Bangor, Maine News Update: May 10, 2018

A Farmington man is suing the town and two local contractors after raw sewage flooded his house, forcing him to move out for months and pay for extensive repairs. CentralMaine.com reports Joseph Pinkham’s home was flooded after a road construction crew crushed a sewer pipe nearby. He says he has homeowners insurance but the claim has been denied.

Mainers are being reminded to fully extinguish their fires after a permitted burn in Ripley got out of control and destroyed the landowner’s barn. Forest Rangers say the homeowner failed to put the fire completely out before leaving it alone and it spread to some woods nearby. Find more information and purchase a permit online.

A Bangor organization is considering handing out urine test strips to drug users so they can test their drugs for fentanyl, a dangerously potent drug that’s led to 58% of the overdose deaths last year. A community meeting is planned this month, but the date and time aren’t being advertised in order to make it a safe place for an open discussion about drug use. Anyone interested in attending can contact Health Equity Alliance in Bangor.

Shriner organizations around the state will hold screening clinics this Saturday at various locations for pediatric orthopedic and burn injury medical evaluations for referral to Shriners hospitals for children. In Bangor, the free clinic will be held from 9 to noon Saturday at the Anah Shrine on outer Broadway and in Ellsworth, it will be at the Maine Coast Memorial Hospital. Find more information on the Shriners screening clinic Facebook page.