The October 13th Issue of the West End NEWS is on the Street!


Homeless Beating Victim Dies of Injuries
Peter Vukelich, who was found severely beaten on October 3rd, died of his injuries on October 5th at Maine Medical Center. The man who was charged in the beating, Larry Suave, 49, has been charged with manslaughter. Both men were believed to be homeless.

Vukelich, 49, was found by a friend at a campsite by the railroad tracks near Park Avenue and Saint John Street, the area around Hadlock Field, on October 3, at 7:30A.M.. He was unconscious and was admitted to Maine Medical Center with severe head injuries.

Strimling Refuses to Apologize Publicly to Local ‘Pimp’

State Senator Ethan Strimling has refused to apologize to the West End NEWS, who his chief aide accused of ‘pimping’ for Strimling’s Republican rival David Babin.

In an email sent to the West End NEWS on September 13th, former Strimling campaign manager Corey Hascall, who is currently listed as ‘moderator’ of Fighting for Portland, Strimling’s campaign organization, and is also Vice Chair of the Portland Democratic City Committee, said:

"......I am sure that Ethan will stop telling people that you’re lying about him taking money from Bean’s for political favors when you stop telling people that he’s lying when he says that the reason you pimp so much for Babin is because he buys ads from your paper and Ethan doesn’t."

In an email to the newspaper on October 10th, Strimling called the incident “clearly a personal exchange between you and Corey. She said something that hurt you and hence I would encourage you to contact her directly.”

Strimling did not say whether or not he had been telling voters that the newspaper was pimping for Babin because he (Strimling) does not buy ads in the paper, as Hascall asserted in her email.

The issue arose after the West End NEWS learned that Strimling had told a local voter, in the course of campaigning, that the paper had been lying about him in connection to a recent controversy in which Strimling had been accused of successfully promoting legislation favorable to Maine retailer L.L. Bean, while opposing a tax break for a Bean competitor. (The story appeared in the September 3 issue of the Portland Press Herald, written by Edward D. Murphy. The West End NEWS did not publish any stories related to the issue.)

Babin has been running a series of controversial political ads in the West End NEWS and other local newspapers, critical of Democratic Party state policies, and supporting more conservative views such as stricter immigration policy. Babin has also been promoting the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) in his advertising.

The West End NEWS issued its demand for an apology on its web blog, thewestendnews.blogspot.com on September 14th. It also issued the demand in the last issue of the newspaper on September 27th and in direct correspondence with Strimling.