Bangor, Maine News Update: February 1, 2018

A teacher from Gardiner High School is facing charges of gross sexual assault and furnishing liquor to a minor after an alleged assault a week ago against a 16-year-old from another school. 43-year-old John Glowa Junior has also been placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.

Representative Bruce Poliquin suffered minor bruises after the Amtrak train he was riding on hit a pickup truck. The train was carrying members of Congress and their staff members to a legislative retreat in West Virginia. Police say there was one fatality in the accident and one serious injury but none of the lawmakers on the train were hurt.

A new phone scam is popping up in Maine, this time from a group calling themselves “Money grants’ who are offering grants from twenty dollars to fifty-thousand dollars. The group says it can only be contacted by text message, and demands money for administrative fees up front. The Waldo County Sheriff’s Office reminds residents to never give out any personal or financial information by phone or text.

The shuttered mill in Old Town has been bought by a joint venture that plans to redevelop it into a wood fiber complex housing multiple tenants. OTM Holdings announced yesterday that it had purchased the mill and saved it from demolition. Company officials say the building will capitalize on both the mill’s energy generation capabilities and on the surrounding forestland.

A New Englander will be playing on Super Bowl Sunday, and he’s believed to be the first one from Maine to take part. The 6-month old American Staffordshire terrier and American bulldog mix named Juniper is from Portland and will be taking part in the Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl, playing for Team Ruff.