February 25, 2018

State close to deal on Vermont Yankee sale; critics support uncertain

Closed-door settlement negotiations regarding the proposed sale of Vermont Yankee are expected to wrap up within a week.

A memorandum of understanding involving state officials, current plant owner Entergy and prospective owner NorthStar Group Services is scheduled to be filed with the Vermont Public Utility Commission by March 2, officials said Friday.

That document could represent a breakthrough in the protracted debate over whether NorthStar should be allowed to buy and decommission the idled Vernon nuclear plant.

But it’s not yet clear how much support the deal will have among those who have criticized NorthStar’s plans. Two of those organizations — Conservation Law Foundation and New England Coalition — told the commission Friday that they are not yet on board.

Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2018/02/23/state-close-deal-vermont-yankee-sale-critics-support-uncertain/

February 25, 2018

Coventry senator resigns days after being charged with extorting sex from Senate page, video voyeur-

Coventry senator resigns days after being charged with extorting sex from Senate page, video voyeurism

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Once the youngest senator in Rhode Island Senate history, Nicholas D. Kettle resigned Thursday in the face of extortion charges and an unprecedented effort by fellow senators to expel him.

The 27-year-old Coventry Republican tendered his resignation, effective immediately, in a letter delivered to Senate leaders that professed his innocence and slammed the bipartisan effort launched a day earlier to banish him from the legislature.

By 3 p.m., Kettle’s personal belongings had been wheeled from his State House office, his name scraped from the door and his biography erased from the General Assembly website.

“After taking several days to speak with my legal counsel and family members, I have determined that it is in my best interest to resign and concentrate on the unfounded allegations against me,” Kettle wrote in the statement. “I am grateful for the many individuals who have continued to support me during these difficult times as it is clear that they understand that I am innocent until proven guilty.

Read more: http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180222/facing-threat-of-expulsion-sen-kettle-quits

February 25, 2018

New Hampshire lawmakers pass bill to annul pot possession arrests

CONCORD — People convicted for possessing small amounts of marijuana will be able to have their criminal records annulled if a bill passed by the House on Thursday clears the Senate and is signed into law by the governor.

In the most lopsided roll-call vote of Thursday’s session, the House voted 314-24 to pass HB 1477, which allows for the annulment of charges related to possession of three-quarters of an ounce or less.

A new state law decriminalizing possession of that amount of marijuana took effect on Sept. 16, 2017. Any arrests prior to that date would be eligible for annulment under the bill, which also has bipartisan sponsorship in the Senate.

“Among the reasons the legislature voted last year to remove the criminal penalty for possession of a small amount of marijuana and make possession a civil penalty was the long-term, negative impact a criminal record has on individuals and their families, including loss of housing, loss of employment, denial of student loans and other barriers to social wellbeing,” according to Rep. Renny Cushing, D-Hampton.

Read more: http://www.unionleader.com/state-government/new-hampshire-lawmakers-pass-bill-to-annul-pot-possession-arrests-20180223

February 25, 2018

Influence of Confucius Institutes on U.S. college campuses has some concerned

Amid all the focus on Russian meddling in the U.S. electoral process, some officials are warning about influence by a different world power: China.

And one target of their concern is the proliferation of Confucius Institutes on more than 100 American college campuses - including the University of New Hampshire.

The institutes, which teach Chinese language, history and culture, are funded by China's ministry of education.

In a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told FBI Director Christopher Wray he believes that Confucius Institutes are "complicit" in Chinese government efforts "to covertly influence public opinion and to teach half-truths designed to present Chinese history, government or official policy in the most favorable light."

Wray replied that the FBI shares the concern and has been "watching that development for a while."

Read more: http://www.unionleader.com/Influence-of-Confucius-Institutes-on-U.S.-college-campuses-has-some-concerned

February 25, 2018

New Hampshire Lawmakers Decry Hampton Beach Lawsuit Against State

Lawmakers in New Hampshire are questioning the merits of a lawsuit over shared costs at Hampton Beach, saying the state has done a lot to give money to the town of Hampton.

Republican State Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley says he sympathizes with Hampton's call for aid for emergency services, but argues the state has paid a fair share through capital expenditure projects. The Portsmouth Herald reports the lawsuit filed Feb. 14 asks a judge to determine if the state of New Hampshire is taking on its share of responsibilities outlined in a 1933 deed.

Hampton state Rep. Renny Cushing, a Democrat, says very few people in the Legislature support Hampton's lawsuit.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Lisa English says the state received the lawsuit and is drafting a response.

http://nhpr.org/post/nh-lawmakers-decry-hampton-beach-lawsuit-against-state

February 25, 2018

New Hampshire House Says "No" to Bill That Would Allow Guns on State College Campuses

The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted down a bill today, HB1542, which would allow revolvers and pistols on state college campuses.

