Only in Maine

Gee, I wonder if alcohol might have been involved...

Portland jetport briefly shut down Sunday after car crashes through gate, drives on runway

George Gillmore III, 33, who police say was staying at a nearby hotel, has been charged with multiple crimes in relation to the incident.

BY BONNIE WASHUK AND DENNIS HOEY STAFF WRITER

The Portland International Jetport was shut down for nearly an hour Sunday morning after a man crashed a vehicle through an airport fire gate and drove on a runway for about a half-mile before crashing into a fence.
Jetport Director Paul Bradbury said the incident, which took place around 7:30 a.m., forced jetport officials to close the runway for about 45 minutes.

The driver of the vehicle was later arrested by Portland police and is facing four criminal charges related to the incident.
In a news release Sunday night, Portland police identified the driver as 33-year-old George Gillmore III. Gillmore was staying at the Embassy Suites hotel near the jetport, police said.

Gillmore is charged with criminal trespass, leaving the scene of an accident, driving to endanger and aggravated criminal mischief, police said in the release. He could also face federal charges and fines, they added.

According to police, Gillmore drove through a fire gate in South Portland and proceeded to drive across the runway area, causing damage to the grass. Airport officials also said the vehicle left skid marks on the road.

The incident ended when Gillmore crashed the vehicle into a fence around a pond that’s located in a secure area of the runway.

Jetport personnel discovered around 7:30 a.m. Sunday that the car had crashed through a fence off Jetport Plaza Road, which is on the South Portland side along the back of the airport, Bradbury said.

The car was found with no one inside, officials said.

“We did close the runway for about 45 minutes while we did a safety and security inspection to make sure nobody was on the airfield,” Assistant Jetport Director Zach Sundquist said.

The jetport was shut down from about 7:30 to 8:15 a.m., Sundquist said. Earlier flights took off as normal before the abandoned vehicle was found.

Sundquist said no flights were delayed or canceled.

Crews were repairing the hole in the fence on the Jetport Plaza Road. The vehicle was towed away.
There have been vehicle crashes at the perimeter fence off Jetport Plaza Road before – sometimes up to six in a year, Sundquist said. But this crash was unusual in that the car didn’t just crash into the fence, it went all the way through and continued for about half a mile onto airport property, Sundquist added.

Bradbury said one reason why it’s not uncommon for vehicles to crash into the fence is that Jetport Plaza Road has a stretch of straight road followed by a sharp curve, where vehicles have previously run into the fence. If a driver is impaired or driving too fast, “they get up too much speed and don’t make the turn,” Bradbury said.

Portland police Sgt. Brent Ross Ross said no one was injured in the incident and that there is no threat to the public.
 
Very sad, a nice sail aboard a classic schooner on a fresh fall day turns deadly...

One killed, 3 injured when mast breaks aboard schooner owned by actor Marc Evan Jackson

The top of the tallest mast split and fell, striking multiple people Monday morning.

ROCKLAND — A woman was killed and three other people were injured Monday when the top of a mast broke loose and fell on them aboard the Grace Bailey, a schooner partly owned by actor Marc Evan Jackson.


The schooner, built in 1882 and restored in 1990, was about a mile east of Rockland Harbor at about 10 a.m. when the top of one mast split and fell, striking several people. The person killed was a passenger aboard the schooner, which was returning from a sold-out, four-night foliage cruise.

The woman who died had an apparent serious head wound and was taken off the schooner first Monday. The three other injured people were then taken from the ship and transported to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport.

A passenger aboard the Grace Bailey said the accident happened “out of nowhere.” The passenger, who asked not to be identified, said the winds were not strong and the vessel had not made any sharp tacks when the incident occurred.

The Coast Guard began investigating the fatal accident Monday, said Ensign Matthew Bartnick, stationed in South Portland. He said the investigation will be handled by personnel from the Marine Safety Detachment in Belfast. Bartnick did not know when the Grace Bailey was last inspected by the Coast Guard or how often it was required to be inspected, but said that information would be part of the investigation.

The failure or snapping in half of a schooner mast, when no bad weather or collision is involved, is an extremely rare event, said Jim Sharp, who captained his own passenger schooners on the Midcoast for some 40 years. Sharp, who now runs the Sail, Power and Steam Museum in Rockland, was not aware of another time in his years of sailing when a mast failed on its own while the ship was sailing.

