It’s no secret that our furry friends love a good beach romp. My own doodle Maverick’s eyes light up every time I un-hook the leash and he gets to run free through the waves and the sand before the prime summer time hours hit and off-leash rules change. Here’s some of my favorite beaches the doodle and I always have a good time going to, and the rules are super clear so you never have to deal with the confusion of summer hours.

Willard Beach

Right in South Portland, this one’s my go-to. I can easily say this is a favorite spot for tons of local dog parents which makes it almost a social hour for us too.  Plus, there’s a designated off-leash area where pups can socialize and run free.

East End Beach

This one is sneaky yet so much fun when you find it over in the eastern end of the Portland peninsula. East End Beach is a hidden gem that allows dog romps year-round. This one can actually be pretty romantic around sunset time since it’s right on Casco bay where you can watch all the big boats come in and out of the area. While dogs must be leashed during the summer months, they’re free to roam off-leash during the rest of the year. I’ve actually met tons of friends on this little beach.

Higgins Beach

If I’m not at little Willard Beach in So-Po with my doodle, Higgins Beach in Scarborough is always the immediate second choice. The rocks are so fun to climb and typically end up making little tidal pools that doggos love to splash around in. This is also what my friends and I refer to as “the surfer’s beach” because we constantly see surfers running in and out of the waves over there all season round. Talk about people watching.

A ground and air search is underway for a missing Clinton man, age 40.

Clinton Resident Went Missing on Sunday

Damon Bickford, 40, was reported missing on Sunday night at approximately 10:00.

Mr. Bickford Does Not Have His Cellphone

Officials say Bickford, who lives at 1665 Bangor Road in Clinton, notably left his phone at home. Bickford is 5’8″ tall, 205 pounds, with dark hair, a brown and white beard, and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing gray pants, a flannel shirt of unknown color over a t-shirt, and hiking boots.

His disappearance prompted an immediate response from the Clinton Police Department and Maine Warden Service, who have been actively involved in the search since this morning. Their efforts include deploying a plane and K9 teams to Bickford’s home.

Police Hope to Hear From Anyone Who Has Information About His Whereabouts

Officials urge anyone who may have seen Damon or has any information about his whereabouts to contact the Clinton Police Department, at 207-426-9192.

We’ll update this story as more details become available.

The high electricity consumption of a home, its cardboard-covered windows and odor of marijuana drew law enforcement’s attention to an illicit grow operation off the beaten path in rural Maine.

The bust of the home with a hidden grow operation and seizure of nearly 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of processed marijuana marked the latest example of what authorities describe as a yearslong trend of foreign nationals to exploit U.S. state laws that have legalized cannabis for recreational or medical use to produce marijuana for the illicit markets in the U.S.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating international criminal organizations that are operating illegal marijuana grows in about 20 states, including Maine, Attorney Garland Merrick Garland told the Senate Appropriations Committee this week, in response to a question raised by Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

Federal law enforcement officials said there currently are about 100 illicit grow operations in Maine, like the one in Passadumkeag, about 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) north of Bangor, and about 40 search warrants have been issued since June.

In Passadumkeag, Xisen Guo, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in China, has been accused of transforming the house into a high-tech, illicit grow operation, according to court documents unsealed this week.

He was ordered held without bail Friday on federal drug charges, making him the first person to be charged federally in such a case in Maine. A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday.

The Internal Revenue Service and Department of Homeland Security, along with the FBI and DEA and local law enforcement, are working together to get to the bottom of the illicit grow operations in Maine, Garland said.

The state legalized adult consumption of marijuana, but growers must be licensed by the state. The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy said Guo was operating an unlicensed operation, according to court documents.

The illicit grow operations across the U.S. began cropping up several years ago. In 2018, U.S. authorities arrested a Seattle woman, conducted raids and seized thousands of marijuana plants during an investigation of an operation with Chinese ties. Oklahoma officials learned straw owners in China and Mexico were running illegal operations after marijuana was legalized by the state for medical purposes in 2018.

The legality of marijuana consumption and cultivation in those states tends to provide cover for illegal grow operations, which may draw less attention, officials said. The marijuana is then trafficked in states where it’s illegal.

In Maine, U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee said thwarting illegal growing operations with international connections is a priority for law enforcement, “and we will continue to marshal every tool at our disposal in this effort as appropriate.”

Law enforcement officials know the tell-tale signs.

Police zeroed in on the Passadumkeag operation in part because of the home’s utility bills reviewed by deputies. After the home was purchased for $125,000 cash, the electricity use went from about $300 a month to as high as nearly $9,000, according to court documents.

That’s consistent with heat pumps, costly lighting and other gear needed to grow marijuana, investigators said. The home owner, a limited liability company, upgraded the electric capability to double what is found in a typical Maine home, according to documents.

Guo’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call from The Associated Press. Two others who were at the home at the time of the police raid in February were released and not charged.

McElwee said law enforcement — from local and county police to the FBI and DEA — are starting to make headway with “dozens of operations” shuttered over the last several months.

“The possible involvement of foreign nationals using Maine properties to profit from unlicensed marijuana operations and interstate distributions makes it clear that there is a need for a strong and sustained federal, state and local effort to shut down these operations,” she said.

Law enforcement officials also continue to investigate who is directing the operations and where the profits are going, she said.