Maine
Maine needs to address drug and alcohol deaths head-on, committee finds
Gordon Smith’s workplace will get calls day by day from individuals struggling to seek out assist with substance use dysfunction.
Because the state’s director of opioid response, he hears from moms and dads who’ve misplaced a member of the family to an overdose. And he hears from those that attempt to get assist, however can’t discover it.
“A person was taken to the emergency division and after 5 hours was actually instructed we’ll get to you after we deal with the people who find themselves sick,” Smith mentioned Wednesday. “We have to do higher.”
Smith’s feedback got here throughout a dialogue amongst members of the Committee to Examine Court docket-ordered Therapy for Substance Use Dysfunction, which is able to ahead 5 suggestions to the complete Legislature to think about when it reconvenes in January.
Chief amongst them is that the Legislature wants to supply extra money — the committee didn’t specify an quantity — to battle substance use dysfunction and enhance entry to therapy companies.
The committee is assembly at a time when the state is seeing rising numbers of overdose deaths, with a record-setting 631 final yr.
The committee additionally emphasised the necessity to handle alcohol use dysfunction, calling on all healthcare suppliers within the state to step as much as assist those that are scuffling with dependancy. Final yr, 667 Mainers died on account of alcohol-related causes, in accordance with the committee’s draft report.
“When you persistently don’t fund enough psychological well being and substance use dysfunction companies what you’re going to get is the boat we’re sitting in now,” Rep. Colleen Madigan (D-Waterville) mentioned. “There’s numerous alcohol deaths, there’s numerous overdose deaths, there’s numerous of us dwelling down by the river which have co-occurring issues.”
Madigan mentioned as a result of individuals aren’t getting the companies they want, they’re getting sicker and want extra intensive intervention as soon as they lastly get assist.
“Folks shouldn’t spend their life in distress due to this and households shouldn’t be damaged due to this,” she mentioned.
One of many suggestions is to seek out methods to cut back the stigma related to substance use dysfunction. It’s a difficulty in any respect healthcare services, together with emergency rooms and first care doctor places of work, mentioned Malory Shaughnessy, government director of the Alliance for Habit and Psychological Well being Companies of Maine.
“A part of the destigmatizing substance use dysfunction is acknowledging that it’s all over the place in our communities,” she mentioned. “Many instances individuals go to their common suppliers and the difficulty doesn’t come up as a result of individuals don’t need to discuss it.”
Statistics present the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a rise in alcohol-related deaths nationally and in Maine. One nationwide examine cited a 25% enhance in alcohol-related deaths between 2019 and 2020. In Maine, deaths on account of alcohol elevated greater than 27% in the identical interval.
On the subject of funding to handle the opioid disaster, the state may have about $130 million over the subsequent 18 years, because of settlements with one opioid producer and three distributors, in accordance with the committee report.
Smith described “the large effort that that is going to take to show this round” and mentioned the broader image to handle opioid dependancy consists of prevention, restoration and maintaining individuals alive with hurt discount efforts.
“Now with the pandemic considerably in a unique mode, at the least if not utterly out of the woods, we’re now left with among the residual results of which this can be a half,” he mentioned.
Maine
Denver beats Maine men’s hockey with late goal
ORONO — With two of the top three scoring teams in the country on the ice, of course a low-scoring game was the result.
In Friday’s matchup of top-10 teams, the first of two games went to No. 6 Denver, in heartbreaking fashion for seventh-ranked Maine. The Pioneers scored with 20.7 seconds left, on a shot from the point by Cale Ashcroft that deflected off the shin guard of Maine’s David Breazeale and past goalie Albin Boija, giving the reigning NCAA champions a 2-1 win at Alfond Arena.
It came after Maine (12-4-2) lost a faceoff in its defensive zone, then blocked the initial shot. For Maine coach Ben Barr, it was an another example of not doing all the little things in a close game against a strong opponent. In that regard, it was similar to Sunday’s 4-2 loss to Bentley in Portland.
“Our margin of error, and this has been for the whole time that we’ve been here, our margin of error is very, very small. When you play teams like (Denver), that one faceoff matters. It’s disappointing,” Barr said. “We just didn’t do enough to win.”
Both teams are also among the best in the nation in scoring defense. Only Minnesota State allows fewer goals per game than Maine’s 1.76, while Denver (15-4) is tied for seventh in the country, allowing two goals per game. For most of the game, Maine’s defensive effort was strong. Denver went into the game tied with Minnesota as the top scoring team in the country, averaging four goals per game (Maine is third at 3.88 goals per game). While the Pioneers had just four shots in the third period, the winning goal came when the Black Bears couldn’t clear the puck, and Denver had scoring chances throughout the game that were the result of defensive miscues, only for the Black Bears to be bailed out by Boija (22 saves)
“Our guys played hard. We still have two or three players on the back end that are unplayable, and that makes it really hard on the rest of the guys,” Barr said. “They try, it’s just hasn’t clicked for them for some reason. We’ve got to help them.”
