Skiing Santas back to shredding Maine slopes for charity
NEWRY, Maine (AP) — Santa is back to “sleighing” it on the slopes. More than 230 skiing and snowboarding Kris Kringle took to a western Maine resort on Sunday to raise money for charity. The Santas had taken a break last year because of the global pandemic. But this year, the jolly old St. Nicks sailed down the mountain together, in full holiday garb, including a white beard, red hat and red outfit. The Sunday River ski area’s event served as a festive kickoff to both the holiday season and the ski season while also raising several thousand dollars for a local charity.
NORTHERN MAINE-RENEWABLE ENERGY
PUC to give a boost to renewable projects in northern Maine
HALLOWELL, Maine (AP) — State regulators have begun the process of collecting proposals for a high-voltage transmission line to serve as a conduit for renewable energy projects in northern Maine. A state law required the Maine Public Utilities Commission to begin planning for a transmission capacity of at least 345 kilovolts to connect northern Maine to the New England power grid. That process began Monday with a request for proposals issued by the Maine Public Utilities Commission. Those are due March 1. A second phase of the project calls for a request for proposals for renewable energy generation projects. Those are due May 1.
CONDEMNED HOUSE FIRE
3 people died and 2 others were hurt in Sunday morning fire
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Fire officials said three people died and two others were injured early Sunday in a fire in Bangor. The blaze broke out just before 5 a.m. on Union Street near the corner of Sanford Street. No names of those killed or injured have been released. The house had been condemned and police said there were no known occupants at the time of the fire. The windows and doors of the home had been boarded up. An investigation into the fire is underway.
JONESPORT FISH FARM
Jonesport fish farm buys land, receives DEP approval
JONESPORT, Maine (AP) — A Dutch-owned firm looking to build a $110 million land-based fish farm in Jonesport has acquired property and received final permits from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The approval of the final DEP permits and the purchase of a 94-acre oceanfront parcel allows Kingfish Maine to proceed with design and engineering. The planned Jonesport fish farm is one of four large-scale fish farms proposed along Maine’s eastern coast. It is the only one that would produce yellowtail. The others plan to produce salmon.
MEAT PROCESSING-MAINE
Maine meat processors get help opening new markets
GARDINER, Maine (AP) — Meat and poultry processors in Maine are getting a boost of more than $1.3 million from the federal government. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King say the funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will help the businesses to meet packaging, labeling and food safety requirements. They say meeting those standards allows businesses to ship products across state lines and open up new markets. The grants are going to seven companies in the state.
AP-US-INDIGENOUS-HISTORY-SCALPING
Penobscots don’t want ancestors’ scalping to be whitewashed
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Most Americans know about atrocities endured by Native Americans after the arrival of European settlers — wars, disease, stolen land. Members of the Penobscot Nation in Maine want to ensure that history doesn’t whitewash one of the ugliest parts — government-sanctioned scalping by colonists. At the heart of their short film “Bounty” is a 1755 scalping proclamation that encouraged the killings of Penobscots in what’s now Maine. It was one of more than 70 bounty proclamations targeting Indigenous people in New England. The film was released in November during National Native American Heritage Month.