Rumors of a Marisa Tomei sighting in Maine

More on Marisa Tomei in the “Tweet of the day” below.

But first: Your robot house cleaner is spying on you. If only George Jetson knew what Rosie was up to.

The top executive of the company iRobot told Reuters this week that certain models of its popular Roomba — the disc-shaped vacuum that moves by itself around your floor — are mapping out the homes they’re cleaning.

The exec happily acknowledged he envisions a future in which he can sell intimate details of your home to companies like Google, Apple and Amazon, as though that’s not creepy at all.

So when the Terminator breaks through your front door, he’ll know where all your hiding places are, and you can blame your Roomba for telling him.

What we’re talking about

As has been expected since May, the charges against 17 Black Lives Matter protesters stemming from an incident last July have been dropped. The demonstrators were initially charged for blocking traffic at the intersection of Commercial and Pearl streets last summer, but after a back-and-forth over whether the protesters should be forced into a mediation session as a form of punishment, the District Attorney decided to drop the whole thing.

Portland’s new office created to help immigrants and disadvantaged people find work is getting off the ground. The BDN’s Jake Bleiberg interviewed the new office’s director and learned she’s starting off slow and steady, with plans for something of an outreach tour this fall to better understand how this office can be of most help to new Mainers and those who are struggling to find employment.

Here’s why Biddeford native Brian Dumoulin is worth nearly $25 million to the Pittsburgh Penguins professional hockey team. Alex Sponseller of the Journal Tribune writes in this analysis that the 25-year-old defenseman, who signed a new six-year contract this week, has proven his value through consistent, clutch play that has contributed to two straight Stanley Cup championships.

Parents in nearby Hollis are furious that a local man allegedly exposed himself to a 7-year-old girl, among others. As one would expect them to be. It was a busy news day in the 4,000-person town, where state police also announced they’d arrested a man in an evil clown mask wielding a machete.

Among the members of Maine’s congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree was perhaps the most forceful in her condemnation of President Donald Trump’s announcement that he’ll ban transgender people from serving in the military. She called the move “bigoted and wrong.” Interestingly, the military spends about five times as much on Viagra as it would on healthcare costs for transgender service personnel.

Tweet of the day

From geophysicist-turned-videographer Kat McKechnie:

Fun fact: Tomei’s Camden-based film “In the Bedroom” was one of the top 10 highest grossing movies that were at least partially filmed in Maine. Here are the other nine. The Academy Award winning actress can be seen on the big screen now in the blockbuster super-hero movie “Spider-man: Homecoming.” None of this means Marisa Tomei is actually in Maine right now, for what it’s worth. Feel free to email us at one of the addresses below if you have definitive proof, like a photograph.

The Big Idea

“None Of The Above” disease is afflicting millions. Many Americans are suffering from health ailments that are rare or not easily diagnosed, and this long form report by the science journalism website Undark suggests a big part of the problem is that doctors often refuse to admit they don’t know what’s wrong.

Got any interesting story ideas, suggestions or links to share? Email us at jbleiberg@bangordailynews.com or skoenig@bangordailynews.com or tweet @JZBleiberg or @SethKoenig.

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