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Thomas Sorber collected 22 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks to pace Georgetown to an 83-53 win against shorthanded Coppin State on Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C. The Hoyas pulled away from the Eagles with a 21-2 run early in the second half. Georgetown held Coppin State to 22 percent shooting in the second half and 18 percent from behind the arc. Georgetown (11-2) is off to its best start since the 2011-12 season. Drew Fielder recorded 20 points and 13 rebounds while Malik Mack had 15 points and 11 assists for the Hoyas. Georgetown played without its leading scorer Jayden Epps, who missed the game with a lower-body injury. Toby Nnadozie scored 22 points and Julius Ellerbe III added 12 to go along with six steals for the Eagles (1-13). The Hoyas' decisive second-half run started with Caleb Williams' steal that led to a Fielder lay up as Georgetown took 49-37 lead. Moments later, Fielder's turnaround in the lane put the Hoyas up 56-37. Sorber's jam with 6:36 left gave Georgetown a 67-41 advantage. The pesky Eagles rattled off a 7-0 run but got no closer than 19 points the rest of the game. The Eagles played without three of their top four scorers but forced 14 Georgetown turnovers in the first half and hit 5-of-8 3-pointers. Ellerbe corralled a loose ball near half court and distributed it to Nnadozie who converted a contested layup to pull CSU within 12-11. But the Hoyas held a 24-10 rebounding edge in the first half as Sorber and Fielder were a force inside the paint. The Hoyas created separation as Sorber worked the high-low game with a catch in the lane and a left finger roll for a 25-15 Hoyas' lead with 8:40 left in the first half. Zahree Harrison's 3-pointer kept the dogged visitors close and capped a 5-0 run that cut the Georgetown lead to 25-20. Nnadozie closed the first half with a 3-pointer and the Hoyas held a 37-30 lead. --Field Level Media
Man Accused In The Burning Death Of A Woman On A New York Subway Appears In CourtThe Miami Dolphins have found the much-needed offensive spark they were lacking without Tua Tagovailoa under center. The Dolphins’ QB suffered a concussion earlier this season and his NFL career appeared to be in jeopardy, but the former Alabama star has come back and his playing some of the best football of his NFL career. Suddenly the Dolphins have rattled off three-straight wins and are back in contention for a playoff spot in the AFC. And while Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins are known for their explosive brand of football that features a high-powered offense, the defense has been one of the team’s biggest strengths this season. Heading into Week 14, Miami boasts the No. 9 defense in the NFL, giving up just 308 total yards of offense to its opponents per game and allowing 21 touchdowns on the year so far. But if the Dolphins are going to continue to trend upward and become a true threat to de-throne the Bills at the top of the AFC East, they can’t be complacent. That’s why Bleacher Report predicts they will make a move this offseason to bolster an already impressive defensive unit. Alex Ballentine of BR predicts Miami could sign San Francisco 49ers star linebacker Dre Greenlaw this offseason, who is about to make his 2024 debut coming off of an Achilles injury. The Dolphins' decision to sign Jordyn Brooks has worked out well thus far. He's playing well, and the defense is on a hot streak. However, the search to find a linebacker to play beside him has been a little less fruitful. They recently waived David Long and claimed Tyrel Dodson off of waivers, giving them a different look at the position. Dre Greenlaw is reportedly getting closer to making his season debut after tearing his Achilles last season. As long as he can look like he's mostly recovered from that injury by the end of the season, there should be some market for him. The Dolphins should be in the pursuit for him as he hits free agency. Greenlaw is a versatile LB who is set to be a free agent after this season. He’s thrived in big moments, recording 18 tackles and two interceptions during the 2023 playoffs and would be an instant upgrade for the Miami Dolphins.
