Maine

NH, Maine Republicans rush to support Trump after shooting: Here’s what they’re saying

Published

1 year ago

July 14, 2024

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NH, Maine Republicans rush to support Trump after shooting: Here’s what they’re saying

Staff report
| news@seacoastonline.com

Leading Republicans in New Hampshire and Maine are reacting to the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Many are condemning political violence. Some are indicating they believe the shooting is part of a broad attempt to stop Trump from winning the 2024 presidential election. Here’s a look at what they’re saying in prepared statements, posts on X and other social media:

Kelly Ayotte, Republican candidate for New Hampshire governor and former U.S. senator: “Joe and I are thankful to hear that President Trump is safe and this heinous attempt on his life failed. There is no place for political violence in our society and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families tonight.”

Chuck Morse, Republican candidate for New Hampshire governor and former state Senate president, reposted a comment by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and stated: “Governor Abbott is right. They will do everything in their power to try and stop President Trump from getting back into the Oval Office, but it won’t work. The American people will not be silenced, and our Republican Party will not stop working until we get President Trump across the finish line this fall.

Chris Ager, chairman of the New Hampshire GOP: “God Bless President Trump and the United States of America. I ask all of you to pray for President Trump, the attendees that have been killed or injured, and our country. This shooting is nothing less than evil. Let’s pull together and fight for our views – without violence. But make no mistake, we will protect ourselves.”

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu: “Violence of any form has no place in America. Glad to hear that President Trump is doing well and wish him the best in a speedy recovery.”

Russell Prescott, Republican candidate for U.S. House in New Hampshire District 1: “Susan and I are praying for President Trump. This incident is unacceptable.”

Hollie Noveletsky, Republican candidate for U.S. House in New Hampshire District 1: “It is hard to believe what has just happened today. President Trump is in my prayers and I wish him a speedy recovery. I am also praying for those in law enforcement and all who were attending the rally. This violence is unacceptable.”

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine: “I am very relieved that President Trump appears to be OK; however, this violence is absolutely appalling. Thank God for the Secret Service and first responders who hurried President Trump out of harm’s way.”

Maine state Rep. Austin Theriault, Republican candidate for U.S. House: “My family and I are praying for President Trump, everyone at the rally, our law enforcement, and for our country. This is a dark day in U.S. history and I am hopeful it will serve as a wake-up call. Our country needs to unite and come together.”

NH state Sen. Bill Gannon, Republican in NH state Senate: “My prayers are with President Trump, his family, and the attendees of tonight’s rally. Glad to hear he is doing well and wishing him a quick recovery. Grateful for the swift action of the Secret Service, political violence has no place in America.”

NH state Rep. Emily Phillips, Republican candidate for state Senate: “Be strong President Trump. We are with you.”

Democrats in NH and Maine reacting, too

Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire: “Political violence has no place in our civic life, and we must condemn it in the strongest possible terms. My thoughts are with former President Trump, his family, and all those in Butler, PA, and I am grateful for the Secret Service and local law enforcement on the scene.”

Joyce Craig, Democrat candidate for New Hampshire governor: “Political violence is unacceptable. I’m hoping President Trump and everyone at his rally is safe.”

Cinde Warmington, Democrat candidate for New Hampshire governor: “Today is a sad day for our country. There is no room for political violence in America. I am grateful for the swift response of the secret service. My thoughts are with former President Trump, his family, and all attendees of the rally in Butler.”

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Democrat: “Please join me in praying for the health and safety of former President Trump, those who attended his rally today, and our country. There is absolutely no place for violence in our politics – none.”

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine: “Political violence of any kind is never acceptable. Ever. My thoughts are with the former President, his family, and those who were in attendance.”

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine: “I am praying for former President Trump and others at the rally today in PA, as well as for law enforcement on the scene. I pray whoever is responsible is quickly apprehended and held accountable. There must be no room for violence of any kind in our politics.”

Troy Jackson, Maine Democrat, state Senate president: “I am glad to hear that President Trump is safe and am terribly sorry for the loss of a person – an innocent bystander – that was tragically killed during today’s incident. There is no place in our world for political violence – everyone should have the right to believe in whatever they want as long as it does not cause harm and hurt to other people.”

‘It’s sick’: Joe Biden condemns shooting at Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania

This story may be updated.

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Maine

Maine Mariners add two defenseman

Published

11 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Defensemen Max Wanner was re-assigned to the Maine Mariners from the Providence Bruins on Thursday. Defenseman Michael Underwood was also re-assigned to Maine.

Wanner, 22, was acquired by the Boston Bruins when they traded Trent Federic to Edmonton last March. He played in 15 games for the AHL Providence Bruins at the end of last season, and seven this season.

