Good morning, Portland.

University of Southern Maine reported 16 crashes in its Bedford Street parking garage within 20 days — the school urged students and staff to slow down and navigate corners carefully.

Owners of Sook Thai Mobile Kitchen opened Paak (a fast casual bowl and smoothie restaurant) at 650 Congress St in downtown, offering custom bowls and eight smoothie varieties in a 700 sqft space and operating Thursday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Bowdoin College tied for third among the nation’s best liberal arts colleges in a newly released U.S. News list—while the University of Maine fell five spots to tie with the University of New England for 262nd place.

Portland high school absenteeism has risen above 42% after district leaders reported a 4% increase driven by external factors and student disengagement at a Tuesday board meeting (data).

The district plans to introduce new support staff strategies for affected students by December.

Casco Bay marks 30 years since the Julie N oil spill spilled 179,000 gallons of oil when a tanker struck Million-Dollar Bridge on Sept.

27, 1996. Local cleanup crews and environmental groups responded quickly during peak bird migration to limit damage to wildlife and shorelines.

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry released its foliage report yesterday, noting northern trees (50%-70% toward peak) while eastern and western trees reach 30%-50% of peak colors.

Leaf peepers are advised to plan ahead to catch near-peak views as drought accelerates the color change.

A fall nor’easter is set to bring rain & wind to coastal Maine this weekend and into early next week as high pressure to the north creates a tight pressure gradient with a low area to the south.

Gov. Mills urged Prime Healthcare to reinstate 20 nurses (alleged wrongful dismissals) at Central Maine Medical Center, saying the dismissals threaten quality care ahead of a union vote today.

The governor warned that failure to act would signal that corporate interests take priority over state commitments.

Maine mom Amanda Spinney launched The J.O.N.Y.

Project to help struggling teens and families after losing her 16-year-old son to suicide. The new nonprofit offers a pre-crisis connection plan and a number system for expressing feelings (designed to spur kind action) and plans to help add suicide prevention barriers to a local bridge.