1. All schools in MSAD 54 are closed Wednesday due to a threat made against the district on social media. Superintendent Brent Colbry said As always, the safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. This decision was made after consulting local law enforcement, who are aware of the situation and are working to determine the credibility of the threat.” (WGME)
2. Richard Daniels, of Lewiston, is facing federal charges Tuesday after more than 20 police raids around Lewiston and Auburn turned up around 100 pounds of marijuana. Daniels was operating under the cover of, but in violation of, Maine’s medical marijuana program. (WMTW)
3. Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade paid tribute to 17-year-old Stoneman Douglas shooting victim Joaquin Oliver during the Heat’s 102-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night. Oliver had been buried in Wade’s jersey. Wade had Oliver’s name written on his game shoes and went on to score 15 of Miami’s final 17 points–including a game-winning jumper with 5.9 seconds remaining. Wade explained why he choose to honor Oliver after the game, saying, “…For me, it’s just [about] giving whatever I can to people who believe in me, and especially people who were happy about me coming back here [after the trade from Cleveland earlier this month] who embrace me the way that I only can dream of with me coming back home. So just paying some due respect to him and his family tonight.” Wade also posted on social media about the game, singling out both his late agent Henry Thomas and Oliver. (ESPN)
4. Dunking a basketball is legal in high school basketball. But at question is a seldom-enforced national rule – until now, it seems – that prohibits players from grasping the rim of the basket. At least four players have been called for technicals on dunk attempts during the playoffs, creating an uproar on social media. None of the players hung on to the rim for more than a split-second or behaved in an unsportsmanlike manner. Adding to the confusion, similar dunks in the tournament and during the regular season have not drawn technical fouls. (Press Herald)
5. There’s a new social app topping the charts. Vero is the latest app hoping to draw people away from Facebook and other social media giants, and it’s doing so by promising to avoid the things users seem to dislike most: advertising and algorithm-dependent feeds. According to a manifesto published on Vero’s website, its goal is to give users a more “authentic” social experience. Vero offers tools to share photos, videos and music that address some of the problems on the other platforms, by making it easier to group friends together and adjust what you share based on those groupings. Post creation is similar to Tumblr, where users choose a post type such as link, photos, or places, and then share away. Users can group followers into categories called Loops featuring Close Friends, Friends or Acquaintances. The app is also subscription-based, so Vero’s makers promise no advertising. Vero is offering its first one million subscriptions no annual fee for life. The app has been so popular Vero, like other viral apps, is struggling to keep up with demand. (USA Today)
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