DrMcMeow

DrMcMeow OP t1_jd0qjn8 wrote

Reply to Two more raccoon attacks reported in Bowdoinham by DrMcMeow

At around noon on Sunday, on Post Road, a raccoon attacked a cat named Tuxedo.

The raccoon then moved, two houses down from the other, and attacked a man who was getting the newspaper. Animal Control says the raccoon came out from underneath his car and that he managed to get back in his house after the attack.

The raccoon then moved across the street again and got into a fight with the original cat.

A man driving by saw this fight, stopped his car, getting out to shoot and kill the raccoon. The raccoon will be tested for rabies.

Animal control officer Cliff Daigle was investigating this scene and passing out flyers, when a woman reported to him that she saw another raccoon with a baby raccoon.

This other raccoon attacked a German Shepherd in the area by a fence, with the raccoon on the outside of the fence and the dog on the inside.

A sheriff's deputy did not have a clear shot to shoot the raccoon because of the dog in the way and the raccoon then ran under a wood pile.

Daigle and the deputy started to take the wood pile apart but it was frozen solid, not allowing them to get to the raccoon.

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DrMcMeow OP t1_jc8cdrs wrote

Reply to Maine Irish Heritage Center receives $3 million federal grant by DrMcMeow

Vinny O'Malley's parents were among the early churchgoers, and a plaque in their honor is posted adjacent to a stained glass window.

O’Malley said in an interview, "What happened was the success of the immigrants in that first round of Irish. They came here, they worked on the waterfront, like my father, the railroad, the gas company, the telephone, and then they got a little successful, and they moved to the suburbs."

The space now hosts life cycle events, like weddings and memorials, as well as concerts, poetry readings, and other performances.

"We're open to everyone. You don't have to be Irish," said O’Malley, the heritage center’s former executive director, referring to Portland's newest immigrants, asylum seekers from Africa, including a surge of 750 new arrivals since the start of 2023.

“Who come here, who don’t always have a place that they can call their own,” O'Malley said.

Rep. Pingree delivered the symbolic $3 million check to renovate the center, which has a leaky roof and needs other repairs.

Pingree, whose grandparents were immigrants from Norway, said the earmark she secured celebrates not only Irish heritage but also welcoming all immigrants.

Pingree said in an interview, "Particularly here in Maine, where we're the oldest state in the nation. I was reading a quote from Ronald Reagan: 'we don't stay a vital nation unless we welcome newcomers.’”

A bill introduced by Pingree and Sen. Susan Collins, backed by Rep. Jared Golden, Sen. Angus King, and Gov. Janet Mills, woukld shorten the waiting period for asylum seekers to legally work from six months to one month.

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DrMcMeow OP t1_jc5w21n wrote

Reply to Maine’s largest cities and counties lag in spending federal COVID-19 aid by DrMcMeow

Maine’s eight largest counties, plus the cities of Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, South Portland and Auburn, had only spent or finalized plans to spend about $84 million out of $318 million in aid, according to the latest available federal data through the end of September.

The relatively slow rollout of federal stimulus money in Maine underscores the disagreement among local officials about how to spend it. Maine counties have fewer responsibilities than others across the country, yet they got the same shares of money. Some of them had to stand up unfamiliar regional processes to allocate aid that will run for the next year or two.

About a third of committed funds in these Maine communities so far went toward government services. The major projects in that category included a $9.5 million Cumberland County office building in Portland, $5.3 million for broadband expansion in Hancock County and $4.6 million for a new Androscoggin County sheriff’s office in Auburn.

At the end of last year, Maine towns, cities and counties had set aside 8.9 percent of the funds so far committed in the state toward hazard pay for their employees, more than the region and country, which each had 3.5 percent.

A larger share in these places has also gone to premium pay bonuses for public employees and nonprofits than in the rest of New England and the country. For example, York County is sending $1.5 million to a Biddeford mental health service provider to open another location.

Last November, Bangor City Manager Debbie Laurie told the Bangor Daily News that the city was planning to move deliberately. It had not spent any money as of September but has since laid out a rough budget and committed $2 million to a YMCA expansion.

Pillsbury said she hopes local leaders will find ways to spend the rest of the money on new projects that will help benefit their communities. In particular, she said the communities need to focus on areas that will help people recover and rebuild from the pandemic.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230314071559/https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/03/14/politics/maine-lags-spending-federal-covid-19-aid-joam40zk0w/

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DrMcMeow OP t1_jbbbsd5 wrote

Reply to Red Sox star David Ortiz is breaking into Maine’s marijuana market by DrMcMeow

You can soon buy marijuana products from Red Sox Hall of Famer David Ortiz’s own personal brand.

That’s the result of a partnership between Papi Cannabis and JAR Cannabis Co., a longtime presence in Maine’s medical and recreational marijuana markets, according to Maine Biz.

Ortiz, affectionately known by New England sports fans as Big Papi, developed Papi Cannabis with Massachusetts-based marijuana retailer and wholesaler Rev Brands, Maine Biz reported.

