Good morning, Bangor.

WABI and Shredding On Site are hosting Bangor’s first Shred-A-Thon to securely dispose of old records for free.

The event will run Friday, Sept. 25 from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the UMA Bangor campus parking lot (65 Texas Avenue).

The American Red Cross is urgently seeking Disaster Action Team volunteers in Bangor, Millinocket and Skowhegan during National Preparedness Month to help families after home fires and other disasters + interested volunteers must meet the criteria and complete training to join the on-call team.

Local orchard owners report a bumper apple crop as cool nights and warm sunshine offset dry conditions, and visitors can pick apples today at Maine-ly Apples in Dixmont, Cayford Orchards in Skowhegan, and Chick’s Apple and Berry Farm in Monmouth.

Retired surgeon Jeff Fister now trades surgical tools for wood carving tools and teaches in Hampden with the Maine Woodcarvers Association.

The group will hold its Wood Carvers Show and Competition on Saturday, Oct. 3 at First United Methodist Church in Bangor from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Maine will raise the minimum wage from $15.10 to $15.70 starting Jan.

1, and tip wages will increase from $7.55 to $7.85 with a monthly tipping threshold of $199. The overtime salary threshold will be set at $905.79 per week starting Jan. 1, 2027.

Diesel prices in Maine hit an all-time high of $6.51 per gallon on Monday, up nearly 30 cents from last week according to AAA.

Gas prices also increased with the current average now at $4.43 per gallon.

UMaine dropped five spots amid a multimillion-dollar shortfall that may lead to layoffs and now ties with UNE as Maine’s top-ranked university in the new U.S. News & World Report rankings released Tuesday.

UNE jumped 31 spots thanks to improved test scores and other enhanced factors.

Connect Me now offers free one-on-one tutoring in core subjects for K-12 students in Maine.

High school and college tutors with a 3.7 GPA volunteer through rigorous screening, connecting students with help in math, science, reading and more.

Tomorrow, Penquis will hold the grand opening of Bright Beginnings Child Development Center, a new facility offering early childhood programs for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in Bangor.

Families are encouraged to enroll in Early Head Start and Head Start programs to support quality learning and work opportunities.

Yesterday, during a two-day event hosted by the Marine Debris Project in Orono, UMaine researchers showed ways to repurpose local resources including lobster shells and seaweed to create biodegradable products to replace single-use plastics (projects such as compostable packaging films and golf tees) to boost the circular economy.

Maine released its largest bird atlas, compiling millions of volunteer records from 2018 to 2022 in nine-mile blocks across the state, which is available for preorder from the Department of Inland Fisheries + Wildlife and will help track bird range shifts as the climate warms.

The runway at Bangor International Airport is closed for pavement repairs this week and will reopen Thursday at 3 p.m. Planned power interruptions may affect phone service, so travelers should check with their airline for updates.