Bangor Daily News

The explosion and fire in Searsmont is affecting the area’s frontline emergency response capabilities.

Searsmont, Belmont and Appleton fire departments all sustained damage to their fire trucks.

Fire leaders from around the state say they are still trying to recover emotionally and physically from the fire. Others are visiting the several injured in the fire still trying to make a recovery. One firefighter was still emotional as he recounted the moment he arrived to the blast.

“It was literally hell: smoke, fire, burning trucks, burning people,” Appleton Volunteer Fire Department Capt. Kevin Callahan said.

Callahan is still processing Friday’s scene, where flames tore through Robbins Lumber yard in Searsmont.

“I just turned and ran right back into it and saw things that no people should see,” Callahan said.

Callahan was one of the first to arrive on scene as the mill’s silo filled with wood chips exploded.

“The blast pushed a wave of burning wood chips under high pressure that basically just went into every nook and cranny of the engines,” Callahan said.

Appleton’s only mutual aid fire truck, Engine 1, was covered by the burning wood chips.

“It was really heartbreaking,” Callahan said.

Searsmont and Belmont’s fire trucks also were caught in the fire. Appleton’s engine was carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment.

“It’s not just a truck, like in that moment, it’s a capability, and it’s resources and it’s tools,” Callahan said. “It’s what we need. There is not a whole lot you can do as a firefighter without a fire truck.”

One of the firefighters injured Friday was Appleton’s fire chief, who suffered burns to his hands and face.

“We are family. We are brotherhood, sisterhood,” Callahan said. “Those of us who are still fighting are in our hearts.”

As mourning continues and the injured recover, Callahan said Waldoboro is lending one of its trucks to Appleton.

On top of trying to find a new fire truck and going through insurance, Appleton is in need of volunteers.

Ken Desmond, president of the Maine State Federation of Firefighters, said 69% of Maine’s firefighting service is made up of volunteers, which can pose a challenge during large fires.

“One of the things with volunteers today is when they are working in their jobs and then have to drop what they are doing to respond,” Desmond said.

Another issue is the upfront costs to becoming a volunteer preventing many from becoming one.

“That’s about a $7,000 investment per firefighter,” Desmond said.

Desmond said the federation recently received federal funding, which will go to covering those costs.

However, the biggest concern is making sure those injured in the fire make a full recovery.

“It’s going to be a long time before it doesn’t hurt,” Callahan said.

Eight former detainees at Maine’s only youth correctional facility say they experienced abuse, isolation, cruel punishment and sexual violence while they were held at the facility more than two decades ago, according to a newly filed lawsuit.

The plaintiffs say they endured “unimaginable abuse” during their time at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.

The suit against the Department of Corrections alleges that the former detainees — who were all held at the facility then known as Maine Youth Center between 1992 and 1999 — were beaten, molested, assaulted, psychologically abused and deprived of basic standards of living by staff members.

It’s far from the first time Long Creek has been accused of cruel punishment or sexual abuse. In 2022 a man sued the facility for excessive isolation and physical abuse, and settled the case in December. One year earlier, another man made similar claims, and also settled with the department. Similar lawsuits were filed in 2023, 2018 and 2017.

Former detainees and other advocates have been calling for Long Creek’s closure for decades. However, bills in the Legislature to phase out use of the facility haven’t made it across the finish line. Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill to close Long Creek in 2021, and during the latest session, a bill to study modifications to the center was signed into law, after being scaled back from a proposal to repurpose Long Creek from a prison into a residential treatment facility.

All of the former detainees in Friday’s lawsuit are identified as just John or Jane Doe, because they were minors at the time. Today, they range from about 41 to 48 years old.

The suit alleges many abusive practices, including putting residents in isolation without meeting statutory requirements, excessive use of force and restraint in the form of a “restraint chair” or with metal handcuffs, leg shackles and zip ties, widespread sexual abuse by staff and neglect of the medical needs of detainees, including mistreatment of those with disabilities and mental health disorders.

Detainees had their arms or noses broken during beatings by guards, were isolated in freezing, windowless rooms where they often tried to harm themselves, had their genitals punched or kicked by employees, were hog-tied naked with their limbs behind them and were sexually assaulted by staff during frequent strip searches, the complaint says. They all experienced long-term physical and psychological effects because of the abuse, it contends.

The center is also a school, the complaint notes, but detainees were deprived of education for weeks or months at a time while held in isolation.

“These kids were tortured,” Thomas Hallett, attorney for the former detainees, said in an interview Monday.

Hallett has represented former Long Creek detainees for years and said it became apparent to him that conduct inside the facility had been widespread and affected many kids. He started following up with clients and acquaintances, connecting one dot to another, until he had put together a group of seriously harmed individuals.

“My perspective is that this needs to come to a head,” Hallett said. “Their lives have been totally and irreparably upended.” Most of his clients can’t hold a job, don’t have housing and struggle to function in society, consequences that he said are directly related to their treatment at the center.

Hallett pointed to similar litigation in New Hampshire and Los Angeles, both of which have resulted in massive financial settlements. New Hampshire’s youth correctional center has been the subject of both criminal charges and civil suits, and the state has spent more than $239 million over the past four years paying victims who have brought forward allegations of abuse.

The Long Creek lawsuit names the Department of Corrections and 57 individuals who worked at the facility at the time. It raises 102 different legal claims relevant to state, federal and constitutional law, including violations related to due process and cruel and unusual punishment, deliberate indifference in violation of Maine’s Constitution, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Jill O’Brien, spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, couldn’t comment on pending litigation but said in a statement, “Long Creek’s committed staff and volunteers strive to help youth succeed, by offering secondary and post-secondary education, substance use disorder treatment, workforce development, enrichment opportunities, and comprehensive medical and mental health services for all residents.”

Plaintiffs are asking for the Department of Corrections to be prevented from committing any further constitutional violations, and for unspecified financial damages.

This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Riley Board can be reached at rboard@pressherald.com.

The Ellsworth City Council disciplined Councilor Steve O’Halloran on Monday evening, alleging his conduct violates the city’s ethics code.

The council formally censured O’Halloran for his alleged misconduct, which councilors equated to bullying, toward city employees. Councilor Patrick Shea voted against the motion, and O’Halloran abstained.

The sanction is the latest development in a yearslong dispute between the councilor and the city of Ellsworth. O’Halloran, an often confrontational figure who lobbies for less government spending on behalf of “Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth,” frequently casts the council’s lone contrarian vote.

In March, the city hired an outside investigator to produce a 176-page report on the councilor’s conduct, O’Halloran told the Bangor Daily News before the Monday evening meeting.

The report stemmed from city employees’ complaints about “repeated and inflammatory public communications and accusations” from O’Halloran that alleged the city “violated the charter and ordinances,” he said.

Most of the communications cited in the report center around the councilor criticizing city officials and processes, O’Halloran said. The report alleges he has harassed and “micro-managed” city staff, the councilor’s personal attorney said.

Among other comments, O’Halloran referred to City Hall as “shady” and suggested the city’s procurement process “lacked integrity.” The councilor also copied members of the media on various city exchanges, he added.

Council Chair Patrick Lyons said the report indicated employees felt bullied by O’Halloran and some were afraid of retaliation if they spoke with the investigator, who ultimately interviewed five staffers.

One individual cited in the report is “seeking no contact” with O’Halloran, Councilor Carol Patterson-Martineau said. Several city employees have considered escalating the matter to the court system, Councilor Tabatha White said.

O’Halloran acknowledged that he had written the statements but didn’t think his conduct had violated the city’s ethics code. The councilor has hired an attorney who is negotiating with the city attorney to release the report to the public, he said.

Monday’s meeting was packed with O’Halloran supporters: More than a dozen people spoke in support of him and most cheered when the councilor walked into the council chambers at the start of the meeting.

“He has been a voice for everyone in this room,” Ellsworth resident Tammy Walker said.

The majority of those who shared their support of O’Halloran also voiced concern about Ellsworth’s climbing tax bills.

Before the meeting’s public comment period, Lyons, who has publicly sparred with O’Halloran on numerous occasions, corrected social media rumors circulating that the councilor could be expelled from council during Monday’s meeting. O’Halloran did not face immediate expulsion, Lyons said.

City Manager Charlie Pearce declined to comment when contacted by the BDN.

Amy Kenney, the city’s communications director, did not immediately know how much the city spent on the investigation into O’Halloran.

Since the councilor was first elected in 2021, he has often been involved in heated exchanges between various councilors and city officials.

In 2023, O’Halloran and a group of commercial property owners filed an appeal of the city’s decision to lease a High Street building for a new police station, alleging the city hadn’t provided adequate public notice before the council voted on the decision. A judge later dismissed the appeal.

Last year, the councilor put up a banner criticizing the city’s decision to sell a property it had foreclosed on over unpaid property taxes. O’Halloran argued the city should have returned the profit they earned from selling the house to the property’s owners. The city ultimately changed its position and gave the funds to the former owner, Kerry Karst.

Most recently, the councilor parked a 53-foot trailer with a custom wrap saying “not my circus but I know all the clowns” at the intersection of High Street and Main Street. The trailer was circulating downtown Ellsworth on Monday afternoon, according to O’Halloran.

“If anyone in the city (Councilor or otherwise) wants to communicate through oversized roadside riddles, that is their choice,” Pearce said on March 30, when the trailer — which has since been removed from the High Street location — was first installed.

Graham Platner’s  recently released energy plan navigates several tensions, including how to build clean energy projects and transmission lines quickly while also incorporating community input. Such projects are not only needed to fight climate change but to help bring down sky-high electricity prices.

Platner’s plan contains only a short section on this tension, calling for permitting reform for clean energy. But Platner’s limited record in public office vividly illustrates it: As a member of the Planning Board in his hometown of Sullivan, Platner voted in 2024 to advance a temporary ban on larger solar projects in the town while permanent rules for permitting such projects could be worked out. At the same time, Platner has called for a large, federally funded buildout of renewable energy, including wind and solar.

As a “home-rule” state, Maine’s constitution grants towns significant control over land use, including energy developments.

Platner told Inside Climate News that he was responding to public concerns in voting to pursue a moratorium on all solar projects besides rooftop residential ones.

“There’s been a lot of community backlash just here locally. Nobody was preparing for these large solar farms. The communities — they just kind of sprung up out of nowhere. And much like the data center stuff, a lot of people were frustrated because they didn’t understand what it was and they didn’t feel like they had any input.”

He said his goal with the moratorium was to buy time for Sullivan and its residents to “get ordinances in place and have a deeper and more nuanced conversation.”

Renewable energy advocates expressed understanding of that rationale.

“Moratoria can play an important role in giving towns an opportunity to take a beat and understand how they can locate solar or any type of new energy development or any type of development writ large and understand how they can best fit within their community,” said Eliza Donoghue, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association. “Where we get concerned is when moratoria and standards that might follow them become a de facto ban on solar energy generation.” There is no evidence that either the yet-to-be-adopted Sullivan moratorium or the development review ordinance would fit that description.

While Town Manager Ray Weintraub said that no developers have yet proposed these types of larger-scale solar projects in Sullivan, several have been built nearby, including a 100-acre array on portions of a blueberry barrens in neighboring Hancock and several smaller projects in neighboring Franklin.

“So maybe we as a town should get ahead of this,” Weintraub described his thinking at the time.

The moratorium proposal has not yet advanced to a popular vote and, Weintraub said, almost certainly won’t be ready in time for this summer’s town meeting.

It was proposed during a time when at least a dozen towns around Maine adopted similar measures. That wave followed the rapid growth in solar installations of all sizes — ranging from a couple panels on a rooftop to 10-acre community solar arrays to utility-scale farms of 30 or more acres.

Total capacity in the latter two categories across Maine grew nearly 13-fold from 2020 to 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, to a total of 1,640 megawatts, or roughly 8,000 acres, using a rough average of 5 acres per megawatt. That’s a tiny fraction of the state’s total lands and the arrays are helping Maine produce more of its power locally and without harmful emissions.

Several policies helped spur this growth, from state incentives for rooftop and community solar projects — chief among them the state’s net energy billing program — to federal investment and production tax credits.

But the rapid growth, combined with the perception that the state’s solar subsidies were contributing to higher electricity prices, contributed to a backlash.

One of the concerns motivating local moratoria was a perception that the solar farms were being built on a limited supply of agricultural land already under pressure from suburban housing growth. In response, Maine passed a law in 2023 requiring developers to get an extra permit and pay a special fee for solar projects on agricultural land that has been identified as especially fertile. (Hosting a solar farm on a portion of agricultural land can also enable farmers to keep their farms intact, and can even be co-located with some agricultural practices, as a stakeholder group reporting on the issue pointed out.)

Last year, the state revised its net-energy billing rules to make them less generous to the owners or subscribers of participating solar panels and to exclude all but the smallest community solar projects.

Despite these measures, the movement to regulate solar farms does not appear to be going away. Perhaps in recognition of this, the state’s Department of Energy Resources released a handbook for towns interested in regulating solar arrays and the battery-energy storage systems that can be attached to them.

The handbook includes a model solar development ordinance for towns to draw from. The draft Sullivan ordinance differs from the model ordinance in several minor but potentially impactful ways. Most notably, it includes a noise-decibel limit for solar farms of 50-55 decibels at the property line. Solar panels are noiseless, but the motors and gears that enable them to track the sun and associated inverters and transformers produce low levels of noise.

Weintraub clarified that he had not yet introduced this draft ordinance to the town’s Planning Board during Platner’s time on it and confirmed that his intent was always for the moratorium to precede such an ordinance.

Platner said that he sees local solar ordinances and permitting reform as compatible. “We have a lot of issues in the permitting process these days that are far more than simply input from a community,” he said. These include federal and state environmental reviews and interconnection processes.

Among the hurdles projects must leap over, Platner sees community input as one that tends to create better outcomes.

“When you get more community input, you actually come up generally, I find, with better answers,” he said. “Things start getting placed in areas that aren’t going to piss everybody off, because you actually sat down and had a conversation.”

Two Maine women have been shot in South Carolina.

According to the Charleston Police Department, officers responded to a shooting on King Street around 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

There they found three people with gunshot wounds.

Police say one victim died, and two uninvolved bystanders who were hit by gunfire are expected to survive.

It was later learned the suspect opened fire following an argument outside Gilroy’s Pizza Pub before fleeing the scene.

The suspect, 35-year-old Andre Ramon Nesbit of Charleston, was later arrested and charged with murder, two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime.

While the Charleston Police Department didn’t identify the victims, Jibe Cycling in Portland took to its Instagram, sharing that the two women are part of its Maine Jibe family.

Jibe Cycling said the two are being cared for at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Jibe said its team is stepping in to support them by covering their classes while they focus on rest and recovery.

They also shared links to GoFundMe pages for  both women.

A version of this story first appeared in the Morning Update newsletter. Sign up here to receive the Morning Update and other BDN newsletters directly in your inbox.

“After years of opening and managing restaurants for others, we shared a dream of creating something of our own, so we took the leap.”

— Zoe Gerakaris on the decision she and her life partner, Sam Foster, made to use their combined years of food service experience to open the eatery Lakeside Restaurant in Aroostook County.

Eight people remain hospitalized with burns from Friday’s fire and explosion at the Robbins Lumber mill yard. That includes two owners of the mill and a family member, all of whom are in critical condition at a Boston hospital. Meanwhile, high winds buffeting the midcoast are hampering investigators as they try to determine how the disaster started.

As the midcoast town looks toward recovery, Searsmont is raising funds for the victims and their families. That effort got a major boost Monday from Hammond Lumber Co., which donated $100,000 to it.

Sugarloaf is being asked to return $150,000 in taxpayer money. Franklin County officials say the money was improperly charged for an infrastructure project that fell apart.

A Penobscot County sporting camp that hosted star athletes is selling for $1 million. The property in Seboeis Plantation is supposedly the second-oldest running sporting camp in Maine.

• Nirav Shah gets a huge ad boost from a Democratic group
• Ben Midgley slaps Bobby Charles with ethics complaint over anonymous attack site
• International student enrollment holds steady in Maine, despite nationwide decline
• It will hit the 80s in Bangor the next 2 days
• Fairmount educator named Penobscot County’s teacher of the year
• Police seeking Bangor man who has been missing since February
• Man who killed Bangor neighbor in 2003 to move to supervised apartment
• Trustees approve 4% tuition hike for UMaine students
• Penobscot County HIV outbreak reaches 43 cases
• Wisdom educator named 2026 Aroostook Teacher of the Year
• Former Machias man pleads guilty to possession child sex abuse images and videos
• 5 arrested as police investigate Ellsworth area smash-and-grab smoke shop burglaries
• Baked dirt was mistakenly served to students at Maine school supper
• Man who went missing from Maine assisted living facility has returned
• A midcoast Maine hospital is ‘evaluating’ its birthing services
• Another Maine cannabis shop has been burglarized
• 3 Mainers hurt in NH ATV crash
• Jason Krieger has emerged as UMaine’s ace after Tommy John surgery

“I cannot support any Democratic candidate until my profession is also honored, fought for, and mentioned in debates and in potential policies a new administration will advocate for and implement.”

Opinion: Teachers deserve higher wages, but so do college adjunct faculty

An Aroostook couple’s new lakeside restaurant is bringing city eats to The County.

Why there’s no such thing as a “top 5” fly.

This story will be updated.

Gov. Janet Mills backed former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree in the five-way Democratic primary to succeed her in the Blaine House, trying to swing late momentum toward one of her top allies.

The governor’s support of Pingree has been openly discussed in Democratic circles and signaled publicly in the form of joint campaign events and endorsements from Mills’ siblings. But it wasn’t cemented until Tuesday, when Pingree’s campaign released a video in which Mills calls her “the only candidate for governor whom I trust to never back down.”

“She’s ready to lead on Day One,” Mills said.

It’s the first political play for Mills after she suspended her U.S. Senate campaign last month, effectively ceding the Democratic nomination to political newcomer Graham Platner. Her endorsement is a bet from the Pingree campaign that Mills, even in a weakened political state, can still move a small but crucial voting bloc in the crowded primary.

Former Maine public health chief Nirav Shah has become the frontrunner in the race through strong performances in public and private polls since February, including one released last week by Pingree’s campaign.

He led the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention under Mills, becoming a household name overnight during daily media briefings. Both Shah and Pingree have the strongest ties to Mills among the field. Pingree served as the head of her policy office for seven years.

Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson has effectively campaigned against the governor at times, noting her opposition to several of his priority bills. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows comes from a more progressive wing of the party than Mills, while former clean energy executive Angus King III is less established in Maine Democratic politics.

Former Maine public health chief Nirav Shah got a massive boost Tuesday in a $650,000 ad campaign from a group aiming to help elect more Democrats with science backgrounds.

The new ad from 314 Action spotlights the gubernatorial candidate’s leadership of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ad obtained by the Bangor Daily News also includes a recurring theme among the five Democrats seeking to replace outgoing Gov. Janet Mills: standing up to President Donald Trump.

Shah’s allies are looking to shore up his frontrunner status in recent surveys with an ad campaign that exceeds his total spending on the air so far and roughly equals that of former House Speaker Hannah Pingree, who has advertised more than any of her rivals at $667,000. The late support could be a landmark event in the five-way primary.

“Shah is the clear frontrunner in this race and 314 Action is all-in to make sure he gets over the finish line in the June primary,” Joshua Morrow, the president of the group’s political arm, said in a statement.

Shah is emerging as the favorite in the race after leading in a handful of polls, including one from the University of New Hampshire in February and more recent ones that were paid for by 314 Action and the campaigns of Pingree and former state Senate President Troy Jackson. Pingree’s survey had her gaining on him in later rounds of voting.

The ad invokes Trump and touts Shah’s plans to lower healthcare costs and make prescription drugs more affordable. He became famous almost overnight during the early part of the pandemic while leading daily briefings. His communication style was praised early on, but the response to his work got more divided as pandemic policies became polarizing.

“When COVID hit Maine, fear spread across the state,” the ad says. “But Dr. Nirav Shah answered the call and told Mainers the truth.”

Shah also served as the deputy director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Joe Biden. He was previously public health director for a Republican governor in Illinois, where the state’s two U.S. senators called for his resignation in 2018 over the state’s response to a deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in a veterans’ home.

At a debate hosted by CBS News 13 and the BDN earlier this month, he stood by his agency’s response at the veterans’ home but acknowledged mistakes in communicating the outbreak to families and the public. He did not make notifications for six days after the outbreak was discovered.

“That’s why when I got to Maine, you all saw what you saw during the pandemic,” he said. “No matter what was going on, every single day, hundreds of times I showed up to make sure Mainers knew what was going on. I was tested, and I learned a lesson, and I’m better for it.”

Fishing season has finally arrived in Maine, and with it comes one of the most common questions anglers ask:

“What flies should I be using right now?”

Spend any time online and you’ll see endless lists claiming to have the answers: Top 5 Flies for Maine, Must-Have Early Season Patterns, Don’t Hit the Water Without These Flies.

It sounds helpful. It sounds simple.

And it’s almost always wrong.

There is no “top five” fly that does it all.

Anglers — especially newer ones — want a clear answer. They want a short list they can buy and feel confident using.

But fly selection doesn’t work like that.

More often than not, those lists are designed to sell flies or generate clicks. That doesn’t mean the flies on them are bad — most are proven patterns. But presenting them as a universal solution ignores the most important part of fishing: the conditions in front of you.

That’s what determines what you should tie on.

What species are you targeting? Brook trout, salmon or bass? Are you fishing a river, lake or remote pond? What are the fish feeding on?

All of it matters.

You wouldn’t throw a caddis dry fly during a heavy smelt run and expect consistent results. You wouldn’t normally tie on a bass popper in cold early-season water while targeting trout. Sure, fish can be unpredictable, but relying on exceptions isn’t a strategy.

As a guide, I take that approach seriously. When I head out, I carry hundreds of flies. I have a core group of patterns I trust — flies that have proven themselves time and again — but I also carry plenty that might not leave the box for years.

They’re there for one reason: when the situation calls for them.

A perfect example is Ray Stout’s floating smelt. It was designed years ago for fishing the West Branch and became a staple for anglers across Maine. There are plenty of variations now, but the original built its reputation for a reason.

Years ago, while I was out on my delivery route, I stopped at a house and the homeowner asked if I had a minute. We walked down to the river behind his place and he told me to grab his rod and give the floating smelt a try.

A few casts later, I swung the fly across the current and a salmon crushed it.

I landed the fish, snapped a quick photo and thanked him before heading back to work. Before I left, I told him I’d be back in a couple of days with my son. He told me not to bother bringing my own boat — we could use his.

So we did.

A couple of days later, the three of us were back on the river together. Fish were rising all around us. At first glance, it looked like a hatch was coming off, but it wasn’t. The fish were feeding on smelt chopped up passing through a dam.

It was a very specific situation.

My son hooked a few fish, and I had brought along a small Scott 3-weight rigged with that same floating smelt. Within a few casts, I was into a fish, but this wasn’t a small one. It turned out to be a landlocked salmon over 20 inches.

Honestly, it was more fish than that rod was meant to handle. But being in the boat, we were able to chase it down and land it.

At that moment, that fly felt like the only one that mattered.

But it wasn’t magic. The conditions had lined up perfectly.

That’s how it goes.

About 25 years ago, I designed a streamer called the McKay Special after fishing patterns like the Wardens Worry and the Moosehead Belle and deciding to combine elements of both into something new.

Is it one of my top flies?

No. But I always carry it.

Because I’ve seen what it can do under the right conditions.

I remember one of our annual Memorial Day trips — my dad, my cousin, my uncle and a few friends. We picked a different location every year, and one year we ended up in the Moosehead Lake region after a previous trip got cut short by a snowstorm.

That day, my dad and cousin went trolling on the lake while I fished a nearby river with the McKay Special.

It turned into one of those days you don’t forget.

Fish after fish. Trout and salmon. More than 20 landed before I finally headed back to camp to tell the story.

When I got back, all four trolling lines had tangled during a turn and their day was over.

I convinced them to come back out with me and give fly fishing a try.

I set them up midstream, had them cast down and across and let the flies swing through the current. Almost every cast, they were hooking fish.

That fly earned a permanent spot in my box after that.

But again, it’s not a “top five” fly. It’s a situational fly.

That’s the part many anglers miss.

Anglers today have more resources than ever. Fisheries surveys, dam flow data and archived fishing reports can all help you understand conditions before you ever hit the water.

That matters far more than any generic “top five” list.

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com

Dennis Camire of West Paris is an adjunct professor at Central Maine Community College and the University of Maine at Augusta.

I’ve been watching the Democratic debates for governor and following the candidates’ policies regarding education. Though I agree with all of them about increasing the starting pay of teachers to $50,000 a year, it is what they’re not saying that disturbs me. In short, none of them are expressing any concern with the non-living wage earned by adjunct instructors at our Maine Community College System. 

As I mentioned in numerous opinion columns in the past, adjunct faculty at the Maine Community College System only earn around $33,000 per academic year — if they are fully employed and if they teach the same amount of credit hours as fully employed professors! In sum, we earn about half of what a full-time professor does even though we perform the same amount of work and duties. In addition to not earning a living wage, then, we are also not receiving equal pay for equal work.

Two social justice issues in need of reckoning and all of the candidates are silent to the injustice!

I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that all of them are so vocal about increasing the starting wage of K-12 teachers but are completely silent about increasing wages of adjunct faculty who, because they need to have an advanced degree to teach, have, on average, invested even more time and money in their education. Why is it that one who has worked more and invested more in their education is deemed less worthy of fair compensation?

Why is our economic plight being completely ignored? Why, in sum, are these candidates fighting for those who are better off economically than we are and who also have healthcare and pensions, two benefits that adjunct faculty are denied?

Just let me say that I cannot support any Democratic candidate until my profession is also honored, fought for, and mentioned in debates and in potential policies a new administration will advocate for and implement.

What’s more, as I’m sure many are aware of, I believe “free tuition” at Maine’s community colleges is pretty much only a possibility because adjunct faculty provide the non-living wage labor that makes such an expense affordable to the state of Maine and acceptable to her taxpayers. Indeed, what a complete lack of gratitude it is to champion free college tuition without first championing a living wage for those whose services you’re essentially giving away for free.

Imagine, if you will, a job you worked prior to public service. Consider how you would feel if your services were given away for free even though you were, statistically, considered part of the working poor. Consider, too, how, because the state now foots the bill for the tuition of in-state students, it now should have a moral obligation to ensure that the Maine Community College System is providing an ethical wage.

In closing, I can’t say how disappointed I am that none of the Democratic candidates for governor are advocating for adjunct faculty who teach well over half of the courses that are now being given away for free. And, if education is the engine driving our economy, how can they say they’re serious about growing the Maine economy if they’re unwilling to take care of a large segment of teachers in the Maine Community College System who are instrumental in training and teaching the next generation of workers.

It’s time for candidates to better educate themselves about one of the greatest economic injustices in this state.

Outdoors
The BDN outdoors section brings readers into the woods, waters and wild places of Maine. It features stories on hunting, fishing, wildlife, conservation and recreation, told by people who live these experiences. This section emphasizes hands-on knowledge, field reports, issues, trends and the traditions that define life outside in Maine. Read more Outdoors stories here. 

Sooner or later, most career game wardens place themselves in harm’s way in the line of duty. The same can be said for game warden pilots, perhaps even more so. Maine warden pilots are often called upon to assist from the air in searches for missing people. More often than not, the weather is nasty, and warden pilots find themselves flying in dangerous conditions close to the treetops.

On May 12, Maine game warden pilot Joshua Tibbetts, 50, lost control of his Cessna 185F and crashed near Schoolhouse Pond north of Farmington. He did not survive.

He was not the first game warden pilot to die in the line of duty.

Other Maine warden pilots were involved in fatal crashes in 1956, 1972 and 2011.

In 1956, warden pilot George Townsend was killed in a plane crash at Maranacook Lake. In 1972, warden pilot Dick Varney drowned when his helicopter crashed into the same lake. Former chief warden pilot Jack McPhee was killed in 2011 when his personal Super Cub crashed in northern Maine.

Although Tibbetts was not flying under the worst conditions faced by many warden pilots, an eyewitness saw him maneuvering low in excessively gusty winds — not a good situation for even the most experienced bush pilot.

According to his logbooks, Tibbetts was flying from his base in Eagle Lake and aerially stocking fish in waters near the crash site.

The irony is that many game warden pilots have saved lives while flying in the very conditions that make the job so dangerous.

Several years ago, game warden pilot Dan Dufault found himself flying in exactly those kinds of deteriorating conditions. It was windy and snowing that December morning the parents of 11-year-old Dylan Butler and 3-year-old Madison Richardson reported the children missing.

Pilot Dufault eventually spotted the youngsters from the air. Amid swirling snow squalls, the children were seen floating down the Kennebec River five hours after they were reported missing. They were eventually rescued and hospitalized with hypothermia.

Dufault didn’t have to fly. Conditions were nearly impossible, with poor visibility and a low overcast.

In situations like this, it is the warden pilot’s call. He knows the risks, and nobody — including his supervisors — second-guesses a warden pilot’s decision to stay on the ground in weather that can kill even the most skilled bush flyer.

In all probability, Dufault’s willingness to take a calculated risk and search for the children while flying low at treetop level is the reason they are alive today. With falling temperatures, time was of the essence.

Without question, in the eyes of those children and their parents, Dan Dufault is a very special guy. They will not soon forget his courage and skill. Dufault is one of a long line of Maine game warden pilots who have served Maine people with courage, dedication and uncommon airmanship.

Maine’s first game warden pilot was Bill Turgeon. In 1937, Turgeon flew an airplane belonging to then-Fish and Wildlife Commissioner George Stobie. The aircraft was a gull-wing Stinson.

There have been about 20 game warden pilots during the nearly 70 years the Maine Warden Service has employed flying wardens.

The names I have found are Bill Turgeon, Bob Bacon, George Later, Gary Dumond, Malcolm Maheu, Andy Stinson, Dick Varney, George Townsend, Eben Perry, Jack McPhee, Dana Toothaker, Jim Welsh, Alan Ryder, Roger Wolverton, Jason Bouchard, Charlie Later, Dan Dufault, Durwood Humphrey, Jeff Spencer and Chris Hilton. There may be a few others I have missed.

As far as we know, nobody is keeping track of how many lives have been saved over the years through the direct or indirect efforts of Maine’s game warden pilots.

If you were the parent of a missing child, the spouse of a lost hunter or the son or daughter of an elderly person who wandered into the woods, there would be comfort in knowing the Warden Service Rescue Unit was using every tool at its disposal — including game warden pilots.

Warden pilot Tibbetts, and all the Maine game warden pilots before him, are a special breed. We appreciate their sacrifice.

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

Maine has the third fastest electricity rate growth in the country and Angus King III’s ” Maine Ratepayers Bill of Rights” will attack this problem in the following ways:

Lower costs by modernizing the permitting process to reduce the cost of developing renewable energy projects. Maine ratepayers can no longer bear the costs of these delays, which have added hundreds of millions of dollars to projects that could have been developed faster and cheaper by up to three to six times in other countries.

To ensure accountability, utilities must prioritize quality, reliability and cost reduction. They cannot continue to build new power lines and pass those costs onto the people of Maine. The way to do that is to incentivize lower costs through performance-based rates. The utilities will pay the price for their inefficiency.

For fairness, data centers will have to build their own power supply, or if they do tie into the local grid, they should pay for the additional costs associated with their gargantuan usage so those costs don’t end up in the laps of Maine ratepayers.

Instead of the knee-jerk reaction of building more power lines, to increase efficiency, utilities should look into existing grid-enhancing technologies that have proven to increase capacity by 30%. This can be cheaper and faster for utilities and ratepayers alike.

Maine should negotiate better energy deals for its citizens and keep renewable power built here in the state.

As an executive with over 20 years of experience advising companies around the globe on energy efficiency and cost reduction, I strongly endorse Angus King III for governor.

Harry Ostrander
Portland

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

I believe Matt Dunlap is a man of and for the people. He has an exemplary record of service to the State of Maine, currently as our state auditor.

But what impresses me is prior to entering politics, Matt worked various jobs — alongside his parents in the textile business, fur trapper, publishing editor, radio talk-show host, cook, waiter, and bartender. He spent 20 years as a commercial cook and was a proud union member.

Matt is a hard worker who I believe will continue to put working families ahead of special interests, supporting Medicare for all, strong unions, and was co-chair of the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. But he also has qualities that make him special.

I got a chance to chat with Matt recently on Thursday Jazz Nite at Paddy Murphy’s in Downtown Bangor. I noted his very sharp appearance and asked about his freshly ironed white shirt, and the perfect arm crease. (My mom had me iron my dad’s shirts before permanent press fabric.) I asked what dry cleaner he uses, Dunlap surprised me: “I iron all my shirts myself … I wash and iron all my own clothes.” (Confirmed by his wife Michelle.) Well, that tells me a lot.

That night I asked Matt for two words to describe himself. After thinking about it, before he left, two words were written on his card: ferocity and kindness.

Dunlap is running in a Democratic primary for U.S. Congress in Maine’s 2nd District. I urge you to support his candidacy.

Roxanne Munksgaard
Bangor

A longtime Maine sporting camp that hosted renowned professional athletes is on the market for just under $1.1 million.

Established in 1898, the South Branch Lake Camps is perched on a roughly 6-acre peninsula, offering more than 1,670 feet of private shoreline on South Branch Lake.

The property in Seboeis Plantation, roughly 45 minutes north of Bangor, contains 11 furnished cabins varying in size from 330 to 550 square feet, said Michaela Kinghorn of Realty of Maine, the listing agent for the property.

Each cabin has a half bathroom, heating and screened-in porches with gas grills and camp stoves, Kinghorn said. The three larger cabins offer full kitchens.

The 2,600-square-foot main lodge in the center of the camp offers a commercial kitchen, dining space, tackle shop and two guest suites. Another recreation center offers pool, poker and foosball tables.

The site was used as a sporting camp for decades and hosted celebrities including Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Bobby Orr and Jerry McKinnis, creator of “The Fishin’ Hole,” a television show that aired for 44 years on ESPN. An episode of the show was filmed at the camp in the 1980s, Kinghorn said.

It’s the second oldest running sporting camp in Maine, according to its website.

Aside from offering guided hunts for bears and other game, the camp is known for its bass fishing, Kinghorn said. In one building, there’s an autographed picture of Babe Ruth fishing on the lake.

The property’s other buildings include two shower houses, a dock house and garage. There’s also a large fire pit on the property.

With three seasonal dock systems, the property is being sold with six 14-foot aluminum boats, four outboard motors, two canoes and three kayaks.

Every building comes fully furnished, meaning a buyer could easily continue operating it as a sporting camp or keep it for their private use.

“You could do whatever you have in mind,” Kinghorn said. “If someone wants a big place for their whole family to stay, they could rent it out while they’re not using it.”

The seller continued operating it as a sporting camp after buying it in 2024, Kinghorn said. It was listed last summer for more than $1.1 million, then taken off the market in December after a series of small price cuts, Zillow records show.

The camp hit the market again last week with an asking price of nearly $1.1 million and Kinghorn said she has received a few calls from prospective buyers.

“It’s a great fit for anyone who appreciates the Maine wilderness but also the community aspect,” Kinghorn said. “The neighbors on the road have helped the seller. They know and look after one another.”

The property feels very remote and peaceful, but being 15 minutes from I-95 makes the camp accessible and convenient for visitors, Kinghorn said.

The seller is also open to selling off the cabins in a fractional ownership agreement. This means buyers would get unlimited access to however many cabins they purchase as well as the site’s many amenities, though they would share communal spaces with other owners.

In this arrangement, the smaller cabins cost roughly $113,000 while the larger cabins have a $170,000 price tag. Buyers would pay an annual fee of roughly $2,000 to cover taxes, utilities, maintenance repairs and other expenses.

“You can’t find anything close to this for that price point,” Kinghorn said.

Franklin County is asking Maine’s largest ski resort to repay roughly $150,000 in taxpayer money that officials say was improperly charged for an infrastructure project that fell apart.

At a March meeting, commissioners voted to ask their attorney for paths to recoup more than $150,000 from Sugarloaf after the county administrator suggested commissioners “lawyer up” in a dispute that is straining the county’s relationship with one of its largest private employers and main attractions.

The county agreed in 2020 to subsidize a project by Sugarloaf that would have dammed the south branch of the Carrabassett River at its source, Caribou Pond, which lies in a small, wooded basin about six miles south of the resort’s entrance.

The dam would have created a reservoir for the resort to use as a water source for snowmaking. More artificial snow for warm winters would mean a more consistent tourism trade. Snowmaking is increasingly important for the bottom lines of ski resorts across the northeast as climate change makes weather patterns less stable and predictable.

In 2023, County Administrator Amy Bernard said Sugarloaf officials told her the project, which would have required construction deep in the woods along a dirt road that intersects with the busy Appalachian Trail, was no longer happening as planned.

But they kept charging the county anyway. She also found Sugarloaf had charged for expenses dating back to 2018, well before the agreement was made. Officials from Sugarloaf and from its parent company, Boyne Resorts, did not respond to Monday requests for comment.

In late 2024, the county sent Sugarloaf an invoice for about $222,000, which would recover funds spent before the agreement was made and some money Bernard said was not related to the dam project. The resort has paid back around $69,000 despite repeated requests.

“I’ve asked them too many times [for repayment] for me to feel comfortable saying, ‘we’re just going to sit on this,’” Bernard said in March.

Sugarloaf had already contacted lawyers about the county’s requests, and she said the county should do the same. At her recommendation, Tom Saviello of Wilton, the chairman of the commission, said the county should pursue repayment “aggressively.”

Commissioner Bob Carlton, whose district includes Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley, said on Monday that the resort had been “cooperative” in paying back some of the funds in the past.

“Now we just have to figure out how to move forward,” he said.

Whatever happens with the money from the Caribou Pond project, the county may hesitate to support Sugarloaf’s parent company, which operates 10 ski resorts across the continent.

“I wouldn’t recommend having a future project with Sugarloaf after this experience,” Bernard said. “Two years of asking them to pay money back seems excessive to me.”

Daniel O’Connor is a Report for America corps member who covers rural government as part of the partnership between the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Monitor, with additional support from BDN and Monitor readers.

Seasoned restaurateurs, famed for their management of two favorite Aroostook eateries, have taken over ownership of the Lakeside Restaurant on the shores of Nickerson Lake in New Limerick.

Life partners Sam Foster and Zoe Gerakaris of Houlton had long thought about using their combined years of food service experience to run their own restaurant, and last week that dream became reality.

“After years of opening and managing restaurants for others, we shared a dream of creating something of our own, so we took the leap,” Gerakaris said.

Located at the Houlton Community Golf Course, the revamped Lakeside Restaurant boasts more seating, more food and menu offerings rarely found in Maine’s northern eateries.

Patrons have already commented that it reminds them of what is more traditionally found in Portland or Augusta dining spots, Gerakaris said.

“We wanted to offer something different that nobody else in the town has,” she said.

Foster is the head chef, supported by two sous chefs. His love of pairing fresh herbs in creations first tried at home led to a menu that offers everything from weekend brunch, to casual fare for golfers and fine dining for special nights out.

After an almost “too busy” soft opening on May 7, word-of-mouth and social media praise for the couple’s tasty creations is already creating a buzz. Along with a steady dining crowd, they have also already booked several large events including two wedding receptions and some golf events for 100 people, they said.

Popular menu items are the Haddock Ladolemono over homemade Maine mashed potatoes and the Greenside Bowl, grilled chicken, roasted cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, pickled red onion, olives, and feta cheese, finished with a drizzle of tzatziki sauce and balsamic glaze over jasmine rice, which is served with crispy pita chips on the side.

“I love fresh ingredients,” Foster said.

The couple each managed separate Houlton restaurants up until the week they opened the Lakeside.

Foster started out as an assistant regional manager with Dunkin’ in Millinocket, working in various locations. For a while, he moved to Florida and opened several Chipotles for a different company. He returned to Maine to open the Houlton IHOP for the Connecticut-based Great American Real Food Fast two years ago and stayed on as the general manager until last week.

Gerakaris was the front-of-house manager at the beloved Vault Restaurant in downtown Houlton. That spot is now closed and up for sale after the head chef, co-owner David Craik Tucker Wells, died last week.

Wells was helping Foster and Gerakaris get their restaurant up and running, she said.

The Houlton Community Golf Course owns the building and the couple owns the restaurant, said Daniel Peabody, acting board president.

“They operate it on their own. They brought their own multi talents between the two of them together and here they are,” Peabody said. “It looks very promising and we are very excited for the future for them.”

The Lakeside Restaurant is located at 6 Country Club Drive, New Limerick. Hours are:

Monday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Tuesday and Wednesday; Thursday and Friday noon to 8 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday brunch 10 a.m to 2 p.m. and dinner 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Reservations and takeout orders are accepted.

The restaurant now seats about 125 people, with room for 40 to 50 on the patio. Several of the employees from the closed Vault Restaurant are now working at the Lakeside, Foster said.

Later this summer they are also considering adding catering and larger events.

“It’s very exciting because you don’t know what’s ahead, but it just feels like it’s going to be good,” Foster said.

ORONO, Maine — University of Maine junior right-hander Jason Krieger didn’t get off to the start he wanted after missing the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery on his pitching arm.

“I wanted to be able to go seven shutout innings every weekend,” Krieger said.

Instead, it was rough going through his first six starts as he allowed 26 earned runs in 32 ⅓ innings for a lofty 7.24 earned-run average.

But Krieger had a decent start in a loss to UMass Lowell on March 27, allowing two runs on eight hits over five innings, and he has continuously improved to emerge as the team’s ace heading into Wednesday’s 5 p.m. America East play-in game against Albany at the Binghamton Bearcats’ Baseball Complex in Vestal, New York.

Over his last eight starts, beginning with the UMass Lowell start, he has allowed just 14 earned runs over 50 innings for a 2.52 ERA.

He hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a start and has held opponents to two earned runs or less in six of those eight outings.

Over his last three starts, he has given up only four earned runs and 14 hits in 22 innings with 14 strikeouts and just one walk.

“When he takes the ball, I feel like we’re going to win or he is going to at least give us a chance to win,” said UMaine graduate student-right fielder and leading hitter Juju Stevens.

“He is the best pitcher in this league,” said Stevens. “He is polished and he has more than two pitches, which is something you don’t see often in this league.”

Krieger acknowledged he got off to a “pretty rough start” but said he made some midseason adjustments after working with head coach Nick Derba and “ever since then, I’ve been able to repeat my mechanics and things have been pretty good.”

He said he had to grind his way through his tough spell and pointed out that the velocity on his four-seam fastball was a “little down.”

“Now I’ve gotten it back up to 92-94 (miles-an-hour) and that has played a factor, too,” said Krieger. “And I’ve gotten used to the swing of the game again.”

The 6-foot-5 native of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, said he came to UMaine with three pitches.

“I had a good fastball, a good change-up and a mediocre slider,” said Krieger.

But he said he learned three new pitches — a sinker, splitter and cutter — during his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery so now he can throw the “kitchen sink” at opposing hitters. He considers his four-seam fastball and splitter to be his two best pitches now.

He also noted that when he came to UMaine in 2024, he weighed 180 pounds, and now he packs 210 to 215 pounds on his 6-5 frame.

“And I’ve developed under coach Derba and his staff,” said Krieger.

”He has good stuff,” said Derba. “He pounds the strike zone with his fastball which allows him to do a lot of different things [in various counts]. The game is still fastball-dictated.”

Krieger had never had any substantial injuries until he underwent Tommy John surgery on Oct. 22, 2024.

“I got lucky. I got injured at a good time. I had 16 months to get back when it usually takes 11 to 12 months,” said Krieger who added that he “found ways” to get through his post-surgery rehab.

“I made little goals for myself every day and that helped me get through it,” said Krieger.

Krieger will go into Wednesday’s start with a 3-6 record and a 4.37 ERA. In 82 ⅓ innings, he has allowed 86 hits and 40 earned runs with 48 strikeouts and 32 walks. He has allowed just 16 extra-base hits of which six were homers.

The reigning America East Pitcher of the Week leads the conference in innings pitched and is eighth in ERA.

In conference games, he is 2-3 with a 3.42 ERA and has given up only two homers over 50 innings.

He has the league’s seventh-best ERA in conference games.

Krieger earned a spot on the America East All-Rookie team in 2024 when he had the team’s lowest ERA at 5.26 and most strikeouts with 54.

Krieger came to UMaine after an impressive career at Red Lion Area Senior High School where he was 14-4 with a 2.87 ERA with 159 strikeouts in 139 innings.

Perfect Game ranked him as the 28th best right-handed pitcher in Pennsylvania.

A former member of the UMaine staff noticed him during a tournament at the In the Net Sports Complex in Palmyra, Pennsylvania, and reached out to him.

“I had thrown a seven-inning, complete-game shutout. I learned about the history of the program here, and it seemed like a perfect fit,” said Krieger.

He is looking forward to the tournament.

He just pitched seven innings of two-hit, one-run ball with six strikeouts and no walks in a 12-1 seven-inning win over Albany last Thursday that triggered a three-game sweep.

UMaine is the third seed and Albany is the sixth seed and the winner will move on to play in the four-team, double-elimination format while the loser will go home.

“I’m going to go right at them. I’m ready to go 125 to 145 pitches and do whatever it takes to get a win and get us to the next round,” said Krieger. “We can win four games with our pitching depth. We have the best bullpen in the conference. And the big thing for me is our guys are going to hit as long as they stick to their approach.”

The town of Searsmont will create a fund to support people affected by the Robbins Lumber fire and explosion that killed one firefighter and injured at least a dozen other people on Friday.

The town’s select board voted unanimously on Monday to establish the Robbins Lumber Fire Relief Fund and allow the town clerk to accept donations. The town will create a committee to develop and establish criteria for distributing the money, though many details still need to be worked out.

At the meeting, Select Board member Chris Davis said that Searsmont and surrounding communities are hurting. The town’s third select board member, Hubert McCabe, resigned on Monday morning. His partner, Sarah Tompkins, is the town’s Emergency Medical Services director and was injured in the fire. She remains hospitalized at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland.

“It’s been a tough time,” Davis said, tearing up. “It’s hit the town pretty hard.”

In addition to Tompkins, three members of Searsmont’s fire department, Chief James Ames, Assistant Chief Wayne Woodbury and firefighter Thomas Wolf were injured in the fire, according to state officials.

Woodbury and Wolf remain hospitalized at MaineHealth Medical Center.

Liliane Robbins, a member of the town’s EMS department and of the Robbins family that owned the mill, is being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital’s burn center, according to a statement from Robbins Lumber.

Two of the mill’s owners, Jim Robbins and Alden Robbins, were also injured in the fire and are being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital’s burn center, the company said.

Wolf is also employed by the mill. Another worker, John Ward, was treated and released.

Speaking at the meeting, Davis thanked the public for their support. The town will determine at a later date whether to hold a special election to fill McCabe’s vacant seat.

“The town of Searsmont would like to thank everybody who has helped us in this time of need and pain,” he said.

Eight firefighters, emergency medical personnel and lumber mill workers who were injured Friday in a fire and explosion at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont remain in Boston and Portland hospitals, while the four others have been released.

Three members of Searsmont’s fire department, Chief James Ames, Assistant Chief Wayne Woodbury, and firefighter Thomas Wolf were injured in the fire, which began in an area of the mill where wood shavings are packed in plastic bags and then spread to a sawdust silo, causing the silo to explode. Woodbury and Wolf remain hospitalized at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center while Ames was released, state officials said Monday.

Sarah Tompkins, Searsmont’s Emergency Medical Services chief, is hospitalized at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center. Tompkins is co-owner of Fine Line Farm in Searsmont. Her partner, Hubert McCabe, is a firefighter and was a select board member until Monday morning but resigned “for obvious reasons,” Pete Milinazzo, a select board member, said Monday afternoon.

Liliane Robbins, a member of the town’s EMS department and a member of the Robbins family, which owns the lumber yard, also was injured and is getting treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, according to state officials.

On Monday, Robbins Lumber announced in a statement that two other members of the Robbins family, Jim Robbins and Alden Robbins, who are owners of the mill, are also being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital’s burn center, the statement said.

The hospital said in a statement on Monday afternoon that the three patients it has from the Searsmont fire are in critical condition.

Wolf, the injured firefighter who is still hospitalized, is also employed by the lumber company. Another mill worker, John Ward, was treated and released.

“They have a long road to recovery ahead, but they are in the very best hands, and we look forward to their return,” the company said in a statement.

Alden Robbins is president of Georges River Energy, which operates a biomass powerplant that burns low quality wood to power the sawmill at Robbins Lumber.

Firefighter Katherine Paige, a member of the Belmont and Northport fire departments, is being treated for severe burns at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center, according to the department of public safety. She is still on a breathing tube, according to a post from her husband Paul Paige from Sunday. Paul Paige said his wife is responding to his voice with nods and shrugs. She will need several surgeries and skin grafts and will be in the burn unit for over a month, he wrote.

Jacob Spaulding, a firefighter from Montville was also injured in the fire, remains hospitalized at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center where he is on a ventilator according to an update from a family member posted on Facebook Monday afternoon.

Spaulding is expected to survive, though he faces “a long and challenging road to recovery,” according to a fundraising page organized on his behalf.

Clifton “Prent” Marriner, Appleton’s fire chief, suffered second degree burns in the fire and was released on Sunday afternoon, according to the Midcoast Villager.

He has limited use of his hands and does not know how long the healing process will take, but he intends to be back on the job, he told the Villager.

Twenty-year-old Aaron Heald, a Lincolnville firefighter, has also been released from the hospital after suffering burns to his hands.

As the victims try to heal, plans are being made for where to hold a funeral for Andrew Cross, 27, of Morrill, the firefighter who died in Friday’s explosion. The town is still trying to find a venue large enough to accommodate the expected crowd.

At the Morrill Fire Department on Friday, a helmet and pair of boots stood before dozens of bouquets of flowers, a tribute to Cross.

A deer antler representing his love for hunting was placed near the boots, along with a box for loved ones to contribute photos and mementos. On the top of the box was written, “We love you bub.”

“The flowers speak well of what people thought of him in town,” said Patrick Scribner, who was Searsmont’s fire chief for 13 years and served on it for three decades before retiring three years ago.

“He was a big part of this town,” he said.

Scribner said that Cross was killed when a silo that stored wood shavings blew up. The circumstances leading up to the explosion weren’t entirely clear, he said.

“We don’t know what happened, we just know it blew up,” he said.

Last night he went to a briefing attended by about 55 people who had been at the incident. He learned that several members of the Lincolnville Fire Department were closest to the explosion and pulled most of the people who survived out of harm’s way.

“Apparently no one found Andrew,” Scribner said.

His body was found later in the afternoon.

Cross, who also worked second shift at Bath Iron Works, also drove a plow truck and was always available to lend a hand, even on his days off, said Scribner.

“He was a big up-and-coming part of our department,” Scribner said.

State and federal officials are still investigating the fire and silo explosion.

When Kelley Strout’s oldest son started fourth grade at Bangor’s Fairmount School, she worried that his test-taking anxiety would make an accelerated math and reading class too difficult.

