Bangor, Maine News Update: February 20, 2018

After a deadly weekend on the trails, The Warden Service is reminding snowmobile riders to operate at safe speeds, always been in control of their sleds, and never drink and ride. Three people were killed in two separate accidents over the weekend, including a Hermon man and his 10-year-old son. Wardens say the bouts of warm weather this winter have caused unpredictable conditions.

Union workers at the South Portland Hannaford Distribution Center say they’ll go on strike after contract negotiations broke down. The union’s three-year contract expired on Saturday and representatives told the AP that they have been unable to reach an agreement with Hannaford officials.

If you’ve noticed some increased traffic in Bangor this week, it’s because the high school basketball tournaments are back in town. Each year, families ‘make a day of it,’ eating in restaurants and doing some shopping while they’re in town for the games, which is great for the local economy. However, officials ask that drivers be patient and use caution, especially around the Cross Insurance Center.

The lobster emoji has been updated after Mainers complained it was anatomically incorrect. The proposed image, released by the Unicode Consortium, featured eight legs instead of the correct ten, causing an outcry from New Englanders. The new lobster emoji is expected to be available later this year.

A dinner in Brooksville this Saturday will benefit the family of a local Shriner who passed away recently. Ron Allen was building a house, and so his friends are raising money to help finish it and pay for his funeral expenses. The dinner will start at 5 this Saturday at the Brooksville Community Center.

Students from Mount View Middle School in Thorndike are trying to visit every state park in Maine this year, as part of the I Know ME program. Maine has 48 state parks and historic sites and the students are working their way through them as part of the Park Passport Program.