A judge dismissed the city’s claim against the former operator of the Nova Scotia ferry

Good evening from the BDN Portland office on Congress Street. It’s suddenly the weekend again.

What we’re talking about

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled on the final two lawsuits against the former operator of the Nova Star ferry — dismissing the city’s claim, and siding with a local dry cleaning company — resolving the last in a series of legal disputes in the wake of the ferry company’s demise.

Judge David Brock Hornby found against Portland, which sought $163,000 from Nova Star Cruises to cover the cost of facilities installed at the ferry terminal. Hornby also ruled in favor of Pratt Abbott dry cleaners, which argued it was owed $195,000 for cleaning services and linens it purchased for the ferry line — but he only awarded the company $16,187.

Although Nova Star Cruises received more than $40 million in subsidies from the Nova Scotia government, after two years of falling far short of its passenger goals a federal court ordered the ship seized due to unpaid bills.

An array of groups, including a company that provided the pilots for the ferry and several Maine fuel providers, claimed the company owed a total of $2.6 million. After Nova Star Cruises filed for bankruptcy protection in Canada this April, the dry cleaner’s and Portland Development Corp.’s claims were the last to remain unsettled. Previous claims were settled, the Press Herald reported

A Portland spokeswoman said the development corporation, the city’s economic arm, is evaluating whether to appeal the court’s decision. The customs and border security facilities built at the Ocean Gateway terminal are still in use by the new Maine-Nova Scotia ferry line.

Pratt Abbott general manager Thomas Gridley did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The judge ruled that the Westbrook-based dry cleaning company be paid for its outstanding invoices, but not for the $178,000 worth of linens it purchased as part of its services to Nova Star Cruises. — Jake Bleiberg

 

ICYMI

Our intern re-enacts a Portland inventor’s early efforts to can corn — I’ll never be able to get this smeared corn off my desk. Thanks, Sam.

The city is going to replace the Love Locks fence with this — Kelly Bouchard of the Press Herald reports:

The city has commissioned Geoff Herguth Design to fashion a 40-foot-long replacement fence for $23,000 that will not only discourage lovers from attaching padlocks, but also serve as an attractive public art piece in one of the busiest tourist spots in Maine.

Context: Here’s our story from July on the news of the fence coming down.

It’s like Pokemon Go, but for art — Sam Shepherd writes:

The Portland Museum of Art is looking to draw people to its collection with the release of a new Pokemon Go themed game, where users collect famous works of art instead of virtual monsters.

The PMA says it’s the “first art museum in the country to use the premise of Pokémon Go to get its art collection out into the community.”


Here’s the link to play it. You don’t need to download an app.

The Big Idea

Don’t blame presidential candidates if you don’t know where they stand on the issues — The Washington Post’s Dave Weigel says it’s your fault:

I’m sorry, but this one falls on the voters. It is generally as easy to learn where the candidates stand on all but the most obscure issues as it is to find, say, a recipe for low-calorie overnight oats. It’s also easy to ignore the negative, “mudslinging” aspects of a campaign, for the same reason so many people find it easy to cut their TV plans and watch streaming services.


Got any interesting story ideas, suggestions or links to share? Email Dan MacLeod at dmacleod@bangordailynews.com, or tweet @dsmacleod.

As always, like BDN Portland on Facebook for more local coverage.

 

 

Dan MacLeod

About Dan MacLeod

Dan MacLeod is the managing editor of the Bangor Daily News. He's an Orland native who moved to Portland in 2002 and now lives in Unity. He's been a journalist since 2008, and previously worked for the New York Post and the Brooklyn Paper.