at a Brooklyn station early Sunday morning, New York City authorities said Sunday. According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the suspect used a lighter to ignite the clothing of the victim, who was seated near the end of the subway car. CCTV footage shows the illegal alien, who has yet to be identified, calmly watching from a subway bench as his victim immolates. Officers on patrol in the station responded to the scene…

The federal government under President Joe Biden has engaged in broad efforts to censor Americans’ speech and manipulate information relevant to elections, according to a new congressional 17,000-page report from the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. The report is the culmination of work by congressional Republicans to document what they view as abuses of federal authority by a diverse range of federal agencies and officials. “By investigating, uncovering, and documenting executive branch misconduct, the Select Subcommittee has taken important steps to ensure that the federal government no longer works against the American people,” the report states.…

The CEO of the nonprofit group that owns most of Maine’s newspapers received a massive pay increase for 2023, a boost that came even as she reduced staff at many of Maine’s once-reputable newspapers. The pay hike was first flagged by former Press Herald reporter Ted Cohen in a post at Patch.com. As Cohen reported, Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, CEO of the National Trust for Local News, saw her salary skyrocket 217 percent over two years, according to the organization’s latest IRS filings. Hansen earned $116,667 in 2021, $231,250 in 2022, and a whopping $370,540 in 2023. Hansen is not only…

State House Republicans are joining calls for reform at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) after 145 unionized workers issued a letter of no confidence in the leadership of Bobbi Johnson, director of the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS). The audacious letter, rare to see from government employees, criticizes systemic issues under Johnson’s tenure, which they argue compromise the safety and well-being of vulnerable children in Maine. [RELATED: Director of Maine’s Worst-in-the-Nation Child Welfare System Finally Resigns…] The issues highlighted in the letter have been at the forefront of Maine politics for more than a…

The Maine State Police are investigating a homicide that is tied to the location of a former illegal Chinese marijuana grow in Turner, near the defunct Twitchell-Turner-Auburn Airport. According to a source who asked to remain anonymous, the Maine State Police (MSP) have asked at least one Turner property owner for security camera footage from the first week of December. It was disclosed during that process that they were investigating a homicide that involved a large building on Conant Road. [RELATED: Asian Biz Owners with Illegal Cannabis Ties Targeted in Complex Home Invasion Spree Across Maine…] A law enforcement official…

Authorities seized nearly 1,500 marijuana plants, 53 pounds of processed marijuana, and other items during a drug raid at a property in Cornville on Thursday afternoon, according to the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office. The raid, conducted around 1 p.m. on West Ridge Road, involved detectives from the sheriff’s office, Waterville Police Department, an agent from the U.S. Border Patrol, and a field investigator from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy. Officers discovered an extensive indoor marijuana cultivation operation in a detached garage, as well as additional growing activities inside the residence. Two individuals, both from Brooklyn, New York, were arrested…

Three Chinese nationals — only one of which was present in the U.S. legally — have been arrested in York County for attempting to scam and 82-year-old Alfred man out of more $100,000. “The local man was tricked into believing that he received a fraudulent payment in his bank account and was coaxed to repay the money with cash,” the York County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Wednesday. “The scammers received an initial payment of $50,000 and returned on Tuesday to collect the remaining funds,” the Sheriffs office said. The suspects are accused of tricking the elderly man…

Top Maine Democrats and the Mayor of Lewiston joined President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for a holiday party at the White House on Saturday. “Incredible White House holiday party last night with President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden,” Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline wrote on Facebook. Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) and Senate President Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) also appeared in the set of pictures Sheline posted online, though neither of them similarly advertised the occasion on their own social media pages. Sheline’s Facebook friends seemed less excited about the event than he was. “I think…

A Holden man with a troubling criminal history is back in custody after a domestic violence incident, raising questions about why he wasn’t behind bars serving his sentence. David MacKenzie, 52, was arrested Wednesday night after police responded to a 911 call from an upset woman around 9:15 p.m. Holden Police said in a Facebook post that MacKenzie was charged with domestic violence assault, operating after suspension, and violation of conditions of release. Just months ago, in August, MacKenzie was convicted of four felony charges related to a hit-and-run incident that left 87-year-old Ira Williams of Brewer injured. Prosecutors said…

On Jan. 1, working Mainers will ring in the new year with an unwelcome gift from State House Democrats: the largest blue-collar tax increase in decades. Unless lawmakers can summon the common sense to kill off this ruinous program in its infancy, most Maine workers and businesses will be subjected to the new one percent tax on paychecks beginning next month. The central planners in Augusta styled this wage theft as a payroll tax, with 0.5 percent coming from employees and the other half coming from business owners. However, economists generally agree that the burden of payroll taxes is completely…

