Today, Steve Sherlock reports on a 7-year-old girl going missing while on school transportation. We also have a story on a skater rescuing a loon stuck on a Smithfield pond. And state auditor and U.S. House hopeful Matt Dunlap takes heat over a 2003 anti-abortion vote.

CHILD MISSING ON TRANSPORT

A 7-year-old Lovell girl went missing for more than six hours Wednesday while riding with a transport driver hired by the school district. The driver, from a Lewiston-based transportation company, was supposed to bring the student, who has special needs, to Pineview Learning Center in Monmouth for an out-of-district placement.The girl was eventually delivered to the school unharmed, but her mother is still seeking answers. Read more.

ICE SKATER RESCUES LOON

John Picone, a retired surgeon, was skating alone Sunday on East Pond in Smithfield when he passed a rock outcropping known as Loon Island. His heart skipped a beat when he saw a loon stuck in a tiny pool of water surrounded by ice about 800 feet from shore. He knew that time was of the essence. Read the story.

“The vast majority, especially of younger populations, get almost all of their information from social media, from news to information about political campaigns. And the mainstream media, such as television, will often pick up what they’re saying from social media.”

Judith Rosenbaum, chair of the University of Maine’s journalism department and professor of media studies

The U.S. Senate primary between Gov. Janet Mills and Graham Platner has been described as a generational battle for the future of the Democratic party. Nowhere is that more evident than by examining their online presences. Read more from reporter Dylan Tusinski: Social media is already shaping Maine’s U.S. Senate race. Here’s how.

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