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Crime
Nearly two weeks after a paddleboarder in Maine was killed, police have released few details about the homicide that has rocked a close-knit fishing community.
Sunshine Stewart, 48, went missing the evening of July 2 after she took her paddleboard out on Crawford Pond in Union, Maine. Stewart, a resident of Tenants Harbor, was found dead after officials responded to help search for her at 1 a.m. on Thursday, July 3.
Police announced that Stewart’s death was ruled a homicide, but have not released her exact cause of death. Anyone who may have seen her or anything near 100 Acre Island, the landmass in the middle of the pond, are asked to contact police.
After Maine State Police found the woman’s body, the agency established a tipline and warned residents to stay vigilant.
Almost two weeks later, there have been no arrests.
“Detectives continue to follow up on all leads, and tips are still coming in,” Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine State Police, said Monday. “Detectives are actively pursuing every avenue, and we will provide updates when it’s appropriate and responsible to do so.”
Moss noted that releasing Stewart’s cause of death “could compromise the integrity of the investigation.”
Kim Ware, Stewart’s sister who organized an online fundraiser for funeral expenses, called Stewart “the strongest person I know.”
Ware, who could not be reached for comment, told ABC News Stewart was a marine biologist, the “world’s best bartender, sternman, lobsterman and boat captain” and was working as a contractor.
“Anyone blessed to be in her presence was in awe of her, her strength, courage, character, her energy and light,” Ware said. “Truly an amazing woman. Now we have to rally and give her justice!”
Stewart grew up in the Union area and attended Medomak Valley High School and Bradford College in Haverhill, according to the Midcoast Villager. A longtime friend told the local outlet that Stewart had rented a camper and was spending the summer at Mic Mac Campground in Union.
Residents in midcoast Maine, including Union, the area around Crawford Pond, and Tenants Harbor, are unnerved by the killing and the lack of information from officials.
“The whole thing is just really hard to wrap your head around,” an employee at the Tenants Harbor General Store told the Bangor Daily News, where Stewart was a familiar face. “A lot of people knew her, and you know, it’s devastating when something like that happens.”
Steve Betts, a longtime reporter for the Villager covering Stewart’s death, spoke to News Center Maine about the case, which he described as “the biggest mystery I’ve been involved in since I’ve been here.”
“There’s no question people are on edge,” Betts told the newscenter. “People are saying it. People are saying on social media. People I’ve talked with, they’re concerned for their daughters, they’re concerned for their granddaughters, their wives. And they’re [law enforcement] telling people lock your doors.”
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PORTLAND, Maine — Loons are on the mend in Maine, filling more of the state’s lakes and ponds with their haunting calls, although conservations say the birds aren’t out of the woods yet.
Maine is home to a few thousand of the distinctive black-and-white waterbirds — the East Coast’s largest loon population — and conservationists said efforts to protect them from threats helped grow the population. An annual count of common loons found more adults and chicks this year than last, Maine Audubon said this week.
The group said it estimated a population for the southern half of Maine of 3,174 adult loons and 568 chicks. Audubon bases its count on the southern portion of Maine because there are enough bird counters to get a reliable number. The count is more than twice the number when they started counting in 1983, and the count of adult adult loons has increased 13% from 10 years ago.
“We’re cautiously optimistic after seeing two years of growing chick numbers,” said Maine Audubon wildlife ecologist Tracy Hart. “But it will take several more years before we know if that is a real upward trend, or just two really good years.”
Maine lawmakers have attempted to grow the population of the loons with bans on lead fishing tackle that the birds sometimes accidentally swallow. Laws that limit boat speeds have also helped because they prevent boat wakes from washing out nests, conservation groups say.
It’s still too early to know if Maine’s loons are on a sustainable path to recovery, and the success of the state’s breeding loons is critical to the population at large, Hart said. Maine has thousands more loons than the other New England states, with the other five states combining for about 1,000 adults. The state is home to one of the largest populations of loons in the U.S., which has about 27,000 breeding adults in total.
Minnesota has the most loons in the lower 48 states, with a fairly stable population of about 12,000 adults, but they are in decline in some parts of their range.
While loons are not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, they are considered threatened by some states, including New Hampshire and Michigan. The U.S. Forest Service also considers the common loon a sensitive species.
The birds migrate to the ocean in late fall and need a long runway to take off, meaning winter can be a treacherous time for the birds because they get trapped by ice in the lakes and ponds where they breed, said Barb Haney, executive director of Avian Haven, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Freedom, Maine.
“We’re getting a lot of calls about loons that are iced in,” Haney said, adding that the center was tending to one such patient this week.
The Maine Lottery offers several games for those aiming to win big.
You can pick from national lottery games, like the Powerball and Mega Millions, or a variety of local and regional games, like the Pick 3, Pick 4 and Gimme 5.
While your odds of winning a big jackpot in the Powerball or Mega Millions are generally pretty slim (here’s how they compare to being struck by lightning or dealt a royal flush), other games offer better odds to win cash, albeit with lower prize amounts.
Here’s a look at Friday, Dec. 12, 2025 results for each game:
10-50-55-58-59, Mega Ball: 05
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Day: 7-8-7
Evening: 2-2-6
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Day: 4-2-5-7
Evening: 7-7-0-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
06-20-23-30-36, Lucky Ball: 11
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
09-11-12-30-37
Check Gimme 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
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Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
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