Gina Kaufman

Detroit

Investigative Reporter at Detroit Free Press

Investigative reporter for @freep. Reach me at [email protected]

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Articles

A year in, Portland’s pilot Housing First Program helped house dozens of people

1 week ago | pressherald.com | Gina Kaufman

John Young Jr. moved into his apartment at Franklin Towers in Portland after living in a shelter for three months. He lived on the streets prior to that. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer) John Young Jr. has been living in his new home for about two weeks. In the center of his living room in his Portland apartment sits a leather recliner. “I fall asleep there almost every night,” he said. Young became homeless for the first time this year, at age 60.
Man charged with murder in Biddeford shooting pleads not guilty

1 week ago | pressherald.com | Gina Kaufman

BIDDEFORD — Police have alleged a 45-year-old Biddeford man shot and killed another man last fall within a six-minute round-trip on an electric scooter. Garret Labonte during his first appearance in York County Superior Court via Zoom in October 2024 Screenshot via Zoom hearing Garret Labonte pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of murder, felony murder and robbery in connection with the death of Gene Dares, who was 46. Labonte has been held without bail for nearly eight months.
Maine to receive $26 million as part of Purdue Pharma opioid lawsuit settlement

1 week ago | pressherald.com | Gina Kaufman

Pills spill in an arrangement photo of prescription Oxycodone in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) Maine is set to receive $26 million as part of a nationwide, $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, the Maine Attorney General’s Office confirmed Wednesday.
Cumberland County Jail officer detained by ICE had applied for asylum

1 week ago | pressherald.com | Gina Kaufman

The Cumberland County Jail. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer) Gratien Milandou-Wamba thought he’d done everything right. The 32-year-old said he fled from the Republic of the Congo after being tortured and threatened in prison over his connection to an opposition party. So, he decided to leave behind his home in Brazzaville, his family and his career as a firefighter. Gratien Milandou-Wamba takes a photo in his uniform while working as a Cumberland County Jail corrections officer.
Family and lawyers ‘exhausted’ as ICE shuffles loved ones in and out of Maine

1 week ago | pressherald.com | Gina Kaufman

Laura Anderson, fiancé of Lucas Segóbia, speaks during a protest at Portland City Hall about his detention by Border Patrol agents. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer) Laura Anderson’s nightmare began outside a toll plaza in Portland where Border Patrol arrested her fiancé, Lucas Segóbia, during a traffic stop. It took days for Anderson to find out where they took him, even as she and her friends spent hours calling border officials and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Maine’s small vernal pools may get bigger state protections

1 week ago | pressherald.com | Gina Kaufman

This vernal pool off Route 1 in Kennebunk is categorized as significant by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Vernal Pool Summary. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer) Maine lawmakers have sent a bill to Gov. Janet Mills to bolster protections for seasonal wetlands that provide critical habitat for imperiled amphibians, insects and turtles and other wildlife.
Portland’s property revaluation results are in - and homeowners are not happy

2 weeks ago | pressherald.com | Gina Kaufman

The value of Mike Hogan’s home went up $134,000 with the latest revaluation in Portland. He lives in a multi-unit building. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer) Tom Landry’s phone started ringing a couple of weeks ago. The developer and realtor said he fielded call after call from clients who had just received their revaluations from the city of Portland and were stunned by how high their home values had climbed.
University of Maine helps develop database on college hazing deaths

2 weeks ago | pressherald.com | Gina Kaufman

A person walks across the “Mall” on the campus at University of Maine. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer The University of Maine has helped identify more than 330 deaths that have occurred since 1838 from hazing at college campuses around the country, more than a third of which were reported in the last 25 years.
City Council hears concerns, explanations over rent control enforcement in Portland

2 weeks ago | pressherald.com | Gina Kaufman

The clock tower at Portland City Hall looms in the sky in October 2023. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer Mayor Mark Dion slammed his gavel down during the Portland City Council’s workshop on rent control Monday, but the meeting wasn’t over – he was calling it to order amid a heated exchange between city officials about enforcement efforts.
Kennebunk wildlife biologist had passion for conservation and community

2 weeks ago | pressherald.com | Gina Kaufman

Shiloh Schulte died Wednesday in a helicopter crash in Alaska while conducting conservation work. Photo courtesy of Shevaun Schulte As a child, Shiloh Schulte’s family often found him exploring the woods, binoculars in hand. His childhood interest in wildlife soon turned into a career in biology and a love for birds that his family adopted.