AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage and Transportation Commissioner David Bernhardt Tuesday were given two checks totaling $1.9 million from Chief Joseph Socobasin of the Passamaquoddy tribe of Indian Township.

Indian Township has accessed federal highway money through the Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Reservation Road Program. Under a LePage executive order, Maine DOT has set up consultations with Maine’s tribes open lines of communication and promote tribal-state cooperation.

Indian Township has two projects it is participating in with DOT. One is a U.S. Route 1 bridge replacement, carrying 3,400 vehicles a day, with a total cost of $3 million to be completed next year.

The other allows DOT to complete a heavier, longer-lasting treatment to be finished this fall on 10-plus miles of Grand Lake Stream Road, a rural highway that was not eligible for federal highway funding, at a cost of $2.5 million.

Panel finds $25M in budget cuts

AUGUSTA — An advisory committee looking for cuts to balance Maine’s state budget has found $25 million in savings, but its work isn’t over.

The Streamlining Committee is to meet again Nov. 28 to finish its work before a Dec. 15 deadline.

While it needs to find $25 million in savings to balance the budget for this fiscal year, the committee has left the door open to finding $35 million in recommended cuts.

Minority Democrats, however, say they aren’t interested in pushing the total another $10 million.

House Democratic Leader Emily Cain said Wednesday that any cuts beyond the $25 million should be taken up by the Legislature.

The cuts targeted so far avoid eliminating funding to Head Start and to a program that helps troubled youths transition to the community.

7 tons of drugs in for Take Back

BANGOR — Maine residents turned in more than 7 tons of unwanted prescription drugs during last month’s national drug take-back initiative.

The Bangor Police Department says Mainers turned in more unwanted drugs per capita than any other state during the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Oct. 29.

Police say Maine was the sixth-ranked state for amount of drugs collected during the day, behind California, New York, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Carmel victims ID’d; relatives-to-be

CARMEL — The teenage victims of a car crash in Carmel earlier this week were best friends who were soon to become stepbrothers.

Authorities said 16-year-old James McPhearson of Levant and 14-year-old Richard Picken Jr. of Carmel were killed instantly Monday night when the car they were in struck a utility pole.

Police said the teens had just left McPhearson’s home and were headed to Picken’s house at the time of the accident.

Police said speed was a factor.

Both boys were students at Hermon High School. McPhearson was a junior on the football team and Picken was a freshman. Principal Brian Walsh says the entire community is in mourning.

McPhearson’s mother is engaged to Picken’s father.

Brennan elected Portland mayor

PORTLAND — Former state senator Michael Brennan is Portland’s new mayor.

He got 8,971 votes in thirteen rounds of ranked choice voting, announced at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

“My number one goal is for us to look back and say not only did we have the right person, but having a mayor made a difference for the city of Portland,” Brennan said to a packed room at City Hall, where many of the 15 candidates gathered Wednesday night for the results.

Ethan Strimling came in second with 7,138 votes. He and Brennan hugged after the results were announced.

More than 19,500 people cast votes in the mayor’s race, the first of its kind in Portland in 88 years.

On election night, Brennan was the top vote-getter in the initial round of voting. But with 5,240 first-place votes, or 26.7 percent of the total, he did not reach the 50 percent-plus-one needed to be declared the winner.

Androscoggin sheriff’s 2nd-in-command out

AUBURN — The second-in-command at the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department is no longer in the position, and the circumstances surrounding his departure are foggy.

Michael Lemay, who served as Sheriff Guy Desjardins’ chief deputy, worked his last day Monday.
Both men acknowledged they had a meeting that day and talked about a traffic stop involving one of Lemay’s relatives.

Lemay said he appeared at the family member’s traffic stop, but he never intervened in the situation.

Desjardins told the Sun Journal he told Lemay that his involvement was “totally inappropriate” and he’d have to change his behavior or leave. Desjardins said Lemay decided to resign.
Lemay disagreed. He said he was essentially fired.

Staff and wire reports