Cutler – Probation Violation
(Ellsworth) – Former gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler says he did not break his probation by obtaining more pornography. A hearing is set for April 8th to address motions by the District Attorney’s office to revoke Cutler’s probation. He was arrested earlier this month at a South Portland hotel when state police caught him with DVDs. D-A Robert Granger told a judge this week that Cutler should be incarcerated for another 3-years plus for the violation, a move that was recommended by Cutler’s probation officer.
Assault Sentence
(Ellsworth) – A former Southwest Harbor man will serve at least 3-years in prison for assaulting his now ex-wife. A judge sentenced 38-year-old Justin Long who is currently in prison in Massachusetts for a similar crime. The D-A’s office argued that Long has shown no removed and none of the original 6-year sentence should be suspended. Evidence showed the woman was strangled in 2023 to the point that she passed out, and children were in the house at the time. According to testimony Long suffers from PTSD from his military service.
Searsport Wharf
(Searsport) – A section of Searsport’s municipal pier that has been closed for almost 3-years will get repaired soon. The Bangor Daily News says the town will use congressional funding and disaster assistance for the $3-point-6-million-dollar repair. A hurricane in 1997 destroyed much of the pier, and a wharf finger is the last section to get repaired. The town will hold a public meeting to get feedback on the project. Harbor Master Travis Otis says the wharf finger dates back to the 1960s and had outlived its expected life span.
State Street Market sold
(Ellsworth) – One of Ellsworth’s more popular sandwich makers has retired. State Street Market hung up the “gone fishing” sign and the Ellsworth American reports Roger Whitmore has sold the business to the former owners of Serendib, a Sri Lankan and Indian restaurant in the Downtown area that closed in December after 10-years Whitmore and his wife also owned Charlie’s Pizza which they sold in December. They had operated the State Street Market since 1999.
Hip Replacement Suit
(Ellsworth) – A civil trial should wrap up this week in Ellsworth where a surgeon at Maine Coast Hospital in Ellsworth is being sued over a hip replacement on a Milbridge woman. 71-year-old Mary Shea says Dr. Peter Copithorne read an X-ray that was not hers and the operation left her with permanent physical impairment and nearly $300-thousand dollars in medical bills. Shea said she required two more operations to try to repair things. It’s unknown how long a jury will take to produce a verdict.
Boat Registrations
(Augusta) – Commercial fishermen have waited nearly 2-months to get their annual registration stickers from their towns because the shipment of stickers got delayed through the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. That wait is over – stickers arrived this week at town offices across the state. Boat registrations run out in December each year, and fishermen who work year-round ran into problems trying to register their crafts. IF&W allowed registrations without stickers and will mail stickers to boat owners who registered in January and February.
Senate Poll
(Augusta) – Political polling is starting to show early trends ahead of the primary elections in June in statewide political races. The US Senate nomination among Democrats seems to have come down to a 2-way race between Sullivan’s Graham Platner and current Governor Janet Mills. Maine Public says the latest poll shows Platner with a very large lead. The two are squaring off to earn the right to run against incumbent Republican Susan Collins. The University of New Hampshire Survey showed 64% of voters favored Platner and 26% supporting Mills. Other polls have shown Mills with a lead.
New Music Institute Director
(Ellsworth) – The Ellsworth Community Music Institute has a new director. Musician and conductor Peter Van Reesema, who has relocated to Downeast Maine from New York City, says he immediately connected with ECMI’s artistic director Nancy Colter and accepted the job as the new director. The institute offers free monthly midday concerts at the city owned Moore Community Center Theater. Van Reesema says he looks forward to the institute becoming a hub for conversation and creativity.
