Good morning. Temperatures will be in the high 80s with partly sunny skies throughout the state.
Here’s what’s happening in Maine today.
Gov. LePage hospitalized in Bangor after experiencing ‘discomfort’
–Gov. Paul LePage was hospitalized at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor over the weekend after experiencing unspecified “discomfort” while visiting family in New Brunswick, according to a spokesman.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the discomfort. LePage, 69, was taken to a New Brunswick hospital Saturday evening, where he was examined. He was then transported by ambulance to a Presque Isle hospital, and finally taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center late Saturday night.
“Doctors said he is very strong and healthy. But they are keeping him in the hospital overnight for further observation. The governor is stable and is expected to make a full recovery,” said Peter Steele, a spokesman for LePage.
How UMaine screens athletes for heart problems
–The fatal collapse of a University of Maine football player during a workout in July was the result of a rare medical tragedy that is the No. 1 nontraumatic cause of death in athletes.
The office of Maine’s chief medical examiner ruled that 18-year-old Darius Minor died from a combination of heart issues, listing high blood pressure as a contributing cause.
Officials are working to improve the screening process for hidden heart problems in athletes, a daunting task since often the first sign of disease is sudden collapse and death.
UMaine follows the latest NCAA guidelines for conducting athlete physicals, according to its spokeswoman, who says those guidelines are reviewed annually.
Real estate developers purchase prominent downtown Bangor building
—Two Bangor real estate developers have purchased the building at 1 Main St. in downtown Bangor, currently the home to Umami Noodle Bar and a number of apartments.
Louie Morrison, owner of LA Training and manager and/or co-owner of the many Bangor properties owned by Telford Holdings, and his business partner, Luke McCannell, co-owner of Bangor Motorsports, have closed on the purchase of 1 Main St., located at the intersection of Main and Hammond.
With launch of Jackson Lab’s new facility, Ellsworth hopes to breed biotech business
–A biotechnology firm is expanding as part of Ellsworth’s plan to create spin-offs to a $200 million mice breeding center that opened last week.
GenoTyping Center of America will remain headquartered at the Union River Center for Innovation of Ellsworth, but much of its genetic testing of research animals has moved to Waterville because one of its founders lives near there, GenoType owner Kat Taylor said.
Ellsworth “is a hub for our type of thing — research and development and science,” Taylor said Friday.
Susan Collins remembers John McCain, a ‘true patriot’
–“What the American people should know was that John McCain was a true patriot. A man who loved his country, who would do anything to advance his country. A man who believed in national unity,” U.S. Sen Susan Collins, a Republican, said during a Sunday television interview.
U.S. Sen. John McCain died Saturday at age 81 following a yearlong battle with brain cancer.
Here’s one Maine quarterback you should watch
–You may have no idea who Cory Brandon is. But he’s likely the state’s best small-college quarterback.
Brandon is starting his senior season at Husson University as the team’s undisputed offensive leader now that All-American halfback John Smith has graduated.
“I definitely want to make the most of my last opportunity to play football,” Brandon said. “I don’t know what’s to come but I know this is my last guaranteed season to play, so I’m going to leave it all out there and do whatever I can to be the best quarterback, teammate and captain this team can have.”
Do this: Watch an eighth-grader build a model of the Bangor Opera House out of Legos
–When school starts next week, kids returning from break will probably get asked by classmates and teachers alike, “How did you spend your summer vacation?”
Beckett Mundell-Wood, who will be entering eighth grade at the William S. Cohen School in Bangor, spent it building the Bangor Opera House. An incredibly accurate scale model, that is.
The model is made out of Lego bricks, in nearly the exact color and dimensions of the actual Opera House — right down to the Art Deco flourishes and solid wooden doors of the historical building, built in 1920.
In other news…
Maine
8 people suffer injuries following crash on Maine Turnpike
Pakistani-American minor kept from boarding Concord Coach for lack of ID
Maine reserve police officer dies in plane crash
Bangor
Balmy breezes lift a lively American Folk Festival weekend
EMMC earns nod as one of nation’s best employers for women
Penobscot Nation drug court finds success by connecting participants with their roots
Business
Business is booming at Maine shipyard, with hundreds more to be hired, captain says
Immigrants added $1.2B to Portland area GDP in one year, study finds
Ready to retire, owner of Van Raymond Outfitters steps up efforts to sell business
Politics
Collins says she’s ‘really appalled’ by Trump’s attacks on AG Sessions
Maine high court offers more questions than answers in Medicaid expansion ruling
IRS filings show progressive heavy-hitters bankrolling Maine PAC seeking to influence 2018 races
Opinion
Medicare for all can control rising costs, improve health outcomes
Maine’s disability services are built on good faith — which is missing from LePage administration
King Coal would kill Clean Power Plan
Sports
UMaine football team will feature veteran defense, inexperienced offensive line
Georgia racer comes to Oxford 250 and wins $28,300
Patriots wide receiver Eric Decker retires from NFL
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