Articles written by Patrick Whittle
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Law enforcement official tells Associated Press that Maine mass killing suspect has been found dead
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — The man wanted in the mass shooting at a bowling alley and bar that killed 18 people and wounded 13 was found dead Friday, bringing an end to a search that put the entire state of Maine on edge for the last two days. Robert Car...
Human remains have likely been recovered from the Titan submersible wreckage, US Coast Guard says
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Human remains have likely been recovered from the wreckage of the submersible that imploded during an underwater voyage to view the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday. The news came hours after the announcement that d...
The pilot and 4 passengers of the Titan submersible are dead, US Coast Guard says
The U.S. Coast Guard says a missing submersible imploded near the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all five people on board. Coast Guard officials said during a news conference Thursday that they've notified the families of the crew of the Titan,... Full story
In race against clock, expanding fleet of ships searches for submersible lost near Titanic wreck
In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday for a submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. U.S. Coast Guard...
The US Coast Guard is bringing in more ships, vessels to search for lost Titanic tourist submersible
Rescuers on Wednesday rushed more ships and vessels to the area where a submersible disappeared on its way to the Titanic wreckage site, hoping underwater sounds they detected for a second straight day might help narrow their search in an...
Space race! Meteorites hit Maine, museum offers $25K reward
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Somewhere in a remote stretch of forest near Maine's border with Canada, rocks from space crashed to Earth and may be scattered across the ground — just waiting to be picked up. If you're the first person to find a big one, a m...
Alaska gold, copper mine blocked over environmental worries
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took an unusually strong step Tuesday and blocked a proposed mine heralded by backers as the most significant undeveloped copper and gold resource in the world because of concerns a...
US seeks new lithium sources as demand for batteries grows
NEWRY, Maine (AP) — The race is on to produce more lithium in the United States. The U.S. will need far more lithium to achieve its clean energy goals — and the industry that mines, extracts and processes the chemical element is poised to grow. But...
Pandemic garbage boom ignites debate over waste as energy
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — America remains awash in refuse as new cases of the coronavirus decline — and that has reignited a debate about the sustainability of burning more trash to create energy. Waste-to-energy plants, which produce most of their pow...
Puffin stuff: Herring rules could boost funny-looking bird
BATH, Maine (AP) — The commercial fishery for herring has suffered in recent years due to new restrictions, but those same rules could benefit some of Maine's most beloved birds — puffins. Atlantic puffins, known for their colorful beaks and wad...
Young whales looking to dine flock to waters off NYC
NEW YORK (AP) — If you're young and hungry, the place to go is New York City — even if you weigh 25 tons and have a blowhole. Whale watch captains and scientists around America's most populous city say recent years have seen a tremendous surge in the...
Maine lobster business salvaged its summer despite pandemic
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine's lobster fishermen braced for a difficult summer this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but then the unexpected happened. They kept catching lobsters, and people kept buying them. The pandemic has posed s...
They can dig it: New England clammers press through pandemic
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — For New England's vanishing commercial clam harvesters, the coronavirus pandemic represents only the most recent in a string of setbacks that have held down the centuries-old industry. The clamdiggers, who pull softshell c...
GOP submits petitions to block presidential ranked voting
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Maine GOP submitted petitions Monday designed to stop the use of a ranked voting style for president, setting up an Election Day fight over the future of the method. Maine became the first state in the country to adopt r...
Slippery salvation: Could seaweed as cow feed help climate?
FREEPORT, Maine (AP) — Coastal Maine has a lot of seaweed , and a fair number of cows. A group of scientists and farmers think that pairing the two could help unlock a way to cope with a warming world. The researchers — from a marine science lab...
Plan would protect 21 coral hot spots in Gulf of Mexico
A plan to protect corals in the Gulf of Mexico is close to becoming a law, drawing cheers from environmental groups who believe leaving the corals alone would help vulnerable ocean ecosystems to grow. The plan would create 21 protected areas off the...
Puffins fill up nesting islands this year despite challenges
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — One of the most beloved birds in Maine is having one of its most productive seasons for mating pairs in years on remote islands off the state's coast. Atlantic puffins, with their colorful beaks and waddling walks, are one o...
Sturgeon, America's forgotten dinosaurs, slowly coming back
CHARLES CITY, Va. (AP) — Sturgeon were America's vanishing dinosaurs, armor-plated beasts that crowded the nation's rivers until mankind's craving for caviar pushed them to the edge of extinction. More than a century later, some populations of the m...
Scientists sound alarm after 6 rare whale deaths in a month
A half-dozen North Atlantic right whales have died in the past month, leading scientists, government officials and conservationists to call for a swift response to protect the endangered species. There are only a little more than 400 of the right wha...
'We all feel it': Motorcyclists mourn death of 7 in crash
RANDOLPH, N.H. (AP) — Investigators pleaded Saturday for members of the public to come forward with information that could help them determine why a pickup truck hauling a trailer collided with a group of 10 motorcycles on a rural highway, killing s...
Scientists look to map the genes of thousands of animals
A group of scientists unveiled the first results Thursday of an ambitious effort to map the genes of tens of thousands of animal species, a project they said could help save animals from extinction down the line. The scientists are working with the...
China tariffs could erode remaining US shark fin business
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A new set of Chinese tariffs on U.S. seafood including items made from shark fins could further erode what remains of the American industry for the controversial products. China announced the 25 percent tariffs in mid-June t...
Some fans of Trump and pot feel allegiances go up in smoke
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Trump administration's anti-marijuana move has some members of the president's voting base fuming. Fans of President Donald Trump who use marijuana say Attorney General Jeff Sessions' move to tighten federal oversight of t...
Getting more 'wolflike' is the key to the future for coyotes
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The future of the coyotes that roam forests, cities and suburbs from Newfoundland to Virginia could hinge on the animals becoming the "wolves" of the East Coast. And humans better get used to them. Coyotes have lived in the E...
Maine blueberry crop falls with disease, lack of pollination
Portland, Maine (AP) — Maine's wild blueberry crop is likely to be much smaller this year than in recent summers because the industry is contending with troubles such as disease and a lack of pollination. The New England state is the wild blueberry c...
