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No criminal charges over Maine secretary of state’s Trump ballot ruling | Fact check

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No criminal charges over Maine secretary of state’s Trump ballot ruling | Fact check


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The claim: Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows convicted of treason, sentenced to death

A May 20 Real Raw News article claims Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows faces serious legal trouble for a decision she made against former President Donald Trump. 

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“The U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps convicted and sentenced to death Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Wednesday for intentionally misconstruing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution to stop President Trump’s name from appearing on the state’s primary ballot last December,” the article begins.

The article was shared more than 100 times on Facebook according to CrowdTangle, a social media analytics tool. 

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Our rating: False

There is no credible evidence Bellows was ever charged with a crime, much less convicted of one and sentenced. She appeared in public after the date of her supposed arrest. Real Raw News frequently publishes false claims about the arrests of high-profile figures.

Bellows targeted with swatting call for ballot decision, but arrest claim is baseless

In December 2023, Maine voters challenged Trump’s nomination petition, saying he engaged in insurrection against the U.S. for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

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After a hearing, Bellows decided that Trump was ineligible to appear on the ballot due to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars people from holding several public offices if they took an oath to support the Constitution and later “shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same.”

Bellows became the second secretary of state to remove Trump, following Jena Griswold of Colorado. However, she reversed that move in March after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Colorado’s objection.

But claims that she was arrested for her initial decision are baseless. Bellows has been seen in public after May 15, the date of her supposed arrest.

She appeared in a livestreamed interview May 17 with The Maine Monitor, a nonpartisan publication affiliated with the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. The nearly hour-long interview covered the election process in the state.

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Emily Cook, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office, told USA TODAY the Real Raw News story is “just fiction.”

Fact check: No ban on face masks in North Carolina – yet. Vote sends bill to House 

While Bellows hasn’t been arrested, she did face backlash for her initial decision. On Dec. 29, 2023, her home was swatted – an illegal practice that involves making a phony call for help to cause a large number of police officers to respond to the home.

Bellows wrote about the situation in an Instagram post the following day and noted that her address had also been publicized online.

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Real Raw News is a serial spreader of misinformation that often publishes fabricated stories about “white hats” trying to undermine “the deep state” by arresting government officials. USA TODAY has previously debunked numerous other claims about the arrests of high-profile figures stemming from Real Raw News. 

USA TODAY reached out to Real Raw News but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

  • Emily Cook, May 24, Email exchange with USA TODAY
  • Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Dec. 28, 2023, Maine Secretary of State Decision in Challenge to Trump Presidential Primary Petitions
  • Maine Department of the Secretary of State (YouTube), Dec. 15, 2023, Hearing Regarding Challenges to Trump Primary Nomination Petition
  • The Maine Monitor, accessed May 24, About Us

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.





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Maine

2024 Maine Pasture Walk Series

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2024 Maine Pasture Walk Series


Maine Pasture Walk

Five events, all of which will start at 11 a.m., will be held

University of Maine Cooperative Extension welcomes local farmers, service providers, and Ag stakeholders to participate in the 2024 Maine Pasture Walk Series. (photo University of Maine Cooperative Extension)

ORONO, Maine — University of Maine Cooperative Extension welcomes local farmers, service providers, and Ag stakeholders to participate in the 2024 Maine Pasture Walk Series.

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Five events, all of which will start at 11 a.m., will be held on the following days and farms:

  • The Milkhouse, 445 South Monmouth Road in Monmouth, on Jul 10.
  • Springside Farm, 577 Anson Valley Road in New Vineyard, on Jul 23.
  • Faithful Venture Farm, 17 Borough Road in Searsmont, on Aug 06.
  • The Wolfe’s Neck Center, 184 Burnett Road in Freeport, on Aug 13.
  • Grace Pond Farm, 530 Main Street in Thomaston, on  Aug 20.

Attendees will learn about dairy production systems, pasture management, forage species identification, climate-smart practices, regenerative grazing, and more from forage producers and Assistant Extension Professor Jaime Garzon.

The 2024 Maine Pasture Walk Series is open and free for all participants. Visit the event webpage for more information and registration. To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact Melissa Babcock at 207.581.2788 or melissa.libby1@maine.edu.

About University of Maine Cooperative Extension: As a trusted resource for over 100 years, Extension has supported UMaine’s land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension seeks to build thriving communities and grow the food-based economy, focusing on aspects from production and processing to nutrition, food safety and food security. Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in Maine through 4-H which offers hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and civic engagement and creates a positive environment where participants are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles.

