Maine considers new screening to protect baby health
FALMOUTH, Maine (AP) — Maine might begin mandating screening for a virus to try to protect the hearing and health of newborns in the state. A bill introduced on Wednesday would require screening for cytomegalovirus, which is also known as CMV. Bill sponsor Sen. Cathy Breen, a Falmouth Democrat, said the screening would be required for all newborns in the state who fail two hearing tests. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website that one out of five babies with congenital cytomegalovirus will have symptoms or long-term health problems, such as hearing loss.
PUBLIC POWER REFERENDUM
Referendum on public power may not make 2022 ballot
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A referendum to change Maine’s primary utility company into a quasi-public agency is potentially tabled until 2023 because organizers indicated they may not have the necessary signatures before the deadline to make the November ballot. The Bangor Daily News reported on Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for groups to garner signatures from registered Maine voters. They would need to submit more than 63,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office by the Jan. 31 deadline. A delay could sap momentum from a recent vote to halt a proposed $1 billion Central Maine Power electric line.
ODD-ICE DISK-MAINE
Cool new disk: Spinning ice drawing chilly gawkers again
WESTBROOK, Maine (AP) — A swirling disk of ice on a Maine river is drawing onlookers in the heart of winter once again. The disk has formed in the Presumpscot River in Westbrook. A handful of dog-walkers and onlookers stopped to gaze at the curious ice formation on a chilly Thursday morning around dawn. The disk drew fans from around the globe when it first appeared in the river in 2019. It also partially formed in 2020.
POLICE DOG BITE
Footage shows police K-9 attack that led to $325K settlement
YORK, Maine (AP) — A Maine town has released video footage of a man being subdued by a police dog at a traffic stop. The 2019 episode led to a $325,000 settlement for the driver, Stephen Brennan, who sued the town of York. The Portsmouth Herald reported the details of the settlement earlier this month. Seacoast Media Group, which includes the Herald, used a public records request to obtain the video footage. York officials released it late Wednesday. The dashcam footage appears to show Brennan had begun to comply with police officer Jonathan Rogers’ command to get on the ground when the dog rushed forward and bit Brennan.
AP-US-ODD-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.