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Maine counties chafe at lower-than-expected payments from wind farms Source: By Bill Trotter, Bangor Daily News • Posted: Sunday, April 11, 2021 Turbines in the Bull Hill Wind project in Township 16 in Hancock County rotate in the breeze in this May 2018 file photo. TerraForm, which owns and operates the project, is one of multiple wind farm operators in Maine to request tax abatements in recent years, which has reduced the amount of revenue counties have received as par...

Get our free newsletter Success! Youre on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldnt process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again. Processing… When three millenial women took office in January, they changed the dynamic of the Council. Christina Henderson (At Large), Brooke Pinto (Ward 2), and Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4) turned the 13-member legislative body majority female for the first time in decades. Some also sta...

Councilors’ letter to lawmakers raises open-meeting issue ELLSWORTH — A March 5 letter signed by all seven City Council members and sent to state Sen. Louie Luchini (D-Hancock County) and Rep. Nicole Grohoski (D-Ellsworth) may not have been in compliance with state right-to-know laws. Emailed to the two legislators, with the subject line “Urgent Request,” the letter opens: “It is important to state that this letter is being written from the point of view as citizens. Al...

While union ‘lost patience,’ Hallowell-area superintendent’s contract still renewed by school board After a motion to table the contract approval was defeated, Superintendent Tonya Arnolds contract was renewed through June 30, 2023, in an 8-1 vote. Regional School Unit 2 Superintendent Tonya Arnold, seen during a Zoom school board meeting Sept. 3, 2020. Zoom screenshot HALLOWELL — Regional School Unit 2 Superintendent Tonya Arnold said in email to staff Feb. 3 that 85% of the distri...

Maine not alone in finding fault with human resources software firm Some lawmakers are calling for an investigation of the states contract with California-based Workday Inc., which was hired to update Maines antiquated employee benefits system but walked off the job last month. Share The peppy, 46-second video promises state workers their new payroll and human resources system will provide them with greater flexibility and less paper. One frame in the video shows a male cartoon character slid...

Defense lawyer alleges systemic failure at Maine state crime lab Attorney Amy Fairfield submitted a Maine Freedom of Access Act request seeking information about the resignation of a crime lab employee in 2012 Credit: Maine State Police Crime Lab Maine State Police Crime Lab Author: Associated Press Updated: 6:56 PM EST March 4, 2021 AUGUSTA, Maine — A criminal defense lawyer claims that officials have withheld information that could reveal “systemic failures...

Lawyer goes to court for access to Maine crime lab records York County attorney Amy Fairfield says the public should have more information on how the state police crime lab operates, including employee disciplinary records and its analysis of evidence. Share A York County lawyer is fighting state officials for access to records on how the Maine crime lab operates, including those concerning a technician who quit while the state was pursuing disciplinary action. Amy Fairfield said she’s seeki...

A criminal defense lawyer claims that officials have withheld information that could reveal “systemic failures” at the state police forensic lab and has filed a lawsuit against Maine for the release of those documents.

Press Herald sues Maine State Police over concealed discipline records The newspaper is working to obtain public information on why more than a dozen state troopers were disciplined since 2015. Share The Portland Press Herald filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Maine State Police seeking to pry loose disciplinary records that could shed light on how the agency handles complaints of misconduct and rule-breaking among its ranks. The Maine State Police redacted key parts of disciplinary records o...

Multiple Authors Article Maine State Police vehicles are shown at the Troop E barracks. Image by Linda Coan OKresik/BDN. United States. The Portland Press Herald is suing the Maine State Police to force it to unredact records documenting officer misconduct, making it the second Maine news organization to do so in less than a month. The Bangor Daily News filed suit Jan. 28. MTM Acquisition Inc., which publishes the Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram, argued in...