Underwood returns for his second stint with the Mariners. He appeared in 67 games with Maine last season.

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Maine

Maine libraries scramble for books after distributor closes

Published

23 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Maine libraries scramble for books after distributor closes

Rosanne Barnes, an adult services reader’s advisor, shelves new fiction books at Portland Public Library on Wednesday. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)

Some hot new titles have been arriving late at Maine libraries in recent months, after the closing of one the country’s major library book distributors.

Baker & Taylor, based in North Carolina, began winding down its operations in the fall and expects to close entirely this month. The company’s demise has left many Maine libraries scrambling to buy books through other sources, including local book stores, and to endure deliveries taking twice as long.

That means patrons expecting to get new books on or near publication dates are waiting longer to start turning pages.

At the Portland Public Library, “Heart The Lover” by Maine author Lily King wasn’t available to patrons until nearly a month after its Sept. 30 publication date, even though it was ordered in July. At the Libby Memorial Library in Old Orchard Beach, John Grisham’s Oct. 21 release “The Widow” took six weeks to arrive. Staff at the Kennbunk Free Library weren’t sure how long they’d have to wait for “The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans, so they bought two copies at a local store, Octopus Bookshop. As of this week, there were 28 holds on the book.

“Baker & Taylor closing has totally rocked the library world nationwide. It has long been the preferred vendor among many Maine libraries, and their closure is certainly having an impact on us,” said Sarah Skawinski, associate director of the Portland Public Library and president of the Maine Library Association. “I think we’re over the hump now, though.”

Skawinski and other librarians say Baker & Taylor had been having problems getting books from publishers and had been slow with some deliveries, a problem that began during the COVID pandemic. Last year when it became apparent Baker & Taylor was likely going out of business, many libraries switched to the nation’s other major distributor, Ingram Content Group, as well as another company called Brodart Library Supplies. But with increased demand, both those companies have been slow in filling some orders in the last couple months, too.

Industry publications reported that Baker & Taylor’s problems were mostly financial, beginning in the pandemic and included the failed acquisition of another company. An email to Baker & Taylor asking for more information on its closure was not answered Wednesday.

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Aspen Kraushaar checks books in at the front desk at the Kennebunk Free Library on Wednesday. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)

Not every Maine library bought the majority of its books from Baker & Taylor; some used other distibutors instead. Staff at the Waterville Public Library, for instance, say they rarely used the company and weren’t impacted. The Lithgow Public Library in Augusta was only getting about four books a month from Baker & Taylor, said Director Sarah Curra Schultz-Nielsen. Those included children’s books, reference books and travel guides. Finding other distributors for those books, including Brodart and Bookshop, a company that sells mainly to independent bookstores, has been “mildly inconvenient” for staff and has not impacted patrons, Schultz-Nielsen said.

But other libraries used Baker & Taylor for most of its new releases, including fiction and non-fiction, as well to replacements for worn-out books. Stephen King’s books, for instance, have to be replaced pretty regularly, some librarians said.

The Portland Public Library had been ordering about 1,000 items a month from Baker & Taylor, mostly printed books. The library has about 359,000 physical items in its collection. Now, new books are coming to the library from Ingram, but will take maybe four weeks to arrive, compared to one to two weeks when Baker & Taylor was running smoothly.

And there is added work for librarians: While Baker & Taylor sent books that had already been catalogued and ready to be shelved, with bar codes and spine labels, Ingram is not yet offering that service, said Nicole Harkins, cataloging librarian at the Portland library.

“Patrons are aware it’s taking longer and they’re being patient,” Harkins said.

Kennebunk Free Library also switched to Ingram, and staff are spending more time prepping books, including putting protective plastic covers on them, said Allison Atkins, assistant director and head of adult services. Atkins said library staff wrote about their “book ordering troubles” in a library newsletter and on social media, so patrons would understand why new books were slow to arrive. The library used to get about 100 books a month from Baker & Taylor and despite still being “way behind” on new books, patrons have been patient, Atkins said.

For smaller libraries with smaller staffs, finding a new supplier is not always easy. Baker & Taylor was the major books supplier for Davis Memorial Library in Limington. The staff there is so small that they didn’t have time to research or compare new suppliers, so they waited until early this month, said Heidi Libby, the library’s director. As a result, the library has very few new arrivals on its shelves right now and has been filling the “new book” shelves with donated books as well as ordering from Amazon.

Several librarians said this week that local book stores have been a big help during this period, getting books quickly and pricing them affordably. Sherman’s Maine Coast Bookshops, which has 10 stores across the state, saw its sales to local libraries increase from $50,000 in 2024 to nearly $100,000 in 2025, said Jeff Curtis, owner and CEO of Sherman’s.

