Bangor, Maine News Update: July 14, 2017

The 23-year-old Fort Kent woman who was critically hurt when her vehicle struck a moose last weekend has died. The mother of Maya Linnell told the Fiddlehead Focus yesterday that her daughter died Monday at the hospital. She was life-flighted to Maine Medical Center in Portland after her car collided with a moose on Interstate 95 near Howland. Her family is planning a public memorial at the Senior Center in Fort Kent for later this month.

The man accused of killing his longtime girlfriend in Jay made his first court appearance yesterday. 56-year-old James Sweeney is accused in the death of Wendy Douglass. Prosecutors said Sweeney killed Douglass while she slept. They said a wooden baseball bat that was covered in blood was discovered inside the couple’s home.

Investigators are treating a fire at Cap’s Tavern in Brewer as a crime scene. The South Main Street bar was destroyed in last night’s fire. Brewer Public Safety Director Jason Moffitt told WVII and WFVX that some things about the fire “are relatively suspicious.” Police were told no one was in the building at the time of the fire.

Former Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves has announced his intentions to run for governor in 2018. The announcement came yesterday during a barbecue at his North Berwick home. The crowded field of Democratic candidates also includes Attorney General Janet Mills, who announced her candidacy Monday.

Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has reaffirmed the status of two of the 27 national monuments under federal review, one in Idaho, the other in Washington state. Zinke has not said whether he will recommend changing the designation of Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters. He's expected to submit a report about the monuments to President Trump by late August.

A new I-95 interchange will open this afternoon in Waterville. The interchange at Exit 124 on Trafton Road will open to traffic at 2:00. Governor LePage will attend a ribbon cutting ceremony at the interchange later this morning.