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the District 64 license plate to the newly elected representative for the district; however, the plate is a 2022-2024 issue, which means it belongs to Rep. Colleen Madigan, whose term expired on Dec. 5, 2024. We regret the error. A term-limited Waterville representative was caught taking advantage of her potentially expired legislative plates — and the slim design on her Chevy Spark — to slip into a “No Parking” zone over the weekend. Rep. Colleen Madigan (D-Waterville) Ex-Rep. Colleen Madigan, a Democrat from Waterville, who was just term-limited out of…

As Maine continues to struggle with how to confront the sprawling networks of Chinese criminal organizations that have taken the state’s medicinal and black-market marijuana business, two men have been arrested in New York on bank fraud charges connected to the illegal cannabis conspiracy. Yuantong Liang, 36, and Yongliang Deng, 34, both described as U.S. citizens, were taken into custody in New York on Thursday following their indictment by a federal grand jury in Maine, according to a report from the Bangor newspaper. https://twitter.com/TheMaineWire/status/1866559025300517063 [RELATED: Triad Weed: How Chinese Marijuana Grows Took Over Rural Maine…] The men face multiple charges…

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), embroiled in serial controversies related to its overtly political and unethical conduct, has found time to chase down the real threat to Americans’ safety and security: Barstool Sports’ podcast host Kirk Minihane. Minihane, host of the eponymously named and thrice-weekly podcast, the Kirk Minihane Show, revealed on Thursday that he’d received a phone call from a Lexington Police Department detective who said he was investigating a tip that Minihane had threatened a Florida health care executive. The Lexington PD gumshoe, in Minihane’s telling, said the alleged threat was made on his podcast (it wasn’t)…

The U.S. government has executed the fourth “large-frame charter removal flight” returning Chinese illegal aliens to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in less than six months, the Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday. The Dec. 9 flight carried Chinese nationals who had no lawful basis to remain in the United States. Illegal immigration by Chinese nationals has increased exponentially during the Biden Administration, with a record 78,701 Chinese nationals attempting to enter the U.S. illegally in FY 2024, according to DHS data. In 2022, that number was just 27,756, growing to 52,700 in 2023. For comparison, DHS data shows…

A new trend sweeping Maine schools has parents concerned about the lack of transparency surrounding medical treatments — including sex-change related treatments and mind-altering prescription drugs — their children might be receiving without their knowledge or consent. The latest battleground is the Gardiner area school system, where school officials are looking to create a so-called “school-based clinic” — that is, a fully functional medical office colocated with a public school. Maine School Administrative District 11, which includes Gardiner, West Gardiner, Pittston, and Randolph, is currently reviewing a contract that would create medical office within the schools capable of prescribing drugs…

Despite the hysteria over rising sea levels, allegedly caused by anthropogenic global warming, a comparison of satellite imagery of some of Maine’s most iconic coastal communities shows virtually no change in the coastline. The lack of sea level rise, however, hasn’t stopped the flood of apocalyptic predictions. The most recent comes from Newsweek this Sunday, a hyperventilating story based on predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). According to those predictions, New England can expect an increase in sea levels of between 10 to 12 inches over the next five decades. Newsweek somberly conveys this news with the…

The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency (MDEA) announced Thursday the arrests of six individuals on drug trafficking charges, including two foreign nationals from the Dominican Republic. The arrests followed a coordinated execution of two search warrants early Wednesday morning, according to Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss. The operation resulted in the seizure of illegal drugs, firearms, and suspected drug proceeds. The arrests include: Adrian Batson (60) — Charged with Class B Unlawful Trafficking of Fentanyl; bail set at $50,000 cash. Juancel Ledesma Pujols (20) of the Dominican Republic — Charged with Class A Aggravated Trafficking of Fentanyl, aggravated due to…

A Maine family developed unusual respiratory symptoms after touring a Monmouth home that had previously been used as an illicit Chinese marijuana grow. Unbeknownst to the family, the home had only been listed for sale after it was exposed by the Maine Wire as a former unlicensed cannabis grow and an active shipping hub for Chinese-made pesticides and fungicides. The property, located at 254 Academy Road in Monmouth, was placed for sale shortly after the Maine Wire published an Aug. 29 story identifying it as part of an illegal Chinese drug trafficking network with ties to California. According to a…

Maine Democrats confirmed their nominees for Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and State Auditor on Wednesday, with Republican only nominating alternative candidates for AG and Secretary of State. Following the votes taken by a unicameral body State Senators and State Representatives, Attorney General Aaron Frey, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and State Auditor Matt Dunlap will continue on in their posts. State Rep. Joe Perry of Bangor will assume the role of State Treasurer after beating out former Gorham representative Maureen Terry to replace Henry Beck. Republican lawmakers offered no alternative candidates for State Auditor or State Treasurer…

