Articles by Patrick Whittle

Coast Guard Opens Inquiry Into Fatal Collapse of Mast on Maine Schooner

The Coast Guard said Monday it has launched a formal investigation into a fatal accident aboard a historic schooner off the coast of Maine in which a mast fell and killed one person and injured three others. The main mast …

Rare New England Tornado Damages Homes, Floods Roads, Topples Trees

A rare Rhode Island tornado lifted a car off an interstate highway Friday as severe weather swept already storm-weary New England, damaging homes, flooding roads and toppling trees. Tornadoes were reported in several spots in the same general area of …

Maine Lobster Industry Files Defamation Suit Over California Aquarium’s Whale Warning

A coalition representing the Maine lobster industry is suing an aquarium on the other side of the country for recommending that seafood customers avoid buying a variety of lobster mostly harvested in their state. Industry groups including Maine Lobstermen’s Association …

Chemical Plant Owner to Pay $187M for Maine River Pollution Cleanup

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) โ€” The owner of a former chemical plant that dumped mercury into the Penobscot River must pay at least $187 million to remove the contamination in a resolution to a decades-long legal battle. A federal judge on …

Deadly Sinking of New England Fishing Vessel Prompts Call for Inspections, Locator Beacons

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) โ€”A fishing vessel that sank in New England, resulting in the loss of all four fishermen, likely capsized because of poor drainage of seawater from the rear deck and hatches that weren’t watertight, investigators said. The National …

Maine Privacy Law Survives Challenge by Internet Service Providers

One of the strictest internet privacy laws in the United States has withstood a legal challenge, as a group of telecommunication providers has dropped its bid to overturn the Maine standard. Maine created one of the toughest rules in the …

Maine Catholic Diocese Sued Under Abuse Law Change It Opposed

The first lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland since Maine took away a limitation on claims of child sexual abuse were filed last week. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed a law last year that allowed victims to bring …

Power Outages Increase as Extreme Weather Inflicts Toll on Aging Grid, Vulnerable Citizens

Power outages from severe weather have doubled over the past two decades across the U.S., as a warming climate stirs more destructive storms that cripple broad segments of the nation’s aging electrical grid, according to an Associated Press analysis of …

Maine Rights Panel Finds Senior Facility Discriminated Against Transgender Woman

Maine’s human rights panel has ruled in favor of a transgender woman who complained that she was discriminated against when she was denied a room by an assisted living facility. The Maine Human Rights Commission voted 3-2 on Monday that …

Explosion Causes Significant Damage to Maine Paper Mill; No Injuries

An explosion at a paper mill in Maine shook the ground Wednesday and produced a plume of black smoke that was visible for miles around, but it appeared no one was injured. The blast rocked the Androscoggin Mill in Jay, …