Maine
One year after a massacre in Maine, survivors and loved ones search for new beginnings
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Ben Dyer was shot five times during Maine’s deadliest mass shooting, when a gunman killed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar.
A year later, Dyer and fiancée Keela Smith want to turn the worst day of their lives into the best.
As Lewiston prepares to mark the grim first anniversary Friday, Dyer and Smith are looking ahead to the second with hope. Dyer proposed to Smith this spring, bolstered by a new outlook on life and determined to not hold back. They’ve chosen Oct. 25 as next year’s wedding date, the same day as the shooting. They want to reclaim the day.
“So that we can always have it be a good reminder for us. Something that we don’t dread every year, and that doesn’t break our hearts every year,” Smith said. “Because it will be ‘Oh, that’s our wedding day. That’s the day that we took back, and we made it ours.’”
The couple, both 48, are among dozens of people directly affected by the shooting who are still trying to find ways to work through the physical and emotional trauma. For many, the anniversary is bringing back unwelcome memories.
The nightmares haven’t gone away
“I have nightmares every day,” said Megan Vozzella, 39, whose husband Steve Vozzella was killed at Schemengees Bar & Grille. “I’m always going to have nightmares. As we get closer and closer, I don’t sleep well.”
Megan says her husband managed to crawl outside before he died. Thinking about him in pain and trying to hold on is what gives her the nightmares.
Vozzella, who is deaf, talks through a sign language interpreter. Her husband was one of four deaf people killed while playing cornhole at the bar. Megan went to the same school as three of them, and they all knew each other well.
Megan and Steve were two weeks away from celebrating their first wedding anniversary when Steve was killed. They’d met back in 2009 and got to know each other on a camping trip, something they continued to love doing together. They have a 13-year-old daughter, Bella. That night, Megan lost both her husband and a big part of her community.
“We thought we’d have a future, raising the family and growing old together. And they’re just all gone,” she said. “The world is upside-down.”
Lewiston plans ceremony to honor the victims
Lewiston is planning an anniversary ceremony Friday to honor the victims, survivors, first responders and others affected by the tragedy. The evening will include music, speeches and two moments of silence.
The shooting began just before 7 p.m. at the bowling alley, Just-In-Time Recreation. Armed with a semiautomatic rifle fitted with a scope and laser, Army reservist Robert Card killed eight people in 45 seconds. He then drove 4 miles to the bar, where he killed another 10 people. He later killed himself.
“We were just a group of people hanging out, doing something we love,” recalls Dyer, who was playing cornhole at the bar. “Eating snacks and food, having a couple of drinks, and throwing bags. And then, all hell broke loose.”
Dyer lay on the ground after being shot, trying to stanch the blood flowing from his right arm. He looked up to see Card staring at him. As the gunman took aim, Dyer raised his arms and ducked his head away, saving him from a fatal shot. He closed his eyes and tried not to breathe.
Dyer lost a finger and the use of his right arm. These days, he buys clothes that are a size too big so he can slide them on more easily with one hand. He’s still figuring out how to cook and toss cornhole bags left-handed. Every time he looks at his scars in the shower or fumbles buttoning his shirt, he’s reminded.
“I still live that day,” he said. “But I’m alive.”
The Army and police missed chances to seize guns
In the months before the shooting, both the Army and police failed to seize Card’s guns, despite knowing his mental health was unraveling and he was making ominous threats, an investigating commission found. About 100 survivors and relatives of the victims are now taking steps to sue the Army.
Since the shooting, Maine has strengthened its ‘yellow flag’ law and made other changes to gun laws. But it did not ban assault weapons like some advocates wanted.
The U.S. surgeon general in June declared gun violence a public health crisis. Dr. Vivek Murthy said Americans want to be able to go to school, the supermarket or their house of worship without worrying about getting killed. He called for a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for civilian use.
Dyer, who like many people living in rural Maine likes to hunt, said his experience hasn’t changed his views on guns.
“Your car can be a lethal weapon if you want it to be, if you drove it into a parade and mowed people down,” he said. “So, my take on guns is no different. I still own them, and I still buy them.”
As Dyer speaks on the deck of his Auburn home, the sound of gunshots can be heard in the woods beyond. Dyer said the volleys don’t bother him, as they’re far away. In fact, he said, he’s excited to learn how to hunt again, this time using only his left arm.
Like Dyer, Vozzella doesn’t see guns as the problem, but instead blames failures in the mental health system. She remains angry at the police and military for not confiscating Card’s guns before the massacre.
“They missed a lot of opportunities,” she said.
Vozzella’s daughter remains fearful of going to school, worried a shooter might show up. It’s been a rough year for both of them, Vozzella said, but they’ve found some solace by going on camping trips and spending time with family and friends.
Vozzella shows the arm tattoo she got soon after the shooting — a heart with angel wings and the inscription: “In Loving Memory Stephen M Vozzella.”
“It’s never easier,” she said. “For the rest of my life, it’s not going to be easy to keep going. But I’m slowly moving on every day and finding my new normal.”
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Associated Press journalists Rodrique Ngowi, Robert F. Bukaty, Patrick Whittle, David Sharp and Holly Ramer contributed to this report.
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This story will be updated.
The Maine Department of Transportation is moving to slash up to $400 million in projects from its agenda, a shocking and abrupt cutback that is rattling the state’s construction industry at the start of building season.
Roughly $50 million across six pavement projects have already been delayed, according to a memo exclusively obtained by the Bangor Daily News. The agency plans to cut or delay another $150 million in bridge, highway, intersection and multimodal projects later this month. A further $200 million or more in cuts are planned in the next three-year work plan.
