Maine
There Should’ve Been a ‘Yellow Flag’ on the Maine Mass Shooter
Law enforcement should have seized a man’s guns and put him in protective custody weeks before he committed Maine’s deadliest mass shooting, a report found Friday. An independent commission has been reviewing the events that led up to Army reservist Robert Card killing 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Oct. 25, as well as the subsequent response, per the AP. The commission criticized Sgt. Aaron Skolfield, who responded to a report five weeks before the shooting that Card was suffering from some sort of mental health crisis after he’d previously assaulted a friend and threatened to shoot up the Saco Armory. The commission found Skolfield, of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office, should’ve realized he had probable cause to start a so-called “yellow flag” process, which allows a judge to temporarily remove somebody’s guns during a psychiatric health crisis.
Led by a former chief justice of Maine’s highest court, the commission also included a former US attorney and the former chief forensic psychologist for the state. It was assembled by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey. It has held seven sessions starting in November, hearing from law enforcement, survivors, and victims’ family members, as well as members of the US Army Reserve, as it explored whether anything could’ve been done to prevent the tragedy and what changes should be made going forward. Card, who was found dead by suicide after a two-day search, was well-known to law enforcement, and his family and fellow service members had raised flags about his behavior, deteriorating mental health, and potential for violence before the shootings. In May, relatives warned police that Card had grown paranoid, and they expressed concern about his access to guns.
In July, Card was hospitalized in a psychiatric unit for two weeks after shoving a fellow reservist and locking himself in a motel room. In August, the Army barred him from handling weapons while on duty and declared him nondeployable. And in September, a fellow reservist texted an Army supervisor about his growing concerns about Card, saying, “I believe he’s going to snap and do a mass shooting.” Law enforcement officials told commission members that Maine’s yellow-flag law makes it difficult to remove guns from potentially dangerous people. “I couldn’t get him to the door. I can’t make him open the door,” Skolfield said of his visit to Card’s home for a welfare check in September. The commission plans to schedule more meetings, with a spokesperson noting a final report was due over the summer. More here.
(More Maine mass shooting stories.)
Maine
Funeral home to hold visitation for Maine singer-songwriter
DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine (WABI) – Visitation for a popular Maine singer and songwriter who died earlier this month will be held in Dover-Foxcroft next week.
Lary Funeral Home announced that visitation for David Mallett, a Piscataquis County native, will be held Monday, December 30th from 4PM to 7PM.
Mallet died at the age of 73 on December 17th after battling cancer.
The funeral homes announcement said that family, friends, and the local community are invited.
Mallett began his music career at the age of 11 when he started singing in a folk duo with his older brother, Neil.
He started writing his own songs while studying acting at the University of Maine.
His most well-known song was “The Garden Song” which was recorded by Peter, Paul, and Mary, John Denver, Pete Seeger, and The Muppets.
Mallett lived most of his life in Sebec.
Copyright 2024 WABI. All rights reserved.
Maine
Snowfall totals in Maine range from a dusting to 5 inches Tuesday morning
Parts of Maine were reporting a snowy Christmas on Tuesday.
As of 11:30 a.m., the National Weather Service said 6 inches of snow had fallen in Rangeley, 5 inches in Madrid, 1 inch in Freeport, 3 inches in Lewiston and as many as 8 inches in nearby Jackson, New Hampshire.
Portland received only a dusting of snow.
Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, said forecasters expected precipitation to slow down in inland areas through Tuesday morning but said snowfall would continue up and down the coast with 1-3 inches expected from Portland through the Midcoast.
Palmer said Christmas Day would be “a pretty nice day” in Maine.
He said the day would start off mostly clear with some clouds building in the middle of the day all around the state. Temperatures are expected to be in the low 30s.
The forecast is expected to stay until Sunday, when 1 to 2 inches of rain will likely fall around the state. Although, he said, there could still be snow in the White Mountains.
Maine
Maine real estate trends: November sales, values up
The Maine real estate market is beginning to see a shift to a more balanced market, according to the Maine Association of Realtors.
Maine Listings reported a 6.81 percent increase in sales of single-family existing homes during the month of November compared to November 2023. The median sales price (MSP) increased 8.45 percent to $385,000. The MSP indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less.
“Prospective buyers are in a better situation than they were a year ago across many markets in Maine,” said Paul McKee, President of the Maine Association of Realtors, in a Dec. 19 news release. “The number of homes for sale has increased, price appreciation is slowing, and the economic forecast is good.”
According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of single-family existing homes increased 7.4 percent nationally in November 2024 compared to November 2023, the release said. The national MSP reached $410,900 in November, a rise of 4.8 percent. Regionally, sales in the Northeast jumped 6.3 percent while the regional MSP increased 9.9 percent to $475,500 in November 2024 compared to November a year ago.
“We’re seeing promising signs that the real estate market is beginning to show signs of shifting slightly, with supply increasing and slower price appreciation.” adds McKee.
“The statewide sold statistics from January through November 2024 are 4.1 percent ahead of the same time period from a year ago. I’m optimistic that 2024 will end positively and buyer demand will continue to remain strong throughout 2025.”
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