TODAY’S DEAL: A $200 legal check-up at Vogel & Dubois Mostly cloudy, breezy for only $50! and warmer Get huge High 44 discounts 50-90 % Details, B6 every day OFF To buy, visit pressherald.com, click on the Maine Deal offer and Sam Milligan, 6, enter your information. Available until 11:59 PM or when sold out! pressherald.com of Brunswick 75 cents Tuesday, March 22, 2011 thepressherald.com REVOLUTION IN LIBYA Campaign REBELS GET REPRIEVE volunteer Missiles halt assault, admits to but stalemate looms falsifying He didn’t understand the law on gathering Clean Election By RYAN LUCAS The Associated Press contributions, his lawyer says. ZWITINA, Libya — Coalition forces bombarded Libya for a third By DENNIS HOEY straight night Monday, targeting Staff Writer the air defenses and forces of PORTLAND — A South Portland Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi , man who collected campaign con- stopping his advances and hand- tributions for former Democratic ing some momentum back to the gubernatorial candidate John G. rebels, who were on the verge of Richardson of Brunswick pleaded defeat just last week. guilty Monday to making false state- But the rebellion’s more orga- ments about the donations. nized military units were still not Joseph Pickering, 54, of Harbor ready, and the opposition disarray View Avenue pleaded guilty to fi ve underscored U.S. warnings that a counts of unsworn falsifi cation – a long stalemate could emerge. Class D misdemeanor – in Cumber- The air campaign by U.S. and land County Superior Court. European militaries has unques- Pickering had been charged with tionably rearranged the map in 16 counts of unsworn falsifi cation, Libya and rescued rebels from the but under an agreement reached immediate threat they faced only with the state Attorney General’s days ago of being Offi ce he was allowed to plead to fi ve ‘WHERE THE crushed under a counts. CRIMINAL powerful advance Judge John O’Neil accepted the GADHAFI by Gadhafi ’s arrangement and ordered Pickering WAS Top and STOPPED’ forces. The fi rst above right: to complete 120 hours of community round of airstrikes Libyan rebels service. BACK PAGE smashed a column advance on Under what is called a deferred of regime tanks the outskirts disposition, O’Neil said Pickering’s that had been moving on the rebel of Ajdabiya, criminal record will be erased if he capital of Benghazi in the east. where pro- completes the community service Monday night, Libyan state TV Gadhafi within a year. said a new round of strikes had be- forces sealed If Pickering fails to do the commu- gun in the capital, Tripoli, marking the city’s nity service in the time allotted, he the third night of bombardment. entrance could face a fi ne of up to $2,000 or 364 But while the airstrikes can stop Monday. days in jail. Gadhafi ’s troops from attacking Right: Tracers “This campaign did not train its rebel cities – in line with the U.N. from anti- volunteers very well,” Assistant At- mandate to protect civilians – the aircraft guns torney General Leanne Robbin told United States, at least, appeared arc above deeply reluctant to go beyond that O’Neil. the hotel “It would not be a model for other toward actively helping the rebel where foreign cause to oust the Libyan leader. campaigns to follow.” media and Pickering is one of four former President Obama said Monday government Richardson campaign volunteers that “it is U.S. policy that Gadhafi offi cials are accused by the state of falsifying has to go.” But, he said, the inter- staying in national air campaign has a more Tripoli. Maine Clean Election Act contribu- limited goal, to protect civilians. tion documents. “Our military action is in support Their cases are in various stages of of an international mandate from prosecution. the Security Council that specifi - Maine law requires the circulator – Please see LIBYA, Back Page The Associated Press Please see FALSIFY, Page A7 Pediatricians do Witnesses detail workings of sham wedding scheme Mainers say they were paid rica seeking to become legal residents The ultimate goal of the marriages, to convince them that the marriages an about-face on were legitimate, according to court up to $5,000 to marry people of the United States. according to the government, was Rashid Kakande, 37, appeared Mon- to get permanent legal status and, papers fi led by Assistant U.S. Attorney trying to become U.S. citizens. day in U.S. District Court in Portland eventually, citizenship. Most of the Gail Fisk Malone, the prosecutor in the child safety seats case. By DAVID HENCH for the opening of his trial before a weddings were held in apartments in Some recruits got cold feet after the Turn them forward at age 2 Staff Writer federal jury. He is charged with arrang- Lewiston. The marriages themselves were wedding and backed out of the scheme or