Good morning. Temperatures will be in the mid-30s today.
Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
The company that wants to put a salmon farm in Belfast sweetened its offer
–Nordic Aquafarms has offered to help underwrite the purchase and conservation of an 80-acre tract that’s used for hiking, dog walking and other recreational pursuits.
Women who work at the State House say Maine still has a way to go in its efforts to reduce sexual harassment there
–A new law mandates training, but women who work as lobbyists and legislators were frustrated by many aspects of the training and hope it leads to further dialogue and better recognition of the nuanced power legislator-lobbyist power dynamic that could open both parties to harassment.
Penobscot County sends $65M jail plan back to the drawing board in search of cheaper option
–Penobscot County is going back to the drawing board with its proposal for a new or expanded jail in Bangor, weeks after the county’s three commissioners backed a plan to build a new, 300-inmate jail to replace the current one at an estimated cost of $65 million.
Allen’s Coffee Brandy has lost its top spot in Maine liquor sales
–Fireball Cinnamon Whisky is now the most lucrative brand of booze in Maine, having outsold Allen’s by half a million dollars in 2018. It’s the latest milestone in a steep climb up the ladder for Fireball, which saw its sales grow swiftly after a 2007 rebrand and subsequent aggressive marketing push.
MPA panel’s proposal pushes Maine one step closer to eight-person football in 2019
–A tentative plan calls for three divisions of 11-player football and two classes for the eight-person game. The final proposal won’t go forward until schools decide, before Jan. 25, which to pursue.
6 ways to survive this cold winter in Greater Bangor
–The BDN’s Emily Burnham puts together a highly varied list of stuff to do in Greater Bangor to keep you occupied, happy and healthy for the next six weeks — at least until it starts staying light out past 5 p.m.
Do this: Go ice skating in Ellsworth
–With its northwest end in the town of Dedham and its southeast end in Ellsworth, Green Lake covers about 3,000 acres. And though our natural tendency was to skate out, away from the shore, the further we skated, the rougher the ice seemed to get. And while neither of us know much about how ice forms, we surmised that the bumpy pattern may have formed due to the wind.
In other news …
Maine
Onlookers share theories, find meaning in giant Maine ice disc
Rash of snowmobile crashes prompts call for riders to slow down, use caution
Newly released list of priests accused of sex abuse includes 9 with Maine ties
Bangor
Traffic patterns will soon change on one of Greater Bangor’s busiest roads
Clifton man arrested in connection with live-in girlfriend’s death
Old Town-Orono hockey player hospitalized in Boston with infection
Business
How the shutdown is affecting small business loans in Maine
Chick-fil-A food truck gets approval to come to Maine
Connecticut lobster plant closure could shift jobs to Maine
Politics
The big changes Randall Liberty would make as head of Maine’s prisons
Mills continues to chip away aggressively at LePage’s legacy
Golden named to House Armed Services Committee
Opinion
Maine Community College System an integral part of Maine’s workforce equation
My weekend with ‘The Deplorables’
Sports
UMaine men’s basketball team hosts Hartford eyeing second straight win
UMaine women’s basketball team visits Hartford in clash of AE unbeatens
Bangor’s star goalie sidelined; freshman to start against No. 1 Lewiston
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