Jake Freudberg reports on a turkey farmer saying he was blindsided by lawyers in a lawsuit against state officials. We also have stories on a 152-housing unit Lewiston housing development, and on Gov. Janet Mills announcing that a bill limiting police collaboration with ICE will become law.
BLINDSIDED BY LAWYERS
The lawyers who called Scott Greaney, a Mercer turkey farmer, told him that two seats on a state committee overseeing funds meant to support Maine farmers, loggers and others were reserved by statute for people representing “historically underserved racial populations,” he said. Greaney agreed to help the lawyers, who wanted to challenge whether that was constitutional. But he said he didn’t realize he was signing on to be the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit. Read more.
LEWISTON HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
Lewiston officials will decide tonight on an updated tax increment financing deal for a 152-unit housing development on Middle Street near Central Maine Medical Center. The project, dubbed “The Lowell,” has been in the pipeline for several years by former Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque, who believes the Lowell Street neighborhood “will be the epicenter of Lewiston’s renaissance.” Read more about the $36 million project.
“LD 1971 is imperfect, and we should not need it, but the times call for it. We cannot turn a blind eye to ICE’s unacceptable actions, and so I have chosen to allow LD 1971 to become law.”
Gov. Janet Mills, in an op-ed yesterday, saying she would allow a bill to pass into law that limits collaboration by Maine police with federal immigration agents.
Mills said that while she still had concerns about the “not perfect” bill, she could not ignore how President Donald Trump has “weaponized” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in his second term. Read more from reporter Rachel Ohm: Gov. Mills will allow bill limiting police collaboration with ICE to become law
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