There’s a special place in hell for fraudsters who target the elderly, but for 39-year-old Sohil Usmangani Vahora, of Des Plaines, Illinois, federal prison will have to suffice. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the legal permanent resident from India has been sentenced to nearly 16 years in federal prison for his involvement in a multimillion-dollar telemarketing scam that targeted predominantly elderly victims across the United States. Vahora pleaded guilty in October 2023 to charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen sentenced Vahora to 188 months in prison, followed…

The FBI and Maine State Police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating Stefanie Damron, a 14-year-old girl from New Sweden, Maine, who has been missing since September 24, 2024. Authorities announced a reward of up to $15,000 on Monday for information that leads to her safe return or the arrest and prosecution of anyone involved in her disappearance. Damron was last seen walking into the woods near her home on West Road. She was wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeved blue shirt, and black Harley Davidson hiking boots. She is described as a white female with green eyes and shoulder-length…

Black Friday is typically a day when normal people relax with family and watch as hordes of materialistic zombies storm big-box stores to trample one another and get into fistfights over the latest flat-screen television. But this year is special. This year is special because the Kirk Minihane Show has offered perhaps the single greatest t-shirt ever sold as part of Barstool’s legendary Black Friday stream-a-thon. This magnificent artwork, for the uninformed, is inspired by the penultimate scene of “Triad Weed: How Chinese Mafia Infiltrated Maine,” which premiered in September at the Saco Drive-In Theater. Click here to get the…

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey (D), facing a surprise challenge from the left-wing District Attorney of Kennebec County and still reeling from a sexual misconduct scandal that embroiled his office last year, has come up with a plan to shore up his support among Democratic lawmakers. He’s going to sue “Big Oil.” Frey announced the last ditch effort to preserve his progressive street credentials in a press release this week. [RELATED: 8-Month Long “Error in Judgement” – Maine AG Aaron Frey Caught in Sex Scandal…] The litigation, at least as Frey’s office describes it, would be a sweeping case against…

Maine’s Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) has for the first time released documents related to its investigations into marijuana operators who have fallen afoul of the agency and had their licenses revoked. The documents, which the Maine Wire has been pursuing for more than a year, offer a glimpse at how the cannabis regulatory agency has tried — and failed — to grapple with the scope of Asian transnational organized crime in Maine. The records show that the OCP has barely scratched the surface of the massive criminal networks surrounding the 270 illegal Chinese marijuana grows that the U.S. Department…

The Maine Wire has obtained a copy of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s list of 270 properties in Maine that federal law enforcement believes are affiliated with Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations. Additionally, we’ve obtained records from the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy that show, in a few limited cases, that the agency has revoked cannabis licenses acquired under the names of out-of-state operatives who are or were part of the illegal Chinese grows. At the same time, we have obtained Maine law enforcement records that show the Maine State Police have been aware of the activities of “Chinese gangs…

Bangor horror writer Stephen King’s perplexing attempt at music-making surfaced this week on X, and users were quick to react with acid tongues and mockery, with one user comparing King to their imaginary “elderly, liberal, lesbian, Subaru-driving aunt who owns a bakery for cats and dabbles in music.” https://twitter.com/JebraFaushay/status/1861571440761356608 The bizarre video of King bebopping at an undisclosed musical venue spawned a host of jokes at the horror novelist’s expense. https://twitter.com/MaineLogic/status/1861614713882186015 https://twitter.com/JamesPleickhar2/status/1861591098226839623 This isn’t the first time King, a New York Times best-selling author and literary icon, has conjured comments about his resemblance to someone’s aunt. In April, a viral…

As Maine Wire reporter Edward Tomic detailed on Friday, agents from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) have ordered longtime poultry farmers Scott and Tracy Greaney to destroy 300 turkeys or else face ruinous financial penalties. The Greaney Family Farm, in operation for more than 30 years, has never had this kind of trouble before. This year, however, DACF agents have decided that the Greaneys should destroy the birds or else face fines worth nearly $30,000. The DACF claims that the Greaneys have run afoul of labeling and licensure requirements, which necessitates the wonton destruction of enough…

A Franklin County man who was charged in an alleged marijuana conspiracy is taking his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the federal investigation into his licensed cannabis business has raised profound constitutional questions about the limits of governmental power. A federal grand jury indicted Lucas Sirois, 44, of Farmington, and his now-ex-wife Alisia in 2021. The indictment was based on federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents’ theory that he was the kingpin of a sprawling black-market marijuana conspiracy that had earned millions of dollars through out-of-state sales. The alleged out-of-state sales form the foundation of the federal…

Tom’s of Maine — a popular toothpaste brand celebrated for it’s use of all-natural ingredients — has violated federal rules around the safety and hygiene of facilities that produce food, drugs, and cosmetics, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for fail During a recent inspection, the Tom’s of Maine manufacturing facility, located in Sanford, was found to be out of compliance with the required rules for “methods, facilities, or controls for manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding” involved in toothpaste production. The news emerged from a Nov. 5 warning letter from the FDA. The letter, addressed to Colgate-Palmolive’s…