Zagreb, Dec 29 (AP) Croatia's incumbent President Zoran Milanovic has a sweeping lead in Sunday's election and could win the five-year presidency in the first round, according to an exit poll released immediately after the voting. The poll by the Ipsos polling agency and released by the state HRT television showed Milanovic winning over 50 per cent of the votes, while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the conservative HDZ ruling party trailed far behind with 19 per cent. Also Read | Mikheil Kavelashvili, Former Georgian Footballer, Sworn In As Georgia's President (Watch Video). Milanovic thanked voters in a post on social networks. The first official results are yet to be published. Also Read | China: Lottery Winner Defrauded of INR 11.5 Crore, yet To Receive Winnings Despite Court Victory. Pre-election polls predicted that the two would face off in the second round on January 12, as none of all 8 presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50 per cent of the vote. Left-leaning Milanovic is an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. He is often compared to Donald Trump for his combative style of communication with political opponents. The most popular politician in Croatia, 58-year-old Milanovic has served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, he has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and continuous sparring between the two has lately marked Croatia's political scene. Plenkovic, the prime minister, has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia's future in the EU and NATO. He has labelled Milanovic “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia's international standing. “The difference between him and Milanovic is quite simple: Milanovic is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West,” he said. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme military commander. Milanovic has criticised the NATO and European Union support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, though it is a member of both NATO and the EU. Milanovic has also blocked Croatia's participation in a NATO-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else's war.” His main rival in the election, Primorac, has stated that “Croatia's place is in the West, not the East.” His presidency bid, however, has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia's health minister in jail last month and featured prominently in pre-election debates. During the election campaign, Primorac has sought to portray himself as a unifier and Milanovic as divisive. “Today is an extremely important day,” Primorac said after casting his ballot. "Croatia is going forward into the future. Croatia needs unity, Croatia needs its global positioning, and above all Croatia needs peaceful life.” Trailing a distant third in the pre-election polls is Marija Selak Raspudic, a conservative independent candidate. She has focused her election campaign on the economic troubles of ordinary citizens, corruption and issues such as population decline in the country of some 3.8 million. Sunday's presidential election is Croatia's third vote this year, following a parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June. (AP) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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UW men seek resiliency, more leaders with Big Ten schedule loomingLiverpool boss Arne Slot hailed “special” Mohamed Salah after seeing him fire the Premier League leaders to the brink of victory at Newcastle. The Reds ultimately left St James’ Park with only a point after Fabian Schar snatched a 3-3 draw at the end of a pulsating encounter, but Salah’s double – his 14th and 15th goals of the season – transformed a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead before the Switzerland defender’s late intervention. The 32-year-old Egypt international’s future at Anfield remains a topic of debate with his current contract running down. Asked about Salah’s future, Slot said: “It’s difficult for me to predict the long-term future, but the only thing I can expect or predict is that he is in a very good place at the moment. Two goals and an assist for Mo tonight 👏 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) “He plays in a very good team that provides him with good opportunities and then he is able to do special things. “And what makes him for me even more special is that in the first hour or before we scored to make it 1-1, you thought, ‘He’s not playing his best game today’, and to then come up with a half-hour or 45 minutes – I don’t know how long it was – afterwards with an assist, two goals, having a shot on the bar, being a constant threat, that is something not many players can do if they’ve played the first hour like he did. “That is also what makes him special. If you just look at the goals, his finish is so clinical. He’s a special player, but that’s what we all know.” Salah did indeed endure a quiet opening 45 minutes by his standards and it was the Magpies who went in at the break a goal to the good after Alexander Isak’s stunning 35th-minute finish. Slot said: “The shot from Isak, I don’t even know if Caoimh (keeper Caoimhin Kelleher) saw that ball, as hard as it was.” Salah set up Curtis Jones to level five minutes into the second half and after Anthony Gordon has restored the hosts’ lead, levelled himself from substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 68th-minute cross. He looked to have won it with a fine turn and finish – his ninth goal in seven league games – seven minutes from time, only for Schar to pounce from a tight angle in the 90th minute. Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe was delighted with the way his team took the game to the Reds four days after their disappointing 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace. Howe, who admitted his surprise that VAR official Stuart Attwell had not taken a dimmer view of a Virgil van Dijk shoulder barge on Gordon, said: “It’s mixed emotions. “Part of me feels we should have won it – a big part of me – but part of me is pleased we didn’t lose either because it was such a late goal for us. “Generally, I’m just pleased with the performance. There was much more attacking output, a much better feel about the team. “There was much better energy, and it was a really good performance against, for me, the best team we’ve played so far this season in the Premier League, so it was a big jump forward for us.”
