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Maine’s leaders cannot turn the other cheek on gun violence | Opinion

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Maine’s leaders cannot turn the other cheek on gun violence | Opinion


Julie Smith of Readfield is a single parent whose son was in the Principles of Economics class at Brown University during the Dec. 13 shooting that resulted in the deaths of two students.

When classrooms become crime scenes, leadership is no longer measured by intentions or press statements. It is measured by outcomes—and by whether the people responsible for public safety are trusted and empowered to act without hesitation.

On December 13, 2025, a gunman opened fire during a review session for a Principles of Economics class at Brown University. Two students were murdered. Others were wounded. The campus was locked down as parents across the country waited for news no family should ever have to receive.

Maine was not watching from a distance.

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My son, a recent graduate of a rural Maine high school, is a freshman at Brown. He was in that Principles of Economics class. He was not in the targeted study group—but students who sat beside him all semester were. These were not abstract victims. They were classmates and friends. Young people who should have been worried about finals, not hiding in lockdown, texting parents to say they were alive.

Despite the fact that the Brown shooting directly affected Maine families, Gov. Janet Mills offered no meaningful public acknowledgment of the tragedy. No recognition that Maine parents were among those grieving, afraid, and desperate for reassurance. In moments like these, acknowledgment matters. Silence is not neutral. It signals whose fear is seen—and whose is ignored. The violence at Brown is a Maine issue: our children are there. Our families are there. The fear, grief, and trauma do not stop at state lines.

The attack and what followed the attack deserve recognition. Law enforcement responded quickly, professionally, and courageously. Campus police, city officers, state police, and federal agents worked together to secure the campus and prevent further loss of life. Officers acted decisively because they understood their mission—and because they knew they would be supported for carrying it out.

That kind of coordination does not happen by accident. It depends on clear authority, mutual trust, and leadership that understands a basic truth: in moments of crisis, law enforcement must be free to work together immediately, without second-guessing.

Even when officers do everything right, the damage does not end when a campus is secured. Students return to classrooms changed—hyper-alert, distracted, scanning exits instead of absorbing ideas. Parents carry a constant, low-level dread, flinching at late-night calls and unknown numbers. Gun violence in schools does not just injure bodies; it fractures trust, rewires behavior, and leaves psychological scars that no statement or reassurance can undo.

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That reality makes silence—and policy choices that undermine law enforcement—impossible to ignore.

After the Lewiston massacre in 2023, Governor Mills promised lessons would be learned—that warning signs would be taken seriously, mental-health systems strengthened, and public-safety coordination improved. Those promises mattered because Maine had already paid an unbearable price.

Instead of providing unequivocal support for law enforcement, the governor has taken actions that signal hesitation. Her decision to allow LD 1971 to become law is the latest example. The law introduces technical requirements that complicate inter-agency cooperation by emphasizing legal boundaries and procedural caution. Even when cooperation is technically “allowed,” the message to officers is unmistakable: slow down, worry about liability, protect yourself first.

In emergencies, that hesitation can cost lives. Hesitation by law enforcement in Providence could have cost my son his life. We cannot allow hesitation to become the precedent for Maine policies.

In 2025 alone, hundreds of gun-related incidents have occurred on K–12 and college campuses nationwide. This is not theoretical. This is the environment in which our children are expected to learn—and the reality Maine families carry with them wherever their children go.

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My son worked his entire academic life—without wealth or legacy—for the chance to pursue higher education, believing it would allow him to return to Maine rather than leave it behind. Now he is asking a question no 18-year-old should have to ask: why come home to a state whose leaders hesitate to fully stand behind the people responsible for keeping him alive?

Maine’s leaders must decide whose side they are on when crisis strikes: the officers who run toward danger, or the politics that ask them to slow down first.

Parents are done with hollow promises. Students deserve leaders who show their support not with words—but with action.