The Maine Secretary of State on Monday continued with a series of recounts in races for the State Legislature that were decided by thin margins on election night. But the process hit some bumps in the road as recount staff initially couldn’t account for nearly 100 missing, misplaced, or miscounted ballots in House District 98. Calling the discovery of missing ballots a “snafu,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) gave “kudos” to her staff for identifying the ballot deficit. House District 98, which includes Pownal, Durham, and parts of Topsham and Bowdoin, saw Democrat Kilton Webb named the winner over…

Maine Wire readers and talk radio listeners this week may have followed the imbroglio between me and the Secretary of State’s office this week regarding overseas voters. So I wanted to offer a simple explanation of what happened. For a more in-depth look, read our coverage here. But here’s the skinny: Under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), voters outside the U.S. get to register to vote by email or fax and can submit their ballots in the same fashion. The UOCAVA (pronounced: U-oh-KAVA by those in the biz…) votes typically slant left and usually make up…

Maine’s Second Congressional District is headed for a recount that could last weeks after incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden emerged as the winner following a controversial Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) tabulation. After Election Day, Golden held a slim lead over Republican challenger State Rep. Austin Theriault of roughly 2,000 votes. However, under Maine’s RCV rules, candidates for certain offices are required to receive more than 50 percent of the “first choices” in the ranked ballot system. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) determined that, due to a large number of “blank” first-choice selections and the presence of a declared write-in…

It’s been a while since Chris Busby libelously claimed that I’m a paid subscriber to The Bollard newsletter in an amusing piece that shows he may still have some fight left in him after all. But I did not want his Oct. 15 missive and subsequent hit pieces to pass without remarking. Sadly — and I do mean, sadly — I’m not a paid subscriber to The Bollard. I might have been 10 years ago when it was counter-cultural, sometimes investigative, and interesting. Now it’s become leftist drivel. Not even an interesting species of leftist drivel. The once-intriguing left-wing alternative…

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled against a motion filed by several anonymous men seeking to keep their identities concealed in an alleged sex-trafficking case spanning Greater Boston and the Washington, D.C., area. The decision, which upholds a previous ruling by a Cambridge District Court clerk magistrate, marks the third failed attempt by the defendants—described as high-profile clients of the alleged trafficking operation—to maintain anonymity. The Boston Herald was the first to report on the SJC’s decision Thursday. The ruling affirms that hearings will be open to the public, though records and preliminary documents remain sealed pending further court…

A Maine resident, who asked to remain anonymous, finally received a response to a Feb. 2024 request for public records submitted to Maine’s Secretary of State. The response, which came more than eight months after the request was submitted, included a “good faith” time and cost estimate of $15,075 in order to comply with the request. [RELATED: The Shenna Files: Freedom of Access Under the Democrat Uniparty…] The Secretary of State’s office requested a 50 percent down payment of $7,537.50 in order to begin preparing the public records. Under Maine law, such time and cost estimates are “non-binding.” So nothing…

In December 2023, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows made the unilateral decision to remove Republican President-elect Donald Trump from Maine’s 2024 ballots. The decision came in response to a complaint brought by a hodgepodge of Republican lobbyists and left-wing political operatives, including Sec. Bellows’ longtime friend and former employer, Ethan Strimling. Naturally, there were a lot of questions in Maine and across the country about this controversial decision. As a result, the Maine Wire submitted several Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) requests to the Secretary of State’s (SOS) office seeking records that would shed light on how Bellows arrived…

The Maine Secretary of State’s office responded Wednesday to inquiries from media, party officials, elected representatives, and political professionals about the role overseas votes played in Maine’s 2024 elections and how the office accounts for overseas Absentee Ballot requests in public data. Last week, Maine’s elections saw an unprecedented number of overseas votes cast by U.S. citizens living outside of the United States — 6,589 in the presidential election. The Reagan-era Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) allows military personnel and any U.S. citizens living abroad to cast votes in jurisdictions where they previously lived by fax, email,…

Ranked Choice Voting was sold to Maine voters as a silver bullet that would clean up Maine politics, eliminate spoiler candidates, discourage negative campaigning, and have all kinds of other wonderful benefits. Instead, the reality has been increased confusion, electoral chaos, and diminished trust in the electoral process. As evidence, look no further than the drama currently on display in Maine’s Second Congressional District. The guys at the Maine Policy Institute (of which, full disclosure, the Maine Wire is a project) did a podcast episode today covering the topic that’s worth listening to as well. https://open.spotify.com/episode/4fvranytgqcn6FnHi60i8B?si=6xcHJCcgT3iMeXK2uZm0Cw Yesterday, about two hours…

