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Opinion: Maine’s county jail funding system is broken

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Opinion: Maine’s county jail funding system is broken


You may not realize it, but Kennebec County provides housing and living costs for approximately 2,136 people each year (as of 2024). Many are in and out in a day or so. But it’s not the Western movie hoosegow where a drunk is sobered up or the occasional federal bad guy is warehoused.

What’s this? The Kennebec County Correctional Facility or, for short, the County Jail. The average occupancy is 140 people, and their average stay is 69 days. The jail consumes about 49% of the county’s budget. Statewide, county jails hold a daily average attendance of 1,400.

Nobody wants to think about these people and this amount of money. But there are several reasons why we will have to do it. Not only is the amount large, it is budgeted in a nontransparent way. It’s shown on your property tax bill as a small amount due the counties — usually 8% or 10% of a town’s budget. Worse still, it’s not decided until May or June of each year; many towns have already held their town meetings.

Most years, this has been a small problem — increases have been held to small amounts. In recent years, however, matters have changed. We’ve fallen behind on a number of fronts.

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The jail was authorized for 80 employees, or half the county’s staff, in the 2024-25 budget. They work 8¼-hour shifts, and one 16-hour shift is typical each week. They are not merely burly guards. The jail often cannot recruit enough people. Until a substantial pay raise this year, they earned about what they could get at any fast food place.

For fiscal 2025-26, the overall budget for medical care was the county’s largest at $3.2 million, bringing the total to $13 million. Prescription drug costs are one major cause and, in turn, a major reason why the tax rate rose. The counties are squeezed between towns and cities that raise the taxes and the state.

How did we get into this mess? By not talking about it. It was resolved in the past by small groups of people in small rooms. It needed very little attention so long as the increases were modest.

They’re not modest anymore. We owe this to the opioid epidemic — both the number of inmates every year and in particular the cost of inmates’ treatment for drug and drug-related problems.

Drug treatment costs are higher than most realize. The Legislature has mandated that all counties provide drug-assisted treatment but hasn’t appropriated enough funding. The jail must maintain a medical staff on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the jail resembles a clinic — with an average stay of 69 days.

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The Kennebec County facility presently holds eight people charged with murder; their average stay is 1½ years. The state prosecutes murders. But surely a method can be found that allocates some of these costs to the state. What should be done with these costs?

There is legitimate debate over the logical division point between local and state responsibilities. We understand the Department of Corrections has its own problems. But we believe the Legislature is unfairly burdening the counties — and hence the property tax base.

The time has come to form a commission on state-local relations in law enforcement. We’re living with a system inherited from late medieval England, and it’s broken. It needs to be examined, root and branch, and tough questions asked: Do we need sheriffs in our smaller counties? Who will do local patrols, and do we need them? Do we need county jails, or should we merge them into a state-run system? Who should pay the costs of drug treatment?

These issues have been debated before. But the longer we paper them over, the more costly it will become.



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Maine Mariners clinch home ice for first round of playoffs

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Maine Mariners clinch home ice for first round of playoffs


Maine Mariners clinch home ice for first round of playoffs

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Maine Mariners clinch home ice for first round of playoffs

Updated: 10:38 PM EDT Apr 11, 2026

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The Maine Mariners will have home ice in the first round of the ECHL Playoffs. Games 1 and 2 in Portland will be on April 24th and 25th at 6:00pm.

The Maine Mariners will have home ice in the first round of the ECHL Playoffs. Games 1 and 2 in Portland will be on April 24th and 25th at 6:00pm.

