Bangor, Maine News Update: January 29, 2021

The Maine CDC reports 288 new cases of COVID-19 and 5 more people who have died. Governor Janet Mills will end the 9pm early closing time, beginning Monday. She said her decision is the result of a decrease in the state’s positivity rate of new cases of the virus.

A group of Aerospace engineers are hoping to make history on Sunday, when they launch the Stardust, a 20 foot tall, 650 pound rocket into space. If it succeeds, it will be the world’s first commercial launch of a rocket powered by a bio-derived fuel. The blueshift Aerospace rocket will only be airborne for a short time after it launches from the former Loring Air Force Base in Loring.

The University of Maine is getting nearly $3 million to use a 3D printer to manufacture wind turbine blades. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King say the money is being granted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable energy to support Maine’s forest products industry and create job.

The thin ice on Moosehead Lake has forced organizers to split one of the largest fishing derbies in Maine into two sections. The Moosehead Lake Togue Derby with Ricky Craven will now be held this weekend and the weekend of February 19^th. Find more information on the Facebook page for NREC Moosehead.

The next few months of the pandemic will determine whether there will be concerts in Bangor and Westbrook this summer. Waterfront Concerts owner Alex Gray told WABI-TV that several shows are booked for July and August, which will be at risk if the vaccine rollout isn’t stepped up. He says he’s in hopes to be able to talk to the governor, at some point, about testing and tracing policies.

Challenger Learning Center in Bangor is offering a variety of online activities for a virtual vacation camp in February. In addition, the STEM-learning center is offering a virtual Mission to Mars, in recognition of the Perseverance lunar module’s landing on the 18^th.