Under the new partnership, his Sweet Sluggers blunts can be bought at JAR Cannabis stores in Newry, Portland, South Portland and Windham, starting in April. They will be available as a single for $18 and three for $50.

A Rev Brands spokesperson told Maine Biz that the expansion into Maine is an opportunity for Ortiz to “bolster his premium brand.”

JAR Cannabis was formed in 2012 to serve Maine medical marijuana patients, and it operates a medical marijuana shop in Windham, according to Maine Biz.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230307202707/https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/03/07/business/david-ortiz-maine-marijuana/

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DrMcMeow OP t1_jb7blbi wrote

Reply to Maine dam operator not protecting salmon by DrMcMeow

Environmental groups and a Native American tribe accused the operator of a Maine dam on Monday of not fulfilling its obligation to protect the country’s last remaining Atlantic salmon river run.

The last wild Atlantic salmon live in a group of rivers in Maine and have been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 2000. The Penobscot River, a 109-mile (175-kilometer) river in the eastern part of the state is one of the most important habitats for the fish.

The Penobscot is also the site of the Milford Dam, which is owned by renewable energy giant Brookfield Renewable. The company is required under the Endangered Species Act to maintain fish passages that allow 95% of adult salmon to pass the dam within 48 hours.

According to the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Atlantic Salmon Federation and Penobscot Indian Nation, documents obtained using the Maine Freedom of Access Act show that Brookfield isn’t living up to that obligation and that data compiled by the Maine Department of Marine Resources last fall show that only about 21% of salmon pass the dam in the required timeframe.

The groups contend that the problems at the dam are longstanding and that the data illustrate that Brookfield isn’t doing enough to fix them.

“We need to see some action here because this problem has been festering for too long,” said Nick Bennett, a staff scientist with the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

A Brookfield representative declined to comment on the group’s statements.

Brookfield’s stewardship of Maine salmon has long been a point of contention with environmental groups. The company has touted its efforts to improve passage on the Penobscot and Kennebec rivers.

Salmon were once plentiful in U.S. rivers, but populations were hurt by overfishing, and factors such as dams and pollution have made restoring them difficult. The species is widely used as seafood because it is widely grown in aquaculture farms.

Salmon counters found more than 1,300 of the wild fish on the Penobscot River last year. Numbers ebb and flow from year to year, with a recent low of 503 in 2016 but more than 1,400 in 2020.

The environmental groups shared the documents they obtained with The Associated Press. The documents include an email from Dan Kircheis, a salmon recovery coordinator with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in which Kircheis states that Brookfield is “not meeting the delay standard for Atlantic salmon.”

Kircheis declined to comment. Officials with the Maine Department of Marine Resources also declined to comment.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230306234548/https://apnews.com/article/salmon-migration-dam-removal-maine-f2b637274617c783e885e39c5bcf398f

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DrMcMeow OP t1_ja94xgf wrote

Reply to Traffic Alert: Bison still on the Loose by DrMcMeow

According to the Presque Isle Police Department, as of 8:30am Monday, Three Bison are currently on the loose and roaming the streets of Presque Isle. They were at the Quoggy Jo Ski Center and then made their way to the Maple Grove Road... It is unclear if this incident is related to the OTHER bison incident that occurred last year.

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DrMcMeow OP t1_j9wfvws wrote

Reply to Photographer captures stunning image of Maine lynx by DrMcMeow

https://i.imgur.com/4XDUj4q.png

Photographer Ethan Eisenhaur recently captured this incredible photo of a Maine lynx using a trail camera.

The picture was taken using a DSLR camera trap set up in the western mountains of the state, Eisenhaur said. The camera functions similarly to a game camera and takes a series of pictures when movement is detected.

He shared the picture on Facebook Friday.

Lynx are known to be elusive and fewer than 1,000 are believed to live in Maine, according to the state department of Inland Wildlife and Fisheries.

Eisenhaur grew up in Maine’s western mountains, according to a bio on his website.

“I have always enjoyed spending as much time as I can in the wilderness,” his website states.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230225011231/https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/02/24/outdoors/photographer-captures-stunning-maine-lynx/

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DrMcMeow OP t1_j8zdaen wrote

Reply to Despite 'dirty rain,' DEP says Maine will likely not be affected by Ohio train disaster by DrMcMeow

Many Mainers are concerned after seeing "dirty rain" hit the state on Friday.

Thankfully, the phenomenon is likely being caused by a dust storm from Texas and Oklahoma.

Maine DEP Division Director Andrew Johnson says tests have shown that vinyl chloride is not present in the lower region of Maine's atmosphere.

"We are not seeing anything that suggests that we had any impacts," Johnson said. "There could have been particulate material that came down with precipitation, but the window for that would have already come and gone."

https://web.archive.org/web/20230218011059/https://wgme.com/news/local/dirty-rain-department-environmental-protection-maine-affected-ohio-train-disaster-east-palestine-derailment-texas-oklahoma

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