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Daily Record
10-07-2025
- Daily Record
Missing paddleboarder found dead as murder investigation launched
Authorities found Sunshine "Sunny" Stewart dead in "unusual circumstances" after the women's rights advocate had been reported missing the day previous. A woman who vanished while paddleboarding has been found dead as a murder investigation is launched. One day after she was reported missing, Sunshine "Sunny" Stewart, who had "an adventurous spirit without fear", was discovered lifeless on Crawford Pond in Union, Maine. Police believe Sunshine, a campaigner for women's rights, was murdered and are now appealing for information, reports the Mirror. Although the death has led to fear and discomfort, officers stress there is no wider threat to the public despite no arrests having been made. Detectives have sealed off part of a campsite adjacent to the lake where the body was found as they probe the death. Paying tribute to Sunshine, her longime friend, Stacey Yandell, said: "She rebuilt her own house including the slate roof and siding. She was a strong, self-made woman. She could do it all. She could pick up on any skill or trade... She had such a strong personality. She radiated positivity and love. She was like a magnet. People were attracted to her. She was just a light that lit up the room. People were attracted to her because of that personality." Sunshine, who never married or had any children, lived in Tenants Harbor, Maine, which is around 30 minutes from the lake. The 48-year-old woman was a competent paddleboarder, her friends said. Sunshine's body was found under "unusual circumstances," police previously said. In a fresh statement, the force has now updated the community, confirming the death is being treated as murder. Officers have asked residents to remain aware of their surroundings and report suspicious behaviour. More than $19,000 (£14,000) has been raised on a GoFundMe appeal, and the money will be used for Sunshine's funeral. The page reads: "Today is a sombre day for our family and friends. We've unexpectedly lost the light in our lives that was Sunny." Michael Taylor, a friend who now lives in Oregon, told Bangor Daily News: "She carried this adventurous spirit without fear. She never hesitated when facing a challenge." Michael also said he remembers Sunshine, a former carpenter, for her passion for the environment and her green lifestyle. Sunshine, who leaves behind a sister, a brother, and nephews, had gone out paddleboarding by herself at 6pm last Wednesday at the campsite in Union, police say. It is understood she died within the following four hours. Anyone who may have seen anything there between 6pm and 10pm is encouraged to contact police. The paddleboarder's body was discovered the following day after a large-scale search, which involved foot patrol and drones. Her cause of death has not been disclosed at this time. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Daily Mirror
10-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Murder probe opened as missing paddleboarder is discovered dead
Authorities found Sunshine "Sunny" Stewart dead in "unusual circumstances," on Crawford Pond in Union, Maine, after the advocate for women's rights had gone missing A murder investigation is underway as a woman who vanished while paddleboarding has been found dead. Sunshine "Sunny" Stewart, who had "an adventurous spirit without fear", was discovered lifeless on a lake one day after she was reported missing. Police believe Sunshine, a campaigner for women's rights, was murdered and are now appealing for information. Although the death has led to fear and discomfort across Union, Maine, officers stress there is no wider threat to the public - but no arrests have been made. Detectives have, though, sealed off part of a campsite adjacent to Crawford Pond - the lake in which the body was found - as they probe the death. Paying tribute to Sunshine, her longime friend, Stacey Yandell, said: "She rebuilt her own house including the slate roof and siding. She was a strong, self-made woman. She could do it all. She could pick up on any skill or trade... She had such a strong personality. She radiated positivity and love. She was like a magnet. People were attracted to her. She was just a light that lit up the room. People were attracted to her because of that personality." Sunshine, who never married or had any children, lived in Tenants Harbor, Maine, which is around 30 minutes from the lake. The 48-year-old woman was a competent paddleboarder, her friends said. Sunshine's body was found under "unusual circumstances," police previously said. In a fresh statement, the force has now updated the community, confirming the death is being treated as murder. Officers have asked residents to remain aware of their surroundings and report suspicious behaviour. More than $19,000 (£14,000) has been raised on a GoFundMe appeal, and the money will be used for Sunshine's funeral. The page reads: "Today is a sombre day for our family and friends. We've unexpectedly lost the light in our lives that was Sunny." Michael Taylor, a friend who now lives in Oregon, told Bangor Daily News:"She carried this adventurous spirit without fear. She never hesitated when facing a challenge." Michael also said he remembers Sunshine, a former carpenter, for her passion for the environment and her green lifestyle. Sunshine, who leaves behind a sister, a brother, and nephews, had gone out paddleboarding by herself at 6pm last Wednesday at the campsite in Union, police say. It is understood she died within the following four hours. Anyone who may have seen anything there between 6pm and 10pm is encouraged to contact police. The paddleboarder's body was discovered the following day after a large-scale search, which involved foot patrol and drones. Her cause of death has not been disclosed at this time.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A ‘concerned' Mainer's tip got an immigrant wrongly detained for 65 days
