Good morning. Temperatures will be in the mid-20s to the high 30s from north to south with sunny skies throughout the state.
Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
A former Maine man has won a $1.8 million judgment after enduring ‘a living nightmare’ in discredited rape case
–Nearly 12 years after his then-wife accused him of rape and assault, a former Gouldsboro resident has been awarded nearly $1.77 million in damages against a friend of his ex-wife who testified against him at two trials. Vladek Filler eventually was exonerated of the allegations after being found innocent of all but one of the charges at two trials. A judge later vacated the remaining charge.
MDI High School will have more than 1,300 solar panels installed on its roof
–Through an arrangement with Sundog Solar of Searsport, the island high school will purchase power generated by the panels from the solar company for roughly six years and then will have the option to purchase the array. The arrangement will allow the school district to purchase power at a reduced rate, and Emera Maine will credit the school for excess power that goes into the grid.
Maine’s 2019 eel fishing season set to begin as state cracks down on criminal activity
–Maine’s elver fishermen are preparing for a new season of catching the valuable baby eels that are in demand in eastern Asia. But the fishery was shut down early in Maine last year, so regulators are trying new approaches to more closely monitor Maine’s elver catch to make sure the state doesn’t go above a federally set quota.
An apothecary and natural salon are the two newest additions to downtown Bangor
–One of the businesses will fill the storefront left open by Specialty Sweets’ downtown location in January. Both focus on natural options for health, wellness and beauty.
From a rural Irish village to Vietnam war hero: How a ‘Magnificent Bastard’ from County Mayo is getting his name on a Bath-built ship
–Patrick Gallagher left the County Mayo village of Ballyhaunis for a better life in the United States. He later enlisted in the Marines and joined a machine gun team that fought on the front lines in Vietnam. He received a Navy Cross for valor after saving fellow Marines from a Viet Cong grenade attack in 1966, but his “luck of the Irish” ran out and he died not long thereafter. More than half a century later, that valor is being honored with a new destroyer being being built at Bath Iron Works that will bear his name.
A methodist church has bought two buildings at the former Verso Paper mill site
–The sale of the closed mill’s fitness center and a smaller former mill credit union building on the same lot caps several years of struggle as the church sought to replace its deteriorating Franklin Street building. Congregants plan to celebrate the move on Palm Sunday.
Dover-Foxcroft hospital officials say merger with Northern Light is crucial for its survival
–The merger agreement negotiated between Mayo Regional Hospital and Northern Light Health would only obligate Northern Light to operate the rural hospital for five years after the merger.
In other news …
Maine
Thorndike voters approve municipal fire department after all but 1 member of volunteer crew quit
Presque Isle standoff ends in murder-suicide, state police say
Charges dropped against Waterville man who allegedly threatened Google
Bangor
Suspected pepper spray sends Bangor theater audience into coughing fit
Young inventor hopes to join growing list of patent holders from Maine
Man recounts ‘fight for my life’ after being taken away in garbage truck
Business
Unemployment rate nudges up in Maine metro areas
LL Bean revenue rises so employees will get bonus
Boston firm makes offer to buy Saddleback ski resort
Politics
Maine lawmakers push for new study that could delay permits for $1B CMP project
How Maine’s members of Congress voted last week
Angus King wants to make it illegal for non-dairy products, like soy or almond, to be labeled ‘milk’
Opinion
A symbolic but important Republican rebuke of Trump’s border emergency
Root causes and solutions of Central American migration
In sickness and in health in Augusta
Sports
UMaine beats Hartford to win second straight America East women’s basketball title
UMaine baseball team claims first victory of the season
UMaine again knocked out of Hockey East quarterfinals
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