Editor’s Note: The first version of this story misinterpreted the “blank” vote totals as ballots that had been cast blank across the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ranking spots — in other words, as ballots that would be tossed out immediately during the first round of Ranked Choice Vote tabulation. However, it appears that the “blank” votes recorded in the Secretary of State data include only ballots where the 1st option was left blank but a 2nd and/or 3rd option was entered. This means that any of the 12,635 ballots categorized as “blank” in the Secretary of State’s initial data release…

Maine’s Second Congressional District race between incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden and Republican State Rep. Austin Theriault is headed into uncertain territory after the final results from the Secretary of State’s office found neither candidate won more than 50 percent of the votes. Under Maine’s recently adopted ranked-choice voting system, congressional candidates must win more than 50 percent of the total vote in order to win the election in the first round. In the late stages of the counting, with more than 95 percent of precincts reporting, Golden had maintained a lead of more than 2,400 votes — less…

Republicans in the State House of Representatives—fresh off yet another disappointing election cycle—are poised to cast votes for leadership positions within the minority caucus for the 132nd Legislature. Although former House Republican Leader Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) easily won his re-election fight on Tuesday, holding onto his leadership post may prove more challenging. State House sources tell the Maine Wire that Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Phillips) and former Assistant Republican House Leader Rep. Amy Arata (R-New Gloucester) are both jockeying for the top leadership position, while Rep. Katrina Smith (R-Palermo), Rep. David Boyer (R-Poland), and former Republican leader Rep.…

Republican State Rep. Austin Theriault will demand a recount of the election results from his race against Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep Jared Golden, the Maine Wire can confirm. Currently, Golden holds a lead over Theriault of less than one percent, 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent, and he has been declared the victor by many media organizations as more than 95 percent of precincts have reported vote totals. https://twitter.com/AustinTheriault/status/1854628088069419134 In terms of raw numbers, Golden earned 192,154 votes while Theriault earned 189,751 votes, meaning more than 2,400 votes will need to be reversed or newly discovered in order to change the…

Former President Donald J. Trump survived coordinated lawfare, two assassination attempts, collusion among major tech companies, and a sustained negative campaign from the Washington, D.C., establishment and Vice President Kamala Harris to become the 47th president of the United States. By 2:00 a.m., most major media outlets had called the election in President-elect Trump’s favor, with major victories in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Georgia. Late Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for Vice President Harris announced to disappointed supporters that Harris would not be issuing a public address on Nov. 6 as the results became increasingly…

In the spirit of transparency, here are the emails exchanged with the Boston Globe reporter who covered the Maine Wire’s investigative report showing that noncitizens are registered to vote in Maine and that votes are being illegally cast in their names. Exclusive: Records Show Votes Cast Under Names of Non-Citizens in Multiple Maine Elections Since 2016 The Blob: Maine Wire Exposes Non-Citizen Voting and Election Vulnerabilities Created by Paroled Illegal Aliens [PODCAST] Top Maine Democrats Decline to Investigate Full Scope of Legal and Illegal Aliens Voting in Maine’s Elections Why the Maine Wire Won’t Turn Over Records Proving Non-Citizens Are…

The Boston Globe on Monday published a front-page story featuring the Maine Wire’s investigative report which found noncitizens are registered to vote in Maine and votes have been cast in their names since 2016. For context, here’s the reporting the Maine Wire has done so far showing that non-citizens are registered to vote in Maine and that votes are being cast in their names: Exclusive: Records Show Votes Cast Under Names of Non-Citizens in Multiple Maine Elections Since 2016 The Blob: Maine Wire Exposes Non-Citizen Voting and Election Vulnerabilities Created by Paroled Illegal Aliens [PODCAST] Top Maine Democrats Decline to…

David M. Rollins, the former Democratic mayor of Augusta and a longtime city councilor, is denying allegations leveled by a lifelong resident of Maine’s capital city that he spied on her through her bathroom window in 2018. “I recall, back a few years ago, in my own home, in the privacy of my own home, getting out of the shower and in my bathroom window I see Dave Rollins looking through my window,” Pamela M. Dumas, 55, said in a video posted to Facebook last week. “I was mortified,” said Dumas. Dumas made the claims about her interaction with Rollins…

John L. Martin, the longtime Democratic politician and master State House strategist, was found unconscious Sunday morning in his driveway and is currently hospitalized in Bangor, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. No information was available on his current status. Martin, 83, is currently running for re-election to the State House of Representatives for the District 1 seat vacated by State Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent), who abdicated the seat to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden for Maine’s Second Congressional District seat. One of Maine’s most influential and longest-serving politicians, Martin is known by his nom…

Maine’s top Democratic officials are declining to make any new efforts to secure Maine’s elections against non-citizen voting in the wake of an exclusive report from the Maine Wire showing that non-citizens are registered to vote in Maine. The Maine Wire’s Oct. 10 report used leaked data from Medicaid, known in Maine as MaineCare, that showed the alien status of 18 individuals living in southern Maine and compared that data to voter registration information from the Maine Secretary of State’s office. Medicaid documents list the alien status of all patients according to three options: 1-U.S. Citizens, 2-Legal Alien, or 3-Other.…

