By Tiffany Williams –
Maine State Police are hunting for three masked men after a Knox shooting left a woman wounded Thursday afternoon. Troopers swarmed 1580 Bailey Road around 4:25 p.m. after reports of gunfire. Cops say 40-year-old Astin Elwell answered her door and was shot before the trio took off in a gold or tan Jeep Cherokee. Elwell was rushed first to Waldo General Hospital in Belfast, then airlifted to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor with non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators later found a vehicle of interest ditched behind a nearby home and hauled it away for evidence. The Maine State Police Evidence Response Team worked the scene late into the night. The shooters are still on the loose, but cops believe this was a targeted hit, not a random attack. Anyone with tips is urged to call the Augusta Regional Communications Center at 207-624-7076.
A wild chase in Skowhegan ended with a missing teen found and a man in cuffs. Police say they tried to stop 20-year-old TJ Wing Jr. of Norridgewock on Thursday over bogus plates, but he hit the gas instead. The pursuit tore through Somerset County until Fairfield cops popped his Cadillac DeVille’s tires on Martin Stream Road. Inside, officers found a 16-year-old girl from Oakland who’d been reported missing. Wing was arrested and booked on a stack of charges — operating without a license, driving to endanger, eluding, criminal speed, and false plates.
In Portland, a cruise ship hit with a norovirus outbreak is still sailing into town this weekend. The Oceania Insignia, which left port Oct. 16, has 74 sick passengers and one sick crew member out of more than 1,000 people on board. The CDC says the ship’s crew has it under control and cases are dropping daily, with just eight passengers still quarantined Friday. The ship will dock at the Ocean Gateway terminal Sunday, and health officials insist there’s no risk to the public. The CDC and state health officials say the crew is following all disinfection and quarantine protocols. Norovirus, the country’s leading cause of gastroenteritis, spreads fast — through dirty hands, food, water, and hard surfaces. The best defense? Wash your hands and stay hydrated if you catch it.
Gov. Janet Mills has ordered U.S. and Maine flags lowered statewide Saturday, Oct. 25, to mark two years since the Lewiston mass shootings that left 18 people dead. Flags will fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset in honor of the victims and survivors of Maine’s deadliest tragedy. Lewiston will hold ceremonies of reflection and remembrance throughout the weekend as the community continues to heal.
A deadly ATV rollover in Rumford claimed the life of a 78-year-old man Friday afternoon. Game wardens say Jeffrey Lang was driving up a steep, uneven hill near Wyman Hill Road around 12:30 p.m. when his ATV flipped. His wife and nearby witnesses called 911, but Lang died at the scene. Authorities say the terrain caused the crash.
State Police have identified the victim in a Benton house fire as 62-year-old Paul Verville. Fire crews found Verville and his dog dead inside the Pleasant Drive home after beating back the flames early Wednesday morning. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
In Massachusetts, a scathing report ripped apart the new East Falmouth Police Academy on Cape Cod. Recruits told investigators they were bullied, humiliated, and denied basic needs — even bathroom breaks. The report details water dumped on trainees in freezing temps, instructors forcing faces into mud, and a female recruit’s underwear yanked while staff mocked her in front of classmates. The state’s Municipal Police Training Committee confirmed the academy command staff and implicated instructors have been permanently removed. Gov. Maura Healey blasted the behavior, calling it “harmful and unprofessional.”
Tragedy struck in Everett Friday when a crane came crashing down at an industrial site, killing two workers. Mayor Carlo DeMaria said one man died at Massachusetts General Hospital and the other remained trapped under the wreckage. The site, once an Exxon offloading terminal known as Iron End, was being dismantled when the crane toppled. The cause is under investigation, and the victims’ names have not been released.
A deadly crash in Plymouth killed an 18-year-old driver Friday morning. Police say Matthew Wilson lost control of his Honda Civic on Route 3A and slammed head-on into a Jeep. Wilson was pulled from the wreck but later pronounced dead at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital. His 16-year-old passenger survived with injuries and was taken to South Shore Hospital. The Jeep’s 47-year-old driver was also hospitalized. Investigators are still working to determine what caused the fatal crash.
On the sports front, Boston fans took another beating Friday night. The Celtics stumbled at Madison Square Garden, losing 105-95 to the Knicks and falling to 0-2. Jaylen Brown couldn’t find his rhythm, and without Jayson Tatum, Boston’s offense was lifeless. The Knicks looked sharper, faster, and flat-out hungrier. Across town, the Brooklyn Nets fell 131-124 to the Cleveland Cavaliers after blowing a late lead. Down in Virginia, the Worcester Railers dropped to 0-3 after a 4-1 loss to the Norfolk Admirals, and the Hartford Wolf Pack were blanked 3-0 by the Bridgeport Islanders.