MAINE:
ICE DISK-MAINE
Back in shape: Maine’s famous spinning ice disk says hello
WESTBROOK, Maine (AP) — Maine’s rotating ice disk has begun to form again in the Presumpscot River three years after its famous first appearance in 2019. Westbrook city officials shared photos Wednesday of the formation on Facebook. Ice disks form as a result of a collection of a current and vortex underneath the ice. Ice sheets begin to spin and then shape into symmetrical circles. But ice disks this large rarely form in locations like Westbrook. A 100-yard-wide formation appeared in the river for the first time three years ago and brought international attention to Westbrook before it dissipated with the advent of warmer weather.
MARSDEN HARTLEY-PAINTING FOUND
Painting by Marsden Hartley last seen 40 years ago is found
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A painting by the American modernist Marsden Hartley that had been missing for 40 years has been found in a bank vault. Historians say it’s a big step toward recovering the works of an increasingly appreciated artist who considered himself “the painter of Maine.” “Friend Against the Wind” was completed in 1936 and was sold in 1980 to a collector who died last year. The Portland Press Herald reported Monday that the estate contacted an art historian about its location. The whereabouts of dozens of Hartley’s works are not known. The Marsden Hartley Legacy Project is working to track them all down.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LICENSE SUSPENDED
Maine doctor’s license suspended over COVID-19 claims
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A medical board in Maine has moved to suspend the license of a doctor who was accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19. Maine’s Board of Licensure in Medicine voted Tuesday to conduct a deeper investigation into Meryl Nass, of Ellsworth. Associated Press reports the board also voted to suspend her license for 30 days unless she agrees to transition to inactive status. Nass is an internist who is active in Children’s Health Defense, a group that agitates against vaccines and vaccine mandates. She didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.
WARSHIP DEPARTS
Last of new class of Navy warships departs shipyard
BATH, Maine (AP) — The last of a new class of warships has departed a Maine shipyard. The USS Lyndon B. Johnson was constructed at Bath Iron Works and departed Wednesday. It is the last in a class of three ships the U.S. Navy has described as the largest and most technologically sophisticated destroyers in its history. The ship previously left for sea trials 113 years to the day after Johnson was born. It was christened in 2019.
BODY FOUND-CAR TRUNK
Man arrested after body of woman found in truck near home
LUBEC, Maine (AP) — Police in Virginia arrested a man and charged him with murder after the body of a woman was found in the trunk of a car near his residence in Maine. Police say Wednesday that Paul DeForest of Lubec, Maine, was found at a residence in Warrenton, Virginia, after an investigation. Police in Maine said they received information on Monday that an altercation had happened at a Lubec home where 65-year-old DeForest lived with his girlfriend. They discovered the body in the car trunk after organizing a search on Tuesday.
BALLOT SECURITY
Maine considers new protections for ballots, voting machines
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The Maine Legislature will consider a proposal designed to protect its elections against interference with ballots and voting equipment. Supporters of the bill said it would clarify the chain of custody for ballots and voting machines to make sure it’s clear who is allowed to legally possess them. Democratic Rep. Teresa Pierce of Falmouth submitted the proposal, which was the subject of a public hearing on Wednesday.