State Budget
(Augusta) – There’s still no guarantee that state government won’t shut down at midnight, but lawmakers at least have a budget to vote on today. An overnight agreement repeals a surtax on Maine’s wealthiest taxpayers, increases the lodging tax and increases funding for education by $162-million dollars. Senate President Mike Thibodeau’s office reports to Star 97-7 that the panel working on the budget voted 5-to-1 to pass it along to the full legislature. No word on whether Governor LePage will sign the deal if it passes.
Forest Avenue Fixed
(Ellsworth) – It’s fixed. That’s the word from the public works director in Ellsworth about Forest Avenue which washed out Wednesday afternoon when lightning struck a tree and water line, blowing a hole in the water main. Tens of thousands of gallons of water washed out the road between the middle school and Shore Road. Larry Wilson tells Star 97.7 they got the pipe and the road repaired late yesterday.
Suicide Fence
(Prospect) – Calls to install a fence to prevent people from committing suicide by jumping off the Penobscot Narrows Bridge have hit a big pushback. Lawmakers have refused to sponsor a bill, calling such a fence way too expensive and a possible eyesore. The Bangor Daily News reports a fence could cost a half million dollars, and State Representative Karl Ward won’t sponsor an emergency bill after one failed 3-years ago. So far at least 8-people have jumped to their deaths from the tall bridge since it opened. A Sedgwick man remains missing after authorities found his car parked on the bridge a week ago.
Dry Boating
(Maine) Maine Marine Patrol’s “Operation Dry Water” is underway. Today through July 2nd marine patrol will focus on boating under the influence. Operation Dry Water is a national awareness and enforcement campaign to discourage boaters from operating under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The US Coast Guard says alcohol was a factor in 15-percent of boater deaths in 2016. It’s also a chance for marine patrol to promote safety as 83-percent of last year’s drowning victims were not wearing life jackets. Operation Dry Water check points will be set up in various bodies of water throughout Maine for the next week.
Water
(Maine) The Trump Administration is moving forward with efforts to scrap the 2015 Clean Water Rule, a move that concerns conservation groups and the state’s tourism industry. Natural Resources Council of Maine spokesman Nick Bennett says about half of Maine’s drinking water comes from surface water fed by small streams. He says Sebago Lake is so clean that it earned a filtration waiver. Groups including the National Wildlife Federation oppose the repeal, saying the process has been rushed with limited input for the 117-million Americans whose water quality will be affected.
Lacey Act Violations
(Portland) A Portland business is on a year of probation for buying seafood from Maine and Canadian suppliers, processing it, and selling it to domestic and foreign markets. ISF Trading Company bought sea urchins from a Canadian supplier under a false name and got caught trying to illegally import 48-thousand pounds of them in February 2011. ISF will have to pay a $552-thousand-dollar fine.
Woodlawn Grant
(Ellsworth) The Campaign for Woodlawn will receive a $50-thousand-dollar grant to help re-establish the existing Carriage Barn at the historic estate in Ellsworth. The grant comes from the Davis Family Foundation of Yarmouth. The Carriage Barn renovation will provide year-round space for local functions and events. Woodlawn will also gain exhibit space for its collection along with traveling exhibits from other museums. To date, the Campaign for Woodlawn has raised almost $6 million-dollars toward its $8-point-2-million-dollar goal.
Salmon Fundraiser
(E. Machias) Downeast Salmon Federation is trying to raise $2-point-2-million-dollars to restore wild Atlantic salmon to Downeast rivers. A launch of the fundraising effort will be celebrated August 3rd at the Federation’s Peter Fray Hatchery in East Machias. Money donated so far has been used to expand the hatchery, which now has space to raise 4-hundred-thousand “parr” each year for release into the East Machias River. The young salmon stay in the river for 1 to 3 years before swimming to the ocean then later returning as adults.
Bait Fish
(Augusta) Maine lobstermen are out fishing after a cold winter – but they have many more options for bait fish than they did last year. The state Department of Marine Resources says bait fish are much less expensive than last year, where the price of herring rose to as high as 60 cents a pound.
Sports
Boston Red Sox 6 Minnesota Twins 3 (Mookie Betts & Hanley Ramirez homer, David Price gets the win. Sox back in sole possession of 1st place as White Sox beat Yankees. Doug Fister starts for Boston tonight against Toronto.
Eduardo Rodriguez was roughed up in a rehab start for the Sea Dogs last night. New Hampshire beats Portland 9-to-5.
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