About the University of Maine: As Maine’s only public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution, the University of Maine advances learning and discovery through excellence and innovation. Founded in 1865 in Orono, UMaine is the state’s land, sea and space grant university with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. Our students come from all over the world and work with faculty conducting fieldwork around the globe — from the North Atlantic to the Antarctic. Located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation with UMaine Machias located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation, UMaine’s statewide mission is to foster an environment that creates tomorrow’s leaders. As the state’s flagship institution, UMaine offers nearly 200 degree programs through which students can earn bachelor’s, master’s, professional master’s and doctoral degrees as well as graduate certificates. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu/about/quick-facts/ and machias.edu/about-umm/umm-facts/.

–University of Maine Cooperative Extension

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Maine

Share Your Photos From Hootie!

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Share Your Photos From Hootie!


South Carolina’s Hootie & The Blowfish took a, we’ll call it a break, in 2008. They kicked off a reunion in 2019 and ever since, us fans have let them know that WE. LOVE. HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH! Maine Savings Amphitheater and Waterfront Concerts were well aware of that and once again put on an epic show for us Mainers.

Darius Rucker/Hootie & The Blowfish

David Bugenske/TSM Maine

Maine Fans Showed Up Early to See Hootie Openers Edwin McCain and Collective Soul

Waterfront Concerts

David Bugenske/TSM Maine

Mainers of all ages took advantage of another amazing show put on by Waterfront Concerts and packed the Maine Savings Amphitheater for three perfect acts, and if you were raised on 90’s music, this show was especially nostalgic.

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Maine Savings Amphitheater

David Bugenske/TSM Maine

The venue was packed early to enjoy the two openers Edwin McCain and Collective Soul. There truly isn’t a bad seat in Maine Savings Amphitheater. Each section offers a unique concert viewing perspective and the sound is top-notch which assists in creating summer memories that you will cherish forever. Such memories were born Friday night while hearing McCain sing his monster hit, “I’ll Be,” while Collective Soul had everyone dancing to “Shine.”

Hootie & The Blowfish at Maine Savings Amphitheater

Hootie & The Blowfish at Maine Savings Amphitheater

Gallery Credit: David

Hootie & The Blowfish Never Sounded Better Than on the Waterfront in Maine

Hootie & The Blowfish

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David Bugenske/TSM Maine

Lots of work has been put into the Maine Savings Amphitheater and Hootie & The Blowfish took advantage. Maine Savings Amphitheater has been designed and perfected by Bangor-based Ervin Architecture and the minds at Waterfront Concerts. All attendees Friday night were spoiled hearing hits like “Hold My Hand,” “Time,” and “Let Her Cry” through the best sound any venue in the world can offer.

Maine Savings Ampitheater

David Bugenske/TSM Maine

Our next show that we will review will be Lainey Wilson on June 29th, and after watching Hootie & The Blowfish, it is clear that we are in for one wild and fun summer thanks to Waterfront Concerts!

2024 Bangor, Maine Waterfront Summer Concert Lineup

Here are the performers who will be coming to the Maine Savings Amphitheater on the Bangor Waterfront in the summer of 2024.

Gallery Credit: Jordan Verge

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Gunman In Maine’s Auburn Shoots At Cops, Sets Homes Ablaze, Causes Series Of Blasts – News18

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Gunman In Maine’s Auburn Shoots At Cops, Sets Homes Ablaze, Causes Series Of Blasts – News18


Auburn firefighters hose down the remains of a home in Auburn, Maine. Police reported that an armed person was in an area where a series of explosions and a house fire erupted early Saturday. (Image: AP Photo)

The police cancelled a shelter-in-place order and said that the incident has been brought under control.

Police in Maine have cancelled a shelter-in-place order in the city of Auburn after reporting that an armed person was in an area where a series of explosions and a house fire erupted early Saturday.

The Auburn Police Department said on Facebook that the situation had been resolved and that there was no threat to the public.

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Earlier Saturday, the department had warned residents to stay in place while authorities dealt with an emergency situation involving an armed person. No other details were released.

Homes were evacuated and a section of the avenue was blocked off by police. Auburn Fire Department Capt. Chris Moretto said there were three explosions around 2:15 a.m. that were believed to be related to the fire, the Lewiston Sun-Journal reported.

Another explosion was heard shortly before 3 a.m., the newspaper reported.

The Maine State Police and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department also were at the scene, the Sun-Journal reported.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)





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