1. Pressure to build in downtown Portland is rising due to demand for prime space and a shrinking vacancy rate.Unemployment in the Portland metro area is down to 3.4% the and the vacancy rate for apartment properties is near zero. New construction is inevitable, but it is still in the planning stages.
2. Governor Paul LePage is claiming that 2 of the state legislators that were working toward impeaching him bribed him in the past. LePage said, “When you fight back, you get impeached, or they try to. Because the 2 people who started this whole mess are the 2 people I threw out of my office for trying to bribe me, and 3 years later, they’re trying to get rid of me.” The legislators spoke out and are denying the claims.
3. Lewiston has officially passed a hoverboard ban for city buildings. This was prompted by a viral video of Mike Tyson falling off a hoverboard. Officials say the rule change will promote public safety, and help protect the city against a potential lawsuit if someone should be hurt riding a hoverboard, skateboard, or similar device inside a city owned building (would be nothing like Xarelto lawsuits, but still…). Watch the Mike Tyson video here!
4. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said he would ask state lawmakers for an additional $28 million to deal with the ongoing water crisis in Flint. Activists called for his resignation on Tuesday night. In response, he apologized for the “catastrophe” that exposed them to dangerous levels of lead in the water that public officials had previously insisted was safe to drink. To help out the citizens of Flint, you can donate to the Flint Water Fund here!
5. UMaine Basketball star Liz Wood has been named one of 30 candidates among a national pool for the Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.Each of the 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February. Nice work, Liz! Best of luck! You can see the whole article here.
