On seven consecutive Thursday evenings during the fall of 2007, the Maine Hospice Council and Center for End-of-Life Care worked in partnership with Maine?s Office of the Attorney General to host a series of Town Hall Meetings across the state. At each of these public meetings, Attorney General Steve Rowe moderated lively and informative discussions about end-of-life care in Maine. Local panelists and community members in each region were encouraged to engage in dialogue with each other and offer testimony about their respective experiences as healthcare consumers.

Today, Attorney General Steve Rowe announced two recent convictions involving persons who were defrauding the State?s Tax and Rent Refund program, commonly known as the Circuit Breaker Program. The program is administered by Maine Revenue Services and provides tax relief to eligible Maine residents by granting a partial refund for real estate taxes or rent paid during the tax year.

Attorney General Steve Rowe will kick off Family Crisis Service?s fundraising event on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 9:00AM. The event will take place at Shawnee Peak Ski Area in Bridgton, ME. Rowe will give opening remarks at Ski to End DV day. The non-profit agency?s mission is to end domestic violence in Cumberland and Sagadahoc Counties in Maine, and it will receive 10% of Shawnee Peak?s daytime lift revenues as part of that business?s ?Non-profit Thursdays? program.

Today, Attorney General Steve Rowe urged the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to take immediate action to investigate allegations that Sparks and Sparks Plus alcoholic energy drinks contain unsafe levels of caffeine. The letter also requests TTB to determine if the alcohol content in Sparks alcoholic energy drink is higher than the 6.0% alcohol by volume disclosed on the label. Attorney General Rowe is joined by 15 attorneys general in calling for this action.

Today, Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe called upon Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins to reject any amendment to the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that would hamper the Maine Public Utility Commission?s (PUC) ability to protect the privacy rights of telephone subscribers in Maine. This week, the United States Senate is expected to take up amendments to FISA, including provisions that would give amnesty to telephone companies that may have illegally turned over their customers? records to the National Security Agency (NSA).

Today Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe announced that he is joining a lawsuit against the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to uphold the right of states to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from automobiles. Maine is part of a 15-state coalition appealing the EPA?s December 19, 2007 denial of California?s request for a waiver. The denial prevents Maine from implementing greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars.

The Maine Hospice Council and Center for End-of-Life Care in partnership with Maine?s Office of the Attorney General is pleased to host a series of Town Meetings, held in seven different communities across the state beginning on September 20th.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Steve Rowe, along with ten state?s attorneys general and the Corporation Counsel for the City of New York sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other Members of the House of Representatives strongly urging them to oppose H.R. 2927, an amendment to the energy bill that contains language that could be used to challenge greenhouse gas emission standards already adopted by Maine and thirteen other states.

Today, Michael Hutchinson was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Crystal Perry. On April 9, 2007 a jury found Hutchinson guilty in the 1994 stabbing of Perry. The murder took place in her kitchen while her daughter slept in an adjoining room.

?The brutal circumstances of the murder coupled with the fact that he walked free for so many years make life in prison a fitting sentence.? Remarked Assistant Attorney General Lisa Marchese, who presented the State?s case before Justice Thomas Warren in Cumberland County Superior Court.

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner has confirmed that the body found in the Saco River early Saturday morning is that of Coreen Weise who has been missing since early November of 2006. Preliminary identification was made by comparison of the orthodontic work. Confirmation of identification was done by the DNA Division of the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory. The autopsy is complete. There is no significant antemortem injury. Findings are all consistent with drowning. The manner of death is pending further investigation and toxicology.

* * * * *