“I remember he failed his first math test and I tried to pull him out of the class, and he told me, ‘if you pull me out of Ms. Soucy’s class, I will never speak to you again,’” Strout recalled. Over the following year, fourth and fifth grade teacher Marcy Soucy helped him develop his test-taking strategies and his confidence, Strout said.

Soucy went above and beyond to support Strout’s two sons who went through that class — which is why Strout nominated their teacher for Penobscot County teacher of the year. Soucy was awarded the honor on Friday by the Maine Department of Education.

The announcement highlights the Fairmount School’s beloved teachers and tight-knit community amid a challenging few weeks after Bangor’s school department announced the school would temporarily close next year due to asbestos. Families concerned about the closure and its implications have repeatedly emphasized their appreciation for the school’s teachers.

“We are a very close family at Fairmount,” Soucy said. “Even though my name might be on the award, to me, it really feels like a collective reflection of the amazing school and district and the community.”

The 16 Maine County Teachers of the Year, including Soucy, will collaborate on projects to advocate for students and teachers in the state, and one of them will be selected this fall as the Maine State Teacher of the Year, according to the Maine Department of Education.

Soucy’s favorite thing about Fairmount School is the students, she said, adding that she loves watching them grow as the co-supervisor for two after-school clubs. Along with fellow teacher Rachael Rowland, she runs the Soar Store, a student-run store in the school that raises money for gifts the students give out to their peers.

It also supports the school’s Care Closet, a project for which Soucy secured a grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation two years ago that provides basic hygiene items, clothes and snacks for students in need, she said. She also co-runs the Falcon Council, a student-run advisory council that helps plan celebrations at the school and resolve conflicts like playground issues.

“It’s been such a joy to see students become leaders” and to show them that “their voice really does matter,” Soucy said.

Soucy herself grew up attending Bangor schools, as did her father and her son, she said. She worked as a teacher in Atlanta after graduating from the University of Maine before returning to Bangor 11 years ago.

When asked why she gravitated toward teaching fourth graders, Soucy remembered her own teacher at Bangor’s Mary Snow School.

“Mrs. Stanley was my fourth grade teacher, and she made learning come alive, and I just remember blossoming in her class because she really believed in me,” she said. “Her belief in me really made me love learning and I really wanted to pass that on to others.”

After Strout heard the news that Soucy had won Penobscot County teacher of the year, she sent out a message to other families Sunday morning asking them to stop by her house to sign a banner celebrating the achievement. In just eight hours, 40 kids who had been in Soucy’s class signed, she said.

“A class is more than what kids learn. It’s about how they’re made to feel and that they’re challenged and that they belong and that’s really the environment she creates,” Strout said of Soucy.

When Strout’s younger son finished fifth grade, he wrote a comic book about Soucy’s class, warning future students to get on her good side by listening and remembering to bring in their homework.

“I know this book might intimidate you, but Ms. Soucy is the best teacher ever. Honestly, I wish I never had to leave her class,” he wrote.

Soucy emphasized her and her colleagues’ commitment to continue taking care of their students’ needs regardless of where their classrooms are located next year during Fairmount’s closure.

“I care very deeply about the Fairmont community and as educators, I feel like it’s our purpose right now to be a guiding light to them during this time,” she said. “Our goal is just to make sure that we have this consistent place for them where they feel safe and know that we are doing the best we can to support them.”

She added, “I keep saying, if I’m with students, I’ll be fine.”

ST. AGATHA, Maine — Kathy Theriault, a math teacher at Wisdom Middle/High School in St. Agatha, was named the Aroostook County Teacher of the Year by the Maine Department of Education on Friday.

Theriault joins winners from the other counties in the runup to the Maine Teacher of the Year later this year, who will be chosen from among the 16 honorees.

In his letter of support, MSAD 33 Superintendent Ben Sirois wrote of Theriault’s impact on her students, colleagues, and the broader community.

“Mrs. Theriault exemplifies the very best of what it means to be a teacher: passionate, knowledgeable, compassionate, and committed to every student’s success,” Sirois wrote.

Theriault was also a finalist for Aroostook County Teacher of the Year last year, according to the superintendent’s letter.

She teaches math classes ranging from Algebra I to geometry, statistics, and pre-calculus. She also has a dual certification in both mathematics as well as special education, which Sirois said gives her a unique perspective and informs her approach to treating each student with care and attention. This results in a teaching approach that is rigorous while also emphasizing accessibility.

“She genuinely knows each child she teaches, bringing understanding of students’ individual strengths, challenges, and interests into every lesson,” Sirois said. “Students feel seen, valued, and challenged in a way that fuels both their confidence and academic growth.”

Theriault’s innovative teaching style brings life to each class and keeps students engaged with her lessons, said Wisdom Middle/High School Principal Robby Nadeau, who nominated her for the recognition.

“Her contributions to Wisdom Middle/High School have been immeasurable,” Nadeau said,” and she embodies the very best of what we value in our educators. It is a privilege to recognize her with this well-deserved and well-earned honor.”

Theriault’s approach is why she was named as a semifinalist for two years in a row and is a testament to her efforts and influence, Sirois stated in his letter. She knows her students’ stories, struggles and breakthroughs.

“Students don’t just learn mathematics, they learn that they are capable, that effort matters, and that someone is genuinely rooting for them,” he said. “That is the kind of teaching that stays with a student long after the final exam.”

Maine Department of Education officials honored the county teachers of the year in a celebration in Augusta on Friday.

The other honorees are: Androscoggin, Abigail Reuscher, Lewiston High School; Cumberland, Adrianne Shetenhelm, Windham High School; Franklin, Casey McMullen, Phillips Elementary School; Hancock, Michael Brzezowski, Pemetic Elementary School; Kennebec, Gretchen Livingston, Cony Middle-High School; Knox, Judith Masseur, Camden Hills Regional High School; Lincoln, Katherine Race, Edgecomb Eddy School; Oxford, Gina Welch, Crescent Park Elementary School.

Penobscot, Marcy Soucy, Fairmount Elementary School; Piscataquis, Martha Ladd, Foxcroft Academy; Sagadahoc, Hilary Martin, Mt. Ararat High School; Somerset, Jeremy Bourque, Skowhegan Area High School; Waldo, Rachel Norgang, Monroe Elementary School; Washington, Josie James, Alexander Elementary School; and York, Allison Mundee, Harold B. Emery Jr. Memorial School.

Three days after a deadly fire and explosion at the Robbins Lumber mill in Searsmont, the investigation continues but has been slowed by high winds that have sent debris flying and made aerial drone operation difficult, according to the state fire marshal’s office.

The Maine Office of State Fire Marshal and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are documenting the scene, preserving evidence, conducting aerial mapping, and talking to witnesses, of whom they have interviewed more than 50 already. Investigators also examined similar mill infrastructure and electrical systems, according to the fire marshal’s office.

One ATF investigator suffered a minor injury related to the difficult site conditions, the office said.

The fire at the Route 131 mill complex happened on Friday morning. Firefighters arrived to find a silo burning. While they were working to suppress the fire, a dust explosion occurred in the silo. Morrill firefighter Andrew Cross died at the scene, and a dozen emergency and mill workers were injured with many taken to burn units at hospitals in Portland and Boston.

The fire marshal’s office on Monday released a list of people injured in the incident along with their current location:

Searsmont Fire
Chief James Ames – Released
Assistant Chief Wayne Woodbury – MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Searsmont EMS
Chief Sara Tompkins – MaineHealth Maine Medical Center
Lilliane Robbins – Massachusetts General Hospital

Appleton Fire
Chief Cliffton Marriner – Released

Belmont Fire
Katheryn Paige – MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Montville Fire
Jacob Spaulding – MaineHealth Maine Medical Center

Lincolnville Fire
Aaron Heald – Released

Robbins Lumber
Co-owner Alden Robbins – Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-owner James Robbins – Massachusetts General Hospital
Thomas Wolfe – MaineHealth Maine Medical Center
John Ward – Released

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — It is with great pleasure that Southern New Hampshire University congratulates the following students on being named to the spring 2026 president’s list. The spring terms run from January to May:

Joshua Pinto of Winterport

Kathryn Morris of Old Town

Kenneth Emery of Milford

Cassie Armstrong-Hopkins of Levant

Emily Lundquist of Kenduskeag

Alyssa Layman of Hampden

Jacob Clements of Etna

Dylan Whitehead of Holden

Shawn Bouchard of Eddington

Amanda Perkins of Eddington

Cole Tetreault of Corinth

Johnny Cote of Carmel

Kara Howard of Carmel

Sierra Deschaine of Brewer

Ethan Campbell of Bangor

Branden Mountain of Bangor

Erika Greaves of Bangor

Bradley Saucier of Bangor

Sarah Sumner of Bangor and

Sarahlynn Taylor of Bangor.

Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum grade-point average of 3.700 and above for the reporting term are named to the president’s list. Full-time status is achieved by earning 12 credits over each 16-week term or paired 8-week terms grouped in fall, winter/spring and summer.

Bangor police are searching for a city resident who has been missing since late February.

Whitney Bryant, 39, was last seen on Feb. 24. He is white, 5-foot-6, 190 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair. Bangor police said they are trying to find him to do a welfare check.

A Bangor police spokesperson said this is the first request for public assistance since Bryant went missing and comes at a time when police have exhausted investigative avenues.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact Det. Brody Gibbs by email at brody.gibbs@bangormaine.gov or by calling 207-947-7382, Ext. 5769.

Aaron Heald, a 20-year-old volunteer firefighter from Lincolnville, returned home after being injured in Friday’s fatal fire and explosion at the Robbins Lumber mill in Searsmont.

“Welcome home, brother. It’s good to see you,” the Lincolnville Volunteer Fire Department posted on Facebook alongside photos of Heald holding up his two bandaged hands in front of a banner displayed on a firetruck reading, “Welcome Home Aaron.”

Lincolnville’s department was one of more than a dozen mostly volunteer fire companies from surrounding towns to respond to the conflagration, which killed Morrill volunteer firefighter Andrew Cross and sent several others to the hospital.

Heald’s grandfather, Donnie Heald, had earlier posted a photo of the young firefighter smiling from his hospital bed and giving two bandaged thumbs-up. The younger Heald declined an interview request through his grandfather.

A state and federal investigation is underway into the origin of the fire, though officials cautioned they may not have more information for several days.

At least 10 people injured in the fire and subsequent explosion remained hospitalized as of Sunday evening, according to the latest information from state officials. The conditions of some were serious or critical.

This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.

A former Bangor man found not criminally responsible for killing a man in 2003 is allowed to move from a group home into a supervised apartment, a judge ruled Friday.

Walter Travis fatally stabbed his neighbor, 51-year-old Thomas Forni, on June 24, 2003, in the area of First, Second and Cedar streets in Bangor. He also attempted to kill his brother, James Travis, who was 19 at the time.

Walter Travis was found not criminally responsible in 2004 and committed to the legal custody of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Travis has schizophrenia, a personality disorder and multiple substance use disorders, which are in remission, Dr. Wayne Moss said Friday. In the decades since the killing, Travis has regularly taken medications, including antipsychotics, Moss said.

Travis has lived in a group home for the last five years. He spent about 10 years at Riverview Psychiatric Center after the killing. He later moved into an apartment but that right was revoked in 2021 and he had to return to a group home.

On Friday, Judge Daniel Billings granted Travis’ request to move into an apartment that is supervised 24/7 after medical professionals testified for about an hour Friday at the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta. It’s unclear when Travis will be able to move into an apartment.

“This is a very positive step forward and reflects great effort by Mr. Travis,” Billings said.

Travis first heard voices around 9 years old, which is rare, Billings said. Travis needs help and supervision, which he will likely need forever, Billings said.

“There’s no question back when this case started, very tragic events occurred,” Billings said. “Mr. Travis was obviously a danger to himself and others. But, this case also shows with appropriate supervision and treatment, Mr. Travis can be safe, and can be a positive force in the community.”

Travis lived in an apartment before, but that right was revoked around 2021, and he returned to a group home, forensic psychologist Ann LeBlanc said. In the years since Travis’ privileges were slowly restored, allowing him up to six hours of daily unsupervised time in the community, with an in-person check-in required after three hours.

The new order allows Travis eight hours of unsupervised time, with an in-person check-in after four hours.

In 2004, a state expert testified that Travis believed in beings called “goyfecals” that would use tentacles to suck his thoughts out, manipulate them and put them back in his head. The beings wanted Travis to kill people so they could have the bodies.

Travis no longer hears “command voices” telling him to do things, Moss said. There is no indication Travis has delusional beliefs and he is not distracted by internal voices.

“He still hears the voices everyday but he’s grown accustomed to the voices,” Moss said.

A man who went missing from an assisted living facility in Leeds has returned home, according to the Androscoggin Sheriff’s Office

Owen Ryder, 27, left Fern Cottage on Quaker Ridge Road with an unknown friend, the sheriff’s office announced just before 7:30 a.m. Monday.

In an update at 9:14, the sheriff’s office said Ryder had returned home.

A giant of Maine lumber is donating $100,000 to support the victims and their families after last week’s deadly disaster at a lumber mill in Searsmont.

Hammond Lumber on Monday afternoon announced the donation to the Maine Strong Memorial Foundation, which is working with the town of Searsmont and other officials to raise funds to support those injured in Friday’s fire and explosion at the Robbins Lumber mill.

“As a Maine company, our communities are like family to us, and tragedies like this are felt deeply by all of us,” Mike Hammond, president and CEO of Hammond Lumber Co., said in a statement. “Robbins Lumber has been a valued partner of ours for many years, and from one family business to another, our hearts are with everyone impacted by this tragedy. We are keeping the victims, their families, employees, first responders, and the entire community in our thoughts. On behalf of our company and employees, we hope this donation helps provide comfort, resources, and meaningful support to the individuals and families affected as they navigate the difficult road ahead.”

A fire broke out about 10:05 a.m. Friday at the Robbins Lumber campus off Route 131 in an area where wood shavings are packed in plastic bags. That blaze then spread to a silo filled with sawdust that exploded about 11 a.m. as firefighters stood nearby.

That prompted nearly two dozen fire departments to scramble to the scene as crews tried to contain the blaze and tended to the nearly dozen wounded.

One firefighter, 27-year-old Andrew Cross of the Morrill Volunteer Fire Department, was killed. Ten people, including owners Jim Robbins and Alden Robbins and family member Lily Robbins, remain hospitalized. The Robbinses are recovering in the burn unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the company revealed Monday morning.

A joint federal-state investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire and explosion.

BRIDGTON — Beth Cossey, a true daughter of Bridgton, embodied the very essence of community spirit.

Her warmth, kindness and endearing curiosity touched countless lives and the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity aims to ensure her enduring legacy and passion for education will inspire future generations.

The museum, located on 121 Main St. in Bridgton, stands as a landmark celebrating one of Maine’s most influential artists and the beauty of New England. It has established the Beth Cossey Catalyst Fund, a new education-focused initiative dedicated to fostering creativity and community engagement. Cossey, a museum trustee, passed away in October 2024.

“Inspired by Beth’s passion for learning and connection, the fund will support educational programs and activities that reflect her values,” Daniel Dinsmore, executive director of the museum, said. “We look forward to honoring her memory through this meaningful initiative.”

Norway Savings Bank is pleased to have committed $15,000 to the fund and, recently, NSB representatives made a special visit to the museum to deliver the check.

“I was amazed to hear about the plans to honor Beth in ways that will build a stronger community,” Dan Walsh, president and CEO of Norway Savings, said. “Field trips, support for local arts and science programs, museum scholarships, a grant program, special community events and series, it’s really overwhelming. Plus, the museum is dedicated to ensuring all youth, regardless of their background, have access to it. The passion of the staff for preserving and growing the museum is always on full display as well.”

“Thanks to the amazing commitment of supporters like Norway Savings Bank, Rufus Porter Museum has become a must-see destination that anchors a growing arts community in Bridgton and beyond,” Dinsmore said. “We are truly grateful for the many contributions made to the museum as well as the new donations in Beth’s name. All of this generosity is truly the backbone of this terrific museum.”

The 2026 season at the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity will run from June 6 to Oct. 10. The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for seniors. Thanks to support from Norway Savings Bank, children under 18 are admitted free through the museum’s Youth Pass Program.

For more information about the museum, including how you can support the Beth Cossey Catalyst Fund, visit www.rufusportermuseum.org or call 207-647-2828.

Tuition will be higher for undergraduates attending University of Maine System schools starting this fall.

The board of trustees approved a 4% tuition hike Monday morning during a meeting at the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

That works out to a roughly $1,000 increase for in-state and Canadian undergraduates, bringing the yearly cost to attend one of the system’s seven campuses to an average of $24,069, including tuition, room and board, and other fees.

It’s among a slate of changes approved as part of the system’s $717.7 million budget for the upcoming academic year. That includes $90.1 million for need-based aid.

The system noted that the increase remains below the inflation rate for the Northeast. In announcing the hike, the system stressed that the newly approved tuition, which accounts for about 40% of its overall revenue, is lower than comparable universities across New England, including the University of New Hampshire and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

“The University of Maine System is proving that transformative public higher education can remain affordable, innovative and high quality even in an increasingly challenging fiscal and demographic environment,” Chancellor Dannel Malloy said in a statement. “Thanks to the hard work of our universities and the support of Governor Mills and the Legislature, this budget maintains the lowest university tuition and fees in New England while continuing to invest in the world-class people, programs and facilities that are essential to our students’ success and economic mobility and the state’s future prosperity.”

Former fitness executive Ben Midgley’s gubernatorial campaign filed an ethics complaint Monday alleging rival Bobby Charles’ team created an anonymous political site targeting Midgley without public disclosure as required by Maine law.

The complaint filed with the state Ethics Commission and obtained by Bangor Daily News argues Charles’ campaign “appears to have skirted campaign finance disclosure law, and worse purposely lied, by creating a communication that attacked one of their opponents … and included an incorrect financial disclosure in this negative communication.”

“When the Charles campaign thought they had been caught they then attempted to cover-up their involvement by removing the website,” the complaint adds. “Their desire to prevent a surging candidate from advancing to the Republican nomination clearly clouded their judgment.”

The complaint comes as the Republican primary heats up among seven contenders seeking to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. Charles has aggressively gone after rivals who have raised and spent more money on TV ads over the last month, particularly Midgley, former state Senate Majority Leader Garret Mason and entrepreneur Jonathan Bush.

The Charles’ campaign, which took down a site attacking Mason in March, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A strategist for his campaign said Friday that he did not recall the site.

The trio and real estate executive David Jones have ramped up criticism of Charles. They argue his promises to slash $4 billion from the state budget are unrealistic, and that he’s a divisive figure who would face a steeper challenge in a general election.

Midgley’s campaign manager Lauren LePage called on the Ethics Commission to review and investigate midgleyexposed.com and a March 26 campaign expenditure of $50 to a Charles strategist for GoDaddy’s web services. The site was registered on GoDaddy the same day.

Even if the site was not from the Charles campaign, it marked “a clear attempt to influence voters without proper disclosure,” she wrote. She cited the state’s required language for a non-affiliated political communication: “NOT PAID FOR OR AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE.”

The anti-Midgley site’s disclaimer read, “Independent political commentary not paid for or authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.” After a BDN story on the issue over the weekend, it was updated to include, “Not associated with entities mentioned in the BDN.”

The Jones campaign, Democratic officials and outside groups associated with the race all denied any role in creating such sites.

The Midgley site, which was taken down sometime after April 30, highlighted the businessman’s 25-plus years as a Democrat. It accused him of trying to rebrand from a “woke” DEI-focused CEO whose company offered pole dancing lessons, and who changed parties in an attempted “power grab.”

“The material contained on this website has many factual errors and purposeful false representations including the fact that Mr. Midgley was not in charge of each franchise, he ran the parent company,” LePage wrote in the complaint. “Locations which displayed signage or promoted anything noted by this false website did so on their own without the approval or even notification of Mr. Midgley. We believe the Charles campaign is fully aware of this and put out this false material anyway.”

Vincent Harris, Charles’ campaign strategist, noted that Charles has been increasingly vocal on social media and at events in critiquing opponents. Another site with a similar name, bobbycharlesexposed.com, and a disclaimer identical to the one going after Midgley, remains active. Jones shared the site over social media in March.

That site paints Charles, a longtime lobbyist and former U.S. State Department official, as a “globalist” carpetbagger and “deep state insider.”

Two owners of the Searsmont lumber mill where a silo exploded Friday are recovering at a Boston hospital.

Owners Jim Robbins and Alden Robbins, along with family member Lily Robbins, are recovering at Massachusetts General Hospital’s burn unit, Robbins Lumber said in a Monday statement.

“They have a long road to recovery ahead, but they are in the very best hands, and we look forward to their return,” the 145-year-old family-owned business said.

A fire broke out about 10:05 a.m. at the Robbins Lumber campus off Route 131 in an area where wood shavings are packed in plastic bags. That blaze then spread to a silo filled with sawdust that exploded about 11 a.m. as firefighters stood nearby.

That prompted nearly two dozen fire departments to scramble to the scene as crews tried to contain the blaze and tended to the nearly dozen wounded.

One firefighter, 27-year-old Andrew Cross of the Morrill Volunteer Fire Department, was killed. Ten people, including the three Robbinses, remain hospitalized.

“We are profoundly thankful for the courage, professionalism, and sacrifice shown by the first responders who answered the call that day,” Robbins Lumber said in the statement. The company declined to release further details, citing the ongoing investigation.

A joint federal-state investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire and explosion.

SOUTH PORTLAND — Southern Maine Community College celebrated its 79th commencement on Sunday, May 17, honoring the achievements of hundreds of graduates as they gathered with family, friends, faculty and staff.

The ceremony was held at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. A total of 1,208 students received 1,275 degrees and certificates for the academic year, marking one of the largest graduating classes in SMCC history. The Class of 2026 represented one of SMCC’s most determined graduating classes, shaped by uncertainty, change and real-world challenges.

“SMCC’s Class of 2026 has shown remarkable determination, adaptability and heart,” SMCC President Kristen Miller said. “Many of these graduates began their college journeys during a time of uncertainty and disruption, and they carried those experiences with them as they worked toward this moment. Their success reflects not only their resilience, but also their belief in themselves, their commitment to their goals and the strength of the SMCC community that supported them along the way. We are incredibly proud to celebrate their achievements and excited to see the impact they will make in Maine and beyond.”

Maine Community College System President David Daigler also recognized the Class of 2026 and the important role community played in helping graduates reach commencement.

“Like me, it was community that brought you to this point — to graduation,” Daigler said. “They are people who believed in you, who encouraged you, who supported you.”

Daigler encouraged graduates to continue building community wherever they go next.

“Go forward, graduates. Engage fully in the world and your communities,” Daigler said. “Be present and share your hard-won knowledge and insight. In short, plant more than you reap. This is the graduation gift that you can give to the world.”

One graduate whose path reflected SMCC’s ability to serve students at every stage of life was Hans Brandes.

Brandes, 67, graduated from SMCC’s culinary arts program after building a career far from the kitchen. A retired General Dynamics Bath Iron Works employee, Brandes spent 33 years at BIW before retiring in 2018 and later deciding he wanted a new challenge rooted in a longtime love of cooking, baking and service. He enrolled at SMCC in fall 2022 after encouragement from his son, a restaurant owner near Boulder, Colorado, and quickly found his place as a non-traditional student.

Brandes said SMCC faculty and staff made that transition possible, from helping him navigate Brightspace for the first time to supporting him through registration and program requirements. “I think that was a huge piece, and I think that was a very pleasant surprise,” Brandes said of the role staff and faculty played in his experience. “You walk in, you don’t know anybody.” Brandes said faculty treated him like any other student while also bringing different strengths, personalities and teaching styles to the program. “I give credit to our staff over there,” he said. “They all have their enthusiasm in their own way.”

Brandes plans to use his culinary education not by opening a restaurant or working full time in the industry, but by continuing to serve others through food. He said the degree will allow him to support events, step in during busy periods and help others with culinary projects in ways that fit this stage of his life. His work will also continue in Peru, where he has volunteered for about 15 years with an organization that supports young people who have faced unsafe or unstable situations. Brandes said the kitchen there has become a powerful place of connection, and he plans to bring what he learned at SMCC back to Peru by teaching young people how to make foods they may not normally have. “When you’re doing something together, it gives you the opportunity to chat,” he said. “When you can chat with kids who really were abused, neglected, and had to leave unsafe situations, they start believing that somebody cares about them.”

The ceremony also featured remarks from SMCC’s Student of the Year Kamy Dube, president of the Student Senate, who reflected on belonging, connection and the importance of taking a chance on yourself.

“If you have ever felt that way, I see you, and I want you to know this: you matter, you belong here, and there is no right or wrong way to do college because it is your own unique journey,” Dube said.

Dube told graduates that building belonging often begins with small actions and a willingness to step into unfamiliar spaces.

“Belonging happens when we step into spaces that feel unfamiliar,” Dube said. “When we take a chance and show up for ourselves and those around us. Allow my story to be proof of that.”

She closed by reminding graduates that uncertainty can also create opportunity.

“What if we all end up exactly where we need to be?” Dube said. “At some point, we realize that no one stays invisible forever, and that new experiences don’t always just happen; we have to be willing to go after them.”

SMCC graduates left the College prepared to continue their education, enter the workforce and strengthen communities locally and regionally. Many graduates will transfer to the University of Southern Maine, the University of Maine, the University of New England, St. Joseph’s College and other institutions in Maine, as well as public and private institutions throughout New England and beyond, including Bentley, Mount Holyoke, Smith and more. Others will enter the workforce across vital industries, joining hospitals, law enforcement agencies, manufacturing companies and creative agencies throughout the state and beyond.

The Maine Free College Scholarship program continued to provide tuition-free access to community college for recent high school graduates, helping remove financial barriers and opening doors for students who may not have otherwise considered higher education. The program has also strengthened Maine’s workforce by providing more students with a direct, affordable pathway to a degree or certificate.

SMCC’s graduates hailed from across Maine, the United States and the world. Members of the Class of 2026 came from all 16 counties in Maine. They also came from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as states across the country, including California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

The graduating class was also globally diverse, with students from 39 countries outside the United States: Angola, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Burundi, Canada, China, Colombia, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Guatemala, Haiti, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, United Kingdom and Vietnam.

The Class of 2026 was distinguished by its academic excellence. The average grade point average among graduates was 3.24. Forty-seven graduates earned a perfect 4.0 GPA, while 46 students achieved a GPA of 3.95 or higher. The average age of this year’s graduates was 26, with the youngest graduate 18 and the oldest 67. Additionally, 78 graduates had previously earned a bachelor’s degree and 12 had earned a master’s degree. Twelve percent of the graduates — 146 students — earned membership in the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society in recognition of their outstanding academic achievement.

This year’s distinguished commencement speaker was Monica Wood, an award-winning novelist, memoirist and playwright. Wood’s bestselling novel, “How to Read a Book,” received the New England Society in the City of New York Book Award for fiction, and her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Oprah, Literary Hub and Down East. A native of Mexico, Maine, Wood lives in Portland with her husband, Dan Abbott, a longtime SMCC professor and program chair.

If you were unable to attend, you can watch the replay on SMCC’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/smccme. A photo gallery is available at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCU4m1.

Police are investigating smash-and-grab burglaries at two Ellsworth-area smoke shops that occurred early Monday morning.

Intruders smashed a window to enter Smokey Bear Tobacco and Beverage, a vape and glass shop located next to Shinbashi restaurant on High Street in Ellsworth, and shattered the glass door at The Happier Choice, a medical cannabis dispensary on Bar Harbor Road in Trenton, according to employees of both shops who did not want to be identified. Both burglaries happened before 6 a.m.

The Ellsworth Police Department is investigating the Smokey Bear break-in, and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the Happier Choice burglary.

Once inside each business, the intruders shattered display cases and stole vape and marijuana products, employees said separately.

Smokey Bear, which doesn’t sell marijuana but does sell the supplies to smoke it, had reopened by 11:20 a.m. on Monday. The Happier Choice remained closed.

Monday’s break-ins are not the only cannabis shops in Maine to be burglarized in May. On Saturday, four masked suspects burglarized a Lisbon Falls cannabis shop, and two intruders broke into a cannabis store in Turner twice on April 30 and May 4. Police believe the Turner burglaries are connected.

Two new HIV cases were reported in Penobscot County last week, raising the total number of cases associated with the outbreak to 43, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Both new cases were diagnosed in April. The outbreak began in October 2023. Nearly all of the people infected have reported injecting drugs or being homeless within one year of their diagnosis, according to the Maine CDC.

Public health officials have emphasized that the actual number of cases in the outbreak is likely higher than what’s been detected.

Community organizations across the state have ramped up testing and prevention efforts as the outbreak continues, and the Maine CDC identified a set of five cases in November that had been detected in Cumberland County last year among people who inject drugs.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff visited Penobscot County in December to assist with HIV response.

HIV attacks a person’s immune system and interferes with their body’s ability to fight off infection and disease, according to the CDC. There is no known cure, although there is medication that can control the disease.

Penobscot County typically has two new HIV cases per year, according to the Maine CDC.

In nearly all of the reported cases in Penobscot County, the people affected also tested positive for hepatitis C, the Maine CDC reported.

Hepatitis C is a liver disease that can be a mild, short-term illness for some people but can cause more serious, long-term issues for others, including liver cancer, according to the CDC.

More than three-quarters of HIV patients in the Penobscot County outbreak were connected to care within 30 days of their diagnosis, and 59% of the 41 people currently living in Maine had reached viral suppression — meaning they can’t transmit HIV to others — at their most recent test, the Maine CDC reported.

The morning chorus of songbirds at Acadia National Park is losing some of its well-known voices.

New research suggests the park’s forests have grown quieter over the last half-century, in part because of a fast-warming climate.

The once common flute-like melody of the Swainson’s thrush is giving way to the car alarm calls of the red-breasted nuthatch. Some birds have left, like the bay-breasted warbler and the olive-sided flycatcher. The stretches of silence between calls and songs are increasing.

“It may not be noticeable to park visitors now, but that’s because they don’t know what it used to sound like,” said Gillian Audier, a 26-year-old researcher who spent last summer recording forest birds at Acadia. “But the historical record is clear: It used to be much louder.”

As a fellow at Schoodic Institute, Acadia’s research partner, Audier braved dew-soaked, tick-infested thickets to recreate the work of Ron Davis, who first cataloged these coastal woods as a graduate student in 1959.

Her findings were sobering. Audier heard fewer forest birds in 2025 than Davis did in 1959. Birds that were common then are less now. Even the zee-zee buzz of black-throated green warblers, the park’s most common bird, is heard three times less often, Audier concluded.

“It’s still so beautiful,” Audier said. “But it’s also less alive.”

Not that most people could tell. Because of “shifting baseline syndrome,” a phenomenon where a generation accepts a degraded environment as natural, a modern-day tourist may hear the loud, two-second trill of the male dark-eyed junco and assume the Acadian ecosystem is intact.

To visitors, the forest sounds lively. To those who know its history, like Audier, it sounds empty.

Climate change is a major reason for the new silence, Audier said. The cool waters of the Gulf of Maine act like a natural air conditioner for coastal forests, letting the cold-adapted red spruce and balsam fir grow at sea level instead of just on cold mountain peaks.

But the average surface temperature of the Gulf of Maine is rising at a rate nearly triple the global average, according to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. That rapid warming is weakening the natural cooling effect, putting Maine’s cold-adapted coastal forests at risk.

Under current warming trends, Acadia National Park could see its average annual temperature increase as much as 8 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050, according to a 2024 report from the National Park Service.

A hotter Acadia isn’t directly harmful to most forest songbirds, Audier said. But that kind of heat creep can trigger insects and plants to hatch and bud too early for migratory birds or hatchlings to eat. When that kind of mismatch occurs, a population can eventually flicker out.

“I’ve learned the ecosystem exists beyond what I’m measuring,” Audier said.

Audier spent months learning the songs of 50 species until she knew each chirp and trill by ear.

On recording days, Audier’s pre-dawn ritual would begin at 4:30 a.m., racing to reach Davis’ 66-year-old testing sites before the birds that make up the energetic dawn choir would retreat from the midday heat. In total, she spent more than 45 hours in the woods.

She would use GPS and hand-drawn maps to locate Davis’ off-trail test sites. Once there, Audier would wait silently for the birds to get used to her, then log every song she heard in 5-minute intervals while walking the same path that Davis did.

If she didn’t recognize a song, she’d record it and ask the Institute to help her identify the bird.

Three of the five songbirds Davis heard most often didn’t crack Audier’s top five list: the yellow-rumped warbler, the Swainson’s thrush and the magnolia warbler. Audier did hear them, but not often, suggesting their numbers had dropped over that time period.

That quieting matches what is happening in other forests where historical birding records exist, Audier said. It’s not surprising. A landmark 2019 study conducted by Cornell University found North America has lost 1 in 4 adult birds since 1970.

Even a quiet forest offered Audier glimpses of the beauty that inspired Davis a half-century ago. Ironically, she only saw about 10% of the birds she heard, either because they preferred to chatter from the tree tops or because she had her head buried in her logbook.

She would find sea urchin shells dropped by gulls on the forest floor. The blanket of deep green moss silenced her footsteps, allowing her to hear the chugging of nearby lobster boats, clanging of the navigational buoys and the high-pitched notes of the golden-crowned kinglets.

Audier’s bird census is the second chapter of a larger story. In 2024, researcher Camilla Seirup published an update to Davis’ 1959 tree inventory. Seirup found Acadia’s dominant tree, the long-lived red spruce, is more resilient than climate models had predicted.

But Audier’s findings suggest Acadia’s songbirds may be more vulnerable to a warming climate.

When Audier met Davis, now in his 90s, they connected over their shared love for this unusual cold-adapted, sea-level forest. Davis told her he felt a “sense of delight” that a new generation of scientists was using his work as a foundation to measure the impact of climate change.

Audier’s fellowship at Schoodic Institute is over. She now works as a shorebird tech monitoring piping plovers and least terns at Crane Beach in Massachusetts. But she thinks about her time in Acadia often, she said. A research paper on her findings is in the works.

This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Penny Overton can be reached at poverton@pressherald.com.

Scott McDonell’s training slideshow for poll workers covers what to do in case of fire or flood. A few years ago, the clerk for Dane County – it includes Madison and is Wisconsin’s second most populous county – added de-escalation training in case a voter became aggressive.

The Democrat said he is adding a new slide this year: “What to do if the FBI shows up at your office and what not to do.”

And he isn’t the only one. Multiple election officials told USA TODAY they are preparing in case the federal government interferes in the midterm elections.

Nine states have already held their primaries. On May 19, six more will do the same.

Ahead of every local and state election, officials spend months planning for a variety of emergency scenarios and plotting out in detail how they will respond. This can include changing routes to get ballots to the counting location if there is traffic on election night, sending replacement machines to a polling location if some stop working and safeguarding ballots if there is a flood or fire. Local police, fire departments and emergency management teams are involved.

President Donald Trump’s threats of federal involvement in the midterm elections have alarmed many of the nation’s thousands of election officials. For the first time, they are factoring in what they will do if National Guard troops or immigration officials are sent to polling sites, if federal agents demand access to ballots or election machines or if the U.S. Postal Service stops delivering ballots once the polls close, regardless of state law.

The Trump administration has placed 2020 election deniers in powerful positions, has attempted to seize election materials in several swing states and has threatened to send federal authorities to polling locations.

“I’d do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections. We have to have honest elections,” Trump told reporters at the White House May 12.

Kim Pytleski, the clerk for Oconto County, Wisconsin, doesn’t expect such a rural area to be targeted. But if it is, the Republican wants poll workers to welcome federal authorities in and treat them like election observers. And then those workers should call her, she said.

If the FBI were to show up with a warrant for election machines, Pytleski added, “it would give me pause. Obviously, I’m not going to defy a warrant, but you’d be sure I’d be going with them. Whether they wanted me or not.”

Trump has also signed two executive orders that would give the administration unprecedented control of who can vote. One would require identification to vote nationwide. It has been blocked by multiple courts and the administration is appealing. The second instructs the Postal Service to refuse to deliver ballots for anyone not on a newly created federal list of registered voters. States and voting rights groups have sued, arguing it usurps the Constitution, which says states, not the president, has control over how elections are run.

McDonell, meanwhile, has prepared by consulting attorneys who have experience with election cases and the federal courthouse.

Dane County law enforcement, he said, won’t challenge National Guard troops and federal immigration authorities.

“The only recourse is really (a) legal one,” he said. “The courts have been really good. They’ve turned back efforts in the past.”

At least 71% of local election officials have done some preparation or planning for scenarios that could disrupt election administration, including requests for access to voting machines and voter data and Postal Service policy changes, according to a 2026 survey of election officials conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice.

Half of the respondents said they were worried about political interference and 45% said they were concerned about politically-motivated investigations of their work.

The Brennan Center is involved in challenging some of Trump’s moves.

Most election officials have never had to consider what they would do if the executive branch inserts itself, David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, told USA TODAY. Becker is a former Department of Justice lawyer.

“Election officials are worried. Their job is hard enough. They’re already under-resourced. They’ve already been the subject of abuse, threats and harassment for six years because of lies spread about by losing candidates. And now they have to face the prospect of a desperate federal government seeking to interfere in an election that they appear to be very worried about,” Becker said.

Federal law bans troops and “armed men” from being sent to the polls. Becker said he doesn’t think that will happen. He’s more concerned that the president and his administration is spreading disinformation about the safety of election machines and mail in ballots as well as efforts to interfere with state and local election officials as they count ballots.

The best thing states and counties can do, Becker said, is have election attorneys on speed dial. So far, the courts have been a “guardrail,” he said.

“The president does not get to set election policy. Doesn’t matter if he signs an executive order. Doesn’t matter if he says it in a post on social media. The president, by design of the framers, has no power over the administration of elections in the United States,” Becker said.

McDonell said clerks across the nation should plan now about what they will do.

“It’s a big concern. I think clerks around the country need to get together with their lawyers and start talking about this,” he said. “They need to go through some of these scenarios and workshop it, and they need to start it now.”

Dickinson College President John Jones III, a retired Pennsylvania federal district judge, agreed that states and localities should prepare to push back on efforts from the administration.

“There’ll be law firms at the ready…because you literally could have something develop on election day during the vote count,” he said.

State officials are preparing as well, including by hosting trainings to help clerks prepare for all kinds of emergencies.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, said her office has hired a new attorney for rapid response on election day and have the governor and attorney general playing bigger roles in emergency planning than ever before.

“A lot of things that Americans are worried about, we are planning for,” Griswold said.

Washington state authorities are monitoring court challenges to Trump’s executive order concerning the Postal Service and are encouraging voters to use ballot drop boxes, said state Attorney General Nick Brown, a Democrat.

In Boone County, Missouri, Clerk Brianna Lennon, a Democrat, said she tells volunteer poll workers they should call her immediately if law enforcement officers show up.

“We don’t want them to be put into a situation where they feel like they need to handle something that is far above their pay grade,” Lennon said. “A lot of it is making sure that we have good lines of communication.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Election officials prepare for possible midterm election interference

Reporting by Sarah D. Wire, USA TODAY via Reuters

Israel carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Monday, Lebanese security sources and the state news agency said, while Hezbollah announced new attacks on Israeli forces, continuing the war in Lebanon despite the extension of a U.S.-backed truce.

Reignited by the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, hostilities between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel have rumbled on since U.S. President Donald Trump first announced a ceasefire on April 16, with fighting mostly contained to southern Lebanon.

A 45-day ceasefire extension, announced after a third round of U.S.-hosted talks between Lebanon and Israel on Friday, began at midnight, a Lebanese official said.

The U.S.-led mediation has emerged in parallel to diplomacy ​aimed at ending the U.S.-Iran conflict. Iran has ⁠said ending Israel’s war in Lebanon is one of its demands for a deal over the wider conflict. Hezbollah objects to Beirut’s talks with Israel.

Overnight, an Israeli strike near the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbeck killed a commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, a Hezbollah ally, along with his daughter, security sources in Lebanon said.

The Israeli military said it had killed the commander, Wael Mahmoud Abd al-Halim, in a strike, after taking steps to “mitigate the risk of harm to civilians”. It made no mention of Halim’s daughter.

Hezbollah said it launched an explosive drone at an Iron Dome air defence position in the Galilee area of northern Israel, and carried out other attacks on Israeli forces in Lebanon.

Israel’s military said some “launches” aimed at Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, as well as an explosive drone, had crossed into Israeli territory.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported Israeli airstrikes on more than half a dozen locations in south Lebanon.

The Israeli military said it could not comment on the reported airstrikes without the coordinates of each one, and didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the attack claimed by Hezbollah on the Iron Dome position.

The Israeli military said earlier on Monday it had struck more than 30 Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon in the previous 24 hours, and warned residents of three villages in the south to leave their homes, saying it intended to act against Hezbollah.s

Israeli forces have occupied a self-declared security zone in the south, where they have been razing villages, saying they aim to shield northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah fighters embedded in civilian areas.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported on Sunday that the death toll in Lebanon had risen to 2,988 people since the war erupted on March 2, among them 613 women, children and healthcare workers.

Its toll doesn’t say how many combatants are among the dead.

Many Hezbollah fighters who have been killed in the war are not included in the health ministry death toll, sources familiar with Hezbollah’s casualty numbers have said.

Reuters reported on May 4 that several thousand Hezbollah fighters had been killed in the war, citing casualty estimates from within the group. The Hezbollah media office said at the time the figure of several thousand fighters killed was false.

Israeli authorities say 18 soldiers have been killed by Hezbollah attacks or while operating in south Lebanon since March 2, in addition to a contractor working for an engineering company on behalf of Israel’s defence ministry. Hezbollah attacks have killed two civilians in northern Israel.

Reporting by Laila Bassam in Beirut, Alexander Cornwell in Jerusalem, Eman Abouhassira in Dubai; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Reuters

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump voluntarily dismissed his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, according to a Monday court filing.

Terms of the dismissal were not immediately available, including whether the parties have settled.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump, his adult sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization, sued the IRS in January, arguing the agency should have done more to prevent a former contractor from disclosing their tax returns to media outlets during the president’s first term.

Trump has long said the U.S. government was weaponized against him by political opponents, and has used the legal system to seek retribution and compensation since returning to the White House last year.

The case arose from former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn’s leak of Trump’s tax returns to media outlets, including the New York Times and ProPublica, in 2019 and 2020.

These returns showed that Trump paid little or ​no income taxes in many years, the Times reported in 2020.

Prosecutors charged Littlejohn in 2023 with leaking tax records of Trump and thousands ‌of other ⁠wealthy Americans to the media, saying he was motivated by a political agenda. Littlejohn later pleaded guilty to improper disclosures, and a judge sentenced him to five years in prison.

Trump filed the lawsuit personally, not in his official capacity as president.

The litigation against the IRS has raised novel legal questions, including conflicts of interest, about whether a president can sue his own government.

Under the U.S. Constitution, federal courts may only hear genuine disputes between litigants with opposing stakes in the outcome.

U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami, who oversees Trump’s lawsuit, wrote last month that it was unclear whether the parties to the lawsuit were “truly antagonistic to each other.”

Williams had set a court hearing for May 27 to hear arguments on whether she should dismiss the case on those grounds.

Reporting by Susan Heavey, Katharine Jackson and Jan Wolfe in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Reuters

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a challenge by drugmaker Eli Lilly to a Civil War-era whistleblower law that has recovered billions of dollars by allowing private individuals to bring fraud lawsuits on behalf of the federal government.

The justices turned away Lilly’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling that upheld a $183 million ​judgment arising from a whistleblower lawsuit against the drugmaker for defrauding Medicaid. Lilly had argued that handing government power to private citizens in this manner violates the U.S. Constitution.

The case stemmed from a 2014 whistleblower lawsuit against Lilly brought by Ronald Streck, a lawyer and pharmacist who accused the company of short-changing drug rebates to Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income people funded by states and the federal government. Lilly denied wrongdoing.

Streck sued under the False Claims Act, a law that allows private individuals to sue on the government’s behalf and share in recoveries through its so-called “qui tam” mechanism. “Qui tam” is an abbreviation for a Latin phrase meaning “Who sues on behalf of the King as well as for himself.”

The False Claims Act, also known as Lincoln’s Law, was passed by Congress and signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, prompted by defense contractors billing the government for nonexistent or worthless supplies provided to the Union Army during the Civil War. The law was later strengthened in 1986.

A federal jury in 2022 found that Lilly knowingly concealed that it had retroactively increased prices on some ​drugs, and then failed to ​rebate Medicaid on the ⁠higher prices. A jury awarded $61 million in damages, which was automatically tripled to $183 million under the False Claims Act. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the jury verdict ​in 2025, prompting the company’s appeal to the Supreme Court.

Lilly said the whistleblower provisions of the federal False Claims Act violate the U.S. Constitution by placing too much federal executive power in the hands of people who are not accountable to the U.S. president.

“Fundamentally, executive authority is bestowed upon private citizens with no meaningful supervision or direction, transforming bounty hunters into ersatz executive officers and paying them (and their private attorneys) a pretty penny in the process,” their lawyers wrote in a court filing. “None of that is consistent with our constitutional structure.”

The U.S. government recovered more than $6.8 billion in settlements and judgments in False Claims Act cases during the 2025 fiscal year, and qui tam whistleblowers were awarded ​more than $330 million, according to U.S. Justice Department data.

Reporting by John Kruzel; Editing by Will Dunham, Reuters

If you haven’t installed your air conditioner yet, this is the time to do it.

The National Weather Service office in Caribou forecasts that the mercury will soar into the 70s and 80s across the state the next two days. So Monday’s cool spell isn’t meant to last.

In Bangor, we’ll see temperatures climb to about 83 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday and then 81 degrees Wednesday.

While record-breaking temperatures are expected across the state, Bangor might not see that. The record high for May 19 is 89 degrees, set in 1962, while the record for May 20 is 86 degrees, set in 2003.

Those sweltering temperatures may be accompanied by thunderstorms on Tuesday, with about a 50/50 chance for Bangor to see one around 3 p.m. Keep that in mind if you intend to go out and about to beat the heat.

Three Mainers were hurt in an ATV crash in New Hampshire on Friday night.

Lucas Goulet, 20, of Lebanon was driving an ATV with passengers 23-year-old Naven Case of Cape Neddick and 20-year-old Corbin Hopkins of Lebanon on the Farmington Recreation Trail in Rochester about 9:30 p.m., according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Goulet hit a closed gate blocking the trail, seriously injuring himself and his passengers.

All three were taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital.

None of the men were wearing helmets or other safety equipment.

Investigators believe speed and inattention are factors in the crash, which remains under investigation.

A former Machias man has pleaded guilty to possessing sexually explicit videos and images of children.

Ryan Gatcomb, 19, entered his plea Thursday at U.S. District Court in Bangor, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Gatcomb received videos over the internet in May and June of last year that depicted children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, the U.S. attorney’s office said Friday.

He admitted to trying to delete the files on June 4, 2025, after police contacted him.

Gatcomb faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine up to $250,000 and up to a lifetime of supervised release.

He will be sentenced at a later date after a judge consults the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

There were 3,356 international visa students enrolled at secondary and post-secondary institutions in Maine in April, virtually unchanged from the same month last year, according to a Department of Homeland Security database.

And the University of Maine System saw a 13% jump in international student numbers compared with the previous academic year, according to a spokesperson.

Over the same period, federal data show the number of foreign students fell by about 4% nationally, against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and efforts to revoke student visas, including at least one in Maine.

According to one analysis, international students contributed $87 million to the Maine economy during the last school year that began in 2024.

This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.

MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital is “evaluating” its birthing services.

System officials said they’ll hold community forums in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor in June and will announce specific dates and locations once confirmed.

Lincoln Hospital averages roughly 120 births a year, according to spokesperson John Martins. He said no decisions have been made regarding any changes to maternity services.

Over the past five years, nine maternity units have closed at Maine hospitals, from Fort Kent to Belfast to York.

This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.

A Lisbon Falls cannabis shop was burglarized over the weekend.

Four masked suspects broke into Lisbon Cannabis on Canal Street about 2:31 a.m. Saturday and then stole merchandise and an undisclosed amount of cash, according to Lisbon Police Chief Ryan McGee.

The suspects were driving a gray 2016 Honda CR-V that was reported stolen in Auburn.

A cash register from the business was found in the road near Main and Wing streets.

The investigation is ongoing.

That comes after 45 North Cannabis Co. on Auburn Road in Turner was burglarized on April 30 and May 4, which police believe are connected. In those cases, the suspects also were driving stolen vehicles.

A man is missing after leaving an assisted living facility in Leeds.

Owen Ryder, 27, left Fern Cottage on Quaker Ridge Road with an unknown friend, according to the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office.

Police don’t know what vehicle they may have used, what direction they traveled and where they ultimately wanted to go, the sheriff’s office said Monday morning.

Ryder is a ward of the state under the guardianship of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. But the sheriff’s office doesn’t believe he is in immediate danger.

The sheriff’s office described Ryder as standing 5-foot-6, weighing 130 pounds, and having brown hair and gray eyes.

Anyone with information about Ryder’s whereabouts can call the Androscoggin County Regional Communications Center at 207-753-2599.

A version of this story first appeared in the Morning Update newsletter. Sign up here to receive the Morning Update and other BDN newsletters directly in your inbox.

“It’s like a treasure hunt … It’s like finding gold out in the forest.”

— Lagrange fungi farmer Magan Mishio, who found her first patch of wild black morel mushrooms last week after years of fruitless searching.

Feds join probe of deadly Searsmont lumber mill disaster. The state fire marshal’s office called in ATF investigators to help determine what caused the Searsmont fire and explosion.

Maine mushroom foragers find treasures in the woods after last year’s disappointments. They say they’re seeing early signs of an abundant spring season, as climate change shifts how mushrooms fruit in the future.

• Susan Collins says Iran war should be authorized by Congress or ended
• Maine Republicans point fingers over anonymous website attacks
• Fact-checking JD Vance’s and Janet Mills’ dueling statements on healthcare fraud
• It’s peak moose collision season in Maine. Here’s what to know.
• Five Below opened new Bangor store Sunday
• No injuries reported in early-morning fire in Brewer
• Grant contest aims to boost self-reliant businesses in East Grand region
• Federal judge overturns part of Bar Harbor’s cruise ship ban
• Former Bar Harbor state rep loses law license after misusing client funds
• Body of missing paddleboarder found in Ellsworth lake
• Listen: Searsmont fire chief describes lumber yard explosion
• 10 injured in Searsmont explosion still hospitalized
• Hundreds honor fallen firefighter killed in Searsmont lumber yard disaster
• Fire unfolded at business that has been part of Maine’s forest industry ‘since forever’
• UMaine basketball coaches support NCAA tourney expansion but unsure of its impact

“Our children love Maine as much as we do, but they are struggling to find a path to build a life here.”

Opinion: I support Jonathan Bush because I hope the next generation can also come home to Maine

I went on my first bear hunt in 1977. Two years later, Maine ended spring bear hunting. “I didn’t kill a bear that first day, but I did learn two important things that I have carried with me ever since.”