later, not at age 1, they say PORTLAND — A Massachusetts ing payments of up to $5,000 for women and men willing to marry people from worth $1,500, followed by additional when told by immigration offi cials that man faces charges of conspiring to pretending to get married for immigra- while urging other changes. defraud the federal government by Uganda and other African countries payments as the U.S. recruits fi lled arranging numerous sham weddings who were here on expiring tourist or out paperwork to support the charade By PATRICIA CALLAHAN between Mainers and people from Af- student visas. and met with immigration offi cials Please see MARRIAGE, Page A7 Chicago Tribune The nation’s largest organization of pediatricians is telling its members and parents that children riding in cars should remain in rear-facing INDEX child safety seats until at least their Workers for state battle pay squeeze at hearing second birthday, and preferably even Abby D7 Horoscope D7 Proposed freezes on longevity the people who are ODAY of Gov. Paul LePage’s two-year budget: longer. Business C7 Local & State B1 ET M hurting, the people N E a continuation of a merit pay freeze put and merit pay are especially unfair I D That confl icts with advice given Classifi ed D1 Lottery A2 A who make sig- I in place two years ago, and the reinstate- to parents for years by many pe- Comics D6 People A2 M A when combined with increased nifi cantly less than ment of a freeze on pay increases related diatricians: that children’s car seats Deaths B3 Sports C1 S retirement contributions, they say. those doing the U to years of service. should be turned around shortly af- Editorials A8 Television D7 T Hax Theaters same jobs in the A A Those two parts are estimated to save ter their fi rst birthday. D7 B3 T E By SUSAN M. COVER private sector, the E R $12.6 million over the two-year period. The new policy from the American H U Volume 149 Number 236 MaineToday Media State House Bureau people who make O U B Unlike his predecessor, LePage is not Academy of Pediatrics, published SE sure that the fi ne proposing that state workers be required Monday in the Pediatrics medical AUGUSTA — State worker Dean Staf- state of Maine continues to function,” to take unpaid days off, nor is he propos- journal, is buoyed by research that fi eri told lawmakers Monday that case- said Staffi eri, a licensed social worker in ing a large number of layoffs. shows children younger than 2 are workers, clerks and others he works with the Offi ce of Child and Family Services. Merit pay increases affect employ- 75 percent less likely to die or be can’t afford a continuation of a freeze in their merit pay – a term referring to step Staffi eri was one of about a dozen state ees mostly in their fi rst seven years of Copyright 2011 increases that recognize job experience. workers or union representatives who Please see CAR SEATS, Page A7 MaineToday Media, Inc. “I ask you, today, to please consider testifi ed in opposition to two elements Please see BUDGET, Page A7 NoFolio-MST-A1-NoTargets Modifi ed 5/08/09 Edition: CY Sec/Page: A1 Rundate: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 InDesign* CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK / BVS>]`bZO\R>`Saa6S`OZRBcSaROg;O`QV </B7=<E=@:2 7<4=1CA(6=E8/>/<1=>32 I]ZegZhhZhhideeZY!Wjicdii]ZeZch EWbV]cbSZSQb`WQWbgT]` EBZT BGUFS UIF UTVOBNJ 0OF ROga]\S8O^O\SaS µ:WdW\UeWbV\] PG JUT TJY SFQPSUFST XBT TXFQU SZSQb`WQWbg]`eObS` BXBZJOIJTDBSXIJMFSFUVSOJOH \Sea^O^S``Sa]`bab] GSPN BO BTTJHONFOU )F TVS VO\RQ]^gW\U O\R\]b[cQVT]]R WJWFEBOE BGUFSTFWFSBMEBZTJO WaVO`RS\]cUV0cb BIPTQJUBM JTCBDLBUXPSL #Z"/%3&8)*((*/4 bVSe]`abbVW\UeOa 5BLFVDIJ UIF DIJFG SFQPSUFS 5IF8BTIJOHUPO1PTU XBT JO UIF PGmDF XIFO UIF 4)*/0.",* +BQBO/P bVObbVS`SeOa\] FBSUIRVBLF TUSVDL BU CPEZUXFFUFEPSCMPHHFEPS W\T]`[ObW]\¶ QNPO.BSDI)FIBEKVTU FNBJMFE 5IFZ EJEOU UFMF mOJTIFE XPSL PO UIBU EBZT * GcbOYO7eOaOeO QIPOF FJUIFS #FSFGU PG FMFD FEJUJPO XIJDIGFBUVSFEBGSPOU `SaWRS\b]T7aVW\][OYW USJDJUZ HBTPMJOF BOE HBT UIJT QBHF BSUJDMF BCPVU *TIJOP UTVOBNJUSBVNBUJ[FE DJUZ EJE NBLJT iIJEEFO DIBSNTw BOE UIJOHTUIFSFBMMZPMEGBTIJPOFE FBTU DJUZT SFTJEFOUT PGmDJBMT QSPNJTFT UP JNQSPWF XBZoXJUIQFOBOEQBQFS 5BLFVDIJT OFXTQBQFS IBT IPTQJUBMBOEPUIFSGBDJMJUJFT 6OBCMF UP PQFSBUF JUT UI BHBJO TUBSUFE QSJOUJOH *OUFS 5IF RVBLF TIPPL UIF OFXT DFOUVSZQSJOUJOHQSFTToOFWFS OFUBDDFTTJTTUJMMOPUBWBJMBCMF QBQFST UXPTUPSZ CVJMEJOH TP NJOEJUTDPNQVUFST XFCTJUFPS .POEBZT QSJOUFE GSPOU QBHF IBSEUIBUnVPSFTDFOUMJHIUTGFMM ( NPCJMF QIPOFT o UIF DJUZT DIFFSFEBiNJSBDVMPVTSFTDVF GSPNUIFDFJMJOHBOEmMJOHDBCJ POMZ OFXTQBQFS UIF *TIJOP ESBNBw o UIF TUPSZ PG B MPDBM OFUTTLJEEFEBDSPTTUIFnPPS NBLJ )JCJ 4IJNCVO XSPUF JUT ZFBSPME BOE IFS ZFBS 5IFmSTUIBOEXSJUUFOFEJUJPO BSUJDMFT CZ IBOE XJUI GFMUUJQ PME HSBOETPO QMVDLFE 4VOEBZ QSFQBSFE.BSDI GFBUVSFEB QFOTPOCJHTIFFUTPGQBQFS GSPNUIFJSSVJOFEIPNF