SEARSPORT, Maine (WABI) – Community members from the town of Searsport gathered at the community building this evening to hear what offshore wind could do for their community.

The Searsport Workforce Development event invited the public for conversations surrounding union jobs, workforce training opportunities and discussions around economic development.

When it comes to offshore wind many worry about where it gets cited.

The director of policy for the Maine Labor Climate council said that part of the project is out of their control due to separate processes through the federal government and the state.

However he wants communities to understand no matter where the port is, it can benefit the workforce of Maine.

“We have a fantastic opportunity in the state of Maine to really give a brand new birth to an industry in the mid-coast and to do it with union wages and benefits for all workers who work on it whether they’re union or not,” said Scott Cuddy.

“We’re talking about an opportunity that we haven’t seen before in the state of Maine.”

The meeting had knowledgeable panelists to answer any questions community members may have.

To keep up with offshore wind progress in Maine you can head to the Maine Offshore Wind Initiative website.

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A Deer Isle man is facing multiple charges after allegedly leading police on a chase in a stolen vehicle before crashing it.

The Driver Had a Suspended License, Which Added to His List of Charges

Jon McDowell, 27, of Deer Isle is charged with theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, driving to endanger, operating after suspension, and failing to report an accident.

A Deer Isle Resident Reported Their SUV Missing Monday Afternoon

The incident began at approximately 3:17 Monday afternoon when the Hancock Regional Communications Center received a call from a Deer Isle resident reporting their red Chevrolet Equinox had been stolen. Two Hancock County Sheriff’s Office members tried to get the vehicle to pull over on Surry Road, but the driver, who officials say was a white male in a black hooded sweatshirt, refused to stop. Due to the danger to the public posed by the pursuit, officials broke off the chase.

Deputies found the Crashed Car and the Suspect Was Not Far Away

Shortly after losing sight of the vehicle, deputies learned of a crash involving a vehicle matching the description of the missing SUV. As Hancock County officials investigated the crash site, they found the SUV had overturned off the roadway. No one was inside, but a man fitting the suspect’s description emerged from nearby woods. He disappeared before deputies could contact him, but they soon learned he had entered a nearby home. He was transported to the Hancock County Jail without incident.

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

The sun was shining Monday afternoon as kids at YWCA Central Maine’s childcare programs made their way outside, enjoying face-painting and crafts set up for a “Day Without Child Care.” A nationwide effort, the day aims to emphasize the systemic issues in the child care industry, and the need for federal support.

Carrie Jadud is a community organizer with the Maine People’s Alliance.

“Child care should be basic infrastructure —you are able to get to work because we have roads and bridges, so you don’t really think about it, you just go on them, right? And we can do the same thing with child care, that is just a basic economic infrastructure,” she said.

Jadud said child care should be funded like other infrastructure- instead of placing the cost entirely on parents, which leaves families struggling to afford care and providers struggling to afford wages for staff.

The goal of Monday’s event was to show parents who are struggling to find and afford care that they are not alone, Jadud said. It’s not a personal failing, but a nationwide issue.

She said child care is a public issue, and should be treated as such.

“It’s something affects all of us, even if people don’t have young children themselves at this moment,” Jadud said. “This affects our whole economy when people can’t participate or can’t participate in the ways that they really are called to do.”

She said that while expansions to childcare worker stipends and family child care scholarships are a step in the right direction, the industry needs ongoing federal support.

Amanda Hatch, chief program and impact officer at the YWCA, said their child care programs are all full, with waitlists. And they often hear from families struggling to find an affordable option, especially as more providers have closed since the pandemic.

But Hatch said even though the YWCA is a larger, more established child care program, funding is always a concern. And supporting infrastructure for the industry would make that a lot easier.

“Just so that we weren’t always searching for the next dollar, or worried about how that was gonna impact the families who are already paying a lot for care and really would struggle to pay more for care,” Hatch said.