BY RACHEL OHM Portland Press Herald The Maine Legislature agreed to a $430 million supplemental budget proposal in the early hours Thursday that includes $60 million in relief for damage caused by winter storms. The House of Representatives approved the budget on a 75-63 vote just after 4 a.m. The Sen- ate soon followed with a 19-14 vote. The decision came after an all-night debate in the final hours of this legislative session. Gov.
Janet Mills said in a statement Thursday morning she plans to sign the budget into law. am pleased that the Leg- islature has passed the sup- plemental budget and the $60 million in storm relief I Mills said. budget makes balanced in- vestments in child care, child protection, nursing homes, housing, public safety, and oth- er vital needs that will improve the lives of Maine people. Colby College baseball team moving toward top 25 C1 FINAL PUSH EARTH DAY Mostly cloudy WEATHER, D6 Central Maine set to mark day with several events B1 centralmaine.com KENNEBEC JOURNAL Oldest Newspaper Founded in 1825 Friday April 19, 2024 Copyright 2024 $2.50 Volume 200, Number 95 INDEX Kennebec Journal Address: 22 Leighton Road, Augusta, Maine 04330 Phone: 621-5700 smartphone newspaper is available at desktop laptop tablet READ THE ePAPER A digital replica of the centralmaine.com SIGN UP NOW! An edition of Central Maine Sunday Heloise Horoscope D4 Obituaries B3-4 Opinion A5 Sports C1-4 TV Crossword C5 Business A4 Classified D1, D3 Comics Puzzles D4 Community B5 Entertainment C5 Lawmakers pass $430M budget STATE SPENDING BY DYLAN TUSINSKI Morning Sentinel WINSLOW A man was arrested after a nearly nine-hour-long standoff that prompted a heavy response from law enforcement, po- lice confirmed Thursday. William M.
Dolley, 52, was arrested and charged Wednesday with domestic violence assault, criminal restraint and violating con- ditions as a result of the standoff. incident began The Wednesday morning at a residence at 167 North Pond Road after Winslow Police received reports that wife was in a closet fearful for her safe- Winslow Deputy Police Chief Randy Wing said in a statement. wife had not re- ported to work in three days, prompting her em- ployer and daughter to each file complaints with the po- lice. the two re- search of the woodlands calls from law enforcement. sponding officers were un- surrounding the home, Throughout the stand- able to contact anybody at the victim was located and off, Dolley was reportedly the Wing said.
escorted to a cruiser for armed with a baseball bat daughter provided new information that her mother was hiding were able to confirm Dolley in the woods. After a brief stopped answering phone Shortly after, authorities was still in the house after Waterville Police K-9 unit was requested to assist. The Maine State Police tac- tical and crisis negotiation teams also were called to the scene after it became apparent Dolley was barri- caded in the home. respond to at- tempts made by the police to establish Wing rector for the Maine Department of Public Safety, confirmed at said. A loudspeaker was used to try to communicate with Dolley after he apparently and a knife.
Man arrested after nearly nine-hour standoff Winslow resident charged following incident reminiscent of 2011 stalemate Anna Sentinel A heavy police presence was reported Wednesday on North Pond Road in Winslow. Shannon Moss, public information di- about 5 p.m. that the state police tactical and crisis negotiation teams were on the scene. STANDOFF, PAGE A6 Mills plans to sign supplemental plan, including $60M for storm relief Slate of gun safety measures approved BY AMY CALDER Morning Sentinel WATERVILLE Police are investigating what they say was a hoax bomb threat Wednesday night involving Plaza off Kennedy Memorial Drive. Maj.
Jason Longley of the Waterville Police De- partment said Thursday he could not share many de- tails of the ongoing inves- tigation, including which business had been target- ed by the bomb threat. Businesses at Plaza at 251 Kennedy Memorial Drive include supermarket, Nails Spa, Planet Fit- ness, Sun Tan City, The Curtainshop of Maine, Flagship Premium Cine- mas and Grill Bar. While police were not revealing the exact target of the threat, Planet Fit- ness businesses across the country have been target- ed with bomb threats since last month, when the social media account of launched a boycott campaign against Planet Fitness to retaliate against the trans-inclu- sive locker room policy. The effort went viral on- line and at least 44 Planet Fitness locations in the United States have report- ed hoax bomb threats in recent weeks, according to the nonprofit Media Mat- ters for America. WATERVILLE Police investigate hoax bomb threat at Plaza Joe Journal photos Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, top right, arranges members of the House Democratic Caucus for an end-of-session group photograph Wednesday at the front steps of the Maine State House in Augusta.
Lawmakers worked into the early hours Thursday morning before passing a $430 million supplemental budget, marking the final hours of this legislative session. Francesca Gundrum, the director of advocacy for Maine Audubon, utilizes an electrical outlet Tuesday to charge and work on her laptop computer in a fourth-floor hallway at the Maine State House in Augusta. Lawmakers worked into the early hours Thursday morning before passing a $430 million supplemental budget, marking the final BUDGET, PAGE A6 hours of this legislative session. The budget makes balanced investments in child care, child protection, nursing homes, housing, public safety, and other vital needs that will improve the lives of Maine people. JANET MILLS, MAINE GOVERNOR THREAT, PAGE A6 Domestic violence crisis and support line 1-866-834-4357 Brianna Portland Press Herald file Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross reads the names of the 18 people who died in the Lewiston mass shooting at the State House, as law- makers returned for the start of the second regular session of the 131st Legislature in early January.
BY RACHEL OHM Portland Press Herald In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in the Unit- ed States last year, Maine lawmakers have approved a slate of new gun safety measures that include ex- panded background checks, a 72-hour wait period for fire- arms purchases and a ban on bump stocks and other rapid fire devices. But the Legislature failed to act on a proposed law that would have given families, in addition to law enforcement, the ability to restrict a access to firearms without the need for a mental health evaluation. And it remains uncertain which bills Gov. Janet Mills will sign into law. Eighteen people were killed in the Lewiston mass shooting on Oct.
25, 13 others were injured. The massacre prompted a new wave of gun legislation that has for years been proposed and rejected in Maine. Advocates for gun safety re- form lauded the changes that were approved on Thursday morning in the final hours of this legislative session, while also lamenting that the law, a key proposal they had sought to enact, only made it to a committee vote and not the full body. GUNS, PAGE A6.
