Good morning. Temperatures will be in the mid-20s to the high 30s from north to south with mostly sunny skies throughout the state.
Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
Mud season is here, and it’s bad
–Freedom Selectman Steve Bennett is no stranger to hearing complaints about the town’s dirt roads in mud season. This year, though, the roads have seemed muddier and tempers more frayed than usual.
Public health authorities are looking for people in Bangor who may have handled a rabid bat
–The live bat was found in the vicinity of the Shaw House, the youth shelter located at Union and First streets in Bangor. Several people in the Bangor area handled the rabid bat with their bare hands last weekend, and public health authorities are seeking the public’s help in identifying those who might have handled it. They likely need rabies post-exposure shots.
Mexico’s largest non-denominational Christian church has sent missionaries to Maine
–The tiny congregation in Bangor gathers daily in a space previously occupied by a bank next to a Hannaford supermarket near the Bangor Mall. Followers of La Luz del Mundo are expected to pray multiple times a day and to attend a daily worship service with the congregation. Men and women sit in separate sections of churches, and only men preach and serve in the church hierarchy.
More than 150 attended a Friday vigil for victims of the New Zealand mosque shootings
–The 45-minute vigil was held at the Islamic Center of Maine in Orono. Members from two Bangor synagogues and the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, an Orono town councilor, and a dozen or so others expressed sympathy for and solidarity with Muslims who live, work and attend school in northern Maine. “What a terrible thing it is that this is what brings us together,” Mary-Anne Saxl of Bangor’s Congregation Beth El.
Here’s what you can plant before the last frost
–Certain cold-hardy plants can survive a light or moderate frost and prosper even if spring temperatures have not quite stabilized. These plants can thrive in cold soil temperatures, compared to their later season counterparts that need a warmer growing medium.
A temp agency will fill a vacant downtown Bangor storefront
–Based in Londonderry, New Hampshire, Complete Labor & Staffing plans to move into 81 Main St., filling a storefront that has been empty for the past year. The space has seen a number of different tenants over the years, including a number of retail stores and, from 2013 through early 2018, the Maine Holistic Center, a community wellness center.
Taste this: Maine Maple Sunday celebrates the state’s sweetest treat
–Sugarhouses around the state opened to the public over the weekend to sample myriad maple products, including syrup, popcorn, whoopie pies and ice cream.
In other news …
Maine
Body of Westbrook man killed in Arkansas gas station holdup returned to Maine
Maine’s new education chief pushes back against mandates, pressure from businesses
Machias delays decision on where to put Down East vocational center, risking $2M grant
Bangor
New auditorium, track and classrooms could be part of $16M in Orono school upgrades
Brewer High students experience the split-second decisions police make daily
For Bangor MMA fighter, UFC is a goal worth pursuing
Business
Maine hospital tests heart procedure that could eliminate surgery
Maine home prices rise, though the number of sales slips in February
Maine’s unemployment rate remained low in February
Politics
Susan Collins brings Ben Carson to Maine
A revived ‘red flag’ bill could prompt the biggest gun control debate in Maine this year
Bill would require owners to help victims when their dogs attack
Opinion
More lawmakers should support decriminalizing prostitution
Maine should bet on sports gambling, eventually
I don’t always agree with Susan Collins. But she has my vote.
Sports
NC State ends UMaine’s season in first round of NCAA women’s tournament
Fort Kent driver finishes two laps down in NASCAR Truck Series race
Chris Sale, Red Sox agree to deal adding $145 million from 2020-24
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