Latest news with #PortlandPressHerald
New York Post
18-07-2025
- New York Post
Multiple great white sharks spotted near popular beach where deadly attack occurred 5 years ago
A New England summer hot spot that was the site of the state's first fatal shark attack five years ago is once again seeing signs of the apex predator as thousands flock to the beach to enjoy the water. Authorities are warning the public to remain vigilant after two great white sharks were spotted off the coast of Maine's Bailey Island within 48 hours, the Harpswell Marine Resources and Harbor Management said in a Facebook post. In response to the sightings, officials have posted shark notification flags throughout Cedar Beach, the post said. Visitors who observe a shark are asked to take a picture and contact the Cumberland Regional Communication Center to help officials 'take appropriate action at the time of the sightings.' The beach remains open to swimmers, and officials have launched a notification system to keep visitors safely informed in the event a shark is spotted nearby. 3 Maine's Bailey Island, a summer hot spot in Maine, is seeing signs of Sharks in the waters once again. Portland Press Herald via Getty Images The sightings come five years after the same island was the scene of the Pine Tree State's first documented fatal shark attack. A woman was killed by an unprovoked shark while swimming off the shore of Bailey Island in July 2020. A witness initially saw the woman in the water when she was injured in an apparent shark attack, Maine Marine Patrol previously said. 3 The New England waters saw a fatal shark attack occur in 2020. AFP via Getty Images Two kayakers managed to reach the injured woman and brought her to shore, where first responders attempted to save her life. The woman died, Marine Patrol said. Last year, 71 shark bites were recorded throughout the United States, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File. 3 A Facebook post from the Harpswell Marine Resources and Harbor Management said authorities have already warned the public of two great white sharks spotted in the water. Portland Press Herald via Getty Images Of the recorded cases, 47 of the bites were unprovoked, the ISAF reported. Harpswell Marine Resources and Harbor Management did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fox News Digital's Julia Musto and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lewiston mother sues Androscoggin County jail, medical contractor for son's 2023 death
Jun. 9—LEWISTON — The first thing Pamela Ashby asked when she learned her son Trevor had died from pneumonia at the Androscoggin County Jail: how could this happen? Two years later, after reviewing medical records and video surveillance, she still has the same question. "It kind of left me even more dumfounded," Ashby said in an interview with the Portland Press Herald. "There were so many people involved here ... yet it still happened." Ashby is now suing the Androscoggin County Jail and its health care provider, Correctional Psychiatric Solutions, or CPS, alleging they denied her son adequate medical care. In her complaints, Ashby says the jail ignored pressure wounds that had developed on her son's back, which grew infected, and his worsening condition. Trevor Saunders died Nov. 18, 2023, from a disease that Ashby and her lawyers say has long been curable in the United States. Ashby believes her son's death is indicative of a larger, systemic problem at the jail where, her lawsuits state, staff routinely dismiss and ignore inmates' medical needs. Both lawsuits cite medical records, in which several employees said they met with Saunders, who had come into the jail still dealing with the effects of a stroke he had survived the year before. Some of the employees, according to the complaints, eventually suggested they send Saunders to get treatment outside of the jail — but they never did. "Trevor's death is the result of a broken system where needs for basic medical care were ignored, training was lacking, and constitutional protections were routinely violated," Rosalie Wennberg, one of Ashby's attorneys, said in an emailed statement. "The facts of this case make it clear that Trevor's death was preventable, and that at every turn, he was denied help and care that would have saved his life." Ashby is suing CPS and two registered nurses who worked for the jail under the Maine Wrongful Death Act. She is also suing the jail, the county and several officials — including Sheriff Eric Samson, his chief deputy William Gagne, former jail administrator Jeffrey Chute and nearly a dozen corrections officers — for violating Saunders' constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. "Contracting out the provision of jail medical care to a private company does not relieve Defendant Androscoggin County of its constitutional duty to provide adequate health care to inmates at ACJ," the complaint states. The county defendants did not respond to calls and emails Monday afternoon seeking a response to the lawsuit. Joshua D. Hadiaris, an attorney for CPS, said his client cannot comment on the specifics of Saunders' case because of patient confidentiality obligations. "However, CPS is committed to providing quality healthcare and takes all concerns related to patient care very seriously," Hadiaris wrote in an email. THE STROKE Trevor Saunders, 25, was Ashby's only son. He had two siblings on his father's side, according to an obituary, and several aunts, uncles, cousins and friends described as "chosen family." He went to school in Auburn, Mechanic Falls and Poland, Ashby said, and was an active young man