A police lieutenant in Maine and two others suffered serious injuries when another driver crashed head-on into his police cruiser in Turner while the lieutenant was on his way home from work on Monday, authorities said Tuesday.
Monmouth Police Lt. Dana Wessling, 52, of Turner, was extricated from his cruiser and flown to Maine Medical Center in Portland with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The other driver, Sean McNeil, 41, of Minot, and his passenger, a 47-year-old woman from Turner, were both taken by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The conditions of Wessling, McNeil and the unidentified woman were not known on Tuesday.
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On Monday, at 4:49 p.m., the Androscoggin County Regional Communications Center received a report of a two-vehicle, head-on crash at the intersection of Turner Center Road and Bradford Road in Turner.
Deputies along with Turner Fire-Rescue were immediately dispatched to the scene, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said.
A preliminary investigation found that Wessling was traveling west on Turner Center Road in his take-home cruiser, a black 2022 Ford Interceptor that is owned by the Town of Monmouth.
McNeil, driving his silver 2013 Ford F150 pickup truck, was traveling east on Turner Center Road when McNeil came around a curve, crossed the center line and was in Wessling’s lane when the two vehicles collided, authorities said.
Both vehicles had extensive front-end damage and were totaled, authorities said.
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Wessling, who was on his way home at the end of his shift, had just picked up his 7-year-old son at daycare, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said. His son was taken by private vehicle to a local hospital to be examined for precautionary reasons.
Investigators from the sheriff’s office and the Lewiston Police Department were on scene to reconstruct the crash.
The crash investigation remains under investigation.
Turner is a small town in Maine, just north of Lewiston. The town’s population was 5,817 at the 2020 census.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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PORTLAND (WGME) — The Maine Jewish community says the attack in Australia has left them mourning and on edge.
It comes amid an increase in antisemitic rhetoric, online and in our communities.
Members of Maine’s Jewish community say they have no choice but to take these increased threats seriously, especially in wake of the tragedy in Australia.
They are now increasing security, like during the menorah lighting for the first night of Hanukkah outside Portland City Hall Sunday.
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The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine says they’ve been coordinating with local law enforcement across the state since Sunday about heightened threat levels.
They say the attack in Australia is just the culmination of an increase in antisemitic actions that have been seen across the world in recent years, which Maine has not been isolated from.
“There were about, almost 16 antisemitic incidents, documented antisemitic incidents in 2024,” Jewish Community Relations Council Director Zach Schwartz said. “That represents the same increase that Sydney saw, which is a three-fold increase, so yeah, we could say by the numbers, that there is multiple orders of increased antisemitism in the state.”
The alliance says the story of Hanukkah is also more relevant than ever amid these attacks.
They say amid dark days, the Jewish community still finds ways to come together in hopes of lighting the way for a brighter future.
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Governor Janet Mills issued a statement on both the shooting in Australia and at Brown University.
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“My prayers are with the victims of the tragedies in Providence and Australia, and I hope for the full recovery of all those injured. Innocent people, like those gathering for school or to celebrate their faith, should be free from fear of hateful acts such as these.”
An image from Michael T. Fay’s Facebook page shows him in front of the location on Allen Avenue in Portland, one of the franchises ordered closed. (Facebook screenshot)
Eight Subway locations closed last week by state regulators have reopened.
MTF Subway franchise owner Michael T. Fay has confirmed that all of his franchise locations in Maine are open for business, following the closure of eight of them last Wednesday.
Maine Revenue Services ordered what it characterized as “several” Subway locations closed for “for noncompliance with Part 3, 36 M.R.S.A.,” which primarily governs Maine’s sales and use tax.
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The agency did not elaborate and would only reiterate Monday that, “Due to confidentiality requirements, MRS cannot comment on individual tax situations.”
In an email to the Sun Journal on Monday, Fay confirmed that eight of his locations were affected by the ordered closures, after the state revoked the registration certificates for each location.
Fay stated that none of his employees were laid off by the company.
