$2.50 CHEERLEADING TEAM OF THE YEAR: LEWISTON BLUE DEVILS Page C1 sunjournal.com 175 years of connecting our community Since 1847 2024 Sun Journal Today INDEX AdviceC8 BusinessB6 ClassifiedB6-7 ComicsC9 EditorialA5 EncoreC12 LotteryA3 ObituariesA4 SportsC1-5 TelevisionC11 THE BUZZ Mixers Nightclub has new owner; Tracy Coffee Boutique moves to Bath; bakery blossoms on Main Street. PAGE B6 TO REACH THE SUN JOURNAL Hours: M-Th 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, closed Dial: 207-784-5411 get your Press 5 Advertising: Press 2 Newsroom: Press 3 Customer Service is open to walk-ins. FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2024 A ndrew ice SUN JOURNAL LEWISTON Heather Hunter is resigning as city administra- tor following a period of public scrutiny over staffing decisions, the work culture at City Hall, and the handling of the tempo- rary closure of Eatery in January. Angelynne Amores, the marketing and communications director, confirmed that Hunter had submitted her 30-day resig- nation notice Thursday.
The City Council will hold a special meeting at 4 p.m. Friday. The only agenda item is an exec- utive session regarding a person- nel matter. The City Charter states that any vacancy in the office of city administrator and during any temporary absence or disability of the city administrator of more than 30 consecutive calen- dar days, the coun- cil may designate a properly qualified person to perform the duties of city ad- ministrator and fix such com- Brian is the deputy city administrator. Hunter, the former longtime fi- nance director, was sworn in as city administrator in October 2021.
Reached late Thursday, Mayor Carl Sheline also confirmed Hunt- resignation, stating, a re- sult, the City Council and city at- torney will be meeting tomorrow afternoon to discuss next This month, several current and former code enforcement staff shared criticism of city ad- ministration as staff turnover continues at City Hall, particu- larly in the wake of the decision to move away from former long- time Code Enforcement Director David Hediger. Last week, sev- eral people, including staff and former councilors, spoke out against leadership. Former City Councilor Lin- da Scott said she has been with calls from cur- rent and former staff telling her that working under Hunter Heather Hunter to leave as city administrator Embattled Lewiston official gives 30-day notice; City Council plans special meeting for Friday mily A llen PORTLAND PRESS HERALD The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has upheld the Sunday hunting ban, ruling against a Readfield couple who ar- gued the rule contradicts a recently en- acted to amendment to the state constitution. Virginia and Joel Parker sued the com- missioner of the Maine Department of In- land Fisheries Wildlife in April 2022. They argued the Sunday hunting ban runs afoul of the amendment now en- shrined in the Maine Constitution that states individuals have a natural, in- herent and unalienable to harvest and consume the food of their own choos- ing, so long as they trespassing, stealing or violating other laws.
The highest court disagreed. hold that the right to hunt for food created by the amendment does not ex- tend to illegal hunting, and therefore longstanding Sunday hunting ban does not conflict with the Maine Con- the justices wrote. Maine and Massachusetts are the on- ly states that ban Sunday hunting. The practice was banned in 1883 in Maine, which also was the first state to pass a to amendment. But the case was not for naught, their lawyer, Andy Schmidt, said Thursday.
That is because the high court agreed that hunting every other day of the week is covered by the to amendment, despite the argu- ments last fall to the contrary. The lawyers argued before the court in October that the use of the term includes hunt- ing and means the amendment specifical- ly protects the right to hunt for food. MAINE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT Sunday hunting ban allowed by state law Justices rule against couple who argued rule contradicts to Maple trees wake up DARYN JOURNAL Paul Cain empties maple sap buckets Thursday in Oxford. Cain, who has been sugaring for the past 13 years, says the sap run has been spotty this spring, but the past two days have been much better. trees have woken he says.
The maple season is just about over, and so is Cain. get a little worn down this late in the he says. is definitely a lot of See Page B2 for more information on sugar houses opening this weekend. eff artin and olbrook ohr ASSOCIATED PRESS COHASSET, Mass. Detective Lt.
Greg- ory Lennon glimpsed at the modest duplex from his patrol car while waiting for back- up that was seconds behind. This was a wellbeing check, among the most common calls in this quiet seaside town near Bos- ton, but Lennon knew better than to go in alone. Everything seemed quiet when Lennon stepped out of the cruiser and into the win- ter darkness to greet two arriving officers. The downstairs shades were up, lights on. It was two days after Christmas 2018, and Lennon was supposed to be home with his family.
When an officer called in sick, Lennon agreed to cover a night shift. Af- ter more than two decades in law enforce- ment, he knew staffing shortages come with the job. It had been a slow night. Now a con- cerned mother wanted police to check on her 25-year-old son, who she said suffered from mental health challenges. IN Police tried to spare life as they saved woman from assault ike chneider ASSOCIATED PRESS ORLANDO, Fla.
For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more ac- curately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North Afri- can heritage. The revisions to the mini- mum categories on race and ethnicity, announced Thurs- day by the Office of Manage- ment and Budget, are the lat- est effort to label and define the people of the United States. This evolving process often reflects changes in social at- titudes and immigration, as well as a wish for people in an increasingly diverse society to see themselves in the numbers produced by the federal gov- ernment. underestimate the emotional impact this has on said Meeta Anand, se- nior director for Census Data Equity at The Leadership Con- ference on Civil and Human US changes how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity the first revisions in 27 years Feds hope for more accurate account of population ASSOCIATED PRESS Maegan Ball in Saugus, on Feb.
29. In December 2018, police were requested to conduct a wellness check on a man by his mother. Officers found him severely beating Ball. ASSOCIATED PRESS Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani works Wednesday in her Orlan- See CENSUS Page A3 do office.
See POLICE Page A3 Heather Hunter See HUNTER Page A4 See HUNTING Page A3.
