1. Jill Lamontagne, a former Kennebunk High School teacher was found not guilty Thursday of sexually assaulting a student. The York County Superior Court jury of three men and nine women issued its verdict – not guilty on all 14 counts – after deliberating for about two hours. Kathryn Hawes, the superintendent of Regional School Unit 21 said “Although Ms. Lamontagne was acquitted of the criminal charges, I think it is important to acknowledge that the evidence that was presented during the trial demonstrated a troubling failure by one of our teachers to comply with the standards we expect of all of our employees. For example, RSU 21 prohibits our employees from communicating with students by text and social media platforms, we require our teachers to refer students in crisis to professional counselors rather than attempting to intervene with these students on their own, and we would never condone the use of intimate language, of the type introduced during the trial, between our teachers and their students.”
(Press Herald)
2. An estimated 1 million gallons of partially treated sewage spilled out of Portland’s wastewater treatment plant and into Casco Bay Thursday morning, washing away a section of the Eastern Prom Trail, closing East End Beach and raising questions about whether to hold the annual open-water swim from Peaks Island to Portlandvthat is scheduled for Saturday. The wastewater overflowed from a treatment tank and poured into the bay to the west of the beach and boat launch. It had already gone through part of the treatment process in which solids are removed.
(Press Herald)
3. Facebook’s stock prices took a beating on Thursday, falling 19 percent to $176.26 a share in the wake of a shaky earnings report that revealed missed revenue targets and sluggish user growth. The social media giant also lost a staggering $120 billion dollars in market value, which CNBC notes is the “largest one-day loss in market value by any company in U.S. stock market history.” Facebook also reported that the revenue growth rate outlook isn’t expected to improve for the rest of 2018, which doesn’t bode well.
(CNBC)
4. The longest total lunar eclipse of the century arrives today, showcasing a blood moon for most of the Eastern Hemisphere. Coincidentally, Mars is also at its brightest, putting two bright red objects in our sky. The lunar eclipse happens during daylight hours for those in the Western Hemisphere, so people in North America will miss it.
(CNN)
5. Saturday, September 1 (Labor Day Weekend) Hot 104.7 & Grass Monkey Present another #HOTSHOW starring Lil Jon at the State Theatre. Tickets are ON SALE HERE! Charge by phone at 800-745-3000, in person at the Port City Music Hall box office Wednesday-Friday 10AM-5PM or online at Hot1047Maine.com.
