By Senator Scott Cyrway

For decades, I have walked the beat, patrolled our roads, and worked within our halls of justice to keep Maine families safe. From my early days as a deputy sheriff in Kennebec County to my time in the State Senate, my guiding star has always been the rule of law.

But today, I look at our state and see a growing shadow. Maine is in real trouble, and if we do not act decisively, the safety and security we once took for granted will become a relic of the past.

We are currently facing a convergence of crises: an unchecked drug epidemic, a rise in organized crime, and a legal system that too often prioritizes the comfort of the offender over the protection of the victim. Our law enforcement officers are being asked to do more with less, facing recruitment shortages and a political climate that often feels more hostile than supportive. Maine doesn’t just need a manager in the governor’s office; we need a proven crime fighter. That is why I am proudly endorsing Bobby Charles for governor.

A Career Built on Justice

My endorsement isn’t based on political convenience; it’s based on a shared lifetime of service. My own career has been defined by the front lines—serving as one of Kennebec County’s most decorated deputies, receiving the Valor and Life Saving awards, and spending years as a D.A.R.E. coordinator to keep our kids off drugs. I know what professional, effective law enforcement looks like.

Bobby Charles doesn’t just talk about “law and order”—he has lived it at the highest levels. Bobby served as the Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. He led the fight against global drug cartels and worked as chief counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives, overseeing national security and criminal justice. He understands the mechanics of crime from the street level to the federal level.

The Stakes for Maine

The statistics are sobering. While Maine remains a beautiful place to live, our small towns are being hollowed out by fentanyl, and we are now being targeted by sophisticated international crime syndicates. We are seeing hundreds of illegal, Chinese-owned marijuana houses popping up in our quiet neighborhoods, bringing with them a wave of foreign money laundering and a direct slap in the face to our sovereignty.

Bobby Charles has made a clear, no-nonsense promise: he will increase the law enforcement presence across all 16 counties and ensure that federal and state authorities are working together, not at cross-purposes, to shut these cartels down. He is the only candidate with the background to dismantle the trafficking networks that treat our state like an open market.

As I’ve often said, “Maine is at a crossroads where the safety of our citizens must come before the politics of the day.” We cannot afford to experiment with leadership. We need a governor who has stared down criminals and understands the weight of a badge.

Bobby Charles is a man of integrity, experience, and action. He is the crime fighter Maine needs to restore the peace and ensure that our state remains the safest place in the nation to raise a family. Join me in supporting a leader who will always have the backs of those who wear the uniform.

Scott Cyrway is a Republican State Senator from Albion and a former Kennebec County Deputy Sheriff.

The legislative session closed for many states recently. For Massachusetts, that meant an end to hopes for 2026 legalization of online casinos. The state’s Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies voted to refer a House bill for study rather than advance it any further, delaying any potential for legalization until 2027.

Bill would have created up to nine Massachusetts online casinos

As introduced by Rep. David Muradian, H4431 would carve out up to three skins for each of the state’s three land-based casinos. That would create up to nine real money online casino apps operating under the oversight of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission with a tax rate of 15% on adjusted gross revenue.

The bill also would have formally prohibited online sweepstakes operators that offer content simulating casino games online, lottery and sports betting. The DraftKings Casino promo code, among others, are available in nearby New Jersey.

While the joint committee did not advance the proposal, its pledge to study it in more detail ahead of 2027 provided some optimism. As Muradian told the State House News Service, H4431 exits the 2026 session with plenty of momentum and “will hopefully serve as a springboard to future economic growth” in Massachusetts.

Lawmakers discussed Muradian’s bill last fall before they agreed to extend its reporting deadline until March.

Massachusetts preparing for internet lottery launch

Legal gaming expansion is already on the way for Massachusetts, which is preparing to go live with online lottery this year, powered by Aristrocrat Interactive. The iLottery service expects to offer online draw game tickets and instant-win games that resemble real money online slots.

While debating the online casino bill, Deb Goldberg, treasurer and lottery commissioner, emphasized that authorizing the launch of new online casinos would not be beneficial for the state or the lottery. In fact, she argued, legal casino apps would actually threaten the bottom line of potential revenue.

Massachusetts is surrounded by states with legal online casinos, with the likes of Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey nearby. What’s more, another New England state will soon join the crowd as Gov. Janet Mills allowed a bill to become law that legalized Maine online casinos.

Proponents of legal online casinos in Massachusetts have noted that those surrounding markets siphon potential revenue from the state while also pointing out that authorizing regulated iGaming would help curb black market operators and better protect state residents.

