Bangor, Maine News Update: August 14, 2020

A man from New York, accused of killing a woman in Cherryfield, has asked a judge to make an exception to the face covering regulation at his trial. An attorney for Carine Reeves says wearing a mask could prejudice a jury, since masks are associated with crime.The attorney has also asked that Reeves not be identified by his alleged nickname 'Terror.'

The Maine CDC reports 19 new cases of COVID-19 in the state and 13 more people who have recovered. Maine’s average testing positivity rate has hit an all-time low of zero-point-six-five percent. The national average testing positivity rate is about 8 percent.

Dover-Foxcroft Police are warning parents of a possible attempted abduction of a 7-year-old girl. Officials say a white man with facial hair and a tan, driving a dark-colored Chevrolet SUV, approached the girl and tried to convince her to get in the vehicle, saying he had a package to deliver. The girl told authorities she wasn’t expecting a package and had no idea who the man was.

Multiple agencies investigated a robbery in Milford yesterday, and then worked to catch the two people suspected in the crime. A woman called 911 and said she'd been robbed at her home on Water Street. Police searched the area and found one suspect quickly, but had to rescue the second from an island when he failed at swimming across the river to escape capture.

The head of the Maine CDC says parents should take precautions as their children head back to school, including doing regular temperature checks, watching for symptoms of COVID-19, and keeping kids home if they're not feeling well. While data suggests that it's rare for children to spread the virus to adults, Dr. Nirav Shah says parents should take care of their own health, as well, including making sure they're up to date on all of their immunizations.

Downtown Bangor businesses are encouraging visitors and other store owners to continue a line of multi-colored hearts they’ve drawn on parts of Harlow and State Streets. The hearts are meant to send a message that everyone is welcome on the streets and in the shops, and are a reaction to last week’s controversial chalk messages drawn in Westmarket Square by a local religious group.