Maine

U.S. 06/18/19, 16:05

A man accused of placing a gun against the neck of a sheriff's deputy and pulling the trigger was convicted of murder Tuesday after a trial that focused on the defendant's drug-addled state of mind.Both sides agreed that defendant John Williams fired the shot that killed Cpl. Eugene "Gene" Cole ...

Politics 06/18/19, 15:07

Republican Sen. Susan Collins on Tuesday took her 7,000th consecutive vote as a member of the U.S. Senate, extending a streak she has carefully maintained during more than two decades in the Senate. The 66-year-old Collins is gearing up for a reelection race in 2020 that is expected to be competitive. ...

U.S. 06/18/19, 12:54

The Latest on the deputy killing trial (all times local):1:50 p.m.A Maine man accused of placing a gun to the neck of a sheriff's deputy and pulling the trigger has been convicted of murder.Both sides agree that defendant John Williams fired the shot that killed Cpl. Eugene Cole last year. ...

U.S. 06/16/19, 13:33

Undaunted by a dangerous journey over thousands of miles, people fleeing economic hardship and human rights abuses in African countries are coming to the U.S.-Mexico border in unprecedented numbers, surprising Border Patrol agents more accustomed to Spanish-speaking migrants. Officials in Texas and even Maine are scrambling to absorb the sharp increase ...

U.S. 06/12/19, 15:59

Maine legalized medically assisted suicide on Wednesday, becoming the eighth state to allow terminally ill people to end their lives with prescribed medication.Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who had previously said she was unsure about the bill, signed it in her office.Oregon was the first state to legalize such assistance, in ...

U.S. 06/12/19, 07:44

With jobs unfilled and young people moving away, some rural states are doubling down on efforts to attract new blood by expanding programs that offer incentives to live there.Over the past decade, states including South Dakota, Maine and Vermont have lured new residents with financial incentives in areas that need ...

U.S. 06/04/19, 12:33

The Maine Legislature voted Tuesday to legalize assisted suicide, with supporters declaring it in line with the state's tradition of individualism and opponents insisting the practice tempts fate.The bill now goes to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who has not indicated whether she will let it become law. Her office said ...

Science 05/29/19, 10:46

Whale researchers in New England believe they've found a new way to measure the amount of stress felt by whales when they experience traumas such as entanglements in fishing gear, and they say the technique could help protect the massive sea creatures from extinction.The scientists, with the New England Aquarium ...

U.S. 05/25/19, 10:15

Fishermen already dealing with a dramatic reduction in the amount of a key bait fish they are allowed to harvest will likely face an additional cut next year that could drive up the price of lobster for consumers.Regulators on the East Coast are contending with a drop in the population ...

U.S. 05/24/19, 17:36

A Massachusetts priest who was defrocked for child sexual abuse and was portrayed in the movie "Spotlight" is going to prison for a second time — this time in Maine.A judge on Friday ordered Ronald Paquin to serve 16 years in state prison for sexually abusing an altar boy during ...

Football 05/24/19, 08:29

Prosecutors have rested in the trial of a Maine man charged with raping and killing a childhood friend in Bar Harbor.Jurors on Thursday watched a surveillance video that showed 22-year-old Jalique Keene carrying Mikaela Conley's body across an elementary school playground on the morning of June 1, 2018.Friends and family ...

Business 05/23/19, 11:25

Maine's marijuana enthusiasts used a public hearing on Thursday to implore the state to protect the small businesses and growers they think should make up the backbone of the state's budding cannabis industry.The Maine Office of Marijuana Policy held the public hearing about the state's draft marijuana rules, which are ...

Football 05/21/19, 12:51

A young woman who was raped and strangled had the defendant's DNA under her fingernails, indicating they struggled before her death, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday.Surveillance video shows a man whom authorities say is Jalique Keene dragging Mikaela Conley's lifeless body. But the video and DNA evidence don't prove that ...

Football 05/20/19, 12:13

Jury selection is underway in the trial of a Maine man accused of raping, beating and strangling a former high school classmate.Opening statements will begin after the jury is seated for the trial of Jalique Keene in Superior Court in Ellsworth. Jury selection began on Monday.Keene, who's 21, is accused ...

Sports 05/08/19, 11:33

Maine's baby eel fishermen are enjoying a steady harvest and strong prices during the first season in which regulators are using new controls to stop poaching .Baby eels, called elvers, are one of the most lucrative marine resources in the U.S. on a per-pound basis, but the fishery has had ...

U.S. 05/06/19, 18:22

A lifetime achievement award has been offered — and rescinded — for "American Pie" singer Don McLean.The 73-year-old announced Monday that he's receiving the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement, presented by the Student Alumni Association of University of California, Los Angeles. Past recipients included Julie Andrews, ...

Business 05/05/19, 07:46

Maine's seaweed business has grown like a weed in recent years, with proponents touting it as both a "superfood" and an economic generator for the rural state — but the industry is now facing sticky new restrictions.Maine has a long tradition of seaweed harvesting, in which the algae is gathered ...

Health 05/02/19, 15:11

The state Senate moved Thursday to end philosophical but not religious exemptions to vaccines, amid rising concerns about disease outbreaks.In an initial round of voting, the Senate voted 20-15 to pass a bill that would end both kinds of opt-outs by 2021 for schoolchildren, as well as employees at nursery ...

U.S. 05/01/19, 08:21

Maine has become the first state to ban single-use food and drink containers made from polystyrene foam, commonly known as Styrofoam.Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed the bill into law Tuesday.The Natural Resources Council of Maine says Maine's the first state to enact such a ban. Similar legislation passed Maryland's legislature ...

Business 04/29/19, 15:28

Fishing managers on the East Coast began the daunting process Monday of implementing new restrictions on lobster fishing that are designed to protect a vanishing species of whale.A team organized by the federal government recommended last week that the number of vertical trap lines in the water be reduced by ...