Milford police chief defends actions at traffic stop after being placed on paid leave
By Travis Andersen Globe Staff,Updated February 16, 2021, 12:57 p.m.
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Embattled Milford Police Chief Michael Pighetti, who was placed on paid leave last week amid an inquiry into whether he misused his authority, on Tuesday defended his actions in a statement released by his lawyer.
Pighetti said in the statement that he was placed on leave following an incident that occurred late last month.
On Jan. 28, he said, he was driving his town-issued unmarked police vehicle when he saw another car run a red light at a busy intersection at Congress and West streets.
Fire in downtown apartment building forces closure of Congress Street
The improper disposal of cigarettes caused the fire in the basement of the Lafayette Townhouse apartments Sunday morning, the deputy fire chief says.
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A fire that started in the basement of the Lafayette Townhouse apartments Sunday morning could have been a lot worse if the building’s fire alarm system had not worked so well, a spokesman for the Portland Fire Department said.
Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Neat attributed the cause of the fire to the improper disposal of cigarettes, which he said had been inadvertently tossed into an exterior garden planter. The cigarette butts started a fire that burned through into the basement area, triggering smoke detectors and the Lafayette’s smoke alarm system, which led to an all-hands fire call around 11 a.m.
Community briefs for Thursday, Feb. 11
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Rumford board announces May plant sale
RUMFORD The Rumford Historical Society Board of Directors has announced the annual spring plant sale, with seedlings from Nghia Ha’s greenhouse, will be available for purchase at 11 5th St., Mexico, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 22 and 23.
However, it is the consensus of the board that the usual June yard sale cannot be planned at this time, with so many cases of COVID-19 currently in the area and the availability of COVID vaccines still in flux.
The board reminds those who have not paid their 2020-2021 dues to please remit the $10 per member to: Lewis Irish, Treasurer, RHS, 145 Congress St., Rumford, ME. 04276.
The Wrap: Extend cocktails to go? Plus new restaurants in Yarmouth and Portland
And more Valentine s options for all of you procrastinators.
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Maine lawmakers on Monday held a hearing on a bill that would extend sales of beer, wine and cocktails-to-go from restaurants and bars until April 15, 2022.
The bill, which was before the Maine Joint Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs, would also allow licensed Maine distilleries and small distilleries that operate tasting rooms to continue to sell spirits through takeout and delivery services until that same date.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States testified in favor of the bill. In his testimony, Jay Hibbard, senior vice president of government relations for the council, said that during the pandemic, cocktails-to-go have “provided a meaningful source of revenue to the many struggling hospitality businesses across the state of Maine, and extending those privileges will help these businesses recover while prov