The development of Bayside, and a new reason to hate ticks

… meanwhile, deep in their evil subterranean headquarters, the world’s ticks cackle in unison.

Already carriers of the potentially deadly Lyme disease and Powassan virus, in addition to just being gross, now ticks have conspired to further ruin our lives by making people allergic to bacon.

Is there nothing sacred? Those little scumbags are stunningly good at twisting the knife in the back of humankind. Somehow they’re going to eliminate weekends and cat videos next.

And what ecological purpose do they serve again? We’ve managed to drive the majestic Sumatran tiger to the brink of extinction, but we can’t even keep the #$@% ticks outdoors.

Yup. Welcome to Maine: Home of bloodthirsty raccoons, great white sharks, black widow spiders and ticks.

Oh, and measles! Read on.

What we’re talking about

Hey, measles are back in Maine after 20 years. If you were up in the Farmington area between June 15 and June 19, you might want to check your vaccination history and be aware of any symptoms, like fever, rash, cough, runny nose and red eyes.

Developers have all sorts of ideas about what should be done with four acres of city-owned property in Bayside. As the Portland Press Herald reports, the city is selling six parcels as part of its efforts to move its Public Works base from that neighborhood out to Canco Road, and developers who are interested in those lots were scheduled to pitch their ideas to the City Council’s Economic Development Committee tonight. Most proposals were centered around residential uses. See a gallery of some of the concept art here.

Maine’s two U.S. senators say they’ll oppose the Obamacare replacement bill. We knew independent Angus King hated it, but Republican Susan Collins’ opposition is new and significant. The GOP can’t get it passed without the support of at least 50 of its 52 senators, and Collins has long been seen as one of the few who might be willing to break ranks. She’s now one of at least four Republicans in the Senate to come out against the bill, which the Congressional Budget Office says will leave 22 million more Americans without health insurance over the next decade.

In your daily state budget gridlock update, Gov. Paul LePage said today he expects the state government to shut down on Friday night. If no budget is in place by the start of the next fiscal year on July 1, that’s what’ll happen.

Tweet of the day

From me:

Oh yeah, I forgot to include snakes in the roll call of creatures above.

The Big Idea

The sea level is still rising. We’ve had ample evidence of this over the years, so it’s not exactly breaking news. But the latest study indicates that the sea levels are rising faster than previously thought. Here are a bunch of maps showing how much of Portland and a number of other coastal Maine communities would be under water given a one-meter rise and a six-meter rise, respectively.

Got any interesting story ideas, suggestions or links to share? Email us at jbleiberg@bangordailynews.com or skoenig@bangordailynews.com or tweet @JZBleiberg or @SethKoenig.

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