Anna Nasset is an international speaker, trainer and author of the memoir “Now I Speak,” specializing in stalking awareness, victim rights and trauma-informed practices. Sheriff Troy Morton serves as the sheriff of Penobscot County, Maine and as the president of the Maine Sheriffs’ Association.

In the quiet moments of a survivor’s life, the most dangerous thing isn’t always a person; it’s the unknown.

For more than a decade, one of us (Anna) has lived with the reality of a serial stalker. After years of torment, this stalker was finally sentenced to 10 years in prison — one of the longest stalking sentences in U.S. history. But for a survivor, a sentence is not the end of the story. The “job” of being a victim never ends. It simply shifts into a state of constant vigilance.

For survivors across the country, safety planning depends on a simple, life-saving tool: VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday). This automated platform provides real-time alerts when an offender’s custody status changes. It is the difference between a survivor being able to sleep at night or living in a state of “psychological warfare,” wondering if the person who harmed them has been released, transferred or bailed out.

Currently, Maine is the only state in the nation that does not provide victims with this essential tool. We are the national outlier, and it is a distinction that puts Maine lives at risk.

Protecting victims is a critical responsibility within the criminal justice system. Law enforcement professionals work to provide safety, resources and advocacy for those affected by crime, while also ensuring victims are empowered and kept informed throughout the process.

 Maine’s criminal statutes already require victim notifications for certain crimes, and that process would remain unchanged. However, it can be significantly strengthened through electronic victim notification systems, which allow victims, family members, witnesses and others affected by criminal activity to receive alerts when an individual is released from custody.

 Maine has already taken an important step forward with a pilot program operating in the Aroostook, Penobscot, Somerset and Two Bridges Regional jails. In just these four facilities, more than 8,500 notifications have been issued, and nearly 6,500 individuals have registered to receive alerts. Those users include not only victims of domestic violence, but also witnesses, family members and concerned community members who rely on the system to stay informed.

 Information is power. Yet in Maine, that power remains fragmented. Whether someone receives a critical alert should not depend on which county line a jail sits behind. Expanding electronic victim notification statewide would help ensure consistent, timely information for those who need it most.

Investing in automated victim notification is a no-brainer. This is a critical, common-sense investment that will move our state from last in the nation to a leader in victim services. The VINE system is designed to supplement, not replace, our existing statutory obligations. It offers a confidential layer of protection, available 24/7, without requiring overstretched jail staff to perform extra data entry. VINE simply and effectively connects existing records to the people who need that information most.

Maine prides itself on community and compassion. It is common sense to provide victims with the tools they need to stay safe. It is an essential responsibility of our criminal justice system to ensure that survivors are not the last to know when their offender is back on the street.

Let’s stop asking why Maine is the last in the nation and start showing the rest of the country how we put victims first by funding a statewide automated victim notification system now.

CALAIS — Superintendent Mary Anne Spearin told the Calais School Committee earlier this month that proposed changes to the state’s school funding formula could benefit the district.

The Maine Legislature voted Thursday to pass L.D. 2226 — An Act to Amend the Essential Programs and Services School Funding Formula — and adopt three of the report’s four recommendations.

Last year, state lawmakers directed the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Education Policy Research Institute, which is funded by the Legislature and the University of Maine System, to study the models used to determine state funding for public schools.

The EPS Funding Report, released last month, identifies several problems with Maine’s school funding model — in place since 2005 — that have been especially hard on public schools in Washington County.

Spearin said the proposed changes, if enacted, could bring about $50,000 to $60,000 in additional education funding to Calais.

“I’m hopeful that it’s more than that,” she said, adding that “every little bit helps.”

The bill will change how the state calculates salaries for Maine’s educators. Previously, the Legislature set a $40,000 base salary for teachers, and schools received funding based on the difference between that base and their average teacher pay.

Calais salaries are now indexed at 0.94, meaning teachers earn about 6 percent less than the state’s base.

The report recommended changing the formula so the base salary becomes a true minimum salary, which means Calais and some other districts would receive additional funding to meet the new standard.

Spearin noted that several Washington County districts have even lower indices than Calais, meaning they would benefit even more — though all would see a funding increase.

Machias-Eastport and Jonesport-Milbridge are both currently indexed at 0.84.

The EPS funding report says the changes to the salary index could result in an overall increase of just under $38 million in state funding for schools.

It notes that nearly every district in the state would receive more money after the reindexing, with the only exception being Maine School Administrative District 54 in Skowhegan.