Sharp said the cause of such a failure would likely be rot created by fresh water from the rain getting into the wood at certain points along the masts, including where the metal wires that support the masts cut into them. He said regular maintenance is required to repair and seal any areas where fresh water can get into the wood. Sharp estimated that the Grace Bailey’s masts are around 75 feet high.

“I’ve never seen anything like this, it’s unheard of,” said Sharp. “Usually these windjammers are very safe vessels. I know the man at the helm (Capt. Sam Sikkema) is not an inexperienced man.”

Sikkema, the captain of the Grace Bailey and one of Jackson’s three partners, released a statement on the accident Monday afternoon:

“My crew and I are devastated by this morning’s accident, especially since the safety of our guests is always our biggest priority. Most importantly, we are beyond heartbroken that we lost a dear friend.”

Sikkema did not respond to questions about the accident emailed and texted him by the Press Herald. Jackson responded to questions about the accident Monday by saying, “We have no comment at this time.” A third partner, Suzannah Smith, did not respond to questions sent through text and email from the Press Herald.

In a press release from its Boston office Monday evening, the Coast Guard said it responded to a report that the Grace Bailey had “demasted” around 10 a.m. and that four of the 33 people onboard suffered head and back injuries.

A Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Lifeboat was dispatched to the schooner and then transferred one woman to shore, where she was pronounced dead. The Coast Guard boat then went back to take the other three injured people to shore and eventually to the hospital. The names of the people involved, including the woman who died, were not released.

“In this time of sorrow, we offer our deepest condolences to the grieving family, and our most heartfelt wishes for a swift recovery to those harmed,” said Capt. Amy Florentino, the Coast Guard Sector Northern New England commander. “Our investigation aims to identify causative factors that led to this tragic incident.”

Charlie’s Marine Services commercial salvage personnel responded and towed the Grace Bailey to Rockport Harbor.

Jackson, who is known for his roles on TV shows “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Parks and Recreation” and “The Good Place,” had been a part of several of the Grace Bailey’s overnight cruises this year but was not scheduled to be on this one.

He told the Press Herald earlier this year a major reason he wanted to be involved with the Grace Bailey is to help preserve the state’s fleet of windjammers – a term for a sailing vessel that takes vacationers on overnight cruises – and make Maine residents more aware of their existence and history.

According to the Grace Bailey’s website, the Rockland-based schooner had begun the foliage cruise Thursday and was set to return Monday. A folk trio called Skylark was scheduled to perform on the cruise. One of the musicians who was on board, A.J. Wright, declined in an email to give details of the accident, citing the Coast Guard investigation and the lack of information as to what happened.

“The captain and owners of the schooner have no additional information or knowledge of why the mast failed. Out of respect of the privacy of the crew and guests, no names or information about the passengers will be provided at this time, ” Wright wrote in an email to the Press Herald.

Jackson and his partners were offering a 40% discount to Maine residents this season and next. Standard cabin prices for upcoming dates range from $1,110-$1,720 per person, meals included, depending on date and duration. The trips last between three and six nights.

The 118-foot long, two-masted schooner has 15 cabins. The trips have no itinerary, Jackson told the Press Herald, so the various stops at Maine islands or in hidden coves are completely unscheduled.

Jackson, who lives in Los Angeles, grew up near Buffalo, New York, but was fascinated by Maine windjammers at an early age. He began applying to work as a deckhand on Maine schooners when he was 12 or 13. After college, he worked one summer as first mate on the schooner Mercantile out of Camden. Last year, after hearing the Grace Bailey may be for sale, he became a part of the new ownership group. The Grace Bailey had been previously owned by Ray and Ann Willamson of Camden, from 1985 to 2002, according to the ship’s website.

The Grace Bailey was built in Patchogue, Long Island, New York, in 1882 by Oliver Perry Smith and restored in 1990. It was named for owner Edwin Bailey’s daughter, according the ship’s website. In 1906, the ship was rebuilt and renamed form Mr. Bailey’s granddaughter, Martha, who was nicknamed Mattie. From 1906 until 1990, the schooner sailed using the name Mattie, but in the spring of 1990, after the restoration, the original name was used again.