Maine voters in the Second Congressional District received campaign mailers this week from the Center for Voter Information (CVI), a 501(c)4 nonprofit group that claims to promote nonpartisan voter education. However, a deeper look into CVI’s materials reveals that the mailers are thinly disguised political advocacy for incumbent Democrat U.S. Rep. Jared Golden with claims that bear little resemblance to the truth. The official-looking mailers, which were sent to Mainers in the middle of a tight race between Golden and Republican State Rep. Austin Theriault, accuse Theriault of wanting to offshore jobs, discourage small business investment, and weaken gun restrictions.…

Could former Republican President Donald Trump win not only the Electoral College but also the popular vote in 2024? It’s a possibility that CNN is preparing its predominantly left-wing audience to face. https://twitter.com/i/status/1849835724243083694 In a segment on Friday, the network brought on polling guru Harry Enten, who cautiously informed viewers that Vice President Kamala Harris is severely underperforming her Democrat predecessors in the aggregate national poll margin. In 2016 and 2020, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then-Vice President Joe Biden entered the final week of October with, respectively, a six point and a nine point lead in the…

Election officials in Lancaster County, Penn., have uncovered approximately 2,500 instances of voter registration fraud, the county’s Board of Elections disclosed in a press release Friday morning. Staff detected the fraudulent applications during routine processing and quickly alerted law enforcement. [RELATED: Exclusive: Records Show Votes Cast Under Names of Non-Citizens in Multiple Maine Elections Since 2016…] The fraudulent forms were submitted to the Board of Elections in two separate batches near the deadline for registration. While the specific nature and scope of the fraud are still under investigation, officials have confirmed that the suspect registrations were flagged during the county’s…

A new report released by the Republican House Oversight Committee warns that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is intensifying its political warfare against the United States, while the Biden-Harris administration lacks a cohesive government-wide strategy to confront the threat. The report, published on October 24, 2024, asserts that federal agencies have largely failed to respond adequately to CCP influence operations that target American institutions, industries, and members of the political elite. Titled “CCP Political Warfare: Federal Agencies Urgently Need a Government-Wide Strategy,” the report accuses the CCP of waging “unrestricted warfare” against the U.S. and highlights failures across 25 federal…

The Franklin County Sheriff’s office made back-to-back traffic stops last Wednesday and Thursday that led to involvement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the deportation of more than a dozen illegal aliens. According to the police log from the Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County officers stopped a van carrying eight occupants who could not speak English in Kingfield on Wednesday. The next day, a deputy stopped a “large van” in New Vineyard carrying six occupants who were determined to be illegal aliens who had entered the U.S. illegally from Ecuador. On both occasions, federal immigration authorities were called in to…

Vice President Kamala Harris’s high-profile CNN town hall with Anderson Cooper quickly turned into a viral social media spectacle Wednesday night. As an example, here’s one of the Democratic presidential candidate’s responses when Cooper asked a question every teenager interviewing for a job at McDonald’s is typically prepared for, Tell me about a mistake you’ve made: COOPER: Is there something you can point to in your life, political life, or in your life in the last four years that you think is a mistake that you have learned from?HARRIS: I mean, I’ve made many mistakes, um, and they range from,…

On Friday, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey sent a second letter to the Maine Wire reiterating Maine Democratic leaders’ request for us to turn over information that would expose a source. The letter came in response to our reporting that non-citizens are illegally registered to vote in Maine and that votes have been cast in their names since 2016. Our report was based on Medicaid records provided to us by a whistleblower. Those records contained descriptions of 18 Maine residents as non-citizens. When cross-referenced with voting data, the results show six of those individuals are registered to vote and five…

The State of Maine welfare office in Portland attempted to help a Venezuelan illegal alien vote on Sept. 23, according to the non-citizen’s Spanish-language interpreter, who works with immigrants in Maine seeking welfare benefits. “She was applying for MaineCare and Food Stamps, and they asked her if she wanted to register to vote,” said the interpreter, Doris Rodriguez, a 72-year-old resident of the greater Portland area. Rodriguez, who intervened to prevent her client from potentially committing a deportable offense, said a Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) employee told her that welfare clerks had been instructed to offer voter…

Whistleblower records obtained by the Maine Wire, along with voter registration records from the Maine Secretary of State’s office, show that multiple votes have been cast in Maine under the names of legal and illegal aliens who should be ineligible to vote in U.S. federal, state, and local Maine elections. The records include state-managed Medicaid billing profiles showing the names, addresses, social security numbers, dates of birth, phone numbers, and immigration statuses of legal aliens and illegal aliens. The records show the legal and illegal aliens billing Medicaid, known in Maine as MaineCare, for hundreds of thousands of dollars in…

