Latest news with #WGME
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Reporter who saw teen before 1984 murder reacts to arrest in case
After Maine police announced an arrest in the cold case murder of a teenage girl in 1984, a former reporter who saw the victim shortly before she died is speaking out. Linda Maxwell, 18, was last seen on Aug. 23, 1984, the Maine State Police said in a statement. She had spent the evening with friends. Two days later, her body was found on the shoreline of Maine's St. Croix River in Robbinston, Washington County. The case was investigated but remained unsolved for decades, police said. On May 1, the Maine State Police announced that they had arrested Raymond Brown, 65. He was indicted by a grand jury and arrested after a traffic stop in Bangor, Maine. He has been charged with murder and will be held without bail in the Washington County Jail, police said. Police said an "intensive and expanded investigation" led to Brown's arrest, but did not offer any details. Linda Maxwell. / Credit: Maine State Police Former reporter Heather Henry-Tenan, one of the last people to see and speak with Maxwell, said the case "made an impression" on her. Henry-Tenan was among the group Maxwell had spent time before her disappearance, CBS affiiate WGME reported in 2015, during their own investigation into the cold case. Henry-Tenan previously told WGME about how she learned the teen was missing. "I woke up the next morning and a friend of mine had called and said 'Linda's missing.' I said 'Wow, what happened?' They said 'We don't know,'" Maxwell said in 2015. Every August for 21 years, she wrote a news story about Maxwell. "The whole town was on the edge waiting for it to be solved, so I wrote the story for 21 years. She made an impression on me, and we were almost the same age, so that really hit home, right. That could have been me," Henry-Tenan told WGME on Tuesday. The rise of "Barstool Conservatism" Student loan borrower shares her story as collections resume for those in default Why Hegseth is calling for cuts to senior ranks across U.S. military
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine Gov. Janet Mills doubles down on defying Trump's attacks on trans rights after court victory
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, isn't backing down from President Donald Trump's escalating war on transgender rights — and a federal judge is standing with her. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. Days after a federal district court ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze school meal funding for Maine, Mills appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe to defend her state's refusal to enforce Trump's executive order banning transgender girls and women from participating in school sports. Related: Maine Gov. Janet Mills confronts Donald Trump to his face over anti-trans sports order at White House 'When he said, 'I am the law, basically we are the law,' my jaw dropped,' Mills said about a recent incident with Trump. 'Every fifth-grade student knows that there are three branches of government.' In February, during a White House meeting with governors, Trump threatened Mills directly, warning her that she would lose all federal funding if she didn't comply. 'I'm complying with the state and federal laws,' Mills replied. And later: 'See you in court.' Hours after the interaction, the Trump administration announced an investigation into Maine. True to her word, Mills took the administration to court. On Friday, U.S. District Judge John Woodcock Jr., a George W. Bush appointee based in Bangor, ruled that the Trump administration violated federal law when it froze funding for Maine's school nutrition programs, which serve more than 170,000 students. 'They decided to shut off funding for our school nutrition program, the school lunch program entirely, on which 172,000 Maine school children rely for their school meals,' Mills said. 'That didn't make any sense.' But the administration didn't stop there. Related: Government launches investigation into Maine hours after Democratic governor stood up to Trump's 'bullying' According to Maine CBS affiliate WGME, the Department of Justice also canceled over $1.4 million in funding for Maine's Department of Corrections, citing the state's policy of housing transgender people in prison according to their gender identity after medical and psychological review. One case in particular drew the administration's attention: Andrea Balcer, a transgender woman serving a 40-year sentence for the 2016 murder of her parents. WGME reports that after several years of evaluation, Balcer was moved from the Maine State Prison to a women's facility in late 2022 — a placement consistent with Maine's long-standing corrections policy. For Mills, the administration's attempt to punish Maine's incarcerated women and families over the existence of a transgender inmate is exactly the irrational and retaliatory action the courts rejected. 'They sent us a letter about the Department of Corrections because they found out there's a transgender individual in our prisons, and on account of that, they're stopping funding for the program that allows women inmates to bond with their children,' Mills said. 'Why would you punish women inmates over here because of something happening over there? It is not rational. And the judge said the law, the federal statute doesn't allow you to do that.' Mills warned that Trump's efforts to strip away funding for vital services — from school meals to substance use treatment — won't stop with Maine. 'What if he discovers that there's somebody on Social Security who happens to be transgender? Does he vacate the whole Social Security program?' she asked. With her second and final term as governor set to end in 2026, Mills is increasingly seen as a potential challenger to Republican Sen. Susan Collins, whose standing in Maine has weakened after years of alignment with Trump's judicial agenda. A recent poll by Portland-based Digital Research showed Mills with a higher approval rating than Collins — and a growing profile as a governor unafraid to stand up to the White House. As the legal battle continues, Mills has made clear where Maine stands. 'I've spent my career, the better part of my career, defending and protecting the rights of women and girls in health care, in employment, housing, credit, and the like,' she said. 'And I'm appalled. I was appalled at his interpretation that he can just reinvent the law.'
