1. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows says absentee voting remains secure after a Newburgh woman reported finding hundreds of blank ballots in an Amazon package. Bellows confirmed those ballots matched the number missing from Ellsworth and says state, federal, and postal investigators — including the FBI — are on the case. She stressed the ballots can’t be used to vote and called Maine’s absentee process “open, transparent, and secure.” (WMTW)

2. The federal government remains shut down, and Senator Susan Collins says it never should’ve happened. During a stop in Portland, she outlined a six-point plan to reopen it and blamed Democrats for the stalemate. But Congresswoman Chellie Pingree fired back, saying Republicans are the ones refusing to negotiate. (WGME)

3. Portland and Augusta saw record warmth on Monday, as both cities reached a high temperature of 86 degrees. Portland’s previous record high temperature on Oct. 6 was 84 degrees, a record that stood for nearly 80 years as it was set in 1947. Monday’s high temperature in Augusta smashed the previous Oct. 6 record high of 78 degrees, which was set in 1963. In addition, Monday’s high of 86 in Augusta is the warmest on record for the city for the entire month of October. (WMTW)

4. Maine is rolling out a new electronic deer registration system to help hunters log their kills and biologists collect data more efficiently. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife plans to launch a pilot program and report back to lawmakers in January. Maine already has an online system for turkey registration. (WGME)

5. October skies come alive this week. The Draconids meteor shower brings shooting stars with cosmic debris trailing the 21P comet. The Draconids will peak this Wednesday! Look to the sky just after sunset to see up to ten meteors per hour. (SD)

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.