WEEKEND. WELCOME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE’S BUSINESS. I’M FRED KOCHER. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE WORKFORCE FOR A FEW MINUTES. A BIG DIFFERENCE IN PARTICIPATION RATES OF MEN AND WOMEN IN THE LABOR FORCE BY AGE GROUPS, AND A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THEIR PAY. HERE ARE THE PARTICIPATION RATES OF MEN AND WOMEN. MEN IN THE GREEN BARS. WOMEN. THE BLUE BARS, AGES 25 TO 34 ON THE LEFT, AGES 35 TO 44 IN THE MIDDLE AND AGES 45 TO 54 ON THE RIGHT. MEN HAD MEDIAN EARNINGS OF 75,397. WOMEN HAD MEDIAN EARNINGS OF 61,442. SO WOMEN EARNED 81% OF WHAT MEN EARNED. NOT A NEW REVELATION. AND THE GENDER PAY GAP IS REPORTEDLY WIDER FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR ACROSS ALL RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS. NOW, HEALTH DIAGNOSING AND TREATMENT. THESE ARE THE LARGE ONES. THESE ARE THE LARGE PAY GAPS. LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. PERSONAL CARE AND SERVICE. YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS IN THE PAY GAPS BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN. COMPUTER AND MATHEMATICAL 112 66986649 FOR WOMEN NATIONALLY IN 2025, THE LARGEST GENDER PAY GAP WAS AMONG LEGAL OCCUPATIONS, ACCORDING TO USA FACTS, WORKERS IN CAREGIVING OCCUPATIONS, MEDIAN HOURLY WAGES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, 2020 FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION WORKERS, YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBER. HOME HEALTH AND PERSONAL CARE AIDES. YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBER. NURSING ASSISTANTS. ALL OF THOSE ARE BELOW THE STATEWIDE MEDIAN NUMBER OF 2529. AFTER SAYING ALL THAT, HERE’S THE LAW EQUAL PAY AND THE LAW. IT IS ILLEGAL IN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNDER BOTH STATE AND FEDERAL LAW, TO PAY EMPLOYEES DIFFERENT WAGES FOR THE SAME WORK BASED SOLELY ON SEX APPLICABLE LAW. RSA 275. COLON 37. WITH ME TO WALK THROUGH. THIS IS THE PERSON WHO DID THE RESEARCH ON THOSE NUMBERS. JESSICA WILLIAMS, SENIOR POLICY ANALYST AT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE FISCAL POLICY INSTITUTE. WELCOME. NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON. IN DOING THAT RESEARCH, WHAT DID YOU COME ACROSS? ANYTHING THAT EXPLAINS THE PERSISTENCE OF THIS GAP BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN FOR EQUAL. WHAT DID YOU COME ACROSS? I MEAN, IT’S LASTED. THIS THING HAS LASTED FOR OVER 50 YEARS. THE NATIONAL PAY, EQUAL PAY ACT MORE THAN 50 YEARS AGO. IS CLEAR. NEW HAMPSHIRE LAW IS CLEAR, BUT THE GAP COULD PERSIST. ABSOLUTELY. SO THERE’S LIKELY VARIOUS FACTORS PLAYING A ROLE IN THESE PAY GAPS. ONE IS OCCUPATIONAL DIFFERENCES. WE KNOW THAT WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE ENGAGED IN PAID CAREGIVING ROLES, SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, PERSONAL CARE, CHILD CARE OCCUPATIONS. WE SAW A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THAT IN 2025. WE ALSO SEE A DIFFERENCE IN CAREER INTERRUPTIONS. WOMEN MAY BE MORE LIKELY TO LEAVE THE WORKFORCE TO CARE FOR CHILDREN OR OLDER ADULT FAMILY MEMBERS, WHICH COULD PLACE A GAP IN THOSE PAYS OVER TIME. WE ALSO SEE SOME BARRIERS TO CAREER ADVANCEMENT, IN PARTICULAR. SO WHILE WOMEN MEN MAY EARN THE SAME FOR CERTAIN ROLES, MEN MAY BE MORE LIKELY TO HOLD THOSE HIGHER PAYING LEADERSHIP ROLES, PARTICULARLY AMONG CERTAIN OCCUPATIONS. YOU MONITOR THE NEW HAMPSHIRE LEGISLATURE LIKE A HAWK. ALL OF YOU AT THE INSTITUTE. HAS THERE BEEN ANY EFFORT THAT YOU’RE AWARE OF IN THE LEGISLATURE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE? SO I’M NOT AWARE OF ANY AT THE MOMENT. BUT WHEN WE DO CONSIDER POLICY SOLUTIONS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER WHY THESE PAY GAPS MAY EXIST. SO OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TRAINING MAY HELP WOMEN ADVANCE IN THEIR CAREERS. TAKE ON SOME OF THOSE HIGHER PAYING ROLES, AS WELL AS INVESTMENTS IN THE CHILDCARE SECTOR. OLDER ADULT CARE SECTOR COULD HELP. YOU KNOW, MAKE THOSE OPTIONS MORE AFFORDABLE FOR FAMILIES AND TO REMAIN IN THE WORKFORCE. ONE OF THE OCCUPATIONS ON YOUR LIST WAS HEALTH CARE, AND IT’S ONE OF THE LARGEST, IF NOT THE LARGEST OCCUPATION SECTOR IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. AND YOU HAVE A PAY GAP THERE OF $90,000, IF I’VE GOT THAT RIGHT. THAT’S AMAZING. YES. YEAH. SO THAT IS REPRESENTING THE HEALTH CARE SECTOR AS A WHOLE. THERE ARE VARIOUS HEALTHCARE OCCUPATIONS WITHIN THAT SECTOR, BUT IN 2024, WOMEN EARNED ESSENTIALLY HALF OF WHAT MEN EARNED IN THOSE SECTORS. NOW, HERE’S A NOTE FOR ALL OF YOU THAT MAY BE THINKING ABOUT YOUR PAY GAP. THE NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR INDICATES ON ITS WEBSITE THAT IF YOU THINK YOUR EMPLOYER HAS VIOLATED THE PROVISIONS OF STATE LAW ON WAGES FOR THE SAME WORK THAT YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT THEM, THE NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR IN CONCORD, AND THAT IS IT. JESSICA WILLIAMS, SENIOR POLICY, SENIOR POLICY ANALYST AT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE FISCAL POLICY INSTITUTE. THANK YOU. YES, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. AND IF YOU MISSED THIS BRIEFING ON PAY GAP