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TRENTON, Maine — A particular short-term rental located at 855 Oak Point Road drew the ire and frustration of a Trenton resident during public comment at the October 28, Trenton Select Board meeting. Diana Heckman who lives next door to the “Ace of Spade” vacation rental said it used to be a rundown piece of property and now it is a duplex structure that promotes a sleeping capacity of 24 people. It is not your quiet rural residential type of rental, according to Heckman, who said that she used to like to sit out on her deck and she cannot do that anymore because of the noise. Heckman also said that she frequently has to wear noise-cancelling headphones, and sometimes she can hear the music from next door very well while she is in her bedroom. The Saturday before the Select Board meeting, Heckman said that she walked over to the house because they were being so loud. Her neighbors have also spoken with the guests about the noise in the past. “I am looking to find a recourse to somehow put some sort of limitations possibly, something I can do so that my neighbors and all Trenton people will not end up with the same situation I am in,” Heckman said. She isn’t sure what can be done because a group comes in, “blasts their music,” and then they are gone in a week. One night she called the police, who went to the rental property. When the officer came back to update Heckman, he told her that the property manager was at the residence, apparently attending the gathering, she said. Heckman said the people at the house turned down the music, but shortly after the police were gone, the volume went back up. Heckman said the listing on a vacation rental website says no events and no parties are to be held at the property. Despite that, she said, the rental appears to be geared for large groups and possibly parties because it can sleep 24 people — 12 in each of the duplex units, with each unit being advertised as having a bar. According to Heckman, the listing also indicates that the property has no smoke detectors. Recently, she has started recording the music and other noise. Another attendee at the Select Board meeting spoke up to support Heckman in this because where she lives they have weddings and other events at a different short-term rental and they sometimes have music until 1 a.m. The Select Board started discussing possible ordinances and ways to curtail such activity, Select Board Chair Fred Ehrlenbach said the code enforcement officer ultimately has to enforce the rules, and you have to issue a violation and go to court and it is all through the Rule 80 process, which he said “takes forever.” He suggested simply using Maine criminal statutes regarding disorderly conduct that fall under Title 17-A (Maine Criminal Code) saying that a warning and subsequent arrest process would be the most efficient manner to prevent this type of behavior. Heckman then asked about possible inspection requirements for future rental properties. Member John Bennett said the issue will have to be put on the agenda so the Select Board can speak about it properly. The Planning Board would then have to craft an ordinance to reflect the desires of the Select Board and public. The VRBO listing for Ace of Spade confirms that the property is a duplex that sleeps 24, along with other details mentioned by Heckman, including, “onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited” and “host has indicated there is no smoke detector on the property.” Maine statute does require smoke detectors in any single-family dwelling constructed after January 1, 1982, and in each unit of a multifamily occupancy building. According to the Trenton tax commitment book, the property located at 855 Oak Point Road is owned by Ceban Investments, LLC. This story was originally published by The Bar Harbor Story. To receive regular coverage from the Bar Harbor Story, sign up for a free subscription here.

NEW YORK (AP) — Giant balloons got into shape Wednesday for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as crews inflated the giant characters on the streets of New York City. The parade kicks off Thursday morning, with dozens of huge balloons set to take to the skies. Floats, entertainers, marching bands and more will grace the streets. About 100 balloon technicians and volunteers worked Wednesday to puff up dozens of characters. It takes about eight hours to ready them all, said Kathleen Wright, who oversees production operations for Macy’s Studios. The process might be gradual, but Ethan Otieno was excited to see it. “I think it’s very cool to watch them be inflated and try to guess the characters,” the tourist from Texas said while watching with relatives. Otieno’s favorite balloon? Smokey Bear. The parade is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. EST, rain or shine. It runs from Manhattan’s Upper West Side to Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street. Officials are watching the weather, since the forecast as of Wednesday evening calls for a somewhat gusty day. For safety reasons, New York City law prohibits Macy’s from flying the full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 23 mph (37 kph) or wind gusts are over 35 mph (56 kph). Weather has grounded the balloons only once, in 1971, but they also sometimes have soared lower than usual because of wind. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference that authorities would decide Thursday morning whether any balloon adjustments are needed. New balloons in this year’s lineup include Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man, Mario from Super Mario Brothers and a 32-foot-tall (9.8-meter) balloon onion carriage featuring eight characters from the world of “Shrek.” “It’s a lot of those really nostalgic and familiar characters, everybody’s favorites,” Wright said. There are also new balloons derived from characters in this year’s Netflix hit “KPop Demon Hunters.” New floats this year include a Pop Mart entry, with the ubiquitous figure Labubu, as well as Skullpanda, Peach Riot, Dimoo, Molly, Duckoo and Mokoko. A star-studded lineup of performers — including Cynthia Erivo, Conan Gray, Lainey Wilson and Audrey Nuna, EJAE and Rei Ami of HUNTR/X, the fictional girl group at the heart of “KPop Demon Hunters” — will be sprinkled throughout the show, along with a slew of marching bands, Broadway cast members and others. As is traditional, the Radio City Rockettes are expected. ___ Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed.

Two National Guardsmen are in critical condition after being shot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Law enforcement sources say the suspect is an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021. CBS News' Anna Schecter and Erica Brown have more details.

DENVER (AP) — Colorado doesn’t plan to transfer from state prison to federal custody a former county clerk who has become a hero to election conspiracy theorists following a request from the Trump administration, state officials said Wednesday. The Colorado Department of Corrections said it is not seeking a transfer of Tina Peters, who was convicted last year of orchestrating a scheme in Mesa County to breach voting machine data driven by false claims of fraud in the 2020 election. “Transferring an individual is an action initiated by the Colorado Department of Corrections, not an outside entity,” department spokesperson Alondra Gonzalez-Garcia said in an email. The Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment. Peters, 70, is serving a nine-year sentence at a state prison in Pueblo. The Bureau of Prisons requested on Nov. 12 that the state corrections department transfer her to federal custody to serve her sentence. The reason isn’t known. A copy of the request released by the state corrections department was heavily redacted. The department said releasing that information was “contrary to the public interest.” Peters’ release has become a cause celebre in the election conspiracy movement. On Sunday, President Donald Trump renewed his call for her to be set free. One of Peters’ lawyers, Peter Ticktin, suggested on Trump ally Steve Bannon’s podcast this week that the military be used to free Peters from prison. County clerks in Colorado of various political affiliations blame Peters for making their jobs more dangerous by fueling distrust in the voting system. They have been urging Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, to definitively reject the federal transfer request. In a statement Tuesday, a Polis spokesperson praised the integrity of the state’s election system and said the governor welcomes a chance to meet with the clerks about the federal transfer request but did not directly address it. “Governor Polis takes his responsibilities seriously and has been clear that he will take threats from the federal government head-on – especially when they undermine our democracy – which is why we have vigorously defended Colorado’s values during this turbulent time,” Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman said. Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, said the state corrections department is ultimately under Polis’ control and will do what he directs it to. “The open-ended statement from the Department of Corrections does not alleviate our concerns,” he said.