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Maine Voices: Kids deserve a government that takes action to protect their health

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Maine Voices: Kids deserve a government that takes action to protect their health


The approval three years in the past by Gov. Mills and the Maine Legislature of L.D. 153, laws beforehand vetoed by Paul LePage, is bearing fruit at present by exposing the contamination of water by lead in faculties throughout Maine. On the time of his 2018 veto of L.D. 40, LePage said: “If faculties are unwilling to benefit from free testing and the remediation funding now accessible to make sure correct public well being, one other statute isn’t going to make them do it.” This proved a missed alternative.

Childhood publicity to steer is an issue in Maine due to a mix of paint from growing older housing inventory and contaminated soil and water. In its 2018 Replace on Childhood Lead Poisoning and Prevention, the Maine Middle for Illness Management and Prevention said that in 2017, 3 p.c of youngsters examined in Maine have been newly identified as lead poisoned. In 2017, then-state Sen. Rebecca Millett of Cape Elizabeth cited elevated water lead ranges in Benton and Yarmouth as trigger for testing the water in all Maine faculties.

Many faculties that Maine youngsters attend have been constructed earlier than June 1986, when lead and solder in pipes have been banned by Congress. In response to the World Well being Group, school-aged youngsters are significantly susceptible to well being and developmental issues after publicity to excessive ranges of lead. Of specific concern is the impact on the growing mind, leading to decrease IQ, behavioral modifications and diminished instructional attainment. There isn’t any recognized protected stage of blood lead focus. A Tufts College research revealed within the Maine Coverage Evaluate in 2010 ascertained that infants born in Maine annually may count on to earn $270 million much less as a gaggle over their lifetimes due to the neurological penalties of lead poisoning.

The excellent news is that lead poisoning is preventable. L.D. 153 set into movement the requirement for all faculties to check ingesting water for lead. Testing started final Oct. 1 and continues till Might 31. The outcomes of those checks can be found to the general public.

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Earlier this month, our household obtained the group publication e mail from our superintendent notifying the varsity group that lead water testing outcomes had been revealed on-line. My daughter’s district had been voluntarily monitoring for lead since 2017. Eighteen sinks in my daughter’s college have been discovered to have elevated lead ranges and have been taken out of service given new, stricter necessities. York Excessive Faculty, North Yarmouth Academy, St. Brigid Faculty, Boothbay Area Elementary Faculty, Calais Center-Excessive Faculty and plenty of different faculties all through the state have water fixtures with elevated lead ranges. It might have been simpler to proceed to disregard this drawback; nonetheless, the Maine Legislature and Division of Well being and Human Companies took motion. I’m grateful that this menace to my little one’s well being and the well being of her classmates, lecturers and faculty employees is now recognized for correct remediation.

The American Rescue Plan, the Biden administration’s bipartisan infrastructure invoice, contains funds to exchange all of America’s lead pipes and repair strains. Given the expense of lead paint abatement and pipe substitute, which many householders in Maine are aware of, this could include a sigh of aid. The federal Environmental Safety Company will allocate $3 billion in funding to states for lead service line substitute in 2022, and $350 billion from the State and Native Fiscal Restoration Fund supplied within the American Rescue Plan can be utilized for lead service line and lead faucet and fixture substitute. This cash is critical and important to the well being of Maine youngsters.

Ship within the plumbers. Maine youngsters deserve a authorities that takes motion to guard their well being and works as exhausting as their lecturers to take care of the excellence of their faculties.

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Maine

Denver beats Maine men’s hockey with late goal

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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“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.”



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Ellsworth veterinarian to settle allegations over controlled substance storage

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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.

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2 dead and several injured in Southern California plane crash

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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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