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Maine

Maine lawmakers should prioritize childcare

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Maine lawmakers should prioritize childcare



To the Editor;

Access to affordable child care plays a direct role in whether Maine families can work, pursue education, and maintain stability. The Child Care Affordability Program helps keep child care costs within reach for working families.

To the Editor;

Access to affordable child care plays a direct role in whether Maine families can work, pursue education, and maintain stability. The Child Care Affordability Program helps keep child care costs within reach for working families.

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At Penquis, we serve 270 children from 266 families across dozens of communities through our child development programs, including Head Start, Early Head Start, and child care. We see firsthand how access to child care determines whether parents can work, pursue education and build long-term stability for their families, particularly in communities facing workforce shortages and rising cost of living. 

Child care availability alone is not enough. We can have programs and facilities in place, but if care is not affordable, it remains out of reach for families who are already struggling.

Without it, the cost of child care places an unsustainable burden on Maine families, consuming as much as 29% to 39% of income for single-parent households and 10% to 13% for two-parent families. CCAP is one of the few tools that effectively addresses this challenge by ensuring child care costs are affordable, capping costs at 7% of income for those with the lowest incomes, and expanding access for many more families.

Investing in CCAP supports children’s healthy development, enables parents to participate in the workforce, and strengthens Maine’s economy. We urge state leaders to prioritize this $15 million investment in the supplemental budget and ensure that affordable child care is accessible to the families who need it most.

Kara Hay
president and chief executive officer

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Maine

Wife dead, husband in serious condition after fire at Maine home

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Wife dead, husband in serious condition after fire at Maine home


A woman is dead, and her husband is in serious condition after a fire broke out at their home in Readfield, Maine, Friday night.

The Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office tells NBC10 Boston affiliate News Center Maine that the Readfield Fire Department responded to the house on Plains Road around 9:51 p.m. and found a large fire.

Jerrold Wentworth, 74, had escaped from a second-floor window and told crews that his wife was still on the second floor of the home, officials said, but firefighters were unable to go inside to rescue 75-year-old Carolyn Wentworth due to the fiery conditions.

A photo shared by the fire marshal’s office shows the fire destroyed the home.

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Carolyn Wentworth’s body was found in the debris around 1:45 a.m. Saturday, near where she had been sleeping, fire officials tell News Center Maine. An autopsy will be conducted to determine her cause of death.

Jerrold Wentworth was taken to Maine General Medical Center where he’s in serious condition, officials added.

Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office responded to the scene and are working to determine the cause of the deadly fire.

An investigation remains ongoing.

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Woman presumed dead in Readfield house fire; husband hospitalized

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Woman presumed dead in Readfield house fire; husband hospitalized


Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions

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Maine Department of Public Safety

woman presumed dead in readfield house fire; husband hospitalized

SOURCE: Maine Department of Public Safety

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Woman presumed dead in Readfield house fire; husband hospitalized

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Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions

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Updated: 8:48 PM EDT Apr 4, 2026

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A woman is believed to have died in a house fire Friday night in Readfield, officials said.Firefighters responded to a home on Plains Road at about 9:51 p.m. and found the structure heavily involved in fire. Neighbors helped 74-year-old Jerrold Wentworth escape from a second-floor window. He told crews his wife, 75-year-old Carolyn Wentworth, remained inside.Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions.Investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office later located a deceased person in the debris early Saturday in the area where Carolyn Wentworth had been sleeping. The body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office for identification and cause of death.Jerrold Wentworth was hospitalized in serious condition. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A woman is believed to have died in a house fire Friday night in Readfield, officials said.

Firefighters responded to a home on Plains Road at about 9:51 p.m. and found the structure heavily involved in fire. Neighbors helped 74-year-old Jerrold Wentworth escape from a second-floor window. He told crews his wife, 75-year-old Carolyn Wentworth, remained inside.

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Firefighters were unable to enter due to heavy fire conditions.

Investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office later located a deceased person in the debris early Saturday in the area where Carolyn Wentworth had been sleeping. The body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office for identification and cause of death.

Jerrold Wentworth was hospitalized in serious condition. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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