The simple trick that makes bird songs easier to recognize. “The most important thing to know is that most of the sound comes from just a handful of birds.”

Go back in time by hiking along this old Bar Harbor railway. “Spanning Point Road and Old Route 1 in Hancock, the trail travels through a lovely forest of oaks, maples, balsam firs and other trees.”

What are those beautiful neon pink slime balls in the Maine woods? Slime molds aren’t fungi or lichens. They’re single-celled organisms that move around, similar to an amoeba.

Three students made an unfortunate discovery when they dug into dessert at a community supper last week.

What was on their fork was little more than a dirt casserole.

Last Wednesday night, during Medomak Valley High School’s Empty Bowl Supper, a dish of baked dirt was mistakenly served as dessert.

It was part of a science experiment, where students baked the dirt in the oven to sterilize it and test for plant growth afterward, the school said in a statement.

That dirt was set aside in a covered baking dish away from the food destined for the Empty Bowl Supper, a longstanding community service event at Medomak Valley.

“In an effort to quickly deliver food to the serving tables, the dish was mistakenly identified as part of the meal and brought out for service,” the school said.

The error wasn’t discovered, however, until after three students “briefly” had a mouthful of the dirt.

“This was completely an accidental situation and absolutely not a prank,” the school said.

Medomak Valley apologized for the mistake, and officials later spoke with the students and their parents.

Northern pike were illegally introduced into the Belgrade Lakes in the 1970s, and since then, they’ve dramatically changed the landscape of fishing in Maine.

These toothy predators wiped out populations of landlocked salmon and trout in the Belgrades, and the state has spent decades trying to eradicate them—with no success. Now, pike are found throughout the state, both from that original illegal introduction and from others that followed. Despite state efforts, these fish have flourished, and because they grow to impressive sizes, fishermen have embraced them, chasing giants ever since.

As a fly fisherman, I’ve found pike to be second only to musky in terms of difficulty on the fly. Some days we’ll land 30 fish; other days we only get one or two. It’s all part of the chase.

When I was growing as a fly angler, I began targeting a variety of species, and pike soon made it onto my bucket list. For years, I’d give them just one shot a season—right at ice-out—because that’s what I had read and been told. But year after year, I had no luck.

That all changed when I decided to try in May, when the water had warmed into the 50s. That’s when I started hooking and landing pike on the fly. Since then, I’ve been chasing them for over 15 years.

My personal best on a fly rod is a 39.5-inch northern, taken on a pattern I designed myself. I’ve yet to break the 40-inch mark, but I’ve had multiple clients hook into true giants and lose them just before the net.

I’ve found that only a certain kind of fly angler is really successful with pike. You need to be able to cast a heavy fly on an 8 or 9-weight rod—often into the wind—because pike are typically in the shallows only during spring and fall, as they are cold-water fish despite what many people think. Most days, we’re throwing sinking lines and flies ranging from 3 to 10 inches long. You really need to be able to cast 50 feet to cover enough water effectively.

Recently, I guided two fly fishermen from Cape Cod, Michael and Robert—a great duo. They fly fish for stripers and albies right in their backyard and travel the world chasing saltwater species. They know how to cast, and more importantly, they know how to strip-set.

They came up for five days. The first day we chased smallmouth and landed around 50. The next two days we headed north in search of musky. It was a solid trip—Robert landed a musky, but Michael didn’t even see one. He was understandably disappointed, but things were about to change when we turned our attention to northern pike.

Day four brought perfect pike weather: overcast skies and no wind. It turned out to be Michael’s day. He had tied some flies specifically for this trip, including a perch pattern—and it turned out to be the hot fly. As we started working the weed line, he hooked a pickerel, but chaos soon followed.

At one point, he was stripping his fly in while distracted and looking around. I saw the take and yelled, “Set! Set! Set!” He strip-set hard and was soon into a big pike. Line ripped from the reel, and moments later, he landed a beautiful 34-inch northern. After high fives and photos, we released it to swim again.

But he wasn’t done yet. Shortly after, he caught another—33 inches this time, and Robert landed a 30-incher.

Overall, we must have put 30 or more pike in the boat. What a day!

On the last day of their trip we were on a mission to break the 40-inch mark. I didn’t expect high numbers, but I figured we’d see at least a couple more fish.

The plan was simple: thoroughly work a shallow, weedy flat. Michael tied on his perch pattern from the day before, while Robert used a fly I had tied with similar colors.

I let them work one end of the flat, then had them shift and cover new water. We picked up a pickerel early, then had a long lull—cast after cast with no action. Eventually, Robert said he’d had a bump—maybe weeds or a bass, but we kept moving.

Shortly after, Robert said, “I’ve got one.”

At first, it didn’t seem like much—just another fish—until it came boatside. That’s when we all realized that this was the one. The fish tail-walked across the surface and ripped out the line. Thankfully, I had brought my musky net, because this pike was massive—thick-bodied and powerful.

It took Robert four attempts to bring it to the net, but we finally landed it. The excitement was off the charts. We measured it: 39 inches. Just shy of 40—but this fish was built like something out of Canada or Alaska. It was an absolute tank.

That elusive 40-inch mark still haunts us, but I know they’re out there. I have friends who’ve landed 45 and 46-inch pike right here in Maine.

So, know that you don’t have to go to Alaska or Saskatchewan. It might not have the reputation yet, but I believe Maine could become a serious pike destination in the years to come.

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com

Mark Brunton of Lewiston is president of the Maine Service Employees Association, Local 1989 of the Service Employees International Union (MSEA-SEIU Local 1989).

I’ve spent most of my life around working people, whether stocking shelves, peddling truck parts or assisting individuals with disabilities. As president of MSEA-SEIU 1989, I am entrusted with supporting thousands of union members across Maine.

What I hear from our members might surprise you.

No one is looking to become a millionaire, though that’d be nice. They want to cover their bills, save for their future and live with dignity. They want leaders who understand what it’s like to worry about the cost of college, feel the pain at the gas pump or budget to fill their grocery cart. Quite simply: They say Mainers want a fair deal and a leader who understands what keeps them up at night.

For too long, our politicians have been too removed from the experiences of working Mainers. Instead, they often serve the interests of the powerful who keep their campaign coffers full. When a politician isn’t living our day to day, how can they possibly fight for us in the halls of power?

That’s why MSEA-SEIU 1989 endorsed Troy Jackson as our first choice for Maine’s next governor. Troy’s campaign is centered around working Mainers — not because it’s what is politically popular, but because that’s just him.

Troy is a fifth-generation logger from Allagash. Before he ever set foot in the State House, he worked 80 hours a week doing one of the most dangerous jobs in the country without health insurance. When corporations began replacing Maine loggers with cheaper Canadian labor, Troy organized a blockade at the Canadian border to fight back. When Troy didn’t see politicians who looked or sounded like him, he ran — and won — a seat in the Maine Legislature to represent Mainers whose voices were too often silenced in our politics.

As a state senator, Troy championed good union jobs and a more affordable Maine. He took on corporations and employers who profit off the backs of working people. Troy pushed Big Pharma to lower drug costs, helped pass universal school meals so no kid would go hungry and worked to deliver property tax relief. He’s committed to strengthening union organizing and increasing state worker pay.

As governor, Troy has a clear vision to deliver. He’s got a plan for free or reduced childcare costs, stopping electricity tax hikes and cutting taxes for working families. He is committed to expanding access to healthcare through better reimbursement rates and taking on private equity companies that buy up our care system. He’s focused on housing affordability through down payment assistance and tax incentives for people who live in Maine full-time. He’ll ensure good-faith negotiations in public sector contracts.

Most importantly: Troy has a plan to pay for his policies. He’ll hold accountable millionaires and corporations who profit off our state. If you have assets over a billion, you’ll see a 5% tax. If you’re a corporation, your corporate tax rate on profits of $3.5 million will go up 1%. In Maine, we believe everyone should pay their fair share.

Bottom line: SEIU members need to see real leadership from the governor’s office. Despite being the workers who keep Maine running, our members have been working more than ten 10 months without a contract because Gov. Janet Mills has turned down what we consider good faith negotiations with our union. Meanwhile, we’re living in a world growing more expensive by the day.

Our members deserve a Maine where they are not asked to wait for better compensation they were promised. They deserve a Maine that delivers on what matters most to their families.

Workers have had enough of the status quo. They know that as governor Troy Jackson can’t solve everything. No governor possibly can. But for the first time in a long time, Maine can elect a governor who has our best interests in mind, not the interests of themselves, corporations or powerful donors.

Working people built this state. We can rebuild it. And it starts in June. Vote for Troy Jackson for governor.

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com

Remick French is a Scarborough resident and retired technology executive who spent over 40 years building and leading businesses.

I first came to Maine in the early 1990s, when my wife and I moved here for work and began building our life together. In September 1995, our daughter was born here — a moment that forever tied us to this state.

We lived at Higgins Beach and later bought a home in Broad Cove in Cape Elizabeth. At the time, I was building a business in the pulp and paper industry, opening a district office to support Maine’s mills. We hired a local team and, over three years, grew the business nearly 400%. It was one of the most rewarding chapters of my career.

What made it special wasn’t just the work, it was the people. Maine has always been defined by hardworking, honest individuals who come together to solve problems and get things done. That culture left a lasting impression on me.

But by the mid-1990s, the paper industry began to change. Mills closed, jobs were lost, and like many others, we were forced to leave the state to pursue new opportunities. While my career flourished, something was missing. No matter where we lived or how successful things became, we always felt a pull back to Maine.

We returned every summer. In 2006, we bought a small cottage at Higgins Beach, and for years it became our place to reconnect — with friends, with family, and with the life we once had here. In 2022, as retirement approached, we made the decision to come home for good.

Since returning, we’ve been reminded why Maine is so special. The sense of community, the quality of life, and the people have only strengthened our belief that this is one of the best places in the country to live.

But we’ve also seen something concerning.

Maine has become far more expensive than we expected — and for many families, increasingly unaffordable. Today, Maine ranks among the states with the highest tax burdens in the country, has some of the highest electricity costs, and continues to see healthcare expenses rise faster than many states. At the same time, home prices have climbed to levels that are out of reach for many residents.

Even more troubling is the lack of economic growth. Maine has experienced little sustained growth over the past two decades and continues to rank near the bottom nationally. Not surprisingly, many young people are leaving the state — not because they want to, but because they don’t see the same opportunities we once had.

That is what concerns me most.

Our children love Maine as much as we do, but they are struggling to find a path to build a life here. If that doesn’t change, Maine risks becoming a place people visit and retire to, but not a place where young families can grow and thrive.

At the same time, Maine has an incredible and often-overlooked advantage: thousands of people who already love this state enough to invest in second homes and return year after year. With the right approach, we can turn that connection into something more — encouraging investment, supporting small businesses, and creating new opportunities that benefit communities across the state.

That’s why I’ve been paying closer attention to the candidates stepping forward with ideas to address these challenges. One who stands out to me is Jonathan Bush. What resonates is not just his background building and scaling businesses, but his focus on execution — lowering costs, improving efficiency, and creating an environment where jobs and opportunity can grow. Whether one agrees with every proposal or not, the emphasis on economic growth and affordability reflects the kind of practical, results-oriented thinking I believe Maine needs right now.

For me, this isn’t about politics — it’s about outcomes. We came back to Maine because we believe in what this state represents. But preserving that way of life requires action. It requires leadership that understands how to create opportunity and ensure Maine remains a place where the next generation can succeed — not just visit.

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

Five Mainers are running for governor as Democrats. Only one is backed by a mother who once said: “Women have the ability to change the course of an election.”

In 1999, when then-Maine state Sen. Chellie Pingree uttered those words in an interview for my book, “It Takes a Woman: Women Shaping Public Policy,” she didn’t know that her own daughter would one day run for governor.

Hannah Pingree was raised by her parents on North Haven, an island off Rockland, which provides context for her special brand of leadership. Having witnessed firsthand what public service really looks like from her mom, Hannah, at only 26, leapt into politics, when she was elected to the Maine House in 2002. There she esteemed herself by listening to and providing what people needed, like expanding broadband to rural sites. She fought to improve housing access, and protect Maine’s working waterfronts, too.

Like her mother before her, Hannah has led at every level, having run a small business, chaired the local school board, and directed Gov. Janet Mills’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future., where she expanded access to health care and affordable housing and led critical climate work.

She also worked to lower health care costs, defend reproductive rights, and pass marriage equality.

Hannah is a leader, who shows up and gets stuff done! At this critical time for our state and country, I believe Hannah brings the experience, integrity and determination Mainers can trust to deliver the results we need. Please join me in sending Hannah Pingree to the Blaine House, and witness how she changes the course of this election!

Melissa MacCrae
Brewer

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

I have spent most of my life working in Tribal and state government. I served in the Maine Legislature and advised two Maine governors. Over the years, I have learned that good leadership is measured by character, judgment, honesty, and the willingness to listen and do the work.

I sat down with Graham Platner for nearly an hour in a one-on-one conversation. I did not come away seeing a polished political performance. I came away seeing a thoughtful and sincere man who understands that public service is about responsibility to people, not personal ambition.

I understand why some people have concerns. Public life demands scrutiny, accountability, and good judgment. I also believe leaders should be judged by their ability to acknowledge mistakes, and move forward with humility and integrity. Leaders who refuse accountability are far more dangerous than those who confront their past honestly.

Some have questioned Platner’s lack of government experience but after decades in government, I can say that experience alone does not guarantee leadership. I have seen experienced politicians avoid accountability and meaningful change when it mattered most.

He spoke to me with real understanding about the concerns facing Maine people, including Tribal Nations, veterans, and working families, who are too often overlooked.

This is a time for leadership that is honest, and willing to meet people where they are. I believe Graham Platner represents that kind of leadership. That is why I support him for the U.S. Senate.

Donna Loring
Bradley

The mid-1970s were carefree years for me. I was young, in my prime, had no obligations and worked a second-shift job that paid enough to keep gas in my car so I could hunt and fish.

At the end of my shift Friday night, I wasn’t due back to work until late Monday afternoon, so I’d jump in my already packed vehicle and, after a quick stop at L.L.Bean in Freeport for leaders or a few extra flies, head up Interstate 295 for the weekend.

One of my favorite destinations back then was a group of trout ponds scattered around northern Somerset County near Lake Parlin. At some point, I wound up visiting a set of rustic cabins on Grace Pond in Upper Enchanted Township.

The place was quiet and peaceful except for the cry of loons. Moose were frequent sights and Canada jays fed from your hand.

Coffee tasted better sitting on the front porch than it did at home — or anywhere else for that matter — and if you hit it right, trout would jump on your fly the minute it touched the water. Not monster trout, but enough of them, and big enough, to make it fun.

With Coburn Mountain looming over the pond’s eastern shore, Grace Pond felt like paradise. I fell in love with the place immediately and it soon became my home away from home.

During one of my early June visits, the camp owner and I got talking about hunting and bears. I told him I’d never hunted one but hoped to someday.

As it turned out, he had established a couple bait sites on the west side of Coburn Mountain. Before I left that weekend, he invited me to return later that month for a hunt.

It was 1977 and Maine still had a spring bear season that ran from the first week in May until the end of deer season in November. As usual, I had already purchased my resident combination hunting and fishing license — which I still have — for $12.50. A separate bear license wasn’t needed and wouldn’t be required until 1990, so I accepted the generous offer for later in June.

Being my first bear hunt, I had no idea what to expect and was apprehensive and excited at the same time.

Before the decade ended, the harvest reached a record 1,630. At the time, the maximum sustainable harvest was believed to be around 2,500 to 3,000 bears annually, based on the population estimate.

Even though harvests had not reached that level, interest in bear hunting was increasing and biologists were concerned about overhunting and the long-term sustainability of the resource.

In 1979, just two years after my maiden hunt, Maine closed the spring bear season beginning in 1980.

In retrospect, had I not accepted the invitation, I probably never would have hunted spring bear in Maine or become such an avid bear hunter.

By then I had fished northern Quebec, caught my first 5-pound-plus brook trout, was spoiled on fly fishing for big brookies and my interest in bear hunting took a back seat for a few years.

As it turned out, Maine’s statewide estimated bear population of 6,000 to 9,000 in the late 1970s was far too low. An updated and revised estimate in 1984 put the population at around 18,000, but by then the spring season was history.

Two weeks later, after arranging some extra days off from work, I arrived back at Grace Pond ready to hunt, pulling into the yard before the sun rose over Coburn Mountain. The pond was flat calm and the mountain cast a mirror image on the surface.

Unable to resist, I rigged my fly rod, launched a canoe, paddled to the south end near the outlet and caught and released a handful of trout before settling into camp and putting on a pot of coffee.

Later that afternoon, after being driven up a series of ancient snakelike logging roads on the side of Coburn Mountain and escorted by foot even higher to the side of a ridge, I found myself sitting more than a dozen feet above the ground.

From my vantage point even my novice eyes could tell the turned-over bait barrel and darkened, torn-up earth surrounding it meant the bait station was active.

Trail cameras like those we use today were still 20 years in the future.

So with no indication when a bear or bears might appear, if at all, I sat in the stand entertained by red squirrels, watched Canada jays swoop in and rob bait and swatted mosquitoes, hopefully inconspicuous in the process.

I didn’t kill a bear that first day, but I did learn two important things that I have carried with me ever since: Time passes agonizingly slow in a bear stand and hunting from an uncomfortable stand is not fun.

After two days of hunting, I was beginning to wonder if a bear would ever show and was getting a bit discouraged. My initial excitement and apprehension were starting to fade and despite the stand being uncomfortable, after a few hours of sitting I felt a sense of relaxation.

As I still do today, I found myself so relaxed I closed my eyes, leaned my head back and listened to the forest sounds around me.

It was during one of those relaxing moments when those forest sounds suddenly stopped.

No birds chirping.

No red squirrel activity on the ground.

It was like the world around me went dead silent.

I’m not sure what it was — instinct or that inner voice — but something told me to sit still and open my eyes, so I did.

Standing perfectly broadside 30 yards away was a bear.

It’s been said you never forget life’s firsts. I’ve learned that is true of certain events, but I can attest it is also true when you see your first bear from a tree stand.

It’s a vision you just never forget.

Since that afternoon nearly a half century ago I have seen and killed much larger bears, but at the time I thought the animal before me was the biggest thing in the Maine woods.

My heart shifted into overdrive and my breaths came short and labored. I started to question whether the .50-caliber muzzleloader and .490 roundball resting across my lap had been a wise choice for a first bear — or enough gun.

It’s the same reaction I get even today whenever I see a bear.

It’s a response I hope I never lose. If I do, it’ll be time to give up bear hunting.

The bear never gave me a look. After several minutes it slowly walked toward the bait and started to do its thing.

As it did so I totally relaxed and started enjoying the show, something I still do today if the situation allows.

Seeing a bear up close and personal from a ground blind or elevated stand is a unique and special experience.

Bears are just fascinating to observe.

Despite the controversy and past referendum efforts, hunting over bait offers a rare chance to observe bears up close, and I’m grateful for it.

If I’ve learned anything about bears, it’s that they look deceivingly big on the hoof. Before pulling the trigger or letting an arrow fly, a great deal can be discovered by simply observing, especially body clues and attitude that help determine sex and potential size.

For me it all started with that first bear on the side of Coburn Mountain.

As it turned out, the muzzleloader I carried that day was enough gun. The roundball entered right where I aimed, penetrated well, mushroomed and got the job done.

When I arrived home, I had the hide made into a rug with red-and-black felt trim. Although dry and cracked in places from age and barely holding together, it currently hangs on the wall at camp.

I’ve thought about getting rid of it, but it’s a memory I prefer to keep.

Lagrange fungi farmer Magan Mishio found her first patch of wild black morel mushrooms last week after years of fruitless searching.

It was a welcome discovery at the start of Maine’s mushroom season, especially after a dry 2025 made some species hard to find, if they appeared at all.

“It’s like a treasure hunt,” she said. “It’s like finding gold out in the forest.”

Maine foragers like Mishio are seeing early signs of an abundant spring mushroom season as the soil warms and rain continues to fall. They’re cautiously optimistic about the months to come while expecting climate change will continue shifting how mushrooms fruit in the future.

Mushroom foraging provides food and medicine, but enthusiasts find it’s also a source of wonder that connects them with nature. For Greg Marley, a forager and educator based in Knox County, mushrooms have provided an endless learning experience for 50 years.

This spring, he’s noticed black and yellow morel mushrooms popping up in some parts of the state. Morels are popular edibles but harder to find in parts of Maine because they don’t like acidic soils, though they might turn up near elm or white ash trees, or in old apple orchards.

Marley has also observed numerous toxic false morels and some bull nose false morels this year.

Small ephemeral mushrooms are fruiting, too. Pheasantbacks have appeared on elms, and so have little nubs of white tissue on trees that will grow into reishi mushrooms.

Spring oyster mushrooms will follow soon, and could be abundant if the slow and steady rain keeps up, according to Marley.

“We’re starting out gangbusters,” he said.

Later in the season, other popular edible species including golden chanterelles, black trumpets, hen of the woods, lion’s maine, hedgehog, shaggy maine, lobster and puffball mushrooms emerge.

Some mushrooms are decomposers, others grow in mutually beneficial relationships with live trees and still others are parasites.

Which ones appear, and in what quantity, depends on a few key factors, according to Marley: seasonality, rainfall patterns and available tree species. Some mushrooms fruit at different points between the spring and fall, and need warm enough soil and enough moisture to do so.

Maine’s growing season is an average of 16 days longer than in 1950, according to the state, and rain is falling in shorter, stronger downpours. Weather can suddenly turn hot in summer, while winters see more free-thaw cycles with less snow cover that melts earlier.

The state is also seeing more “flash droughts” that come on quickly.

The past two Maine summers were dry, especially 2025, when serious drought conditions gripped the state after a rainy spring. Drought lingered but has improved this month, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Many mushrooms simply did not fruit that summer and fall, according to Marley — though he did find bumper crops of puffballs. But black trumpets were absent, and had been limited the year before.  

Questions remain about how last year’s drought may have affected this year’s mushrooms, he said. It’s possible the species that grow with trees could take longer to recover, while the decomposers — which include most early spring varieties — might “explode.”

Throughout the season, mushrooms growing with trees saw limited fruiting in July, possibly because of flash drought the year before, Maine Mycological Association President Michaeline Mulvey wrote in the association’s latest newsletter.

They were uncommon in August and returned only briefly after September rains. Decomposers and parasitic mushrooms fruited, but not abundantly, after rainfall and where moisture was held under logs.

“It took miles of walking to see a few mushrooms,” she said, noting predictions about how conditions could change here.

In some past dry summers, tropical depression still came through and dropped several inches of rain over a few days, which Marley said can jumpstart a “pretty extraordinary” period for mushrooms, especially if it hasn’t been bone dry beforehand.

Remnants of hurricanes coming ashore in New England have led to “pretty special times” for mushroomers, he said. But that didn’t happen last year.

An El Nino weather system is expected to emerge this summer and last through the end of the year, which tends to produce more weather extremes than usual, according to Maine State Climatologist Sean Birkel’s latest update from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

It often means drier summer conditions in New England, according to WGME meteorologists.

During last year’s drought, Mishio didn’t find any spring oysters, and heard morels were hit or miss. Chanterelles were inconsistent, and she didn’t find lobster mushrooms. She did come across a lion’s mane, but it looked dry.

With warmer temperatures ahead this week, Mishio — who grows mushrooms indoors as a business, MMM’Shrooms — expects to see more and more mushrooms, and remains optimistic about the rest of the season.

“We’re waiting with bated breath,” she said.

Longer term, she expects more shifts to the seasons and harvests of Maine mushrooms as the climate changes — and forest composition with it.

Tree species used to colder temperatures, including some pines and spruces, are expected to be more vulnerable to climate change, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Mishio is interested in seeing what species will arrive, or disappear, in coming years as trees that support them shift.

“Right now, foragers are really going to have to adapt, honestly,” she said.

The Colby College softball team made the most out of its first-ever NCAA Division III regional berth.

The Mules, coached by Bucksport native and former University of Maine standout Terren Hall, completed a four-game run out of the losers bracket to win the tournament at Husson University’s Robert and Frances O’Keefe Field in Bangor with 9-2 and 8-5 victories over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday.

After losing their opener to MIT, 7-2, the Mules edged Husson 3-2 and then beat Endicott 6-3 before sweeping MIT with 12-hit attacks in both triumphs over the Engineers.

Colby, which is now 30-12 and reached the 30-win plateau for the first time in program history, will face Rowan University of New Jersey in a best-of-three Super Regional at a site to be determined on May 21-22.

In Saturday’s opener, Colby built a 4-0 lead with a run in the first inning and three in the second and put the game away with a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth.

Avery Lyman drew a bases-loaded walk in the first before Carissa Cassidy’s run-scoring single and Juliana Kiley’s two-run double extended the lead in the second.

The Mules were leading 4-2 before breaking it open on Lyman’s RBI double in the fifth and three in the sixth on Emma Burnham’s double, Caroline DeSimone’s sacrifice fly and Lyman’s RBI single.

Burnham and Kiley each had a double and a single for Colby with Victoria Ramirez and Cassidy each having two singles.

Sophomore lefty Sophia Meade earned the win and is now 14-3 after tossing 5 ⅔ innings of two-hit shutout relief with four strikeouts and one walk.

Delaney Benevides doubled and singled for MIT.

In the championship game, Colby spotted MIT a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a pair of bases-loaded walks, but Colby answered with three in the bottom of the first on Burnham’s RBI double, Ramirez’s run-scoring single and Kathryne Clay’s sacrifice fly.

MIT tied it in the second on an error, but the Mules took the lead for good in the bottom of the second on Kiley’s RBI single.

Colby expanded the lead with four runs in the fifth on Clay’s RBI single, Julia Berry’s sacrifice fly and Cassidy’s two-run triple.

Cassidy, Clay, Lyman and DeSimone had two hits apiece and freshman freshman right Sharlotte Stazinski earned the win with 5 ⅔ innings of six-hit, three-run relief. She struck out four and walked one. She is now 10-6.

Meade pitched a scoreless seventh, allowing one hit, to earn her fifth save.

Lauren Sundquist had a double and knocked in two runs for MIT, which wound up 35-11. Arianna Kumar had an RBI single.

Speakers challenged graduates to forge lasting professional networks as they enter an

evolving job market.

PORTLAND — The University of New England celebrated its 191st Commencement on Saturday, May 16, awarding degrees to nearly 1,400 graduates during a ceremony at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.

Graduates received bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in critical fields like medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, health sciences, business, marine and environmental sciences, education, public health, the humanities and more. The ceremony also marked the first graduates from UNE’s College of Business, established in 2023.

Members of the graduating class represented all 16 Maine counties, 49 U.S. states and territories and six countries. Among the graduates were 166 newly matched doctors from UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, including 13 entering residency programs in Maine; 65 dentists; 30 pharmacists; 43 physician assistants; 63 nurses; and 11 teachers. Nearly one third of undergraduate graduates were first-generation college students.

Dan McCormack, MBA, CEO of Spectrum Healthcare Partners, longtime UNE trustee and former chair of the UNE Board of Trustees, delivered the Commencement address and received an honorary doctor of humane letters.

In remarks centered on the importance of relationships and human connection, McCormack urged graduates to continue building networks grounded not only in career advancement but in shared purpose, trust and community.

“You have been networking your whole life,” McCormack told graduates. “Your life is apt to intersect with your contacts in ways that you can hardly imagine as you sit here today. And that is the beauty of having interesting people in your network.

“Those relationships,” he added, “open a world of possibilities for you all: To collaborate, create new things, solve hard problems, and imagine a better future for the people and entities for which you share common concern.”

McCormack reflected on how professional relationships shaped his own career in healthcare leadership and ultimately led him to UNE, where he has served on the board of trustees since 2013. He encouraged graduates to think of networking not as a transactional exercise, but as an extension of the meaningful personal and professional connections they have already cultivated throughout their lives and enhanced by the skills learned at UNE.

“UNE has provided you with an incredible foundation for a network that you will rely upon at varying times in your career,” he said. “Keep building that network to reinforce your happiness and your well-being. It’s about much more than getting a business card that lands you a job.”

In his remarks, UNE President James Herbert challenged graduates to pair technological fluency with the distinctly human skills that will continue to define leadership and success in a rapidly evolving workforce shaped by artificial intelligence and automation. Herbert emphasized that UNE’s educational model intentionally prepares students to navigate emerging technologies while cultivating the human qualities that remain essential to meaningful work and leadership.

“Taken together, the combination of AI proficiency, enhanced human intelligence and networking, and intellectual curiosity and engagement across differences makes for a truly powerful educational model,” Herbert said. “And it makes for a powerful professional mindset that will distinguish you from others in the workforce.”

Herbert closed by reflecting on the lasting impact the Class of 2026 has had on the University community.

“Each of you has made your own unique marks on our campuses and in our programs, and they won’t be quite the same without you,” he said. “But we know you’re ready to head into the world to apply your knowledge and skills to important endeavors. Thank you for bringing your special light to our community.”

More information about the 2026 Commencement exercises and recordings of the ceremony are available at University of New England Commencement and at https://www.une.edu/live.

The five-through-nine hitters in the Whitworth University lineup went 13-for-19 with 13 runs batted in and 11 runs scored and the Pirates eliminated Husson University from the Montclair State NCAA Division III Regional in New Jersey on Saturday, 15-10.

It was Whitworth’s first win in a regional tournament since 2016.

The Pirates then went on to beat Montclair State, 7-1, and Endicott, 19-8, to force a championship game against Endicott on Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday, the Pirates pounded out 17 hits in the win over Husson after Endicott had collected 19 hits in a 17-0 victory over Husson on Friday.

Dominic Giusti had a double and three singles and scored five times for Whitworth, and Ty Komoda and Yash Gupta each had a double and two singles with Komodo driving in five runs and Gupta knocking in two.

Spencer Shipman hit his team-leading 12th homer and also had a base hit, Nate Gray Jr. had two singles and two RBIs and Austin Paul knocked in three runs with a two-run single and sacrifice fly.

Matt Holmes belted his team-high 10th homer for Husson and he also had a single.

Keegan Cyr’s three-run double capped a six-run fourth inning rally for Husson that erased a 6-0 deficit. Cam Rendell, Liam Kelley and Ryan Bousquet had hit RBI singles earlier in the inning.

Whitworth, in Washington state, broke a 6-6 tie and took the lead for good with four runs in the fifth on Gupta’s RBI double, Paul’s two-run single and a wild pitch.

Husson concluded a 24-18 season.

The University of Maine’s baseball team did its part to try to earn the coveted second-place seeding in the upcoming America East Tournament, but the help it needed from last-place the New Jersey Institute of Technology didn’t come.

UMaine swept Albany at Mahaney Diamond in Orono this weekend, but the University of Maryland Baltimore County took all three games from visiting NJIT to finish one game ahead of UMaine in the battle for second place and a first-round bye for the tournament.

UMaine had the tiebreaker against UMBC but needed NJIT to beat UMBC once. The Retrievers rallied from a 4-0 deficit to win Saturday’s finale 7-4 after securing lopsided victories in the first two games.

UMaine beat Albany 11-6 on Saturday after posting a 12-1 win on Thursday and 7-5 triumph on Friday.

UMaine finished the season by winning six of its last seven conference series but getting swept at home the previous weekend by a struggling UMass Lowell team that had lost its previous seven games proved to be costly.

UMaine will now have to beat Albany a fourth consecutive time as they will meet in the play-in game on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Binghamton Bearcats Sports Complex in New York.

Albany ousted UMaine 6-4 in last season’s tourney play-in game in Orono.

UMaine is 22-29 overall and finished up 14-10 in the conference.

Albany is 15-33 and 9-15.

Binghamton (25-19, 18-6) and UMBC (28-22, 15-9) earned the first-round byes in the six-team tournament, which has a single elimination first round followed by a four-team, double-elimination format.

Bryant (27-24, 13-11) and UMass Lowell (19-30, 9-15) will open the tourney at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

On Saturday, UMaine broke a 5-5 tie with six runs in the seventh inning on a bases-loaded walk to Albert De La Rosa, Quinn Murphy’s three-run double and Nic Pepe’s two-run single.

Murphy had a single to go with his double in the game. Pepe had two singles. Hunter St. Denis hit a two-run homer, his 10th of the season, and Juju Stevens had a three-run double.

Jaxon Mueller hit his third homer of the season and also doubled and singled and drove in three runs for Albany; Michael Maggio had three singles and Cooper Loyal, Joe Perri and Justin Hurd had two hits each.

Brennan Rumpf tossed 2 ⅓ innings of three-hit, one-run relief to gain his second win in three decisions.

On Friday, St. Denis doubled home what proved to be the game-winning run in the seventh inning to break a 5-5 tie and fellow freshman Troy Carpenter followed with a run-scoring single.

Stevens walloped a grand slam for the Black Bears and Carpenter had a solo homer to go with his single and knocked in a pair of runs.

It was a team-leading 14th homer for both Stevens and Carpenter.

Mueller had three singles and three RBIs for Albany. Patrick DeSarno and Luke Filippi had two base hits each.

Pierce Friedman improved to 3-1 with 2 ⅓ innings of three-hit, shutout relief.

In Thursday’s opener which was called after six and a half innings due to the 10-run rule, Jason Krieger threw seven innings of two-hit, one-run ball with six strikeouts and no walks and the Black Bears received homers from Stevens, Pepe (6th of the season), De La Rosa (3rd) and Murphy (5th).

Krieger is now 3-6.

Murphy had two singles to go with his homer and Stevens had a base hit to go with his blast.

Tre Mariano had Albany’s hits, his seventh homer and a single.

UMaine head coach Nick Derba said he is looking for more from his team when it faces Albany on Wednesday. He expects to face 6-foot-5 righty Dylan Banner, who threw 2 ⅓ innings of hitless, two-run ball on Friday.

“We’re going to have to beat a good arm. We have to do a much better job doing the little things well. We have to swing at strikes and do a better job throwing strikes. We played pretty clean  defense for the most part but our offense has to get better,” said Derba.

Federal agents joined state investigators Sunday to help determine what caused the deadly fire and explosion Friday at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, according to the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Response Team will conduct a joint investigation with state fire marshal investigators, who requested the ATF’s assistance.

The ATF team includes forensic scientists, electrical engineers and computer modeling experts. According to the fire marshal’s office, ATF is the only federal agency tasked with fire investigation.

Investigators expect to remain at the scene of the fire throughout the week. No in-person media interviews will be conducted while the investigation is active, according to spokesperson Aaron Turcotte.

“We recognize the importance of this investigation to the victims, their families, the employees of Robbins Lumber, the local community, and the many agencies involved in the response. We owe the people of Maine a thorough, professional, and methodical investigation,” the fire marshal’s office said in a statement.

Eight of the people injured in Friday’s explosion are being cared for at Maine Medical Center in Portland, while two were treated and transferred to Mass General Brigham Hospital in Boston.

A fire broke out early Sunday morning at a three-unit apartment building, according to the Brewer Fire Department.

The fire was reported at approximately 1:30 a.m. at 508 South Main St.

When firefighters first arrived, they found heavy fire at the rear of the building and made an aggressive initial attack to knock it down. No injuries were reported.

Investigators remained at the scene Sunday morning. The state fire marshal’s office is working to determine the cause.

As tick activity increases, experts advise taking extra care before spending time outdoors.

Emergency room visits for tick bites have reached their highest levels for this time of year since 2017. Several regions of the United States are seeing increased tick activity due to warmer temperatures, especially in the Northeast and Midwest, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

An estimated 476,000 people receive treatment for Lyme disease each year, making it the most prevalent tick-borne illness in the U.S.

The Northeast states are seeing the largest increase in tick-related emergency room visits as of April, with rates far higher than in the rest of the United States. The Midwest is the second most affected region.

Lyme disease is an infection caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi that can be carried by infected ticks. Tick bites, especially those from blacklegged ticks, are the most common way these germs spread to humans. Due to the small size of the blacklegged tick and the tendency for its bite to go unnoticed, not everyone who experiences Lyme disease symptoms remembers being bitten by a tick, according to Harvard Health.

The main causes of tick population growth include climate change, warmer winters, and expanding habitats, which allow ticks to survive in greater numbers and spread into new areas.

According to Harvard Health about 90% of U.S. cases have been reported in 14 states: Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Not all ticks carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Depending on where you live, fewer than 1% of ticks in a region may carry the bacteria; in other areas, as many as half of ticks are infected, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

The blacklegged tick and the Western blacklegged tick (also known as deer ticks) can spread Lyme disease, which can lead to a wide range of health problems. Most Lyme disease cases have been reported in the Upper Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic states.

After enjoying the great outdoors, it’s best to perform a preventative tick check on your entire body. Ticks can be as small as a poppy seed. According to the U.S. Forest Service, here are some steps to follow when checking for them:

– Check your clothes: Remove your clothes and look for hitchhiking ticks on your shoes, backpacks and outer layers of clothing.

– Take a shower: As soon as you get back from high-risk areas, take a shower or bathe. This removes unattached ticks and helps you find any that may have attached.

– Mirror check: Examine each area of your body with a full-length or handheld mirror. Keep an eye out for tiny black dots that could resemble new freckles.

– Check the hidden spots: Ticks prefer warm, dark, and moist areas on your body, so be sure to focus on your hair, around your ears, underarms, groin, behind the knees, between your toes, and even your belly button

For Lyme disease to be transmitted, a tick is usually connected to its host for 24 to 36 hours, according to the CDC. However, other tick-borne diseases can be transmitted much more quickly, sometimes in as little as 15 minutes. By removing the tick promptly, you can reduce the chance of becoming infected.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tick bites surge, sending many to ER. Maps show where.

Reporting by Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern over an outbreak of a rare Ebola virus in central Africa.

On May 17, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola, that had killed at least 80 people with nearly 250 suspected cases in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as of May 16.

In neighboring Uganda, officials said laboratory results confirmed two cases in the capital of Kampala − including one death − among people traveling from Congo with no apparent link to each other. Another laboratory-confirmed case was also reported in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital, infecting someone returning from the eastern Congolese province of Ituri where the outbreak is centered.

The WHO said the spread doesn’t yet meet pandemic levels under international health regulations. Health experts told USA TODAY risk to Americans is low at this time.

The outbreak speaks to growing concerns among critics of the Trump administration around more limited global public health efforts. The United States, which withdrew from WHO under President Donald Trump, previously played a key role in surveilling emerging outbreaks.

“This is a serious and potentially devastating Ebola outbreak,” Dr. Tom Frieden, the former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during a major 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, told USA TODAY in an emailed response.

Frieden said that, by the time health workers detected this latest outbreak, cases have outnumbered those reported at the start of the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which caused over 28,000 cases and 11,325 deaths over two years. Current insecurity in Congo, which faces civil unrest and armed conflict, makes control measures difficult, he noted.

“The world again faces grave risk and needs an urgent response,” Frieden said, alleging that the United States’ withdrawal from the WHO and other Trump administration actions have been “reckless.”

The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment. The CDC has warned people traveling in the area to practice enhanced precautions.

The WHO said neighboring countries sharing land borders are considered at high risk for further spread due to travel and trade. Ebola spreads through bodily fluids from an infected person or contaminated objects, and animals can spread it to people, according to the CDC.

The outbreak has rapidly spread in a conflict zone in Congo’s border region since the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced May 15 it was convening an urgent meeting with Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, along with global partners. The Bundibugyo virus is concerning compared to past outbreaks of the more commonly known Zaire virus because Bundibugyo has no vaccine or antiviral medication.

However, Bundibugyo has a lower death rate in recent outbreaks, at around 32% in a 2007 Uganda outbreak, and at about 34% in Congo’s 2012 outbreak, according to CDC estimates. Ebola was first identified in 1976 after a flare up in present-day Congo, which in decades since has had successive Ebola epidemics.

It’s not clear how quickly the latest Ebola outbreak is spreading, said Lina Moses, a Tulane University epidemiologist and disease ecologist who conducted contact tracing in Sierra Leone in the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Meanwhile, adequate lab testing is not in place, which may help explain why the Bundibugyo virus wasn’t identified earlier.

A particular concern with Ebola is the timeline for when people show symptoms and become most infectious, according to Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director for infection prevention at Yale University’s hospital.

When disease symptoms present up to three weeks after contact with the virus, people experience a “dry” phase − marked by nondescript symptoms of fever, weakness and sore throat − that could be confused for influenza or malaria.

After about four days, the “wet” phase begins as people become sicker. The symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and unexplained bleeding. Roberts, an assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, said this is when people become most contagious and when people might seek health care, putting hospital settings at risk for spread without adequate protections in place.

The current outbreak is already larger than the past two Bundibugyo surges, Roberts said.

“When you look at the scheme” of how Ebola spreads, he said, “this so far seems like it’s sort of a perfect storm of an outbreak.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WHO declares global health emergency for Ebola: What Americans should know

Reporting by Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY / USA TODAY. Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.

Searsmont Fire Chief James Ames was among the first to respond to what became a fatal inferno at the Robbins Lumber mill on Friday.

Ames and other local firefighters were battling a fire in a silo containing wood shavings when it violently exploded, throwing Ames through the air and, as authorities later confirmed, killing at least one firefighter, Andrew Cross, 27, of Morrill.

Not much later, Midcoast Villager reporter Dan Dunkle arrived at the scene and found Ames — shaken and covered in ash and debris — catching his breath in his daughter’s truck.

In a brief, vivid interview, Ames described the explosion and how the fire progressed.

The Villager has lightly edited the audio to isolate the conversation, though an unrelated call to a car dealership can be heard amid the chaotic scene.

“We think what happened is a bearing in the gearbox got too hot and started the shavings on fire,” Ames said of the silo’s contents.

“Of course, trying to put it out, what happens is you get too much air in there, you get like a backdraft. It just friggin’ blew that silo, tipped it over. It blew me 15 feet right through the air.”

“Some guys dragged me out. And I have no idea who’s hurt or anything about it. I know there’s ambulances and everything coming and going,” he said.

“The silo fell over onto the building that’s burning right now, and thank God it did because I was right underneath it,” he said.

As the fire continued to rage, Ames’ daughter, a safety coordinator at the mill, put her father in her truck and told him not to move.

“She won’t let me out of her sight,” he said with a laugh.

This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.

Last weekend, I fished in a cold drizzle while the trout sulked, unwilling to come out and play. This week, the temperature rose. After months of snow, sleet and freezing rain, I could think of nothing sweeter than casting a fly to a rising trout on a warm afternoon during the first week of May, except perhaps playing hooky from work to do so.

Twenty minutes later, I was tossing my tie in the back seat and changing out of my office attire into a canvas shirt and jeans. After snapping my hippers to my jeans, I tramped down a deer trail to the headwaters of a stream winding through a hemlock forest.

It had been more than a season since I’d visited this little rill, but my eagerness was tempered by what I found.

Hemlocks that had grown more than 100 feet tall had collapsed across the forest floor. In some places, massive limbs had snapped. In others, entire trees had fallen, their roots rising 20 feet or more toward the sky. Spindly branches stretched along broken limbs like the remains of ancient dinosaurs.

Rather than an asteroid or some other cataclysmic event, the destruction had been caused by the hemlock woolly adelgid, an exotic insect that over years sapped the trees’ strength, leaving them unable to withstand the extreme weather events we’ve experienced with increasing frequency.

It was a discouraging sight. These regal monarchs of the forest had sheltered the little brook, their shade keeping temperatures down and their roots reducing siltation. In this manner, they protected the habitat of the stream’s wild brook trout population.

The rill was no more than a yard or two wide, and putting aside my trepidation, I hopped from one moss-covered boulder to another. The current ran high as I picked my way around, over and through the downed trees.

The smell of damp earth was strong as I took a knee to catch my breath. It mingled with lichen, moss and the duff of the forest.

I cast my fly into sun-dappled riffles, but trout care little for an angler’s expectations and at first they showed no interest in my bits of fur and feather.

Rounding a bend, a brook trout no longer than my finger rose through the tannin-stained current to grasp my fly. The shoulders of the miniature trout were as dark as the gloom pervading the doleful forest, but its flanks were as bright as a maple leaf.

A few moments later, a second brookie flashed in a shallow riffle, but I struck too soon.

Over the next hour, a number of fish rose to my offering. They did so not out of ignorance, but from necessity, for there was little insect life this high in the stream and the spritely current required a fish to strike first and ask questions later.

At some point, the chaos of limbs and branches became an impenetrable barrier and I was compelled to hike in a wide arc around the tangle of decaying trees.

Returning to the stream, I straddled a fallen hemlock and inched my way across its trunk. After lowering the tip of my rod toward a pool deeper than the rest, I skittered a fly across the surface until it disappeared in a sudden boil.

With difficulty, I played the fish while continuing to hold tight to the tree. The brook trout, perhaps nine inches from nose to tail, carried all the colors of an autumn landscape across its side.

Eventually, the tangle of wood became too much, but before turning back, I approached a pool where three trees, their roots loosened in the soil atop a ridge high above the far bank, had fallen across the surface, their crowns reaching the near side.

Crouching between broken branches and split limbs, I tried one last cast.

The current sliding along the far bank carried my fly beneath the trees where another trout splashed through the surface. After a brief struggle, the 10-inch fish came to hand.

Although it was as brightly colored as the others, I noticed a wound on its back, a cruel reminder of the Spartan conditions these headwater fish must contend with. Whether inflicted by a mink, kingfisher, heron or snake, I had no way of knowing.

Releasing the little warrior, I hobbled back through the maze of downed trees.

Although saddened by the loss of the hemlocks and concerned for the stream they once protected, I still had faith in the wild trout abiding there despite the odds.

This story was originally published in June 2023.

I’ve been wandering the Maine woods since I was a little girl. I’ve become familiar with its flora and fauna. Yet the wilderness keeps surprising me with things I’ve never seen before — like neon pink slime mold.

I’m not sure how it escaped my notice for so long. But now that I’ve seen it, I’m fascinated.

My first official observation of slime mold was at Tills Point Preserve in Penobscot. It was a drizzly day, and I was keeping an eye out for interesting mushrooms and wildflowers. That’s when I spotted it: a collection of small pink and purple balls covering a fallen tree.

They were a bit smaller than wild Maine blueberries, and they looked just about as tasty. In fact, they reminded me of Nerds candy, strawberry- and grape-flavored.

Assuming they were a type of mushroom or lichen that I’d never seen before, I excitedly took about a million photos, then went on my merry way. But my very broad educated guess was incorrect.

Slime molds aren’t fungi or lichens. They’re single-celled organisms that move around, similar to an amoeba. At that stage, they’re too small for people to see. But sometimes, they congregate to form threads and fruiting bodies that resemble mushrooms.

Hundreds of slime mold species have been documented throughout the world. At Mount Rainier National Park alone, 60 species have been documented, and they come in many colors.

Some of them remind me of the fictional, deadly fungi in the video game and TV show “The Last of Us.”

Slime molds play an important role in the ecosystem. Often found on decaying forest litter and rotting wood, they serve as decomposers and recycle nutrients, according to an online fact sheet published by the National Park Service. They feed on bacteria, which decomposes plant matter. They also serve as food for worms, beetles and other creepy crawlies.

But that’s not all. Join me further down the rabbit hole. You won’t be disappointed.

Slime molds don’t have brains, but they can communicate with chemical signals. In a laboratory setting, they’ve demonstrated the ability to navigate mazes to find food. Furthermore, if fed on a schedule at a specific location, they can anticipate that feeding event and spot.

Slime molds typically thrive in dark, cool and wet areas. So I suppose it’s fitting that I found some after days of rain and unseasonably cool weather.

I always hesitate to slap a species name on something that I’m not familiar with, but I think that the slime mold I found in Penobscot is Lycogala epidendrum, which is often called wolf’s-milk slime or toothpaste slime. During my research, I learned that, before this particular type of slime mold matures, you can pop it and a pink-orange substance, similar to the consistency of toothpaste, will ooze out.

You can imagine my disappointment that I hadn’t thought to try and pop one of the pink or purple balls on the log. But at the time, I didn’t know anything about it.

However, I lucked out a few days later when I spied a small patch of slime mold on a log near my home. It’s funny how once you take notice of something in nature, you often start seeing it everywhere.

I rummaged around on the forest floor for a small, sharp twig, then used it to poke a few of the pink fruiting bodies. They burst open, as expected, spilling out a bright, pasty substance. It was quite satisfying. But I didn’t want to wreck too many.

As is the case with many things in nature, people have varying perspectives on slime mold. Some gardeners view it as a problem to be eradicated, while others consider it harmless. While some slime molds are considered quite beautiful, others are labeled as unsightly. There’s even a variety with the common name of “dog vomit slime mold.”

Now that I’m aware of slime mold, I’m seeing it everywhere. Or at least I think I’m seeing it everywhere. It can be challenging to distinguish it from mushrooms and lichens. But I’m fairly certain I have a yellow, stringy variety and an off-white, frothy variety living on the fallen trees near my home.

Each time I learn something new about the wilderness, it changes the way I experience it. I’ll never look at fallen trees the same way. I’ll forever be looking for patches of neon pink, yellow and orange sprawling over rotting wood, especially after plenty of rain.

Family and friends lovingly tease me about my excitement for finding and photographing colorful mushrooms, and now they can add slime molds to the equation. As a self-proclaimed nature nerd, I seem to just keep getting nerdier. And I’m OK with that.

It still amazes me that something that’s bright pink could escape my notice in the Maine woods for all of these years. It makes me wonder what else is out there that I’ve yet to see.

The Greater East Grand Economic Council wants to inspire local people to invest in themselves instead of waiting for a large out-of-state employer to come in and save them.

The recently announced $50,000 2026 Business Grant Challenge is part of that initiative.

“Our theory of change [is] we don’t believe that a manufacturer is going to come in and create a lot of jobs. We don’t have the housing, we don’t have the amenities and we don’t have the workforce,” said Christoper Hinshaw, the council’s executive director. “We want the local people to own their future.”

The council aims to help spur economic growth and job creation in 15 towns located in northern Washington and southern Aroostook counties. Designed to support new business development and growth in the greater East Grand Lake region, this year’s grant provides financial assistance to early-stage businesses of up to $50,000.

People living in the East Grand Lake Region come from hardscrabble roots in logging, hide tanning and the railroad. But the economic opportunities these businesses once offered have shuttered, leaving many to piece together seasonal jobs to feed families and forcing young people to leave the area. The average annual income per person is just over $30,000 and essential services like grocery stores are an hour or more away.  

The ideal 2026 Business Grant Challenge candidate would be someone who could fill gaps in essential services: mobile auto mechanics, carpenters, builders, home repair, electricians and plumbers, Hinshaw said.

“For people that have been so economically depressed for so long it is hard for them to dream,” he said. “When you are in generational poverty like so many people are up here, the idea of tomorrow is remote, surviving for today. We have to think outside the box about how to make an economy work.”

The grant offers budding entrepreneurs a low-barrier funding option that is often difficult to obtain from traditional sources such as banks.

