Bangor, Maine News Update: September 30, 2020

The Maine CDC reports 37 new cases of COVID-19 statewide and 28 more people who have recovered. One more person diagnosed with the virus, a woman in her 80's from York County, has passed away. Health officials are awaiting the arrival of new rapid result testing devices that are about the size of a credit card, and can give results in 15 minutes or less.

The Waldo County Sheriff's Office says 2 minimum security inmates have escaped from the Maine Coast Regional Reentry Center in Belfast. Cameron Dana and Dakota Raven were working maintenance at the facility when they walked away while taking out the trash. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to contact the Waldo County Sheriff's Office at 207-338-2040. The men are not considered a risk to the public.

Two schools in the town of Paris are sending their students and teachers home for remote learning, but not because of COVID-19. A recent spate of student fights, that were recorded and shared on social media, has prompted the decision in an effort to make other students feel safe. Police have arrested two male students, ages 14 and 15, and say more arrests are possible.

University of Maine officials have voted to rename the Clarence Little building on the Orono campus. Clarence Cook Little served as president of U-Maine in the 1920's, but officials say he also believed in eugenics, or selective breeding as a way to end human suffering, and served as spokesperson for the tobacco industry.

A group of people in Bangor had an idea for random acts of kindness that has now gone international, with 15 states and at least 3 other countries jumping on the bandwagon. The 'Serve a Neighbor' initiative encourages people to do something nice for a neighbor, which will uplift two people, and hopefully encourage others to do the same.

The public is invited to a fundraiser this weekend to benefit a Turner man who was badly injured earlier this summer when he was crushed by metal pilings while working road construction on I-95 in Hampden. The accident left 50-year-old Eric Jabbusch blind and in a wheelchair. The Jabbusch Strong event will take place from noon to 4 Sunday afternoon at Lost Valley Brewing Company in Auburn.

The United Way of Eastern Maine will hold its kickoff event this Friday evening at the Bangor Drive-in. The socially distanced celebration will include refreshments, a kick-off presentation, and a free showing of the movie 'Back to the Future.'