Good morning. Temperatures will peak in the low to mid-20s with sunny skies throughout the state.
Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
Step by step, 2 women detail Maine university’s failings in their rape cases
–Two female students at the University of Maine at Farmington say the school’s response to their reported rapes only brought more trauma. They both faced committees that decided they had been sexually assaulted, but then experienced errors in the handling of their cases and saw their findings overturned in bizarre fashion.
–In one woman’s case, the school allowed her alleged attacker to remain on campus even after a committee found him responsible for sexual assaulting her and issued a two-year suspension, according to interviews and emails obtained by the Bangor Daily News.
–Then, the president of the university at the time stepped into the proceedings to entirely overturn the finding that the man sexually assaulted the woman. The president’s closing rebuke was to “strongly urge” her to seek alcohol counseling.
–The issue of sexual assault on college campuses has drawn considerable national attention, but it’s rare to see how individual schools handle cases because the process is confidential.
–The federal government is proposing big changes to how colleges handle reports of sexual assault, including granting more protections to students alleged to have committed misconduct and ease up on oversight of schools. Wednesday is the deadline for the public to submit their comments on the draft rules.
Mike Aube almost turned down the chance to work in Bangor
–But the payphone he tried to use to turn down an offer to work in Bangor didn’t work. Aube has now worked on economic development in the region for nearly 40 years. He received the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce’s lifetime achievement award Friday night.
Bangor-area school districts are dumping proficiency-based diplomas
–In the six months since lawmakers reversed course and eliminated the requirement that schools award proficiency-based diplomas, school districts in the Bangor area have largely returned to the graduation requirements they had. Requiring that all students achieve proficiency in eight subject areas before graduation was too much, district leaders say.
A community college is offering a chance for students in recovery to get a head start in college
–Eastern Maine Community College is collaborating with the Bangor Area Recovery Network to offer students in recovery from drug addiction the chance to familiarize themselves with the college campus and overcome challenges related to enrollment, financial aid and more. “Recovery is all about bettering your life and your routine,” one student said.
Artists from Maine went to the U.S.-Mexico border to put a human face on immigration
–Two midcoast artists traveled from Maine to the Arizona-Mexico border last fall to better understand the polarized national conversation about undocumented migration, the border and human compassion. “You help people who are dying,: said artist Anneli Skaar of Camden. That’s the core of what we wanted to talk about.”
January thaw doesn’t stop snocross from ripping it up at Speedway 95
–Rickie Antworth grew nervous when he and a friend came down to the Bangor area late last week, to watch hundreds of snowmobilers zip, fly and muscle their way around Speedway 95 in Hermon over the weekend.
But after organizers made a focused effort to haul snow in from around Bangor late last week and groom it into a course with banks, bumps and a large tabletop jump, Antworth was satisfied with the results.
In other news …
Maine
Former UMaine linebacker playing in NFL accused of skipping cab fare, punching police officer
2 Maine eel dealers face charges after illegal sales cut lucrative fishing season short
52-year-old man dies after Kittery mobile home destroyed by fire
Bangor
Janet Mills praises everything about Bangor but its lack of an ice disc
Ralph Lancaster, a legal giant from Bangor who practiced across the world, dies at 88
UMaine junior killed in Old Town crash had ‘desire to help others’
Business
Maine drivers aren’t just wicked bad. They’re apparently the worst.
Skyrocketing popularity of wine brand in Maine triggers lawsuit over who should sell it
What JD Irving’s 3-year hiring plan means for Maine
Politics
How Maine’s members of Congress voted last week
Mainers still have no idea when they will be able to buy recreational marijuana
Opinion
Medicaid work requirements don’t work. Mills was right to reject them.
Dental care is health care. It should be covered by health insurance.
Trust, but verify what you see on the internet
Sports
Bangor slips past Lewiston to capture ‘A’ North cheering title
Maine native wins bronze at luge world championships
UMaine men’s hockey team knocks off No. 2 Massachusetts
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