Driver dies in crash into utility pole, tree, that split car 

ARUNDEL, Maine (AP) — Maine sheriff’s deputies say a driver died after losing control of his car and crashing into a utility pole and a tree. 

They say the force of the crash caused the vehicle to split in two late Wednesday. It appears that the driver, 29-year-old Bjoun Condappa, of Biddeford, was killed instantly. He was traveling alone. 

The crash happened on Route 1 in Arundel, near the Biddeford line. 

Authorities said speed appears to be a factor in the crash.  

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Maine opposed to tentative opioid-crisis Purdue Pharma deal 

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine is not joining a tentative opioid-crisis settlement between the family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and a number of state and local governments. 

A spokesman for the attorney general’s office said that Maine, along with many other states, is opposed to the proposed deal with the Sackler family. 

The spokesman said the office welcomes “an orderly liquidation of Purdue in the bankruptcy process and will continue our efforts to hold the Sackler family accountable.” 

Nearly half the states and some 2,000 local governments have agreed to a tentative settlement with Purdue Pharma over the toll of the nation’s opioid crisis.  

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Maine repays $400,000 to feds over non-bid contract 

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine has returned nearly $400,000 to the federal government over a no-bid contract granted under the former Republican governor’s administration. 

The Portland Press Herald reports the U.S. Office of Inspector General discovered the no-bid contract when it audited $28 million in federal crime victim funds to Maine from 2014 to 2017. Such funding supports victims through federal programs operated by state and local governments. 

The inspector general report released Thursday says the former administration incorrectly granted the sole-source contract to a consultant for a crime victims program. The report says all consulting contracts over $150,000 must be bid out or receive special approval. 

Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services has agreed with federal recommendations to improve the handling of federal contracts. The state returned the money in February 

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