This story appears as part of a collaboration between The Maine Monitor and Maine Focus, the investigative team of the Bangor Daily News, a partnership to strengthen investigative journalism in Maine. You can show your support for this effort with a donation to The Monitor. Read more about the partnership. Border agents in Calais wrongfully arrested a Venezuelan man with lawful documentation to work and reside in the U.S. earlier this spring after a 'concerned citizen' reported his construction crew's van at a local gas station, according to court documents. Jeanfranco Alejandro Flores Salazar went on to spend 65 days behind bars in federal detention centers around New England without any legal basis for imprisonment, a period of detention that federal officials later acknowledged was an 'error' and 'oversight.' The details of his case demonstrate the kind of mistakes that some say are happening more around the country with immigration officials under pressure from President Donald Trump's administration to deliver on his campaign promise of record deportations. April apprehensions here hit a 24-year high, and the government has promoted arrests of alleged gang members. This very different type of case was detailed in filings in a U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, where Flores Salazar filed a petition seeking to be released from custody. He was freed May 10. This week, a judge issued a ruling outlining the errors and ordering the government to remove an ankle monitor and supervision provisions imposed when he was released. 'Put simply, the evidence overwhelmingly establishes, including through concessions by and , that Flores Salazar was detained without any lawful basis,' U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin wrote in Wednesday's strongly worded decision. Spokespeople for CBP and ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case. Flores Salazar's Massachusetts-based attorney, Claire Maguire, declined comment. Last July, Flores Salazar arranged for an interview with border agents in Texas after fleeing political persecution in Venezuela, hoping to seek asylum in the U.S., court documents say. Due to a lack of criminal history or previous immigration violations, the agents granted him parole, meaning he could remain free in the country for two years so long as he formally applied for asylum within a year. He later obtained authorization to work and got a job with a construction company that took him to job sites around the country. That job took him to Down East Maine. On March 4, a Calais resident called the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and reported a black van with out-of-state plates 'transporting approximately seven possible illegal aliens,' according to the judge's decision. Two agents found the van the following morning at the Calais Motor Inn, encountering six men loading into a truck on their way to a job site, including Flores Salazar. Flores Salazar and three others produced valid work permits. Even so, he and others were brought to the Calais station, where court records show the agents performed a records check revealing Flores Salazar's previous meeting with agents in Texas. An official at the Calais station authorized an arrest warrant for the man anyway, according to the filing. In federal court, the agency would later say the agents were not aware the parole granted to Flores Salazar was still in effect, calling the mistake an 'administrative oversight.' The judge in Massachusetts did not buy that: 'It is undisputed that Flores Salazar had permission to be in the United States on March 5, that he had committed no crime, and that CBP knew these things when it detained him,' Sorokin wrote this week. Flores Salazar then spent more than two months in detention in Vermont and Massachusetts in the custody of ICE. During that period, he received a notice that his parole had been revoked, though the judge who reviewed his detention would later acknowledge that federal officials were unable to later provide a reason for the revocation and cannot revoke it without one. An ICE official only conducted a review of his case after Flores Salazar filed a petition on April 29 challenging the legality of his imprisonment. In that petition, he claimed that the border agents who arrested him in Maine told him they were detaining him to see if his work permit and Social Security number were fake. An ICE official later attributed the man's detention to 'human error,' according to the judge's decision this week.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Amid rumors of gubernatorial bid, Hannah Pingree to leave Mills administration
