Maine

Is There a Reason Drivers in Portland, Maine, Refuse to Obey Common Traffic Laws?

Published

2 weeks ago

May 2, 2024

Press Room

Is There a Reason Drivers in Portland, Maine, Refuse to Obey Common Traffic Laws?

I’m a Portland Walker.

Well, more like a Portland commute walker.

I park about 10 minutes away from my office. What should be a nice, leisurely stroll to the office is more like a real-life game of Frogger. And the fault specifically lies with the motorists in this town.

A ridiculous number of drivers in Portland don’t acknowledge stop signs anymore. It’s an epidemic that needs to be discussed and eradicated.

My walk to the office includes five crosswalks. This includes the corridor of Middle Street that has three straight stop signs on the intersections with Exchange, Market, and Pearl.

Google Maps, Paint 3D

My track record for acknowledging a car allowing me to go is a whopping 100%. Not that I need to brag. It literally takes zero effort. However, that effort is not reciprocated. And, quite frankly, if I didn’t pay attention, I would most certainly be dead or severely injured by now.

Drivers just simply roll through or cruise right by these stop signs. This has nearly become a daily occurrence. It’s not like these stop signs are new. It’s been years since they were installed. They are incredibly clear and visible. You have to be a neanderthal to miss them. Just a sheer dummy.

Sure, may you accidentally miss one (though, very unlikely). But more often than not, drivers just stroll right through two or three of them, and typically without a care in the world. I would find it more fascinating if my life wasn’t being put on the line every stinking day.

As for the stop sign rollers, you know, the ones who pretend to stop even though they don’t? Well, they are just jerks. God, forbid you wait 20 seconds while a walker crosses safely in front of you. Instead, you never stop your car, which intimidates a walker, and gives you the excuse to just keep going. Just pure class from humanity’s lowest life forms.

I decided to write this today, because I just need to protect myself as well as my fellow walking brethren. The human body doesn’t exactly bounce off a fender too nicely.

I plead with drivers to follow these steps.

1. Pay Attention – This is pretty self-explanatory.

2. Obey Traffic Laws and Right of Ways – You shouldn’t have a license if this is a problem for you.

3. Stop Means Stop – This really isn’t difficult.

4. Don’t Hit Walkers – Please don’t.

5. Go on Living Your Life – Have fun out there.

It’s amazing how easy it is to, you know, be a civil human being.

We are a broken society. However, it can be fixed. It might not be easy…just kidding, it’s super easy. Stop being jerks, obey traffic laws, and look out for one another.

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Maine

Three New Bedford men charged in drug-related Maine shooting, authorities say – The Boston Globe

Published

7 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

Three New Bedford men charged in drug-related Maine shooting, authorities say – The Boston Globe

Three New Bedford men have been arrested in connection to a drug-related drive-by shooting in Saco, Maine, in February that led to an hours-long lockdown of the downtown and area schools, Maine law enforcement officials said Thursday.

Joshua “Mac” Estrada, 19, Yancarlos “Glizzy” Abrante, 20, and Jason “Ouda” Johnson-Rivera, 18, are each charged with conspiracy to distribute and posses with intent to distribute cocaine and perpetrating a drive-by shooting, according to a statement issued by the US Attorney for the District of Maine.

According to a federal indictment handed up Wednesday, the three men allegedly had been trafficking cocaine in and around Saco and Biddeford since at least January 2024, the statement said.

During a drug dispute on Feb. 9, they fired at least five rounds from a 9 mm handgun into another vehicle, according to Darcie N. McElwee, Maine’s US attorney.

“This joint federal and local investigation reflects that if you come to Maine and engage in violence, particularly firearm violence, there will be a swift and coordinated response from every level of law enforcement,” McElwee’s statement said.

The daytime shooting, just before noon in the intersection of North and Elm streets, prompted authorities to issue a shelter-in-place warning and order at least six schools to go on lockdown.

Police said gunshots were exchanged between a red Dodge Charger and a gray Honda HRV before they collided at the intersection. A school bus was involved in the crash but no students were injured.

Four people ran from the scene causing an extensive search by law enforcement, police said. One of the people appeared to have been shot in the arm.

“Brazen violent crime of this magnitude is not something the City of Saco is accustomed to, but when it happens, Maine law enforcement responds,” Chief Jack Clements, of the Saco Police Department, said in the statement.

In the immediate aftermath of the “brazen” shooting and during the “ensuing chaos,” FBI agents with the Southern Maine Gang Task Force hit the ground running, Jodi Cohen, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the Boston division (which includes all of Maine), said in the statement.

“We believe the three Massachusetts men we have in custody conspired with each other to traffic cocaine and were the instigators of this drive-by shooting,” Cohen said. “Violent drug traffickers have a corrosive effect on our communities, and we want everyone to know that the FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to help make Maine safer for the folks who live, work, and visit here.”

Before the indictment, Estrada was arrested May 6 in New Bedford via a criminal complaint. He was arraigned Thursday in federal court in Maine, McElwee said.

Abrante and Johnson-Rivera currently are in custody in Massachusetts on unrelated charges, McElwee said. They will be brought to Maine next week to be arraigned on the new charges, McElwee said.

If convicted as charged, each of the men faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on the drug charge and up to 25 years imprisonment on the shooting charge, McElwee said.

McElwee announced the arrests Thursday at a press briefing outside the Edward T. Gignoux US Courthouse in Portland. She was joined by Clements, fellow prosecutors, FBI and ATF agents, and acting US Marshal Kevin Neal.

Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.

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Maine

University of New England senior finds meaningful career in Maine conservation

Published

14 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

“I’ve taken (a class from) her every single semester since I’ve been an environmental science major,” he said, “and she’s given me some great career advice as well as … a lot of knowledge.”

Woodworth took full advantage of UNE’s field courses to gain the skills needed to succeed in environmental science, said Morgan, adding that she saw him applying what he learned to an internship in urban forestry as well as research in vernal pools and coastal erosion.

“It was great to see Alex’s confidence grow with each class and the hands-on projects he worked on,” she said, “All his hard work has prepared him well for life after graduation.”

Woodworth said his new job with SWCA Environmental Consulting aligns perfectly with his passion for outdoor work and restoration projects.

“I’m really excited to be outside and on the marsh,” he said, explaining that he will be situated in Brooksville, just 40 minutes from Acadia National Park, working on a marsh restoration project aimed at rebuilding and replanting the area that was previously an old mining site.

“I really didn’t want to be inside at a desk job,” he laughs, recalling his childhood summers spent volunteering at an urban farm — which he credits for sparking his interest in natural ecosystems.

“(It was) getting my hands dirty, even if it was just cleaning or pulling weeds or harvesting vegetables, (that) just made me feel a certain way,” he explained. “And I’ve always been chasing that feeling and wanting to keep doing that.”

As Woodworth embarks on this new chapter, he said being at UNE has provided him with invaluable learning experiences that will help shape the work he will do with the environment moving forward.

“UNE has prepared me for my future career by giving me the knowledge I think that I need going into (restoration), as well as giving me a lot of critical thinking skills and teamwork skills to be successful,” he said.

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Maine

Maine High School Baseball and Softball Scores – Wednesday May 15

Published

21 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Press Room

Here are the High School Baseball and Softball Scores for games played and reported throughout the State of Maine on Wednesday, May 15th.

Baseball

Belfast 8 Nokomis 6
Berwick Academy 14 Concord Academy 2
Brunswick 9 Camden Hills 1
Bucksport 17 Sumner 2
Cape Elizabeth 11 Poland 1
Caribou 10 Fort Kent 9
Cony 14 Waterville 0
Edward Little 8 Brewer 4
Erskine Academy 5 Lincoln Academy 2
Fort Fairfield 12 Central Aroostook 1
Fryeburg Academy 6 Freeport 2
Houlton 4 Calais 0
Jonesport-Beals 3 Shead 0
Katahdin 7 Wisdom 5
Katahdin 10 Wisdom 0
Lawrence 4 Oceanside 2
Lewiston 3 Mount Blue 1
Maranacook 10 Boothbay 7
Messalonskee 11 Bangor 0
Monmouth Academy 15 Dirigo 4
Morse 7 Gardiner 6
Mount Ararat 6 Oxford Hills 3
Narraguagus 11 Machias 3
Orono 6 Deer Isle-Stonington 5
Richmond 12 Buckfield 2
Sacopee Valley 10 Lisbon 1
Saint.Dominic 7 Traip 6
Skowhegan 6 Hampden Academy 0
Telstar 11 Spruce Mountain 3
Washburn 13 Madawaska 6
Washington Academy 9 Mount View 7
Wells 6 Lake Region 5
Yarmouth 2 Greely 1
York 15 Gray-New Gloucester 9

Softball

Biddeford 11 Thornton Academy 10
Brewer 3 Edward Little 1
Buckfield 16 Richmond 5
Bucksport 10 Sumner 1
Camden Hills 11 Brunswick 0
Cony 23 Waterville 6
Dirigo 6 Monmouth Academy 5
Freeport 14 Fryeburg Academy 5
Gorham 23 Bonny Eagle 12
Hall-Dale 6 Madison 1
Hodgdon 6 Ashland 2
Houlton 19 Calais 8
Lewiston 11 Mt. Blue 3
Lincoln Academy 8 Erskine Academy 5
Madawaska 24 Washburn 22
Marshwood 12 Massabesic 11
Messalonskee 5 Bangor 2
Morse 8 Gardiner 6
Narraguagus 17 Machias 2
Nokomis 3 Belfast 0
North Yarmouth Academy 13 Old Orchard Beach 0
Oak Hill 13 Mountain Valley 12
Oceanside 7 Lawrence 0
Oxford Hills 13 Mt. Ararat 0
Orono 17 GSA 0
Poland 10 Cape Elizabeth 0
Sacopee Valley 16 Lisbon 6
Scarborough 7 South Portland 5
Skowhegan 8 Hampden Academy 0
Spruce Mountain 13 Telstar 2
Washington Academy 12 Mount View 2
Washington Academy 11 Mount View 5
Wells 20 Lake Region 0
Westbrook 20 Sanford 5
Windham 9 Kennebunk 1

You can vote for the Week 4 High School Athlete of the Week once every 3 hours HERE, now through Thursday, May 16th at 11:59 p.m.

It’s time to nominate someone for the Week 5 High School Athlete of the Week, for performances May 13-18 . Please email your nomination to chris.popper@townsquaremedia.com, letting us know why the individual should be the Athlete of the Week. Please include stats, and make sure you indicate what school this individual attends, and what sport they’re playing! All nominations should be received by Sunday, May 19th. Voting for Week 5 will take place May 19th-23rd with the winner being announced on Friday, May 24th.

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