1. An explosion and fire at an Exxon Mobil oil refinery in Texas left 37 people with minor injuries, in the latest of a series of petrochemical industry blazes this year in the Houston area. The city issued a shelter in place for residents living close to the plant after the fire. (ABC News)
2. Senator Susan Collins says she’s working with the FAA to find a solution to noise complaints stemming from the Portland Jetport. Collins says people in South Portland are being woken up at night by incoming planes flying over their homes, with some even worried about how close those planes are getting to their roofs. The landing approach used at night is different than during the day and she is working on getting a new nighttime approach approved. (WGME)
3. A bill has been introduced in the Senate that aims to fight social media addiction. Republican Josh Hawley introduced the legislation called the “Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology Act” which would ban practices frequently used by top social networking sites to keep users engaged like YouTube’s Autoplay or Snapchat’s Snapstreaks. The bill gives social media companies three months to end the practices and would also require the creation of features that would let users set limits on time. (WGME)
4. National food holidays have come to dominate the calendar year round, giving companies the opportunity to pull stunts. French’s, America’s largest manufacturer of mustard, has teamed up with an L.A. based company to create yellow-mustard flavored ice cream in honor of National Mustard Day on August 3rd. It’s definitely not a flavor anyone asked for, but those at “People” Magazine say it’s “not that bad” and initially tastes like cotton candy and bubble gum before getting the tang of mustard. (People)
5. HOT SUMMER 2019 Saturday August 31 Maine Savings Pavilion At Rock Row In Westbrook starring Wiz Khalifa, A Boogie, YK Osiris, Iyla Tickets on Sale Now – Hot1047maine.com / waterfrontconcerts.com or locally at the box office located at Aura – 121 Center Street Portland.
Made Hot In Maine By the US Army. Make a difference in the world around you in the boots of a US Army soldier and gain leadership skills in one of more than 150 career fields. (Go Army)