The council started grants last year with an $18,000 pilot that funded a woman-owned startup insulation business, owned by Tammi Matula, and a Maine guide, William Apgar, who was expanding his ice fishing shack operation.

The council is funded by the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, The Charles F. and Beatrice D. Adams Charitable Trust and the Prism Fund.

As the non-profit moves forward, the board remains sensitive to the kinds of businesses they fund to preserve the region’s physical beauty, Hinshaw said.  

“It’s a challenge to create new jobs and opportunities that don’t destroy the very nature of the rural remote existence we love,” Hinshaw said.

The council’s grassroots beginnings started with an effort to save the East Grand School about eight years ago and evolved from there.

At the time, the school’s budget was going to raise taxes and a number of residents fought the rate increase. A small group created an economic feasibility study about the impact on the community if the school closed. The school was saved and, buoyed by their success, the group, along with municipal leaders, then brought high-speed broadband to everyone living in the region.

“We were one of the first areas in the state to have 15 communities receiving the highest quality internet anywhere,” Hinshaw said.

Such access also made it possible for remote workers, such as Hinshaw, to move to the area, he said. Hinshaw’s wife inherited a cabin on Spednic Lake that they visited from their St. Louis home. Eventually, the couple bought a small homestead on the edge of Vanceboro and moved to Maine.

When he first started working with the council just over two years ago, Hinshaw knocked on hundreds of doors to ask people how fiber broadband was affecting or changing their lives.

“We have surveyed over 500 people literally going door to door,” he said. “One thing that is very clear: people move up here in part to get away from urban crowds and concrete and noise so there is not a lot of interest in growth. We are very sensitive to the reality of the cultural climate of the region.”

Last year the council limited grant applications to people who lived and worked in the region. This year, they’ve opened the opportunity to anyone who lives in Maine – on the condition they can provide services to the region.

“We are getting a number of inquiries from people who have aspirations that may not be a viable business for the region, such as a candy shop,” Hinshaw said. “We need the basic things first like a grocery store or a hardware store. We are looking for businesses that meet critical needs.”

The application deadline is June 7.

To qualify, projects must define how the grant would support business growth and job creation and provide a needed service. The applicant must have lived in the region or Maine for at least a year. East Grand area businesses will have priority, but outside businesses will be considered if they can provide the area a needed service.

The grant committee will review all applications and selected finalists will be required to give a 20-minute presentation with feedback from the committee. The finalist has the opportunity to make revisions and resubmit.

The awards will be announced on June 26.

For more information or to request an application contact Christopher Hinshaw, chinshaw@eastgrandregion.org or call 207-952-4648. Email applications or send to: GEGEC, PO Box 465, Danforth, ME 04424.

Eight patients who were injured in Friday’s fire and explosion at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont remain at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, according to a news release from the hospital.

Two other patients who had been taken to the Portland hospital on Friday for treatment were treated and transferred to Mass General Brigham Hospital in Boston, according to WMTW.

The deadly explosion, which occurred shortly after 10 a.m. Friday, killed Morrill Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Andrew Cross, 27.

Officials haven’t yet released any details on what caused the fire and explosion, which filled the skies with black smoke that lingered into Saturday morning.

Five Below, a nationwide chain known for selling seasonal and trendy items, is opening its new 480 Stillwater Ave., Bangor, store at 10 a.m. Sunday.

The shops have a target audience of “the kid in all of us,” with most items priced between $1 and $5, along with some “extreme value” items priced above $5.

The store is designed to give shoppers a “treasure-hunt-style shopping experience,” according to the company’s press kit.

This will bring to five the number of stores the retailer will have in Maine: Bangor, South Portland, Augusta, Topsham and Waterville.

BELFAST, Maine — Hundreds of firefighters, law enforcement officials and civilians lined Waldo Avenue in Belfast Saturday afternoon in a quiet reverence as the body of Morrill firefighter Andrew Cross arrived at the Riposta Funeral Home.

Cross was the only firefighter state authorities said was killed following an explosion at the Robbins Lumber facility in Searsmont Friday that severely wounded several others. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner identified the fallen firefighter as Cross, who was 27, Saturday morning.

Cross was transported from the medical examiner’s office in Augusta to the Riposta Funeral Home in Belfast Saturday by a procession of law enforcement and other first responders. Just before 11 a.m., firefighters from dozens of departments and others who wanted to pay their respects started to line Waldo Avenue around the funeral home.

Just after 12:30 p.m., the hearse carrying Cross turned into the funeral home and was flanked by a line of firefighters who stood saluting.

The fire that claimed Cross’ life started Friday morning. When the Searsmont Fire Department responded to the mill at around 10:05 a.m., they found a fire in one of the silos of the lumber yard.

Four minutes later, more support from multiple local fire departments was requested. Then, just after 11 a.m., a firefighter came across the radio.

“There’s been a huge explosion, the silo just exploded,” the firefighter said. “Multiple firefighters injured and burning. We need more help here now, immediately.”

On Saturday morning, smoke was still rising from Robbins. State officials are still investigating what may have caused the fire and didn’t release updates on the other injured people Saturday afternoon.

Bangor police are searching for a 13-year-old girl who left her home Friday evening and has not returned.

Anna Zutter Soares was last seen at approximately 5 p.m. leaving her Fifth Street home.

She is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and 120 pounds with brown hair. She was last seen wearing gray sweatpants and a black crop-top shirt.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Bangor Police Department at 207-947-7382.

A former Bar Harbor state representative and lawyer has been disbarred after being accused of misusing her client’s money and not complying with a state investigation.

Lynne A. Williams, of Falmouth, was suspended from practicing law in January 2025 after a former client had alleged the previous fall that Williams failed to return $65,000 in escrow funds to him, according to a May 12 Maine Supreme Judicial Court order.

The order says that Williams, 76, did not cooperate during the investigation into the misused funds.

Williams, who had her own private practice in Bar Harbor and served on the town’s planning board before being elected to the Legislature, resigned from her state rep seat in April 2024 after four years in office.

Rather than deposit her client’s funds into an escrow account, bank records showed that Williams put the money into one of her personal Bar Harbor Bank & Trust accounts. Still, her bar registration paperwork claimed she personally held “no client funds other than advances for costs and expenses,” according to the order.

The order said a review of the lawyer’s financial statements revealed she had used her client’s money to “supplement her personal income.”

The funds were meant to pay off a mortgage for the client’s real estate, though — after the client learned that his payment was not due until 2032, later than he initially thought — he decided he wanted the money back.

Between September 2023 and October 2024, the client repeatedly requested that Williams return his funds. When Williams did respond to his requests, the attorney said she was working out of state and couldn’t transfer the money remotely, according to the order.

During that period, Williams, who had practiced law since 2002, was searching for a new job. She unsuccessfully applied to work as a public defender and later inquired on Facebook about openings at Bar Harbor restaurants and retail shops, according to the order. In October 2024, she indicated on social media that she was moving to southern Maine.

After dodging inquiries during the investigation by the Maine Board of Overseer of the Bar, which oversees the professional conduct of licensed lawyers in the state, Williams said she had been in and out of the hospital, the order says. The board’s counsel attempted to reach Williams multiple times by email and mail — though the physical and electronic addresses she provided to the bar returned as undeliverable, according to the order.

As of March 2025, she was residing in a Falmouth assisted living facility.

Williams did not immediately respond to inquiries from the Bangor Daily News.

In Maine, May and June bring long, sunny days, blooming flowers — and more moose versus car crashes than any other two-month period during the year.

Crashes involving moose happen mostly in the northern part of the state; almost half from 2020-24 were in Aroostook County. But central and southern Maine still see serious incidents every year.

Welcome to moose collision season. Here’s what you need to know.

Most moose-related crashes happen in the northeastern part of the state, where moose are most present in populated areas. Interstate 95 between Bangor and Houlton is the most active stretch for high-speed, dangerous moose collisions, according to data from the Maine Department of Transportation.

Central, western and southern Maine also have collisions, too, though. Somerset County drivers hit 95 moose from 2020-24, the third-most of Maine’s 16 counties, with U.S. Route 201 between Jackman and West Forks being a particularly busy stretch.

With 80 and 64 collisions, respectively, Franklin and Washington counties round out the top five.

South of the mountains, crashes are less likely, but still possible. In Kennebec County, for instance, drivers have hit 38 moose since 2016, 23 of which were on I-95.

Any collision with a moose is serious; adult males, or bulls, can weigh up to 1,600 pounds, and adult females, or cows, weigh as much as 1,200 pounds.

Since 2016, according to DOT data, 74% of all moose crashes happened at night, when it was dark on the roadways. Peak times for crashes are between 4 and 5 a.m., and 8 and 11 p.m.

Lee Kantar, the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department’s moose biologist, said that timing makes sense, given moose movement patterns. Like deer, moose are most active around sunrise and sunset.

May and June are peak moose collision season for good reason, he said. For starters, they’re more difficult to see: Moose shed their winter coat in May and June, making them appear darker and more difficult to see at night, Kantar said. More than 35% of all moose crashes happened in these two months, from 2020-24.

After spending the winter in smaller home areas, moose tend to expand back to their usual 10- to 12-square-mile range after the snow melts. Sometimes, moose will travel even farther for food or a good salt lick. That’s usually how moose end up in populated areas like Augusta, Bangor, Lewiston and Portland, Kantar said.

Mothers also sometimes cast off their young in spring, leaving them to wander by themselves for the first time. Kantar said those young moose can unknowingly end up in harm’s way.

“In a low light condition, the problem with moose — even a young moose that’s a yearling or 2-year-old moose, you’re still talking about an animal that’s anywhere between 500 and 800 pounds, that’s very tall in the leg,” he said. “You don’t tend to get that eye-shine that you see in a deer. So, when something like that is crossing the road and the light conditions are poor, it becomes very, very difficult to see that animal.”

Deer are hit far more often in Maine than moose — 25 times more often. But per crash, moose are the most expensive and most dangerous animal Mainers collide with on the roads.

In 15.7% of moose crashes from 2020-24, a person in the car was injured, far higher than in collisions with any other animal.

Three people died in moose collisions, more than all other animal crash deaths in that period combined.

As calculated by the DOT, moose caused $179,221 in estimated economic loss for each collision. Deer, by comparison, caused $34,140 in economic loss per crash.

Moose crashes and deaths have decreased drastically since 2000, Kantar said, as populations have dwindled. But fewer moose can pull drivers into a false sense of security, he said.

“An animal that size tends to be so unexpected by people when, all of a sudden, it’s there,” Kantar said. “They just can’t believe it. And yet, you can miss seeing a moose that’s right next to the road.”

If you see a moose in front of you on or near the road, use extreme caution. Moose are unpredictable, so stay in your car. If the moose is in the roadway, slow to a stop. Don’t try to go around. Wait for it to wander back off the roadway.

If you’re in the unfortunate position where a crash is unavoidable and imminent, transportation department officials recommend braking until right before impact, when letting up on the brakes can raise the front end of the vehicle and prevent the moose from crashing through your windshield. Duck to avoid debris.

Avoiding that situation in the first place is possible, Kantar said, with caution during peak seasons and times. Maine’s many moose crossing signs are intentionally placed in highly traveled wildlife crossings, so take special care in those zones.

“If I was driving up (U.S. Route) 201, let’s say, or Greenville, as I get further north on blacktop roads where you can go faster, and it’s that time of evening or early morning — I’d be very vigilant, no matter what,” he said. “Out of a matter of course, if I see something, is that something where I can put on my brakes and avoid contact? Because that would be a good call.”

This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Ethan Horton can be reached at ehorton@centralmaine.com.

MACHIAS — The monthly Downeast Trout Unlimited meeting will be In person only at Helen’s Restaurant at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday May 27. Jacob Scoville will give updates on Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife research and projects in the Downeast Region. Space is limited. Please RSVP to Tammy Packie, tpackie@gmail.com.

Jake Scoville, MDIFW Grand Lakes Region fisheries resource supervisor, will discuss Downeast stream surveys and give updates on lake whitefish and landlocked salmon projects. Fisheries biologists with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in the Downeast Region have been surveying small streams over the past several summers to assess wild brook trout presence and document road–stream crossings. While this work is ongoing, it has already led to the identification of previously undocumented wild brook trout streams.

In addition, a new lake whitefish research project began this spring at West Grand Lake. MDIFW is also in the early planning stages of another project at Grand Lake Stream focused on monitoring native landlocked salmon within that watershed.

Scoville is a native of Machias, He has worked full-time with MDIFW for the past 10 years. Prior to his current role in Downeast Maine Scoville spent several seasons as a fisheries technician here in Maine and also worked for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Now based in Jonesboro, he has served as the regional MDIFW supervisor since July 2025.

Downeast Trout Unlimited is chapter 305 of Trout Unlimited, a national non-profit organization with over 300,000 members and supporters dedicated to the conservation and preservation of North American cold water fish species and their habitats. DETU is dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring Maine’s cold water fisheries and their watersheds. New memberships are half price! Use this link to join: www.tu.org/join305Downeast  Donations may be mailed to Downeast Trout Unlimited, c/o Arthur Benson, Treasurer; 32 Cottage Street Hampden ME 04444.

For information contact Tammy Packie  at tpackie@gmail.com or visit https://www.downeasttu.org/ or Downeast TU on Facebook.

SEARSMONT, Maine — The acrid smell of smoke still hung thick in the air Saturday morning in the area around the Robbins Lumber mill.

Dark gray and white clouds of smoke could still be seen rising from the fire that caused an explosion that killed one firefighter and wounded others Friday at the mill. Along the Ghent Road near an entrance to the mill, portions of a fire hose lay outstretched. The hose lengths stretched into a small dirt lot local anglers use to park their cars and gain access to the Saint George River.

In that lot, two cases of water and a box full of Gatorade were propped up on a post that identified the area as being owned by a mill.

After the whirlwind of action Friday, the roads immediately around the mills were largely empty Saturday morning aside from a few passing cyclists, a Red Cross van that headed into the millsite along with a handful of pickup trucks. Farther up the Ghent road, two horses meandered in their pasture, as clouds of smoke occasionally wafted over them from the mill.

State officials Saturday morning identified the firefighter killed as Andrew Cross, 27, of the Morrill Fire Department. They haven’t yet shared details about what caused the fire or specifics of how many people were injured.

Cross’ body was set to be transferred from Augusta to Riposta Funeral Home in Belfast on Saturday morning.

Emily Gagnon of Mariaville graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern Maine on May 9 with a bachelor of arts in social and behavioral sciences.

She is the daughter of Mark Gagnon of Mariaville and Mary Thibodeau of Ellsworth. Gagnon is a 2019 graduate of Beech Hill School and a 2023 graduate of Ellsworth High School, where she was named a Senator George J. Mitchell Scholar and recognized as a Russell Sage College “Student Sage Scholar”.

During her final semester at USM Gagnon interned with Maxim Healthcare, which has since hired her for extended work in the Portland area. Although accepted into graduate programs in her field, she plans to continue her professional work before beginning advanced studies.

Forest industry watchers were surprised on Friday as news unfolded of a fire inside a Robbins Lumber facility in Searsmont.

Still owned by the same family that founded it on the St. George River in 1881, Robbins Lumber is well respected and well known across the forest industry, said Eric Kingsley, an industry analyst at Innovative Natural Resource Solutions in Portland.

“They’re a really well-run company,” he said. “They’ve been a part of Midcoast Maine’s forest industry since forever.”

Authorities said the explosion and fire, which killed one firefighter and injured at least 10 other people, drew a large emergency response. Catherine Robbins-Halsted, one of the owners of Robbins Lumber, said Friday that all employees were accounted for.

As she watched first responders battle to put the fire out on Friday, Searsmont resident Lori Ward said schoolchildren from the area often take field trips and tours of the lumberyard.

“It’s a big part of this community,” she said. “We saw all the smoke and immediately knew this was bad.”

Robbins Lumber employs more than 200 people, according to testimony that Robbins-Halsted, its vice president of administration, shared with lawmakers earlier this year.

The family-run company has also been involved in advocating for the industry. Former president Jim L. Robbins, whose grandchildren help run the company today, had at one point presided over the Maine Forest Products Council, the New England Lumberman’s Association and the Northeastern Loggers’ Association, according to his obituary in 1997.

Dana Doran, director of Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, said on Friday that Robbins Lumber buys its wood from close to a hundred logging contractors in the region, and it gets wood chips from a few dozen companies within a 60-mile radius of Searsmont.

“The health of our forests, the local economy, the jobs that are produced — the financial impact is significant,” Doran said. “They’re an important player and have been for generations.”

Christian Halsted, part of the Robbins family, said during a news conference Friday afternoon that Robbins Lumber will be closed for the rest of the week while the fire is investigated.

“This is obviously a hugely devastating day for the family,” Halsted said. “We feel for the first responders, family, the employees.”

Messages to the company seeking comment were not returned on Friday.

Jeff Easterling, president of the Northeastern Lumbers Manufacturing Association, said any long-term closures would have a “severe impact” on the community members working for the mill.

“Most of their employees probably came within a town or two around the mill,” Easterling said. “Any kind of disruption certainly will impact that town, without question.”

In 2011, the governor’s office heralded the Robbins family for their forest stewardship. It awarded them a Maine Department of Conservation award, and the department’s commissioner called them “an iconic Maine family.”

Robbins Lumber is one of the biggest white pine mills in the country. White pine is used for decorative applications like paneling and furniture, not to hold up the structure of a house, said Kingsley, the industry analyst.

The campus in Searsmont includes two primary mills — a sawmill and a planing mill, where the wood gets finished. It also includes kilns to extract moisture from the wood; warehouses to store the wood before it’s shipped; and a biomass power plant. Robbins Lumber opened the power plant in 2018 under the name Georges River Energy. It allows them to sell energy to the New England power grid, said Kingsley, and it gives the lumber company a guaranteed, secure market for its leftover wood.

Just before it opened, it attracted the attention of U.S. Sen. Angus King, who held a Senate committee field hearing at the company in 2017 and talked about its efforts to preserve rural jobs.

Shane O’Neill, forest industry business development manager at the University of Maine, said the Robbins family has been active in helping the state’s forestry industry in recent years. They’ve seen the paper industry in decline and have donated time and effort to help. He sees the biomass plant as part of that effort, since it helps make tree harvesting more profitable by creating a market for parts of the trees that can’t be made into boards.

Several generations of Robbins have graduated from UMaine, and the family has supported endowments to help students get into the forest sector, O’Neill said.

O’Neill said that the Searsmont volunteer firefighters are part of the community alongside the Robbins’ employees.

“Searsmont’s not a very big town, so everybody kind of knows each other, and when your family’s hurting, everybody hurts,” he said.

In 2024, another fire on campus took place in a control room for the kilns, according to multiple news reports. It was contained and didn’t result in any injuries. The PenBay Pilot reported that the Searsmont Fire Department had a roster of 14 volunteers, many of whom were out in the woods hunting when the call came in and returned to Robbins Lumber to respond.

“Every sawmill and pellet mill at some point has fires,” Kingsley said. “You have a lot of wood and a lot of machines. The industry spends a lot of time making sure that these fires are prevented, and the equipment’s installed to mitigate any fires.”

Robbins Lumber has had one workplace safety incident investigated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the past decade. It happened in 2025, and the company was fined $5,427. The details of the incident are not immediately clear, but according to OSHA records it appeared to involve a lack of regular inspections of procedures in the planer facility.

Staff Writers Drew Johnson, Morgan Womack and Dylan Tusinski contributed to this story.

This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Rachel Estabrook can be reached at restabrook@metln.org and Emily Allen can be reached at eallen@pressherald.com.

This story will be updated.

The firefighter killed in a line-of-duty explosion in Searsmont on Friday has been identified as Andrew Cross, 27, of the Morrill Fire Department, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Cross was killed at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont.

“Our deepest sympathies, thoughts, and prayers are with the firefighter’s family, loved ones, and colleagues during this devastating time,” State Fire Marshal Shawn Esler said.

Maine State Police will assist with an honorable transfer Saturday from the Medical Examiner’s Office at 34 Hospital S. in Augusta. The procession will travel along Route 3 to Risposta’s Funeral Home in Belfast.

This story was originally published in May 2023.

The wooden railroad ties were covered in moss and fallen leaves, their edges softened by time and the slow work of nature. Lying across the trail at random intervals, they almost blended into the forest floor. But here and there, a metal spike poked from the decaying wood.

Originally built by Maine Central Railroad in the 1880s, the railway used to carry passengers to McNeil Point in Hancock, where they would board steamer ferries to cross Frenchman Bay to Bar Harbor. It was a busy route then, with multiple trains running daily. Just like today, people were eager to experience the beauty of Mount Desert Island.

This once-popular method of travel, known as the Bar Harbor Express, chugged along until 1931, when the railway from Ellsworth to Hancock was discontinued. An auto bridge had been built to MDI, providing easier access to the island’s oceanside resorts and the newly formed Acadia National Park.

It was the end of an era. But nowadays, you can still ride a train on a 13-mile section of the restored railroad, starting at the rail yard and boarding platform on Washington Junction Road in Hancock. Known as the Downeast Scenic Railroad, the experience is like stepping back in time.

Or you can walk along a 3-mile stretch of the former railway on the Old Pond Railway Trail. That’s what I was doing on April 28, with my dog Juno in tow. 

Spanning Point Road and Old Route 1 in Hancock, the trail travels through a lovely forest of oaks, maples, balsam firs and other trees. Along the way, it crosses a trestle bridge over a saltwater bay called Old Pond. There, at low tide, I spotted gulls wading through the shallows, an osprey fishing farther out, and a man digging for clams in the extensive mudflats.

Juno wanted to join him, but I didn’t feel like dealing with a muddy puppy for the rest of our walk. I also didn’t think the clammer would appreciate a husky-boxer mix digging enthusiastically alongside him. Yet in hindsight, I think he may have been impressed. Juno has dug up clams, unprompted, before. Perhaps she has a nose for them.

I first visited the Old Pond Railway Trail back in 2014. Boy does time fly. And it hasn’t changed much since then. I suppose the old railroad ties might have a bit more moss on them. And there’s new graffiti on the trestle bridge. “Smile,” “you’re loved” and “poetic justice” are now among the painted words.

Juno and I passed a few other visitors during our walk. I imagine everyone was enjoying the spring weather. Though the day was blustery, the sun was shining bright. Plants were budding. Frogs and salamanders had laid egg masses in woodland vernal pools. And tiny spiders had built their intricate webs among tree branches.

The trail, plus the adjoining Kilkenny Cove Preserve, is a collaboration of three local land trusts: Crabtree Neck Land Trust, Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Frenchman Bay Conservancy. The property was acquired in 2008, and local Eagle Scouts helped prepare the trail.

There are two trailheads: the East Entrance, on Point Road near its intersection with Route 1; and the West Entrance, with parking on Old Route 1. Both include parking lots for four cars.

The trail is about 3 miles long, so it’s a 6-mile walk, out and back. But you certainly don’t have to walk the whole thing.

People who are particularly interested in the trestle bridge and Old Pond start at the East Entrance. From there, it’s about a half-mile on the trail to the bridge. Since it follows the bed of an old railway, the trail is flat and straight. The biggest challenge is watching your step so you don’t trip over the old railroad ties.

In addition to having a cool history, the trail is a good place for birding, according to the Frenchman Bay Conservancy website, with plenty of migrating songbirds and shorebirds during the spring and fall.

Back in April of 2014, I watched a group of four Canada geese from the trestle bridge. I also mentioned “black and white ducks of some variety” in my column about the hike. Perhaps they were buffleheads? From afar, they look black and white, although their dark feathers are actually iridescent.

Also back then, I noticed signs of porcupines along the forested part of the trail. A good reason to keep your dog on leash.

Throughout Maine, trails have been built along the bones of old railways. It makes sense. They make for even, solid surfaces. And they aren’t being used anymore.

Many of those railway trails are open to a variety of activities, including ATVing and horseback riding. However, Old Pond Railway Trail is a bit different. It’s fairly narrow, and with some of the railroad ties remaining on the ground, it’s not suitable for ATVing or even mountain biking. It’s only open to walkers and runners (for those brave enough to navigate over the ties at such a speed), and in the winter, snowshoers and skiers.

While walking through the dense forest, I at times found it hard to imagine a train chugging along the tracks, headed for the coast, its passengers sipping flutes of champagne. It’s amazing how quickly the wilderness takes over. There’s something satisfying about seeing moss creep over a sawed piece of timber, and a woodland flower sprout from its decaying wood.

It’s getting loud out there. The minute songbirds return in the spring, they begin to advertise, singing to attract a mate and establish a territory. For some people, it’s joyful noise. For others, it’s a challenge. Who’s making all that sound?

It’s much easier to identify bird songs once you understand a few tricks.

The most important thing to know is that most of the sound comes from just a handful of birds. That varies by location and habitat, but rarely are you hearing more than 10 different species at a time. Getting to know the common songs makes learning the rest a lot easier.

The second tip is that songs fall into categories. There are long songs and short ones, warbles and sing-songs, trills and buzzes, whistles and honks. Some vocalizations are so unusual, they fall into their own category of one. Think common loon.

Once songs are categorized in your head, it’s a lot easier to identify them because you’re just trying to recognize a song from a small group of possibilities, rather than the whole universe of bird noises.

For instance, in Maine there are four trillers: pine warbler, chipping sparrow, dark-eyed junco and swamp sparrow. That’s a group of only four. They may sound similar, but they’re not identical. It doesn’t take much practice to notice the differences between them.

The third trick happens almost by accident. Because songs fall into categories, some birds sound similar to other birds. At first, that may be confusing and even annoying. But once you find yourself saying, “Hey, that sounds like a robin,” your identification skills take a sudden leap forward.

There are now a bunch of songs I know by accident because they sound like songs I already knew. It happened to me again last week. While on a birding trip through southern Texas, I watched a painted bunting sing. I thought to myself, “That sounds like a purple finch.” Painted buntings don’t nest in Maine, but purple finches do — so it’s a familiar song. For the rest of the week, I heard painted buntings all over Texas. I recognized them because they sound like a bird that nests in my yard.

Maine has scarlet tanagers. Texas has summer tanagers. Their songs are almost identical. I’ve never been able to hear the difference before. While in Texas, I listened to enough summer tanagers to realize their songs are just a tiny bit sweeter than scarlet tanagers. Finally — a clue.

There is a small category of bird songs that sound like a dropped ping-pong ball. The notes accelerate as the song concludes. Field sparrows are Maine breeders, though mostly in southern counties. Olive sparrows barely range outside southern Texas, but I can now recognize olive sparrows because they sound like field sparrows.

Bewick’s wrens in the west sound like song sparrows in the east. The truth is, when I’m traveling west of the Mississippi, I might as well be in Tibet. I recognize very few western bird songs. When I learn a new one, it’s often because it sounds like something back in Maine.

So focus on the birds making the most noise this month. Sort them into categories as best you can and try to compare similar songs. It’s not easy, but it’s not all that hard either. You already know many vocalizations. Use them.

Alternatively, install Merlin on your smartphone. It’s the free downloadable app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Merlin does a good job of identifying birds, although it regularly makes mistakes. Treat every identification as a suggestion, not a confirmation.

Hiking a trail just south of San Antonio, I heard a song I didn’t recognize. Merlin identified it as a Nashville warbler. I thought it sounded like a bad-singing yellow warbler. Within a minute, a yellow warbler popped into view. Bob wins again.

There are two schools of thought regarding the use of Merlin. Some pros advise that Merlin not be used at all since it’s preferable to learn songs on your own. I think it is a good tool for pointing out what might be around and overlooked. It can help cement an identification in your mind. At least, that’s the way I use it.

I don’t need Merlin in Maine, but I’m not ashamed to trot it out when I’m birding in an unfamiliar area. I feel qualified to offer advice to beginners on how to identify birds by ear because I’m a beginner, too, out west. We suffer together.

U.S./China meeting.

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com

Cohen Bove is a student at Southern Maine Community College who will be attending the University of Maine in the fall.

Defeating Sen. Susan Collins this November is one of only a few subjects on which Graham Platner and I agree. Collins has consistently shown what she stands for and it’s not impressive to me.

She voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and to cut Medicaid, and has too often continued to allow President Donald Trump to carry out actions that many consider illegal and authoritarian-like. I believe Collins is a threat to Mainers and must be replaced this fall. I will be a reluctant Platner voter and it won’t be an easy vote to cast.

I have attended two Platner events: the Sagadahoc Democrats debate in Topsham and his rally with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in Portland. His military service and work as a fisherman are respectable attributes. But as a young voter who sees character and policy on the same level of importance, I firmly believe that Planter lacks both.

Graham and his team continue to apologize for his past remarks made on Reddit, attributing it to his return from the military and transition back into civilian life. I have no doubt that his time in the infantry put him in a dark place. It’s his continuation of these comments that are concerning.

Earlier this year, Platner continued his use of the r-slur. This is a clear sign to me of a lack of decorum. I’ve heard the counter argument that many people use that slur. We cannot normalize this behavior and responses like that show hypocrisy. If Republicans used that word, Graham’s voters would probably have a field day. We must hold him to the same standards.

Voters cannot forget about character. If they do, society risks more loss of checks and balances on our leaders.

Another example is when I heard Sen. Warren speak. She praised Platner for his policy ideas but made no mention of his derogatory language. In a 2019 Democratic primary debate in Las Vegas, Warren called out the former mayor of New York City and then presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg for referring to women as “fat broads.” She went on to suggest Bloomberg was unfit for the presidency in part because of those remarks.

I am not justifying any of the alleged behavior that the former mayor has been accused of. I’m simply pointing out that if Warren thinks that is enough to disqualify a candidate for president, why does she think a candidate for U.S. Senate, who belittled sexual assault victims, is fit for office?

I also feel that some of Platner’s political philosophies are overzealous. However, one has stuck out to me as an attempt to string voters along and hype up his audience: a Medicare for all program.

The idea that this can essentially be done at the drop of a hat is false. Platner has acknowledged it would take time and that he’d need to reach across the aisle to get it done, but this sounds familiar to what Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has been saying for decades.

I do believe that healthcare is a human right, but also think private options are necessary. We should not start something brand new, especially now. I think our government needs to expand on the Affordable Care Act. I worry that if Platner is elected, we will have another politician who makes promises that can never be completed.

In times of stress, it’s common for Americans to move to one or another side of extremism. We are experiencing this today. The danger that I believe Trump poses is something this country has never seen before, another reason I think we must oust Collins from office.

Unfortunately, I believe voters have created a double standard. Replacing Collins this fall should not mean abandoning standards of character. Some Democrats in Maine think that Graham Platner is reformed and is ready to represent us in Washington. I remain unconvinced. I will reluctantly cast my vote for him.

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com

David Costello of Brunswick is a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.

While many, including most in the press, have essentially declared Maine’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary over, there’s still time for voters to consider whether the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee is the best person to take on Sen. Susan Collins in November. Perceptions of political viability can, and often do, change overnight.

I believe that my personal story, education, and government experience contrasts more sharply with that of Sen. Collins than does Graham Platner’s. My lived experience is rooted in many of the same challenges working-class Mainers face every day, and my extensive government service is broader, deeper and more hands-on than Sen. Collins’. Moreover, I believe that my experiences equip me with the kind of knowledge and perspective sorely needed in Washington today.

I was born in Bangor and raised in Old Town by my mother and mill-working grandparents. My father, an Army veteran and labor organizer, died at the age of 31 due to hazardous working conditions he faced as a teenager. I know what it’s like to have to hustle to pay bills, compile years of debt and go long periods without health insurance and healthcare.

Like many in Maine, I began working at an early age and worked my way through the University of Maine, George Washington University and the London School of Economics. And I subsequently served for more than 30 years in senior-level government and non-governmental organization positions, both in the United States and abroad.

These positions included serving as a top aide to Maine’s secretary of state, the mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland; as a deputy and acting secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment; and as a county program manager and regional team leader for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). These positions involved implementing and managing, not simply legislating or talking about, complex multimillion-dollar programs and operations.

These programs and operations included working closely with the U.S. Army, State Department, United Nations and foreign aid organizations overseas — and various state and local government agencies, businesses and non-governmental organizations in Maine, Maryland and elsewhere.

They are programs and operations that resulted in election and motor vehicle safety reforms in Maine; improved schools and family assistance programs in Baltimore; the implementation of ambitious job creation, education, healthcare, crime reduction and environmental protection programs in Maryland; and the completion of more than 3,500 peace and community-building projects in conflict-torn Cambodia, Haiti, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo and Serbia.

I believe experience matters, but so too does my decades-long commitment to substantially reforming our nation’s governing policies, practices, and institutions and eliminating the excessive and corrupting influence that money, wealth and disinformation have over our politics and government. Like many Democrats, I am fully committed to enacting far-reaching legislative and constitutional reforms, among them: Medicare for All; universal childcare; expanded Social Security benefits; a national minimum living wage; increased taxes on the wealthy; a ban on gerrymandering; federal clean elections financing; comprehensive immigration reform; judicial and legislative term limits; codification of Roe v. Wade; an assault weapons ban; and an aggressive national climate action plan.

Reforms designed to not only salvage our democracy, but to also better protect our rights and freedoms and to enable us to finally tackle such pressing challenges as: unaffordable housing and healthcare; insufficient retirement security; economic inequality; gun violence; shoddy infrastructure; and climate change. Because only then are we likely to achieve the more perfect union envisioned by our most thoughtful founders and forebears.

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

As a young small business owner in rural Maine, I pay attention to leaders who actually understand what it means to work for yourself, take risks, and build something from the ground up.

I own and operate Brutus Handyman Services, where I do carpentry, repairs, and contracting work across my community. Like many Mainers, I deal with rising costs, regulations, taxes, and the everyday realities that come with trying to run a business and make a living in this state.

That is one of the many reasons I am supporting Garrett Mason for governor.

Garrett understands small business because he has lived it himself. He has owned, bought, sold, and operated small businesses just like many of us here in Maine. He lives under the same rules and regulations we do. He knows firsthand what government policies actually mean for working people and business owners trying to get ahead.

Garrett also brings something Maine needs right now: energy, experience, and authenticity. I think he is young enough to understand the challenges facing the next generation, but experienced enough to actually lead effectively.

When I watched Garrett speak and debate, he came across as genuine, confident, and prepared. Not scripted. Not out of touch. Just straightforward and serious about getting Maine back on track and focused on real conservative values.

Garrett Mason has earned my vote, and I will be voting for him in the Republican primary on June 9.

Bryce Garcia
Norridgewock

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

I’ve known Hannah Pingree for more than 20 years and worked closely with her for a decade. I think she would do a fantastic job as governor of Maine.

I know she’s a fighter who doesn’t just stand on principle. She also knows how to get things done.

For example, when she was in the Maine Legislature, Hannah worked with firefighters to phase out toxic chemicals used to slow the burning of couches that could make them sick. She fought the out-of-state chemical industry and won.

Later, she led the campaign that passed the Kid Safe Products Act, the first law in the nation to restrict dangerous chemicals in consumer products that threatened children’s health. She built a bipartisan consensus to pass the law.

As Maine’s Speaker of the House and director of the Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, Hannah brought people together to craft practical policies and action plans to tackle affordable housing, health care, internet access, working waterfronts, renewable energy, climate change, and more.

There’s several strong candidates for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Hannah Pingree is my top choice because I trust her to listen, work well with others, and take decisive action to meet our needs. We don’t need a rabble rouser or fireside chatter. We need a governor who gets things done for Maine people. I think that’s Hannah Pingree.

If you already have another top pick, then vote for Hannah as your second choice under Maine’s ranked-choice voting.

Mike Belliveau
Hudson

Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.

A website that targeted former fitness executive Ben Midgley has raised questions and sparked talk of potential ethics complaints as Republicans jockey for an edge in their fight to replace outgoing Gov. Janet Mills.

Midgley’s team believes midgleyexposed.com has Bobby Charles’ fingerprints on it, likening it to a site that attacked former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason using false information before the Charles campaign took it down in March. But Charles’ camp denies that, emphasizing that the former federal official hasn’t been shy about bashing rivals publicly.

The dustup marks the latest round of bitter infighting among Republicans seeking the Blaine House. Charles has aggressively gone after rivals who have more money and ads on the air in recent weeks following increased criticism from several opponents, both online and in TV debates he skipped.

Under state law, campaigns “must clearly and conspicuously” disclose when they authorize any communication that advocates for or against a specific candidate. Websites tied to campaigns or political action committees must make clear who financed them, as Charles’ campaign did with the anti-Mason site. The Midgley campaign teased a possible ethics complaint.

“It’s difficult to be the chief executive and law enforcer if you’re a law breaker on ethics rules,” Brent Littlefield, a Republican strategist on Midgley’s team, said in a Friday comment pointed at Charles.

But Charles’ campaign gestures to a site registered last August featuring a similar name, bobbycharlesexposed.com and disclaimer identical to one on the site going after Midgley: “Independent political commentary not paid for or authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.”

Registered through GoDaddy, midgleyexposed.com was up from late March until at least April 30. On the same day it was registered — March 26 — the Charles campaign paid strategist Vincent Harris $50, financial reports show. That’s the same amount the campaign has previously paid GoDaddy, where the site attacking Mason was also registered.

Harris said he could not recall the site, though he added, “It looks like it contains very important information conservatives of Maine need to know before they vote!”

Charles has often used social media and artificial intelligence-generated content to mock Midgley, Mason and entrepreneur Jonathan Bush as the “Three Amigos” and “never-Trumpers” seeking to upend his grassroots-driven bid that’s led early primary polls.

Echoing several of Charles’ public critiques, the site highlights Midgley’s 25-plus years as a Democrat and accuses him of trying to rebrand from a “woke” CEO to a Republican. It claims that Crunch Fitness locations “under Midgley’s leadership” offered pole dancing classes and says he only became a Republican for a “power grab.”

Midgley this week posted a video shrugging off the attacks as unserious. He has acknowledged being a former Democrat and said a party leader should strive for a big tent, noting that former Gov. Paul LePage and presidents Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan had history as Democrats.

“There is not a woke bone in this body,” Midgley said. “They are confusing the company I ran as CEO with the actions of another company.”

Real estate executive David Jones, a frequent Charles critic, shared bobbycharlesexposed.com on Facebook in March while noting it wasn’t tied to his campaign. Jones and Midgley recently formed a ranked-choice alliance, encouraging voters to pick each other second in the June 9 primary.

Jones’ campaign said Friday it hasn’t created “any website against any other candidates.” A Democratic source said Friday that the party wasn’t behind any of the sites targeting Republicans. A site that went live in April spotlighting the Republican background of independent state Sen. Rick Bennett made clear it was paid for by the state party.

And a spokesman for Maine Dream Inc., a political group supporting Bush, said the group had “nothing to do with these sites or their creation.”

Vice President JD Vance visited Bangor on Thursday to tout the federal government’s crackdown on Medicaid fraud, singling out Gov. Janet Mills for failing to take the issue seriously.

The Democratic governor fired back shortly after with her own account of the state’s record on fraud prevention in the state’s $4.7 billion MaineCare program, which is roughly 60% federally financed.

Vance embellished details of a fraud case and overstated what federal auditors found in a review of Maine, while Mills ignored critical findings from the state auditor and underplayed the state’s crucial role in rooting out fraud.

Vance likened a critical audit of autism services to fraud.

Vance overstated the findings of a January report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector general, which flagged about $45.6 million in Medicaid payments for children with autism in Maine.

“Talk about something we’ve seen in Minneapolis, but also in Maine: We’ve seen people go out there and say that they’re providing services to autistic children, when, in reality, they maybe don’t have any children at all, or they certainly don’t have autistic children,” he said.

But that report expressly did not call those payments fraud or even indicative of fraud. Auditors called them “improper” or “potentially improper,” tying the problem to lack of documentation and oversight and not fabricated patients. They also noted they did not use a medical reviewer to assess whether services were medically necessary, which would be required to establish fraud.

Maine was also not uniquely targeted. The review was part of a multi-state effort that found at least $56 million in improper payments in Republican-led Indiana and at least $18.5 million in Wisconsin, which has a Democratic governor but a Republican-led Legislature. This effort to review the program began under former President Joe Biden.

Vance said the woman at the center of a fraud case is “an illegal immigrant.”

She is a U.S. citizen, according to court filings and her attorney.

Vance was referring to Rakiya Mohamed, an Auburn resident charged last February along with her mother and another individual for allegedly billing MaineCare for interpreter services that never happened. The case against her was first reported by the Bangor Daily News.

The scheme, according to a federal indictment, involved billing for interpreting hours through a healthcare provider and paying fictitious employees at interpreting companies for those services. The provider, Bright Future Healthier You, has not been accused of wrongdoing. Mohamed initially pleaded not guilty but signed a plea agreement in January and pleaded guilty to two of three charges.

“She is a citizen, graduated from Bates College with honors, and earned a graduate degree from the University of Texas,” her lawyer, Richard Berne, wrote in an email. “The Vice President’s statement is just another example of the Administration’s blatant, irresponsible use of inaccurate information.”

Vance also claimed Mohamed collected $15 million in fraudulent payments. That is also not accurate. That roughly equates to the total amount that Bright Future Healthier You billed MaineCare between 2019 and 2024, according to data obtained by the BDN.

The initial estimated tax loss due to Mohamed’s conduct was more than $456,000, court records show. Under her plea agreement, she owes $51,000 in restitution. She faces up to six years in prison and fines up to $500,000, though her plea agreement will likely reduce both.

In her response, Gov. Mills understated the state government’s role in fighting back against fraud and overstated its efforts.

Shortly after Vance’s remarks, Mills issued a statement of her own, calling Vance’s comments “nothing but a weak attempt to distract from [Trump’s] failing agenda.” The state refers credible fraud allegations to the attorney general’s office, and investigations are often coordinated with the federal government, she said.

While that is basically true, State Auditor Matt Dunlap, found in a March report that the state’s internal Medicaid fraud prevention is lacking. His report said the Program Integrity Unit, the state’s internal auditing arm, “may not provide adequate monitoring of all Medicaid services.”

The department disputed that assessment, but Dunlap stood by it by saying it failed to provide evidence of required oversight procedures.

Over the last five years, the Program Integrity Unit averaged 144 cases a year and referred 22 cases to the attorney general’s office. Attorney General Aaron Frey’s office secured 11 criminal convictions related to MaineCare fraud over that same span. Federal prosecutors, meanwhile, have not brought a criminal healthcare fraud charge in Maine since 2019.

One number cuts in Mills’ favor: Maine’s improper payment rate is 2.4%, less than half the national average of 6.1%, according to the state’s response to federal oversight questions.

Bangor Daily News investigative reporter Sawyer Loftus may be reached at sloftus@bangordailynews.com.

University of Maine men’s basketball head coach Chris Markwood and women’s basketball associate head coach Courtney England like the NCAA’s decision to expand the men’s and women’s Division I basketball tournaments from 68 to 76 teams this coming season, but they aren’t sure how much it will affect their programs.

Under the old format, there were four First Four games, and the winners moved on to the 64-team tournament field.

With the new format, there will be 12 games involving 24 teams with six games after Selection Sunday.

The men’s opening round games will be held at two sites: in Dayton, Ohio, and another that’s yet to be determined. Dayton has always hosted the First Four.

The women’s games will continue to be played at campus sites.

The teams involved in the opening round will be the 12 lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers on the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee’s list and the 12 lowest-seeded at-large teams.

There will be 64 teams remaining after the opening round games.

“The high-level football championship playoffs and the NCAA basketball tournament are the two most watched college sporting events in the world,” Markwood said. “[The NCAA] can make more money by adding more games. I understand why they are doing it.”

“From the standpoint of money-makers, why not do it?” England said. “It makes no sense not to have more games. They have found a way to make it profitable. It makes sense for everyone involved.”

The tournament expansion will allow the NCAA to provide more than $131 million in new revenue distributions to schools participating in the basketball tournaments over the next six years of the broadcast agreements, according to the NCAA.

The UMaine teams are in America East, which is a mid-major conference. It isn’t considered a strong enough conference for teams to earn at-large berths to the tourney if they don’t win conference tournaments.

Only the America East Tournament champion is guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualifier.

The exception would be if one of its teams posts a remarkable overall record that includes non-conference wins over highly regarded teams.

The big question is whether mid-majors will benefit from the tournament expansion or if those eight extra spots will go primarily to the teams in the Power Four conferences: the Big 10, the Big 12, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference?

“I hope it creates more opportunities for some of the mid-major teams to get an at-large,” said Markwood. “But a lot of people across the country feel those at-larges are going to go to the Power Four teams that are in the middle of the pack in their leagues. It’s hard to know what the NCAA selection committee is going to do. You hope they give mid-major teams that had great years but slipped up in their conference tournaments a chance to go on and compete in the NCAA Tournament.”

England expects more Power Four conference teams to earn at-large berths because that will provide “more viewers and more money. That is the reality of the situation.”

“But if you’re a mid-major and you get a good enough schedule and win enough games to put yourself on the bubble, it does give you an extra chance to get in beyond just your automatic qualifier,” said England. “Nothing really changes for us. We have to play a hard schedule to put ourselves in the best situation to be successful.”

She said for an America East team to earn an at-large berth, along with having an outstanding conference record, it is important to have Quad One (top 50) and Quad Two (50-100) teams on your non-conference schedule and “to win some of those games.”

She said Richmond is a good example of a mid-major that earned an at-large berth this season from the Atlantic-10 after losing in the conference semifinals to George Mason.

Richmond beat NCAA Tournament teams Green Bay and the University of Rhode Island and lost to top 10 teams Texas and Texas Christian along with NCAA tourney teams Fairfield and Rhode Island. URI is also in the A-10.

UMaine has always had a challenging non-conference schedule to get ready for conference play. They had three non-conference games against eventual NCAA Tournament teams North Carolina State, URI and Fairfield but lost all three.

England noted that with the new format, it would give them a better chance of winning a tournament game if they get in because the opening round features the bottom 12 at-large and bottom 12 automatic-qualifiers.

Under the old format, America East champions wound up bypassing the Opening Round game but then drawing a low seeding (13th-16th) and being matched up against top five seeds in the region for their tournament opener.

This past season, America East titlist Vermont was a 14th seed and wound up getting ousted by third seed Louisville in Louisville.

In UMaine’s last championship season, 2023-24, they wound up as a 15th seed and were thumped by No. 2 seed Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.

Markwood has heard people say they are watering down the tournament by adding more teams, but he disagrees.

“I don’t think we’re at that point right now. You are still getting 76 elite teams that are the cream of the crop,” Markwood said, noting that there are 361 Division I men’s programs.

He also said those opening round games at two sites are going to be a “great addition to the tournament.”

“That will be a nice buildup throughout the week heading into the weekend. It’s going to be exciting and fun,” said Markwood.

The body of a paddleboarder who went missing May 5 on Graham Lake in Ellsworth was recovered Friday evening.

Grayson Mote, 20, who had been missing since the morning of May 5, was found Friday at 6:30 p.m. by a family member who was searching the lake for him by boat, according to Mark Latti, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Mote was reported missing on May 5 after he left his family camp to go paddleboarding and didn’t return for over an hour and a half. His body was found 10 days later a little less than a quarter of a mile from shore, Latti said.

After being brought to shore by a Maine Marine Patrol officer, Mote was transported to the  state’s medical examiner’s office, Latti said.

The discovery ends a multi-agency search that primarily focused on a large cove on the western  side of Graham Lake, north of Jesses Beach Way.

Authorities with various state and local agencies assisted with the search, including the Maine Warden Service, Maine Forest Service, Maine Marine Patrol, state police and Ellsworth police and fire departments. Mote’s friends and family were also involved in the effort, Latti said.

Officials relied on boats, aircraft, sonar equipment, dive squads, submersible drones and ground teams to conduct the search.

Mote was believed to not have been using a personal flotation device, according to a previous department statement. Latti last week said conditions were windy that day but that he did not have specific details on the weather on the lake at the time.

Local daytime temperatures on May 5 were in the high 40s Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service.

Mote, who was a high school wrestler, made headlines in 2023 after he performed the Heimlich maneuver on an opponent who was choking. The opponent, who was a student from Calais, survived the ordeal, according to reporting at the time by WABI. Mote, a senior at the time, was interning with the Ellsworth high school’s athletic director.

Mote is the son of current Ellsworth Police Department Sgt. Kelvin Mote and former Ellsworth City Councilor Tammy Mote.

About an hour after Searsmont firefighters responded Friday morning to a fire at a local lumber yard, the blaze took a deadly turn when a silo exploded after the flames spread.

At around 10:05 a.m., the Searsmont Fire Department first responded to the blaze at Robbins Lumber, according to Michael Sauschuck, the Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner. Information about how the fire may have been started has not been released.

When firefighters arrived at the 145-year-old family-run milling, drying and storing business, they found a fire in one of the silos of the lumber yard.

About four minutes later, a Waldo County dispatcher requested support from multiple local fire departments for a structure fire on Main Street. Various crews confirmed they were on their way to the site in the minutes after the request was sent out.

By the end of the day, 24 local fire departments assisted, according to Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

At 10:20 a.m., a dispatcher requested an ambulance be sent to the Searsmont fire.

At 11:01 a.m., about an hour after firefighters first arrived, a crew member reported to dispatch that one of the silos had exploded, leaving multiple firefighters injured. He requested additional help be sent immediately.

The explosion killed one firefighter and left several in serious and critical condition, Moss said.

Three minutes after the explosion, dispatch was told to treat the incident as a mass casualty, requiring the nearby departments that were placed on standby to report to the scene.

Multiple fire trucks were reportedly on fire.

Earlier in the day, a purchasing manager at the mill said the fire started in an area where wood shavings are packed in plastic bags. Once the flames spread to a nearby silo that was filled with dust, the silo exploded.

The fire was still spreading as of 1:30 p.m.

By mid-afternoon, various federal and state agencies were on scene, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine State Police and the state fire marshal’s office, according to Sauschuck.

As of 6:37 p.m., the fire was contained but still burning, Moss said. The firefighter who died will be transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta for identification and an autopsy, Moss said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Moss said.

In a 32-page order released Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker has declared that the Bar Harbor cruise ship ordinance is unconstitutional in all months other than July and August.

“I conclude that the ordinance’s 1,000-passenger cap is not clearly excessive in relation to its local benefits during the peak summer tourism season but is clearly excessive in relation to the shoulder seasons,” Judge Walker wrote. “Accordingly, I declare the ordinance unconstitutional and unenforceable in all months other than July and August.”

In December 2022 Association to Preserve and Protect Local Livelihoods (APPLL), the Penobscot Bay and River Pilots Association, and some other local businesses involved with cruise ship tendering had sued the town over its cruise ship disembarkation limits, saying the limits were unconstitutional.

Since then, for four years, there have been appeals and orders and remands, oral arguments, and briefs.

“On behalf of the board and all APPLL members we are thrilled to announce that we won our appeal in federal court,” APPLL president Kristi Bond said Friday. “The citizens’ initiative limiting cruise ships to 1,000 passengers or less will only be enforced in July and August. We look forward to welcoming all cruise visitors to Bar Harbor once again.”

How this impacts the town is not currently known.

“The Town of Bar Harbor acknowledges today’s decision by the United States District Court and the Town Council will meet in executive session on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, with legal counsel to review the decision and receive legal advice regarding next steps,” Town Manager James Smith said Friday.

