1. Snowboarder Shaun White made Olympic history Wednesday morning when he won the U.S. its 100th gold medal in the history of the Winter Games. White started off strong with a score of 94.25 in his first run of the men’s halfpipe event, but uncharacteristically fell during his second run. While White sat in second place ahead of his third and final run, he answered with a half-dozen flawless tricks–including back-to-back 1440s, a trick he never landed in competition before the finals. When White’s score of 97.75 was posted, he immediately broke down in tears. (ESPN)
2. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski posed for photos and met with children at Portland’s Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital on Tuesday. Gronkowski dropped off a donation check for $25,000 with his father and two brothers as part of their family business, Gronk Nation. (Press Herald)
3. A fired-up Gov. Paul LePage delivered his final State of the State address to a joint session of the Maine Legislature on Tuesday night. LePage went on to speak for nearly 90 minutes in an address that touched on a broad range of subjects. They include trying to force nonprofit land trusts to pay fees in place of the property taxes from which they are exempt, and promoting a bill that would protect the elderly from foreclosure on their homes when they cannot pay their property taxes. (Press Herald)
4. The Valentine’s Day Bandit has once again plastered the city of Portland with paper hearts. It’s a tradition that dates back to 1976. No one knows who the anonymous person is, but each year, in the dark of night, he or she tapes paper hearts on store fronts in the downtown and Old Port areas. (WMTW)
5. For the first time in 73 years, Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday fall on the same day (February 14). This confluence has many devout Catholics feeling conflicted, as Ash Wednesday is one of two days on the religion’s calendar where “fasting and abstinence are required,” notes Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo, New York. (NY Times)
Made Hot in Maine by Job Corps! Job Corps offers housing and FREE career training classes to those who qualify! (Job Corps)