Hannah Pingree (left) and Gov. Janet Mills (right) participate in a round table at Colony Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine on May 2, 2025. (Photo via Office of Gov. Janet Mills) Hannah Pingree, who has led efforts on climate and housing policy for the state, will leave her position Friday. 'I'm so grateful to Governor Mills for the tremendous opportunity she gave me to dive into Maine's biggest challenges and lead work across her administration to chart a path to solutions,' Pingree said in a news release from the governor's office Thursday. Though the release didn't specify what Pingree plans to do next, she said she will 'remain relentlessly focused on the future of the state we all love.' The Bangor Daily News has reported that Pingree is expected to throw her hat in the ring for the Democratic gubernatorial primary next year. Prior to her time in the executive branch, Pingree served four terms in the Maine Legislature including two years as speaker of the state House of Representatives. She is also the daughter of Maine's 1st Congressional District representative. Pingree has served as director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, also known as GOPIF, since 2019. The agency was created by Gov. Janet Mills to recommend policy solutions for some of the state's biggest issues and focuses on climate change, housing, workforce development, the opioid crisis and more. Mills said in the release that she asked Pingree to lead the office because she knew she had the ability to bring people together and develop innovative solutions based on her background in local and state government. Under Pingree's leadership, GOPIF helped advance legislation that created the Maine Climate Council to support the state in meeting its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals while investing in local infrastructure. Pingree served as co-chair of the council, which also created the state's climate action plan that outlines strategies for electrifying transportation and home heating, among other initiatives. Pingree's office has worked to expand housing options in the state amid a shortage of thousands of units. The agency designed programs such as the Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program and the Affordable Homeownership Program, which have helped create hundreds of new single-family homes and rental units. 'She and her team at GOPIF have exceeded my expectations at every step, and I look forward to watching her do great things for Maine in the years to come,' Mills said of Pingree. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Maine county wants to secede over Dem-controlled state house
A massive county in Maine is planning to secede from the state because locals are fed up with how Democrats are controlling the state house. Unhappy residents in Aroostook - a county bigger than Rhode Island and Connecticut combined - have had enough of the state's liberal ways and have decided to branch off and create their own faction called 'North Maine.' The group, called State of North Maine-Official Movement, launched a Facebook page in early April with a declaration to form the 'Free and Sovereign State of North Maine.' The page has amassed 3,2000 followers and promises residents that there will be no income or property tax, and that the state will be locally controlled. The group, which currently has a 'constitution in progress,' said they have chosen to break free from the liberal state because it has 'failed to adequately represent the interests of the people of this country' through 'excessive taxation and bureaucratic interference.' Mainers currently face a 10.6 percent 'total tax burden,' including income, sales and property tax, according to Visual Capitalist. Despite that, last year's election revealed that while Democrats led in suburban areas of the state, Republicans dominated in Aroostook, Bangor Daily News reported. Some people don't believe the county could break away from the state while others are quite sure how it would happen. 'Do I think it's feasible? I have no idea,' Roxanne Bruce, a Maine Department of Education's regional local food coordinator for Aroostook, told the outlet. 'Government is so complicated. I can't even begin to imagine what would have to happen.' It is unclear who exactly started this initiative, but they made it clear that the mission 'is not a political stunt.' 'This is not a political stunt. It's a grassroots response to decades of cultural, economic, and political disconnect between our region and Augusta,' the group insisted. Many locals have taken to the comments to show their support and even share new ideas for the hypothetical new state. 'I have been a proponent of this for about 20 years,' one user said, adding a comment about the state's current Governor Janet Mills. 'I personally don't appreciate having a governor that would dance in costume at a drag show. 90% of the people I know don't like the example it is setting.' Another user said: 'Please add franklin county as well.' 'Please expand this area down to just north of Augusta. We're fed up here in central Maine as well,' someone else commented. While many appeared to be all for the proposed idea, others were left questioning how exactly it would all work. 'Good luck funding your schools and other government required programs and agencies with no property tax or income tax,' someone noted. 'And this would l I believe start civil war,' said another user. 'This is sooo disgusting. You think these people want to separate for peace lol,' wrote another. Aroostook has a population of 67,351, as of 2023, according to the United States Census Bureau. Maine became an independent state in 1820, and was one of three that declared its separation nationwide that year, according to The Maine Wire. This is also not the first time the proposal has floated around the state as late state Rep. Henry Jones tried to divide Maine in 1997, 2005 and 2010, but did not succeed. In 2011 the legislature rejected Peaks Island from leaving Portland because locals didn't follow the process stated in the law, per the outlet.