The vote comes just weeks after a school shooting in Parkland, Florida left 17 students dead.

Dozens of mothers and supporters of the group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America showed up to protest the proposed legislation.

Rebecca Harrison, Seacost-resident and mom to two college students, says she came out because she was inspired by the actions of survivors from the recent Parkland, Florida school shooting.

Read more: http://nhpr.org/post/nh-house-says-no-bill-would-allow-guns-state-college-campuses

February 25, 2018

Maine teen allegedly wanted to be 'the most notorious school shooter in American history'

A high school student in Maine accused of threatening a school shooting in posts on an online gaming site has been arrested.

Ellsworth schools Superintendent Daniel Higgins says the threat did not reference a specific school, but the website’s host provided the FBI with an IP address that led to an Ellsworth High School student.

Nineteen-year-old Michael Allen was arrested and charged with terrorizing.

Police Chief Glenn Moshier tells WCSH-TV the threat did not mention any specific time or date but was determined to be credible. He says the author of the messages estimated he could kill as many as 30 people.

“It was Mr. Allen’s express intention to become the most notorious school shooter in American history by exceeding the number of people killed recently in Florida,” Hancock County Deputy District Attorney Toff Toffolon said during a Friday court hearing on the matter, according to WABI television. “He told the police, ‘I didn’t expect you to catch on to this so fast, I’m surprised you know about this already, I thought I had more time.’”

Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2018/02/24/news/hancock/maine-teen-allegedly-wanted-to-be-the-most-notorious-school-shooter-in-american-history/

I didn't realize that school shootings had become a competitive sport.

February 25, 2018

High-end inns, restaurants in Portland, Camden to declare bankruptcy

A co-owner of high-end inns and restaurants in Camden and Portland said his companies will be forced into bankruptcy to avoid pending foreclosure auctions.

Foreclosure auctions are scheduled for March 29 for both the Camden Harbour Inn and Natalie’s restaurant on Bay View Street in Camden and the Danforth Inn and Tempo Dulu restaurant on Danforth Street in Portland.

The Camden Harbor Inn is a 20-room luxury boutique inn with the award-winning 65-seat restaurant Natalie’s.

The Danforth Inn is a nine-room full-service inn and fine dining restaurant Tempo Dulu.

There were plans to open a bar called Opium at that location which drew condemnation last year amid Maine’s ongoing opioid crisis.

Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2018/02/24/group-high-end-inns-restaurants-will-declare-bankruptcy/

February 25, 2018

Leaders to Decide if Gun Control Bills Will Be Considered This Session

In the wake of the Parkland, Fla. school shootings last week, Democrats in the Maine Legislature are hoping to introduce a number of last-minute gun control bills next week, including a ban on “bump stocks,” devices that are used to boost the performance of semiautomatic rifles. However, one Republican leader says it’s too late in the session to take up such major legislation.

Leaders from both parties will meet next Tuesday to decide which, if any “after deadline” bills they will allow for consideration this session. In addition to the bump stock ban, House Speaker Sara Gideon and some fellow democrats are also drafting a proposed ban on high capacity ammunition magazines, an improved background check process and a proposal to raise the age to buy a firearm to 21.

“I have thought about and worked on almost nothing but this since last Wednesday and it is my absolute top priority above everything else that we do here,” says Gideon.

Gideon says that she is also drafting so-called “red flag” bills, which are under consideration in Florida and other states. An example of such a bill is that it would allow a parent or other family member to go to court to block the ability of a person to buy a gun if that person is exhibiting troublesome behavior. A different version would allow law enforcement to seek such an order.

Read more: http://mainepublic.org/post/leaders-decide-if-gun-control-bills-will-be-considered-session

February 25, 2018

Ambulance, Hospital to Pay $1.4M in Unneeded Transport Case

A Scarborough-based ambulance provider has settled with the U.S. Attorney's Office for $825,000 over allegations that it billed Medicaid for unnecessary ambulance rides.

In a separate settlement, Portland-Based Maine Medical Center will pay $600,000.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says that starting in 2007, North East improperly billed Medicare to transport patients who'd been discharged, in ambulances and that ambulance transport wasn't medically needed for those patients.

It also alleges that Maine Medical Center provided North East with statements that were incomplete or inaccurate, which North East used to bill Medicaid.

Read more: http://mainepublic.org/post/ambulance-hospital-pay-14m-unneeded-transport-case