The Maine Wire
Gov. Janet Mills (D) has “welcomed” the Trump administration's decision to release 315,000 barrels of heating oil from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, following a September request from Sens. Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I).
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the reserve is a one-million-barrel supply intended for use if the region's oil supply is disrupted.
The upcoming release will allow oil companies to bid for 315,000 barrels from the reserve, equivalent to a 13% increase in New England's heating oil supply. The release is expected to help lower costs for Maine consumers.
Oil has been released only twice in the reserve’s 26-year history, and never before to reduce heating fuel prices.
The first release came in 2011 and was intended to replace the reserve with more environmentally friendly
Sen. Susan Collins secured additional exemptions for Maine from tariffs on Canadian products on Friday, specifically exempting Maine from tariffs on products essential to the state’s agricultural industry.
[RELATED: Collins Presses for Trade De-Escalation with Canada as Maine Industries Face Tariff Pressure…]
“I am pleased to have secured additional tariff exemptions for products crucial to Maine's agricultural industries, including blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers,” said Sen. Collins on X.
“Many of our farmers and growers rely on specialized equipment, packaging materials, and other products from Canada that are either unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense,” she added.
I am pleased to have secured additional tariff exemptions products crucial to Maine’s agricultural industries, including blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers.
Many of our farmers and growers rely on specialized equipment,
Six Massachusetts suspects were charged on Wednesday for their roles in an alleged scheme to arrange sham marriages to help illegal immigrants fraudulently obtain lawful immigration status.
[RELATED: JD Vance Reveals Immigration Fraud Investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar…]
The scheme allegedly spanned over a decade and made the conspirators millions of dollars.
Six individuals in Massachusetts have been charged with allegedly arranging sham marriages to fraudulently obtain immigration status for illegal aliens. The organization’s leader has allegedly been orchestrating sham marriages for illegal aliens to enable them to fraudulently… pic.twitter.com/lX4DmIPNqr
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) October 21, 2026
The six suspects face federal charges of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens, conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and marriage fraud.
The defendants charged are:
- Jennifer Gonzalez, 43, of Fall River
- Erica Daniels, 29, of Fall
By Dylan Kresak, DCNF Reporter, Daily Caller News Foundation
A Chinese firm that bankrolled a convicted Google artificial intelligence thief grew out of a program launched by Sam Altman.
The State Department imposed sanctions on Beijing-based MiraclePlus and four related entities Monday over their ties to former Google engineer Linwei Ding, who was convicted of stealing the company’s AI trade secrets in January, according to a department statement. MiraclePlus traces back to a Chinese program that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman launched while running Y Combinator in 2018, Bloomberg reported.
Ding founded Shanghai Zhisuan Technology, which is among those sanctioned by the department, in 2023, and
The Lewiston Police Department arrested a 17-year-old on Thursday on a warrant charging him with trafficking in scheduled drugs after he had previously been connected to multiple shootings and charged with attempted murder.
He was previously found incompetent to stand trial.
[RELATED: Lewiston Youth: Teen Found with Bag of Cocaine After Fleeing Police…]
Lewiston officers assigned to the Department’s Community Engagement and Accountability Initiative obtained the warrant after a citizen provided police with evidence of drug trafficking activities.
During the investigation, police allegedly discovered cocaine base and over $2,000 in cash on the suspect’s person.
He was arrested and transported to the Long Creek Youth Development History.
The 17-year-old already has a lengthy history of arrests and charges stemming from alleged violent crimes.
He was previously
The U.S. Marshals Service arrested a Westbrook fugitive on Tuesday after he allegedly escaped a police operation on Oct. 14 following multiple shooting incidents reported at an apartment.
On Oct. 14, the Rumford Police Department issued a shelter-in-place order for the area of Maine Avenue and Waldo Street in Rumford after reports of an incident involving Blake Lachance, 21, of Westbrook, who was believed to be armed.
Authorities reported that there had been multiple shots fired at the apartment, and callers had reported suspected drug trafficking activity at the address.
Lachance reportedly fled the scene before police established a perimeter and evaded law enforcement for days.
The Rumford Police requested assistance from the U.S. Marshals in apprehending Lachanse.
Investigators ultimately developed information leading them to believe
Over 136,000 Mainers have already cast their ballots in the upcoming general election.
According to Maine Public, data from the Secretary of State's Office shows that most of these votes have come from registered Democrats.
Democrats have submitted roughly 52% of ballots, compared to just 20% from Republicans and unenrolled voters, commonly referred to as independents.
[RELATED: The Maine Wire's Guide to Casting Your Ballot]
No-excuse absentee voting and early in-person voting are available to Mainers through Oct. 29.
Absentee ballots may be requested online here, but your local town hall must receive completed ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3.
Maine voters may also request an absentee ballot in person with a paper application.
Completed absentee ballots must be returned to your local town hall. Most municipalities have a secure drop box outside the building where voters can deposit their ballots.
A complete