Some Mankato West hockey items recovered after Duluth theftSCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Even when Penn State quarterback Drew Allar gets some praise, it's usually a backhanded compliment. They say he's a good game manager and stays within himself, or that he doesn't try to do too much. They mention he might not be flashy, but he gives the team a chance to win. And here's the thing about Penn State since Allar stepped under center: The Nittany Lions have won games. A lot of them. Sometimes that's hard to remember considering the lukewarm reception he often gets from fans. "I get it — we have a really passionate fan base and they're a huge part of our success," Allar said Sunday at College Football Playoff quarterfinals media day. "For us, we always want to go out there every drive and end with a touchdown, so when we don't do that, there's nobody more frustrated than us." The polarizing Allar is having a solid season by just about any standard, completing more than 68% of his passes for 3,021 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions while leading the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions to a 12-2 record and a spot in the Fiesta Bowl for Tuesday's game against No. 3 seed Boise State. But in a college football world filled with high-scoring, explosive offenses, Allar's no-frills performances often are the object of ire. The Penn State offense is a run-first bunch, led by the talented combo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. "If we had a nickel for every time there was a Monday morning quarterback saying some BS stuff, we'd all be pretty rich," offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said. "I think part of being a quarterback, especially at Penn State but really anywhere, is how you respond to and manage criticism." The 20-year-old Allar has made strides in that department after a trying 2023 season that finished with a 10-3 record. He says that's largely because once fall camp started back in August, he logged off the social media platform X. Allar said negative online experiences wore on him last year, and his phone number was leaked a few times, which added to the stress. He finally realized that controlling outside narratives was impossible, so the best course of action was to eliminate a needless distraction. "I've been more mentally free, as much as that sounds crazy," Allar said. "I think that's been a huge difference for me this year." The biggest criticism of Allar — and really Penn State as a whole during the 11-year James Franklin era — is that he isn't capable of winning the big games. He's 0-2 against rival Ohio State and threw a late interception against Oregon in the Big Ten title game earlier this month, which sealed the Ducks' 45-37 victory. He wasn't great in the CFP's first round, either, completing just 13 of 22 passes for 127 yards as Penn State muscled past SMU 38-10 on a cold, blustery day to advance to the Fiesta Bowl. But the quarterback is confident a better performance — aided by a game that will be played in comfortable temperatures in a domed stadium — is coming. "For me, I just have to execute those (easy) throws early in the game and get our guys into rhythm," Allar said. "Get them involved early as much as I can and that allows us to stay on the field longer, call more plays and open up our offense more. That will help us a ton, building the momentum throughout the game." Allar might be a favorite punching bag for a section of the Penn State fan base, but that's not the case in his own locker room. Star tight end Tyler Warren praised his quarterback's ability to avoid sacks, saying that the 6-foot-5, 238-pounder brings a toughness that resonates with teammates. "He's a football player," Warren said. "He plays quarterback, but when you watch him play and the energy he brings and the way he runs the ball, he's just a football player and that fires up our offense." Now Allar and Penn State have a chance to silence critics who say that the Nittany Lions don't show up in big games. Not that he's worried about what other people think. "I think it's a skill at the end of the day — blocking out the outside noise," Allar said. "Focusing on you and the process and being honest with yourself, both good and bad." Get local news delivered to your inbox!