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Yoga for Good: Maine woman raising money through movement

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Yoga for Good: Maine woman raising money through movement


HELPED MORE THAN 300,000 VETERANS VISIT THE MEMORIALS BUILT IN THEIR HONOR. YOU MAY KNOW HER FROM HER POPULAR GOAT YOGA CLASSES… OR THE INSPIRING ‘YOGA FOR GOOD’ SERIES. ASHLEY FLOWERS’ WORK IS ALL ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER. JAMIE AZULAY INTRODUCES US TO THIS WEEK’S COMMUNITY CHAMPION. THIS MAY LOOK LIKE A CLOTHING STORE – IT IS… BUT IT’S ALSO A MAKESHIFT YOGA STUDIO. TOAD AND CO IN PORTLAND IS ONE OF SEVERAL SPOTS YOU CAN FIND ASHLEY FLOWERS LEADING LOCAL YOGIS IN THEIR PRACTICE. “I THINK HEALTHY COMMUNITIES ARE WELL CONNECTED COMMUNITIES.” AND IT’S HERE ON DIAMOND STREET WHERE ASHLEY LEADS ‘YOGA FOR GOOD’ – DONATION-BASED CLASSES THAT SUPPORT LOCAL NON-PROFITS. “EXPERIENCING THAT SENSE OF JOY AND HAPPINESS AND PEACEFULNESS THAT YOGA BRINGS, AND KNOWING THAT YOU’RE ALL COMING TOGETHER TO DO SOMETHING GOOD FOR YOURSELVES AND THE WORLD, I THINK, IS REALLY POWERFUL.” IN 2 YEARS — 2-THOUSAND DOLLARS HAS BEEN RAISED FOR 9 NON-PROFITS… AND SHE’S ADDING MORE TO THE LINE-UP. THIS WEEK… IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE ADAPTIVE OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTER AND THEIR MISSION TO PROVIDE RECREATION PROGRAMMING FOR PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT ABILITIES. “IF YOU CAN BREATHE, YOU CAN DO YOGA. YOGA IS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE.” “SHE ALWAYS HAS SUCH GREAT MESSAGES AS A PART OF BEING IN THE YOGA CLASS. IT’S NOT JUST COMING TO YOGA AND STRETCHING AND BREATHING, BUT ALSO WHAT CAN YOU GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER?” COMMUNITY… AND MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE… IS WHAT ASHLEY SAYS YOGA IS ALL ABOUT. “IF YOU COULD HELP PEOPLE TO CULTIVATE A SENSE OF RESPECT FOR THEMSELVES, THEN MAYBE YOU COULD HAVE THAT SENSE OF RESPECT TO BUBBLE OUT INTO THE WORLD, AND HEAL THE WORLD

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Yoga for Good: Maine woman raising money through movement

Updated: 11:49 AM EDT Apr 11, 2026

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Ashley Flowers started “Yoga for Good,” a donation-based class series in support of local nonprofits, in 2024. Since then, she’s raised $2,000 for nine organizations.Flowers said, “Experiencing that sense of joy and happiness and peacefulness that yoga brings, and knowing that you’re all coming together to do something good for yourselves and the world, I think, is really powerful.”Toad & Co hosts “Yoga for Good” in the back of their Portland clothing store. After class, they collect payment, which is a suggested $15 donation. However, attendees are encouraged to pay what they can. “I don’t ever want to turn someone away from yoga because money is an issue,” Flowers said. All proceeds go directly to the cause. The most recent class on April 10 was held in support of the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center. The AOEC is a nonprofit aimed at providing recreation programming for people with different abilities. Inclusivity is a priority in Flowers’ practice. “If you can breathe, you can do yoga,” she said. “Yoga is accessible to everyone.” The AOEC has been the beneficiary of five Yoga for Good classes. When asked about working with Flowers, the nonprofit’s program and development coordinator, Alessa Foley, said, “She always has such great messages as a part of being in the yoga class. It’s not just coming to yoga and stretching and breathing, but also what can you give back to the community, and how can we work together to support each other?”That’s what Flowers thinks yoga is all about. She said, “If you could help people to cultivate a sense of respect for themselves, then maybe you could have that sense of respect to bubble out into the world and heal the world.” When Flowers is not teaching at Toad & Co, you may find her leading goat yoga at Smiling Hill Farm, online classes, or workshops at other local farms. She feels operating without a brick-and-mortar studio is a good way to support her community by drawing people into local businesses. “I think healthy communities are well-connected communities,” she said. Flowers has already lined up the next five Yoga for Good classes, which will run through September. RSVPs can be made on her website. Fri. May 8 at 8 a.m. — Adaptive Outdoor Education CenterSat. June 13 at 9 a.m. — Dempsey CenterSat. July 11 at 11 a.m. — Impact HorseSat. August 8 at 9 a.m. — Dempsey Center Fri. Sept 11 at 8 a.m. — Sea Change Yoga

Ashley Flowers started “Yoga for Good,” a donation-based class series in support of local nonprofits, in 2024. Since then, she’s raised $2,000 for nine organizations.

