1. Mainers will head to the polls today to vote on four referendum issues along with several local questions. Polls are open in most cities and towns starting between 7 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. with closing times around 8 p.m. Question #1 – Casino in Wells? Supporters – New Jobs, Economic Growth, Tax Relief. Opponents – ads are misleading, and fear that Shawn Scott will build the casino and sell it, like he did in Bangor in 2003. PORTLAND – A controversial “rent control” proposal is catching a lot of attention. Supporters – help with Portland’s affordable housing crisis, and support the renters who make up 60 percent of the city. Opponents – rent control will discourage the development of affordable housing, make it nearly impossible to remove dangerous tenants, and will favor high-income earners. LEWISTON/AUBURN – The Lewiston/Auburn merger. If passed, Lewiston and Auburn would merge to become Maine’s largest city. The merger would happen by 2020. Supporters – merger would make L/A a powerful force in the state, would give the cities one economic vision, and eliminate competition. Opponents – the merger would destroy history, cost too much money, and not solve any problems. (WCSH)
2. Central Maine Power Co. has replaced 1,416 utility poles broken in a wind storm that tore through Maine and cut off power to almost half a million customers more than a week ago. CMP expected to restore power to all but 2,000 customers by Monday night, and get the rest back up by Tuesday night. The 2017 storm marked the largest number of broken poles for CMP since 1998, when the company replaced about 2,600 after a historic ice storm. (PH)
3. American Airlines will begin nonstop flights from Portland International Jetport to New York City in April. The company will offer twice-daily service between Portland and LaGuardia Airport on 50-seat jets, according to a statement from the Jetport on Monday. (PH)
4. Kyrie Irving scored 35 points, Jayson Tatum added 21 and the Boston Celtics held off the Atlanta Hawks 110-107 Monday night for their ninth straight victory. Celtics: Host the Lakers on Wednesday night. (ESPN)
5. Are you having problems typing the letter “I” on your iPhone? Here’s a workaround. 1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. 2. Tap +. 3. For Phrase, type an upper-case “I”. For Shortcut, type a lower-case “i.” (BF)
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