FROM your turkey to your pudding, Christmas dinner involves a lot of preparation. A simple step can help ensure your carrots stay as fresh as ever while you juggle all your dishes. If you're someone who buys their Christmas dinner ingredients in advance to avoid the crowds on the 24th, this hack is for you. Often carrots can go mouldy while they're being stored in your crisper drawer. To prevent this from happening, all you need is a one kitchen essential. Using a sheet of £1 Magnum Super Kitchen Towel , you can help prolong the life of the veg. Read More On Food Storage All you need to do is wrap your carrots in dry paper towel and place them inside an airtight container. The experts at Real Life reported on this hack, revealing an extra step you should take if your carrots still have the greens attached. "If you leave the greens on the carrots, they will draw moisture and cause the roots to rot more quickly," they explained. They also recommended avoiding washing the carrots until right before you plan to cook them. Most read in Fabulous "When stored properly, whole carrots can last for about three to four weeks in the fridge," they said. You should store carrots in the coldest part of your fridge. Try to keep them away from foods such as avocados, apples, and tomatoes. These items generate a gas which can cause your carrots to decay prematurely and taste bitter. If you're someone who preps their Christmas veg in advance, there is also a recommend way to store your peeled carrots. Since carrot peels act as protective layer, once they are removed your carrot will dry out at a quicker rate. To prevent this, you should wash your carrots thoroughly before submerging them in cool water. Foods must be stored correctly to keep them fresh and prevent the spread of bacteria. Nutrition expert Birgit Brendel said bread will last longer when stored in the fridge or freezer. However, this can compromise the flavour. Storing in ceramic or pottery containers is an alternative that allows for air to flow easily and slow the growth of mould. Robert Morris, managing director of food safety consultants, Complete Food Safety, revealed the best place to store fresh fruit and vegetables. He said salad foods should be stored in the fridge drawer, but away from anything grown in the soil such as carrots, parsnips and beetroot. Tomatoes are an exception to the rule as fridges can alter the natural ripening process and diminish their taste. He also advised against putting avocados and bananas in the fridge as this will cause them to blacken quicker. If you've prepped your veg days in advance, then you should ensure the water is changed regularly. This will prevent any bacterial growth on the carrots. You should also ensure that the carrots are carefully rinsed before cooking. READ MORE SUN STORIES And if you find yourself with a lot of leftover carrots after your dinner is done and dusted, don't worry. You can simply allow them time to cool down before placing them in an airtight container and storing in your fridge.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there's one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. That's because the state has been there, done that, and all but a few Republicans would prefer not to go there again. Kansas imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade ago that grew into one of the biggest political fiascos in the state in recent memory. The law, passed by the state Legislature in 2011 and implemented two years later, ended up blocking the voter registrations of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens who were otherwise eligible to vote. That was 12% of everyone seeking to register in Kansas for the first time. Federal courts ultimately declared the law an unconstitutional burden on voting rights, and it hasn't been enforced since 2018. Kansas provides a cautionary tale about how pursuing an election concern that in fact is extremely rare risks disenfranchising a far greater number of people who are legally entitled to vote. The state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, championed the idea as a legislator and now says states and the federal government shouldn't touch it. “Kansas did that 10 years ago,” said Schwab, a Republican. “It didn’t work out so well.” Steven Fish, a 45-year-old warehouse worker in eastern Kansas, said he understands the motivation behind the law. In his thinking, the state was like a store owner who fears getting robbed and installs locks. But in 2014, after the birth of his now 11-year-old son inspired him to be “a little more responsible” and follow politics, he didn’t have an acceptable copy of his birth certificate to get registered to vote in Kansas. “The locks didn’t work,” said Fish, one of nine Kansas residents who sued the state over the law. “You caught a bunch of people who didn’t do anything wrong.” Kansas' experience appeared to receive little if any attention outside the state as Republicans elsewhere pursued proof-of-citizenship requirements this year. Arizona enacted a requirement this year, applying it to voting for state and local elections but not for Congress or president. The Republican-led U.S. House passed a proof-of-citizenship requirement in the summer and plans to bring back similar legislation after the GOP won control of the Senate in November. In Ohio, the