Maine
Maine casino inspectors take no-confidence vote in state's chief gambling regulator
![Maine casino inspectors take no-confidence vote in state's chief gambling regulator Maine casino inspectors take no-confidence vote in state's chief gambling regulator](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6390cc4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5666x2975+0+401/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F55%2F5d%2Fbed0e1c441608fab1cee6706eb01%2Fap23011590923843.jpg)
Maine’s casino inspectors have taken a vote of no confidence in the executive director of the state’s Gambling Control Unit.
The nine public safety inspectors said Milton Champion had created a “deeply dysfunctional and toxic workplace.”
The workers, who are members of the Maine Service Employees Association, allege that Champion has disregarded the terms of their union contract, retaliated against individuals, and pursued deregulation of the state’s two casinos without voter input.
Inspector Gayle Craig, who works at Hollywood Casino in Bangor, said shortly after she and others filed a grievance over incorrect holiday pay, Champion cut back their hours on weekends and holidays. She said that undermined their core responsibility.
“It just takes away our ability for oversight,” Craig said. “That alone – the schedule change was a form of retaliation.”
Craig said she worries less oversight means more infractions could go unnoticed.
Union representative Frankie St. Amand said previous issues involving Champion have gone unresolved.
“I think at this point, the director needs to be removed from his position so that these hardworking inspectors can continue to do the work that they’re employed to do,” she said.
Last year Champion was placed on a temporary leave for a separate issue involving inappropriate social media posts.
Champion did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Maine
Rembrandt ‘Portrait of a Girl’ found in Maine attic sells for record $1.4 million
![Rembrandt ‘Portrait of a Girl’ found in Maine attic sells for record .4 million Rembrandt ‘Portrait of a Girl’ found in Maine attic sells for record .4 million](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/09/04/USAT/75079285007-portrait-of-girl.jpg?auto=webp&crop=1371,770,x153,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Beach Boys, Elvis and more to be sold at auction
Many pieces from Elvis Presley, Prince, the Beach Boys and a victim of the Manson murders will be auctioned at “Artifacts of Hollywood & Music” sale.
A 17th century portrait discovered in an attic by the Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt sold for $1.4 million in Maine, breaking a state record.
The painting, titled “Portrait of Girl” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, sold to the highest bidder at the Thomaston Place Auction Galleries in the small town of Thomaston in southern Maine. The sale broke the auction records in the state, according to the group.
The portrait depicts a teenage girl wearing Dutch attire, a white collar and cap, while conveying a serene look. Thomaston Place founder Kaja Veilleux made the “once-in-a-lifetime discovery” in a Camden attic around 12 miles northeast of the auction house.
“We often go in blind on house calls, not knowing what we’ll find,” Veilleux said in the news release.
In 1970, the Philadelphia Museum of Art once displayed the Rembrandt piece in a hand-carved frame, the auction house added.
Rembrandt painting sought after by 3 persistent bidders
On Aug. 24, bidders from around the world sought after the piece, but it was the prices offered by a persistent three that led to the $1.4 million final offer.
“Out of all the phone bids I’ve handled, I never imagined I’d help close a deal for over a million dollars,” auction host Zebulon Casperson said in the news release. “It feels like a shared victory.”
Veilleux said he discovered the painting during a routine visit, the auction house announced.
“The home was filled with wonderful pieces but it was in the attic, among stacks of art that we found this remarkable portrait.” he told Fortune.
Maine
Missing woman from Virginia found dead in southern Maine, police say
![Missing woman from Virginia found dead in southern Maine, police say Missing woman from Virginia found dead in southern Maine, police say](https://gray-wabi-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PK4BBJTTERAUDG667PKG2IEUUU.png?auth=230794fb6ffb074228453367e18f5b0fc4a557ac185d4a0a42ff921c33ff864f&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
DAYTON, Maine (WMTW) – A Virginia woman who was reported missing was found dead in a town in southern Maine, according to authorities.
Maine State Police officials said 23-year-old Autumn Cleveland, of Newport News, was found dead shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday inside a vehicle parked near Goodwin Mills Road in Dayton.
Cleveland’s family members told Maine’s Total Coverage the young woman was traveling to Maine Thursday.
In the days before Cleveland was found dead, social media posts about her case were shared thousands of times.
However, there were inconsistencies throughout those social media posts, which included email addresses that led to nowhere and links that led to potential scams and viruses.
Randy Seaver, administrator of the Biddeford-Saco Community Group on Facebook, decided to remove a post about Cleveland from the page with more than 15,000 followers — and he took some heat for his decision.
“If it cannot be verified by an independent law enforcement agency and it’s not being covered by mainstream media, then we’re not going to post it on our page — whether it’s real or not,” Seaver said. “We are going to wait and only publish things that can be verified because there are kinds of scams out there, hoaxes and who knows?
“I mean, I’m not a social media expert. I’m not an internet expert. I’ve just seen too many scams and too many people get hurt where I’ve said, ‘You know what? We’ll allow you to post something if it can be verified,’” Seaver added. “Otherwise, no dice.”
The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit-South continues to investigate Cleveland’s death, pending an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of her death.
Authorities said there is no danger to the public.
Copyright 2024 WABI. All rights reserved.
Maine
Missing NN woman found dead in Maine
DAYTON, Maine (WAVY) — A 23-year-old Newport News woman who had gone missing in Maine was found dead inside a parked car Monday afternoon, Maine State Police said.
Autumn Cleveland, 23, was found inside a parked car near the Goodwins Mills Road in Dayton, Maine, about 25 miles southwest of Portland, Maine, State Police said. The woman matched the description of a missing person out of Newport News.
Maine State Police said a 911 call came in around 3:27 p.m. reporting that a woman who was dead was found.
The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South responded and has started an investigation into the incident.
Maine State Police said there is no danger to the public, and Cleveland’s death remains under investigation pending an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
A news report from the Portland Press Herald in Maine, citing Facebook posts from family members, said Cleveland had been staying in a rental home in Maine for the weekend and had not been in touch with her family since last Saturday evening. Information from the Virginia State Police’s missing person’s page online said she had last been seen Aug. 31 in Newport News.
The report said she had been last seen driving a blue 2018 Mazda CX5 with Washington state plates in southern Maine, and authorities confirmed she was found in the same vehicle.
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