The federal government shut down won’t directly affect most Mainers but will result in some federal employees being furloughed until it’s over. Those who continue working will have to wait to be paid until the government reopens. The mail will be delivered and welfare benefits paid, but anyone wishing to sign up for benefit will have to wait.

Fort Kent police are investigating the death of a 25-year-old Allagash man whose body was found near a snowmobile trail near Pleasant Street. Police say it appears that Cody Allen Bennett was walking along the trail when he became disoriented and that exposure to the elements likely contributed to his death.

The town manager of Jackman says he’s expecting to be fired after his white segregationist views were made public but that he has no intention of quitting. Tom Kawczynski says his beliefs don’t interfere with his job while the town lawyer clarified that the town manager’s beliefs do not reflect those of the town selectmen or the community.

When only five percent of participants in a new cybersecurity training program were female, the company that created it started an offshoot called Girls Go Cyber Start. The program that uses online games of discovery aims to introduce high school girls to the field, which is poised for job growth in the coming years.

A Bangor group that works as an advocacy group for marginal communities is collecting blankets and sleeping bags at its Pine Street office that will be given to folks in need of some relief from the cold. Health Equity Alliance works with a variety of groups, including AIDS patients and people dealing with drug addictions. Find more information at Maine health equity dot org.

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