January 2021 – Page 253 – The Portland Press Herald

Mainer charged with setting fires at predominantly Black Massachusetts church

by Associated Press January 5, 2021January 5, 2021

Dushko Vanelinov Vulchev of Houlton pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 6 criminal charges and is being held on $25,000 bail.

No charges against Wisconsin officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back

by TODD RICHMOND and MICHAEL TARM Associated Press January 5, 2021January 5, 2021

Officer Rusten Sheskey’s shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 23, captured on video by a bystander, turned the nation’s spotlight on Wisconsin during a summer marked by protests over police brutality and racism.

Boston Red Sox, Sports

Red Sox hire Bianca Smith, first Black woman to coach pro baseball

by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette January 5, 2021January 5, 2021

Smith will work primarily with position players at the team’s training facility at Ft. Myers, Florida.

Maine colleges, Sports

Alabama’s Smith becomes first wide receiver to win Heisman in 29 years

by Associated Press January 5, 2021January 5, 2021

DeVonta Smith is the fourth receiver to win the Heisman, joining Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991, Notre Dame’s Tim Brown in 1987 and Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers in 1972.

Health, Nation & World

Pandemic haunts new year as virus growth outpaces vaccines

by DANICA KIRKA and ANGELA CHARLTON Associated Press January 5, 2021January 5, 2021

As doctors face rising numbers of COVID-19 patients after end-of-year holiday gatherings, more countries are reporting cases of a new, more contagious variant that has already swept across Britain.

Maine colleges, Sports, Times Record Sports, UMaine Sports

University of Maine guard Kelly Fogarty breaks out of shooting slump in big way

by Travis Lazarczyk January 5, 2021January 5, 2021

Senior adds to list of scoring threats for Black Bears after setting a program record with 10 3-pointers in rout of New Hampshire on Sunday.

Nation & World, Politics

Judge rejects bid to invalidate Georgia votes as Trump lawyers bar public from listening

by Associated Press January 5, 2021January 5, 2021

Lawyers representing Georgia blast the case, saying in court documents that ‘a barrage of allegations and suits does not undermine the facts and should not undermine our democracy.’