Republican secretary of state revised the form that poll workers use for voter eligibility challenges to require those not born in the U.S. to show naturalization papers to cast a regular ballot. A federal judge declined to block the practice days before the election. Also, sizable majorities of voters in Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and the presidential swing states of North Carolina and Wisconsin were inspired to amend their state constitutions' provisions on voting even though the changes were only symbolic. Provisions that previously declared that all U.S. citizens could vote now say that only U.S. citizens can vote — a meaningless distinction with no practical effect on who is eligible. To be clear, voters already must attest to being U.S. citizens when they register to vote and noncitizens can face fines, prison and deportation if they lie and are caught. “There is nothing unconstitutional about ensuring that only American citizens can vote in American elections,” U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, of Texas, the leading sponsor of the congressional proposal, said in an email statement to The Associated Press. After Kansas residents challenged their state's law, both a federal judge and federal appeals court concluded that it violated a law limiting states to collecting only the minimum information needed to determine whether someone is eligible to vote. That's an issue Congress could resolve. The courts ruled that with “scant” evidence of an actual problem, Kansas couldn't justify a law that kept hundreds of eligible citizens from registering for every noncitizen who was improperly registered. A federal judge concluded that the state’s evidence showed that only 39 noncitizens had registered to vote from 1999 through 2012 — an average of just three a year. In 2013, then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican who had built a national reputation advocating tough immigration laws, described the possibility of voting by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as a serious threat. He was elected attorney general in 2022 and still strongly backs the idea, arguing that federal court rulings in the Kansas case “almost certainly got it wrong.” Kobach also said a key issue in the legal challenge — people being unable to fix problems with their registrations within a 90-day window — has probably been solved. “The technological challenge of how quickly can you verify someone’s citizenship is getting easier,” Kobach said. “As time goes on, it will get even easier.” The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Kansas case in 2020. But in August, it split 5-4 in allowing Arizona to continue enforcing its law for voting in state and local elections while a legal challenge goes forward. Seeing the possibility of a different Supreme Court decision in the future, U.S. Rep.-elect Derek Schmidt says states and Congress should pursue proof-of-citizenship requirements. Schmidt was the Kansas attorney general when his state's law was challenged. "If the same matter arose now and was litigated, the facts would be different," he said in an interview. But voting rights advocates dismiss the idea that a legal challenge would turn out differently. Mark Johnson, one of the attorneys who fought the Kansas law, said opponents now have a template for a successful court fight. “We know the people we can call," Johnson said. “We know that we’ve got the expert witnesses. We know how to try things like this.” He predicted "a flurry — a landslide — of litigation against this.” Initially, the Kansas requirement's impacts seemed to fall most heavily on politically unaffiliated and young voters. As of fall 2013, 57% of the voters blocked from registering were unaffiliated and 40% were under 30. But Fish was in his mid-30s, and six of the nine residents who sued over the Kansas law were 35 or older. Three even produced citizenship documents and still didn’t get registered, according to court documents. “There wasn’t a single one of us that was actually an illegal or had misinterpreted or misrepresented any information or had done anything wrong,” Fish said. He was supposed to produce his birth certificate when he sought to register in 2014 while renewing his Kansas driver's license at an office in a strip mall in Lawrence. A clerk wouldn't accept the copy Fish had of his birth certificate. He still doesn't know where to find the original, having been born on an Air Force base in Illinois that closed in the 1990s. Several of the people joining Fish in the lawsuit were veterans, all born in the U.S., and Fish said he was stunned that they could be prevented from registering. Liz Azore, a senior adviser to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab, said millions of Americans haven't traveled outside the U.S. and don't have passports that might act as proof of citizenship, or don't have ready access to their birth certificates. She and other voting rights advocates are skeptical that there are administrative fixes that will make a proof-of-citizenship law run more smoothly today than it did in Kansas a decade ago. “It’s going to cover a lot of people from all walks of life,” Avore said. “It’s going to be disenfranchising large swaths of the country.” Associated Press writer Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report.
