Northern Light data breach / Military plane crash monument / Brewer wastewater pollution

Rosemary Lausier, Bangor Daily News, Maine

April 23, 2021 at 7:34 AM

Apr. 23—Today is Friday. Temperatures will be in the mid-40s to high 50s from north to south, with a chance for snow and rain in the north and breezy throughout the state. Here's what we're talking about in Maine today.

Here's the latest on the coronavirus in Maine

Another Mainer has died and 403 more coronavirus cases were reported across the state on Thursday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That brings the statewide death toll to 769. Check out our COVID-19 Tracker for more information.

Bangor's Community Connector bus system is suspending its service because of a positive coronavirus case and related exposures to bus employees.

Brewer will pay $35,000 fine after clogged pump station sent wastewater into Penobscot River

The Brewer treatment plant's pumps became clogged with wet wipes, rags and other debris, sending about 1.2 million gallons of untreated wastewater into the river in 2018.

Holden brothers sue Northern Light over data breach they claim left them vulnerable to identity theft

The brothers claims Northern Light violated Maine law by sharing personal health care information with a South Carolina company for fundraising purposes without prior permission.

Monument honoring US soldiers lost in 1962 plane crash to be unveiled in Columbia Falls

In 1962, 107 soldiers, including three Mainers, lost their lives in a mysterious plane crash in the Pacific Ocean.

23 Mainers file long-awaited lawsuit claiming public ownership of intertidal land

The case holds that beach land between the high-water and low-water marks should be available for public use, which conflicts with a 1987 court ruling that stripped the public's right to beaches throughout the state for harvesting and recreation.

CEO behind Jackson Lab's massive growth to step down in February

Edison Liu, 69, guided The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor through huge growth, including an in-progress $240 million mouse reproduction facility in a former Lowe's in Ellsworth.

Bill would allow limited Sunday hunting in Maine

"The basic premise of this bill is recognizing that individuals should have the right hunt on their own property on Sunday and the right to grant permission to others," said Republican state Sen. Jeff Timberlake of Turner, who is sponsoring one of the bills.

ND Paper starts recycled pulp production line in Old Town

ND Paper said Thursday that it has started an unbleached recycled pulp line at its Old Town mill that will produce 200 metric tons of pulp a day and create 20 jobs.

Caribou woman hopes adaptive training will help her earn another US parabobsled team berth

Tammy Landeen, 44, expects to be even better prepared for the World Cup than she was for her debut in international bobsledding two years ago, thanks to an intensive, 10-day training camp she recently completed with the Adaptive Training Foundation near Dallas.

In other Maine news...

