Good morning. Temperatures today will be in the high 30s to the high 50s from north to south and raining throughout the state.
Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
Maine cities think about chalking tires after court rules it’s unconstitutional
–After a federal court in Michigan ruled Monday that it’s unconstitutional for cities and towns to put chalk marks on tires to enforce parking time limits, some municipalities in Maine may be looking into alternative methods to enforce parking limits this summer.
Maine’s volatile vaccination debate appears headed to a climax
–The Maine House of Representatives voted to advance a bill that would eliminate nonmedical exemptions for school vaccination mandates in Maine. All but three Republicans opposed the measure, but majority Democrats prevailed. The bill now moves to the Senate. Gov. Janet Mills supports the bill.
The Bangor City Council took up chickens, gun ranges and parking garage updates
–The city said no to allowing backyard chickens in residential areas and yes to allowing indoor commercial firing ranges. Meanwhile, the city has also found a contractors to undertake a major redesign of the downtown parking garage — something the city didn’t manage to do last year when it first put out a request for bids from contractors to do the work.
A former state legislator was sentenced to 10 years in prison for bilking elderly widows
–A superior court judge called Robert Kenneth Lindell Jr.’s offenses “the worst theft” he’s ever seen. He was found guilty in November of fraud and tax evasion after he drained more than $3 million from the estate of the Belfast widow and stole about $300,000 from a woman in France. Lindell, formerly of Frankfort, served one term in the Maine House about 15 years ago.
‘Coastal Chaos’ means it’s time for roller derby in midcoast Maine
–Maine’s only roller derby tournament recognized by the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association kicks off on Friday in Rockport and will roll through the weekend. Eight teams from across New England and Canada will compete in the benefit event this year.
Maine took a step closer to banning the use of Native American imagery for school mascots and team names
–All but one of the House Democrats, joined by two Republicans, voted Tuesday for a Portland representative’s bill that would ban the use of Native American names, imagery and mascots in Maine public schools. That bill also heads to the Senate and has won the governor’s support.
Do this: Go forest bathing
–A form of wilderness therapy developed in Japan, Shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing” has caught on in the United States in recent years as more people are turning to the outdoors to bolster their health and overall well being. In general, the practice involves walking slowly or sitting in the forest, opening your senses to your surroundings and consciously seeking connections to nature. In Maine, the most forested state in the country, this practice is especially easy to pursue.
In other news…
Maine
3 takeaways following Acadia’s accidental release of patient names
Rising water level forces officials to close Aroostook County bridge
Six accused of smuggling LSD and Suboxone into Maine jail
Bangor
Bangor will allow indoor gun ranges
Ex-customs officer’s child porn was needle in ‘haystack’ of adult porn, lawyer says
Emera Maine is withdrawing its request for a rate increase
Business
Job cuts expected at major Belfast employer
Company eyes adding sports complex to 500-acre Scarborough Downs project
Maine has waited 2 years for guidelines for legal marijuana sales. Here are the draft rules.
Politics
Jared Golden asks feds to delay fishing restrictions that aim to protect whales
Maine lawmakers want a say in latest effort to revamp services for at-risk children
Common ground remains elusive on Maine’s latest gun-control effort
Opinion
Want to lower Maine’s tax burden? Don’t forget to consider raising incomes.
Gaming the college admissions system
When will this ungodly episode in American history end?
Sports
All-Maine forward plans to continue basketball career at Vermont
Bangor poised for change to Class A football alignment
Channel 5’s Tim Throckmorton, the longest-serving TV sportscaster in Maine, retires after 39 years
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