Good evening from the BDN Portland office on Congress Street.
More on that insect feces later on.
There’s a lot of news nuggets to paw through tonight and I have nothing additionally witty or interesting to say, so let’s jump right into the headlines, shall we?
What we’re talking about
Portland’s new pro hockey team narrowed down its name choices to five. The minor league team scheduled to start play in Portland in 2018 took public suggestions from July 20 through Aug. 14, and unveiled its five top choices today. They are the Mariners, the Watchmen, the Wild Blueberries, the Lumberjacks and the Puffins. Fans are invited to vote on which one they like the best on the team website.
A new class action lawsuit is claiming that Poland Spring is a “colossal fraud” which has been selling groundwater instead of spring water. “The claims made in the lawsuit are without merit,” said a spokesperson for parent company Nestle Waters. “Poland Spring is 100 [percent] spring water.”
A Portland school teacher and education software company founder announced he’ll run against U.S. Sen. Angus King. Zak Ringelstein co-founded UClass, a digital content management service for schools. Now he’s the first Democrat to challenge the independent King, criticizing the former governor for not more forcefully condemning President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the racist, neo-Nazi demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend.
Gov. Paul LePage did speak out about those white nationalist demonstrations in Charlottesville. The governor had been among few prominent politicians in the country to be silent on the matter until this morning, when during his weekly radio interview he said he “despises” white supremacists, but laid blame for the violence that took place in Charlottesville on both the racist groups and the counter-protesters who turned out against them.
LePage’s comments echoed those made by Trump previously, which have been widely denounced as being too easy on the racist groups who gathered in Virginia. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called on the president to “give a very strong statement that removes any question about where he stands.” Collins, who spoke today during a visit to an L.L. Bean manufacturing facility in Lewiston, added that Trump’s previous comments sent “the wrong message at a time when we need leadership.”
A Portland doctor and another from Sanford have been placed on probation by the state board overseeing physicians’ licenses. Earlier in August, the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine placed Dr. Malathy Sundaram and Dr. Catherine Crute on probation as part of agreements to resolve complaints against their medical licenses, the BDN’s Jake Bleiberg reports.
Tweet of the day
From Discover Magazine:
The Big Idea
Smithsonian magazine has this report on “how insect poop could solve all of our problems.” My first reaction is that Smithsonian’s headline writers maybe don’t quite understand my problems. After giving the report a read, I now know that the feces of certain bugs exhibits bacteria-fighting qualities that could have medicinal purposes in the future. I’m not sure that covers all of my problems, but I guess it’s sort of helpful.
Got any interesting story ideas, suggestions or links to share? Email Jake Bleiberg at jbleiberg@bangordailynews.com or skoenig@bangordailynews.com, or tweet @JZBleiberg or @SethKoenig.
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Feature photo: http://maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com/Finger-Viewing-Girl-Beetle-Dung-Beetle-Palm-Hand-1422370