The ordinance was the result of a citizens’ initiative and limited passenger disembarkations to 1,000 or less a day without fines. It had initially been passed by voters in November 2022, 1,780 to 1,273.

Since then, the town has dramatically decreased cruise ship visits with more of an impact occurring each year since its enactment, as each year brings fewer and fewer ships that were booked and confirmed to visit prior to the cap.

According to the Town of Bar Harbor, the maximum total number of cruise ship passengers visiting Bar Harbor for the 2026 season sits just beneath 50,000.

Prior to the change, the town saw more than 100 ships in the season, which typically runs from early May to early November.

The town has been delving deeply into tourism and its impact through a Sustainable Tourism Task Force. It’s also capped short-term vacation rentals in homes not a primary residence and has a lodging moratorium underway.

“It has been an abiding personal impression, rational in my view, that what may be fair and balanced for the peak season may not be fair and balanced for the shoulder season,” Judge Walker wrote.

According to Edmund Morris, a consultant who is doing work for the town, Bar Harbor can host fifteen thousand people a day at the waterfront in July and fewer than 500 in winter.

Judge Walker had heard oral arguments in February in a partially remanded federal case challenging Bar Harbor’s cruise ship passenger cap, following a nuanced ruling from the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

Judge Lance Walker’s initial late February 2024 ruling mostly agreed with the Town of Bar Harbor and local business Charles Sidman, who joined the legal battle as a defendant intervenor, and upheld the ordinance and its disembarkation limits.

On Friday, in a joint statement, Sidman and his attorney Robert Papazian referenced that earlier decision and said, “Judge Walker’s remand decision is an unexpected development, given that he disagreed with his own previous decision to give deference to Bar Harbor voters over inherently local matters. Bar Harbor citizens have voted twice now that we don’t just want more limited cruise disembarkations two months of the year; we want it year-round. We want our downtown back, even during the shoulder seasons. And as we have always maintained, big business does not get to dictate and impose its self-serving wishes onto an unwilling citizenry. If we have to make it clear again with a third vote, so be it.

“In any event, Judge Walker’s decision will not stand,” they continued.”It is not practical or possible for a federal judge to micromanage cruise tourism in Bar Harbor. We will appeal and hope that the town government does too.”

Congestion in the downtown Bar Harbor area near municipal pier and adjacent streets was a key element of the case and greatly discussed in the August 11, 2025, First Circuit opinion. The citizens’ initiative was meant to help limit pedestrian congestion via capping cruise ship disembarkations.

Those passenger caps (with financial penalty if exceeded) had been approved by voters in November 2022 and were enforced in summer 2024. An attempt to repeal that decision by bringing it back to voters in November 2024 lost by 65 votes and inspired a recount. The repeal would have been the first step to put in other measures limiting cruise ship visits.

It has since spawned multiple lawsuits, but this was the main one and headed all the way to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, on August 11, 2025, had partially upheld and partially sent back to a lower court Bar Harbor’s legal dispute. That led to Judge Walker reviewing a portion of his original ruling, and to the revised ruling released on Friday.

This story was originally published by The Bar Harbor Story. To receive regular coverage from the Bar Harbor Story, sign up for a free subscription here.

MILLINOCKET, Maine — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Friday that Congress must either formally authorize the Iran war or bring it to a close while the conflict grows increasingly unpopular and the White House sidesteps congressional oversight.

“Congress should either authorize the military action in Iran or it should cease,” the Republican told reporters during an interview at a hospital ceremony in Millinocket.

The stakes for Collins are high entering her 2026 race for a sixth term. Fuel prices are climbing, and the cost of the war is rippling through household budgets. President Donald Trump’s approval on the economy was at 30% in one poll released this week. Her fate is tied to his as Collins tries to hold her seat in a Democratic-leaning state.

Her likely opponent in a nationally watched race, Graham Platner, is making the war one of his major focuses. This week, she questioned a military official on whether the federal government anticipated Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz but didn’t question Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the subject, leading Platner to call her “spineless.”

While Collins voted with her party on earlier Iran resolutions, she has joined a growing number of Republicans calling for guardrails on the war that is now 70 days old and is under a partial ceasefire. She was one of only two Republicans to join Democrats on a recent war powers resolution earlier this month.

The vote failed but signaled growing unease in her party. The White House has further complicated matters by claiming a partial ceasefire paused a 60-day clock for the president to pause military operations unauthorized by Collins, an argument legal scholars across the ideological spectrum reject.

Speaking on Friday, Collins said the 60-day deadline was always meant to be a hard limit, not a suggestion.

Her frustration was sharpest on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s move to restrict the waterway, through which more than 20 percent of the world’s oil flows, has sent fuel prices surging. Collins called it entirely foreseeable. She said the U.S. needs to be developing alternative oil transit routes now, not scrambling for a new plan each week.

“It’s far too easy, as we learned way back in the Iran-Iraq War, for Iran to close or mine that strait,” she said. “To me, the administration should have seen it coming. That was an obvious action for Iran to take.”

A firefighter died on Friday while battling a blaze at the Robbins Lumber mill complex in Searsmont.

The blaze at the Route 131 mill was reported just after 10 a.m. Firefighters arrived to find a silo on fire. While they were working to suppress the fire, an explosion occurred, Maine Department of Public Safety Shannon Moss said in a news release Friday evening.

Multiple people were injured and were taken to hospitals throughout the state, and several are reported to be in serious and critical condition, Moss said.

One firefighter was found dead on the scene, Moss said.

None of the victims have been identified. Maine Health reported that Maine Medical Center in Portland is anticipating 10 patients injured in the fire arriving from midcoast hospitals. Northern Light Health had one patient in critical condition who was transferred to another facility.

The cause and origin of the fire are being investigated by the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Moss said the investigation is expected to take some time because of the complexity of the scene.

FORT KENT, Maine — In an effort to give back to the community, officials with the Can-Am International Sled Dog Races assembled something special for this weekend’s Logger Fest in Fort Kent.

The group crafted a display of more than 200 items celebrating St. John Valley history for the event, which started Friday and runs through Sunday.

This is Fort Kent’s second Logger Fest, which has expanded since its inaugural run in 2024. The festival pays homage to the region’s lumbering history and celebrates forestry as one of Maine’s most important industries.

The highlight of the Can-Am exhibit was a fully-restored Watson Bottom Dump Wagon, which was used by the St. John Lumber Company in the early 20th century to help build the Long Lake Dam.

The dam helped loggers better control the water flow down the Allagash River. The wagon on display is the exact one the company used a century ago, Can-Am Vice President Sarah Brooks said.

“We felt that if we set up a historical display featuring this wagon, which is on loan to us from the Ashland Logging Museum, and that ties into the history of the area, that it would be the central focus of our display,” Brooks said.

The display featured artifacts from the Ashland museum, the Portage Historical Society and private collectors, and included roughly 20 photographs from Ashland photographer Maxie Morin, which were taken between 1890 to 1910 and printed from glass plate negatives.

The Can-Am, an international sled dog race that brings in mushers throughout the United States and Canada, has been going strong for 33 years. It is the Fort Kent region’s largest annual event and provides a significant economic boost. Hundreds of volunteers help out each year, some of whom travel from hundreds of miles away.

“With Can-Am, the communities are always giving to us, so we wanted to give back to the community,” Brooks said.

Much of the Can-Am race also takes place across working logging land throughout northern Maine forests, which is why organizers wanted to do something for Logger Fest.

The event kicked off on Friday with a variety of booths at Lonesome Pine Trails followed by live entertainment and cornhole at JD’s Tavern. A light parade was also held on Friday at 8:30 p.m. that traveled from Market Street to Rock’s Diner.

Festivities will continue on Saturday at Lonesome Pine Trails with log loading and cable throwing competitions as well as a performance by the Axe Women of Maine. A street party is planned on Main Street with activities and live music, culminating in a fireworks display.

On Sunday, a Logger’s Breakfast will be held at 6 a.m. at Rock’s Diner, with a Logger Fest Golf Tournament following later in the day at the Fort Kent Golf Club.

Proceeds from the golf tournament will support the St. John Valley Technology Center’s forestry operations and heavy equipment programs.

Maine is the country’s most forested state, with nearly 90% of its land covered in forest, according to the World Population Review.

The event’s overall goal, according to Logger Fest committee member Lana Voisine, is to bring people together while highlighting an industry that helped build the region.

“Logger Fest exists to recognize the hardworking men and women of this industry and to celebrate an industry that continues to support our communities and shape our way of life,” Voisine said.

A newly renovated and modernized emergency department at Millinocket Regional Hospital that expanded by more than 10,000 square feet opened Friday.

Five treatment rooms, larger rooms and an entrance that can have multiple ambulances at it at once were all included in the expansion. The renovation was funded by local donors, Penobscot County and congressionally directed spending.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Sen. Angus King, Maine, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, secured nearly $13.4 million in Congressional appropriations since 2022 to fund the expansion.

Collins, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, said the modern department was “critical” to the future of the Katahdin region.

“This is something that is very personal to me — to make sure that people have access to healthcare close to where they live is absolutely critical for the vitality and the future of our rural communities,” she said.

Penobscot County Commissioner David Marshall and a representative for King attending the event echoed Collins, saying that the expansion will benefit what they said was a growing region trying to revitalize after multiple mill closures.

Federal funding cuts have thrown medical care in Maine’s aging, rural communities into question. Although some hospitals have closed services, such as maternity units, Millinocket’s hospital has been working to expand its medical coverage.

Specialized rooms that can change the air pressure to protect staff and patients from airborne pathogens, four safe rooms for behavioral health patients, and a decontamination room with two large showerheads were highlighted on a tour of the new Millinocket facility.

The additions and renovations show the hospital’s commitment to its patients, Millinocket Regional Hospital CEO Robert Peterson said.

“I’m proud we’re building, not withering,” he said.

Technology advances and additional space weren’t the only additions to the building.

Maine granite stylizes the hospital’s entrance both interior and exterior, an outline of Katahdin on every door plaque represents the region, and a new sign outside the front door were all added during the design process, Peterson said.

The additions and improvements show that the people in the community, including Marshall who lives in Millinocket, don’t have to worry about receiving care at the facility, he said.

“For me, I’m particularly interested, because I live here. I’m getting older, and I expect to be using the facilities here when the occasion necessitates, and I want to know that I am in the best of care with the best of equipment. You have provided both,” Marshall said.

Friday’s explosion and fire at the Robbins Lumber yard in Searsmont is the latest of multiple safety issues that have arisen at the property in recent years.

The blaze is at least the third fire at Robbins Lumber in the past decade. Another fire at the mill nearly 70 years ago burned the buildings to the ground.

And last year, the mill was fined by federal authorities for safety violations related to how employees shut down heavy machinery for maintenance.

It was not yet clear Friday afternoon what happened at the mill to cause Friday morning’s fire, which a mill official said spread from a wood shavings bagging plant to a silo, which then exploded. Officials have said there have been multiple people injured who have been transferred to hospitals across Maine, but details of how many people have been hurt and how serious the injuries are have not been released.

In 2025, the company was cited for failing to conduct a mandated annual or frequent inspection of their de-energizing procedures, according to the company’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration record.

The company was initially ordered to pay more than $10,000 for two violations, though they settled to pay about half that amount, according to an OSHA database.

Robbins Lumber says on its website that it is one of Waldo County’s largest employers with more than 115 employees. The company, which owns a lot of property in Searsmont, paid $96,000 in property tax to the town in 2025 for the 33-acre property where the mill is located, according to the town’s tax records. The property was assessed at a little more than $7.8 million that year.

In November 2024, a fire started in a control room for the sawmill’s dry kiln, though media reported at the time the fire did not spread to the nearby lumber storage sheds and no injuries were reported.

In 2019, two fires on the same day at the mill were caused by ash from a mill biomass plant piling too high in a storage area and burning the wooden walls around it, according to the  Penobscot Bay Pilot.

Robbins Lumber began in 1881 when Frank and Otis Robbins opened a small stave mill on the St. George River, according to the company’s website. After the mill burned down in 1957, the Robbins family rebuilt the stave mill and added a sawmill.

Another explosion in Maine that injured multiple firefighters and killed another occurred in 2019 when a propane leak occurred at an office building in Farmington. That explosion killed a fire captain and injured six other members of the town’s fire department. The firefighters and surviving family members filed – and later settled – a civil lawsuit against C.N. Brown and Techno Metal Post of Maine, the companies that installed the building’s propane tank and bollards.

Senior second baseman Emma Burnham from Limington walloped her second homer of the game with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Waterville’s Colby College softball team a 3-2 victory over host Husson University in the NCAA Division III Regional at the Robert and Frances O’Keefe Softball Field on the Husson campus in Bangor.

Colby, appearing in its first ever regional, improved to 27-12 and met Endicott College from Massachusetts in another elimination game later Friday afternoon.

Colby had lost to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 7-2 in Thursday’s second game after Endicott had beaten Husson 7-4 in the opener.

MIT advanced to Saturday’s 11 a.m. championship round with a 9-3 victory over Endicott.

Husson concluded a 36-6 campaign.

Colby is coached by former Husson head coach and UMaine and Bucksport High School star Terren (Hall) Allen.

Burnham, a standout at Bonny Eagle High of Buxton, had homered in the first inning to give the Mules a 1-0 lead, and she also singled before hitting her fifth homer of the season in the seventh.

Husson tied it 1-1 in the second on an error, a walk, a sacrifice and Tayler Watterson’s run-scoring single.

The Eagles took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on a walk, Jetta Shook’s double and Allie Casavant’s run-scoring single, but Colby tied it in the fifth on a walk, Burnham’s base hit and Juliana Kiley’s RBI double.

Sophomore lefthander Sophia Meade picked up the win in relief of KC DeSarno as she threw 5 ⅔ innings of five-hit, one-run ball. She walked two and didn’t strike out anyone.

Junior righty Ana Lang went the distance for Husson, allowing seven hits and three earned runs in 6 ⅓ innings with three walks and two strikeouts.

Lang finished up with a 23-5 record.

Kiley had a single to go with her double for Colby. Julia Berry had a double.

Shook had a single to go with her double for Husson and Morgan Tainter, and Sophia Lynch each had a double.

Senior shortstop T.J. Liponis from Scarborough went five-for-six with two doubles and five runs batted in as he and his Endicott College teammates beat Bangor’s Husson University 17-0 in the Montclair State NCAA Division III Regional opener at Yogi Berra Stadium in Little Falls, New Jersey Friday morning.

The 11th-ranked Gulls had 19 hits en route to their eighth win in their last nine games, improving to 36-9. Husson had its 13-game winning streak snapped and fell to 24-17.

Husson will now play the loser of Friday’s Montclair State-Whitworth contest in an elimination game at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Endicott, based in Beverly, Massachusetts, will play the Montclair State-Whitworth winner at 2:30 p.m. and the two teams remaining with one loss will play an elimination game at 6 p.m.

The championship round begins at 11 a.m. Sunday with the if-necessary game to follow.

The Gulls led 4-0 after four innings before breaking the game open with three runs in the fifth inning and seven more in the sixth.

Sophomore left fielder John Fusco drove in three runs with his second homer of the season and a single, graduate student third baseman Kyle Grabowski had a triple and two singles, and junior catcher James Benestad had two singles and three RBIs.

Junior first baseman Cade Bernardo, son of University of Maine Sports Hall of Famer and All-American first baseman Rick Bernardo, doubled and singled and knocked in two runs. Junior outfielder Brenden Walsh doubled and singled and had an RBI.

Senior right-hander Brady Stuart tossed seven innings of two-hit, shutout ball with 12 strikeouts and two walks in improving his record to 8-0.

Cam Rendell, Henry Lausier and Preston Libby each had a base hit for the Eagles.

Public safety officials on Friday afternoon said they could add little to the patchwork of details that have emerged about the fire at the Robbins Lumber mill in Searsmont.

The blaze was reported at 10:05 a.m. Friday and continued to burn late into the afternoon with reports of explosions at the facility, which sits back from Route 131 and includes more than a dozen buildings for different aspects of the 145-year-old family business including milling, drying and storage.

At least 11 people have been hospitalized at Maine Health and Northern Light Health facilities with injuries from the fire, according to the health systems.

At Friday’s press conference, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said he could not provide numbers of people injured “or where they were working or who they were working for.”

He said officials from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, along with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Maine State Police were present at the scene in Searsmont.

“The only answer in a situation like this is yes,” he said. “If we’re asking for resources, if we’re asking for help, then other agencies immediately step up to do that.”

Shawn Esler of the state fire marshal’s office, who arrived early at the scene of the fire, commended the response from numerous local fire departments, but called the scene “very chaotic” because of the magnitude of the fire.

Esler said the cause of the fire may not be known for a long time.

His office’s primary concern now is “cataloging and ensuring those that have sustained injuries as a result of this fire are taken care of” and that families are notified, he said.

“And we’re not in a position to discuss that information at this point, because we have some families we need to talk with,” he said.

Finally!

As a result of a vote by the Maine Principals Association’s membership last year, athletic events can be held on Sunday as long as they are hosted by the MPA and aren’t regular season competitions.

For example, if a snowstorm forces a postponement of Saturday state or regional high school basketball tournament games, Sunday would now be available to play the games if the facility is available. Under the old MPA guidelines, the games would have been pushed back until Monday.

The MPA has scheduled its first-ever Sunday event for this weekend when 18 matches will be held at the state tennis championships at Bates College in Lewiston including the boys and girls doubles finals.

There were 124 matches scheduled Thursday through Saturday, and the tournament will conclude Monday with the boys and girls singles championship matches.

The first actual Sunday competition was held weeks ago, according to Mike Bisson, the assistant executive director of the MPA.

A regional tennis qualifying competition couldn’t be completed on Saturday so it spilled over to Sunday.

Before the rule change athletes involved in all-day events like wrestling or track competitions often had to miss school on a Monday if the meet was rescheduled for then. It also meant that many parents, family members and friends had to alter their work schedules to attend the competitions on Monday.

To not have Sunday available as a make-up date for post-season events was a hardship.

For athletes who are involved in various athletic programs through their recreation departments or travel teams, many of their games are already scheduled on Sundays.

The reason the MPA membership used to give for not making Sunday available was that Sunday should be a family day.

Athletes, families, coaches and athletic administrators are busy enough six days of the week. They need a day of rest.

Understandably, religious groups were among the major proponents of a Sunday sabbatical.

I am not disagreeing when it comes to scheduling regular season competitions. But when there are extenuating circumstances like poor weather conditions or facility availability issues for MPA-hosted events, it is important to have Sunday available.

And wouldn’t attending an athletic event together constitute a family activity?

Plus, the decision-makers who may have tried to squeeze in Saturday games or meets in shaky weather to avoid pushing the events until Monday can now afford to postpone Saturday knowing Sunday is available.

The MPA’s Bisson said having Sunday available for extenuating circumstances is going to be a “helpful tool for us to get these events taken care of.”

“We’re working around a lot of events, especially this time of year, and this will certainly help us get everything played,” he said.

Players from the University of Maine’s seven College World Series teams will be honored before Saturday’s 1 p.m. regular season finale against Albany at Mahaney Diamond in Orono.

The teams are from 1964, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1986.

The 1964 team went the furthest in the College World Series, posting wins over Seton Hall, Arizona State and Southern California to finish third. The Black Bears lost to eventual champion Minnesota and runnerup Missouri.

That team was coached by Jack Butterfield, and pitcher Joe Ferris, who was undefeated in three tournament appearances, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. David Thompson hit safely in all five games and earned a berth on the all-tourney team.

Ferris went 9-0 that season, and the leading hitters for the 21-8 Black Bears were Thompson (.333), Dick DeVarney (.333) and future New York Yankees manager Carl “Stump” Merrill (.327).

The 1976 team was the first of six CWS teams coached by John Winkin.

That team won two games in the CWS over Auburn and Washington State after losing to Eastern Michigan in the opener. The Black Bears were eliminated by Arizona State.

Shortstop Russ Quetti was selected to the all-tourney team, and the 29-9 Black Bears featured  Ed Flaherty, Jack Leggett and pitcher Bert Roberge, who went on to pitch for six seasons in Major League Baseball.

Tony DiBiase (.339), John Dumont (.311) and Leggett (.307) were the team’s leading hitters, and the deep pitching staff featured Roberge (9-2), Steve Conley (7-2) and Barry Lacasse (7-1).

The 1981 team became the first in school history to exceed 30 wins as it went 32-14. It lost to Miami and South Carolina in the CWS.

Slugger Kevin Buckley and pitcher Joe Johnson, who went on to pitch in the Major Leagues, were named co-Most Valuable Players of the NCAA Northeast Regional held at Yale University in Connecticut and they were also chosen to the All-ECAC team along with shortstop Peter Adams and outfielder Tommy Vanidestine.

Brad Colton (.438), Buckley (.438) and Vanidestine (.355) were the top hitters and Johnson was 8-1 on the mound with Stu Lacognata going 9-2.

The 1982 team was the last one to register wins in the College World Series, following an opening-game loss to Miami (Florida) with wins over Cal State-Fullerton and Stanford before being eliminated by Miami.

The Black Bears went 35-13 with future Major League pitcher and National League Cy Young Award runnerup Billy Swift going 10-1 on the mound and Johnson complementing him at the top of the rotation. The leading hitters were Ed Pickett (.371), Rick Lashua (.353), All-CWS selection Kevin Bernier (.347) and Jeff Paul (.341). Pickett, Swift, Colton, Mark Sutton and Johnson were named first team All-ECAC.

Swift has been inducted into the UMaine, Maine Baseball and State of Maine Halls of Fame.

The 1983 team went 29-16 and won one of the most memorable games in UMaine baseball history, an 18-inning 5-4 victory over Providence in the ECAC New England Tournament opener at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The game ended at 3:05 a.m. with 34 fans on hand to witness Colton’s game-winning RBI single that scored Bernier.

Swift threw 13 innings and 197 pitches and left fielder Colton threw a runner out at the plate after Winkin had just flip-flopped him and right fielder Dick Whitten because Colton had a stronger arm and Providence had a lefthanded pull hitter at the plate who singled to right.

Paul (.339), Lashua (.326), Bernier (.323) and Bill Reynolds (.319) were the offensive catalysts and Swift (9-3) and Lacognata (6-2) were the aces of the mound staff.

The 1984 team went 33-20, and Orono’s Jeff Paul hit .384 and capped a tremendous four-year career that landed him in the UMaine and Maine Baseball Halls of Fame. He hit over .340 in three of his four seasons and held or shared five school records.  Rob Roy hit a lofty .432 to pace the team that season. Right-handed pitcher Scott Morse set the school record with 10 consecutive wins.

Peter Bushway finished off a four-year career in which he hit .294 in 11 CWS games.

The 1986 team became the first one in school history to win 41 games. The Black Bears went 41-23 and Reynolds was named the NCAA Northeast Regional MVP after belting four homers in a 21-8 win over St. John’s. Dan Kane hit .374 on the season, Dave Gonyar hit .333 and Steve Loubier, Morse and future Major Leaguer Jeff Plympton each won eight games.

There are 18 players/coaches from those seven College World Series teams that have been inducted into the UMaine Sports Hall of Fame: Buckley, Butterfield, Colton, DeVarney, Ferris, Flaherty, Johnson, Kane, Lashua, Leggett, Merrill, Morse, Paul, Quetti, Reynolds, Roberge, Swift and Winkin.

After a fire caused an explosion Friday morning at the Robbins Lumber mill on Route 131, dozens of Searsmont residents gathered on Appleton Ridge Road around noon to watch as the flames at the mill continued to spread.

Searsmont resident Devin Richards was sitting on the bed of his pickup truck watching the fire which had doubled in size in the two hours he’d been there.

His grandfather and many men of his generation worked at the mill. “Robbins lumber is Searsmont,” he said. “Searsmont wouldn’t be Searsmont without Robbins Lumber”

Some on the ridge blinked back tears watching as the fire raged.

One resident who didn’t want to be named said, “Not knowing is the worst part.”

Officials with the Maine Department of Public Safety and Maine Forest Service are expected to brief reporters at around 2:30 where Route 131 has been shut down.

George Sprowl, another Searsmont resident, was taking photos of the fire with a zoom lens. He was walking his dog this morning and saw smoke. “And then suddenly the sky went back all at once,” he said.

“That must be when things let go,” he said referring to the silo that held wood shavings that exploded.

Sprowl said most people in town are connected to the mill. It is “by far” the most important employer in Searsmont, he said.

“I don’t know how many people have been hurt there, but just so many of them we probably know, you know.”

“This is a terrible catastrophe for Searsmont,” he said.

Multiple fire departments from Waldo and Knox counties sent firefighters to the scene after an initial response Friday morning from the Searsmont Fire Department. Multiple ambulances and two LifeFlight helicopters responded to the scene after the explosion.

Route 131 by the mill was still shut down around mid-afternoon as firefighters worked to put out the flames while smoke continued to rise hundreds of feet into the overcast sky.

Emergency responders from multiple towns in and around Waldo County are responding to a fire and possible explosion at the Robbins Lumber mill in Searsmont.

A “mass casualty” response is underway, though company officials told WMTW that no employees were injured, and emergency officials have not been able to provide confirmation about injuries.

Route 131 has been closed by police at the intersection of School Street and Ghent Road. A Bangor Daily News reporter at the scene saw a large column of black smoke filling the sky above the mill.

BANGOR — Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center has earned a five-star overall quality rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), the highest rating awarded by the federal agency. CMS five-star ratings are awarded to only approximately 10% of hospitals nationwide and Eastern Maine Medical Center is the only hospital in Maine to receive five stars overall.

This marks the first time Eastern Maine Medical Center has received a five-star rating from CMS, representing a significant achievement in the Medical Center’s performance and commitment to continuous improvement. The recognition follows other recent quality and safety milestones for the medical center as The Joint Commission awarded the hospital their Gold Seal of Accreditation in March and Forbes named Eastern Maine Medical Center one of its “Top Hospitals” for 2026 – the only hospital in northern New England to achieve that distinction.

“This recognition belongs to every member of our amazing team,” Ava Collins, MHA, FACHE, president, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center said. “I have such respect for our physicians, nurses, support staff, and many others who are the backbone of our organization; it is their dedication and expertise that make this level of excellence possible.”

The CMS five-star rating system provides patients and families with a standardized, government-backed assessment of hospital performance. Hospitals are evaluated across dozens of measures spanning clinical quality, operational effectiveness and patient-centered measures, with five stars representing the highest level of performance nationwide.

“For our patients and their families, this five-star recognition means they can have even greater confidence that they are receiving some of the best care available anywhere,” Charles Staley, MD, interim chief medical officer, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, said. “It affirms that when you choose Eastern Maine Medical Center, you are choosing a hospital that excels in key areas that matter most, from reducing infections and preventing complications to delivering timely, effective care that ensure patients feel heard and respected.”

The CMS Star Quality Ratings are updated annually and remain one of the most widely used benchmarks for hospital performance across the United States. Discover more about the rating system and the CMS methodology at https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/topics/hospitals/overall-hospital-quality-star-rating/.

Learn more about Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center’s clinical programs at northernlighthealth.org/EMMC.

Emergency responders from multiple towns in and around Waldo County are responding to a fire and possible explosion at a Searsmont lumber mill.

Route 131 has been closed by police at the intersection of School Street and Ghent Road. A Bangor Daily News reporter at the scene said there is a large column of black smoke filling the sky above the lumber mill. Emergency responders were asked to notify people living in the area of a gas leak, according to dispatchers.

Follow updates below from BDN reporters and editors.

A Bangor man allegedly assaulted a woman in a wheelchair and then stole her hat.

Christopher Genge, 45, has been charged with assault, theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, refusing to submit to arrest or detention, disorderly conduct and violating conditions of release, according to Katy England, a spokesperson for the Bangor Police Department.

Genge allegedly knocked the woman out of her wheelchair alongside Main Street in front of the Bangor Fire Department and took her hat before leaving, England said Friday morning.

Police then found Genge not far away wearing the hat, but when officers tried to talk with him, he attempted to walk away.

He allegedly became uncooperative and resisted arrest.

Genge was taken to the Penobscot County Jail, where he remained Friday morning, according to the jail’s website.

Breaking news
Our journalists are working right now to gather more details for you. The BDN publishes only verified information from trusted sources, so we don’t cite social media hearsay or police scanner chatter. Send a tip here.

This story will be updated.

Emergency responders from multiple towns in and around Waldo County are responding to a fire and possible explosion at a Searsmont lumber mill.

According to a report from CBS 13, a mass casualty event has been reported. Multiple emergency services were requested, with dispatch requesting “whatever you can send,” according to scanner reports.

It was reported that a significant amount of gas was present at the site of the explosion.

Breaking news
Our journalists are working right now to gather more details for you. The BDN publishes only verified information from trusted sources, so we don’t cite social media hearsay or police scanner chatter. Send a tip here.

Salt North Tap Room is now closed in downtown Bangor.

The owner of the building at 16 Union St., Mark Greenleaf, confirmed in text messages to the Bangor Daily News that the restaurant is no longer operating there, pointing to a litany of issues but declining to get into specifics.

Greenleaf said that the space will now be home to MJ’s Catering and Event Center, which will be open to the public for concert and other events and private catering functions only.

The entrance to Salt North was padlocked Friday morning.

That comes after a Penobscot County judge hit Salt North’s owner, Dane Morgan, with a $135,000 default judgment — not counting interest and legal fees — in April in a lawsuit from former head chef Johnathan Williams, who accused Morgan of violating a slew of labor laws and failing to pay him for all hours worked.

Morgan failed to appear in court or defend himself. But when contacted by a BDN reporter last month, Morgan disputed the accuracy of the lawsuit’s claims.

The space at 16 Union St. was previously home to Carolina’s Sports and Spirits. Salt North opened there last June.

Calls to a phone number associated with Morgan on Friday went unanswered and an automated message said his voicemail was not set up.

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com

Jack Brewer is an Orono High School alumni and political science major at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. At Macalester, he plays on the varsity football team and serves on the leadership council for the school’s Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society.

America can’t decide whether to celebrate or cancel Thomas Jefferson. It seems almost a perfect reflection of where America is this Fourth of July.

Many believe our country is the most polarized it has been since the Civil War. Accordingly, the deeply polarized debate surrounding Jefferson comes as no surprise. Critics on the left tend to paint Jefferson as an evil slaveowner, with this fact negating his accomplishments. Defenders on the right often focus solely on his contributions to the American project, portraying Jefferson as a spotless hero.

The partisan debate reduces Jefferson to two diametrically opposed realities. Neither is completely true.

Understanding history requires confronting it fully, not selectively. Thomas Jefferson made immense contributions to our nation, while simultaneously owning slaves and participating in an act of evil against humanity. Leaning into this tension provides both a deeper understanding of history itself and the lessons it offers us.

Jefferson idolizers typically claim that we incorrectly judge him based on 21st-century standards instead of the standards of his time, where slavery was widely accepted. This defense collapses under even modest scrutiny, as abolitionist movements had been present in the colonies since the late 1600s.

Jefferson himself recognized the evil of slavery in his draft of the Declaration of Independence, calling slavery an “assemblage of horrors,” which violated the “most sacred rights of life & liberty.” Jefferson’s clear awareness of the immorality of slavery complicates any attempt to excuse him.

Critics of Jefferson either argue that he: Understood slavery and its contradictions with his writings, but continued to possess slaves out of self-interest; or that his understanding of “all men are created equal” excluded Black people. Both viewpoints typically arrive at the same conclusion: We should have a more limited appreciation of revolutionary works, and more importantly, figures such as Jefferson should be consigned to the dustbin of history.

This mindset creates an incomplete history. Thomas Jefferson is essential to the American story. His ideas on liberty and freedom shaped our nation’s foundations. His contributions are continually relevant. We cannot erase the existence of Jefferson, and attempting to do so discounts his valuable input to our nation’s founding.

We are left with contradictions. Thomas Jefferson wrote “all men are created equal,” while owning over 600 slaves in his lifetime. He recognized the evil of slavery, yet never freed his own slaves. These facts are not mutually exclusive; they exist as part of a singular narrative.

This hypocrisy cannot be reconciled. We must confront this complexity, accepting Jefferson as neither a hero nor a villain. Leaning into this tension presents insights into the complexities of human nature. Throughout history, figures have made immense ideological contributions while possessing personal moral failings. Jefferson’s case shines light on this paradox.

Although correctly understanding history is important, the case of Jefferson has a deeper meaning at this current moment. America was founded on beautiful ideals like liberty, natural rights and freedom; we have never truly lived up to them. As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, these failures weigh heavily on many. By arguing over our founders’ legacies, we become distracted from this fact. Polarized politics and culture wars have replaced proper progress and quality governance.

Despite this, we cannot lose hope. Abraham Lincoln referred to the Declaration as an “apple of gold,” a foundational promise that we must fulfill as a nation, an affirmation for how a nation should be. Martin Luther King Jr., too, saw the Declaration as a “promissory note,” drawing on it throughout his struggle for civil rights.

As citizens of the U.S. in 2026, we must confront our history in all of its aspects. By doing this, we get not only a better understanding of our history but a reminder of the promise we still must fulfill.

The question shouldn’t be whether Thomas Jefferson lived up to American ideals, but rather, will we?

The use of antidepressants while pregnant does not raise the children’s risk for developmental disorders such as autism, according to an analysis of data from more than 25 million pregnancies that appears to contradict assertions by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy has said, without evidence, that certain antidepressants pose such a risk to fetuses, and has also linked vaccines to autism, a debunked theory contrary to established science. The causes of autism are unclear. Scientists speculate that its neurological characteristics may develop in utero, when the fetal brain is being wired.

“Our study provides reassuring evidence that commonly used antidepressants do not increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children,” study leader Dr. Wing-Chung Chang of the University of Hong Kong said in a statement.

The researchers analyzed data from 37 earlier studies involving nearly 650,000 pregnancies with antidepressant use and nearly 25 million unexposed pregnancies.

Children of mothers who took antidepressants in pregnancy were slightly more likely to be diagnosed with autism or ADHD, they found. But the associations became significantly weaker, or statistically insignificant, after accounting for mothers’ mental health, family history, genetics, and other variables that could increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, the researchers reported in The Lancet Psychiatry.

“This is a really important point that is easy to get wrong,” Dr. James Walker, professor emeritus of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Leeds, who was not involved in the study, said in a statement.

“If you simply compare children whose mothers took antidepressants with children whose mothers did not, you may find a difference. But that does not mean the medicine caused the difference,” Walker said.

Higher risks for autism and ADHD were also seen in children whose fathers used antidepressants while mothers were pregnant, and in those whose mothers had used them before, but not during, pregnancy, further suggesting that use in pregnancy did not explain the increased risks, the researchers said.

“A father’s medication obviously cannot reach the baby in the womb, so this pattern is very hard to explain by anything other than shared family traits,” Walker said.

Higher doses of antidepressants did not increase children’s risks, he said, which is another reason to doubt that the medicines are to blame.

In women with pre-existing mental health disorders, the older antidepressants amitriptyline and nortriptyline were linked with increased ADHD and autism risk in children. Those drugs are typically reserved for patients whose depression hasn’t responded to other treatments, suggesting that women treated with them may have had more complicated mental health conditions that could have influenced their children’s risks for ADHD and autism, the researchers said.

Amitriptyline and nortriptyline are so-called tricyclic antidepressants. They do not belong to the class of widely used antidepressants that Kennedy has most heavily criticized as a cause of adverse pregnancy outcomes, which are known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs.

For pregnant women with mild depression, nonpharmacological treatments such as psychotherapy might be preferred, the researchers said. But antidepressants should never be withheld during pregnancy solely because of inconsistent and potentially confounded reports of neurodevelopmental risk, they added.

“Abrupt discontinuation might worsen maternal depression, which in itself is associated with adverse outcomes for both mothers and children,” they said.

In the UK, mental health disorders are the leading cause of maternal mortality in the year following childbirth, said Dr. Anita Banerjee, an obstetrician at King’s College London who was not involved in the study, reinforcing that undertreated maternal mental illness carries its own serious risks.

Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Bill Berkrot

BREWER — Northern Light Health is recognizing National EMS Week, May 17-23, and Mental Health Awareness Month, observed all month long, by shining a light on the importance of mental health support for EMTs and paramedics, first responders who face traumatic events, high stress situations and long working hours.

“The types of calls and the weight of those calls means that we carry them with us even after we’ve gone home for the day,” sCrystal Bagley, A.A.S, a paramedic and manager of education and training with Northern Light Medical Transport, said. “In addition, a lot of people in public safety end up working many hours and sometimes several jobs. Add all of that up, and it can feel overwhelming.”

Bagley notes that earlier in her career responding to trauma calls took the most significant toll on her well-being. These days, the calls that stick with her are more varied: children, patients that need CPR and more recently, the hospice patients that Northern Light paramedics are caring for through a collaboration with Northern Light Home Care & Hospice. 

“Even though we anticipate the hospice patients dying, that’s still a lot of emotional weight to carry because you really connect to the patients and their families,” she said.

“We must pay close attention to EMS workers’ mental health not only because they deserve the same compassion they extend to others every day, but because their ability to continue serving our communities depends on it,” sTed Logan, MD, medical director, Outpatient Services, Northern Light Acadia Hospital, said. “By normalizing mental health support and building cultures where seeking help is standard rather than a last resort, we can reduce trauma, improve retention and ensure that those who show up for us in our darkest hours receive the care they need to remain resilient.”

Fortunately attitudes about mental health and EMS have been changing, and there are more resources available to support first responders.

“Back in the day, you just went to the call and dealt with the effects,” Bagley said. “It weighed on us more than we realized. We weren’t apt to talk about things as much. Now there is a push to make sure that you’re decompressing and having those conversations. It’s much better. Hopefully we’ll increase the longevity of some people’s careers.”

As part of its commitment to empower EMS staff, Northern Light Medical Transport recently started a peer-to-peer support group in the Bangor Division. Any staff member is welcome to attend the peer-led meetings and to reach out to colleagues in the group who are on call and ready to lend an ear at any time.

“If anyone has a bad call or just needs someone to talk to, they can reach out to a peer,” Bagley said. “The staff who are on call have been trained in peer support, and they can listen, share experiences, and if helpful, point their peer to resources. It is really making a difference.”

Northern Light Medical Transport staff are also encouraged to use free, confidential one to one coaching sessions and stress management and wellness tools through the employee assistance program, which is also available 24 hours a day.

“Community resources are becoming more well known, and we encourage our team to consider those as well,” Bagley said. “We’re working really hard to have open conversations and prioritize mental wellness. EMS providers are there for people on some of their worst days and we need to keep building a culture where mental health support is the standard.”

A Bridgton man was arrested this week after police seized a variety of drugs from his apartment.

Michael Walsh, 31, faces four counts of unlawful drug possession and one count of violating his conditions of release, according to the Bridgton Police Department.

Police raided his North High Street apartment on Tuesday evening. During the search, police found 13 grams of methamphetamine, 17 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, LSD and fentanyl, Bridgton police said Thursday.

Walsh was taken to the Cumberland County Jail in Portland.

The investigation is ongoing.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday suggested a Russian missile strike on a Kyiv apartment building that killed 24 people, including three children, could set back efforts to find a peaceful settlement to Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back from China, Trump – who has tried and so far failed to broker an end to a war he has called a senseless bloodbath – said he had discussed the conflict with President Xi Jinping and that both leaders had agreed that they wanted the fighting to end.

“It’s one that we’d like to see settled. Until last night, it was looking good, but they (the Ukrainians) took a big hit last night. So it’s gonna happen (the end of the war). But it’s a shame,” Trump said, in a reference to the Russian attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Moscow to be punished for the strike after laying red roses at the rubble of the apartment building on Friday.

Russia said that Ukrainian drones had killed four people, including a child, in an overnight strike on the city of Ryazan.

Both sides say they do not deliberately target civilians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to travel to China and meet Xi next week. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the exact dates would be announced soon.

Peskov said Putin hoped to discuss Trump’s China visit with Xi, as well as bilateral ties and international matters.    

Reporting by Trevor Huunnicutt; additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Susan Heavey in Washington; Writing by Gleb Bryanski/Andrew Osborn Editing by Ros Russell

ELLSWORTH — Heart of Ellsworth is pleased to announce the hiring of Sonya Bates as the new Creative Space coordinator for the Makerspace at 16 State Street.

This newly established position marks an important step forward in expanding programming and community engagement at the Makerspace, a key initiative supporting Ellsworth’s growing creative economy. As Creative Space coordinator, Bates will serve as the on-site lead for coordinating workshops, gallery exhibitions, events, and rentals, helping to ensure the space remains a welcoming and dynamic hub for artists, entrepreneurs and community members.

Bates brings a background in small business, hospitality and community programming, with a degree in human ecology from the College of the Atlantic. She owned the Flour Shop Bakery in Surry and served as baking manager at Cleonice Mediterranean Bistro in Ellsworth, where she built strong ties to the downtown community. More recently, her nonprofit work with Healthy Peninsula and as a Dementia Inclusive Fellow with the University of Maine has focused on creating welcoming, inclusive community spaces.

“I’m excited to work with Heart of Ellsworth! It’s a pleasure to join a team that’s committed to building community through art and creativity,” Bates said. “I look forward to supporting artists, fostering connections and welcoming the community to the Makerspace.”

The Makerspace at 16 State Street plays a central role in Heart of Ellsworth’s mission to strengthen downtown vitality, support small businesses, and foster creative entrepreneurship. Through expanded programming and community partnerships, the organization continues to invest in accessible, hands-on opportunities for learning, collaboration and economic growth.

For more information about the Makerspace at 16 State Street and upcoming programs, visit https://www.heartofellsworth.org/makerspace-at-16-state or follow Heart of Ellsworth on social media.

About The Makerspace at 16 State Street:A project of Heart of Ellsworth, launched in 2024 to transform a downtown building into a vibrant hub for creativity, learning and community connection. Located in the Heart of Ellsworth, the space offers accessible programming, workshops and events that support local artists, entrepreneurs and residents while strengthening downtown vitality.

An award-winning chef from Maine has another big win to add to her career: $1 million.

Cara Stadler won this season’s “America’s Culinary Cup.” The season finale aired Thursday night.

She beat two chefs, including a Michelin-starred chef, to win the top prize.

Stadler said she tried to keep her stress levels down throughout the competition, as she was pregnant with her second child at the time.

She maintained that calmness during our interview with her Monday — you’d never know she was keeping secret that she had won the $1 million.

Stadler told the Portland Press Herald she plans to use the money for housing when she and her family move to England.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday the scheduled opening of his planned ballroom would be around September 2028.

“It’s under construction, ahead of schedule, and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A.,” he said in a post on Truth Social.

Last week, Trump defended the rising cost estimates for his planned ballroom, saying the cost of the massive building on the White House complex would still be less than $400 million.

Reporting by Angela Christy in Bengaluru; Editing by Alison Williams

This story first appeared in the Midcoast Update, a newsletter published every Friday. Sign up here to receive stories about the midcoast delivered to your inbox each week, along with our other newsletters.

Richard Koralek recently drove to Portland from his home in Belfast. Before heading out, he filled up his Subaru Forester in Belfast. But as he drove out of town on Route 3 in Belmont, he noticed that gas was about 20 cents cheaper per gallon.

Since then, he’s been paying attention to prices and has noticed that gas tends to be cheaper outside of town. He doesn’t know what accounts for the price difference, but he’s no longer buying his gas in Belfast.

“We’ll just be driving out of town to get gas,” he said. “I wonder how many more people are going to do this.”

Koralek is among many Mainers who are trying to adapt to bruising gas prices by changing their driving and gas buying habits. The average cost of a gallon of regular gas in Maine was $4.53 on Thursday, according to AAA. That’s 50 cents higher than a month ago, and more than $1.50 higher than this time last year, when a gallon of gas cost $2.99 on average.

These price increases, driven by the U.S.-led war in Iran, are particularly painful in a largely rural state like Maine where driving is often a daily necessity. The lowest earners are being hit the hardest — a report published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York last week found that people earning under $40,000 cut their gas consumption by 7% during the price spike that occurred in March. Households that earn more than $125,000 cut their consumption by just 1%.

Most of the trips Koralek makes are not optional, so he hasn’t been able to cut down on his driving. But he’s driving slower, harkening back to the 1970s when the government reduced speed limits in response to an oil crisis that drove up gas prices.

Standing at the cash register after gassing up at the Belmont Variety store, Dan Thorburn said he also tries to fill up when he’s out of town — he’s found gas is cheaper in Augusta and even outside Boston last month.

“It was pretty cheap,” he said. Then he corrected himself. “Well, nothing is cheap. But it was under $4.”

Thorburn is on a fixed income and says high fuel prices have him cutting corners wherever he can. He tries to stock up on food and he recently changed car insurance companies to lower his premium. He hopes to switch from heating oil to wood heat.

As the owner of a pickup truck, he gets many requests for favors and he’s started having to ask for gas money.

“It doesn’t run on water,” he said.

For Bucksport resident Kristina Ryberg, who lives about eight miles from downtown, high gas prices have forced her to get more strategic about driving. Before prices spiked, she didn’t think twice about driving into town.

“If I needed something, I’d run and get it,” she said. “Well, I don’t do that anymore.”

Now she keeps a list of things she needs to do and buy and waits until she accumulates three or four things to venture out.

“I’m not just going to jump in the car and do one errand and spend money,” she said.

Ryberg said the cost of fueling her car is compounded by high property taxes, high healthcare costs and the fact that reservations at the cabins that she and her husband rent out for income are way down this year.

High gas prices drove Edward Wildin of Swanville to quit a merchandising job that required a lot of driving. He and his husband also used to routinely make DoorDash deliveries to supplement their income, but as gas prices have climbed, it is less worth it.

Not only have the gas prices cut into what they make, but people seem to be tipping less, Wildin said.

“I have noticed a significant decline in the tip amount on deliveries these days, and one can only assume it is due to the increased cost of living that the increase in gas prices has caused,” he said.

Wildin and his husband live off-grid by necessity, he said. They use gas to power a generator for electricity at home and are skimping on electricity to save money.

They’re also limiting the amount they drive to the absolute minimum, and make sure to get groceries on their way to and from work.

And with the arrival of spring, the couple has a new plan for cutting their gas consumption: They’re getting mopeds, which get around 100 miles per gallon.

FRIENDSHIP, Maine — A 79-year-old Friendship man died Wednesday when a riding lawn mower he was using flipped and ended up in a farm pond.

The incident occurred at about 1:30 p.m. on private property on Delano Cove Road.

The body was taken to the Maine medical examiner’s office to determine the cause of death, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Friendship Fire Department, Waldoboro Emergency Medical Services and Knox County Communications Center assisted in the response.

This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.

U.S. Sen. Angus King is raising concerns after the Department of Veterans Affairs reportedly told the Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta to cut several vacant positions.

King questioned VA Assistant Secretary Mark Engelbaum during a Senate hearing Wednesday, noting the jobs had remained unfilled while undergoing a required federal review.

The senator said it would be unfair to force Togus to cut positions when the vacancies were caused by a VA-mandated review.

“These positions were not vacant because nobody was paying attention or they weren’t important, they were vacant because you all held them vacant while you did this review,” King said.

King also asked the Department of Veterans Affairs whether those positions were actually lost.

The VA said they were not.

Reproductive health providers in Maine are expressing relief that the U.S. Supreme Court has maintained access to the medication abortion drug mifepristone.

The decision issued Thursday lifts a lower court’s stay that temporarily blocked use of mifepristone for telehealth patients while a lawsuit works its way through the courts.

“The Supreme Court’s decision is welcome news for patients and providers across the country who have been dealing with undue chaos and confusion these past few weeks,” said George Hill, president and CEO of Maine Family Planning.

In a written statement, Hill said expanded access through telehealth is especially important for rural patients and that “mifepristone is just as safe when provided via telehealth as it is in a clinic.”

Nicole Clegg, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, criticized the lawsuit as being politically motivated, not rooted in science or medicine.

“We know that the next attack is just around the corner,” Clegg said in a written statement, “but we are not going anywhere.”

This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.

A version of this story first appeared in the Morning Update newsletter. Sign up here to receive the Morning Update and other BDN newsletters directly in your inbox.

“Just like my kids, I don’t support every decision they make, but I always support them.”

— Karen Grace, of Searsport, who went to see Vice President JD Vance speak in Bangor on Thursday, on her support for President Donald Trump’s administration. She doesn’t agree with all of the administration’s decisions but said its handling of immigration outweighs her reservations about the war in Iran.

Vance used a trip to Bangor to criticize Gov. Janet Mills on alleged fraud and boost former Gov. Paul LePage in his congressional campaign. Maine Republicans at the event said they’re willing to give Trump time to solve his big political problem. 

Inside the 45-minute struggle to reach a game warden’s fatal plane crash. The Bangor Daily News analyzed emergency radio transmissions, from the first automatic crash alert to the search for access to the remote site in western Maine.

A new independent urgent care clinic is set to open in Bangor this summer. Pine Tree Urgent Care is scheduled to open July 1 at 557 Hammond St.

More residences in southern Maine are becoming “luxury” homes. The state’s largest metropolitan area made a Realtor.com list of 12 U.S. cities seeing higher numbers of million dollar properties in the last year. 

• The growing influence of the Maine church behind Portland’s Turning Point USA event
• Bernie Sanders is coming to Orono with Graham Platner and Troy Jackson
• Jared Golden says he would support reining in Trump’s Iran war powers
• Maine Democrats split over taxing 2nd homes in sharp debate exchange
• Research shows preapproved housing plans boost construction, but Maine’s program was left unfunded
• Bangor man gets 6 years in federal prison for fentanyl trafficking
• Brewer schools superintendent is retiring after 31-year career
• There will be a controlled burn in the UMaine forest next week
• Caribou strip mall owner says he hasn’t gotten ‘any notice’ of property violations
• 5 arrested in Caribou drug bust
• Woman dies in Aroostook County house fire
• Fisherman dies after rogue wave capsizes skiff off Down East coast
• Only a third of Maine Maritime Academy students graduate within 4 years
• What to know about getting around Acadia National Park this spring
• Popular midcoast Maine restaurant has been sold
• Inside the effort to restore ‘Big Jim,’ an icon of Maine’s bygone sardine industry
• Earthquake shook the ocean floor off midcoast Maine town
• Maine man allegedly hid in camper after skipping out on manslaughter sentencing
• 5 Maine kids charged with burglarizing vehicles
• Skowhegan tells church-run homeless shelter its residents have to go
• Portland considers 7-story building of tiny apartments

“Slurs on X involving the ‘R-word’ more than tripled after President Donald Trump used the slur in a Thanksgiving Day Truth Social post.”

Opinion: The ‘R-word’ is making a comeback. Maine is working to eliminate it.

Enjoy these videos from last year’s Maine moose rut (you’ll want the sound on).

Pure wolves will likely never return to Maine.

One night in May 2021, Ken Graves, longtime pastor and founder of Calvary Chapel Bangor in Orrington, ceded his lectern to a leader of a different kind: Charlie Kirk.