Old Orchard Beach woman accused of selling fentanyl throughout York County

2 men indicted in fatal 2012 shooting on Portland street

Buxton man accidentally hit and killed his ex-wife outside her home, police say

Maine is offering $500K in grants to grow clean-energy jobs

Westbrook man accused of drunken driving after driving wrong way up I-295

Rockland gives final OK to $19.5 million nursing home

Maine home sales rise again, showing no signs of subsiding

Associated Press
Colorado GOP chair's embrace of Trump tactics splits party as he tries to boost his own campaign
At a recent primary debate, congressional candidate Dave Williams took the microphone and unleashed the same MAGA arguments that vaulted him from a former state representative to chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. “Right now we have a battle for the soul of our party,” Williams said. Williams' zeal and deployment of former President Donald Trump's combative style of politics as state pary chairman has riven the Colorado GOP, reflecting the Trump-shaped rift in the national Republican Party.
NBC News
Trump falsely claims he won Minnesota in 2020
Former President Donald Trump reiterated a false claim on Friday that he won Minnesota in 2020, despite Democratic candidates carrying it for over 40 years.
Associated Press
Malaysia minister says terror suspect who killed 2 police officers acted on his own
The young man who attacked a Malaysian police station and killed two officers was a recluse and believed to have acted on his own, despite suspected links to the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group, the country's home minister said Saturday. The man stormed a police station in southern Johor state near Singapore in the early hours of Friday with a machete. Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution called it a “lone wolf attack,” based on the initial investigation, and said there was no threat to the wider public.
Associated Press
It was once a center of Islamic learning. Now Mali's historic city of Djenné mourns lack of visitors
Kola Bah used to earn a living as a tour guide in Mali's historic city of Djenné, once a center of Islamic learning known for the sprawling mud-brick mosque that has been on the UNESCO World Heritage in Danger list since 2016. The Grand Mosque of Djenné — the world’s largest mud-brick building — used to draw tens of thousands of tourists to central Mali every year.
Reuters
Donald Trump falsely tells supporters he won Minnesota in 2020
Donald Trump falsely claimed on Friday that he won the 2020 presidential election in Minnesota and he said he would win this year in the state that has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate in over 50 years. During an address to the Minnesota Republican Party's annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner in St. Paul, Trump repeated the unfounded claim that the last presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden, a Democrat, was tainted by widespread fraud. "I know we won (Minnesota) in 2020," Trump said to applause.
Associated Press
Even with school choice, some Black families find options lacking decades after Brown v. Board
Since first grade, Julian Morris, 16, has changed schools six times, swinging between predominantly white and predominantly Black classrooms. At predominately Black schools, he felt more supported as a Black student, but his mother, Denita Dorsey, said they didn't have the same resources and academic opportunities. Seventy years after the Supreme Court ruled separating children in schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional, Dorsey said the options available to her family in Michigan are disappointing.
AFP
Ineos drives towards hydrogen car future
At a sprawling vehicle test centre in the English countryside, a hydrogen-powered Grenadier 4x4 made by Ineos Automotive grips steep and rugged tracks, showcasing its off-road capabilities. Calder spoke from the UTAC vehicle test centre in Millbrook, a village north of London, where the hydrogen-powered vehicle quietly navigated dusty sharp bends and other obstacles.
Associated Press
For decades, states have taken foster children's federal benefits. That's starting to change
By the time Jesse Fernandez turned 18, the federal government had paid out thousands of dollars in Social Security survivor's benefits because of the death of his mother. The money had all been used by Missouri's foster care system or relatives responsible for his care. “I was shocked,” said Jason White, a foster parent to Fernandez.
Associated Press
Widespread power outages from deadly Houston storm raise new risk: hot weather
As the Houston area works to clean up and restore power to thousands after deadly storms, it will do so Saturday under a smog warning and as all of southern Texas starts to feel the heat. The National Weather Service in Houston warned that with temperatures hitting around 90 degrees (32.2 C) this weekend, people should know the symptoms of heat exhaustion. Fierce storms Thursday with winds of up to 100 mph (161 kph) blew out windows downtown, while a tornado touched down near the the northwest Houston suburb of Cypress.
Associated Press
Donald Trump will address the NRA in Texas. He's called himself the best president for gun owners
Former President Donald Trump is expected to address thousands of members of the National Rifle Association in Texas a day after campaigning in Minnesota in the midst of his hush money trial. Trump has pledged to continue to defend the Second Amendment and has called himself “the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House” as the country faces record numbers of deaths due to mass shootings.
Associated Press
Here's how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could make the first debate stage under stringent Biden-Trump rules
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long argued that the biggest hurdle of his presidential campaign is the perception that independent candidates can't win. With a famous name and a loyal base, Kennedy has the potential to do better than any third-party presidential candidate since Ross Perot in the 1990s. Both the Biden and Trump campaigns, who fear he could play spoiler, bypassed the nonpartisan debate commission and agreed to a schedule that leaves Kennedy very little time to qualify for the first debate.
Associated Press
Noncitizen voting, already illegal in federal elections, becomes a centerpiece of 2024 GOP messaging
The other says it’s a dangerous distraction meant to seed doubts ahead of this year's presidential election. In recent months, the specter of immigrants voting illegally in the U.S. has erupted into a leading election-year talking point for Republicans. Voting by noncitizens already is illegal in federal elections and there is no indication it’s happening anywhere in significant numbers.
Associated Press
Landslide forces closure of iconic Southern California chapel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's son
A decades-old landslide that’s rapidly accelerating has forced the dismantling of Wayfarers Chapel, an iconic Southern California church that was designed by one of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright's sons and built among soaring redwoods and sweeping Pacific Ocean views. The earth beneath the chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes is moving an unprecedented 2 feet (61 centimeters) or more each month. “It’s actually dangerous to even walk on the grounds now because everything is breaking,” the Rev. Dan Burchett, the chapel’s executive director, told The Associated Press on Thursday.
CNN
Britain’s election campaign hasn’t started yet, but the mudslinging is well underway
When British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak addressed the nation on Monday, he seemed tetchy and tired.
CNN
Hats and gloves come out as coldest May since 1950 grips Chile’s capital region
Straphangers at bus stops clutch steaming coffees and huddle for warmth. On the horizon, views of the Andes are as spectacular as ever, their snow-capped peaks gleaming extra bright after an early season storm
Politico
Trump attacks Biden and CNN over debates during Minnesota GOP event
During the Friday night speech, Trump also railed against the multiple criminal cases he’s facing.
Reuters
Philippines to vigorously defend territory, president says
MANILA (Reuters) -Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Saturday the country will "vigorously defend what is ours", in a thinly veiled reference to mounting tensions with China over maritime disputes. The conduct against intruders disrespecting Philippine territorial integrity will be guided by law and the responsibility as a rules-abiding member of the international community, Marcos said in a speech to graduating military cadets. "Against intruders who have been disrespecting our territorial integrity, we will vigorously defend what is ours," Marcos said.
NBC News
Students speak out on Harrison Butker's 'uncomfortable' commencement address
Harrison Butker’s commencement speech left some at Benedictine College outraged after the Kansas City Chiefs kicker encouraged women to become homemakers.
AFP
Death toll from Texas storm rises to 7
The death toll from severe weather that lashed the Texas city of Houston has risen to seven, authorities said Friday.The three additional deaths came after Houston, the fourth-largest US city, was hit Thursday by heavy rain and winds up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour, leaving downtown streets covered in glass from blown-out windows.
CNN
Crockett slams Greene as ‘racist’ following contentious House committee meeting
Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett criticized Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling her “racist,” following a tense House Oversight markup Thursday evening that quickly devolved into personal attacks.

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