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Advocates question child services involvement with family after death of Maine 4-year-old

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Advocates question child services involvement with family after death of Maine 4-year-old


A month after a 4-year-old boy died from a gunshot wound in Maine, his stepfather has been charged with manslaughter.

Police responded to the shooting on Pierce Street in Lewiston shortly before 5 a.m. on May 17. Jasper Smith was transported to Central Main Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Maine State Police said his stepfather, 35-year-old Robert McCoy, was arrested Wednesday on charges of manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.

The boy’s mother, 27-year-old Mikayla Smith, was also arrested on unrelated warrants, but police did not name any charges against her.

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In the wake of the shooting, child welfare advocates have pushed for more details on the state’s involvement with the family, NBC affiliate NEWS CENTER Maine reported.

Investigators previously said they located a single 9mm handgun at the apartment, registered to Jasper’s stepfather.

“The more I learned about the story, the more it becomes concerning to me about what happened, ” state Sen. Jeff Timberlake told NEWS CENTER Maine. “We know of approximately 17 times DHHS was called, and all of those, we know DHHS made at least seven visits.”

Jasper lived in the Pierce Street apartment with his mother, stepfather, and three siblings, aged 7 months, 2 years and 8 years. His aunt, Laura Smith, said his siblings have been removed from the home.

Police said Wednesday that McCoy and Smith had both been taken to the Androscoggin County Jail. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys.

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2026 Primary Election

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2026 Primary Election


Voting is the cornerstone of democracy, and in 2026 Mainers will have a lot of important decisions to make when casting their ballots — from the very top of the ticket to the bottom. On June 9, Mainers will participate in the state’s semi-open party primaries, choosing Democratic and Republican nominees for governor, as well […]



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Regular gas tops $4, premium over $5 in Maine amid severe Trump Iran threats

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Regular gas tops , premium over  in Maine amid severe Trump Iran threats


Brady Chapman fills up one of four trucks he uses for his business Wednesday at Irving Gas Station in Bethel. Regular gas was $4.09 at the station. (Rose Lincoln/Staff Writer)

Maine’s average price for regular gasoline rose to its highest point since August 2022, as the conflict in Iran continues to drive up global oil costs.

A gallon of regular gas averaged $4.03 here Tuesday, ticking up more than 6 cents overnight, according to data aggregated by motor club AAA. That price has risen 38.5% — about $1.12 — since Feb. 28, when the United States and Israel struck Iran, triggering a conflict that has since spilled into the broader Middle East.

Maine’s average price crossed the $4 threshold a week after the national average did so. The national average was up to $4.14 Tuesday, AAA data shows.

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Premium gas was up to $5.07 per gallon in Maine, topping $5 for the first time in nearly four years. Diesel, meanwhile, averaged about $5.90 per gallon Tuesday.

Collectively, those figures mark the state’s highest average gas prices since the summer of 2022, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine drove gas prices to record highs. A gallon of regular gas peaked at $5.09 that June, the highest ever recorded by AAA.

This week, Maine’s prices were the 21st highest among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to AAA. California, Hawaii, Washington, Nevada and Oregon all saw average prices above $5 per gallon Tuesday.

This is a developing story.

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Tennessee forward & Maine native J.P. Estrella enters transfer portal

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Tennessee forward  & Maine native J.P. Estrella enters transfer portal


Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella, a Scarborough native and former South Portland standout, announced earlier today that he is entering the transfer portal.

Estrella shared the news in a social media post, writing that his time at Tennessee “means more to me than I can put into words” and that he’ll “cherish the time I spent there.”



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