“The City of Rockland extends our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the victim,” the city stated in a news release from the Rockland Fire Department.

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I have no idea who Mark Evan Johnson is......
Neither do I, the point of the story is that a beautiful, classic schooner, a member of a large contingent of "Windjammers" along the Maine coast, had a catastrophic gear failure leading to loss of life.

Another Schooner had a knockdown earlier this season, so I'm thinking there will be multiple new regulations, inspections and probably boats going out of business. It will be a damn shame not seeing these classics plying along the coast.
 

A Mother in Maine Rallied for Her Son’s Emotional Support Chickens

Amy Martin’s son, C-Jay, had struggled with depression and anxiety ever since the pandemic. Maybe chickens could help him. But would city officials let her have a flock at home?

Amy Martin stepped to the lectern earlier this month wearing a sweater that said “Mama Bear” and spoke directly to city officials sitting across from her in Bangor, Maine.

She was there to speak for her 25-year-old son, C-Jay Martin, who has experienced profound anxiety and depression ever since the pandemic. The emotional support chickens they kept at home, she told them, had brought comfort to Mr. Martin, who is blind and has epilepsy and autism.

A city ordinance, however, prevented residents from keeping fowl, so on Oct. 5, Ms. Martin attended the board of appeals meeting and made her case for having them as pets. The chickens, she argued, could bring her son joy.

After a meeting of more than an hour, board members unanimously agreed. They voted that Ms. Martin and her son could have chickens at home in a decision that has resounded far beyond the city of about 30,000 residents, earning her praise from advocates for people with disabilities, and her neighbors.

Other city residents spoke in favor of Ms. Martin’s chickens, trying to persuade the board to make an exception.

One neighbor, Martha Gladstone, wrote in a letter to the board that while dogs leave feces on lawns and cats in the neighborhood dig into flower beds, “hens stay put.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to bring a little joy in the life of someone who has suffered lifelong?” she wrote.
The decision has also highlighted the unexpected comfort, and importance, that emotional support chickens bring to patients, because they require less maintenance and daily attention than other pets yet are similarly docile and affectionate.

Mr. Martin was already enamored with his flock of six hens, whose names are Popcorn, Cheek, Stella, Salty (she is known to have an attitude and cluck at others), Pepper and her sister, who is yet to be named, though a “SpongeBob SquarePants” reference is being considered.

“It’s absolutely worth everything we had to go through” to keep them at home, Ms. Martin said in an interview.

She first reached out to city officials in February to seek permission, but by March she was upset about how long the process was taking and decided to go ahead and buy them for her son, whose anxiety had not improved much.

Jeff Wallace, the director of code enforcement for the city of Bangor, said that there was no mechanism for him or the city lawyer to immediately approve Ms. Martin’s request. The appeals board was the only way, he said.

“From the very first day, if I could have, I would have,” Mr. Wallace said.

Ms. Martin said that she had felt pressure to move quickly because her son, who is immunocompromised, had felt extremely isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic and those feelings had not improved much by January. He remained withdrawn and introverted, nothing like the sociable and gregarious person he had been all his life.

Ms. Martin said she had begun researching what could help and had read about emotional support animals, particularly the usefulness of chickens. They were known to help people with autism establish routine and foster responsibility, creating a sense of autonomy, she said.

Dr. Leela Magavi, a psychiatrist in Newport Beach, Calif., said that while it’s rare for chickens to be the animal of choice, they are beneficial for many people with autism who struggle with social anxiety, she said.
The chickens help with social communication because, oftentimes, people want to visit to look at them, and they provide patients with something interesting to talk about, Dr. Magavi said.

“They also feel confident in that they’re taking care of others, and it’s like a sense of altruism that really helps with dopamine and happiness,” Dr. Magavi said. “And it creates a sense of motivation and accountability.”

Ms. Martin said she had noticed right away how the chickens helped her son. The first day she got them as chicks, Mr. Martin stayed by their cage, patting them gently and holding each on the palm of his hand.

Ms. Martin said she had eventually moved the chickens into their fenced-in backyard, where they could roam freely and have a coop and a greenhouse to stay warm and dry during winter.

