Today is Monday. Temperatures will be in the 80s throughout the state, with mostly sunny skies and a chance for thunderstorms. Here's what we're talking about in Maine today.

Woman killed on Kennebec rafting trip wanted everyone to experience Shakespeare

• Emily Fournier, 33, was passionate about bringing radical inclusivity to the theater world that can sometimes feel exclusive. Fournier was OK after she had been thrown from the raft while going through rapids on the upper Kennebec River, but drowned after trying to help someone else.

• The fight between former state Rep. Dale Crafts and libertarian-leaning former state Sen. Eric Brakey over who can stake the best claim to President Donald Trump’s “America first” agenda heightened on Saturday after The Intercept, a progressive news site, published an article on a Maine operative who is a registered agent for Saudi Arabia and the owner of a Republican consulting firm that employs Crafts’ campaign manager and has ties to his family.

• PLUS: When you see the 2nd District GOP hopefuls in person, the most notable difference between the hopefuls is their approach to connecting with voters. For Dale Crafts and Adrienne Bennett, there is more of a focus in the final days on making personal connections with voters. Eric Brakey asks for a policy dialogue.

• AND: If you are not among those who have turned ballots in, here are three main things you need to know about voting on Tuesday, absentee or in person. If you have questions, consult the secretary of state’s office, your municipal clerk or email politics@bangordailynews.com.

A fungus is turning lawns black throughout the state

• As if this summer’s drought conditions in Maine were not hard enough on lawns, recent rain and humidity have created the perfect conditions for a fungal disease that’s not been seen in the state for at least three decades. 

• Marijuana is emerging as a booming industry in a city often associated with rural conservatism. Cars filled the parking lot at Northern Maine Flower — the first medical marijuana shop on Presque Isle’s Main Street — even during the coronavirus pandemic when stay-at-home orders were in force. And by fall, that business will have a competitor — Star City Wellness — only two minutes up the road.

Fish are dying in four northern Maine lakes

• A large number of fish -- mostly yellow perch -- have died on Long Lake, Cross Lake, Square Lake and Madawaska Lake. While it might seem unusual, the official word from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is that the fish die-off is natural. It shouldn't cause concern.

• A study by scientists at a marine research laboratory indicates that plastic pollution in the Gulf of Maine likely is creating problems for the lobster population. The finding has environmental and economic implications for Maine, where lobster landings account for three quarters of fishing revenue.

• The northern crown of Aroostook County is in a severe drought — the worst conditions in the state, the United States Drought Monitor said Thursday. The area recorded the driest June on record since 1895.

• A conservative U.S. Senate candidate disqualified from a Maine election in 2018 over fraudulent signatures will have his November ballot status examined again after a Thursday complaint from a former Republican legislator and ally of Sen. Susan Collins.

In other Maine news...

• Thru-hikers defy requests to stay home to finish the Appalachian Trail

• Slain Vinalhaven man’s ashes to be scattered at sea

• Man killed in 4-car chain-reaction crash in Dedham