A year earlier, incensed by a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people instituted to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Graves had loudly brought his Orrington church together for worship, violating state policy. The church also sued the state, alleging that the restrictions violated the First Amendment. Kirk, the firebrand conservative commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, took notice, and added Graves to a group chat of pastors “fighting against tyranny,” as Graves would go on to describe it.

By the time Kirk ended up in front of the congregation the next year, Liberty Counsel had appealed the case up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately denied the church’s petition to intervene after restrictions had already been lifted.

At the Orrington church, Kirk expounded on the idea, increasingly popular on the Christian right, that the “separation of church and state is nowhere found in the U.S. Constitution.” It was a theme he hit on repeatedly as he toured the country, speaking at churches and universities, and gaining influence as the leader of a right-wing political group focused on motivating young people, until his assassination in September 2025.

Kirk’s death led to calls for a religious revival and spurred renewed interest in his organization, through which he invoked Christianity to oppose transgender rights and encourage young women to prioritize marriage and children.

Eight months later, Maine has at least 28 church-based Turning Point Faith chapters, more than twice as many as any other state in New England. The majority are hosted by Calvary Chapels. Chapters meet monthly to discuss the church’s role in cultural issues, and the organization aims “to eliminate wokeism from the American pulpit,” according to the Turning Point Faith website.

On Friday, Calvary Chapel Greater Portland will test Maine’s appetite for a conservative Christian revival with its “Make Heaven Crowded” event at the Portland Expo Center. It is one of 20 large-scale events being hosted by Turning Point Faith this year that aim to spur “repentance, faith, and bold obedience to Jesus,” according to the tour website.

The event is one of Calvary Chapel’s most public forays into the limelight in Maine but not the first. The growing network of evangelical churches has become increasingly vocal in state politics in recent years, fighting high-profile religious liberty cases, leading worship services at the State House and inviting Republican candidates to speak to congregants on Sundays.

Graves has been a pastor at Calvary Chapel Bangor since founding the church in 1985, and he has been instrumental in its growth. A core part of his approach has been to send out male leaders to launch churches of their own when he believes they’re ready. Currently, Calvary Chapel Bangor has 28 active church plants, or congregations his church helped to start, mostly in Maine, he said.

Graves has long been political, even before his 2020 lawsuit against the state for its pandemic restrictions. He used to participate in Pulpit Freedom Sunday where pastors would preach political sermons during tax season and send recordings to the Internal Revenue Service, daring the federal government to revoke their tax-exempt status for violating the 1954 Johnson Amendment, which bars nonprofits from engaging in political campaigns. (Last year, in a win for the Trump administration, the IRS reinterpreted the amendment as allowing churches and other houses of worship to endorse candidates to their congregants. But the change was later shot down by a federal judge.)

In his sermons, Graves often comments on Maine politics with a particular focus on what he describes as the “radical social agenda” of public schools. He also endorses candidates — including Penobscot County Sheriff Troy Morton in his bid for reelection this year — but said he doesn’t aim to speak for the church or tell people what to do when he makes endorsements.

The absence of religion in public places, and especially in schools, Graves said, is effectively a government endorsement of secularism, which he described as its own religion. He said his outspoken and at times abrasive political comments are protected by the same rights granted to irreligious people under the Constitution.

Like the Orrington church, both Calvary Chapel Greater Portland, which is located in Westbrook, and Calvary Chapel Belfast have also been involved in religious liberty cases. A parent at the Westbrook church has appealed to the Maine supreme court after a judge ruled that she could not bring her daughter to church services or allow her to communicate with other members of the congregation without the father’s permission. The Belfast church has a pending lawsuit alleging religious discrimination after the University of Maine System rescinded its agreement to sell a building to the church.

Calvary pastors have regularly preached at the State House on Tuesday mornings since early 2025, when the Legislature’s Prayer Caucus began working with a Texas-based group to bring in preachers and musicians to lead worship services. A Calvary pastor helps coordinate who leads the services.

When the Christian Civic League of Maine planned an event at the State House to coincide with Gov. Janet Mills’ final State of the State address, the conservative lobbying group tapped Travis Carey, pastor at Calvary Chapel Greater Portland, as one of the event’s preachers.

Calvary pastors have been featured in more than a dozen videos on the Christian Civic League of Maine’s social media feeds since September where they described faith as a “public calling,” referred to marriage between men and women as the “basis of civilization” and called Judas the “father of all wokeness.”

Both Graves and Carey preach from lecterns adorned with swords. At the start of many videos on the Orrington church’s YouTube channel, a voice describes a “war going on … between truth and lies” and says that only “God’s word” and “God’s sword” can cut through “all lies and opinions.”

Carey started a podcast commenting on cultural, political and spiritual issues this year, and the conservative outlet The Maine Wire regularly posts the episodes to its website. In a May 1 episode, he spoke with Chip Moore of Turning Point Faith about the upcoming “Make Heaven Crowded” event, which is set to be the largest event his church has held since it was founded in 2020 — and its most controversial.

Even before Kirk died, Carey had been planning an event at the Portland Expo, which he hoped would help the church reach a larger crowd and encourage what he calls “unchurched people” to attend future services. Turning Point Faith asked to collaborate in late October, he said, and he agreed, saying their mission to “equip the church to engage the culture” aligned with his vision for the event. It was announced as an official part of the group’s “Make Heaven Crowded” tour in December.

Though Carey discussed the event with his congregation as far back as September, just weeks after Kirk’s death, it didn’t attract widespread attention until independent journalist Crash Barry reported on the church’s rental contract with the city in March. Barry suggested the church had misled city officials and received a discounted rental rate. But a city spokesperson told the Portland Press Herald the $2,720 charge was standard for nonprofit organizations holding “exhibit” events that don’t require tickets.

The event is set to feature Carey and Graves, as well as former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and others. Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, has appeared at some of the group’s events, but she is not an advertised speaker for the Portland stop. During a May 10 church service, Carey said the city plans to deploy 18 police officers, a bomb squad and the Maine National Guard in case of protests.

A coalition of more than two dozen religious organizations is planning to hold another event, “Love is the Point,” to counter Calvary Chapel’s outreach that same evening. The Rev. Norman Allen, minister of First Parish Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Portland, where the event will be held, said the organizers were concerned the Turning Point event could misrepresent faith communities that don’t hold conservative policy positions. The event will raise money for several local organizations supporting transgender rights, gun safety and immigrants’ rights.

The Rev. Devin Green, an interfaith minister who helped organize the counterprogramming, said she sees the Turning Point event and what it represents as a threat to American democracy.

“White Christian nationalism is political,” Green said. “They’re trying to change our country. They’re trying to remove democracy. They’re trying to remove equal rights in every possible way.”

When Republican voters from Calvary Chapel Greater Portland head to the polls in June, they’ll have the benefit of having seen all seven Republican candidates for governor in person — if they’ve kept up on Sunday attendance.

Since January, Carey has opened the floor to each Republican candidate for governor, as well as several local candidates, to briefly address the congregation.

“We have abdicated and been derelict in much of our duty in influencing public policy,” Carey said at a Feb. 1 service as he introduced gubernatorial candidate Garrett Mason. “We gather on the Lord’s Day to worship, and we gather to study his word, and we’re going to do that. But it also is an opportunity for us to realize, ‘Okay, where are we going to put our vote in this coming year?’”

Diana Kushnar, a Republican candidate for State House District 109 in Gorham, addressed the congregation on March 29, asking for signatures and volunteers. She decided to run a month earlier when an organizer spoke at the church and said Maine needed more Christians in all levels of government.

Before attending Calvary Chapel, Kushnar said she felt like Christianity and politics didn’t mix.

“It’s not everybody’s cup of tea that [politics] is talked about so much,” she said, “but that’s OK because I do believe that, if we want to make a difference, not just complain about something, then we need to be involved.”

According to her website, Kushnar’s top issues are parental rights, fiscal responsibility and affordability. She told The Monitor that parental rights for her includes preventing transgender students from participating in girls’ sports.

Peter Violette, a Republican candidate for Senate District 26, which includes his hometown of Windham, made his case to Calvary Chapel in January. He’s running in a contested primary against Kenneth Cianchette, who spoke to the congregation in April.

At the start of his campaign, Violette, who is Catholic, reached out to a dozen churches in his district asking if he could speak to their leaders to learn about their congregations’ priorities. Only one responded, he told The Monitor, and that was to say no. Meanwhile, Calvary Chapel Greater Portland, which Violette’s son attends, invited him in to speak.

“I applaud Travis for understanding … we’re in the mess that we’re in politically because we’ve worked so hard to separate the two,” Violette said, referring to faith and politics. “They’re the outlier, hands down.”

The response has been “very positive,” Carey said. He has given a platform to every candidate who has asked for one and said he would let Democratic candidates speak, too, but none have asked. The church’s monthly Turning Point events have also featured prominent politicians, including Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle; Rep. Reagan Paul, R-Winterport; and Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn.

Even when the church doesn’t open the floor to candidates, the services are often infused with political messaging. A Maine Monitor analysis of transcripts found that Carey spoke about gender and sexuality in nearly half of his sermons from September 2025 to March 2026. He mentioned abortion, Planned Parenthood or the unborn in a quarter of them.

Graves, in Orrington, mentioned gender and sexuality in more than a third of his sermons from October to March, and brought up immigration in about one in seven. Both mentioned Charlie Kirk by name more often than any other figures outside of the Bible, and both repeatedly referenced the role of faith in politics.

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement began an operation in Maine in January, Graves described protesters as “rented fit pitchers” and immigrants as “invaders” who have “robbed us of millions, if not billions” in tax dollars.

At a February service, he described “trans madness” as “producing mass murderers.” (Despite isolated high-profile incidents, fewer than 0.1% of mass shootings between January 2013 and September 2025 were committed by transgender individuals. Transgender people are four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crime, a 2021 study found.)

For his part, Carey has in recent months called AIDS a “physical judgment” against the “error” of homosexuality, referred to coffee shops as hotbeds of “liberal godlessness” and prayed for God to open Mills’ eyes “so that she would not spend eternity in hell.”

Carey said his job as a pastor is to interpret the Bible and apply it to modern-day life. “I think oftentimes things are deemed political,” he said, “but they’re not political; they’re biblical. So whether you’re talking about marriage, sanctity of human life, even government, God’s the creator and founder of government.”

Attendees in both Orrington and Westbrook who spoke to The Monitor seemed to appreciate this approach.

Tania French has attended Calvary Chapel Greater Portland for two years and was attracted to its verse-by-verse teaching. Carey’s willingness to speak on current political issues, she said, is evidence of his convictions and helps members of the congregation to live their own lives according to the Bible.

“That’s exactly what Jesus tells us to do,” French said. “We’re supposed to stand against the things that are wrong, and having a pastor that leads us in that is essential.”

Since Calvary Chapel Bangor opened in the 1980s, it has launched more than two dozen other churches across the state.

Dom Veilleux, youth pastor at Calvary Chapel Bangor, took on a second role last October as senior pastor at Calvary New Heart, the newest church plant, just seven miles from the Orrington church near Bangor’s Capehart neighborhood.

For years, Veilleux said, the leadership at Calvary Bangor had thought about opening a gym near Capehart and adding an addition to the Orrington church. After Kirk’s assassination, the church pivoted, deciding to start a new church instead.

“I kind of use the death of Charlie Kirk as my landmark in time,” Veilleux said. “Everything kind of changed for us.”

Much of Veilleux’s ministry is based around weekly physical activities for boys ages 5 to 19, including boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Veilleux described the workouts as a way to counteract what he sees as an effort by public schools and other organizations to “make young men agreeable or docile.” After each training session, Veilleux and the other coaches lead the boys in a Bible study.

The church does not currently offer any physical activities for girls, something Veilleux said could change when they have more resources.

Calvary Abide, a new church in Strong, started at the same time as Calvary New Heart and was planted by the Greater Portland church. Like Veilleux, pastor Ben Murphy had thought about starting his own church before Kirk’s death, but seeing more people attend services in Greater Portland after the assassination inspired him to move more quickly.

“People are looking for something,” Murphy said he realized. “If I’m not there, or if someone’s not there, then they’re going to go looking in the wrong places.”

This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. To get regular coverage from The Monitor, sign up for a free Monitor newsletter here.

Maine Maritime Academy’s graduation rate is about half of what officials want it to be and is lower than many other Maine colleges, a dip that may be related to ongoing fallout from the pandemic.

Only 34% of students who started at the public Castine college in the fall of 2019 graduated within four years, and 39% had a degree within six, according to numbers shared at its board of trustees meeting this month.

The academy’s goal is for at least 70% to graduate in six years, which it last achieved with students who started in 2015.

The latest numbers reflect students who were freshmen when the pandemic began, and at least one school official said he’s confident rates will rebound significantly soon. Others noted a spike in mental health challenges and expect academic setbacks from the pandemic will affect student performance for years.

Those are also notable issues because MMA is one of six schools in the country training merchant mariners, a profession in serious need of more workers to keep up international trade and national security.

MMA’s younger students didn’t have their high school educations interrupted by the beginning of the pandemic. But the academy is still seeing many academic challenges, citing a gap in college-level preparation that could stem from disruptions in their earlier schooling that other institutions have also noticed.

“I think we’re going to see the COVID effect for quite some time,” said Jennifer Waters, the school’s provost.

Statewide, 61.1% of students who started college in 2019 graduated in six years, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. Four-year public schools in Maine recorded numbers about 11 points lower than the national average of 70.8%.

Maine graduation rates stayed fairly steady between 2008 and 2019 freshman classes, without a steep pandemic crash, according to Clearinghouse data.

MMA is unique among those schools for its focus on maritime education, preparing students to get Coast Guard licensing to work on commercial ships.

Its nearest likeness is Massachusetts Maritime Academy. That school’s fall 2018 freshman class had a four-year graduation rate of 63%, and almost three-quarters graduated in six years, according to the school’s latest public data.

Among other retention challenges, MMA officials noted a lack of activities around the rural town of Castine. Another small, rural coastal school, the University of Maine at Machias, has even lower graduation numbers.

Only 25% of students who started at UMaine Machias in the fall of 2018 graduated in six years, according to the latest public data; 22% of the 2019 freshman class graduated in five years.

MMA reaches out to every student who leaves, according to David Markow, vice president for enrollment management, admissions and financial aid. Most cite life circumstances – though a later speaker noted students may not always share their real reasons.

Students have also been dismissed for poor performance, Markow said.

The school is close to hiring a director for its student success center, according to Waters, who said she thinks graduation rates should be higher and early support can help. Retention rates from freshman to sophomore years are currently higher, at 82%, with a goal of 85%.

Mental health issues have emerged as a major challenge, according to Diedra Davis, associate vice president of enrollment management. Stressors like the academic workload, rural location and long winters on top of existing mental health issues can become debilitating.

“Mental health is just massive,” she said. “Just massive.”

The school has numerous initiatives to help, she said, but some mental health challenges may be beyond its ability to fix, and the academy can’t turn away students who face them.

The school had two additional health services interns this year and they were all “extremely busy,” Davis said. MMA has budgeted for another mental health professional for the next fiscal year, according to communications director Michael Dickerson.

Graduation rates are much higher — 54% — within the school’s regiment of midshipmen, an intense and structured leadership program, and among student athletes.

Attendees suggested that may be because those students have busier schedules, along with more relationships with adults on campus who can notice if they’re struggling.

Faculty representative Steve Baer agreed faculty are seeing more student mental health issues. The athletics department, where he’s faculty liaison, tracks data closely and has started conversations about how to intervene early, he said.

Pandemic educational setbacks are also parallel to a perception that math and quantitative skills have been declining nationally for decades, he said.

The school is working on a range of retention initiatives, and tries to “triage” in response to crises, according to Markow. A number of reasons students leave are being addressed through those efforts, he said.

Trustees asked for more information about how many students who leave the school are interacting with counseling services, and said they intend to continue discussing retention. 

Retention and graduation rates are a focus for the board’s education committee, Dickerson said Wednesday in response to a question about next steps. He did not provide additional comment.

The deadline to apply for the Maine moose lottery is Monday at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. In anticipation of the June 20 lottery drawing, here are five videos captured during last fall’s rut. You’ll want the sound on for these.

Tobey Brook Guide Service was scouting in wildlife management zone 11 when this bull moose responded to a call and approached within five yards.

The video offers a great look at the animal tilting its antlers — a behavior that helps amplify sound and may aid in locating cows or rival bulls during the rut. Antler tilting may also help establish dominance among bulls.

Tobey Brook Guide Service also captured a different bull raking its antlers at an annual deer scrape.

Maine Woodlands Guide Service filmed a cow and calf running from a bull moose. He wasn’t far behind, grunting as he chased them.

A trail camera video from Big Mountain Outfitters captured two bull moose fighting. You’ll definitely want the sound on for this one.

Last but not least, another bull chases two cows during the peak of the rut. They’re hauling.

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

I’m seeing Republican political ads criticizing Graham Platner for past misbehaviors. It appears that Platner has acted, in the past, in ways similar to Donald Trump. Without excusing Platner’s past misbehaviors, why are Republicans righteously indignant about Platner, while giving Trump a free pass on: his language; his mistreatment of women; and his admiration of the control that dictators (like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping) have over their own people? He has even been quoted as saying,”Hitler did a lot of good things.”

Let’s point out some differences. First of all, Platner did serve his country in the military. If you’re rich like Trump, you can find ways to avoid service.

Platner has appeared to learn from his past mistakes and has made corrections. Trump never admits his mistakes, so how can he learn from them?

Republicans would do well to heed the Biblical teachings on hypocrisy. To paraphrase: Before you complain about another person’s faults, consider first your own faults (or your leader’s faults).

Gordon Canning
Ripley

This story was originally published in May 2024.

As anyone who spends any time in the Maine woods knows, our coyote populations are plentiful and thriving despite recreational and programmed efforts to control these highly efficient predators.

And interestingly, there were no coyotes in Maine at one time. But what about wolves in Maine?

Retired U.S Fish and Wildlife biologist Mark McCollough, a Hampden resident, was very close to this issue, having spent many hours professionally helping USFWS answer the question: Are there wolves in Maine today?

McCollough writes, “Two wolves were killed in Maine in the 1990s, but they likely spent some time in captivity. An 86-pound wild wolf was killed in northern New Brunswick in 2013. In the fall of 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wanted to definitively answer this question before proposing to remove the wolf from the federal Endangered Species list in the Northeast. I was tasked to work with the National Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife and Maine (Department of) Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to answer that seemingly simple question. It is still unsettled.”

DNA testing revealed that these Maine wolves had been on a diet of commercial dog food and were most likely domesticated wolves before they were released. McCollough says that the New Brunswick wolf, on the other hand, was the real deal.

Wolves were commonplace when settlers first came to Maine. Naturalists assert that there were two species of wolves, the smaller “deer wolf” that preyed on deer in coastal Maine and a larger species of gray wolf that preyed on moose and caribou in northern Maine.

A “predator” void was left when these wolves were killed off around the turn of the century. In time, our present day coyote migrated eastward and filled the niche.

Our coyotes, unlike the smaller Western “coydog,” are more genetically complicated.

“The wolf question is elusive, complex and hinges on our understanding of what canid lived here historically, and the latest genetic understanding of canids in eastern North America,” McCollough wrote.

Scientists and biologists believe that our Maine coyote came here via Ontario already “hybridized” with the smaller eastern wolf. And this is the case today. The Maine coyote is a genetic mix, part coyote and part wolf, which explains why they are generally larger than the Western coydog.

And what about repeated efforts by activists to get gray wolves introduced to Maine, as they were in the West? McCollough says that in the West a wolf is a wolf and a coyote is a coyote. There is no hybridization. Wolves will not tolerate coyotes and will frequently kill them.

Maine, with its genetically unique coyotes, is a different situation altogether.

If a Canadian eastern wolf, or even a bigger gray wolf, migrated to Maine through St. Pamphile, Quebec, or wherever, or if U.S. Fish and Wildlife introduced gray wolves to the state, McCollough said evidence suggests that “if an eastern wolf from Ontario or Quebec finds its way to northern New York, Maine or New Brunswick, it will find itself in a sea of eastern coyotes. Any dispersing eastern wolf would readily hybridize with eastern coyotes, and the offspring would be assimilated into an eastern coyote population that already has a genetic legacy of wolf genes.”

McCollough’s logic, as well as his credentials, make for a compelling thesis, which seems to say that a wolf reintroduction initiative in Maine just wouldn’t work, even if it were desirable.

John Glowa, spokesperson for the Maine Wolf Coalition, has, along with his group, lobbied intensely for a wolf reintroduction program for Maine. “The main issue is that wolves were here before and deserve to be here again,” he said.

However sincere and well-intentioned Glowa and his organization may be, and no matter what the wolf deserves, the science suggests that the pure genetic strain of gray wolf that once inhabited Maine’s North Woods is all part of history, not to return.

V. Paul Reynolds is the editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network.

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com

Alan Cobo-Lewis is the parent of two adult children, one of whom has a disability. He is also on the University of Maine faculty, where he is associate professor of psychology and director of the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies. Monique Stairs is the executive director of Speaking Up For Us, Maine’s self-advocacy network made up of individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The authors’ views are their own.

The “R-word” is back. A term that has been replaced in respectful discourse by “intellectual disability” has reared its ugly head. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner has apologized for his recent use of the “R-word”. Slurs on X involving the “R-word” more than tripled after President Donald Trump used the slur in a Thanksgiving Day Truth Social post.

Adverse consequences abound. In a randomized controlled experiment (the gold standard for this type of study), college undergraduates exposed to the slur expressed lower tolerance toward people with intellectual disabilities. Psychologically, experiencing ableist microaggressions is associated with poor mental health. Stigma creates an “invisible wall,” even leading people with disabilities to delay or avoid healthcare to avoid further stigmatization.

Between 2009 and 2019, Special Olympics campaigned to “Spread the Word to End the Word” and more than 6 million people pledged to eliminate it.

The “R-word” was not originally a slur, but through a process called the “euphemism treadmill” it’s become offensive, because the concepts offensive words refer to remain stigmatized even as the terms themselves change. That’s why it was important that, after Special Olympics saw such success in their language campaign, they moved on toward the broader goal of fully including people with disabilities in the broader society. Popular initiatives like unified sports and related programs that Special Olympics champions are associated with improved high school graduation rates among students both with and without disabilities.

Maine was deeply involved in the “R-word” work. In 2012, then-Gov LePage signed into law an emergency measure to “Implement the Recommendations of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council Regarding Respectful Language.” This law eliminated the “R-word” from Maine statute and required executive agencies to also remove it from individual state agency rules when they’re “opened up” for revisions for other purposes. The idea was to remove the slur without incurring costs for additional rulemaking.

In late April, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services finally removed the “R-word” from the MaineCare rule on targeted case management. But it still lingers in too many other rules, a decade and a half after the Legislature and the executive branch took a public stand against it.

For example, the “R-word” slur still exists even in the MaineCare Eligibility Manual — even though that rule was opened up for other purposes and amended as recently as April 2025. In other words, Maine’s executive branch has only partially fulfilled its legal obligations to remove the slur from rule when rules are otherwise opened up for revision.

This slow progress is why it is so exciting that Gov. Janet Mills signed Public Law 2025 chapter 384 last year, giving Maine’s secretary of state authority to remove disrespectful terms from state agency rules without going through the traditional rulemaking process, provided that the state agency requests the secretary to do so. This excellent bill was introduced by Rep Amy Kuhn, D-Falmouth, at the request of the office of Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.

Secretary Bellows’s office has already requested executive branch agencies to find the “R-word” slur in their rules and to formally ask her office to remove it in accordance with the new law. We urge Gov. Mills to direct the agencies to cooperate forthwith, so that Maine can finally complete this decade-and-a-half work this spring or summer.

Thanks to Secretary Bellows and her team for being so proactive to solve a longstanding problem, following up to complete this important work.

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

One only needs to drive along Maine’s scenic roads and byways, or almost anywhere in the United States, to see bottles, cans, plastic, and assorted trash strewn along the roadside, either carelessly tossed from vehicles or blown from uncovered truck loads. For a state that proudly markets itself as “Vacationland: The Way Life Should Be,” and depends heavily on tourism, Maine’s leaders seem strangely indifferent to the growing litter problem.

Over the past few years, I’ve written to several state officials about roadside trash. A few responded with form letters, one blamed the pandemic, and another never replied at all. Meanwhile, the Maine Department of Transportation spends roughly $500,000 each year cleaning up roadside litter, money that could be better spent elsewhere.

Why not take a more proactive approach? Maine should launch a serious statewide anti-litter campaign and increase penalties for illegal dumping. Texas did exactly that with its famous “Don’t Mess with Texas” campaign, which reportedly reduced littering by 72%. Public education and stronger enforcement can work.

If we continue allowing our roadsides to become dumping grounds, Maine may eventually need a new slogan: “Trashland: The Way Landfills Should Be.”

Charlie Britton
Southport

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

Over the years, I have had the privilege to serve my community in a number of ways — as a selectman for the Town of China, a former member of the China Budget Committee, president of the China Four Seasons Club, and both Masonic lodges in town.

In rural Maine, service still matters. Your word still matters. People pay attention to character.

That is why, after recently watching the Republican gubernatorial debates, I came away impressed with Garrett Mason.

His professionalism, honesty, and experience is what stood out to me. Garrett Mason spoke like someone who understands Maine, understands government, and understands the challenges facing working families and rural communities.

People in rural Maine know when they are being sold a story. We are practical people. We work hard, we value integrity, and we appreciate authenticity. True Mainers can tell pretty quickly who is genuine and who is not.

Garrett Mason came across as the real deal.

He did not offer unrealistic promises or pretend there are easy solutions to difficult problems. Instead, he spoke plainly about conservative principles, responsible government, economic opportunity, and restoring common sense leadership in Augusta.

That matters to me because Maine does not need more empty slogans. We need steady leadership from someone who can actually get the job done.

On June 9, I will be voting for Garrett Mason in the Republican primary for governor, and I encourage others to give him a serious look as well.

Thomas Rumpf
China

Visitors descending on Acadia National Park this spring will find most trails, roads and amenities open, with a few exceptions.

A one-mile stretch of the popular Park Loop Road — a 27-mile scenic drive on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island — will be closed until June 12. The section between Kebo Street and Sieur de Monts Spring has been closed since mid-April, though the road will reopen for Memorial Day weekend.

While that section of the road is closed, visitors will be rerouted along Kebo, Mount Desert and Main streets through downtown Bar Harbor, which is heavily congested during the tourist season.

The park does not expect any other closures to Park Loop Road this spring, according to Amanda Pollock, an Acadia spokesperson.

During the closure, crews will work on two projects, a park official previously said. The park is replacing a three-foot undersized culvert as part of a restoration of the Great Meadow, Acadia’s largest wetland.

Friends of Acadia, a local conservation group, was recently awarded $308,000 in state funding for the wetland’s restoration.

Officials also will connect the park’s seasonal workforce housing complex, Harden Farm, to Bar Harbor’s wastewater system during the road closure. New housing units, which have been under construction since 2024, will not be completed until 2027.

Visitors enjoying Cadillac Mountain summit, Acadia’s highest peak, are now able to safely walk between the summit’s east and west parking lots. A new dedicated pedestrian pathway, built between mid March and late April, provides a safe walkway along the busy corridor.

The winding road leading up to Cadillac Mountain was closed during the path’s construction, though it has since reopened. Vehicle reservations are needed to drive to the top of the mountain from May 20 through Oct. 25, and the road will close during the fall for crews to complete the walkway.

Cadillac Summit’s west parking lot — known as Blue Hill Overlook — will be closed for construction until May 19.

Four trails — Precipice, Jordan Cliffs, Penobscot East and Valley Cove — have been closed since March 1 to protect peregrine falcons during their nesting periods. The trails are closed until further notice.

Last year, three breeding pairs of peregrine falcons nested near Acadia’s trails, according to the park.

All of the park’s carriage roads are now open, following some springtime closures that are meant to prevent damage while the gravel roads are soft from thawing out from winter, Pollock said.

As of Thursday, most of the park’s public buildings were open. The Thunder Hole gift shop, Jordan Pond House Restaurant and Hulls Cove Visitor Center have all opened for the season. The shop at the summit of Cadillac Mountain opens Friday, according to an employee.

The new $27 million Acadia Gateway visitor center — located just off Mount Desert Island on Route 3 in Trenton — will open Memorial Day weekend for its first full season.

Visitors will be able to park their vehicles at the Acadia Gateway Center and ride the Island Explorer — the park’s free shuttle system — around the park and back to Trenton.

The Island Explorer will begin running three routes Memorial Day weekend for the first time in its 27 year history. The shuttle’s service from Trenton to Bar Harbor, Park Loop Road and the Schoodic Peninsula will start May 20.

Acadia is never fully closed, though some roads are blocked off to vehicle traffic in the winter and most of the park’s public buildings are shut down. Aside from some seasonal closures, most trails and paths in the park are open year-round to hikers and non-motorized traffic.

An independent urgent care clinic is set to open this summer in Bangor.

Pine Tree Urgent Care plans to open its doors July 1 at 557 Hammond St., where Dirigo Counseling was before it closed last year, according to David Wade, the CEO and clinical director.

The clinic is in the final stages of renovations, with painting and X-ray installation taking place now, Wade said.

He hopes adding another option for medical care in the Queen City will help ease the burden on an overwhelmed healthcare system and make it easier for a wide range of community members to get care efficiently. One of Bangor’s few walk-in clinics closed last year.

“The goal is really you can come in, we’ve got the technology to take care of you, and then we can start treating you immediately and just get you feeling better and make sure that you don’t end up in the emergency room,” Wade said.

Wade has more than ten years of experience in emergency medicine and said he’s seen firsthand in the last few years that “the emergency departments are overwhelmed. So we’re really just trying to address that gap.”

Maine’s aging population has led to growing demand for medical services, which emergency departments may not have space to accommodate, he said. For issues that don’t require emergency room care, a more robust landscape of options for office-based healthcare could help ease that burden.

Pine Tree Urgent Care aims to combine the convenience of larger urgent care chains with the familiarity of a locally owned clinic, Wade said. Patients will be able to schedule a time to visit or walk in as needed.

Wade’s team is fully hired with nine employees and plans to grow later on, he said. They’ll work in five exam rooms in the Hammond Street space and also plan to eventually add a sixth.

The clinic will be able to do X-rays, do laceration repairs and wound care in two procedure rooms, run tests like strep throat, COVID, flu, RSV and blood tests in its own lab and dispense some medications on site, which Wade said is becoming more common for urgent care clinics in states that allow it. His team can also refer out to a network of local hospitals and orthopedic clinics.

Although the clinic is not a primary care provider, it can also shoulder some of the weight of a primary care provider shortage in the area by acting as a bridge for people on long waitlists waiting to get into a primary care office, Wade said.

Patients can use all major insurance plans, Medicaid and Medicare at the clinic, according to Wade. It will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“I think people are looking forward to us opening up so that they have another option,” he said.

Housing
This section of the BDN aims to help readers understand Maine’s housing crisis, the volatile real estate market and the public policy behind them. Read more Housing coverage here.

Maine’s largest metropolitan area was ranked among the top 12 places in the country that are seeing rapid growth in their luxury housing markets.

Realtor.com assembled a list of the 12 U.S. cities seeing higher numbers of million dollar properties in the last year, either due to rising luxury construction or existing homes gaining value. The Portland area ranked 12th on the list, released earlier this week.

The real estate website, which has listings and tracks market data, used the Census definition of the Portland and South Portland metro area, encompassing all of Cumberland, York and Sagadahoc counties. The region covers more than 2,000 square miles and has a population of nearly 572,000, Census data show.

Roughly 14% of southern Maine’s new construction is considered luxury, the report found. This puts it behind the national average of 18% and far lower than places like the Fayetteville region in Arkansas, where 41% of new housing is luxury.

However, more than 21% of homes on the market in the Portland region were listed for $1 million or more over the last year. That’s significantly more than the national average of 13.5%, according to the report.

The data suggests Maine’s growing luxury housing market is fueled by existing homes that are gaining value over time, sometimes through renovations and upgrades.

This comes as no surprise, as housing prices in Maine skyrocketed during the pandemic and remained high since then. A study by MaineHousing found the state’s median home price grew by more than 50% from 2020 to 2024.

This increase was fueled by more people, including those from other states and large cities, looking to buy property in Maine during the pandemic while inventory was low. High demand coupled with low supply increased asking prices, pushing homeownership out of reach for many low- and middle-income families.

Of the 504 single-family homes on the market in Cumberland County as of Thursday, more than a quarter had asking prices of $1 million or more, according to Zillow.

To earn a spot on Realtor.com’s list, cities must have a median housing price below $1 million, but at least 10% of all active listings need to be priced at $1 million or higher, according to the company. Additionally, the average monthly count of million-dollar-plus listings over the past 12 months needed to fall between 200 and 500.

Maine, especially southern and coastal areas, has long been a sought-after spot for second homes. Those vacation homes tend to be pricey, especially because there are a limited number of them, which likely contributes to more Maine properties selling for at least $1 million, said Liz Henry, associate broker at Maine Dream Properties in Portland.

“People want what Portland has to offer,” Henry said. “There’s still a strong desire to live in southern Maine, and all of that is driving prices up.”

While some luxury condos have been built in the Portland area in the past few years, Henry said new construction, including high-end units, has slowed to a crawl. This has contributed to Maine’s housing inventory remaining low, which keeps prices high.

Much of Maine’s housing is older, but it can still be valuable if it’s in a prime location, such as on the beach or lake. It’s not uncommon for someone to buy an older home, then renovate it or demolish it to build something new, further increasing its value, said Chris Lynch, president and broker of Portland-based Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty.

The luxury housing market has also remained active despite high mortgage rates that may be deterring others from buying. This is because luxury buyers often pay cash rather than taking out a mortgage,

“Mortgage rates have probably been the single-largest hindrance to buyers,” Lynch said. “But, luxury buyers are still active. The market has been performing well.”

At 10:50 a.m. Tuesday, a dispatcher in Farmington picked up an automated phone call detecting a crash.

Through the open line, she could hear someone asking for help. She couldn’t get the person to respond. She had GPS coordinates but didn’t know yet what had crashed or exactly where.

What followed was a 46-minute struggle through rugged terrain in the western Maine town of Avon. That’s how long it took first responders to reach game warden Joshua Tibbetts after he crashed his plane into the trees, according to a Bangor Daily News analysis of emergency radio transmissions.

At one point, a warden could see the crash site from the air but was having trouble directing authorities to an unnamed road nearby. By the time authorities got there, Tibbetts was dead.

“The rural nature of it absolutely is going to hinder our ability to respond,” Phillips Fire Chief Sean Allen, whose department covers Avon and led the search, told the BDN. “It’s not on a public access roadway. It was through and past a gated access.”

The wreckage was found near Schoolhouse Pond, a densely wooded area not accessible by road. In the area, it’s hard to tell what is an all terrain vehicle trail, a real road and a logging road, Allen said.

The initial alert didn’t specify a plane. It was an automated crash detection from a smartphone. The first assumption was a car or ATV. Phillips fire got its utility terrain vehicle ready and drove as far as full-size vehicles could take them, staging at the end of Dustin Road at 10:57 a.m.

By then, a minute after the GPS coordinates came in, they knew where to go but didn’t know how to get there.

Ten minutes after Phillips was dispatched, the Maine Department of Public Safety flagged an aircraft emergency signal. Five minutes after that, dispatchers confirmed it was a Maine Warden Service plane that went down. Moments later at 11:05 a.m., dispatchers reported there was still rustling from the open emergency line. That was the last reported sign of life in Tibbetts’ plane.

As the search formed in Avon, Temple and Farmington fire were called in just after 11 a.m. to approach from the Day Mountain Road side, providing another angle when no one was certain which path would get them there fastest. By 11:10 a.m., the first UTV left the staging area.

They still had more than three miles of rough logging roads to get to the crash site. It took about 20 minutes on UTVs — faster than if they were in a pickup truck, which they learned could have made the drive, Allen said.

Another warden happened to be in the area stocking fish and flew overhead to find the crash from the air at 11:21 a.m., circling over Schoolhouse Pond and radioing down what he could see: an unnamed tote road, northwest of the pond, that could get rescuers to the site.

On the ground, responders found a road that looked like it had been logged in the last couple of years and used it to push through. Then they hit the end of the road for UTVs.

They had to hike about 100 yards up a “steep hill” to finally reach the crash. Tibbetts was on a hill that had roughly 1,500 feet of elevation.

It was “very difficult to access,” Allen said.

When they reached the scene at 11:36 a.m., Tibbetts, 50, was dead.

He had worked as a Maine Warden Service pilot for just over two years and had been with the service for 18 years. He was flying solo, helping fisheries officials stock waterways, tracing a looping flight path over the forests he had spent nearly two decades working.

A federal investigator reached the scene on Wednesday. State officials said there was no indication of a distress call or medical emergency. Mark Latti, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, referred a reporter to the National Transportation Safety Board for details about Tibbetts condition after the crash, but the NTSB said that information comes from local authorities.

“I will not speculate on his condition preceding, during or after the crash,” Latti said. “Our focus remains on assisting in the investigation and respecting the privacy of his family, friends and coworkers during this incredibly difficult time.”

A woman is dead after an early morning house fire on Thursday in the Aroostook County town of Mapleton.

The fire at 258 Carvell Road was reported shortly after 5 a.m. Firefighters found the deceased woman in the house, the state fire marshal’s office said.

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta will determine her identity, and the manner and cause of death.

The house was destroyed.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders will make stops in Portland and Orono this month on his “Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here” tour.

At both events, the progressive Democrat and former presidential candidate will be joined by U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner and Maine gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson.

Platner shared a poster advertising the events on social media on Thursday, listing the two Maine events:

Sunday, May 24 — Collins Center for the Arts, 2 Flagstaff Road in Orono, at 5:30 p.m., doors at 4:30.

Monday, May 25 — Brick South, 8 Thompson Point, in Portland, at 5 p.m., doors at 4.

Sanders joined Platner and Jackson last year at a Labor Day rally at the Cross Insurance Center in Portland. Since then, the political newcomer and military veteran has separated himself from the pack of Democrats seeking a chance to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election, becoming the likely nominee after Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race last month.

Jackson, a former Maine Senate president, faces a competitive field of five candidates for the Democratic nomination in the Maine governor’s race. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, businessman Angus King III, former House Speaker Hannah Pingree, and former Maine CDC director Nirav Shah are also running.

Bradley Bellfleur, 33, of Bangor, was sentenced on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to six years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl.

Bellfleur was enrolled in the Penobscot Adult Treatment and Recovery Court as part of his sentence for a 2022 burglary conviction when investigators received information that he was trafficking fentanyl, according to court records cited by the U.S. Department of Justice in a news release.

Police searched Bellfleur’s home and found drug trafficking paraphernalia, according to the DOJ. Additionally, the department said messages obtained from his cell phone showed that he was working with people in Massachusetts to get fentanyl to distribute in the Bangor area.

Bellfleur was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine in 2016, according to the DOJ.

Just like Democrats, supporters of President Donald Trump who saw Vice President JD Vance speak in Bangor on Thursday don’t like gas prices spiking because of the Iran war.

Yet many diehard Trump supporters shrugged off the economic effects of the war. Several guests who traveled from across the state and waited in line for hours to see Vance said they’re willing to give the White House time to lower gas and oil prices. Many also said they back Trump’s push to keep nuclear weapons out of Iran.

Candace Davis, a 58-year-old truck driver from Lincoln, said she believes prices will come down in the coming weeks and months. She said she trusts Trump to run foreign policy far more than former President Joe Biden.

“They always say, ‘Death to America,’” she said of the Iranian regime, adding that she was not opposed to the war effort despite Trump’s promise to lower Americans’ prices and keep the U.S. out of costly years-long wars.

Costs are perhaps the top issue looming over campaigns across the country in 2026. Maine has some of the biggest races, including one for the U.S. Senate that Vance nodded to on Thursday. It looks like a bad environment for Republicans with per-gallon gas prices above $4.50 in the state and Trump’s national approval rating is at its lowest point in his second term.

Two-thirds of Americans say Trump hasn’t explained a solid justification for the war, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week. Another survey released this week gave the president a 30% approval rating on the economy.

Vance’s appearance focused on federal efforts to confront fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars, a major talking point for Maine Republicans up and down the ballot. Vance praised Sen. Susan Collins and stumped for former Gov. Paul LePage, who is running for the 2nd Congressional District. He did not endorse in a gubernatorial primary.

The Iran war and the economy, and particularly high fuel prices, were still on the minds of many supporters and critics alike. A couple dozen protesters outside the airport Thursday chanted and waved to honking cars as they held signs reading “Stop Trump and the War.”

Collins is one of the few Republicans who have joined Democrats in failed war powers resolutions seeking to blunt the war. But critics and her likely Democratic opponent, the progressive oyster farmer Graham Platner, say her concerns over Trump’s actions and incendiary language on Iran are nullified by previous votes to let the war advance.

Gov. Janet Mills, who exited the Senate primary last month, responded to Vance’s fraud criticisms by saying they were “nothing but a weak attempt to distract” from the Iran war and “failure to control crushing costs.”

As she waited in line with hundreds of other Trump supporters, Lisa LaRue, a retiree from Ellsworth, acknowledged she doesn’t like “gas prices where they are.” But more important to her is that she “really [doesn’t] like being attacked with nuclear weapons” or having allies threatened.

“We need to be able to control our own destiny and not be threatened by unsavory governments, whether North Korea or Iran,” she said.

Karen Grace, a 60-year-old Searsport woman who’s worked in ministry in multiple states, said she feels solidarity with the Iranian people. But she did not believe the U.S. should always support the Israeli government, and she said she doesn’t like “some of the things [Trump’s] doing when it comes to the war.”

She still fully supports Trump, despite the war’s impacts on her and others’ prices at the pump. She said the administration’s handling of immigration compared to what she called “open borders” under Biden outweighs other concerns.

“Just like my kids,” she said. “I don’t support every decision they make, but I always support them.”

Edward Seamon, a 14-year-old from north of Augusta, also applauded Trump’s immigration crackdown. But he stood out among rallygoers by directly criticizing the Iran war and “interventionist” presidents throughout at least the last half-century.

He said one of the best things about Trump as he rose to power was that he was not a neoconservative or neoliberal getting us entrenched in wars in the Middle East.

“My peers are most concerned about the price of gas,” he said. “It’s almost $5 a gallon. I live in a very rural village. We have to drive basically everywhere.”

The owner of a Caribou shopping plaza where neglected repairs to a broker sprinkler system have put a half dozen businesses at risk of being forced out said Thursday that he was not aware of any violations in the property and called the situation “bogus bulls***.”

Dana Cassidy, a local developer who owns numerous commercial properties throughout Maine, said he had not received the two violation notices sent by the city of Caribou over the last month. He said he was unaware of a vacate order issued to the building’s tenants that could take effect as soon as the end of the week if repairs are not scheduled.

“I’m foreign to this. I’m the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on,” Cassidy said. “I haven’t received any notice from anyone. I’m not hard to get a hold of.”

The issues stem from a mid-March inspection of the sprinkler system at the 118 Bennett Drive plaza that found it was nonfunctional in one-third of the building.

The city took action in April following a complaint about the building and, after Cassidy did not respond to its notices, issued a vacate order to the six businesses that operate at the property.

That order, which had an effective date of Thursday, has not yet been enforced as the city explores paying for the repairs itself and recouping the cost through a special tax lien.

But citing problems with the building, some tenants have publicly announced that they will move regardless.

“I’ve got two tenants looking for spaces and if they leave. I’m going to sue someone,” Cassidy said.

He did not elaborate on who he would sue. Cassidy and Caribou have sparred for years over unpaid taxes and other issues with his properties. Last November, the city foreclosed on a vacant 27,000-square-foot former call center he owned in Caribou’s downtown after a yearslong fight over the valuation of the property that reached the Maine Supreme Court.

“I’ve given millions and millions and millions of dollars, one of the highest taxpayers in the city,” Cassidy said. “They’ve always got their money.”

Cassidy owes more than $59,000 in unpaid taxes on the 118 Bennett Drive property going back two years, according to tax records on file with the city.

Tim St. Peter, the city’s newly appointed code enforcement officer, said in an email that both violation notices regarding the sprinkler system were sent to Cassidy’s listed address on tax records, which is a post office box, and that neither have been returned.

A March 18 semi-annual inspection report filed by Eastern Fire and obtained by the Bangor Daily News through a Freedom of Access Act Request flagged seven deficiencies in the system and gave it a “red tag” designation, signifying an emergency bulletin requiring immediate corrective action.

The nonfunctional section of the system is in an unoccupied portion of the building. A sectional valve to that area was shut off after pipes froze and caused a sprinkler head to break, the report notes. All current tenants have functional sprinklers, but the deficiencies still present a fire hazard.

“Without the full system in operation, a fire could grow too large for the sprinkler system to be effective by the time it reached a protected space,” St. Peter told the Caribou City Council on Monday.

The vacate order would be nullified if repairs were scheduled, St. Peter said. Cassidy said that he believed the repairs had been scheduled with Eastern Fire, but did not know for when. The fire protection company did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

“There’s no problem with that building. It’s a $3.43 coupling,” Cassidy said. “And I mean, if they need it that bad, I’ll run over and put it in, but I’m not licensed to do it. It’s a 20-minute job.”

The building’s occupants include a martial arts gym, an insurance agency, a bakery, a physical therapy practice and a Northern Light Health primary and walk-in care clinic.

PORTLAND, Maine (WGME) — Dozens of tiny apartments could be coming to Portland, packed into a new seven-story building.

The city’s planning board this week approved the construction of the building off Congress Street, which will contain 87 units, each between 225 and 280 square feet.

Patrick Boothe, principal architect at Woodhull, presented the project by the real estate group GreenMars to the Planning Board Tuesday.

“It is at a very prominent corner of Washington and Congress Street, so it is our objective to transform this key intersection from an underutilized parking lot into a vibrant anchor for the neighborhood,” Boothe said.

Boothe said the units will be market rate, “designed for efficiency to keep them more accessible than typical new construction on the peninsula.”

The actual prices remain to be seen, but slightly larger studio apartments on the peninsula were listed on Zillow for $1,600 to more than $2,000 a month.

The project still needs final approval.

The M26 Class will be the 14th to graduate from the Tufts University School of Medicine – MaineHealth Maine Track program.

PORTLAND – MaineHealth celebrated the 37 students who make up this year’s graduating class in the Tufts University School of Medicine – MaineHealth Maine Track program during a ceremony at Hannaford Hall in the University of Southern Maine in Portland. Celebration is the Maine-based culminating event for fourth-year medical students who have completed their classroom instruction in Boston along with community-based practice in Maine. Students will graduate from Tufts on May 17 and this summer, begin their residencies, 11 of them at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland.

Keynote speaker Dr. Jason Moran, a MaineHealth oncologist, recalls teaching Maine Track students about the characteristics of blood, and said he was inspired by their interest in what he calls community-based, relationship-centered medicine.

“Maine Track graduates don’t just become doctors,” Dr. Moran said. “They become part of the communities they serve. That’s rare, that’s needed, and that’s exactly what this state and country need more of right now.”

The Maine Track program is a partnership between MaineHealth and Tufts that formed 18 years ago to help address the shortage of doctors in Maine, provide financial assistance to aspiring medical students with a connection to Maine and develop an innovative curriculum focused on community-based education. MaineHealth’s annual Maine Track celebration marks the local recognition of the medical school students.

“Our time in the Maine Track has shaped us into well-trained physicians grounded in connection, resilience and community,” student speaker Grace Gile, M26 said. “As we transition into residency, we take with us not only our education, but the ability to create supportive and meaningful environments wherever we land. That, more than anything, is what will define us as physicians moving forward.”

When this year’s class graduates, 516 physicians will have completed the Maine Track Program. 104 Maine Track graduates known to have completed their training are now practicing physicians in Maine, and 72 percent of them received a Maine Track scholarship.

MaineHealth awards more than $2 million in scholarship funds to 80 students each year through private donations as well as the state’s Doctors for Maine’s Future program, a public-private partnership in which MaineHealth matches state-funded scholarships of up to $25,000 per Maine student.

A bill to fully fund the Doctor’s for Maine’s Future scholarships was not funded by the Maine Legislature, and without legislative action, by 2030 the state will fund two fewer scholarships than it does now. While MaineHealth continues to urge the Legislature to fully fund the Doctors for Maine’s Future scholarship program, it’s also taking its own steps to address the rising cost of medical education by setting an ambitious goal of raising additional endowed funds to increase the scholarship awards it offers to $40,000 in the years ahead.

“MaineHealth recognizes that the cost of a medical degree is a major impediment to students pursuing careers in primary care and so we’re doing all we can to support our future physicians,” said Dr. Dena Whitesell, assistant dean for students in the Maine Track program. “We hope that the Legislature will find a way to fully fund the Doctors for Maine’s Future scholarship program as an investment in our health care system and our rural communities.”

You can view a recording of Maine Track Celebration here: MMC Medical Education – YouTube.

If the Husson University softball team is going to win an NCAA Division III regional for the first time in school history, it is going to have to do so by coming through the loser’s bracket.

Endicott College capitalized on two Husson errors in the seventh inning, pushing across four unearned runs on Ella Tower’s two-run single and Vania Moniz’s two-run double to rally past the Eagles 7-4 at Husson’s Robert and Frances O’Keefe Softball Field in Bangor on Thursday morning.

Eight-time North Atlantic Conference champion Husson, now 36-5 after having its 15-game winning streak snapped, will face the loser of Thursday’s second game between 26-11 Colby College from Waterville and 33-9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Friday’s 1:30 p.m. elimination game.

Conference of New England titlist Endicott from Beverly, Massachusetts, 27-13 and winner of four in a row, will face the winner of the Colby-MIT game at 11 a.m. Friday.

The third game on the docket on Friday at 4 p.m. will pit the teams with one loss.

Saturday’s championship round will begin with an 11 a.m. game and the if-necessary game will follow.

The seven runs allowed is the most given up by Husson since losing 10-1 to Bates on April 7.

Husson took a 4-3 lead into the seventh inning of Thursday’s game, but a throwing error by shortstop Lydia Rice allowed Abby McClaflin to reach to lead off the inning for the Gulls.

She was sacrificed to second by Kylyn McLaren and McClaflin reached third on a passed ball.

Maddie Beeley walked and stole second, and senior Ella Tower singled up the middle to score McClaflin and Beeley.

Following a pop-up for the second out, third baseman Morgan Curtis’ fielding error extended the inning and junior Vania Moniz made the Eagles pay by belting a two-run double to left field.

Husson took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Morgan Tainter’s two-out single and Rice’s run-scoring double.

Endicott answered with runs in the third with everything happening after two were out.

McClaflin and McLaren each singled and Beeley walked to load the bases. Tower singled to right to score both runners and Elyse Saccoccio followed with a run-scoring base hit.

Husson responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-3 lead.

Allie Casavant drew a walk and she was sacrificed along by Curtis. Camryn King and Sophia Lynch followed with singles and Lynch drove in a run with hers. Tainter followed with a two-run triple.