The Auburn Public Library would sometimes get more than 300 books a month from Baker & Taylor, including books for adults, teens, and children, as well as fiction and nonfiction as well as some large print books and CDs, said Nancy O’Toole, collections manager at the library.

When Baker & Taylor started having problems, the library bought books from Amazon and the local Bull Moose music and book store chain. Now, with Baker & Taylor closing, the library has switched to Ingram, but has seen delivery delays as that company has been inundated with new customers. This week the library got an order of books that were released in November, including “Exit Strategy” by Lee Child and Andrew Child, “The Seven Rings” by Nora Roberts and “Return of the Spider” by James Patterson.

“The hope is that now that the holidays are over, shipping from Ingram will expedite. But just to be safe, we are choosing to buy certain books elsewhere, including titles by big-name authors, popular series, or anything tied to a fast-approaching holiday,” said O’Toole. “Patrons want to see those titles on the shelf in a timely manner, and we want to make sure we fulfill those expectations.”

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Maine

Maine mill accepts N.B. wood again, but producers still struggle to stay afloat | CBC News

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

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Maine mill accepts N.B. wood again, but producers still struggle to stay afloat | CBC News

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Equipment at Woodland Pulp in Maine roared back to life in mid-December after a 60 day pause in operations, and now one of the state’s largest mills is again accepting wood from New Brunswick producers.

“On Monday, we restarted purchasing fibre for the mill,” company spokesperson Scott Beal said.

“We’re back in the market. We are bringing in some fibre from suppliers in Canada, hardwood and chips.”

The general manager of the Carleton Victoria Forest Products Marketing Board says the news is welcome but not nearly enough to help embattled private woodlot owners in the province.

An aerial view of the Woodland Pulp LLC plant in Baileyville, Maine. — Woodland Pulp, based in Baileyville, Maine, stopped buying Canadian timber in October because of added costs borne out of a 10 per cent tariff U.S. President Donald Trump slapped on timber imports. (Submitted by Scott Beal)

“Everything is good news at this point, but it is not as good as it could be,” Kim Jensen said. “We’re not back where we were.”

With sales down by about two-thirds from last year, Jensen said some woodlot owners are deciding to pack it up, while others struggle on.

“We have had some older ones who’ve left, they’ve just, they’ve had enough and they’ve left,” she said.

“The people who have invested in the business, have bought processors and forwarders, they have to stay in business. And if you have $1,000,000 worth of equipment there, your payments are $40,000 to $60,000 a month and you have to work. You can’t just go somewhere else and get a job.”

Kim Jensen stands outside in a wooded area. — Kim Jensen, the general manager of the Carleton Victoria Forest Products Marketing Board, said private woodlot owners have lost about two-thirds of their sales compared with a year ago. (Submitted by Kim Jensen)

Duty rates on New Brunswick wood were set at 35 per cent in September, when U.S. President Donald Trump announced an additional 10 per cent tariff on lumber imports.

The sudden increase was too much for Woodland Pulp to bear. The mill relied on New Brunswick wood for about a third of its supply prior to October.

“It certainly adds cost to the business and, you know, like other wood users, I mean we’re always looking and hoping and trying to source fibre at the least cost,” Beal told CBC News in October.

The Baileyville-based mill has rehired all of the 144 people laid off during its two month shut-down, and Beal said it will likely take some time to ramp up to accept the amount of wood it previously did.

And with the difficult and uncertain tariff environment, Beal said, it’s hard to say how long the mill would be able to continue purchasing Canadian wood.

“It’s a very challenging pulp market,” he said.

“The tariffs remain in place. That hasn’t changed. So it’s not reasonable to think that that won’t be a headwind for the business.”

The federal government did create a $1.25 billion fund to help the industry survive, but Jensen says that hasn’t meant support for individual private woodlot owners.

In October, Jensen told CBC News that sales of timber by the marketing board’s members totalled about $1 million for all of 2024. They have fallen to about $200,000 over the past 12 months.

And the cost of cross-border business has continued to rise.

Before Woodland Pulp stopped taking Canadian timber, the company had a lumberyard in Florenceville ,where producers could drop off wood. Woodland would then take responsibility for shipping it the rest of the way to the mill.

Now it’s up to individual producers to source transportation and to arrange a broker to help meet cross-border requirements. That’s adding between $60 and $100 per load of timber heading to the U.S.

“The markets are tightening up, and the prices are going down, and you can only go down so far before it’s just done,” Jensen said.

“A mill can stop and start up, maybe. But a private guy who loses his equipment, he’s lost everything. He’s not coming back.”

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