Latest news with #MaineWire
Fox News
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trans activist accused of witnessing sexual misconduct of minors leads chaplain prayer in Maine legislature
Maine Democrats, who censured a Republican lawmaker last month over an online comment about a transgender student in sports, reportedly selected transgender activist Quinn Gormley — who was accused of witnessing sexual misconduct with minors in 2023 and now claims to be a seminarian — to lead the state House of Representatives in prayer Thursday morning. "Let us be in the spirit of solemnity," Gormley said in the opening prayer. "Your great holiness, I pray here today for these leaders in our state may they approach their work with regard for the dignity of all the people they serve. May they understand that diversity is the intent of the design, and may they have the wisdom to know that the path to justice begins with humility and travels through mercy. In the name of all that is sacred and good in this world, I pray, amen." Maine Wire first reported on the prayer and published the story behind the accusations of sexual misconduct involving minors when Gormley was working with A Maine Transgender Network, Inc., an advocacy organization for transgender people. In that report, Gormley, a former leader in the Maine Transgender Network, was accused of witnessing inappropriate sexual behavior among minors on a Discord server for its youth program. The allegations, made by former member Sampson Spadafore, involved minors crossing sexual boundaries, though it was clarified that no adults were involved in the misconduct. Gormley – the clinical chaplain at MaineHealth Medical Center according to Gormley's LinkedIn profile – later went on a sabbatical from the organization, according to the report, and was replaced by Bre Kidman, a self-identified "queer feminist mermaid" who ran unsuccessfully in the Senate Democratic primary in 2020. Liberal Gov. Janet Mills and Democratic lawmakers have consulted the transgender network, including Gormley, on several bills in the last several years involving expanding minors' access to gender transition treatments. The Maine Department of Education also endorses the Maine Transgender Network as a valuable resource for parents and students. "I got to do something really cool this morning! I was honored to be the clergy of the day for the Maine House today. So good to see familiar faces! And even though it looked different than I imagined for my first time, it was nice to speak in that chamber," Gormley, whose bio on LinkedIn says "Transgender Death Educator, Clinical Chaplain, Anti-Violence Advocate, Recovering Lobbyist," wrote on the platform Thursday. Meanwhile, Maine State Rep. Laurel Libby, who has become a key figure in the state's ongoing battle over transgender inclusion in girls' sports, is not allowed to speak or vote on the state's House of Representatives floor. Libby was censured by the Maine House of Representatives' Democrat majority and House Speaker Ryan Fecteau for a February social media post in which she pointed out a trans athlete who won a girls' pole-vaulting event. Fecteau and Maine Democrats censured Libby on the basis that the athlete she identified by name and with a photograph was a minor. But Libby has argued that the athlete had already been identified in other social media posts. "It's a remarkable double standard as there are public photos of this individual in many places, on social media and even some posted by his school, and so yes, this post went viral, but this was an individual who participated in a public event, who publicly stood on a podium and accepted a championship medal that rightfully belonged to the girls standing on the second-place spot," Libby previously told Fox News has since filed a lawsuit against Fecteau, seeking to regain her voting and speaking rights. Maine has become ground zero for what President Donald Trump has touted as gender extremism ever since his spat with the governor last month over her refusal to enforce his executive order barring biological men from competing in women's sports. This week, Trump escalated his demands that Maine adhere to the ban, or face federal prosecution. Trump previously threatened to pull federal funds from the state's education programs. Fox News Digital has reached out to Maine House Democrats for comment.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
‘Rampant' abuse in blue state migrant shelter system, says former director: ‘Colossal mess'
After being attacked by an immigrant rapist, Jon Fetherston, a former Massachusetts migrant shelter director, is blowing the whistle about the "rampant" abuse in the Massachusetts migrant shelter system, which he said is "just a big, colossal mess." Fetherston, who served as the director of the Marlborough migrant shelter from 2023 to 2024, said that the amount of crime, domestic abuse and child neglect that takes place in the Massachusetts migrant shelter system is "mind-boggling." In an interview with Fox News Digital, Fetherston revealed that he was grabbed and attacked by a Haitian immigrant after he was confronted about raping and impregnating his own teenage daughter. The Maine Wire first broke the story about the Haitian migrant, Ronald Joseph, 42, impregnating his then 13-year-old daughter. Joseph repeatedly raped and impregnated his daughter while staying at a government-funded migrant shelter at a Holiday Inn in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Massachusetts Shelter Program That Houses Migrants Has Had Over 300 'Serious Incident' Reports This Year A report by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities obtained by Fox News Digital says that after being informed he would lose access to his daughter, Joseph "got very agitated and started yelling" at Fetherston that "this was all his fault, and he was to blame." Fetherston told Fox News Digital that as soon as Joseph heard he was losing custody of his daughter, he "reached across the table and grabbed me and got angry with me and started cursing and yelling and screaming and swinging at me because he realized what was happening." Read On The Fox News App "I'm going to be honest; the entire experience has shaken me to my core," said Fetherston. Massachusetts Resident Condemns Right-to-shelter Law Turning Bay State Into 'Destination For Migrants' He clarified that "it's not so much the lunging at me and swinging" but rather the conversation that jarred him the most. "The conversation was probably the most jarring conversation I've ever had in my life," he said. "His justification for having sex with his daughter was — and he did say it through an interpreter; he didn't say it in English — that in his country — which his country of origin was Haiti — if a woman bled, meaning if she had her period, you could have sex with her and that was his justification for having sex with his daughter." Rather than arresting Joseph immediately, Fetherston was directed by authorities to order the immigrant a Lyft ride to another shelter in Worcester County. Joseph was not arrested until eight months later when Marlborough police finally apprehended him earlier this month. "The Marlborough police came and calmed him down and actually had me transfer him to another shelter," he explained. "I asked the Marlborough police like: 'Why isn't he being arrested? He admitted to this. At least why aren't you just detaining him at the very least?' And they're like: 'We'll figure it all out.' It took them eight months to figure it all out." Blue State Faces Spike In Migrant Sex Crimes As Top City Pledges Resistance To Trump Deportations Though this case was particularly egregious, Fetherston said that "there is a lot of undocumented violence that goes on" and that rape, domestic violence, sex trafficking, drug dealing and other crimes are so commonplace in the Massachusetts shelter system that many incidents simply fall through the cracks. "I will tell you, unfortunately, that it happens a lot," he said. "There were times when I was running the shelter that there probably should have been times when I should have done more reporting, you just didn't have the time to do it." Click Here For More Immigration Coverage "It's just a big, colossal mess," Fetherston added. "I've been in public service most of my adult life, either through elective office or volunteering. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the migrant shelters would be the chaos that it is… It's a systematic problem, that there is chaos in these communities and the public has the right to know what is going on." The former shelter director said that before quitting his job he brought his concerns about the widespread abuse to Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll — both Democrats — but neither gave him the time of day. Although Healey recently vowed to reform the shelter system and begin mandatory background checks on residents, Fetherston said there have yet to be any real changes. Ice Arrests 'Predator' Migrant Convicted Of Secretly Recording Others In Bathroom Despite promises of reform, the legislature renewed shelter funding at $425 million through June with no new changes. "People are frustrated from top to bottom," he said. "The governor has spent over $3.5 billion just of the taxpayers' money just on the migrant hotels [and]… just last week the Senate and House passed [a bill] to fund this migrant program until July of this year, zero reform, zero mandatory checks." "The governor says that all this stuff is coming," he concluded, "and ultimately, at the end, there was no reform put in the package. It was just the approval to fund the shelters through the end of July. So, there is no reform."Original article source: 'Rampant' abuse in blue state migrant shelter system, says former director: 'Colossal mess'
Fox News
18-02-2025
- Fox News
‘Rampant' abuse in blue state migrant shelter system, says former director: ‘Colossal mess'
After being attacked by an immigrant rapist, Jon Fetherston, a former Massachusetts migrant shelter director, is blowing the whistle about the "rampant" abuse in the Massachusetts migrant shelter system, which he said is "just a big, colossal mess." Fetherston, who served as the director of the Marlborough migrant shelter from 2023 to 2024, said that the amount of crime, domestic abuse and child neglect that takes place in the Massachusetts migrant shelter system is "mind-boggling." In an interview with Fox News Digital, Fetherston revealed that he was grabbed and attacked by a Haitian immigrant after he was confronted about raping and impregnating his own teenage daughter. The Maine Wire first broke the story about the Haitian migrant, Ronald Joseph, 42, impregnating his then 13-year-old daughter. Joseph repeatedly raped and impregnated his daughter while staying at a government-funded migrant shelter at a Holiday Inn in Marlborough, Massachusetts. A report by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities obtained by Fox News Digital says that after being informed he would lose access to his daughter, Joseph "got very agitated and started yelling" at Fetherston that "this was all his fault, and he was to blame." Fetherston told Fox News Digital that as soon as Joseph heard he was losing custody of his daughter, he "reached across the table and grabbed me and got angry with me and started cursing and yelling and screaming and swinging at me because he realized what was happening." "I'm going to be honest; the entire experience has shaken me to my core," said Fetherston. He clarified that "it's not so much the lunging at me and swinging" but rather the conversation that jarred him the most. "The conversation was probably the most jarring conversation I've ever had in my life," he said. "His justification for having sex with his daughter was — and he did say it through an interpreter; he didn't say it in English — that in his country — which his country of origin was Haiti — if a woman bled, meaning if she had her period, you could have sex with her and that was his justification for having sex with his daughter." Rather than arresting Joseph immediately, Fetherston was directed by authorities to order the immigrant a Lyft ride to another shelter in Worcester County. Joseph was not arrested until eight months later when Marlborough police finally apprehended him earlier this month. "The Marlborough police came and calmed him down and actually had me transfer him to another shelter," he explained. "I asked the Marlborough police like: 'Why isn't he being arrested? He admitted to this. At least why aren't you just detaining him at the very least?' And they're like: 'We'll figure it all out.' It took them eight months to figure it all out." Though this case was particularly egregious, Fetherston said that "there is a lot of undocumented violence that goes on" and that rape, domestic violence, sex trafficking, drug dealing and other crimes are so commonplace in the Massachusetts shelter system that many incidents simply fall through the cracks. "I will tell you, unfortunately, that it happens a lot," he said. "There were times when I was running the shelter that there probably should have been times when I should have done more reporting, you just didn't have the time to do it." "It's just a big, colossal mess," Fetherston added. "I've been in public service most of my adult life, either through elective office or volunteering. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the migrant shelters would be the chaos that it is… It's a systematic problem, that there is chaos in these communities and the public has the right to know what is going on." The former shelter director said that before quitting his job he brought his concerns about the widespread abuse to Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll — both Democrats — but neither gave him the time of day. Although Healey recently vowed to reform the shelter system and begin mandatory background checks on residents, Fetherston said there have yet to be any real changes. Despite promises of reform, the legislature renewed shelter funding at $425 million through June with no new changes. "People are frustrated from top to bottom," he said. "The governor has spent over $3.5 billion just of the taxpayers' money just on the migrant hotels [and]… just last week the Senate and House passed [a bill] to fund this migrant program until July of this year, zero reform, zero mandatory checks." "The governor says that all this stuff is coming," he concluded, "and ultimately, at the end, there was no reform put in the package. It was just the approval to fund the shelters through the end of July. So, there is no reform."
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Massachusetts migrant shelter resident charged with impregnating his teen daughter
A Massachusetts migrant shelter resident has been arrested and is being charged with raping and impregnating his own teenage daughter while staying at a government-funded shelter. The MetroWest Daily News reported that the man, who has not been identified by police to protect the identity of his daughter and victim, raped his daughter repeatedly, both during their journey to the U.S. and while in the country. The immigrant was staying at a shelter run by Eliot Community Human Services, which operates two government-funded shelters at Holiday Inn and Extended Stay hotels in Marlborough, Massachusetts, in the Boston area. Boston Mayor Silent On Sanctuary City Policies Amid Migrant Crime Reports According to The MetroWest Daily News, Marlborough Police arrested the immigrant last week, following reports of his crimes being filed by shelter staff in May 2024. The outlet reported that the teen had sent text messages indicating she was pregnant "in the past by her father," and that "her father had sex with her multiple times, both on the journey to the U.S. and in the U.S." Read On The Fox News App The Marlborough District Court arraigned the immigrant on Monday, charging him with one count of aggravated rape of a child. District Judge Meghan Spring ordered him held without bail pending another hearing on Friday, which will determine if he is a danger to the public. This comes after Jon Fetherson, a former director of the Marlborough migrant shelter, spoke out about what he said were incidents of widespread violence, child sexual assault and rape at shelters in the state. Blue City Residents Blast New 2,200-Bed Mega Migrant Shelter As 'Dumping Ground' The Maine Wire reported in December that shelter staff determined to separate Joseph from his daughter and he was given a taxpayer-funded Lyft ride to another shelter in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Maine Wire reported that after being moved, Joseph started yelling and making threatening gestures at the shelter staff. Click Here For More Immigration Coverage Massachusetts is a "right to shelter" state with laws mandating the government provide housing to immigrants with no other means to obtain housing. Massachusetts is also a migrant "sanctuary" jurisdiction that prohibits police and law enforcement in the state from cooperating or assisting ICE and federal authorities in enforcing immigration law. This is not the first time a Massachusetts immigrant shelter has been used for illegal, criminal activity. In January, Revere Police arrested Dominican national Leonardo Andujar Sanchez, 28, after he was caught with an AR-15 and about $1 million worth of fentanyl in a state-subsidized hotel room. In response, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat, has expressed outrage over the abuse of the state's shelter system and called for the legislature to change the system's rules to limit illegal immigrants staying in shelters. Fox News Digital Breaking News reporter Michael Dorgan contributed to this report. Original article source: Massachusetts migrant shelter resident charged with impregnating his teen daughter
