1. An RSU 13 bus driver has been placed on leave after the crash that killed 12-year-old Brayden Callahan in Rockland. Police say Brayden was hit Friday and later died at Maine Medical Center. Parents are questioning how the driver — who had a 2015 OUI conviction that barred him from driving a bus for 10 years — was hired. Schools are closed Monday and Tuesday as the community mourns. (WMTW)
2. New Hampshire officials say they’ve solved a 50-year-old murder, identifying Ernest Gable as the man who killed 22-year-old Judy Lord in her Concord apartment in 1975. Gable was an early suspect, but flawed FBI hair analysis wrongly cleared him. New DNA testing now definitively links him to the crime, though he died in 1987. Investigators say the findings bring long-awaited closure for Lord’s family. (WMTW)
3. Starting January 1, streaming in Maine is getting more expensive. A change in the state tax code means platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, and Amazon Prime will now be hit with Maine’s 5.5% sales tax. For a typical household with four popular subscriptions, that works out to about $3.50 more per month — roughly $43 a year. The state expects to collect around $5 million in 2026 from the new tax, rising to $14 million by 2029. (WGME)
4. A rare disturbance in the polar vortex could send frigid air toward Maine much earlier than usual. Experts say it’s a heads-up, not a guarantee, but long-range forecasts already call for below-normal temperatures across northern states from late November into mid-December. (PH)
5. Hot Radio Maine’s 13th Annual Free Turkey Giveaway is happening today at the Wells IGA (1517 Post Road). We’ll be handing out 200 free turkeys starting at 11 AM. First come, first serve. We’ve partnered with Maine Credit Unions Campaign for Ending Hunger, and That Place in Ogunquit is providing an additional 100 turkeys this year. Sides courtesy M.C. Perkins Cove will also be available, including corn, green beans, gravy, instant mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. WMTW Channel 8 will be joining us as well. (HRM)
Made Hot in Maine by the Law Offices of Joe Bornstein. Accidents happen… to be their specialty. 207-CALL-JOE or online at: joebornstein.com.
