Good morning. Temperatures will be in the mid to high 70s and low 80s throughout the state with sunny skies.
Here’s what’s happening in Maine today.
It’s already starting to cost more to drive away that morning chill
–As Mainers crank up their thermostats at the start of heating season, the Governor’s Energy Office reports that the price of fuel is rising. The price of No. 2 heating oil is up 7 cents from last month. Prices vary from region to region, but northern Mainers pay the highest average price — just less than $3 per gallon. Kerosene and propane prices also have increased.
Four years after a Portland fire killed six people, city inspectors are finding scores of illegal apartments
–The 2014 blaze at 20 Noyes St. was the deadliest fire in Maine in decades, and the owner of the building was sentenced to jail for a code violation inspectors say made his building unsafe.
In the years since, the city has hired inspectors and reorganized its housing safety office. They have found scores of “illegal” units, many of which have similar violations to the one which ultimately landed the 20 Noyes St. landlord in jail.
Closing of century-old Bar Harbor pharmacy might not end its soda fountain
–The year was 1971. Nixon was president, Disney World had just opened, Apollo 14 had visited the moon, and 13-year-old Mike Gilfillan was working the soda fountain at West End Drug Co. West End’s owner since 2008, the 60-year-old will close the pharmacy at 105 Main St. after exactly 100 years of Gilfillan family ownership.
Canadian power crews make pit stop in Bangor en route to Carolinas for Florence cleanup
–On Wednesday morning in Bangor, the parking lot of the old Kmart on Hogan Road was a pit stop for a fleet of Canadian power crews headed south for the Carolinas, where mighty Hurricane Florence was barreling toward the coastline. During the cleanup, the crews work 16-hour days and can earn around $110 an hour.
Two Maine murderers appeal their cases before high court
–The man who killed his ex-girlfriend then led authorities on Maine’s longest manhunt and a murderer who left two dead and others wounded after a two-county rampage have asked the state’s high court to reconsider their cases.
Maine is facing a nursing shortage. UMaine system unveils its plan to help.
–The University of Maine system just unveiled a wide-reaching plan to double its nursing enrollment over the next five years, adding 1,000 new slots for students wishing to pursue a nursing degree online. The move is an effort to combat what health care leaders are calling an impending workforce crisis.
It’s game time again for Jack Cosgrove
–The face of University of Maine football for nearly 25 years is gearing up for his first game as coach of Colby College. The Mules finished at the bottom of the NESCAC standings last year, but they seem energized by the coach, who is returning to sport after a two-year hiatus.
“I got worn out,” Cosgrove said of his absence. “I looked in the mirror and didn’t like what I was seeing.”
In other news…
Maine
Volunteers from Maine head into the path of Hurricane Florence
Maine emu escape artist heads to new home
‘Castle Rock’ draws to a thrilling, open-ended season finale
Bangor
The high cost of recycling is hitting these Greater Bangor communities hard
Fine performances can’t save ‘The Graduate’ from bad script
Former Maine man to serve no prison time for sex abuse in the 1980s
Business
Maine gets $431,000 for rural energy efficiency projects
Businesses face hefty cost increases as health reinsurance program goes into effect
Maine seat maker braces for another round of tariffs
Politics
Angus King says he’ll vote against Trump high court pick Kavanaugh
LePage won’t apologize to lawmaker until he gets apology
Maine GOP asks candidate to drop out amid domestic violence allegations
Opinion
The law that gives the government control of men’s bodies
How (not) to persuade a US senator
The rent is too damned high. New housing option, higher wages are part of the solution.
Sports
Blue Jackets sign former UMaine player to 2-year contract extension
A team called the Nor’easters cancels its game because of a hurricane
Midcoast soccer standout earns scholarship to play at Division II school
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