Tower drove in four runs with her two singles and Saccoccio and McClaflin each had a pair of hits. Senior lefty Analise Grady came on in relief of Kristen Beebe in the third inning and tossed five innings of five-hit, three-run relief with two strikeouts and two walks to improve her record to 11-5.

Tainter had a single to go with her triple and Lynch had a pair of singles for Husson.

Junior righty Ana Lang went the distance in the circle, allowing eight hits and seven runs, three earned, with six strikeouts and a season-high six walks.

She is now 23-4.

OLD TOWN — University of Maine Cooperative Extension will host Pollen Palooza, a free, family-friendly celebration of pollinators, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 30 at Rogers Farm, 914 Bennoch Road. Rain date is May 31.

The event will feature engaging, educational activities for all ages focused on the essential role of bees, butterflies and other pollinators in Maine’s ecosystems. Attendees can enjoy interactive activities with Maine Audubon and Hirundo, live and pinned insect displays, an observation hive, face painting and more. The event will also feature a collaborative recycled art project with visiting artist Kim Bernard and the debut of a new outdoor pizza oven. Friends from The Good Crust will offer free samples of farm flatbreads, and Black Bear Beekeepers will share local honey samples. More event details can be found at the Rogers Farm webpage. 

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Kate Garland at katherine.garland@maine.edu or 207-942-7396. Requests for accommodations received at least seven days before the event provide a reasonable amount of time to meet the request; however, all requests will be considered.

Karen and Dan Mulder joined the sprawling line around 11 a.m. Thursday to get a chance to hear Vice President JD Vance speak in Bangor.

The couple, tanned from just returning from their winter home in Florida, came to the Bangor International Airport where Vance was set to speak to support him and to hear the vice president talk about what’s going to be done about high prices and fraud in Maine.

“We are two patriots, and we need to save this country,” Karen Mulder said.

Hundreds of attendees waited for hours to enter the venue where Vance was set to speak by the time he landed Thursday afternoon. By 11:50 a.m., dozens of people were turned away from the door before Vance began speaking.

In his speech, the vice president spoke about federal anti-fraud efforts and showed support for Republican candidates running for state and federal positions. People in line to see Vance were passionate that he could help end the fraud in Maine and lower the state’s high cost of living.

Many people waiting there had more tangible issues with a recent spike in food and gas prices than fraud, but said the two were connected.

The Mulders, who were waiting for less than an hour, own a camp on Brewer Lake where they spend half the year, the couple said. In the last year, property taxes for that camp have gone from $1,200 to $5,000, Karen Mulder said. Higher taxes, spikes in electricity bills and a lack of transparency from Gov. Janet Mills has made the lifestyle that many Maine residents sought to attain out of reach, but Vance could bring a change to that, Karen Mulder said.

“They’ve taxed the one thing Mainers enjoy and made it unaffordable,” she said.

Vance needs support from voters because he’s a “good representation of a family man” and can help Maine become more affordable, step away from social issues and focus on enacting laws that could help residents, she said.

Just a few spaces in front of the Mulders, John Eastham, a Belfast resident, was using a day off from work to hear Vance speak, he said. Eastham wanted to hear what Vance would say about fraud in Maine and was “more interested in him than the locals” who may be endorsed by the vice president, he said.

Donned in gray suit paints, a matching vest and an American flag tie, Eastham said he was dressed up to show respect for the vice president. Eastham was not out of place, as many attendees were wearing suits or dresses more akin to the Kentucky Derby than to a political rally.

While protestors across the street from the event held signs criticizing the Trump administration for the war in Iran and higher gas prices, Eastham said he doesn’t agree with everything Trump and Vance do, but believes their policies will be regarded more positively by Americans in the future.

As Eastham was inching closer to the event entrance, Amanda McGonigle, who was roughly two dozen people behind Eastham, was told she wasn’t able to attend the event and asked to leave the line.

Security agents walked from the front of the line to where McGonigle was waiting to tell her she couldn’t attend the event, she said. The agents approached her by saying; “Hi, Amanda,” McGonigle said.

McGonigle, who drove from Massachusetts and registered for the event, didn’t know how they knew her name, but thought she had been on a list of people not allowed in or been recognized by one of the Secret Service’s cameras, she said.

McGonigle runs an Instagram account called Cats on a Couch that posts pictures of her cats along with memes and videos making fun of Vance. The account has 1.7 million followers.

“It’s a cat account. This is silly,” McGonigle said she told the agents.

She has previously protested Vance in Nantucket, and “just wanted to troll him” in Bangor, she said. She emphasized that trolling, or making fun of someone, isn’t illegal.

After being told to leave, she joined a ground of roughly 30 protestors organized by Indivisible Bangor, a local political group. Protestors held large signs of altered images of Vance intended to mock him brought from Boston.

McGonigle used a megaphone to berate Vance as his people were leaving Air Force 2, saying that he was spreading bigotry and hatred through his policies.

“I think this man, and this administration, doesn’t deserve a moment of peace,” McGonigle said.

If you’ve ever built a new house, you know that one of the major challenges of construction is navigating all the local rules and regulations that can impact a building’s design. If a plan doesn’t pass muster, projects are often sent back to the proverbial drawing board.

Last year, Maine lawmakers initially passed legislation to create housing plans that are preapproved, but ultimately the program was not funded. Now, a new report is highlighting how such plans cut time and costs for developers, boosting much-needed supply.

The report from Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonpartisan research organization, found that preapproved plans reduce builders’ development costs by roughly 1-2%, or $5-10,000 per unit.

A preapproved plan is a reusable set of design specifications and blueprints that has already been approved by a municipality, and are available to builders for a small fee or no cost.

“So instead of starting from scratch, a home builder or a homeowner who wants to put an addition or build another house on their property can use these plans to skip much of the design review process and move quickly to construction,” said Seva Rodnyansky, research manager for the Pew Housing Policy Initiative and lead researcher on the report.

He said developers save money when they don’t have to hire an architect and spend time drawing up the plans, and then get further savings from the faster approval process with municipalities.

“Slow permitting or approval processes can often delay or block housing, which adds a lot of cost because time is money and so preapproved plans can speed things up by reducing the need for various discretionary review processes,” Rodnyansky said.

He said that estimates suggest that every month of delays in a permitting process can raise construction costs by 1-3%. In Seattle, for example, that’s estimated to increase prices by $30,000 per unit.

Rodnyansky said that cities that invested in the preapproval process have seen real success. Over three years, South Bend, Indiana, reported more than 200 new units used preapproved plans, roughly 7% of all new units permitted.

“In some places broader housing reforms have been more touchy and more politically sensitive, whereas, from what we found on preapproved plans, they’re pretty popular,” Rodnyansky said. “They have not been embroiled in political issues. They’re not controversial, people like them.”

The report notes that preapproved plans are not a substitute for broader housing reforms. But Rodnyansky said the plans can be a key tool for municipalities, and can help cut down on red tape.

“No one policy is going to solve the whole shortage, but it’s about removing more consistent bottlenecks in the system,” he said. “And so things like preapproved plans are practical, scalable ways to speed up production, especially when you pair them with broader reforms like zoning or permitting changes.”

Maine lawmakers considered a state effort to make preapproved plans more accessible last year, passing a bill directing the Maine Office of Community Affairs to work with a consultant to produce at least 40 preapproved building plans.

But the Legislature did not fund the program, leaving it with an uncertain future. Samantha Horn, director of the Maine Office of Community Affairs, said despite that, the office is exploring options for preapproved plans, and examining how other states have acted.

In the meantime, some municipalities in Maine have already adopted preapproved plans, including Bangor.

David Warren, spokesperson for the city, said Bangor offers eight different plans at no cost. The plans have been available for about a year, but as of March no developer has yet utilized them.

“The city hopes that by offering preapproved plans, and introducing other measures, it helps ease that process to some degree,” Warren said.

Vice President JD Vance came to Bangor to talk about his leadership of a federal effort to crack down on healthcare fraud and to pin alleged problems here on Gov. Janet Mills.

Speaking to a packed hangar at the city’s airport on Thursday, Vance blamed the term-limited Democrat for what he called a failure to crack down on fraud in the state’s Medicaid program and used the appearance to boost former Gov. Paul LePage’s bid for the 2nd Congressional District, which voted for Trump three times and is being vacated by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden.

“Do you like having a state governor who doesn’t work with the federal government to fight against fraud?” Vance asked the crowd. “So let’s kick Janet Mills to the curb, and let’s send Paul LePage to Washington to help us fight the fraudsters and protect all of you.”

Vance is leading a task force on fraud, and his visit to Maine came one day after President Donald Trump’s administration froze new home healthcare and hospice providers from enrolling in Medicare for six months. His visit gave LePage a platform to address the issue and handed Democrats an opportunity to blame high costs on Trump’s Iran war.

The vice president mostly spoke in generalities about fraud. He referenced a federal audit finding Maine made at least $45.6 million in improper Medicaid payments for services provided to children with autism in 2023, though similar findings had been made in Indiana and Wisconsin as part of an effort that started under former President Joe Biden.

The only specific Maine case Vance cited involved Lewiston provider Bright Future Healthier You, which ensnared in a federal criminal case first reported by the Bangor Daily News in January. It alleges a scheme that used Medicaid money to commit tax fraud. Rakiya Mohamed of Auburn pleaded guilty in March to filing a false tax return.

In response to a question on what else the task force is examining in Maine, Vance predicted that the scrutiny was just getting started.

“I can’t promise but I suspect we’re going to find hundreds of millions of more dollars every single month that we look in the state of Maine, because this is not a state that takes it seriously,” he said.

Mills did not immediately respond to Vance’s remarks. Her administration moved in December to suspend an immigrant health care provider from Medicaid over alleged interpreter fraud. That followed months of scrutiny from the conservative Maine Wire. A BDN investigation shortly after that found police had been warning of potential interpreter fraud for five years.

Vance nodded to Maine’s biggest 2026 race by praising U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who was in Washington for scheduled Senate votes and skipped the event. Her campaign is looking to keep some distance from Trump while trying to win a Democratic-leaning state against likely party nominee Graham Platner following Mills’ exit from the race last month.

“Sometimes I get frustrated with Susan Collins. I almost wish that she was more partisan,” Vance said. “But the thing I love about Susan is she is independent, because Maine is an independent state.”

The hangar was full, with hundreds having lined up before 8 a.m. Several attendees complained of waiting hours only to find standing room only inside the hangar, where signs reading “Protecting Taxpayer Dollars” and “Fighting Fraudsters” hung from the ceiling.

Outside, Democratic protesters lined up across the street, including Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a gubernatorial candidate. The Democratic National Committee sent a memo to reporters hitting Trump and Vance on costs. One survey released this week found just 30% approval for Trump on the economy.

There will be a controlled burn in the University of Maine forest in Old Town next week.

The university, along with the Maine Forest Service, will be conducting a controlled burn in a portion of the Dwight B. DeMeritt Forest off the dirt portion of College Avenue Extension, south of Gilman Falls, on Monday, according to Kyle Milan, Old Town’s fire chief.

That is weather permitting.

“Residents should not be alarmed if they see smoke or an increased fire department and forest ranger presence in the area,” Milan said in a statement.

Milan urged people to avoid that stretch of College Avenue Extension, near the northern parking lot.

The 2,000-acre forest was acquired by the university in 1939 by lease and then deed in 1955. It has more than 15 miles of trails open to walkers, joggers, runners, cyclists and horseback riders, and snowshoers and skiers in the winter.

​​​NORWAY—“It’s amazing to think that 160 years ago, just a short walk away, a group of 14 individuals founded Norway Savings Bank. Through all of the changes and growth, three things that group would immediately recognize with pride are our caring team, our personal service to our customers and our commitment to community.”

Customers, community members, and NSB staff listened as Dan Walsh, president and CEO of Norway Savings Bank, spoke in the courtyard of the bank’s Main Street branch in Norway on Friday afternoon, April 24. Hundreds gathered at a community barbecue celebrating NSB’s 160th anniversary.

NSB accepted its first deposit, $5, in early April 1866.

“Now NSB has over $2 billion in assets. The success is underpinned by what Norway Savings Bank has always been about: the people. The customers, the community, and the team,” said Sen. Rick Bennett of Oxford during the barbecue. “When the legislature celebrated NSB for being named one of the strongest banks in the nation, it filled us all with such great pride. When you have an institution like this led by great people, it’s a really special thing.”

Visitors enjoyed a free lunch and dessert; tried their luck in the NSB Cash Booth and a prize wheel; played games like cornhole; met Barnabee, NSB’s beloved mascot; and danced to music provided by Derek Douglass, a professional DJ who is also a retail collections manager for NSB.

“When we celebrate 160 years of Norway Savings Bank, it reminds you of how important the bank is to Oxford Hills and beyond,” John Williams, executive director of the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce, said. “I can’t be more grateful for their contributions to our community. We have always worked closely with NSB and they have been so supportive year after year after year. I’m so thankful for all that they stand for.”

NSB’s commitment to giving back to the community through volunteerism, donations, and other participation exists across the bank. In that spirit, Walsh called all NSB team members in attendance to stand with him as he presented a special $20,000 check to Norway Downtown, a nonprofit that pursues economic development, growth, job creation, housing revitalization, historic preservation and cultural enhancement in downtown Norway. Brendan Schauffler and Deb Partridge, members of the Norway Downtown Board of Directors, accepted the check during the ceremony.

“Thank you for coming today to honor NSB’s past and celebrate our present,” Walsh said. “Just as we have for 160 years, whatever the future brings, we’ll be here to help.”

To learn more about the incredible 160 years of NSB, click here.

Five teens have been accused of breaking into vehicles throughout Madison.

The kids, who range in age from 13 to 16, face charges of burglary, theft, burglary of a motor vehicle and criminal mischief, according to the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.

The break-ins happened Sunday throughout Madison, and the teens allegedly broke windows at two homes, the sheriff’s office said Thursday.

Deputy Michael Pike identified the suspects Monday during his follow-up investigation.

The investigation is ongoing, and more charges could follow after the district attorney reviews the case.

The Brewer School Department superintendent is retiring after nearly seven years and his replacement has already been hired.

Gregg Palmer’s last day as superintendent is June 30, he told the Bangor Daily News. His retirement marks the end of his 31-year career in public education.

The department has already hired his replacement, Palmer said. Taking over the role is Dan Chadbourne, the director of pupil services for the Bangor School Department.

“He has worked in several roles over the years there in the Bangor School Department and will be terrific in the superintendency,” Palmer said.

Palmer, a Carmel native, started his career in Brewer in 1994. He worked as a high school special education teacher until 2002. He spent the next 17 years as a principal for three different Maine high schools.

He returned to Brewer schools in 2019 to work as the superintendent, a move that was a homecoming, he told the BDN at the time.

During his tenure, Palmer kept the school’s budget increase to roughly 4% a year, a 10-year trend, according to the city of Brewer.

This spring the  department settled a two-year old lawsuit for $350,000, where neither side admitted liability. It followed a lawsuit from now-deceased local conservative activist Shawn McBreairty over an online post McBreairty published in February 2024 about girls’ bathrooms not being safe if males are present. It had a picture of students in a Brewer High School bathroom, including a transgender student.

Grade 12, high honors: Peyton Antone, Abby Dubois, Tessa Ewer, Taylor Frye, Olivia Hunsinger, Samir Jackson, Benjamin Lanpher, Edgar Leclerc, Xavier Michaud, Jacob Murzyn, Mackenzie Oiler, Fletcher Oxley, Vanessa Pellett, Kristany Raymond, Margaret Rudnicki, Austin Ryan, Erin Selleck, Aidan Short, Evangeline Sylvester, Sabree Thomas, Amberlynn Weatherbee, Reece Welch; honors: Kali Alexander, Gavin Applebee, Kaylee Applebee, Andrew Ball, Zoey Boothby, James Brocato, Maxwell Brown, Hailey Campbell, Camden Coburn, Elijah Cormier, Evan Decker, Kaleigh Doten-Bagley, Benjamin Eastman, Olivia Garland, Gabriel Hedger-Patterson, Sydney Higgins, Kobe Hills, Jacob Hulbert, Brody Hurd, Isabella Ingalls, Ethan James, Steven Lancaster, Lillian Mayhew, Lauren McCannell, Thomas Meserve, Christian Nadeau, Jordan Pack, Dylan Phair, Alivia Putnam, Lily Raleigh, Ashtin Searway, Aubrey Searway, Madison Stewart, Mya Sullivan, Nathan Sullivan, Brynn Susee, Natalie Tardie, Kameron Thurlow, Mikelle Verrill, Carter Wiggin.

Grade 11, high honors: Holden Bartley, Pierce Bartley, Mack Bateman, Joseph Belanger, Mitchell Berrier, Michael Fowler, Elaine Gerry, Leia Guerette, Matthew Howard, Peyton Jordan, Claire Larkin, Landyn Michaud, Jacob Morissette, Lavin Moses, Cody Oliveira, Nathan Philbrick, Lila Ryan, Darren Sinclair, Tyler Slate, Devyn Stanley, Benjamin Szewc, Hannah Waning; honors: Olivia Adams, Rebecca Balmas, Daniel Belakiewicz, Ella Brewer, Cassidy Condon, Ryan Corson, Tyler Corson, Kaitlyn Crosby, Avianna Curry, Ethan Curtis, Daniel Dewitt, Abygail Fournier, Grayson Heal-Hedger, Sam Hopkins, Ethan Ladd, Hazel Leclerc, Ethan Lingley, Seth Malcolm, Gage Martin, Conner McAlpine, Hunter McDonald, Madison McNally, Camden Morrison, Destiny Overlock, Dominick Pelletier, Jayelle Pelletier, Landen Pooler, Ethan Pyle, Charlotte Rios Velez, Caleb Sayahi, Taylor Sleeper, Elena Walker, Kaelynn Woodman, Dylan Yeo.

Grade 10, high honors: Chloe Arce, Grant Bartley, Kendall Brown, Olivia Burns, Chloe Cannon, Elizabeth Cushman, Addison Decker, Gracie Fecteau, Joseph Golden, Charles Kelly, Shannon Lanpher, Stella Lawrence, Andrew Meserve, Carter Middleswart, Kaylob Ouellette, Yuma Ozaki, Brielle Phair, Jillian Rios-Mallett, Greyson St. Louis, Peyton Stevens, Benjamin Tisdale, StephenTownsend, Ayden Violette, Khloe White, Lane York; honors: Killian Anderson, Lydia Bailey, Bentley Boyd, Breslyn Boyd, Abbigail Bradstreet, Jake Brown, Rilynn Crouse, Brayden DeWitt, Carter Dubois, Griffin Dunton, Noel Evans, Addalynn Farmer, Braden Garland, Reid Garner, Brayden Gomez, Payton Guerrette, Nathan Henderson, Kylie Hurd, Ella Johnson, Kaleb Keezer, Brooklynn Kelley, Haley Kranich, Riley Lovely, Kyla McCannell, Collin Mehrhoff, Joshua Nadeau, Aedan Seeber, Abram Shorey, Brandon Smith, Brody Tarr, Rhya-Beth Thurlow, Israel Tolliver, Amanual Wheaton, Logan Young.

Grade nine, high honors: Ava Adams, Matthew Carle, Anastasia Cook, Jake Fecteau, Ethan Garner, Makenzie Goodspeed, Ashlyn Kajkowski, Savina McLaughlin, Jackson Michaud, Hannah Pooler, Callie Richardson, Breanna Seeber, Johane Slate, Tiaan Slate, Gwendolyn Smith; honors:Wyatt Allen, Molly Cairns, Colin Cronkite, Aiden Dalessandro, AJ Dowling, Elsa Ewer, Lennon Fereghetti, Andre Fournier, Ryder Gray, Jackson Harris, Orion Kelsey, Savannah Levesque, Josie Nadeau, Brayden Nason, Adalena Neal, Andrew Pelletier, Haley Rancourt, Keegan Reynolds, Taylor Ryan, Sebastian Sparks, Allison Stewart, Mason Thayer, Olivia Tibbetts, Brooklyn Whitney, Latasha Wilder, Isabella Wing.

BANGOR — MaineStream Finance is celebrating 25 years of helping Mainers pursue homeownership, grow businesses and strengthen their financial future through flexible financing and financial coaching.

Since launching in 2001 as a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution under Penquis, MaineStream Finance has worked to expand access to capital for people across Maine who may not fit traditional lending models. Over the past 25 years, the organization has helped individuals purchase homes, strengthen credit, launch businesses, expand operations and invest in long-term financial growth.

“At MaineStream Finance, we believe access to capital can open doors,” Dee Williams, director of MaineStream Finance, said. “When people have access to flexible financing, financial coaching and opportunities that fit their goals, they’re able to invest in a home, grow businesses, strengthen financial stability and build the future they want for themselves and their families. Over the past 25 years, we’ve watched Maine people turn ideas into businesses, purchase homes and create a stronger financial footing for the future.”

Over the last two decades, MaineStream Finance has continued to evolve in response to the changing needs of Maine communities.

In its early years, the organization became a U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution, developed partnerships with local banks and helped hundreds of families navigate the foreclosure crisis during the 2008 recession. MaineStream also launched the award-winning Incubator Without Walls program to help entrepreneurs turn business ideas into sustainable ventures.

As Maine’s housing and economic landscape shifted, MaineStream expanded its services by becoming an SBA microlender and launching financial coaching programs that helped families strengthen their financial foundation. Through Penquis’s charter membership with NeighborWorks America, MaineStream has also participated in national initiatives and partnerships that support community development and financial opportunity.

When the pandemic disrupted households and businesses across the state, MaineStream quickly adapted by moving education programs online, helping small businesses navigate emergency funding opportunities, and expanding rental and eviction counseling services while maintaining lending and coaching operations.

In recent years, MaineStream has continued developing new solutions to address emerging needs. The organization secured $300,000 through the Finance Justice Fund, achieved 200% growth in small business loan deployment, received a $150,000 CDFI FA/TA grant and launched its Turn-Key manufactured housing loan product to create more accessible pathways to homeownership. The organization recently closed its first Turn-Key Manufactured Housing Mortgage in Thomaston.

Over the past 25 years, MaineStream Finance has continued adapting to meet the changing needs of Maine communities, developing new lending products, expanding financial coaching services and creating flexible financing solutions that help strengthen local economies and increase access to opportunity across the state.

As MaineStream Finance looks ahead, the organization remains focused on expanding access to capital, supporting entrepreneurs and helping more Mainers pursue long-term financial growth.

MaineStream Finance, a subsidiary of Penquis, is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that provides home loans, small business loans, and financial coaching services to help individuals, families and entrepreneurs across Maine pursue financial growth and opportunity.

Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.

Maine’s five Democratic gubernatorial candidates debated taxes, housing and the limits of bold promises Wednesday, with the sharpest exchange coming over a proposal to impose higher property taxes on out-of-state second-home owners.

The dispute offered a rare glimpse of friction in a Democratic field that has been notably collegial. For most of the debate, the five candidates agreed on raising the minimum wage, banning cellphones in classrooms and standing up to President Donald Trump’s administration against healthcare cuts.

But the field split on the issue of second-home taxes. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former House Speaker Hannah Pingree have both backed amending the Maine Constitution to make it happen. Right now, it says that property taxes must be assessed equally.

Constitutional amendments require the approval of two-thirds of lawmakers in each chamber — a high bar given the relatively even divide of the Legislature — plus a statewide referendum. That would make for a “labor-intensive, long process” that could also violate the U.S. Constitution, former Maine public health chief Nirav Shah said.

Bellows fired back that “that’s simply not correct.” As the former head of the ACLU of Maine, she noted that New York and South Carolina have proposed similar measures, and that there were many court cases people thought were impossible “and we won.”

“I say we try it,” she said. “Worst-case scenario somebody sues us, maybe they find it to be constitutional, maybe they don’t. If they don’t, we have the political will to make a constitutional amendment.”

Pingree agreed, calling for greater investment in housing production and pushing to make those with the “fanciest homes” and out-of-state second homes pay more.

“We’ve seen property taxes double,” she said.

Former Senate President Troy Jackson said the second-home proposal would “make a lot of people excited, and then we wouldn’t be able to do it, and nothing would happen.” He said there are other ways to earn tax revenues from the wealthy.

Shah directed his focus elsewhere for new revenue, suggesting heavy online betting and cannabis, while arguing the bulk of revenue from a new millionaire tax should be spent on education “to fund our schools and reduce property taxes.”

On the budget more broadly, Shah said he wanted to use funding “we have far more efficiently.” Republicans, he quipped, are focused on autocracy, while Democrats focus on bureaucracy.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden said Wednesday that he will vote for a resolution requiring President Donald Trump to end military operations in Iran, becoming the final member of Maine’s delegation to support such a measure.

Golden, who represents Maine’s 2nd District, had opposed several previous resolutions on Iran because he said the War Powers Act grants presidents 60 days to conduct military operations without congressional approval. But Golden said that the 60-day window closed on May 1.

“President Trump, like all his predecessors, has refused to recognize the limitations of the War Powers Act, but to me the law is clear,” Golden said in a statement. “His window for unilateral military engagement has closed. Hostilities, including the use of the U.S. fleet to impose a blockade of Iranian ports, cannot legally continue unless the president seeks, and wins, Congressional approval.”

Golden is backing a “clean” war powers resolution sponsored by U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-New York. That resolution could come up for a House vote next week.

The 2nd District Democrat, who is retiring at the end of this year after four terms in the House, had previously supported a resolution that would have reduced the 60-day window to 30 days. But he has opposed several other war powers resolutions requiring the Trump administration to end military attacks on Iran.

Last month, for instance, he cast the deciding vote to defeat a resolution requiring Trump to cease military operations in Iran except to defend against an imminent attack. Golden, who was the only Democrat to oppose that resolution, said at the time that passage of the resolution would have weakened the U.S. position as it negotiated with Iran.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who represents the state’s 1st District, has consistently supported war powers resolutions on Iran, as has independent U.S. Sen. Angus King. Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins had opposed earlier versions but, like Golden, has supported resolutions since the war in Iran surpassed the 60-day threshold requiring congressional authorization.

Republicans in both chambers have defeated all of the resolutions to date.

This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.

SKOWHEGAN, Maine — The town has told a church that houses homeless people that its residents must move out immediately.

The cease and desist letter, dated Tuesday, marked the latest development in Skowhegan officials’ monthslong effort to get Shelters By Jesus, run out of the Trinity Evangelical Free Church at 12 McClellan St., to resolve numerous safety-related code violations.

The church building, one of two structures on the property used as shelters, remains in violation of national fire protection codes that require a supervised sprinkler system and a monitored fire alarm system, town attorney Kenneth Lexier wrote in the letter.

“All adults and children residing in the Church building on McClellan Street must be immediately removed from the Church building,” wrote Lexier, of the Skowhegan law firm Mills, Shay, Lexier & Talbot. “The Church building on McClellan Street shall not be used to house adults or children until the Church building is in compliance with the above reference codes.”

“If all adults and children are not immediately removed from the Church building,” Lexier continued, “the Church building will be condemned for use as a residential facility, hotel and dormitory.”

Reached via telephone Wednesday afternoon, the Rev. Richard Berry, the church’s pastor, referred questions to church Chair Ken Allen.

Allen, to whom Lexier addressed the cease-and-desist letter, did not answer phone calls Wednesday. A call to the shelter also went unanswered.

Donnie Zaluski, Skowhegan’s interim town manager, said the town decided to send the letter after giving the shelter time to try to address the code concerns and for the state to weigh in on a possible exemption for the required sprinkler system.

Gov. Janet Mills’ office declined the shelter’s request to give a 12- to 18-month extension for the sprinkler system installation due to safety concerns, according to a recent email from a Mills’ staffer that state Rep. Jennifer Poirier, R-Skowhegan, shared Wednesday on Facebook.

Staff for Mills, a Democrat, did not respond Wednesday afternoon to an inquiry regarding the email Poirier shared.

What Poirier shared indicated Mills’ office was working with the Maine State Housing Authority, Kennebec Behavioral Health and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to help relocate those affected.

The town previously suggested moving families who stay in the church building to the adjacent men’s shelter, which is code-compliant, and relocating the men, according to Zaluski. Whether the shelter follows through with that plan is up to its leaders, he said.

“We’ve given them options,” Zaluski said, “and we’re out of options now.”

The recent back-and-forth between the town and the shelter began when local and state officials found 27 code violations during an inspection on Dec. 23, 2025.

The inspection, which involved the Office of State Fire Marshal, was initiated in response to complaints that people were living in the church building, town records state. The town had also been working with the shelter in the months prior to address a bedbug problem.

The issues included nonfunctioning smoke detectors; a lack of fire alarm and sprinkler systems; improper venting for dryers; blocked egresses; exposed wiring; extension cords used in place of proper wiring; wood boiler system issues; out-of-date fire extinguishers; and improper exit signage.

The church was inspected under the provisions for occupancy as a “hotel” because of the number of people living there, fire inspectors wrote in a report. That was one of the violations, too — that the building is registered as an assembly space and never applied for change in occupancy.

Skowhegan Code Enforcement Officer Aaron Crocker issued a notice of violation in January, threatening financial penalties and possible closure if the issues were not addressed.

The shelter appealed the notice to the town zoning board of appeals, which upheld the violations. Allen’s main request was for more time to fix the offenses — but the board’s only authority was to determine whether town officials were correct in finding the violations during the inspection.

Allen, at the February hearing before the board, said his organization had addressed 21 of 27 of the violations.

Shelter leaders had developed a three-phase plan and were asking for a 180-day extension to execute the outstanding items, Allen said then. He also suggested if that were to be granted, the shelter would comply with temporary conditions such as an occupancy cap, and work with the town to schedule regular check-ins.  

The only specific code violation Allen disputed related to the required sprinkler system, which he said may be “insurmountable” after consulting contractors. The shelter had a quote for building a new structure on its property if building the suppression system proved too challenging, Allen said at the hearing.

The organization later shared a rendering of the new building on Facebook, as well as an online fundraiser, which as of Wednesday appeared to have been taken down from the platform GoFundMe.

Berry, who has been pastor at the church since 1992, said previously he started offering shelter space on the property 18 years ago.

The men’s shelter next to the church was built in 2011. Berry said he started letting families stay in the church in the years after the men’s shelter opened.

The program has served thousands of people, he said, and some people have stayed there for months or years. The shelter, funded by donations to the religious organization, also runs a food pantry and serves meals.  

Town records show several instances in which local code enforcement and the state fire marshal’s office have been involved with issues at the shelter, dating as far back as 2009.

“This has been an ongoing issue for years with this agency,” Skowhegan fire Chief Ryan Johnston wrote in his report on the December inspection. “At the last request, prior to my time here, the Fire Department was told by the Governor’s Office to stand down.”

A spokesperson for the state fire marshal’s office said earlier this year officials there were unaware of such a directive. Town officials, meanwhile, in response to a records request, did not locate any records confirming that ever happened.

This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Jake Freudberg can be reached at jfreudberg@centralmaine.com.  

Five people have been arrested after police busted an alleged fentanyl trafficking ring operating out of Caribou.

Jose Rosado, 49; Ariel Rosado, 49; Justin Murphy, 41; Andrea Tranthum, 33; and Tyana McLaughlin, 26, all of Caribou, have been charged with aggravated drug trafficking, according to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Ariel Rosado, Murphy and Tranthum also face separate charges for violating their probation.

The arrests followed a month-long investigation into drug trafficking out of a Sweden Street home, where police executed a search warrant on May 7.

During a search of the home, police found more than 220 gross grams of fentanyl and a sawed-off 20-gauge shotgun, the MDEA said Thursday.

They were all taken to the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton, where bail was set at $1,000 for McLaughlin and $10,000 for the Rosados, Murphy and Tranthum.

More arrests are expected in this case, according to the MDEA.

Vice President JD Vance was set to arrive in Maine for a Thursday speech at the Bangor airport on federal anti-fraud efforts.

The visit is a platform for the vice president and a host of Republican politicians who are attending the event, including former Gov. Paul LePage, who is aiming to recapture the Trump-friendly 2nd Congressional District for his party.

A video stream will be added to this story before the vice president makes his remarks around 12:30 p.m. The event will also be available to watch on our Facebook page.

WATERVILLE — Maine Children’s Home’s board of directors has appointed Daniel Booth as executive director, after he served in the interim role since February. 

Booth, a former Maine Children’s Home board president and longtime board member, stepped into the interim position earlier this year during a leadership transition. He succeeds Candace Marriner, who became executive director in August 2023. Marriner followed longtime executive director Rick Dorian, who led the nonprofit through a period of organizational growth and change beginning in 2016. 

“Dan continues to bring stability, clarity and strong mission alignment during an important transition for our organization,” Steve Doyon, board president of Maine Children’s Home, said. “His leadership and operational experience make him exceptionally well-positioned to lead this next phase of our work.” 

Booth assumes the permanent role as the organization prepares to open the Maine Children’s Home Center for Families, which will bring mental health counseling and therapy, adoption services, targeted case management and young parent services into a more coordinated system of support. The center is designed to enhance collaboration between programs, streamline referrals and provide more continuous support as client needs change. 

“For many families, navigating multiple systems can be overwhelming,” Booth said. “The Center for Families allows our teams to work more closely together so support feels connected, responsive and centered around the needs of each individual and family.” 

The center will be located at 93 Silver St. in the 7,600-square-foot Lunder Building on the organization’s Waterville campus. Supported in large part by $525,000 in federal funding secured through U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine and approved in 2023, the renovation modernized the 60-year-old facility with trauma-informed spaces for counseling and family support services. 

The project is expected to expand mental health service capacity, allowing the organization to serve more clients and add clinical staff. Clinicians will begin seeing clients in the center by late July ahead of a planned September grand opening. 

Maine Children’s Home has served children and families across the state for more than 127 years through programs focused on family support, adoption, counseling and youth services. In a typical year, the organization reaches nearly 3,000 people of all ages across the state. 

For more information, visit www.MaineChildrensHome.org or contact Director of Marketing and Communications Chelsea Ellis at CEllis@MaineChildrensHome.org or 207-873-4253 ext. 282. 

Founded in 1899, Maine Children’s Home is a Waterville-based nonprofit organization dedicated to building and strengthening families and their children throughout Maine. Through adoption, counseling, parenting support, case management, and seasonal assistance programs, MCH instills hope for the future and supports a better quality of life for Maine families.

A popular midcoast restaurant that’s been in business for almost half a century has been sold to new owners.

The Taste of Maine in Woolwich has been open for 48 years. The restaurant was recently sold after being on the market for four years.

In a post online, the current owners say the new owners will take over in either August or September.

They’re encouraging anyone with gift cards to use them before the change.

“This is a very emotional time for me and my family. The Taste of Maine has been our life for nearly five decades. The memories, friendships, laughter, and support you have given us over the years mean more than words could ever express. We ask that you continue to support the new owners the same way you supported us. We truly want them to succeed and continue the legacy of this special place,” the current owners said.

When asked on their post if the new owners would be changing anything, the current owners replied, “same crew, same menu.”

The Taste of Maine had been family owned and operated since 1978.

The restaurant is known for its fresh Maine lobster and seafood, as well as a dining room filled with antique collectibles from all over the state.

Vice President JD Vance was set to arrive in Maine for a Thursday speech at the Bangor airport on federal anti-fraud efforts.

The visit is a platform for the vice president and a host of Republican politicians who are attending the event, including former Gov. Paul LePage, who is aiming to recapture the Trump-friendly 2nd Congressional District for his party.

See live updates below.

Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.

Vice President JD Vance arrives in Maine Thursday for a speech at the Bangor airport on federal anti-fraud efforts.

But the visit is as much about politics as policy. Here’s what to watch.

The official topic is healthcare fraud, which has become a live issue in Maine since the winter.

Following a major prosecution focused on Minnesota’s Somali community, Maine suspended Medicaid payments to an immigrant healthcare provider over potential interpreter fraud, something that authorities have long flagged as a problem. Immigration officials also surged into the state for six days in January, making roughly 200 arrests.

The visit comes a day after Medicare froze enrollment for new home healthcare providers, giving the speech an immediate backdrop. The Trump administration and the Mills administration exchanged letters on the issue earlier this year. Vance told reporters Wednesday he was open to working with Gov. Janet Mills but was coy about his visit.

“I’m not going to tell you everything I’m going to say tomorrow in Maine because if I did that, why would I go to Maine tomorrow?” he told reporters. “But I’m looking forward to it. It’s a beautiful time of year to be in the state of Maine.”

One source said there will be a “parade” of speakers on the fraud issue, and there is no indication Vance will be leaving the airport for the high-security event. There was a heavy Secret Service presence around the airport on Wednesday.

Vance confirmed Wednesday he would also be campaigning for former Gov. Paul LePage, the Republican trying to take back the 2nd Congressional District. At least four Republican gubernatorial candidates will be at the Thursday event, with Garrett Mason, Bobby Charles, Ben Midgley and David Jones confirming attendance. Mason has been working with a Vance-aligned strategist.

Notably absent will be U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, Maine’s biggest Republican name on the ballot this year, who is in Washington for scheduled Senate votes. It makes sense for Vance to focus on the 2nd District, which voted three times for Trump, rather than Collins, who needs to run well ahead of the president to win a Democratic-leaning Maine in November.

The visit from Vance is also a platform for him given his status as a leading contender to succeed Trump on the Republican ticket in 2028.

The visit is giving Democrats an opportunity, too. Gubernatorial frontrunner Nirav Shah held a news conference Wednesday criticizing the Trump administration over costs. And state Sen. Joe Baldacci of Bangor, national Democrats’ choice in the 2nd District primary, will talk to reporters in the morning. He is contending with three more liberal candidates, including State Auditor Matt Dunlap, in a primary for the right to win the Trump-friendly district.

Vance’s visit ends up as an example of Trump-era politics: LePage and Republican primary hopefuls have incentives to hug the vice president, Collins does not, and Democrats running statewide can be buoyed by the president’s sagging approval ratings.

For more than a century, the sardine — not lobster — was the king of Maine’s coastal fisheries.

The industry may be gone but the people who helped catch and pack the little fish for sale around the world remain with stories to share. There’s an effort underway in Searsport to preserve that history.

At the height of production during the 1950s, dozens of canneries fueled the economies of towns like Lubec, Belfast and Eastport. At that time, two out of every three sardines sold in the U.S. were packed in Maine.

That effort took entire communities helping to steer canned fish production. While the men of Maine’s coastal villages were on the water catching the fish, it was women who stood for hours in the canneries cutting up the tiny fish and packing them into tin cans.

“I remember cutting off the heads and the tails and having all these fish heads staring up at me,” said Anne Shure, who worked at the Stinson Cannery in Belfast during summers from 1971 to 1973. She still remembers all the sights — and other aspects of the cannery.

Shure said she was paid by the can and aimed to pack hundreds of fish a day. She remembers wrapping her fingers to prevent cuts from scales and scissors.

“It definitely smelled,” she said. “No one would go in my car because it smelled like sardines.”

The Maine sardines are actually a species of herring but were marketed as sardines to compete with European markets when canneries opened in the late 1800s.

During World War II, preserved fish were ideal to send to soldiers fighting overseas. After the soldiers came home, Maine boasted more than 40 active canneries along its coast.

But by the 1970s, when Shure was putting in long hours at the Stinson Cannery, the industry had already started to lose steam.

Kevin Johnson, the photo archivist at the Penobscot Maritime Museum in Searsport, said a few factors contributed to the decline.

“Overfishing being a primary one, but people’s taste also changed,” he said. “And inventions of things like refrigerators and coolers and microwaves and other things made it so you didn’t have to rely on something that was preserved for a quick meal.”

Maine canaries began to shutter one by one, creating economic upheaval in communities along the coast.

“You can imagine what it was like in these smaller towns where there was a cannery that employed up to 1,000 people,” Johnson said. “When that shuts down, it’s leaving a big gap in the livelihood of that town.”

Johnson said the closed canneries left a vacuum that some local economies still struggle to fill, while others have been repurposed or have new economic drivers to fill the gap.

In a barn in Bellmont, a group of artists are busy repainting a towering, 40-foot-tall aluminum sign of a smiling fisherman. His name is “Big Jim.”

At the peak of the industry, a group called the Maine Sardine Council was formed by the Legislature to market and support Maine sardines. Big Jim was part of an advertising campaign in the 1960s, which also included comic books, newspaper ads and commercials.

“Big Jim is supposedly Jim Warren, who was the director of the Maine Sardine Council,” Kevin Johnson said. “Whether it was his idea or they just jokingly nicknamed the sign after him … that’s how Big Jim came to be.”

For years, Big Jim stood tall on the side of Route 1 and would greet travelers as they crossed into Maine. Then he was moved to Prospect Harbor where hundreds of tourists have snapped selfies with him. But with new ownership, the sign has gone through changes over the years, including painting over his iconic can of sardines to look like a lobster trap.

Last year, the Penobscot Maritime Museum raised $30,000 to restore Big Jim to how he looked in the 1950s. He’ll also be moved to Searsport for the summer as the main attraction for “Sardineland” — an exhibit about the history of the industry.

Annadeene Fowler leads the all-women artist group called the WOW Collective. She’s using a virtual reality headset to project vintage images of Big Jim onto the bare metal.

She traces the shapes while the other women in the group add in tiny details like the shadows and creases on Big Jim’s pants.

Fowler said the project has given the WOW Collective a greater appreciation for the industry that once employed some of their relatives.

“We really appreciate all the fishermen that were part of the sardine industry. But we’re also thinking about the women who were in the canneries and that important part of history,” she said. “It’s kind of a neat connection for us.”

This summer, Big Jim will be prominently featured along Main Street in Searsport. The Penobscot Maritime Museum’s Sardineland exhibit will also include historic photos of people working in canneries and on the water, along with hundreds of retro advertisements for Maine sardines.

For Kevin Johnson restoring Big Jim is about preserving history while those who remember catching and canning sardines are still around to experience it.

“It was important, and a big part of Maine’s identity and culture,” he said. “To be able to celebrate it, and to not wait 50 years to celebrate it, is important.”

The Stinson Seafood Plant, where Anne Shure worked as a teenager, was the last cannery to close in the United States in 2010.

The closure made national news, and a photo of Big Jim even made it in The New York Times edition from that day.

As for Shure, she said cutting fish for three summers taught her the value of hard work. And she says it has paid off multiple times in her life.

“I ended up working at an educational publishing company in the Boston area. And after the first day of work, I got called into the office by my supervisor. She said to me, ‘you know, the reason I hired you is that if you can pack sardines, you can do this job.’”

Big Jim and the Sardineland exhibit at the Penobscot Maritime Museum will open Memorial Day Weekend.

This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.

A fisherman died Monday after a rogue wave capsized his skiff Monday off Beals.

Two fishermen departed the Beals Island marina in a 17-foot skiff about 10 a.m. Monday for the area around Crumple Island, according to ABC affiliate WMTW.

They were reported overdue when they failed to return by 3 p.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard spotted them in the water about 5:30 p.m. The surviving fisherman said that a wave capsized their boat. The second fisherman was unresponsive and pronounced dead, the TV station reported.

An earthquake shook the ocean floor off South Bristol on Tuesday afternoon.

The magnitude 1.8 temblor shook the ground at a depth of nearly 6 miles about 5.6 miles east-southeast of the Lincoln County town about 2:42 p.m., the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed this week.

Since 1997, there have been more than 170 recorded earthquakes in the state, according to the Maine Geological Survey.

The strongest quake in recent memory occurred on Oct. 16, 2012, when a 4.5 magnitude earthquake shook the ground in East Waterboro, according to the Maine Geological Survey. But Maine has felt the impact of much larger earthquakes that hit as far away as Plattsburg, New York, and Quebec City.

Recorded quakes tend to be clustered near Passamaquoddy Bay, the Dover-Foxcroft-Milo area and southwestern Maine. Of course, earthquakes have been felt across Maine, even as far north as the St. John Valley, according to a Maine Geological Survey report.

Every so often quakes happen in clusters. That happened off York Harbor between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, 2024, when three quakes ranging from magnitude 2 to 3.8. It happened again near Jonesboro between Aug. 11 and Sept. 1, 2022, when about nine earthquakes ranging from magnitude 1.7 to 3 shook the ground. Before that there was the cluster of six quakes east of Cadillac Mountain on Mount Desert Island from Sept. 22 to Dec. 29, 2006, the strongest of which measured a magnitude 4.2.

A Phillips man allegedly hid in a camper after skipping out on his sentencing for manslaughter.

Albert Deschaine, 37, was supposed to appear in Androscoggin County Superior Court in January so he could be sentenced on charges of manslaughter, reckless conduct and operating a defective vehicle, according to the U.S. Marshals Office.

Those charges stem from a fatal crash in Auburn on Oct. 7, 2024.

Deschaine was driving a 2007 Chevrolet pickup truck north on Turner Road about 10:27 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2024, when he hydroplaned and crossed the center line into the path of a 2022 Toyota Rav4 driven by 78-year-old James Halliday of Auburn, police have said.

Deschaine was ejected from the Chevy, but his injuries weren’t life-threatening. Halliday was critically injured. Both men were taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

Halliday died on Oct. 20, 2024.

Deschaine was indicted on those and other charges in March 2025.

U.S. marshals learned that Deschaine had allegedly fled to the Phillips area, where he was found Wednesday in a camper and arrested without incident.

A version of this story first appeared in the Morning Update newsletter. Sign up here to receive the Morning Update and other BDN newsletters directly in your inbox.

“A success of this project is that it’s serving a lot of people. But a consequence of that is that there’s increased traffic.”

— Zach Falcon of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor on the church’s syringe exchange pilot program, which has been popular with users but is causing tension with neighbors.

Maine police watched a suspect through a neighbor’s camera for three years without a warrant. Until last week, Willie Banks’ attorney believed the camera just happened to catch the shooting. Then she learned there was more to the story.

A needle exchange at a Bangor church has been popular, but less so with neighbors. The pilot program is one attempt to address the overlapping crises of homelessness, substance use disorder and an ongoing HIV outbreak.

Bobby Charles defended his aggressive plans to cut spending at a Republican debate. The gubernatorial candidate fired off a litany of targets for the $4 billion he wants to cut from the state’s roughly $7 billion budget. On Wednesday evening, Democratic candidates for the 2nd District tackled issues important to Indigenous tribes in Maine during a forum in Presque Isle.

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“I believe Garrett Mason is the only tested and vetted conservative in this race with a proven record of delivering results.”

Opinion: I served with Garrett Mason in the Maine Senate. I’m endorsing him for governor.

The former Husson president’s house is on the market for $580,000.

Hummingbirds are returning to Maine. See where they are now.

A cow moose and calf showed up at a North Maine Woods checkpoint.

Suzanne Hebert spotted a cow and calf moose around 7 a.m. Wednesday at the St. Francis North Maine Woods checkpoint.

Hebert said she has been working for North Maine Woods since 2020.

“I love working here,” she said. “I get to see all kinds of wildlife — deer, moose, fox, squirrels and all types of birds.”

The tiny calf, still wobbly while walking, was recently born.

Moose breed in late September and early October. Cows usually give birth to one or two calves in May, and the young remain with their mother for about a year before being driven off ahead of the next calving season.

Cow moose may produce their first calf at age 2, though most do not give birth until age 3.

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com

Deb Plowman of Hampden is a former assistant majority leader in the Maine Senate.

Maine voters elected me to the Maine state Senate because they trusted me to fight for conservative values and deliver real results for families across our state. I never took that trust for granted. Whether it was working to cut taxes, improve education, or protect the principles that make Maine strong, I showed up every day focused on what mattered most: putting Maine families first.

That’s why I am proud to endorse Garrett Mason for governor.

I had the privilege of serving alongside Garrett in the Maine Senate. I saw firsthand his dedication, his work ethic, and his ability to get conservative policy passed even in challenging political environments. Garrett wasn’t there for the title or the spotlight. He was there to advance the values we share: limited government, fiscal responsibility, strong families, and opportunity for every Mainer.

He was an effective and engaged leader. Over 40 sitting and former state representatives and senators have endorsed Garrett in this race. People who saw him working every day for a better Maine. People from all over Maine whose voters trusted them to go and represent them. We have no hesitancy regarding his qualifications, drive and integrity.

In a crowded Republican primary, voters deserve clarity, not question marks. I believe Garrett Mason is the only tested and vetted conservative in this race with a proven record of delivering results.

Garrett brings experience you can trust. He was elected to the Senate at a young age, rose to become Senate majority leader, and helped pass meaningful conservative reforms, including tax relief and education choice initiatives that expanded opportunities for Maine students and families.

I know what it takes to navigate the State House and build coalitions to move policy forward. Garrett has done it successfully. He has the legislative scars, the policy knowledge, and the leadership skills to hit the ground running as our governor. Maine cannot afford on-the-job training or unproven leadership at a time when families are struggling with high taxes, rising energy costs, and a state government that too often forgets who it serves.

Garrett understands the challenges facing working Maine families because he has lived them and fought for solutions alongside colleagues like me. I believe he has the character, the conviction, and the conservative record to lead our state without hesitation or apology. He will prioritize affordability, protect our rural way of life, strengthen public safety, and ensure that government works for the people — not the other way around.

I endorsed Garrett Mason because I trust him — just as Maine voters once trusted me — to deliver results rooted in our shared conservative values. He is ready to lead on Day One, and he will never waver in his commitment to making Maine a better place for our children and grandchildren.

Maine families deserve a governor who has been battle-tested in the arena of conservative ideas and proven he can win. I believe that leader is Garrett Mason.

This June, unenrolled and party enrolled voters alike will be voting in the primary election, choosing who they would like to see on the ballot in November. I urge my fellow Mainers to join me in supporting Garrett Mason on June 9.

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

I am not a resident of Bangor but haven’t seen this option mentioned for the Fairmont question. Bangor owns the Cross Insurance Center and the bottom floor would house a lot of students, maybe even all the Fairmount School students.

I think this option would be the least disruptive to the students, parents, faculty and staff. The cost should be minimal. It is likely that any strict requirements for school buildings would either be met or might be waived by the Maine Department of Education.

Dewey Martin
Hampden

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com

Kayla McInnis is a Maine-based student focused on addiction recovery and counseling, with lived experience in recovery.

Across Maine and the country, overdose rates and access to treatment continue to dominate conversations. But what happens inside recovery programs matters just as much.

Recovery is not just about staying sober. It is about rebuilding a life, one decision at a time. And sometimes, those decisions don’t go perfectly. I’ve seen how one small mistake — like being late or missing a check-in — can feel like it wipes out all the progress someone has made. I’ve felt that moment myself, where one mistake made me question everything I had worked for. That mindset is exactly what holds people back.

We say we support recovery. We say we believe people can change. But when someone slips up, the response is often punishment instead of understanding. That sends a message: You’re only doing well if you’re perfect. That’s not realistic for anyone, especially someone trying to change their entire life.

In treatment, structure matters. Rules and accountability help people stay focused and build discipline. But there’s a difference between holding someone accountable and making them feel like they’ve failed completely. When everything becomes all-or-nothing, it creates pressure that can push people backward instead of forward.