Those figures were outlined by Transportation Commissioner Dale Doughty in the May 18 memo to Gov. Janet Mills that has since circulated widely in the transportation sector, which has been getting drip-by-drip details on the wide scope of the cuts over the past three weeks.
It comes at the beginning of the state’s relatively narrow construction season. Companies have hired workers and ordered materials for projects they expected to begin this summer. The severity of the transportation budget problems was not raised to lawmakers during the 2026 legislative session.
Kelly Flagg, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Maine, called the shortfall “deeply troubling” in a statement.
“We stand ready to work with policymakers, stakeholders, and industry partners to identify both immediate and long-term solutions,” Flagg said. “Maine cannot afford to fall further behind.”
Insiders saw this first.
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The cuts stem from a structural funding gap of at least $130 million in the state’s current work plan, according to Doughty’s memo. Losses are magnified because state money from the gas tax and other revenue sources is matched by federal funds. Lawmakers have long grappled with politically difficult long-term problems with the state’s transportation budget.
A Mills spokesperson said Wednesday morning that the administration was working on a response to questions from the BDN. The department says it needs roughly $240 million more in state capital funding annually to maintain the existing system, and that anything less than $200 million will erode it over time.
Doughty’s memo the only near-term solution is a series of bonds beginning as soon as possible. Lawmakers would have to return to Augusta to authorize that if one is going to appear on the November ballot.
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Michael Capeci is the former chairman of the Bangor GOP.
Let’s be honest about Maine’s current state.
For many families, the cost of living has become unsustainable. Housing is out of reach for many young people. Energy bills keep rising. Many small businesses are struggling under taxes and regulations that make it harder to grow. Rural hospitals are under strain and despite years of increased state spending, the results are not showing up in people’s daily lives.
Concurrently, Maine continues to lose young workers to other states. That is not a statistic, it is a warning sign.
To me, the question in this Republican primary for governor is not about slogans. It is whether we continue with a political approach that has failed to reverse these trends, or whether we nominate someone with new ideas. I think that someone is Owen McCarthy.
Owen is not a political insider. He is an entrepreneur from Patten, a small town where opportunity is not assumed, it is built. He grew up in a working-class family, became the first in his family to graduate from college graduating from the University of Maine, and founded MedRhythms, a healthcare technology company focused on neurological treatment.
He didn’t just talk about opportunity. He built it. That distinction matters, because Maine’s problem is not a lack of debate it is a lack of results. We have seen the trajectory: higher costs, slower growth, and a steady outmigration of young workers. I believe Owen McCarthy represents a break from that pattern.
His Maine 2040 plan focuses on creating 50,000 new jobs in sectors where Maine has real advantages — maritime and defense, advanced forest products, and life sciences. These are export-driven industries tied directly to Maine’s workforce, geography, and institutions. What sets Owen apart is not only what he proposes, but how he approaches governing.
He prioritizes modernizing permitting so projects do not stall. He supports using technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency. He focuses on making it easier to build, hire, and expand in Maine.
That same practical mindset extends to healthcare. Expanding telehealth, strengthening EMS systems, improving provider flexibility, and shifting toward earlier intervention are not abstract reforms. They are system upgrades designed to improve access while controlling costs.
Maine voters consistently respond to competence. They reward candidates who understand problems and present plans to solve them. I believe they are tired of rhetoric that does not translate into results, and skeptical of politics that prioritizes messaging over execution.
Owen’s approach is grounded in solving the issues that shape daily life — affordability, healthcare access, job creation, and government efficiency. That is not just policy positioning. It is a governing model that speaks directly to voters.
Some will point to his lack of political experience. But I believe Maine’s core problems are not the result of insufficient political experience; they are the result of policies that have failed to deliver measurable improvement. Experience inside a broken system, by itself, is not a solution.
If Republicans want to win, this primary must be taken seriously. From my perspective, it is not about choosing a nominee for governor who can energize the base. It is about selecting someone who can compete in a broader electorate that is frustrated and looking for change.
That requires a candidate who can speak beyond the base, not by abandoning principles, but by demonstrating competence and a credible plan to address Maine’s challenges. I believe Owen McCarthy offers that combination. He represents a shift away from managed decline and toward economic execution.
This is not just another primary. It is a decision about whether Republicans position themselves to win Maine or whether they remain trapped in a cycle of repeating the same strategies and expecting different outcomes.
If Republicans want to compete for Maine’s future, they cannot afford to nominate a candidate who only motivates part of the electorate. They need someone who expands it.
I believe Owen McCarthy is that candidate.
And if the goal is to win Maine, then the choice should be unmistakable
The only notable change in the top-seven of the Varsity Maine baseball poll is that Gorham now has eight first-place votes, two more than last week. The order of the seven teams is identical. In fact, the only change in the top-seven over the past three polls is the swap at the top after Gorham’s win over South Portland on May 19.
Furthermore, Gorham, South Portland, Oxford Hills, Cheverus, Bangor, Mt. Ararat and Fryeburg have been ranked in the top seven for four straight weeks, and six of those squads have been among the top seven in every poll this spring.
Meanwhile, Scarborough is ranked for the first time since May 5, and Ellsworth and Thornton swapped spots.
The Varsity Maine baseball poll is based on games played before June 2, 2026. The top 10 teams are voted on by the Varsity Maine staff, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.
1. Gorham (8) 89
2. South Portland 79
3. Oxford Hills (1) 75
4. Cheverus 55
5. Bangor 42
6. Mt. Ararat 41
7. Fryeburg Academy 30
8. Ellsworth 27
9. Thornton Academy 25
10. Scarborough 12
Also receiving votes: Washington Academy 8, Monmouth Academy 4, Cony 4, Leavitt 2, Falmouth 2.
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