Around New England

Confessing To Murdering Parents, Transgender Biological Son Sentenced To 40 Years

Bill Gnade

Andrew Balcer, referred to in some media accounts as "Andrea," has been sentenced to 40 years imprisonment by Maine Superior Court Justice Daniel Billings after the 20-year-old confessed to brutally stabbing his parents to death on Halloween Day in 2016. The sentence is less than the state maximum of 55 years sought by prosecutors.

The killings occurred when Balcer was 17, so he could not be sentenced to life imprisonment, which the U.S. Supreme Court declared unconstitutional for juvenile crimes.

Around New England

Second New Hampshire City To Prohibit Vaping, Tobacco For Anyone Under 21

Bill Gnade

In an effort to influence state legislation, the city council of Keene, New Hampshire voted 10-4 to raise the minimum age a person may purchase, use, or possess tobacco and vaping products to 21. The former age requirement in the city was 18; the council's new ordinance is effective immediately. (A video of the meeting can be viewed here.)

Keene is now the second municipality in the state to make the change after Dover raised the age to 21 in 2016.

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