MTF Subway locations affected:
Blue Hill
Brunswick
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Hampden
Lisbon Falls
Portland
Topsham
Westbrook
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Wiscasset
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A long-time journalist, Christopher got his start with Armed Forces Radio & Television after college. Seventeen years at CNN International brought exposure to major national and international stories…
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As members of the Portland Maine Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered for a stake Christmas fireside Sunday evening, Dec. 14, they received an unexpected and joyful announcement from the First Presidency.
A house of the Lord will be constructed in Portland, Maine — the state’s first temple.
“We’re pleased to announce the construction of a temple in Portland, Maine. The specific location and timing of the construction will be announced later,” said the First Presidency statement read by Elder Allen D. Haynie, General Authority Seventy and president of the United States Northeast Area.
“This is a reason for all of us to rejoice and thank God for such a significant blessing — one that will allow more frequent access to the ordinances, covenants and power that can only be found in the house of the Lord,” the statement concluded.
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Speaking to attendees in the Portland stake center in North Yarmouth, Elder Haynie said: “In a recent meeting of the First Presidency of the Church, a decision was made that, when directed by the First Presidency, the announcement of the construction of a new temple should be made on location by a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, or a member of an area presidency.
“Such an announcement by a member of the area presidency has never occurred before,” Elder Haynie said. “Tonight will be the first time.”
On behalf of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Allen D. Haynie, General Authority Seventy and president of the United States Northeast Area, announces a new temple will be built in Portland, Maine, during a stake Christmas fireside in the Portland stake center in North Yarmouth, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. | Screenshot
The Portland Maine Temple is the first house of the Lord announced by the First Presidency since President Dallin H. Oaks was set apart as the 18th President of the Church on Oct. 14, following the death of President Russell M. Nelson. No temples were announced during October 2025 general conference.
Maine is home to more than 11,000 Latter-day Saints who comprise 27 congregations. The Portland Maine Stake was created earlier this year and is one of three stakes in the state, along with the Augusta and Bangor stakes. Church members in these stakes are currently part of the Boston Massachusetts Temple district.
The stake fireside, titled “Come Let Us Adore Him,” featured a variety of musical selections and messages about the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ. Individuals and families of all ages attended the event. Elder Haynie was accompanied by his wife, Sister Deborah Haynie.
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A choir performs during the Portland Maine Stake Christmas fireside on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in North Yarmouth, Maine. | Screenshot
Temple announcement
A new temple in Maine brings the total number of the Church’s temples — operating, under construction, or announced worldwide — to 383.
This temple announcement is a deviation from a pattern established in recent years in which leaders announce temples mostly during the Church’s semiannual general conferences.
Of the 200 temples President Nelson announced during his seven years as President of the Church, only one was announced outside of a general conference session — the Ephraim Utah Temple. President Nelson announced the Ephraim temple on May 1, 2021, in a prerecorded video shown at a press conference inside the Manti Tabernacle. In this message, President Nelson also explained modified plans for the Manti Utah Temple’s renovation.
President Thomas S. Monson, who served as the 16th President of the Church from February 2008 to January 2018, announced 45 temples during his administration — 40 of which were done in a general conference session. Prior to President Monson’s tenure, however, a majority of temples were announced outside of general conference.
More about the Church in Maine
Latter-day Saint missionaries first arrived in Maine in 1832 by canoe, crossing the Piscataqua River which forms the boundary of Maine and New Hampshire. A branch was established in Saco later that year.
In August 1837, missionaries Wilford Woodruff and Jonathan Hale arrived in the Fox Islands, today known as Vinalhaven and North Haven. By that winter, the Church established branches on both islands, with about 100 members total. Church activity slowed in Maine after 1844, when most Church members moved west to escape persecution.
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Missionary efforts and Church activities resumed in 1904, and local members hosted worship services and activities in their homes. In 1957, meetinghouses were dedicated in Portland and Bangor. The state’s first stake, the Maine Stake, was organized on June 23, 1968.
The Portland Maine Stake center in North Yarmouth, Maine, is pictured on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