The second change recommended by MEPRI — and potentially the most significant for Calais — is a refinement to how the state determines a community’s “ability to contribute.”

Public school funding has traditionally relied on a community’s property tax rate — also called the mill rate — to determine how much state support a district receives. But this approach puts many rural Maine communities at a disadvantage, where high property values do not necessarily translate into high wages.

The report recommends adjusting this model to include a community’s income level when determining how much state funding its schools receive. It outlines several ways the formula could be revised by shifting the weighting between the property tax rate and a “regional adjustment” based on differences in the cost of living.

According to the report, the change will not affect the state’s overall spending on public schools. Instead, it redistributes existing funds, with about $13 million shifted to districts with greater need.

The Legislature voted to adopt this measure as part of L.D. 2226.

Spearin said a crucial part of implementing these formula changes will be maintaining the district’s understanding of the Calais school community’s overall financial situation.

Traditionally, the district gathered this information through questionnaires sent home to determine eligibility for school lunch. But with free meals available to all Calais students since 2020, the district has had to find other ways to collect the data.

Calais now sends home an “Economic Status Form,” provided by the state Department of Education.

Spearin emphasized that having accurate information about the economic situations Calais families face will be essential to securing appropriate funding if and when these changes are implemented.

The other changes recommended in the report — but not included in L.D. 2226 — were adjustments to funding for instructional staff support to better reflect what schools actually spend on training and supplies, and shifting to a regional model for managing special education.

L.D. 2226 also includes changes to how the state allocates funding for transportation, a change that is likely to benefit Calais, which, despite being one of Maine’s smallest cities by population, covers a relatively large geographic area.

PHILADELPHIA — Ja’Kobi Gillespie hit six 3-pointers and scored 29 points as sixth-seeded Tennessee ended a fabulous season for Miami (Ohio) with a 78-56 win on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Former South Portland High star JP Estrella had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Vols.

The Vols (23-11) shook off a rough end to the season — losing four of six games — and advanced to play third-seeded Virginia on Sunday in the Midwest Region.

Gillespie hit five 3s in the first half to help the Vols push ahead by 20 and squash any chance the 11th-seeded RedHawks (31-2) could carry over the confidence gained from their First Four win and pull off a signature victory.

The Vols did just about everything right and showed again why — no matter the seed — they are a perennial threat to go deep in March. Led by Gillespie, the Vols made 12 of 19 shots to start the game, including long 3s and 20 quick points in the paint.

Just to add one more gut punch to Miami, Ethan Burg hit a 3 at the first-half buzzer for a 51-32 lead.

Gillespie passed up a chance to score 30 points — only two other Vols have ever reached that mark in the NCAA Tournament — when he drove the lane with 1:13 left but skipped the open look and threw a lob to Felix Okpara for the bucket.

Peter Suder was the lone Miami player in double digits with 27 points.

Gillespie is just one of many standouts enjoying the same March success in a new uniform thanks to the transfer portal.

He started 36 games last season and averaged 14.7 points, shooting 40.7% from 3-point range, to help Maryland reach the Sweet 16.

Had Gillespie peeked at the scoreboard, he could have caught a Villanova update. Last season’s Maryland coach, Kevin Willard, has the Wildcats in the tournament.

What has remained a constant in March is Tennessee winning. The Vols have been a top-six seed in all eight of their NCAA Tournament appearances under coach Rick Barnes. They are 8-3 overall in the last three tourneys.

RedHawks had a clunker in the first round but still belonged

Miami had a March highlight when it beat SMU in the First Four, its first NCAA Tournament victory in 27 years.

Miami went 31-0 during a captivating regular season — the only Division I team to go unbeaten in 2025-26 and the eighth in the past 50 years.

The RedHawks lost their MAC Tournament opener and had to wait and see if their dazzling record was enough to get in the field because of a schedule that ranked 339th in overall strength and featured no Quadrant 1 games.

The swim team was down to one swimmer to root on the RedHawks

Liam Quigley was the lone member of the Miami swim team who drove to Philadelphia to watch the game.

The swimmers created some excitement late in the season when they started rooting on the basketball team in nothing but their Speedos, goggles and swim caps. Their popularity exploded when they bum-rushed the stands behind the basket in the First Four and waved their arms to provide a nearly-nude distraction on SMU’s free-throw attempts.

Quigley, in red-and-white overalls, traveled from the First Four site in Dayton, Ohio, and had a seat near a non-swimmer RedHawks fan who painted his face and chest red.