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Day 3 at the World Juniors was a quieter one on the schedule, with just two games on deck. Here are the daily standouts and notes from The Athletic ’s prospects writer Scott Wheeler. • Czechia ran up the score on Kazakhstan, beating them 14-2 by scoring five-plus goals on both of Kazakhstan’s goalies and forcing a rare double goalie pull. Three Czech players had hat tricks. St. Louis Blues prospect Jakub Stancl was named player of the game for Czechia with three goals, five points, seven shots and a plus-six rating. Kraken D prospect Jakub Fibigr had four assists from the back end. • USA beat Latvia 5-1 but the Latvians, a night after one of the tournament’s all-time great upsets against Canada, hung in on the tail end of their back-to-back against a rested American squad. Latvia held the shot advantage at the midway point of the game before USA pulled away. Advertisement Islanders’ Nelson impresses for USA It’s not easy playing between the highly talented but at-times enigmatic Cole Eiserman (NY Islanders) and Trevor Connelly (Vegas), two 18-year-olds who are all-offense in a lot of ways. But Danny Nelson has slotted between them really nicely early on in the tournament and scored twice on Saturday, once at even strength and once on the power play. He was named USA’s player of the game and it was well-deserved. Nelson’s a big boy with a defensive conscience who plays a detailed two-way game that has added layers over the years. He looks like a future NHLer to me. — Scott Wheeler Hagens continues to rack up points One of the storylines of this year’s tournament coming in was the race for first overall in the 2025 NHL Draft and the potential big roles that all three of the prospects in it could play. Porter Martone, after starting high in Canada’s lineup through selection camp and into pre-tournament, has played mostly down the lineup early on. And while Matthew Schaefer emerged as the front-runner for No. 1 and looked like arguably Canada’s best defenseman through four periods, he’s now done for the tournament after breaking his collarbone against Latvia on Friday. GO DEEPER Canada's Matthew Schaefer out for remainder of World Juniors with injury Hagens is centring USA’s top line and has been excellent. I didn’t think he was as much of a factor in the third period against Latvia but he was great early on and made the play that set up two of USA’s goals. He now has six points (two goals, four assists) through two games and his skating, maneuverability and craft on the puck have stood out — and always do against his peers. — Scott Wheeler (Photo of United States forward Ryan Leonard and Latvia goaltender Linards Feldbergs: Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press via AP)
Courtney Bass, an outreach worker with Milestone Recovery, listens as a homeless woman talks to her in Scarborough on Dec. 17. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald Whenever a patient of Milestone Recovery, past or present, dies from a drug overdose, staff typically logs into a critical incident system to report it. One day this fall, Executive Director Tom Doherty went to log in but needed to update his password because it had expired after 90 days of inactivity. It had been at least 90 days since someone died. Service providers like Doherty aren’t taking victory laps, but there is a glimmer of optimism as 2024 sunsets that Maine might be reversing a deadly trend that has devastated the state for a decade. Between January and October, there have been 403 drug overdose deaths, an average of 40 each month, according to state data . That’s down 21% from the same period in 2023 when 513 overdose deaths had been recorded, and it comes on the heels of a 16% decrease from 2022 to 2023 . If this year’s pace continues in November and December, Maine will end 2024 with fewer than 500 fatal overdoses for the first time since 2019. Gordon Smith, Maine’s director of opioid response, said deaths aren’t always the best metric for success or failure, even though he understands that’s what generates the most attention. “We could do everything right that we’re supposed to do, and our deaths could still go up,” he said. And it’s clear there are some larger forces at work. Overdose deaths are down nationwide this year, although Maine’s decrease is more dramatic than the national decline. Still, Smith said, the historic investments Maine has made in treatment, harm reduction and prevention might be paying off. Just last month, the state awarded $14 million to 43 projects through its share of opioid settlement funds and those funds will continue to flow to Maine for 17 more years. Doherty said greater acceptance of harm reduction efforts has been a key factor. Harm reduction means everything from widespread distribution of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and drug testing strips to the Good Samaritan law that allows anyone to call 911 following an overdose without fear of being arrested for drug possession crimes. Milestone has two mobile outreach teams that spend their days traveling throughout greater Portland looking for people at greatest risk. Other agencies, including Maine Access Points, which focuses on harm reduction efforts in rural areas, have the same aim. The goal is to steer them toward treatment, even if that takes many attempts. “Not everybody is going to clean up their mess on the same day,” said Angel Trotter, a Milestone outreach worker. So, the goal becomes simpler: Just keep them alive. Courtney Bass, an outreach worker with Milestone Recovery, hands a stocking to a homeless woman in Portland on Dec. 17. