Maine

Maine Investing $230M in Behavioral Health After Gun Deaths

Published

2 years ago

June 9, 2022

Maine Investing 0M in Behavioral Health After Gun Deaths

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine will make investments $230 million in statewide suicide prevention and psychological well being companies after a report discovered that greater than 85% of gun deaths in 2020 have been suicides.

The state report launched this week concluded that 132 of the 154 individuals killed by weapons in 2020 died by suicide. In keeping with the report, 118 of the suicides affected males, The Portland Press Herald reported Wednesday.

The analysis carried out by the state’s Heart for Illness Management and Division of Human Companies coincides with the gun management debate that has reignited throughout the U.S. after 19 youngsters and two academics have been killed in a faculty capturing in Uvalde, Texas, and 10 Black individuals have been killed in a racist capturing in a grocery retailer in Buffalo, New York.

Many states have adopted so-called crimson flag legal guidelines, which take firearms away from individuals who might do hurt to themselves or others. Florida handed a regulation after the Parkland highschool capturing in 2018. In Maine, a “yellow flag” regulation requires a medical skilled to log off earlier than weapons can be eliminated. Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins has pushed for one thing related on the federal stage.

State lawmakers and advocates have additionally referred to as for an overhaul of Maine’s psychological well being system and additional limiting entry to gun possession for individuals in disaster, the Press Herald reported.

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Rep. Lori Gramlich, a Democrat who sponsored the invoice that led to the report, stated “essentially the most alarming information level on this report is relating to suicides and that’s a psychological well being situation.”

Greg Marley, director of suicide prevention on the Nationwide Alliance on Psychological Sickness of Maine, stated he was not shocked by the info however he hopes the report will enhance consciousness across the position of weapons in suicide and creating preventive measures.

Maine is beneath the nationwide common in relation to gun violence, however has a a lot greater fee of suicide and suicide makes an attempt utilizing weapons, in keeping with Everytown for Gun Security, a nonprofit which tracks gun deaths throughout the nation.

This story was first printed on June 8, 2022. It was up to date on June 9, 2022, to appropriate the headline to say the state is investing cash in behavioral well being, not simply suicide prevention; and the story to say cash is being invested in suicide prevention and psychological well being companies, not suicide prevention and psychological well being consciousness.

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Maine

Maine photographer offers discounts, free services to same-sex couples who want to get married before inauguration

Published

4 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Press Room

Maine photographer offers discounts, free services to same-sex couples who want to get married before inauguration

PORTLAND, Maine (WMTW) – Many people in the LGBTQ+ community are concerned about last week’s election results, as they fear marriage equality protections may change under the new Trump administration.

As a result, a growing number of professional photographers are coming together to offer discounted or free same-sex wedding ceremony coverage.

That list includes Cassandra Fontaine of Koa & Kai Photography, who is based in Maine.

“Personally, in my family, my sister is in the LGBTQ community. My mom is,” Fontaine said. “It was more out of love and just knowing that I know how afraid they are, and I want to support them in whatever way that they can.”

The discounts and free services are being offered to those who are considering moving their wedding timelines up to between now and January.

It is important to note the Trump administration has not announced any plans to challenge marriage equality.

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Maine since 2012, which is three years before the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage across the country.

In its Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the Supreme Court ruled that all 50 states must allow and recognize same-sex marriages under the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment.

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Maine

11 Maine legislative races headed to recounts, including one tie

Published

11 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Press Room

11 Maine legislative races headed to recounts, including one tie

Eleven races in the Maine Legislature that were contested on Nov. 5 are headed to recounts, the Maine secretary of state’s office announced Wednesday.

Ballots will be recounted in nine House races and two Senate races. Recounts will start on Friday and continue through Nov. 25.

Preliminary counts included a dead-even tie in House District 141, and three races where the margin between the apparent winner and loser was fewer than 20 votes.

The results below are unofficial preliminary counts provided by the secretary of state’s office.

House District 44

William Pluecker – 2,731

Ray Thombs – 2,369

House District 52

Sally Cluchey – 2,748

David Guilmette – 2,732

House District 58

Sharon Frost – 3,158

Daniel Newman – 3,114

House District 75

Stephan Bunker – 2,318

Randall Gauvin – 2,308

House District 81

Peter Wood – 2,835

Joan Beal – 2,816

House District 96

Michel Lajoie – 2,550

Kerryl Clement – 2,514

House District 98

Kilton Webb – 2,995

Guy Lebida – 2,941

House District 141

Patricia Kidder – 2,476

Lucas Lanigan – 2,476

House District 142

Anne-Marie Mastraccio – 1,938

Amy Bell – 1,874

Senate District 8

Leo Kenney – 10,112

Michael Tipping – 10,229

Senate District 15

Richard Bradstreet – 10,820

Raegan LaRochelle – 10,621

Maine law does not have mandatory recounts, but when the apparent margin of victory is 1 percent or less in statewide or multi-county races, or 1.5 percent or less in legislative or single county races, a candidate can request a recount free of charge.

When the margin is larger, the candidate must pay a deposit. That money is refunded if the result is overturned by the recount.

Wednesday was the last day that a candidate could request a recount in a non-ranked-choice race, according to the secretary of state’s office.

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Maine

Transgender support groups in Maine see spike in contacts after election

Published

19 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Press Room

Transgender support groups in Maine see spike in contacts after election

Transgender support groups in Maine said they are seeing a spike in contacts similar to those reported by national LGBTQ+ groups since Donald Trump’s election last week.

Bre Danvers-Kidman with the Maine Trans Net said about 100 people came to the group’s post-election support event and that many others have reached out through various platforms in the week since.

Some have expressed fears about losing their gender affirming care, the potential roll back of Title IV protections and a rise in harmful rhetoric.

Danvers-Kidman said that though there is valid concern about federal funding for care being rolled back, Maine has its own protections in place.

“We have the good laws here, we have the infrastructure to fight those battles with. And so to the extent that those battles rear their heads, Maine is going to be a place where I feel like we can fight them and we can win,” Danvers-Kidman said.

They expressed confidence that the “good laws” in Maine would remain, even if policy changed at a federal level.

“If the state offers greater protection to citizens than the federal government, the state wins. And so those greater protections that Maine offers to trans people, those will hold. I expect those to hold,” Danvers-Kidman said.

The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ youth, reported a 700% increase in crisis contacts the day after the election.

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