The transgender Maine high schooler who assaulted a high school girl on Friday was the subject of previous sexual harassment complaints at a different Maine school just months before video emerged showing him viciously attacking a classmate outside Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor. The video, one of two showing the violent attack, did not capture the entirety of the altercation or the animalistic brutality of the assault on the smaller female student, who spoke to the Maine Wire along with her parents on the condition of anonymity. According to the victim and her parents, the attacker—a biological…

Maine cities and towns — but not all of them — have already begun voting in the 2024 elections, with some municipalities opening elections for in-person absentee ballots as early as August. According to a list from the Maine Secretary of State’s office, as well as emails obtained by the Maine Wire, the process for beginning voting in Maine’s various cities and towns has begun on a rolling, supposedly random basis. Under Maine law, in-person absentee voting begins on Oct. 7, and state law requires that election clerks have ballots in hand for 30 days prior to Election Day. [RELATED:…

Maine Democrats who welcomed Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff to Maine and appeared alongside him at a Portland abortion clinic for a political campaign event have remained silent in the face of credible allegations from three women that Emhoff physically assaulted them. Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, has been a prominent figure in promoting a “new masculinity” and advocating for women’s rights, as he supports his second wife’s campaign for president. According to a report by the Daily Mail, Emhoff allegedly assaulted a former girlfriend during an altercation in Cannes, France, after attending a high-profile gala. Three friends of…

Incumbent Democrat U.S. Rep. Jared Golden faced off against State Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent) last night in the first debate amid their race for Maine’s Second Congressional District. Golden, who first won Maine’s more conservative congressional seat in 2018, is facing is toughest re-election fight yet in a district that former Republican President Donald Trump won in both 2016 and 2020. In the only poll that has been made public to date, Pan Atlantic Research found Theriault holding a slim three-point led over Golden — the first time the Democrat has ever found himself trailing a Republican opponent at…

The National Border Patrol Union endorsed State Rep. Austin Theriault (R-Fort Kent) Thursday in his bid to unseat incumbent Democrat U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in the race for Maine’s Second Congressional District. “We proudly endorse @AustinTheriault in Maine-02,” the Border Patrol Union tweeted from its official account on Thursday. “Austin will assist in cleaning up the Biden-Harris border mess and help secure our border again!” https://twitter.com/BPUnion/status/1841946846710972870 Under the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. has experienced extraordinary levels of illegal immigration, primarily over the southern border with Mexico. [RELATED: Golden Voted for Blank Check…

A Democratic State Representative published an op-ed bragging about the 2023-2024, Democrat-led state spending spree just hours before the Mills Administration quietly disclosed that the State of Maine is projecting a nearly one billion dollar funding shortfall for 2026-2027. Without any Republican support or votes, Democrats created, approved, and signed into law the most recent two-year spending package, Rep. Drew Gattine (D-Westbrook) bragged. What Gattine didn’t know when he was writing the post — or what he declined to acknowledge — is that Maine’s top budget officer now says the State must confront a $949.2 million “structural gap” for the…

The State of Maine is projected to face a massive shortfall of nearly $1 billion for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, the first two years after Gov. Janet Mills (D) will leave office, according to Maine’s budget officer. The $949.2 million shortfall includes a $636.7 million projected deficit in the General Fund and a Highway Fund gap of $312.5 million for the 2026-2027 biennium, according to a recent four-year budget forecast report released by the Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS). According to DAFS, these projections are based on current laws and economic trends. Based on those conditions, DAFS’…

Electric Vehicles (EVs) have become a flashpoint in Maine politics over the past year thanks to an effort by the Mills Administration and left-wing outside groups to impose pro-EV mandates on car dealerships in the state. Those mandates, which Maine’s Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) considered but narrowly rejected, would have led to Maine adopting California-style regulations requiring 82 percent of new vehicles sold in the state to be electric by 2032​. [READ MORE on the proposed EV mandates here…] The mandates, introduced via petition by environmental advocacy groups funded by left-wing billionaires, sparked widespread debate, especially in rural regions…

Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, has been heralded by Democratic politicians and left-wing media as offering America a “new masculinity.” But reports emerged Wednesday that Emhoff once drunkenly assaulted an ex-girlfriend because he thought she was flirting with another man. The Daily Mail reported Wednesday that Emhoff has been accused of slapping a former girlfriend during an altercation in 2012, according to allegations made by friends of the woman involved. The alleged incident occurred in Cannes, France, after the couple attended a star-studded gala, and comes as Emhoff has presented himself as a strong advocate for women’s rights…

The Bollard, a monthly newspaper published in Portland, has dubbed attempted murderer Leo R. Hylton, 34, Maine’s “foremost justice advocate” in an October issue alongside the question, “Who’s Afraid of Leo Hylton?” Hylton (MDOC#70199) is currently housed in Maine State Prison, where he’s slated to remain until July 27, 2050, for robbery, burglary, and attempted murder. Hylton was sentenced in Kennebec County Superior Court in Feb. 2010 after he was found guilty of participating in a brutal home invasion and violent attack targeting former Maine State Rep. William Guerrette and his ten-year-old daughter. [RELATED: Parole Reform Poster Child Tried to…