who could talk to anybody and pick up almost any sport. He had a particular affinity for basketball and golf, which he still played even after a rare spinal stroke upended his life in March 2022. "I think that was going to be the sport that he would have continued on forever," Ashby said, "no matter how much of his physical ability he got back." Saunders had only been out of school for six years when he had the stroke. He had been doing manual labor and trying to create a good home for his son Alex, Ashby said. He was the kind of father, she said, who waited with his son at the bus stop and taught him video games and wrestling. Saunders struggled after the stroke. Ashby said her active and adventurous son, who prided himself on his strength and mobility, was suddenly unable to get out of a hospital bed in Boston, where he was being treated. Physical therapy helped, but Saunders was frustrated by all of the things he still couldn't do, Ashby said, and the new reality depressed him. One night in January 2023, Ashby said, Saunders went drinking with friends. Ashby said she thinks her son just wanted to have a normal night out, but he ended up in a single-car crash, injuring himself and damaging property. Afterward, Saunders spent several weeks in the hospital. He was later sentenced to 45 days in jail for operating under the influence and on a revoked license. Neither Ashby nor Saunders were concerned about what his time in jail would be like. She said her son was willing to take the accountability for his actions and entered the jail "physically fine." AT THE JAIL Ashby says jail staff wouldn't let Saunders wear a hand brace that helped keep his muscles from retracting while he slept, a long-lasting byproduct of his stroke. She said it was just the first of many instances in which staff dismissed her son's medical needs. He later developed pressure sores on his back, the lawsuits state. Saunders first reported his wounds to the jail on Nov. 1, according to both complaints. He spent the next two weeks meeting with various nurses and physician's assistants, in-person and over Zoom, all of whom documented his worsening condition, his irregular heartbeat and complaints of pain. One of the lawsuits says Saunders, who was under the constant surveillance of several jail officers, spent days moaning from his cell and begging for a cane, a wheelchair and diapers to help with his urinary incontinence, another lingering symptom of the spinal stroke. It alleges his cellmate and others also called for help, and they were ignored. No one took Saunders' vitals, the complaint claims, or ordered lab testing that one nurse suggested could identify the problem. According to the lawsuits, staff offered him an extra mattress, Gatorade and ibuprofen. On Nov. 14, 2023 — nearly three weeks into his sentence — a nurse determined Saunders' wounds were a medical emergency, but their boss still refused to send him to get treatment outside of the jail, the complaints state. Instead, they say, officers moved him to a higher-security area where they could watch him on camera. The complaint against the jail includes photographs of Saunders, lying near his own urine, unable to sit up, hold a cup or eat. Ashby and her lawyers claim this was the result of the jail's "custom and practice that discouraged providing inmates with necessary care from outside medical providers, even where such care was medically necessary, in order to keep costs down." During his time there, Saunders had complained some to his mother, but she said she is mortified by what she has learned over the last two years about his treatment. "We should be providing a place for people to go serve their time for something they've done, and come out and potentially be someone that can be in our community and maybe learn from being in there," she said. "Instead of not coming out at all." For Ashby, she now spends time golfing with Saunders' son, Alex. That's what her son would be doing, she said, if he were still here. She said he had a lot to offer Alex. "Not only to his family but to other people in his life," Ashby said. "And he just wasn't given the opportunity to be the person he could have been." Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jewel Box bar in Portland faces uncertain future
May 28—Jewel Box owner Nathaniel Meiklejohn is entertaining offers from investors or buyers for his idiosyncratic, James Beard-nominated bar on Congress Street, he announced in an Instagram post. Meiklejohn had been considering closing the bar altogether, he wrote. "Since the pandemic, I have taken on a lot of debt in order to keep functioning as a business. Portland itself & the world at large is changing, the saturation of bars/restaurants in this town, the cost of living, the increase in prices of goods & the overwhelming wealth discrepancy that exists in this town/country/world are all factors contributing to this reality. We are at a point where our sales cannot pay our overhead in addition to the loans we have," the post says. "This is likely the last year of this iteration of the Jewel Box with myself as the owner. I am unsure what the future may bring, but I invite all possibilities," it concluded. Jewel Box, originally called Bearded Lady's Jewel Box, opened in 2014 at 644 Congress St. in the Arts District. One of Portland's early cocktail bars, it was aimed at being especially welcoming to marginalized people. The bar has made repeat appearances on the Portland Press Herald's annual Best 75 list, including this year, when then-restaurant critic Andrew Ross described it as "a dimly lit speakeasy with no sign to indicate you've found it, while the interior is what you might get if Jules Verne listened to trip-hop and drank one-too-many Back Bay Boulevardiers (bourbon, Speckled Ax coffee, Cynar, Campari)." Meiklejohn could not be immediately reached for comment. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