A captain, Breazeale agreed that the Black Bears need to do more.
“There’s definitely some good to take away from it. It’s just that last 1% that we as a collective team have got to take forward,” he said. “We made one block, and the puck’s bouncing around. There’s no excuse for it. We’ve got to be able to respond in those big moments, all five guys on the ice, and we weren’t able to do it tonight.”
Denver took a 1-0 lead with a 5-on-3 power-play goal at 2:53 of the second period. Near the left post, Carter King stuffed in the rebound of a shot by Aidan Thompson that ricocheted off the boards behind the net.
The Black Bears tied the game at 18:37 of the second on Frank Djurasevic’s power-play goal past Pioneer goalie Matt Davis (29 saves).
In the third period, Barr shuffled his top two lines, moving wing Josh Nadeau to play with center Harrison Scott and wing Thomas Freel, while moving Ross Mitton to a line with center Nolan Renwick and wing Taylor Makar – a trio that played well together early in the season.
“We were trying to get Josh going. I thought he was a little stale in the first couple periods, to be honest. I thought he was better in the third,” Barr said.
Barr also moved Owen Fowler from wing to center, on a line with wings Anthony Calafiore and Nicholas Niemo. With captain Lyden Breen out indefinitely because of a leg injury, the Black Bears are short-handed at center, Barr said. Right now, he’s trying to find guys who can take draws and win faceoffs.
The loss stings, Breazeale said, but there’s no time to dwell on it. These teams face each at Alfond Arena again at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
“We feel like we’ve got a lot to prove as a team,” Breazeale said, “and tomorrow night we’ve got to come out with that for 60 more minutes.”
Maine
Ellsworth veterinarian to settle allegations over controlled substance storage
An Ellsworth veterinarian has agreed to pay more than $145,000 to settle allegations that he violated the federal Controlled Substances Act.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency was unable to conduct several audits last year at Dr. Alan Toothaker’s registered location because of insufficient record keeping.
An investigation revealed that Toothaker maintained minimal oversight, had improper storage, failed to keep regular inventories and did not keep appropriate records.
U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee said the practice did not have adequate security or oversight, making it very difficult to determine if any substances had gone missing.
Maine
2 dead and several injured in Southern California plane crash
FULLERTON, Calif. — Two people died and 19 were injured Thursday when a small plane crashed through the roof of a sprawling furniture manufacturing building in Southern California where at least 200 people were working, police said.
The people who died were believed to have been on the plane, while those injured were inside the building. The deceased victims will be identified after officials have contacted the next of kin, the Fullerton Police Department said in a statement.
Eleven people were taken to hospitals, while eight were treated and released at the scene, police said.
The plane crashed less than two minutes after taking off from the Fullerton Municipal Airport in Orange County, located 6 miles from Disneyland, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.
Security camera footage from Rucci Forged, a wheel manufacturer across the street, shows the plane was tilted on its side as it dove into the building, causing a fiery explosion and black plume of smoke.
Firefighters and police arrived on scene and battled the blaze and evacuated surrounding businesses, Fullerton police spokesperson Kristy Wells said.
Chris Villalobos, an airport operations worker, came to the warehouse to see what had happened after receiving a phone call about a plane going down nearby. He noted the airplane’s owner was a regular at the airport and has frequently taken off from there.
“He has a hangar here and everything,” Villalobos said.
After taking off, the pilot told air traffic control he was going to turn around to make an emergency landing, but it was unclear what the issue with the plane was, Villalobos said.
The building struck by the plane was occupied by Michael Nicholas Designs, a furniture upholstery manufacturer, according to a sign on a door. There appeared to be sewing machines and textile stock inside.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the accident and identified the plane as a single-engine, four-seat Van’s RV-10. The National Transportation Safety Board said it also is investigating.
The airport in Fullerton has one runway and a heliport. Metrolink, a regional train line, is nearby and flanks a residential neighborhood and commercial warehouse buildings.
The Fullerton City Council posted a statement on social media calling the crash a “solemn tragedy.”
“The City of Fullerton is committed to providing support for all those affected and working with the agencies involved to uncover the details of this incident,” Mayor Fred Jung said in the statement. “We are grateful for the strength of our community and the compassion we show one another in times of crisis.”
Another four-seat plane crashed into a tree a half-mile from the airport in November while making an emergency landing shortly after takeoff, The Orange County Register reported. Both people on board suffered moderate injuries.
Fullerton is a city of about 140,000 people about 25 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Copyright 2025 NPR
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