Retiring state Rep. Jeff Evangelos requested the U.S. Division of Justice on Sunday to put Maine’s prison justice system beneath federal evaluate and supervision for what he stated are a number of makes an attempt by the legal professional basic’s workplace to thwart reform through the previous 4 years.
Evangelos (I-Friendship) has been an outspoken supporter of progressive prison justice reforms all through his 4 phrases within the state Legislature, which ends on Tuesday. He served on the legislative Judiciary Committee, which oversees the legal professional basic’s workplace, and he sponsored payments to introduce new post-conviction proof, enhance indigent public protection providers and permit parole amongst different reforms.
His letter addressed to U.S. Lawyer Common Merrick Garland included hyperlinks to The Maine Monitor and different information organizations’ reporting, which he known as a “file of proof” that the state’s courtroom system is collapsing.
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Among the many situation highlighted are the dwindling availability of prison protection attorneys for the state’s poor, Chief Justice Valerie Stanfill’s current feedback that the state’s prison courtroom system is “failing,” Maine’s excessive price of police shootings in comparison with different New England states and the legal professional basic workplace’s findings that these shootings have been justified.
The U.S. Division of Justice didn’t reply to the Monitor’s request for remark in time for publication on Monday. It’s unclear if the company will act on Evangelos’ request.
Components of Maine’s prison courtroom system are already being examined. The Maine Advisory Committee to the U.S. Fee on Civil Rights is presently enterprise a evaluate of the state’s court-appointed protection system. The panel is predicted to publish a report of its findings.
The Maine chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union can be suing state officers for allegedly offering indigent grownup prison defendants with an ineffective protection system. The legal professional basic workplace and ACLU agreed to carry settlement talks and had not reached an settlement as of late November.
Evangelos despatched the letter on Sunday and was the one signatory. He stated he shared the letter afterwards with about 10 lawmakers and supplied to allow them to signal on. Evangelos had not obtained a response from the DOJ as of Monday morning.
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Evangelos has led a number of reform efforts whereas in workplace, together with a invoice to get rid of the one-year statute of limitation on introducing newly found proof in convicted individuals’ instances. The invoice handed the Home, 88-51, in June 2021 however died within the state Senate. A fiscal evaluation estimated it might price the courts, legal professional basic, district legal professional’s and the state’s public protection company not less than $1.7 million yearly. Evangelos disputes that the value can be that top.
Evangelos stated Lawyer Common Aaron Frey is responsible. Frey was elected as legal professional basic in 2019 and served within the Home of Representatives with Evangelos from 2012 to 2018.
“It’s a systemic collapse and Aaron Frey has to go. I hope another person will probably be nominated tomorrow, as a result of Maine’s prison justice system has collapsed round his toes,” Evangelos stated throughout an interview on Monday.
A newly elected batch of state lawmakers will probably be sworn in on Wednesday. Evangelos didn’t search election to workplace this yr. He’s additionally battling most cancers.
Senators and Representatives vote by secret poll to elect an legal professional basic each two years.
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“The Workplace of the Lawyer Common believes it’s critical to keep up ongoing, constructive conversations with legislators and the general public. Lawyer Common Frey has engaged considerably and in good religion with Rep. Evangelos, as he has with many different legislators, over the past 4 years and he’ll proceed to take action,” Danna Hayes, a spokeswoman for the legal professional basic’s workplace wrote on Monday.
“The Workplace of the Lawyer Common is one in every of many actors within the prison justice system, together with the Judiciary, the protection bar, and the Legislature, amongst others, who share duty for the challenges it faces. And Lawyer Common Frey will proceed the work vital to search out options, stay devoted to the details, the legislation, and moral obligations and, in the end, to make sure justice for Maine individuals,” she added.
ORONO, Maine (WABI) – In the early hours of Monday Morning Firefly Aerospace is set to launch a rocket into orbit.
And it’s bringing a satellite, known as a CubeSat, that was built by students at the University of Maine.
“I think it’s exciting that the first time at the university level that we have folks like Ali and his students that developed CubeSats and they’re gonna launch them. We have had other examples at the K-12 level that have worked with organizations that we supported outside of the state to help students prepare CubeSats but this is the first case where we had actually developed a CubeSat from scratch,” said Terry Shehata the Executive Director of the Maine Space Grant Consortium.
The satellite called MESAT1 is carrying three payloads that were designed by middle and high school students to record data for studying climate change.
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“The cool thing about this project is that the scientists are actually high school students and teachers. In 2019 we ran a competition statewide and 11 schools submitted proposals. We selected three and those are the science missions that were defined by the students. These missions include monitoring water bodies for harmful algal blooms, trying to find urban energy islands by monitoring albedo, and also they are looking into turbidity of water concentration of phytoplankton,” said Doctor Ali Abedi, a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maine.
Dr. Abedi says that he hopes this kind of work can help inspire students.
“I think if you ask someone to learn something without telling them why they’re not motivated. You can ask somebody to just learn math in abstract way without telling them why that’s useful. I think this project helps the students understand what they want to do and what the impact is. And then they came back and said oh, if I want to do this, I now need to learn physics. I need to learn this course of math, I need to learn like aerospace. I think the motivation and enthusiasm that was instigated by this project to this level definitely priceless,” said Dr. Abedi.
Maine’s 360-thousand anglers could see new fishing regulations in January designed to protect some fish populations and control others.
Department spokesman Mark Latti says the state’s biologists monitor fish populations in Maine’s lakes, ponds and rivers and recommend action based on what they find.
“These regulations are a yearly maintenance where we look at different waters and make changes to ensure we have healthy fish populations throughout the state,” Latti said.
Latti says Maine’s native Brook Trout is one species that needs better protection.
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“Maine is fortunate in that we have a thriving native brook trout population, but with climate change and development and other impacts, we need to do all that we can to protect our native brook trout populations,” he said.
Latti says other species addressed by the proposed changes include lake whitefish and landlocked salmon.
A public hearing on the new regulations will be held Monday, July 15 at Inland, Fisheries and Wildlife headquarters in Augusta.
If approved by the Commissioner’s Advisory Council the changes will go into effect in January.
Assistant Extension Professor Jaime Garzon, center, explaining some details about the morphology of some grasses to the attendees of a pasture walk held last year in Franklin County. He explained that so the participants knew how to recognize what species of forages were growing in their fields. UMaine Cooperative Extension photo
ORONO — University of Maine Cooperative Extension welcomes local farmers, service providers, and Ag stakeholders to participate in the 2024 Maine Pasture Walk Series.
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 July 10. Springside Farm, 577 Anson Valley Road in New Vineyard, on July 23. Faithful Venture Farm, 17 Borough Road in Searsmont, on Aug. 6. The Wolfe’s Neck Center, 184 Burnett Road in Freeport, on Aug. 13. Grace Pond Farm, 530 Main Street in Thomaston, on Aug. 20.
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Attendees can 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, according to a news release from Garzon.
The 2024 Maine Pasture Walk Series is open and free for all participants. Visit the event webpage at extension.umaine.edu for more information and registration. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Melissa Babcock at 207-581-2788 or melissa.libby1@maine.edu.
Check out other upcoming area events!
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Small-scale farming discussion planned in Farmington July 9