The Hampden Police Department in Massachusetts busted a large-scale illegal marijuana growing operation on Tuesday. Hampden Police Department along with Massachusetts State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) found more than 1,000 after executing a search warrant at the property, according to WWLP. The property — located at 41 Thresher Road — was purchased in Aug. 2020 by Lily Zhong, 33, according to Hampden County Property Records. [RELATED: Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ Brother Helped Transfer Nine-Acre Black Market Cannabis Grow to Chinese National “Mother” Living in Guangdong Province…]

The Mills Administration has taken the unusual step of channeling $117,300 in taxpayer dollars to the Maine Trust for Local News, the operator of Maine’s most sympathetic far-left content publishers. These payments were not delivered in an envelope stuffed with cash at a smoky bar but via a no-bid contract, as disclosed on the state’s website. The details were discovered and reported exclusively by the Maine Wire’s Edward Tomic. In exchange for doling out taxpayer money, the Mills Administration receives what can only be described as paid applause for its education policies, a self-congratulatory attempt to convince readers that Maine’s…

Following the Portland City Council’s unanimous vote to divest public funds from companies that do business with Israel, the law office of a Jewish attorney was vandalized — for the second time in a year — and vandals painted a local elementary school with swastikas. So far, there have no official statements about the anti-Israel vandalism from Maine’s top elected officials or the members of the Portland City Council. Maine’s largest city has been a hotbed for anti-Israel and anti-semitic activities following the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks, in which the Palestinian terror group Hamas stormed into Israel and murdered…

The Portland Press Herald, one of Maine’s news websites, published a letter Sunday asking whether former President Donald Trump faked the second attempt on his life in order to raise campaign donations. “Is it possible that he staged the latest event to bamboozle gullible supporters into giving him even more cash?” asked Leonard Freeman of Falmouth. “Could it be true? Just wondering,” Freeman wrote. It’s unclear why the Press Herald, which is owned by the George Soros-funded Maine Trust for Local News, decided to run the letter, which could easily be debunked with some basic journalistic fact-checking. Ryan W. Routh,…

A new poll by Pan Atlantic Research shows the race for Maine’s Second Congressional District is leaning in favor of the Republican challenger. Republican State Rep. Austin Theriault, of Fort Kent, leads Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden 47-44 percent with a slight edge among registered votes. (See full poll below) The survey, conducted from September 5th to 15th, carries a margin of error of 3.5 percent, indicating that the race is very tight. Pan Atlantic Research found just nine percent of likely voters remained undecided in the race. Although Theriault’s lead falls within the margin of error for the poll,…

Asian restaurant owners in Maine have become targets for sophisticated and often lucrative burglaries at the hands of well-organized, highly advanced home invaders. Apart from their nationality and their ownership of small-businesses, the victims in this crime spree also have one other thing in common: police suspect they have ties to the black-market marijuana trafficking operations that have proliferated throughout Maine in the past four years. What’s more, law enforcement believe the perpetrators of these break-ins are members of criminal organizations with insider knowledge of where to find large stockpiles of cash. “We’re asking anyone with knowledge of these burglaries…

Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley released a report Monday detailing the failures of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) that contributed to the nearly successful July 13 assassination attempt on former Republican President Donald Trump. The failures detailed in the report represent “the most stunning breakdown in presidential security since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy,” according to Hawley’s office. [RELATED: Trump Targeted in Second Assassination Attempt at Florida Golf Club…] In an X post, Hawley said the report detailed “multiple failures of Secret Service & [Department of Homeland Security] – including new allegations & numerous unanswered questions due…

An alleged ABC News employee has stated that the news outlet struck an agreement with Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign to give the Democratic candidate preferable treatment during the Sept. 10 presidential debate, according to social media posts that circulated broadly on Sunday. The social media posts included images of what are purported to be a sworn affidavit from the alleged ABC News whistleblower dated Sept. 9, the day before the debate. Some of the allegations against ABC News, as well as the employees’ personal information, are redacted from the images that spread throughout social media on Sunday. ABC…

Maine’s top newspapers offered short shrift Monday morning to the second apparent assassination attempt on former Republican President Donald Trump, an attempt that was foiled by U.S. Secret Service agents protecting the 2024 Republican nominee at one of his Florida golf courses. [RELATED: Trump Targeted in Second Assassination Attempt at Florida Golf Club…] As of Monday morning, the Bangor Daily News and the Portland Press Herald both featured local stories—including a piece about a dangerous intersection in Bangor and an in-depth investigation into the piping plover—while downplaying the attempt by suspected gunman Ryan W. Routh, 58, to gun down Trump…