Washington County

After rejecting a bond referendum this month, Washington County towns are now considering whether to make early payments for next year's taxes to address the county's $8 million debt.

Washington County officials are considering what to do about the county's $8 million debt after voters rejected a bond referendum this week.

Voters in Washington County appear to have rejected a bond referendum to fund an emergency budget shortfall.

The problem started when previous county administrators adopted a policy about five years ago, which allowed surplus funds to be carried over to the next year without first verifying that those balances actually existed.

A high fire warning is in effect for most of the state due to the hot, dry weather. The Maine Forest Service has been dispatched to help local firefighters contain fires in Baileyville and Biddeford.

Operation Game Thief, a nonprofit that works with the Warden Service, is offering a $4,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for killing two moose illegally in Washington County.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection said Worcester Holdings violated site and erosion control laws when it built a development of 52 cabins over the course of a few years, according to a consent agreement between the company and the department.

An attorney for the Worcester family, which is behind the national Wreaths Across America program, said the decision was made after hearing from the local community.

While the state's Latino population is still one of the smallest in the country, it's increased by roughly 75% since 2010.

The small Down East town had been courted as the potential site of the world's tallest flagpole and multi-billion dollar veterans memorial park. Columbia Falls officials said it was one several development pressures facing the town in recent years.