Good morning. Temperatures today will be in the 50s with cloudy skies throughout the state.
Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
How Central Maine Power failed its customers and still increased profits
–Central Maine Power ranked dead last among 85 utilities for business customer satisfaction last year, at the same time that its net income increased 88 percent over 2007 levels. The Bangor Daily News reviewed hundreds of pages of documents, and interviewed current and former employees, regulators and customers to understand the specific decisions that led the company to this point.
DOT delays paving work in Brewer as construction costs shoot past estimates
–A mile-long stretch of Route 15 in South Brewer was scheduled to be repaved this summer, until unexpectedly high bids from firms interested in doing the work forced a state agency to put the project on hold. The DOT estimated the work would cost about $1.3 million, according to a DOT document outlining its revisions to construction plans. But the lowest bid that came in for the joint paving project was for $2.1 million.
Bangor Savings Bank is adding branches — and jobs — in central Maine
–A new branch in Auburn is due to open in December or January. The branch will be home to about 10 new hires when it opens, and will have up to 13 people when it is fully built out. Bank executives are exploring options for another central Maine location.
This veteran hunter knows how to talk turkey
–Brhaun Parks of Glenburn has spent decades in and around the Maine woods hunting turkeys. Here he reproduces the sounds that will help Mainers fill their tags during the spring season.
This bed sheet developed at UMaine could change how doctors detect Alzheimer’s
–Covered with a hypoallergenic white sheet, the bed in the middle of Activas Diagnostics’ Orono office isn’t an unusual bed. However, a look under the sheet reveals a thin layer of fabric with something resembling laminated plastic squares attached to it. This piece of fabric is the culmination of 10 years of research and development by two University of Maine professors, and it has the potential to detect early cognitive impairment. It could be an alternative to using a sleep lab to diagnose the condition.
Gouldsboro residents will take a vote on disbanding their police department
–As residents prepare to weigh in on the future of their police force of two full-time officers, the police chief’s job performance has entered the discussion. “It’s not about the budget,” resident Avery Scott said. “Not totally.”
This comes after a Monday night meeting in which residents of Thomaston said that they would rather pay higher taxes than lose their own police department. They will vote on the matter this June.
Marissa Kennedy’s mother is headed back to court
–Attorneys for Sharon Carrillo, who along with her husband Julio Carrillo is accused of beating the 10-year-old to death in February 2018, will be back in court on Thursday and Friday to argue that statements she made to investigators after the child’s death should be not be used as evidence during a trial.
Do this: Go hike Seaward Mills Stream Conservation Area in Vassalboro
–The easy trail is about 0.7 mile long and travels over fairly even terrain. The most challenging part of the hike is staying on trail because the blue blazes that mark it are spaced far apart in some areas. But you’ll be rewarded with unfurling ferns, songbirds and other delightful signs of spring along the way.
In other news…
Maine
Maine will provide records on Long Creek suicide attempts to advocacy group
Judge finds Maine woman guilty of murdering 4-year-old Kendall Chick
Passamaquoddy police chief charged with emptying fellow elver fisherman’s net
Bangor
‘Fiery crash’ kills 1 person on Interstate 95 in Hampden
2 electric vehicle charging stations open to the public at Cross Insurance Center
Penobscot County wants a design firm for a new, 300-bed jail
Business
Portland wants to ban new restaurants and shops from its waterfront
Maine’s lobster marketing group has a new leader
7 towns approve Dover-Foxcroft hospital’s proposed merger with Northern Light Health
Politics
What ‘Medicare for all’ could mean for Maine hospitals
Maine Senate endorses ban on Native American school mascots
Maine aims to fortify internet privacy protections that Congress weakened
Opinion
Courts are holding back the worst policies in US
Red flag laws can help to reduce suicide
Bruce Poliquin misunderstands why voters are angry
Sports
UMaine safety rewarded with full scholarship after a career of outstanding play
Former star UMaine guard headed to University of Portland as grad transfer
Inspector in Robert Kraft case says she saw evidence of trafficking
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