If there is a spider inside the house, she likes to bring a chicken in to eat it.

Their dog, Marley, also loves them.

“She acts like a chicken guard dog,” Ms. Martin said.

Seeing how much Mr. Martin had improved since getting the flock, Ms. Martin sought support from more of her neighbors before the board of appeals meeting.

On the day of the meeting, several spoke in favor of Ms. Martin’s chickens, trying to convince the board.

“They’re not a nuisance,” one neighbor said.

“Chickens are friendly,” said another.

“I took them a bag of chicken feed instead of a bottle of wine,” a third neighbor said in a gruff voice, wondering how “with all the evil and unrest in this world,” wasn’t this a simple, right thing to do?
Their support worked.

Two days after the meeting, there was a sign, Ms. Martin said, that everything would be OK.

Pepper the chicken laid an egg.
 
Damn, if the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile, would have hit the Trifecta...

L.L. Bean Bootmobile encounters Planters Nutmobile in corporate crossover

A 13.5-foot-tall boot and an 11.5-foot-tall peanut — both on wheels — met in the L.L. Bean employee parking lot Sunday. Instagram handles, honey-roasted peanuts and miniature L.L. Bean boot keychains were exchanged.


Six young people from across the U.S. have been on tour with an L.L. Bean Bootmobile and the Planters Nutmobile since September and June, respectively. Pictured are (from left) Mason Mulrooney, Shelby Lewis, Clara Adams, Molly Swindall, Tania Castro and Katie Chesebro. Luna Soley / The Times Record
 

A Mother in Maine Rallied for Her Son’s Emotional Support Chickens


A city ordinance,


Dr. Leela Magavi,
Dr. Leela Magavi, a psychiatrist in Newport Beach, Calif., said that while it’s rare for chickens to be the animal of choice, they are beneficial for many people with autism who struggle with social anxiety, she said.
The chickens help with social communication because, oftentimes, people want to visit to look at them, and they provide patients with something interesting to talk about, Dr. Magavi said.

Who knew!
 
from what I'm watching now - seems like they found him - police surrounded his home & are broadcasting :come out with your hands up" or something similar to that............................
(y)

let's see if this ends in a fusillade of bullets
 
from what I'm watching now - seems like they found him - police surrounded his home & are broadcasting :come out with your hands up" or something similar to that............................
(y)

let's see if this ends in a fusillade of bullets
He's probably not there. Those announcements are SOP when trying to execute a search warrant in a potentially dangerous situation.

They've been to the house earlier in the day and he wasn't there, so it's highly unlikely he's there now. Police are asking the road to be cleared now, which means they're wrapping things up with no arrest, so looks like another night of not knowing what's going on. The armored cars are moving out...

From Maine State Police:

Update from the Maine State Police:

"Law enforcement officials are currently on Meadow Road in the town of Bowdoin to execute several search warrants. The announcements that are being heard over a loud speaker are standard search warrant announcements when executing a warrant to ensure the safety of all involved. It is unknown whether Robert Card is in any of the homes law enforcement will search. Law enforcement officials are simply doing their due diligence by tracking down every lead in an effort to locate and apprehend Card."
 
guy was ex-military if i read correctly.
recently had some psychotics thoughts, if I read correctly.

Sound like a potential MK ULTRA scenario. (Dom knows, look it up for those that don't).
Chances are he is either poof gone... or will be killed in a shootout within 36 hours.
 
guy was ex-military if i read correctly.
recently had some psychotics thoughts, if I read correctly.

Sound like a potential MK ULTRA scenario. (Dom knows, look it up for those that don't).
Chances are he is either poof gone... or will be killed in a shootout within 36 hours.
OR --- its Thrusday night....they find him Friday late afternoon, a manhunt ensues, and they wind up having a shootout into late Friday night , early Saturday morning. Covered live n CNN and every major news outlet...
Think Boston marathon Bombing with the Tsarnev kids....made of TV
 
Think Boston marathon Bombing with the Tsarnev kids....made of TV
As this saga continued yesterday both me and the Admiral both said, "Shades of Marathon Bomber" and I said, "I do hope another nice Grady doesn't get shot up."

Going to finally get around to hauling my boat today and that scenario keeps playing through my mind...
 
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