For a while now I've been pondering some sort of Monday blog that looks at a few events or news that broke over the weekend. Sure, we'd all like to say we're just as plugged in on Saturday and Sunday as we are the rest of the week, but the fact is - weekends are for relaxin'.

So maybe The Monday Fix will become a permanent staple.

Item 1: The Debates

- Obviously the biggest event to happen over the weekend (aside from Maine's near miss on a hurricane) was the first presidential debate between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. The USM Freepress looks inside a debate watching party at Sebago Brewing Company. "Pub Politics" indeed.
- The debate also proved to be something of a test for the Interwebs, as more people are giving snap-reactions thanks to services like Twitter. Laughing Squid stopped in at Twitter HQ and Current TV, which partnered for real-time reax for the debate.
- Web Scout gazes upon the Twittering masses, and finds partisans and drinking games

Item 2: Pandora bailout?

- You may remember a few weeks back that surprising and sad news that Pandora could be facing its end thanks to music industry fees. But over the weekend Pandora's that fate may have changed. On Saturday the House of Representatives passed the Webcaster Settlement Act, which would give sites like Pandora more time to reach an agreement over royalty rates.
The big problem Pandora faced was that the royalty fees the company were set to pay were dramatically different than regular radio stations.
Although the bill passed the House, it still must get through the Senate, and Pandora is encouraging listeners to contact their senator ASAP.

Item 3: Love for Maine.gov

- It may seem like one of the state's best kept secrets that the state's official Web site, Maine.gov, is not only nice to look at, but surprisingly resourceful. On top of a broad range of online services (license registration, etc.), Maine.gov offers new media tools such as podcasts, e-mail alerts, RSS feeds, a Twitter presence and a version for mobile phones.
For another year, Maine.gov was recognized as one of the best government online portals. The award, which is given out by the Center for Digital Government, placed Maine second only to Virginia. Sites are judged on their resources, innovation and user-friendliness.

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