High School Runner Slams 'Bully' GOP Lawmaker For Attacking Race's Trans Winner
A high school runner in Maine who recently finished second to a transgender athlete in a school track meet is speaking out against a state lawmaker's public attack of her opponent, calling her behavior 'hateful' and 'ugly.' 'I didn't feel like first place was taken from me. Instead, I feel like a happy day was turned ugly by a bully who is using children to make political points,' Anelise Feldman of Yarmouth High School wrote of state Rep. Laurel Libby (R) in a letter to the editor published Wednesday in the Portland Press Herald. Feldman's competitor, Soren Stark-Chessa, won the girls 800-meter and 1,600-meter events. Though Feldman finished behind Stark-Chessa, she emphasized the value of teamwork, community, and personal improvement she receives from the sport, which she said is just as important as where athletes finish. 'Last Friday, I ran the fastest 1,600-meter race I have ever run in middle school or high school track and earned varsity status by my school's standards,' she wrote. Her pride and joy weren't diminished, she added, because 'someone else finished in front of me.' 'No one was harmed by Soren's participation in the girls' track meet, but we are all harmed by the hateful rhetoric of bullies, like Rep. Libby, who want to take sports away from some kids just because of who they are,' she wrote. Libby publicly ripped the other girl's win as 'absolutely not fair' in an interview on Fox News last week. 'This same athlete has been dominating in girls cross-country running, in Nordic skiing, and now in track,' Libby said. 'We're talking about just one athlete. Just one of these biological male athletes pushing many, many of our young women out of the way in their ascent to the podium.' Libby was censured last month by Maine's House after posting photos of a high school athlete on Facebook in February while criticizing the state for allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls sports. The post generated threats against the child and despite being told that it put the child in danger, Libby kept the post up and continued to bring media attention to the child 'in an effort to advance her political agenda,' the House said in a resolution addressing her censure. 'It is a basic tenet of politics and good moral character that children should not be targeted by adult politicians, especially when that targeting could result in serious harm,' the House said. Libby, who was first elected to the state legislature in 2020, lost her ability to vote on the House floor due to the censure. She has since asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene, accusing the House of violating her First Amendment rights. She did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment on Friday about Feldman's letter. Military Commanders Will Be Told To Send Transgender Troops To Medical Checks To Oust Them The Transgender Man At The Center Of Trump's Military Ban Has A Lot To Say Supreme Court Allows Trump Ban On Transgender Members Of The Military To Be Enforced Sen. Tommy Tuberville Says 'Woke Globalists' Are 'Pushing Kids' To Become Transgender Athletes In Women's Sports
Entrepreneur
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Entrepreneur
Retired David Letterman Surprises Local 'Nite Show' Audience
Danny Cashman, 47, has been hosting "The Nite Show" at Husson University in Bangor, Maine, for 15 years. The local program airs on several Maine television stations on Saturday nights (and has a YouTube channel). It's set up like a traditional late-night variety show, with an in-house band, an opening monologue, sketches, interviews with live guests, and musical performances. Cashman's top inspiration for his show was "The Late Show with David Letterman," according to the Portland Press Herald, and he's asked the now-retired Letterman, 78, to be a guest on his program for many years. On Saturday night, it finally happened. Related: At Least 50 Local TV Meteorologists Across the Country Were Just Laid Off — Here's Why Dubbed a "mystery guest," no one in the audience knew Letterman was actually going to appear. So it was a huge surprise when he walked out and joined Cashman at his desk to be his final live guest for one of the last episodes. "This is a self-made man," Letterman said, after receiving a standing ovation from the crowd and sitting down in the guest chair. "This is the product of his life for the last 20 years." Despite being a local program airing against NBC's Saturday Night Live, Cashman told Letterman that his show has remarkably high ratings during the time slot. Still, Cashman said it was time to put down the microphone. (He told News Center Maine that it just felt like "the time was right to do some other things.") "This is no small accomplishment, because I'm guessing this is not network supported, it has not been syndicated supported, I have great admiration for what you've done," Letterman said. Letterman also talked about the struggles he has faced since leaving his own show. "It's not easy, it took me quite a long time to break the daily routine," Letterman said. "Now people treat me differently." Here's the full episode. Related: This Entrepreneur Pranked Mark Cuban on National Television. The Shark Was So Impressed He Offered to Invest $640,000 — in Empty Boxes.
