PORTLAND, Maine — Greetings from the Digital Team here at NEWS CENTER Maine. Don’t know who we are? We’re the people behind the scenes responsible for what you see on our website, app, YouTube, and Facebook page.
Our jobs are computer-centric and just like those brilliant machines, we too need a chance to reboot. Oftentimes, people avoid watching the news because it’s “too depressing.” If that sounds like you, our Digital Reboot newsletter might be the thing that turns you into a news enthusiast.
Each week our digital team will compile a list of our top feel-good stories, based on the most clicks, views, likes, and all-around positivity. In addition, we will add some honorable mentions that our busy newsroom may not have had a chance to cover—including an opportunity for YOU, our viewers, to submit stories you think are worth sharing with the rest of the state.
Feel Good Stories of the Week
This week, NEWS CENTER Maine received an official certificate identifying the puffin we "adopted" that lives on Eastern Egg Island, puffin EN78. Of course, we needed a real name for this adorable creature, so we opened up the digital suggestion box to our viewers, who submitted nearly 400 names.
On Tuesday, Amanda Hill, Bryan Yocono, and Keith Carson had the honor of selecting the winner.
Top contenders included: Marty, David, Ian, Edwin, Kevin, Walter, Bertrand, Big Man Jim, Chance the Flapper, and Peter Griffin.
Naturally matching his personality, Keith wanted to name the puffin Chance the Flapper, which is hilarious because researchers say puffins are very awkward fliers. However, Keith was outvoted, and Amanda and Brian agreed a play on EN79 would suit the puffin best and chose the name IAN.
Fun facts about puffins:
- They mate for life but spend eight months apart
- The bright colors on their beaks disappear after mating season
- They are extremely awkward fliers and are much better divers
Giving back to your community is always a wonderful feat, but many of us don't stumble upon charity or volunteering opportunities until we are adults. That's why it was so special when NEWS CENTER Maine met 13-year-old Ava Burke from Brewer.
Burke has been collecting backpacks and donating them to young students across Maine for half her life. She said it started when she turned 6 years old and decided she wanted backpacks to donate, instead of presents, an act of selflessness that grows each year.
This year Burke collected, 500 backpacks through donations from friends and family, local organizations, and businesses. She has teamed up with the nonprofit Penquis, which sponsors the "We've Got Your Back" school program. Each year the nonprofit collects enough donations to provide 1,200 students in Maine with new backpacks and school supplies.
Burke said she will continue collecting backpacks as long as she can, noting a new backpack for the start of the school year "gives kids a confidence boost."
A Maine summer camp in Orono is empowering girls in middle school to take an interest in engineering, science, and the future of our country's infrastructure.
The weeklong program "Girls Build the Future" is hosted by the Maine Discovery Museum and Sargent Corporation at their main office in Orono and is offered free of charge. During the week, the girls build and test models of excavators and cranes, while getting an idea of how engineering equipment functions.
According to the Maine Department of Labor, only 15 percent of women make up the state's construction workforce, only slightly better than the national average, which sits around 11 percent.
Last weekend, thousands lined Federal Street in Portland to attend the 99th annual Italian Bazaar, outside St. Peter Parish.
Patrons waited to buy pizza, cheesesteaks, pasta, and Italian cookies. This year, volunteers made 13,000 cookies flavored with the traditional Italian flavor anise, giving them a slight licorice taste.
If you are not a fan of licorice, some Italians (like myself) substitute the anise flavor with lemon extract. Check out this fabulous recipe that has been a staple in my family for years.
Italian Cookie Recipe
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (can substitute with shortening or butter)
- 1 tablespoon of Lemon extract (or to taste)
- 3 teaspoons of baking powder
- 3 cups of flour (can substitute with gluten-free flour)
Use a hand-held mixer to combine ingredients well. The batter should be slightly sticky. Grease a cooking sheet, and set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Form one-inch balls with the dough and place them onto the cooking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.
For Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (or to taste)
- 3-4 tablespoons of milk (can substitute with dairy-free milk)
Mix until combined. Once the cookies have cooled, dip the tops into the glaze, set them on a cooling rack, and add sprinkles of your choice. Let dry, then enjoy.
Honorable mentions
Seal Saviors
Marine Mammals of Maine posted a picture of this adorable harbor seal pup on social media last week.
They said this is the 130th seal rescue they have made and the 2–3-month-old pup has gone from "barely being able to hold up her head" to chasing fish around the pool.
Cute Crustaceans
The University of New England is home to the famous orange lobster Peaches, which recently gave birth.
The University stated in a press release that between its traditional lobster Norma and the brightly colored Peaches, UNE now has 140 baby lobsters to study.
Faculty and students are studying Peaches' offspring to see if they match her 1-in-30 million rare color—so far over a dozen do. They will also be studying Norma's offspring to see if any of her young possess any rarities as well.
We want to hear from you
If you have a story you want us to cover, maybe your kiddo won the school spelling bee, or your grandmother turned 105, we want to know.
You can email us here: desk@newscentermaine.com
