Plea talks break down in Portland fire case

PORTLAND (AP) — Negotiators say talks have broken down in a potential plea deal for the owner of a Portland building where six people died in a fire.

The Portland Press Herald says Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson plans to pursue charges against Gregory Nisbet stemming from the Nov. 1 fire on Noyes Street. Anderson isn’t saying what the charges could be or when it could happen.

Investigators found the cause of the Noyes Street fire to be accidental. They also found the house didn’t have functioning smoke detectors. Nisbet is accused of offering individual rooms for rent at the house without making required safety upgrades.

Anderson has been pushing for a manslaughter charge but Nisbet’s attorney says his client won’t agree to that.

Eagle dies after prey touches power line

MILBRIDGE (AP) — A Maine wildlife warden says a bald eagle was apparently electrocuted when a lamprey eel it had captured came in contact with power lines in Milbridge.

Scott Osgood says it was one of the more unusual bald eagle deaths he’s ever investigated.

The banded raptor was found dead in April, with the 2 1/2 foot eel by its side.

Osgood tells the Lewiston Sun Journal that he suspects the eagle caught the eel in a nearby bay and was flying over power lines with the eel dangling from its talons. The eel came in contact with the power line, killing predator and prey.

Another surprise came when leg bands revealed the eagle had lived 31 years, considerably longer than the typical lifespan for a bald eagle that reaches adulthood.

Raymond Beach closed due to E. coli

RAYMOND (AP) — An inland Maine beach is closed due to high levels of E. coli.

WCSH-TV reports Raymond Beach in Raymond, Maine, is closed. The beach is located off of Roosevelt Trail. Officials say the beach will reopen once the levels of E. coli return to an acceptable range.

Town managers say the beach closed on Wednesday. The beach is located on Sebago Lake in inland Cumberland County. The lake is the second largest in the state and is popular with boaters, swimmers and fishermen.

Maine International Film Festival to begin

WATERVILLE (AP) — The Maine International Film Festival is about to get rolling in Waterville with a movie made by a pair of Portland-based filmmakers.

The festival runs until July 19 and will screen more than 100 movies from around the world. The movies open today with Tumbledown, made by Desi Van Til and Sean Mewshaw of Portland. Several other Maine-based films are also being screened during the festival.

Michael Murphy will receive the festival’s Mid-Life Achievement Award. He is known for his collaborations with the late acclaimed director Robert Altman.

The film festival is in its 18th year. It will be held at Railroad Square Cinema and the Waterville Opera House.

Ex-Maine woman gets 18 months in prison

AUGUSTA (AP) — A former Maine woman has been sentenced to a year and a half in prison for embezzling more than $10,000 from two youth sports organizations, and stealing state welfare benefits.

Justice Michaela Murphy handed down the sentence against 42-year-old Wendi Pond on Thursday at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta.

The Kennebec Journal reports the Whitefield, New Hampshire, woman pleaded guilty earlier this year to embezzling from Winslow Wrestling Sports Booster Club, where she was a treasurer, and the China youth field hockey team, where she was a coach. She also admitted to stealing from the state.

Pond was ordered to pay restitution to the two organizations and other state departments totaling more than $50,000.

The Times Record Sustaining Sponsor
We believe a community must be informed to thrive. bowdoin.edu