Bangor, Maine News Update: May 15, 2018

A family who lost their son to the Androscoggin River can finally have some closure after the 5-year-old’s body was discovered yesterday. A kayaker who has been searching for Valerio McFarland found his body in Durham, about five miles from where he entered the water in Auburn. 10-year-old Maxim McFarland is recovering after jumping in the water to try and save his little brother.

Police say a man who stole a Dexter Police cruiser was handcuffed and placed in the back seat. But 22-year-old Tyler Tibbets somehow maneuvered his cuffed hands to the front of his body and squeezed through an 11-inch prisoner partition window before driving off with the cruiser. He was seriously injured sometime later when he crashed a second vehicle during a high speed chase with police.

To help voters understand the ranked choice voting process, Secretary of State Matt Dunlap has released an animated video that will take residents through the process, step by step. The new process will be sued to vote in four elections on June 12^th. The video can be found on YouTube under Ranked Choice Voting in Maine or on the Secretary of State's website.

Folks enjoying Wells Beach over the weekend got an added treat when someone spotted a whale close to shore on Sunday afternoon. Marine Mammals of Maine experts confirmed the sighting and said that it’s a young Right Whale, one of the world’s largest animals that’s currently on the endangered species list. They say the juvenile was probably traveling with another whale that didn’t come as close to shore.

Folks will be walking for wishes on the Bangor waterfront on Thursday, to help make the dreams of sick children become a reality. Just about every five days in Maine a child with a critical illness is granted a dream through the Make-A-Wish foundation, but those wishes come with a hefty price tag. Find more information about the walk that starts at 6 on Thursday afternoon at the Maine Make A Wish website.