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
Police K-9 and suspect killed during standoff in Maine
A police K-9 was killed and an officer was wounded during an armed standoff in Maine, officials said Tuesday. The suspect was also killed. The standoff began on Monday night. Maine State Police and the Aroostook County Sheriff's Office responded to a domestic violence report at a home in Portage Lake, Maine, CBS affiliate WGME reported. The dispute was between a woman, who has not been identified, and 29-year-old Steven Righini. The woman told police Righini had been fighting with her and pushed her into a wall, WGME said. When police arrived, the woman was outside, and Righini was indoors with the couple's four-week-old infant, WGME reported. Officers attempted to take Righini into custody, but he resisted, WGME reported. He then pulled a gun from his waistband and shot at the officers as he ran back into the home. One officer, Deputy Shane Campbell, was shot in the shoulder, WGME reported. Righini then grabbed another firearm and fired at police cruisers as they tried to back out of the driveway, WGME said. Another officer, identified as Deputy Reid Clark, shot at Righini. Police then spent several hours trying to negotiate with Righini. He refused to surrender, WGME said, and eventually tried to flee the scene in a vehicle. The vehicle was disabled by police. Righini then ran away from the scene. The K-9, who police said was a four-year-old Belgian Malinois named Preacher, was then deployed to apprehend Reghini, state police said. Reghini fired at the dog, who was struck in the abdomen. Reghini then pointed his gun at troopers, before he was shot by two other officers, identified by WGME as troopers Andrew Hardy and Jonathan Russell. Russell was Preacher's handler, the Maine State Police said. Reghini was pronounced dead at the scene. The infant child was returned to the mother safely. Campbell, the officer shot in the shoulder, was transported to and treated at an area hospital. Preacher was rushed to an emergency veterinary clinic, where he was stabilized for several hours before he "succumbed to his injuries" early Tuesday morning, police said. Russell and other tactical team members were there when the K-9 died, police said. "K-9 Preacher was more than just a working dog—he was a dedicated partner, a protector, and a hero," said Maine State Police Colonel William G. Ross. "Most people will never understand the sacrifices made by our K-9 teams, but last night, Preacher made the ultimate sacrifice to protect others from harm." Details on Chinese retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products set to take effect next week Sneak peek: Kristen Trickle: Autopsy of the Mind Egypt, Saudi Arabia reject Trump's Gaza plan
CBS News
05-02-2025
- CBS News
Police K-9 and suspect killed, deputy wounded during standoff in Maine; baby rescued
A police K-9 was killed and an officer was wounded during an armed standoff in Maine, officials said Tuesday. The suspect was also killed. The standoff began on Monday night. Maine State Police and the Aroostook County Sheriff's Office responded to a domestic violence report at a home in Portage Lake, Maine, CBS affiliate WGME reported. The dispute was between a woman, who has not been identified, and 29-year-old Steven Righini. The woman told police Righini had been fighting with her and pushed her into a wall, WGME said. When police arrived, the woman was outside, and Righini was indoors with the couple's four-week-old infant, WGME reported. Officers attempted to take Righini into custody, but he resisted, WGME reported. He then pulled a gun from his waistband and shot at the officers as he ran back into the home. One officer, Deputy Shane Campbell, was shot in the shoulder, WGME reported. Righini then grabbed another firearm and fired at police cruisers as they tried to back out of the driveway, WGME said. Another officer, identified as Deputy Reid Clark, shot at Righini. Police then spent several hours trying to negotiate with Righini. He refused to surrender, WGME said, and eventually tried to flee the scene in a vehicle. The vehicle was disabled by police. Righini then ran away from the scene. The K-9, who police said was a four-year-old Belgian Malinois named Preacher, was then deployed to apprehend Reghini, state police said. Reghini fired at the dog, who was struck in the abdomen. Reghini then pointed his gun at troopers, before he was shot by two other officers, identified by WGME as troopers Andrew Hardy and Jonathan Russell. Russell was Preacher's handler, the Maine State Police said. Reghini was pronounced dead at the scene. The infant child was returned to the mother safely. Campbell, the officer shot in the shoulder, was transported to and treated at an area hospital. Preacher was rushed to an emergency veterinary clinic, where he was stabilized for several hours before he "succumbed to his injuries" early Tuesday morning, police said. Russell and other tactical team members were there when the K-9 died, police said. "K-9 Preacher was more than just a working dog—he was a dedicated partner, a protector, and a hero," said Maine State Police Colonel William G. Ross. "Most people will never understand the sacrifices made by our K-9 teams, but last night, Preacher made the ultimate sacrifice to protect others from harm."