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald Trotter and her outreach partner, Courtney Bass, spend most of their days working out of a Nissan NV3500 passenger van that’s filled with supplies and food. One day this month, the two women also toted individualized Christmas stockings that had been stuffed by volunteers with candy and personal care items. Their goal each day is to make contact with clients who are living on the street, most of whom are also dealing with substance use disorder — the most vulnerable to overdose. “I’m not sure how long I would last living out behind the ballfield and having people not even looking at you or shouting, “Get a job,’” Doherty said. Trotter and Bass said their work has gotten harder since Portland passed an ordinance prohibiting homeless encampments. Now, unhoused individuals who don’t end up at the shelter are scattered in bordering communities like South Portland and Westbrook. With Bass behind the wheel and Trotter in the passenger seat on her laptop or phone, they start their route. “Meeting people where they are at” is a common phrase, and that often means in parking lots of libraries or big box retail stores. Sometimes it’s just the side of the road. Trotter has been an outreach worker for 18 months but said she, too, was living on the street not that long ago. “It’s changed a lot,” she said. Bass has been with Milestone for more than a decade. She said much of her job is making sure people have what they need to stay safe. “You don’t think about these things when you’re running, you’re just trying to get by,” she said. At one stop, a young man asked Trotter to look at a rash on his stomach that wasn’t going away. She asked if she could take a picture and send it to someone at the free clinic. Back in the van, she places a call and tells a clinician she’s going to send the picture over to see if he needs to be treated right away. They work closely with other service agencies, including Common Space, which operates a needle exchange program and other harm reduction initiatives. Executive Director Brian Townsend points to two factors contributing to the decline in overdose deaths: 1. A dramatic increase in available supplies for safe use and 2. Increased sophistication and knowledge of overdose response. There is still resistance, he said, to harm reduction initiatives such as needle exchange programs. Townsend doesn’t begrudge anyone who has a strong emotional reaction, like complaining about discarded needles or the impact on emergency crews. But he also tries to explain that harm reduction does not equate to enabling drug use. “Our efforts are strictly to keep people safe, and keep them alive,” he said. At their last stop, Trotter and Bass waited for nearly 20 minutes in a parking lot across from Lowe’s on Brighton Avenue, near the Portland-Westbrook line, for a client who was supposed to meet them. They didn’t show up the day before either. Bass said if more than a couple of days go by without seeing a regular client, they start to worry a little. “Then we go look,” she said. Tom Doherty is the director of Milestone Recovery in Portland. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald Maine isn’t alone in documenting fewer deaths. Fatal overdoses declined nationally by about 14% between June 2023 and June 2024, according to recent data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some experts attribute some of it to the supply chain. Fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid that supplanted heroin years ago as the go-to drug of many, has has become less potent as the country has started to crack down on cartels and other international suppliers. This fall, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration head Anne Milgram announced that for the first time since 2021, her agency saw a decline in fentanyl potency. Smith said Maine has likely seen some of that, too. In addition to fewer deaths, the number of non-fatal overdoses has decreased by 13% over the same period in 2023. Still, fentanyl showed up in three of every four overdose deaths in Maine this year, often in combination with another substance, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, according to state data. Smith also said officials have little control over the supply side of the crisis. Cartels and others have always found a way to stay a step ahead. “I’d rather work on the demand side,” he said. To that end, Maine has built a network of recovery coaches across the state that didn’t exist five years ago. Naloxone has become widespread in most communities. There are more than 1,000 recovery beds statewide. The state has never had more people on methadone and Suboxone, the two primary forms of medication-assisted treatment. And more and more are opting to use Sublocade, which is a one-month injection that blocks opioid receptors and effectively makes it impossible to get high. In Portland, Milestone has doubled its number of detox beds . Combined with other beds around the city, there are 5 times as many as before the pandemic. “It used to sort of be like Willy Wonka and the golden ticket,” Doherty said. There are always challenges. Experts say tracking other substances that might get mixed with fentanyl or methamphetamine or cocaine is key. Some newer mixers are resistant to naloxone. It’s one of the reasons agencies like Milestone and Common Space distribute testing strips. Longer-term residential treatment, which is expensive, is still in short supply and often faces local resistance . Townsend said that independent of the state’s investments, the conversation about opioid use and overdose has evolved so that it’s OK to talk about. Mostly. “Stigma remains one of our biggest issues,” he said. “That has not shifted all the way, but it has shifted in the right direction.” While there is more hope, experts aren’t declaring any victories. “It’s still way too many (overdose deaths) in a state our size,” Smith said. Doherty agrees and is always quick to temper his optimism. Not long after he logged into the critical incident system with his new password, the agency saw two overdose deaths back-to-back. Comments are not available on this story. Send questions/comments to the editors. « Previous Next »Aneesah Morrow had 20 points and 18 rebounds as No. 6 LSU rallied to an 83-61 victory over Albany.