Radio Midcoast WCME - Jim

09/17/2026

From NBC News and WCME

There appeared to be a lot of talk about artificial intelligence and little progress on Capitol Hill this week. But members remain hopeful that Congress can act.

09/17/2026

WCME News -- Your 24/7 Midcoast Breaking News Leader

A Superior Court judge has ordered Bath Police to release reports and body camera footage requested in the aftermath of the killings of Lisa and Jennifer Bailey in 2024.

The decision comes after The Times Record and WMTW Channel 8 brought a lawsuit. charging that police improperly withheld public records from the day of the shooting, as well as from a series of domestic dispute calls in the days leading up to their deaths.

Sagadahoc County Superior Court Justice Daniel Billings wrote in his decision that "the public's interest in learning about BPD's interactions with the Baileys in the days prior to their deaths weighs heavily against the risk of violating personal privacy interests."

Lisa Bailey and her daughter, Jennifer Bailey, were killed in October of 2024 by Michael Bailey, who was Lisa’s husband and Jennifer’s father, and who shot them as they fled their home, before going back inside and fatally shooting himself.

Emergency dispatch records from Sagahadoc County showed that police had been called to the home on Crawford Drive in Bath twice in one day, two weeks before the shooting.

09/17/2026

From NBC News and WCME

The announcement late Wednesday follows mounting public calls for a slowdown in the pace of the technology’s development, with U.S. tech bosses voicing grave safety concerns.

09/17/2026

This evening a chance to become better informed and perhaps spare yourself some misery.

State representatives Sally Cluchey of Bowdoinham and Kilton Webb of Durham are hosting a community forum with Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey to discuss how Mainers can better protect themselves from fraud and scams.

It's at 6:15 at Enterprise Grange #48 on 15 Alexander Reed Road in Richmond.

As scams become more sophisticated, it’s important to know how to identify and report them. Attorney General Frey will discuss the work his office has done to address this growing issue and how to keep yourself and your assets safe.

Maine AARP will be in attendance to provide additional resources to community members. This event is free and open to the public.

09/17/2026

Jim Bleikamp here.

The forecast calls for clouds today but the female voice of WCME, Kdb Dominguez. was up early with camera in hand, and found some light.

I wish I could give you the precise location here.

Maybe, if Kdb sees this, she can give us some help on that.

09/17/2026

WCME News Exclusive!

In Bath, the city council has voted to donate a small piece of land near the ballfield at the McMahon Athletic Complex to Midcoast Youth Center for a potential expansion of its young adult housing.

The land is adjacent to space already occupied by Midcoast Youth Center, which in recent years has provided transitional housing to financially needy young adults who may be at risk of homelessness.

Bath's economic and community development director Misty Parker says the fact that the property is being donated may help the center in its quest for federal and state funds to support the new development.

09/16/2026

WCME News -- Your 24/7 Midcoast Breaking News Leader

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Disease Control is reporting a case of measles in Maine, and it's the first case in the state since five cases were confirmed in February of this year.

As of September 11, there were 3,294 confirmed measles cases reported nationwide this year.

The impacted person is an unvaccinated adult from Somerset County, and CDC is working with the facility where potential exposure occurred to inform potentially exposed individuals.

Individuals who were at MaineGeneral Express Care in Waterville on the morning of September 12 were potentially exposed to measles and should take precautions and should watch for symptoms for 21 days after that date.

09/16/2026

WCME News Exclusive!

On today's WCME Midcoast Morning Buzz, Brunswick Police Chief Scott Stewart once again sent some worrisome signals that he first sent in stirring remarks to the Town Council last April, at the end of winter, when he detailed an evolving mental health crisis, fueled in part by homelessness, which he said was "sn*******ng out of control", and notably worsened when the warming center on Tenney Way opened in 2024.

At that point, the chief says Brunswick began to see a vast increase in its homeless population, much of it from out-of-town and out-of-state, with unhoused people streaming in to make Brunswick their home through the winter months.

On today's Morning Buzz, the chief said the influx of out-of-towners ahead of this year's winter has already begun.

And too often there has been trouble, in the form of violence, drug use, and more.

While the problems have been centered in the downtown area, they have also spread to points throughout the town, such as the cemetery on River Road, where mattresses, needles, f***s and stolen property have been spotted.

Worse yet, the chief said that officers often spent so much time on calls for service in the downtown area, that the police force has been unavailable for potential calls in other parts of town.

Chief Stewart formed a year-round in-house task force to attempt to deal with the situation--a group that he says meets religiously--every two weeks.

The chief has said he's not sure about where solutions lie, but he has said that action should be taken, to stop these problems from exploding.

Stewart also concedes that these are issues ultimately to be dealt with by the management of Tedford Housing, the town's homeless services agency, and he credits Tedford with taking the issue seriously, and working to solve certain problems.

We have left a message with Tedford Director Andrew Lardie, and this story will be updated.

You may hear today's full Buzz interview here.

Note: The portion of the interview dealing with Brunswick homelessness is at the end, with other matters covered at the start of the interview.

https://www.radiomidcoastwcme.com/portfolio/20643/

09/16/2026

WCME News Exclusive

In Freeport, the town council gives a unanimous endorsement to a report on the Village Corridor Initiative, a planning partnership involving the town and Maine Department of Transportation aimed at improving walking, biking, public transit, new housing options, and economic growth, in an area of Route 1 between Maine Beer Company and Upper Mast Landing Road.

The report, prepared by the Portland-based Stantec engineering firm, anticipates about 70 new housing units per year for the foreseeable future in buildings not exceeding four stories in walkable areas.

Stantec's Jessica Berna, who briefed the council on the report, says a significant amount of residential and commercial development can be added to the area without altering the overall level of traffic, if development is mixed-use and multi-modal.

Stantec is, however, recommending a reduction of travel lanes in Freeport Village and bicycle shares in the road, as well as an all-way stop at the busy intersection of Main and Bow Streets.

Town officials are also planning a new TIF district (tax increment financing) to help with the funding of several proposed transportation projects.

09/15/2026

WCME News -- Your 24/7 Midcoast Breaking News Leader

U-S bombs for Israel

The Trump administration has approved a $2.8 billion sale of heavy bombs to Israel, in what would be one of the largest deliveries of U.S. munitions even as American public support for the country declines.

The New York Times reports that the proposed sale would include 40,000 one-ton bombs whose use by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon has drawn international anger because of the civilian harm caused by their wide blast radius.

Human rights groups and some foreign governments have condemned Israel for dropping the giant munitions in densely populated areas, sometimes killing dozens of civilians in strikes targeting just one individual.

The package would include 20,000 each of America’s 2,000-pound MK-84 and BLU-117 bombs. It would also provide Israel with 20,000 bunker-busting I-2000 penetrator warheads, which explode on delay after smashing through an outer surface like soil, rock or concrete.