Flowers said, “Experiencing that sense of joy and happiness and peacefulness that yoga brings, and knowing that you’re all coming together to do something good for yourselves and the world, I think, is really powerful.”

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Toad & Co hosts “Yoga for Good” in the back of their Portland clothing store. After class, they collect payment, which is a suggested $15 donation. However, attendees are encouraged to pay what they can. “I don’t ever want to turn someone away from yoga because money is an issue,” Flowers said.

All proceeds go directly to the cause. The most recent class on April 10 was held in support of the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center. The AOEC is a nonprofit aimed at providing recreation programming for people with different abilities.

Inclusivity is a priority in Flowers’ practice. “If you can breathe, you can do yoga,” she said. “Yoga is accessible to everyone.”

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The AOEC has been the beneficiary of five Yoga for Good classes. When asked about working with Flowers, the nonprofit’s program and development coordinator, Alessa Foley, said, “She always has such great messages as a part of being in the yoga class. It’s not just coming to yoga and stretching and breathing, but also what can you give back to the community, and how can we work together to support each other?”

That’s what Flowers thinks yoga is all about. She said, “If you could help people to cultivate a sense of respect for themselves, then maybe you could have that sense of respect to bubble out into the world and heal the world.”

When Flowers is not teaching at Toad & Co, you may find her leading goat yoga at Smiling Hill Farm, online classes, or workshops at other local farms. She feels operating without a brick-and-mortar studio is a good way to support her community by drawing people into local businesses.

“I think healthy communities are well-connected communities,” she said.

Flowers has already lined up the next five Yoga for Good classes, which will run through September. RSVPs can be made on her website.

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  • Fri. May 8 at 8 a.m. — Adaptive Outdoor Education Center
  • Sat. June 13 at 9 a.m. — Dempsey Center
  • Sat. July 11 at 11 a.m. — Impact Horse
  • Sat. August 8 at 9 a.m. — Dempsey Center
  • Fri. Sept 11 at 8 a.m. — Sea Change Yoga



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Veterans of USS Samuel B Roberts 1988 mine strike reunite in Maine

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Veterans of USS Samuel B Roberts 1988 mine strike reunite in Maine


Veterans of USS Samuel B Roberts 1988 mine strike reunite in Maine

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STUFF DONE. GO DOWN THERE AND KICK BUTT.” THE MAINE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY IS SCHEDULED FOR JUNE NINTH. VETERANS OF THE 1988 PERSIAN GULF MINE STRIKE ARE NOW REUNITING HERE IN MAINE. THE BATH IRON WORKS BUILT SHIP SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE AFTER HITTING AN IRANIAN MINE ON APRIL 14 1988. TONIGHT CATE MCCUSKER SHARES THE HEROIC ACTIONS OF THE CREW AND THE BROTHERHOOD THAT REMAINS TODAY. TUESDAY MARKS 38 YEARS SINCE A SHIP BUILT BY BATH IRON WORKS DEFIED ALL ODDS – AND SURVIVED A DANGEROUS STRIKE IN THE PERSUAN GULF…THANKS TO THE BRAVE EFFORTS OF ITS CREW. “ON OUR WAY BACK THAT WAY FROM THE MINEFIELD, AND WE HIT ONE OF THE MINES.” WHILE ON A MISSION IN THE PERSIAN GULF – DURING THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR – THE USS SAMUEL B ROBERTS STRUCK AN IRANIAN MINE “I WAS FREAKING OUT, YOU KNOW, I’M 19. NEVER GOING TO GET MARRIED, NEVER GOING TO SEE MY FAMILY AGAIN.” THE DAMAGE WAS DRASTIC – LEAVING A MASSIVE HOLE IN THE HULL OF THE SHIP – BUT THE CREW JUMPED INTO ACTION… “OUR TRAINING KICKED IN AND EVERYBODY DID WHAT THEY HAD TO DO, WHATEVER THEIR JOB WAS. FOR ME PERSONALLY, I ONLY KIND OF HESITATED AT ONE TIME, WONDERING WHAT MY WIFE WAS THINKING AT THE TIME, AND I PUSHED THAT ASIDE AND THEN WENT TO WORK. MIRACULOUSLY – EVERYONE ON BOARD SURVIVED – AND ONLY TEN PEOPLE WERE INJURED… WE FOUGHT FIRES AND FLOODING FOR ABOUT FIVE HOURS OR BETTER. THE MINE BLAST HIT US ON THE PORT SIDE, BROKE THE KEEL OF THE SHIP AND CRACKED THE SUPERSTRUCTURE ALL THE WAY AROUND. YEARS LATER – THE GROUP FREQUENTLY REUNITES… FOREVER BONDED BY THE TRAUMA AND BROTHERHOOD OF THAT MOMENT. THIS TIME THEY’VE RETURNED TO BATH – WHERE THE USS SAMUEL ROBERTS WAS BUILT… ” EACH SHIP HAS A MOTTO. OURS WAS NO HIGHER HONOR.” THIS SHIP MEANS SO MUCH TO US. AND AS THE US IS CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN A WAR WITH IRAN – WHERE MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY ARE ALSO ENCOUNTERING DANGEROUS SITUATIONS IN THAT AREA OF THE WORLD… VETERANS OF THE 1988 PERSIAN GULF MINE STRIKE SAY…

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Veterans of USS Samuel B Roberts 1988 mine strike reunite in Maine

Updated: 10:31 PM EDT Apr 10, 2026

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Veterans of the USS Samuel B Roberts are reuniting in Maine this weekend.Tuesday marks 38 years since the ship struck an Iranian mine in the Persian Gulf.“Our training kicked in, and everybody did what they had to do,” crewmember Brad Gutcher said. “We fought fires and flooding for about five hours. The mine blast hit us on the port side, broke the keel of the ship, and cracked the structure all the way around.”Everyone on board survived, and they now meet every few years for remembrance and camaraderie. This year, the reunion is held in Bath, as the USS Samuel B Roberts was built by Bath Iron Works.“Each ship has a motto. Ours was no higher honor,” crewmember Shane Deitert said. “This ship means so much to us.”

Veterans of the USS Samuel B Roberts are reuniting in Maine this weekend.

Tuesday marks 38 years since the ship struck an Iranian mine in the Persian Gulf.

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“Our training kicked in, and everybody did what they had to do,” crewmember Brad Gutcher said. “We fought fires and flooding for about five hours. The mine blast hit us on the port side, broke the keel of the ship, and cracked the structure all the way around.”

Everyone on board survived, and they now meet every few years for remembrance and camaraderie. This year, the reunion is held in Bath, as the USS Samuel B Roberts was built by Bath Iron Works.

“Each ship has a motto. Ours was no higher honor,” crewmember Shane Deitert said. “This ship means so much to us.”

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function updateCurrentWeather(weatherData) {
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var weatherContainer = container.querySelector(‘.weather-temp-container’);
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function refreshWeatherIframe(containerId) {
var iframeId = ‘weather-iframe-‘ + containerId;
var iframe = document.getElementById(iframeId);
if (iframe && iframe.src) {
var originalSrc = iframe.src;
iframe.src = originalSrc + (originalSrc.indexOf(‘?’) > -1 ? ‘&’ : ‘?’) + ‘t=” + Date.now();
}
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function initializeWeatherBox(container) {
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function switchWeatherTab(tabName, clickedElement) {
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clickedElement.classList.add(‘open’);
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container.querySelectorAll(‘[data-content-id]’).forEach(function(content) {
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var location = { zip: window.DEFAULT_ZIPCODE };

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try {
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var feelsEl = container.querySelector(‘.weather-grid–feels’);
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function updateForecastTabs(weatherData) {
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if (weatherData.hourly) {
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for (var i = 0; i 0 ? currentIndex – 1 : tabs.length – 1;
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break;
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