Think about it like this: If someone is doing everything right for weeks — showing up, participating, staying clean — and then makes one mistake, what should matter more? The progress, or the slip? If we focus only on the mistake, we ignore all the growth that came before it. That can make someone think, “What’s the point?” And that kind of thinking is dangerous in recovery.

It’s easy to fall into that mindset. One bad moment can turn into thoughts like, “I messed up, so everything is ruined.” That’s not truth — it’s distorted thinking. But when the environment reinforces that feeling, it becomes harder to push back against it.

At the same time, staff and programs have rules for a reason. They are trying to keep people safe and create consistency. Without structure, things can fall apart quickly. That’s real. But structure should support recovery, not make it feel impossible.

What we need is balance. We need systems that hold people accountable and recognize effort. Instead of only asking, “What did you do wrong?” we should also be asking, “What have you been doing right?” That shift in perspective can change everything.

Recovery is already hard. People are trying to change habits, rebuild trust, face their past, and create a future all at once. They don’t need to feel like one mistake defines them. They need to know that growth includes setbacks, and that those setbacks don’t erase progress.

If we want people to succeed, we have to stop expecting perfection and start supporting progress. That means giving second chances that actually feel real — not just words, but actions. It means responding to mistakes with guidance, not just consequences.

Recovery isn’t about being flawless. It’s about getting back up, learning, and continuing forward. If we create environments that reflect that, we give people a real chance to change — not just follow rules, but build a life that lasts.

Housing
This section of the BDN aims to help readers understand Maine’s housing crisis, the volatile real estate market and the public policy behind them. Read more Housing coverage here.

A 176-year-old house for sale in Bangor has a vault hidden in the basement and an accessible cupola perched on the roof.

With nearly 3,900 square feet of living space, the six-bedroom, four-bathroom house sits on more than 1.5 acres on Broadway, across the street from Bangor High School.

The home hit the market last week with an asking price of nearly $580,000. That’s more than double the value of an average home in Bangor, which Zillow placed at $284,000 as of last month.

Known as the Burleigh-Sawyer House, the property was built in 1850 for a family that generated significant wealth through the local lumber industry, said Ellen Grant of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group, the listing agent for the property.

The home belonged to Husson University, located just west of the property, for many years and was used as the president’s house until the university sold it last year for $550,000. The owners are selling it after nearly a year because they’re looking to move to a more rural area, Grant said.

“They love the house, but they’re looking for something a little more out of town,” Grant said.

Much of the stately home has remained the same over time, Grant said, including the layout, the towering ceilings and large wooden windows, many of which have “pristine” crown molding above them. Ceiling medallions can also be found anchoring light fixtures in a few rooms.

“It’s a grand house and feels very formal and luxurious,” Grant said. “A place like this with so much history and all that space is perfect for a large family. There’s so much you can do with it.”

In addition to a formal dining room, the house has a sewing room, a walk-through pantry connecting the kitchen and dining room and a cupola on the roof that offers views of the surrounding area. There are also numerous built-in cabinets and cubbies throughout the house and three fireplaces that have been converted to gas, Grant said.

The basement, meanwhile, holds a vault but it’s unclear what the previous owners used it for, Grant said. There are also doors in the basement that are rumoured to lead to tunnels from a railroad system, but the sellers never opened them, Grant said.

The land holds a three-car garage, built in 2017, and a large barn that’s original to the house. The barn has a silo and numerous items leftover from the original owners, including furniture and a carriage, Grant said.

Bangor’s city code names the address as a historic landmark. Because of this designation, the property owners can’t make changes to the home’s exterior that drastically change the structure’s appearance or historic character, Grant said.

This could be a requirement that deters some prospective buyers, Grant said, but the property has generated more interest than she was expecting.

“It’s going to take a certain type of buyer, but we’ve had a lot of interest so far,” Grant said. “A place like this needs someone who would be able to do the upkeep.”

It’s been about three months since the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor started an unusual pilot program: allowing a local harm reduction organization to operate syringe exchange services twice a week in the church building.

Leaders from both organizations, as well as people who have used the services, say the project has made it easier for community members to get clean supplies, medical care and other support. They also acknowledge it’s created challenges, including tension with some neighbors.

The experiment is one attempt to address the overlapping crises of homelessness, substance use disorder and an ongoing HIV outbreak, issues that remain front of mind for many Bangor residents as the city struggles to determine a long-term strategy to get people off the streets.

“I think at this point, there are many members who are very proud and energized by the public health successes. It’s also surfaced real concerns,” Zach Falcon, the church’s council chair, said.

The church at 120 Park St. in the city’s downtown has long had a partnership with the harm reduction group Needlepoint Sanctuary for its “Muffin Monday” and “Taco Tuesday” events, but the start of the six-month pilot in February marked the first time the congregation has allowed needle exchange services to be facilitated inside the church building.

Needlepoint Sanctuary also has an office on Ohio Street, although it’s harder for people to get there from downtown compared with the church. Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness is the only other syringe service provider in the city, offering needle exchange services at its office on Hancock Street.

The church’s location has made it much easier for people to access Needlepoint Sanctuary’s full range of services, according to program participant Tamara Mailman, but she added that its visibility has also prompted some negativity from the broader community.

Recent City Council meetings have drawn numerous residents who are frustrated with Bangor’s approach to homelessness. Some say they think city government and other local organizations have too much empathy for those struggling with homelessness and addiction to the point that it’s unproductive.

“What is the line between helping and enabling?” resident Tricia Quirk said during public comment at a recent meeting.

Quirk, a local real estate broker who owns the Tarratine Inn and the Tarratine Restaurant near the church, specifically noted concerns about needle exchange services being offered at the church, saying, “it is starting to affect the businesses downtown when people are cancelling appointments because the front of their business is littered with needles.”

Participants and advocates of the program say the public health benefits make it essential, especially as the HIV outbreak in Penobscot County continues to grow.

“That is how we combat this HIV outbreak,” Ellen Taraschi, a Maine Family Planning nurse practitioner who provides clinical services at Needlepoint Sanctuary events, said of the addition of syringe exchange services. “It’s a public good.”

Taraschi added that she’s seen more people coming in for services and met several new patients in the last few months, indicating that offering clean injection supplies has helped incentivize participation in other types of care. Maine Family Planning often brings a mobile unit to the church to provide prevention and treatment for HIV and substance use disorder, wound care and testing for HIV, hepatitis C and STIs.

Robert Stilphen, a program participant, said he thinks the pilot has helped curb HIV spread. In the past, “I’ve seen a whole room of people pass around needles,” he said — but he hasn’t seen much of that lately.

Since the pilot began in February, Needlepoint Sanctuary has had 852 service encounters at Park Street, given out 457 wound care kits and served more than 2,500 tacos, according to Willie Hurley, the group’s executive director. During that period, 133 overdoses have also been reversed with naloxone distributed from the church, he added.

Another program participant, Jennifer Marshall said she’s gotten HIV testing, hepatitis C treatment and PrEP, the medication that prevents HIV transmission, at the Park Street church.

Numerous people who visit the church weekly for services also emphasized its value as a safe space where they can go and be part of a community.

“A lot of us don’t have emotional support,” Mailman said. But when she spends a few hours at Taco Tuesday, she’s able to talk to people with similar experiences, including people who are in recovery.

The growing number of visitors this year has also brought new challenges.

“A success of this project is that it’s serving a lot of people. But a consequence of that is that there’s increased traffic,” Falcon said, which can be disruptive for nearby residents and businesses.

Falcon said congregation members are working with Needlepoint Sanctuary to address concerns as they come up, including issues with crowd control outside the building. Needlepoint Sanctuary staff now regularly go outside to keep foot traffic moving, he said.

The congregation will deliberate and vote in the early fall on whether to continue with the needle exchange program, he said. That decision-making process will involve evaluating data, but also considering how the project has affected the church, neighborhood and broader community.

Belfast is pushing back its timeline for cleaning up a condemned building downtown, due to delays from the federal government.

Work to demolish the former Bradbury Manor nursing home will begin sometime after Oct. 15, 2026, and end before April 30, 2027, the city says. It had intended to finish work at the site, located at 74 High St., before Memorial Day this year, to avoid affecting nearby businesses during the tourist season.

“The EPA was shut down for a while, and I think that just kind of derailed trying to get everything done in a timely manner,” said Thomas Kittredge, Belfast’s economic development director.

Delays at the EPA slowed down the process of getting the necessary approvals and authorizations, Kittredge said. By the time the city had the approvals, it was the end of March and that left little time to put the work out to bid and get it done before the tourist season began, he said.

Despite the delay, Spencer Stephens, who lives a block from the building, was glad to hear that there is now a clearer timeline for the cleanup.

“It’s an ugly blemish on the face of Belfast, and it’s a shame that it has been able to stand for as long as it has,” he said.

The building has been “vacant and deteriorating” since 1995, according to documents from the Environmental Protection Agency. But its demolition is complicated by the fact that it contains asbestos, lead paint and other toxic materials, Kittredge has said.

Demolishing the building and cleaning up the site will cost about $460,000, according to estimates the city made in 2024, though Kittredge said rising costs could affect that number. The city intends to pay for the cleanup of Bradbury Manor and the former Waldo County Superior Courthouse using a $2 million grant from the EPA.

The city plans to put the project out to bid this summer. In the meantime, it is conducting work next week at the site that will help it prepare the bid.

In 2024, the city seized the building by eminent domain after its owner failed to follow a court order to tear the building down.

Hummingbirds are returning to Maine as the 2026 spring migration continues across North America.

Birders across the country are using an interactive map that updates with new sightings.

Most hummingbirds spend the winter in Mexico and Central America before migrating north each spring. The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only species that breeds in Maine. They typically begin arriving in May and remain in the state through September, with males usually appearing first, according to Hummingbird Central.

While ruby-throated hummingbirds are by far the most common species in Maine, birders occasionally spot rare western species such as the rufous hummingbird and calliope hummingbird. Some likely wander east during migration, while others may be blown off course by weather systems.

For three years, everything that happened in the entryway of Willie Banks’ Westbrook home was captured by his neighbor’s security camera.

What he didn’t realize until recently was that a state drug officer was using the camera feed to watch him in real time without first obtaining a warrant. That revelation, disclosed in federal court last week by Banks’ defense attorney, has turned an otherwise low-profile gun case into a deeper inquiry of police surveillance in an on-camera world.

Federal defender Heather Gonzales included the information in a request to the court to sanction prosecutors for failing to inform her that an officer had ongoing access to the neighbor’s camera, footage from which aided in his arrest in connection with a shooting. If she had known, she would have argued the police needed a warrant.

The facts of the case center on a police tactic covered by an evolving and unsettled area of law. A spate of recent cases has prompted judges to weigh in on the constitutionality of how police use technology to conduct long-term surveillance of suspects. Only a few cases have reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

“This is an interesting case,” said Rick Hubbard, a criminal justice professor at New England College in New Hampshire whose paper on long-term police pole camera surveillance and the Fourth Amendment was published by an FBI bulletin last month.

His analysis of recent court decisions includes a notable First Circuit case that Gonzales cited in motion. In that instance, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives installed a camera on top of a utility pole to observe a suspect for eight months. The judges split 3-3 on whether the surveillance violated the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition on unreasonable searches.

“Three years is one of the longest ones I’ve seen,” Hubbard said, referring to the situation in Westbrook. He believes that long-term pole camera surveillance is headed for the Supreme Court, and the justices will rule it requires a warrant.

Police arrested Banks in March 2024 after he allegedly exchanged gunfire with someone who came to his Cumberland Street apartment. Officers used the neighbor’s camera footage to identify him, court records show. Banks has a felony record that prohibits him from carrying a firearm and faces charges for possessing a gun that police found in his home that night.

Until last week, Banks’ attorney believed the camera just happened to catch the shooting. Last week, she learned there was more to the story. When the neighbor installed the camera in January 2021, he granted Phil Robinson, a Westbrook police officer and state drug enforcement agent, ongoing access to the camera feed, the court filing says.

Gonzales confirmed the information with prosecutors last week following an interview that her investigator conducted with the neighbor. The neighbor, a public safety employee for a neighboring town, previously contacted local police about disturbances and suspicious activity in the apartment building where Banks lived, according to an FBI interview conducted with Robinson that was cited in the motion.

Robinson, who retired earlier this year after 20 years with the Westbrook police, had checked the feed “with some regularity” over the years, the document stated.

Gonzales argued the prolonged, ongoing nature of the officer’s access to the camera feed constituted a level of surveillance that should have required a search warrant, where the officer would have had to show a judge probable cause to conduct the monitoring. The camera had a view of the house that was not available to members of the public, she said.

The lawyer cited not only the First Circuit decision about the pole camera and a case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the government needed a warrant before tracking someone’s location using their phone records, citing a reasonable expectation of privacy.

“The Fourth Amendment is implicated where technology enables the Government to engage in prolonged, comprehensive, and automated monitoring that qualitatively transforms ordinary observation into a powerful surveillance tool,” Gonzales wrote. “That is precisely what occurred here.”

A spokesperson for the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency declined to comment on the pending case or answer questions about how common it is for agents to conduct real-time surveillance of criminal suspects using neighborhood security cameras. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Brostowin, a prosecutor on the case, said his office planned to respond to the defense’s motion in court and declined to comment.

Westbrook Police Chief Sean Lally also declined to discuss a pending case but noted that the defense’s arguments relied on “nuanced and evolving” areas of Fourth Amendment law. He cautioned that the court should be allowed to vet the facts before they’re characterized as “warrantless surveillance.”

“Homeowners routinely provide law enforcement with access to footage when attempting to solve crimes, identify suspects, or enhance neighborhood safety,” Lally said. “The existence of such cooperation alone does not establish a constitutional violation.”

Hubbard, the professor, believes this case leans in the defendant’s favor.

“Here you’ve got a three-year investigation, or three years of surveillance, without a search warrant,” he said. “How would a reasonable person feel about this?”

Callie Ferguson is the deputy investigations editor for Maine Focus, the BDN’s investigations team. She can be reached at cferguson@bangordailynews.com.

The condition of two short railroad lines in Maine has been raised as a potential issue in a company’s plans to lease and reopen lines in Augusta and Bucksport from rail giant CSX.

The two branches, one connecting Augusta to Waterville and the other running between Bucksport and Bangor, have been dormant for years. They’re now owned by CSX, which acquired Pan Am Railways and its hundreds of miles of Maine track four years ago.

A federal review of CSX’s plan to lease the two lines to TransloadX-RR, owned by the operators of regional freight operations company TransloadX, was paused last month after several parties filed concerns including track investment and labor protections.

Filings submitted this month to the federal Surface Transportation Board, which regulates railroads, provide new details about the alleged condition of the two lines and the investment it may take to get them back in operation. They also show how the closure of the Augusta line has impacted businesses — which support Transload’s lease bid — since CSX stopped running it more than two years ago.

Critics also question whether CSX is upholding the terms of its 2022 acquisition of Pan Am, which was generally expected to bring money for upgrades and efficiency, opening new marketing opportunities in Maine. Freight traffic has been increasing in the state within the last five years and appears poised to continue growing, according to the state. 

CSX has put $100 million into the former Pan Am network, a spokesperson said Tuesday in response to a question about Maine investments. Pan Am’s lines spread throughout New England, but the spokesperson did not specify how much of that sum has been invested in Maine.

CSX also recently moved 21 jobs out of Maine from its Waterville shop, which unions in January blasted as “pure greed.”

It stopped operating the Augusta branch and later put those operations out to bid along with the Bucksport branch, which had been mostly unused for years. Those two lines saw “limited and inconsistent demand,” according to Austin Staton, director of media relations for CSX.

But now TransloadX-RR wants to lease and reopen them. In March, it filed a request with the federal board for an exemption from detailed review.

That would have put the lease into effect a month ago, but the review was delayed by the board so TransloadX-RR could respond to allegations. Filings by two unions, a competing railroad, and a former rail journalist asked the board for various levels of review first.

Chalmers Hardenbergh, the journalist, alleged TransloadX may be seeking the approval to gain classification as a railroad and thereby duck local oversight at a CSX-owned facility where it transfers freight in Framingham, Massachusetts, where a city leader said the operation was unpermitted. He also pointed out past court findings against TransloadX’s owners, Michael Milanoski and John DeWaele, from a case around a railroad sale in Massachusetts.

The company responded that his filings were aimed at manufacturing controversy and variously inaccurate or nonsensical without showing grounds to disqualify an exemption. DeWaele previously suggested filings were influenced by a “competing party.”

TransloadX-RR included letters from other businesses that support the proposal and the owners’ experience and character, along with minutes from a Framingham meeting indicating it didn’t need permits.

The company also argued the track condition concerns weren’t relevant to an exemption decision.

“TransloadX-RR adds only that any fears that the leased track will not be adequately maintained and operated safely are unfounded,” it said.

Meanwhile, customers on the Augusta branch have struggled without service, according to letters of support included in TransloadX-RR’s response. They include a scrap metal processor and Phoenix Feeds, which said it provides feed for more than 80% of Maine dairy cows.

The Bucksport branch has been quieter since the Verso paper mill at its southern end closed in 2014, though Transload has said it is working to develop customers on both lines. Republic Services, a waste and recycling collection company, said in a letter of support it would benefit from service on the Bucksport branch.

But both lines haven’t been maintained and are in unsafe condition, a union and another Maine railroad allege.

TransloadX-RR did not respond to a request for comment about its plans to repair the lines.

Representatives of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen argued in a May 6 filing that on-the-ground observations contradict CSX ‘s claims that the two lines can provide safe and efficient service.

According to the union, improvement on the Augusta branch appears mostly limited to repairs from a derailment. It is not clear from documents submitted to the board how recently this derailment occurred.

Only part of the Bucksport branch could be considered “barely serviceable at best,” the union said. Beyond that are fallen trees, washouts, blocked tracks, rails that have been turned and disconnected and paved-over highway crossings.

Other concerns raised about signals and crossings include components that have been removed or gone missing, and unmaintained circuitry and warning systems.

That makes it unsafe and unlawful to operate, according to the union, and many crossings wouldn’t pass necessary inspection and testing. It asked the board to verify conditions there for the safety of railroad employees and the traveling public.

The union also questions whether millions of dollars in federal investments in upgrades that included the Waterville area would be maintained with clear accountability.

CSX is trying to divest parts of the system while saying no specific commitments were made for the lines, despite the use of federal funds, the union alleges.

“The record shows a pattern of deferred maintenance, declining conditions, and removal of key components, not continued investment,” the union wrote. “That does not align with the intent of the CRISI program or the commitments made during the Pan Am acquisition.”

CSX has countered in filings that it didn’t specifically commit to work on the Augusta or Bucksport branches, but made bridge investments on the Augusta line, and spot tie and surfacing improvements on both.

Recent work on former Pan Am lines included replacing more than 120,000 ties, upgrading its South Portland yard, installing safety control systems for trains and improvements to track infrastructure, crossings and signals, according to Staton.

“CSX remains committed to meeting its obligations associated with the Pan Am acquisition and continues to invest in the region,” he said Tuesday.

The signalmen’s union also alleged the lease proposal sets a precedent to remove protected work from the union agreement without bargaining.

“If transactions of this nature are allowed to proceed without scrutiny, they invite a broader disassembly of labor protections across the industry with one leased segment at a time and without transparency, accountability, or meaningful review,” it said.

CSX countered in filings that labor protection conditions from the merger don’t apply to future line leases, and the board isn’t the venue to hear a dispute.

Any lease agreement would require TransloadX-RR to give priority hiring consideration to maintenance employees who were working on the lines being leased and take a neutral stance on any union organizing effort among them, according to filings.

The federal board hasn’t set a date for its decision on the exemption.

At a northern Maine so-called inn, there’s the constant chirping of fresh fluffy chicks, the territorial honking geese and crowing roosters as a Merrill man’s flock of cold-hardy chickens, guinea fowl, quail, and geese continues to grow.

The Side Chick Inn, a small, independent Aroostook County poultry operation in Merrill across the street from Oakfield, got started late last year by two local guys, who couldn’t find a consistent source of hardy, practical stock suited to northern Maine’s often brutal winters. The farm is not an inn for people, but for birds that are hand-raised.

Rather than settle, Jon Hunt and Rick Roddy, began hand raising their beloved birds by first incubator hatching inside their homes before transitioning outside into the farm yard and small handcrafted log cabin barns that are now for sale to others.

“They are all so healthy. Hatch day – we’re so excited,” Hunt said, while cradling a small yellow house goose. “The people we sell to are mostly homesteaders or for backyard flocks. They are going to have kids, neighbors; so you want your birds to be friendly and able to be handled.”

Backyard flocks began sprouting up during the COVID-19 pandemic and when egg prices topped $10 a dozen in 2024, residential flocks continued to spread. And last year, after Maine passed a law allowing chickens on private residential property even in locations previously prohibited, interest boomed, according to experts. Because of this, the Side Chick Inn grew from a handful of birds late last year to 18 species, 24 breeds and nearly 300 birds.

Hunt’s wife, Kirsten, passed away two years ago. Along with his daughter Addison,15, two dogs, Molly and Willow and 17 parrots, Hunt then moved back to Maine from Salt Lake City. Son Ethan Hunt, 28, moved to Maine ahead of them and now lives on one side of their Merrill home.

A Maine native, Hunt was born in Arundel. He moved his family to Salt Lake City in 2015 to work at the Kennecott Mine, he said.

Because of Kirsten’s love of birds, Jon Hunt and Addison decided to get a few chickens after returning to Maine and the rest is history. A woman in Benedicta, who had been raising cold hardy Siberian Blues for 50 years to perfect the line, offered him her birds, he said.

Bred for Maine winters they have very small head combs and waddles and almost no feathers on their feet, making it almost impossible for them to get frostbite — and they can survive in an unheated coop, he said.

“Because of the way they are built, they are a smaller hen but lay a full size egg,” Hunt said. “They use less feed for the same egg output. They produce about 320 eggs a year. She raised all her roosters to be people friendly. They don’t attack and can be picked up. They don’t bite or scratch.”

Hunt explained that when chicks are sold in larger farm stores they are generally from out of state and as soon as they are hatched are thrown into a box and shipped in airplanes and trucks in cold and heat. Many do not survive because they have been exposed to so much during such a fragile time.

For Hunt and Roddy, the Side Chick Inn birds generally survive because they are hand-raised.

Last week Hunt had about 50 newly hatched chicks in warmed tubs that he transitions step- by-step into the yard to teach them how to regulate their body temperature, he said, adding that Roddy also has about 40 or 50 chicks at a time.

Late last year, in addition to the hens and roosters, he had one pair of geese that quickly turned into 17 full size when he adopted 15 more. And because they mate for life, they have all been given king and queen names like Victoria and Albert, Henry and his couple of wives. A pair of black and white Chinese geese are called Yin and Yang.

“They have so much personality,” Hunt said. “They act as flock guardians for chickens because even a coyote really won’t mess with a goose. And these dogs would die for the birds, but they are terrified of the geese. The geese are good watchdogs, they are loud. Let you know when something is around.”

Just this past week the geese have been hatching and they are selling quickly, he said.

In addition to continuing to perfect the cold hardy line, they are building more log cabin barns to better separate the birds. They are adding a horse to the farm and Hunt is getting certified to test his own birds for various infections to ship eggs nationwide, he said.

“That opens things up a lot,” he added. “Although I can verify none of them are sick because I live in the house with them.”

Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com

I’m glad Maine has ranked-choice voting this year. Know who fought hard for this citizen initiative back in 2017? Hannah Pingree.

I’ve known the Pingree family since the 1990s when Chellie Pingree was publishing her popular Maine Island Classic knitting books with Yankee Publishing, where I worked. I think Hannah, like her mother, is one of the smartest, most productive, community-oriented women you’ll ever meet. Hannah’s solutions are innovative, far-reaching and sustainable — not quick fixes.

For the past six years, she has worked with the governor’s office on housing, economic development, and climate change. Tackling heating assistance, Hannah Pingree fought the fossil fuel industries to get over 100,000 heat pumps installed. That’s long-term change and budgetary smarts, not just hand-outs.

I believe Hannah Pingree has the most experience and on-the-job training in how to maximize Maine’s budgetary bang for the buck. Before she served four terms in our Legislature, becoming House Majority Leader, and then Speaker, she interned in New York City’s Office of Management and Budget. In the Maine Legislature, she chaired the Health and Human Services Committee, and was a member of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee.

She has stood up to the chemical industries, fossil fuel industries, and worked for campaign finance reform. If anyone can bring more green energy, healthcare reforms and daycare to Maine (as New Mexico and Vermont have done), I believe Hannah Pingree will be the one.

I trust her implicitly and she’s No. 1 for my vote.

Martha White
Rockport

It has been a memorable season for Husson University leadoff hitter Camryn King from Corinna.

Entering Thursday’s four-team, double-elimination NCAA Division III Tournament Regional at the Robert and Frances O’Keefe Softball Field in Bangor, the former Nokomis High of Newport standout has already set the school record for runs scored with 52 and in stolen bases with 49.

The junior was among the top 10 in the country in stolen bases for players at the 393 Division III schools and among the top 20 in runs scored.

Husson is looking for its first regional championship, and this is the third time the Eagles have hosted a regional.

Eight-time North Atlantic Conference tournament champion Husson, 36-4, will face Endicott College, 26-13 and Conference of New England champions, to open the tourney at 11 a.m. Thursday. That will be followed by a game between Waterville’s Colby College, 26-11, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 33-9, at 1:30 p.m.

Colby College was a NESCAC semifinalist, and MIT lost in the finals of the NEWMAC Tournament.

On Friday, Thursday’s winners will play at 11 a.m. Thursday’s losers will play at 1:30 p.m., and the teams with one loss will play at 4 p.m. in an elimination game. The championship round will begin with an 11 a.m. game on Saturday followed by the if-necessary game.

The games will be moved to UMaine’s Pierre and Catherine Labat Softball Complex in Orono in case of rain.

Husson is making its eighth straight appearance in an NCAA Division III regional; MIT has now made seven in a row; Endicott won its first CBE title since 2023; and Colby is making its first-ever appearance in a regional tournament.

Husson third-year head coach Rick Roberts called King “our engine.”

“When she goes, we go. When she gets on base, good things happen,” said Roberts.

He said she is “very quick” and is also a smart, aggressive baserunner with good instincts on the basepaths.

King, who has been caught stealing just three times, is Husson’s leading hitter at .445. She also leads the team in hits with 53, doubles with 13, triples (5), total bases (88), walks (23) and on-base percentage (.547).

She is second in runs-batted in with 36 and tied for second in homers with four.

She has had 13 multiple-hit games, has scored at least two runs in 18 games and is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak in which she has gone 13-for-23 (.565) and scored 12 runs.

In addition to her offensive prowess, Roberts called King a “rock star” as a center fielder.

“She has made some unbelievable catches. We’re lucky to have her,” said Roberts.

Husson last hosted a regional in 2024, reaching the championship round where it was beaten 4-0 by Williams College of Massachusetts.

It hosted its first one in 2021 and again went 2-2 and reached the final where it was nipped by another Massachusetts school, Tufts University, 1-0.

“We’ve never won a regional and we’re looking to do that. But there are tough teams in the regionals. You have to bring your A game. You have to play well,” said Roberts, who noted that you want to avoid getting into the losers bracket early because “with the teams we have here and the pitching, it becomes tough [to win it].”

To win it, he said they are going to have to “score runs. We don’t want it to come down to pitcher’s duels.”

In comparing this Husson team to the two previous regional host teams, the former Husson assistant said “this team is more versatile. We’ve got power. We’ve hit 28 home runs. We have a lot of extra-base hits (117) and a lot of stolen bases (97). And we’re really good, defensively.”

Husson’s other offensive catalysts have been senior shortstop Lydia Rice from Winthrop (.429-8 homers-30 RBIs), freshman second baseman Sophia Lynch from Ellsworth (.382-4-17) and senior catcher Morgan Tainter (.380-3-47).

Junior pitcher Ana Lang from Searsport has set a Husson single-season record with 259 strikeouts and 23 wins this season. She is 23-3 with an 0.70 earned run average over 150 ⅔ innings and is among the top five in the country in strikeouts, strikeouts per seven innings, wins and ERA.

She was the NAC Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Lang was chosen to the all-regional team as a freshman in 2024.

Junior Sierra Yates is 6-1 with a 1.23 ERA.

Endicott features CNE tournament MVP Kylyn McLaren (.417-7-39), a junior center fielder; junior second baseman Abby McClaflin (.402-3-23), sophomore third baseman Catherine Seay (.345-1-17) and freshman designated player Maddie Beeley (.343-1-21).

Senior lefty Analise Grady (10-5, 1.80, 10 saves) and junior righty Kristen Beebe (8-3, 2.79) have been the Gulls’ top two pitchers.

Colby, coached by former Husson head coach and University of Maine slugger Terren Allen from Bucksport, has been led by senior center fielder Carissa Cassidy (.493-1-21, 37 runs, 8 triples, 24 stolen bases), junior DP Juliana Kiley (.384-2-39), sophomore 3B Avery Lyman (.337-0-11) and senior SS Victoria Ramirez (.336-1-23). The Mules’ pitching staff has been headlined by sophomore Sophia Meade (11-3, 1.67, 4 saves), freshman Sharlotte Stazinski (9-5, 2.08) and senior KC DeSarno (5-1, 3.11).

Youthful MIT has four .400 hitters in freshman RF Holland Poe (.417-3-39), sophomore LF Layla Thiessen (.416-0-15, 27 stolen bases), sophomore CF Delaney Benevides (.401-0-11, 23 stolen bases) and freshman DP Lauren Sundquist (.400-2-30).

The pitching staff consists of junior Sharona Huang (16-5, 2.82), freshman Emily Watson (10-1, 3.88) and sophomore Sarah Blackett (7-2, 3.85).

The four Democrats competing in a June primary to face former Gov. Paul LePage for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District met Wednesday night in Presque Isle at a forum put on by the Wabanaki Alliance to discuss tribal sovereignty and other issues facing the state’s native population.  

Hosted by the Mik’maq Nation, one of Maine’s four Wabanaki nations, the event lasted two hours and covered a broad range of topics, from water rights to gaming legislation to the teaching of native history in Maine’s schools.  

The candidates — State Auditor Matt Dunlap, state Sen. Joe Baldacci, former political operative Jordan Wood and social worker Paige Loud — agreed on nearly everything, chiefly in their wholehearted support of tribal sovereignty.

Sovereignty has dominated the political conversation around Maine’s tribes for years, with majority support for its expansion in the state legislature countered by opposition from the state’s executive leaders, including LePage and then Gov. Janet Mills.

“Only when I worked on these issues federally … did I understand how wrong Maine has been to its tribes and the need to rectify that injustice,” Wood said.

If elected, all four said they would reintroduce a 2022 bill put forth by U.S.  Rep. Jared Golden, to amend the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 and give the Wabanaki the same rights under federal law as the 570 federally recognized tribes.

Golden currently represents the 2nd District but abruptly announced last fall that he would not seek reelection. His bill failed in the Senate after it was blocked by Sen. Angus King, another Maine politician who has expressed skepticism at tribal rights expansions.

On gaming rights, the Democrats each said they would support legislation to make the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 apply in Maine, which would open the door for casinos on tribal land.

“You cannot put conditions on sovereignty,” Dunlap said. “You can’t say, ‘You are sovereign, except for this.’”

Last year, Baldacci opposed a bill that gave the Wabanaki control of online gambling in Maine. On Wednesday, he said the oversight of gaming should fall to the five-member Gambling Control Board.

Loud disagreed, saying that control belongs to the tribes.

“This is a sovereignty issue, which means the nations have access to oversight,” she said.

A native Oklahoman and Cherokee citizen, the 29-year-old Loud took the strongest positions on sovereignty among the candidates, including her backing of the “Land Back” movement to return native lands to tribes. She is the first indigenous woman to appear on a federal ballot in Maine, according to her campaign, and received the loudest applause from the audience of around 40 tribal members and community leaders.

“I am not naive that this title should have gone to a citizen of one of the Wabanaki nations,” Loud said. “It is shameful that the state of Maine has withheld so much opportunity to the four tribes.”

Baldacci, who has the national backing of the House Democrats’ campaign arm, frequently touted his voting record in favor of tribal rights in six years as a state representative.

Dunlap, a former Maine Secretary of State and state representative, cited his work on the Maine Wabanaki-State Truth and Reconciliation Commission. And Wood, who was chief of staff to former California Congresswoman Katie Porter, referenced the difference in the treatment of tribes between California and Maine.

Throughout the two hours, the candidates never mentioned LePage by name, but pointed criticisms in his direction over his adversarial relationship with tribes and the style of his campaign. The former two-term governor is running unopposed in the Republican primary.

“The major point of the Republican candidate in this race is to attack trans people. That is wrong,” Baldacci said. “We need to all understand that we’re all of this world, and that we all live together and share this planet together.”

Wednesday’s event was the third of three forums hosted by the Wabanaki this spring. The alliance held a forum for gubernatorial candidates on March 19 in Houlton and for U.S. Senate candidates on April 16 in Old Town.  

In the last two years, Amazon has moved deliberately to expand its operations in Maine as part of a sweeping effort to deliver orders faster in rural communities across the country.

The reaction has been mixed, with little public awareness before the online megaretailer opened a 12,000-square-foot delivery station in Caribou last August. Then construction started in April on a 60,000-square-foot delivery facility in Hermon, just over the Bangor line, again with little fuss or fanfare.

But public scrutiny has grown with the size of more recent Amazon proposals — a 146,280-square-foot warehouse and distribution center is under planning board review in Gorham and the company announced plans in March to build a similar 159,000-square-foot facility in Waterville.

While the facilities would primarily process Amazon packages, they may handle shipments for other businesses as well, the company announced this month.

Citizen opposition groups have formed in response to the Gorham and Waterville proposals, with shared concerns about their impact on traffic, natural resources and overall quality of life in rural communities. Both projects must undergo state and federal environmental reviews and a state traffic analysis.

And while some highlight the potential economic benefits and jobs created by the proposals, others say Amazon’s expansion will further hurt local businesses and eliminate better-paying jobs, including with the U.S. Postal Service.

Opposition to the Gorham proposal is more advanced and gaining momentum as town officials have signaled repeatedly that the project may be on track to be approved.

The cues are amplified by the town council’s decision last August to sell Amazon the 94-acre site where the facility would be built. If the project is approved, the company will pay $4 million for land the town has been trying to sell since 2020.

“That’s a big reason why we retained legal support,” said Josh Trombley, spokesperson for Gorham United, which has organized an online petition against the proposal and launched a GoFundMe campaign that has raised nearly $8,000 for attorney’s fees.

Some group members believe Amazon’s proposal is incomplete, violates the town’s comprehensive plan and fails to address wetland and shoreland impacts.

“There is some concern that maybe the planning board’s common practice is to rubber stamp things,” Trombley said. “But we have found aspects of Amazon’s proposal that violate state and local laws. The board’s job is to enforce the law and we’re hoping that they will do their job.”

Town Planner Carolyn Eyerman said the board reviews all applications for compliance with local and state laws. Two waivers granted to the Amazon proposal at a public hearing this month — one to allow overhead utilities and another to allow three driveways instead of just one — don’t predetermine the outcome, she said via email.

“The board’s final decision will be based on whether the proposal meets all applicable standards, taking into account the full record developed during the review process,” Eyerman said.

The four so-called last-mile delivery stations already built or planned in Maine are part of a $4 billion initiative Amazon unveiled in April 2025. The company plans to add 1.2 million square miles to its rural network by the end of this year, a move it says would cut average delivery times in half for people living in over 13,000 zip codes.

Amazon also plans to be shipping more. The company announced May 4 that it has opened its delivery system — freight, distribution, fulfillment and parcel shipping — to businesses of all types and sizes, not only Amazon sellers. Procter & Gamble, 3M, Lands’ End and American Eagle Outfitters are among the first to sign on.

Amazon representatives wouldn’t say how many more delivery stations are planned in Maine, although Lewiston has cropped up as a likely next location.

“We’re committed to being a good neighbor as our footprint in the state grows,” said Jonathan Greeley, Amazon’s head of economic development in New England.

The delivery stations are designed to handle packages shipped directly from Amazon fulfillment centers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, Greeley said. In southern Maine, Amazon packages are currently stored and delivered by third parties, including the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS.

The expansion of Amazon’s rural network is expected to create more than 100,000 full- and part-time jobs nationwide and allow the company to deliver over 1 billion additional packages annually.

The Gorham facility would employ up to 170 full- and part-time workers, while the Waterville site would employ as many as 200 workers, company representatives said.

More jobs would be created for van drivers, including small delivery companies and independent drivers using their own vehicles, according to Amazon’s website. Full-time positions at delivery stations earn “an average hourly wage nearly triple the federal minimum (of $7.25 per hour), plus benefits, the website states.

The quality of jobs created by these delivery stations is often called into question. Peach Cushing, a postal worker who lives in Portland, was one of several people who raised the issue at the Gorham public hearing.

Amazon’s reliance on part-time and independent drivers would replace many USPS positions with lesser paid, nonunion jobs without benefits or worker protections, Cushing said.

“The overall economic impact on southern Maine will be tremendously negative,” Cushing said.

The delivery station in Caribou is located in a former industrial building in a mostly commercial area off Route 1. Its nearest neighbors include a roller skating rink, a bowling alley and a Quality Inn & Suites.

Amazon wouldn’t say how many people work there now, how much they’re paid or how deliveries are going throughout northern Maine.

But back in September, when Gov. Janet Mills attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a company representative said the delivery station employed about 10 people and had contracts with about 200 drivers who delivered packages in their personal vehicles, according to The County.

At that time, the facility was delivering about 900 packages daily in and around Caribou, Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle, with a goal to push that number to 7,000, the local newspaper reported. At full operation, the facility was expected to handle deliveries within a 60-mile radius, stretching as far north as Fort Kent and as far south as Houlton.

“The Amazon facility is off to a strong start,” Penny Thompson, Caribou’s city manager, said this month via email. “Deliveries are arriving faster, and residents can grab flexible shifts in both warehouse and delivery roles that fit around their full-time jobs. And the employees who relocated to launch the facility tell us they are happy they chose Caribou.”

In Hermon, Amazon is building a delivery station on 44 acres off Hammond Street. It was the site of the Bangor Drive-In from 1950 until it closed permanently in 2021. It’s just 2 miles from Interstate 95 and a cluster of hotels near Bangor International Airport.

A bit farther south, the delivery station recently announced in Waterville would be built at Junction and Trafton roads on a 48-acre parcel that extends into neighboring Sidney, where some parking and a stormwater management area would be located. The station would be less than a quarter mile from Interstate 95.

The proposal “aligns perfectly” with Waterville’s comprehensive plan and the region’s economic development strategy, said Garvan Donegan, president and CEO of the Central Maine Growth Council.

The Amazon proposal would take advantage of a recently built highway interchange, Exit 124, which was designed to support commercial development in the area, Donegan said via email. The company also plans to extend public water service and electricity to the site.

“This vital infrastructure expansion will organically unlock important, long-term commercial development,” Donegan said. The proposal overall would help secure “high economic dividends for the entire Waterville area.”

Some are less enthusiastic about the Waterville project.

Residents have set up a Facebook group, Sidney-Waterville Citizens for Smart Growth, and started organizing to learn more about the proposal. In addition to concerns about traffic, noise and light emanating from the site, they worry that the onsite wastewater disposal system might contaminate groundwater and area wells.

“I’m keenly aware that this proposal would increase traffic and change the rural character of Sidney,” said Tim Stonesipher, an organizer. “I care about the holistic picture of what this will bring to our communities.”

Supporters of the Amazon proposal in Gorham can’t boast about its highway proximity. The Main Street site is 5 miles from Maine Turnpike Exit 47 in Westbrook and close to residential developments near the town center.

Rob Lavoie, who was a Gorham town councilor from 2023-2025, spoke in favor of the proposal at this month’s planning board hearing.

“Why the concern? Is it simply because it’s Amazon?” he asked. “If the project meets all applicable zoning and ordinance requirements, then I believe it should be welcomed into Gorham.”

Whether the board will approve Amazon’s site plan remains to be seen. Jim Hager, board chair and former councilor, declined an interview request but said he expects the company to return with an updated site plan and revised documents in the next few months.

Dana Burleigh, a logistics expert who lives on Shamrock Drive, next to the site, left the board with a host of questions about the proposal’s potential impact on local traffic. He predicted that crashes would increase with the addition of more than 3,000 vehicle trips daily to already congested streets, especially when Amazon drivers are trying to meet delivery deadlines.

“This is not about being anti-business or even anti-Amazon,” he told the board. “However I, like many others, feel this project will have a devastating impact on the village of Gorham and surrounding communities.”

This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Kelley Bouchard can be reached at kbouchard@pressherald.com.

Lots of things are going right at the Waldo County Technical Center, but its building is in trouble.

Enrollment is up at the school, which provides career and technical education to high school students across the entire county, even as it is trending downward in the county overall. And it is adding new training programs beyond those it already offers in disciplines ranging from auto repair to aquaculture to early childhood education.

But the school has outgrown its building, which is located in the town of Waldo. The building was constructed in 1975 and lacks a full sprinkler system, even though students there weld and use gasoline. Its roof needs replacing and the building doesn’t meet federal accessibility standards.

“Every day when I come in, I’m hoping that the power is on,” said Travis Wood, the school’s director. The building’s electrical system was put in 50 years ago. “We have to do something,” he said.

In recent weeks, the school’s leadership has held two public “visioning sessions” about Waldo Tech’s future — the third and final one is in Searsport on Wednesday. The sessions are focused not just on the future of Waldo Tech but also on what sort of a workforce and economy the county wants going forward.

School leaders have proposed several options for Waldo Tech including repairing and expanding the current building. But they are also putting forth a more ambitious plan: A regional ‘9-16’ school that would serve high school freshmen all the way through college to offer certificates as well as associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in some fields.

This school would be a once-in-a-generation opportunity, Wood said. It would solve a number of problems the county and its schools face by creating state-of-the-art facilities and new academic opportunities while also decreasing the number of aging buildings that need to be maintained even as student enrollment declines.

But it would also entail a monumental reorganization of Waldo County’s educational system, most notably it would require relocating and combining at least two of the county’s high schools.

Waldo Tech is one of eight groups of school districts, career and technical education centers, colleges and businesses from across the state that applied for funding through a Maine Department of Education pilot program last fall. The University of Maine and Eastern Maine Community College have signed onto Waldo Tech’s proposal. The pilot will fund one consolidated 9-16 school in the state, which Waldo Tech is envisioning would cost about $200 million.

Waldo Tech also has priced other options for renovating its existing facilities. It would cost $22 million to do the minimum — a sprinkler system, ADA compliance and a new roof. For about $44 million, the school could renovate its existing building and build an adjacent one. It would cost about $90 million to build an entire new school. Those funds would come from a bond put out to voters.

All of the eight applicants across Maine made it through the first round of proposals. Now they must submit a second application by the end of October.

Waldo Tech’s board will vote this month on whether to officially pursue the second phase of the grant application. After that, they will send out formal letters to each of the school districts asking them to sign on to the plan in the hopes that two high schools will agree. If the proposal were to be awarded funding by the state, voters would have to approve it for the project to move forward.

Demand for technical and career education in Waldo County is already strong, says Jessica Woods, who chairs the school’s board.

“We’ve had a net gain where overall our school populations are decreasing,” Woods said.

About a quarter of the students from Searsport Area High School, Belfast Area High School and Mount View High School attend programs at the school currently, Woods said.

Waldo Tech enrolls about 233 students, drawing from Waldo County’s four high schools — Mount View in Thorndike, Belfast Area High School, Searsport District High School and the Ecology Learning Center, a public charter high school in Unity.

Those students, mostly juniors and seniors, spend half of the day at their high school and the other half at Waldo Tech, though in the coming years the school will move toward a model where students will come every other day for a whole day.

A 9-16 school could address the county’s lack of access to higher education, says Woods. Waldo County is currently a “higher education desert” she says. Since the University of Maine’s Hutchinson Center closed in 2023, there is nowhere to access in-person higher education within the county.

If Waldo County were to build an integrated 9-16 school, students could pursue traditional high school academics there, or choose to also take part in career and technical education. Many of the college-level programs would be open to the broader community, including adults looking to get or finish their degrees.

Travis Wood said projections for a decade from now suggest that there will only be around 200 high school seniors in Waldo County. A consolidated school would be more cost-effective than trying to maintain several aging high schools operating under capacity.

“What do we have to do to better support the taxpayers of our county?” he said.

Breanna Bebb, a Waldo County Commissioner and parent of an elementary schooler, said the idea of a 9-16 school would bring a lot of opportunity to the county and deserves careful consideration.

“There’s a lot of upside to it,” she said. At the same time, she said that it would be important to find ways for communities that might lose their schools to find ways to continue to stay strong and vibrant.

“There’s pride in your local school, so there could be a lot of loss felt in that regard,” she said. “But at the same time, people are struggling with their local school budgets and they’re struggling with old buildings that need upkeep.”

Woods says that creating a combined grade 9-16 school is a chance for the county to design a school that meets its current and future needs.

“This is an opportunity for communities to choose to come together and create something that’s their own,” she said.

The Maine Principals Association has moved the state singles and doubles tennis tournament from the outdoor courts at Bates College in Lewiston to the indoor facility in the Colby College Fieldhouse in Waterville due to weather concerns.

A high chance of showers throughout the day on Thursday has forced them to move the play indoors, according to the MPA.

The schedule has also been adjusted to reduce multiple trips for the schools farthest away.

On Thursday, Aroostook County and Washington County players will not be involved in the two boys’ prelim doubles event, the 10 boys’ first-round singles competition and the 12 girls first-round singles matches.

There are also two girls’ prelim doubles matches, but there are no players or teams from Aroostook or Washington County.

Players from those counties as well as players from other far away schools will be involved in Friday’s 10 remaining boys first round singles matches, the remaining 12 girls first-round singles matches and the two boys prelim doubles competitions.

The final two girls prelim doubles matches will also be held, but there are no teams from more distant schools.

Mike Bisson, the assistant executive director of the MPA, explained that they didn’t want players coming from farther distances playing on Thursday and then have the winners either have to stay two nights or go home and return on Saturday.

On Saturday at Bates College and Edward Little High of Auburn’s outdoor courts, there will be 24 boys singles matches and 24 girls singles matches held to whittle the field down to the final eight in both, and there will be 12 boys and 12 girls doubles matches to trim the field down to the semifinals.

On Sunday at Bates College, the boys and girls doubles semifinals and finals will be held along with the boys and girls quarterfinals and semifinals.

The boys and girls singles championship matches will be held at Bates on Monday.

Politics
Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.

PORTLAND, Maine — Appearing for the first time alongside his Republican rivals in a TV gubernatorial debate, lawyer Bobby Charles never swayed from his aggressive message of slashing spending and regulations in Augusta.

Again and again when criticized or questioned about his unrealistic push to cut $4 billion out of a state budget that sits at roughly $7 billion and zero out the income tax that provides half of state revenue within four years, Charles fired off a litany of targets he’d address if he reaches the Blaine House.

“You have got to cut income taxes deeply over the next four years,” he said. “You’ve got to cut property taxes by rolling back these mandates. We must go after this.”

Charles has led early primary polls but a handful of other candidates have raised and spent more money and are getting on the airwaves. The rest of the field has focused on him in recent weeks, shaping the month period ahead of the June 9 primary as the candidates seek to take on Democrats and replace outgoing Gov. Janet Mills.

Entrepreneur Jonathan Bush, lobbyist and former state Senate President Garrett Mason and real estate executive David Jones continued their attacks on Charles. They all said his plans were virtually impossible.

Bush, who cofounded the health tech firm athenahealth, said Charles hadn’t run anything for a long time. Mason, noting his work to lower Mainers’ taxes in the Legislature, said Charles doesn’t understand that working across the aisle is crucial to get things done.

“I can stand up here and say I’m going to eliminate $6 billion, $7 billion,” Mason said.

Charles chastised his opponents for not thinking “with some imagination.” He said he would put a “growth task force” together if elected, noting revenue and growth would rise if Mainers can keep more cash in their pockets.

The debate, hosted by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and News Center Maine, focused on economic issues including health care, housing, child care and energy. The chamber issued a roadmap for Maine this week that calls for lower taxes, permitting reform, energy cost reduction and workforce development.

On MaineCare, Charles echoed many Republicans in calling for work requirements for recipients between 18 and 65 who are able to work and not disabled should not receive benefits Mason went further, saying at least 100,000 Mainers could be taken off the rolls, though he didn’t provide criteria.

On housing, the candidates broadly called for cutting regulations and streamlining permitting. Jones said excessive red tape can add as much as $120,000 to the cost of a single-family home. Charles pushed for property tax exemptions for seniors and first-time homebuyers and called for 80,000 new housing units over ten years. Mason said it wasn’t enough to just build more housing, and called for working with banks and credit unions to expand mortgage access for Mainers.

Energy policy drew broad agreement. Nearly all the candidates criticized solar and wind subsidies, saying they’ve driven up electricity rates for Mainers. Most called for expanded natural gas pipelines, small modular nuclear reactors and increased hydropower.

“I’m fine with renewables as long as they don’t do it on the backs of Maine ratepayers,” former fitness executive Ben Midgley said.

The debate was the third Republican gubernatorial debate in just over a week. Earlier debates were marked by Charles’ absence and ranked-choice voting alliances among the other candidates.

When asked at the debate’s end who won the 2020 presidential election, Charles said, “unfortunately Biden,” an answer repeated in various forms by his rivals on stage.

“Joe Biden was sworn in as president,” Mason said, echoing the words of several appointees of President Donald Trump who have been criticized by Democrats for not acknowledging that Trump lost.

BANGOR — First National Bank has committed $50,000 to support the development of the Quirk Sportsplex, a new indoor and outdoor athletic complex designed to expand year-round recreation opportunities across the greater Bangor region.

The project, led by River City Athletics, will feature an indoor athletic dome and outdoor fields capable of hosting a wide range of youth sports, tournaments and community programming. The facility is designed to help meet growing demand for accessible, modern athletic space throughout all seasons. 

“Projects like the Quirk Sportsplex create meaningful opportunities for youth and families to stay active and connected,” Tony McKim, president and CEO of First National Bank, said. “We’re proud to support River City Athletics and to help bring this vision to life for our community.”

As part of the project’s second phase, First National Bank will also hold naming rights to the synthetic turf field.

River City Athletics, a nonprofit organization focused on providing athletic training, leagues, and recreational opportunities, is leading the development. The Quirk Sportsplex is expected to play a key role in expanding access to sports and recreation while also supporting regional events and community engagement.

“Community partnerships are essential to making projects like this possible,” MJ Ball, executive director of River City Athletics, said. “We appreciate First National Bank’s early support and their continued involvement as the project moves forward.”

For more information about the Quirk Sportsplex, visit http://rivercitymaine.com.

First National Bank, a subsidiary of The First Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: FNLC), is an independent community bank with 18 offices across Lincoln, Knox, Waldo, Hancock, Washington and Penobscot counties. For more information, visit www.thefirst.com or call 1-800-564-3195.

A former Mount Desert Island high school student has filed a federal lawsuit against the school’s current principal, alleging the administrator failed to intervene during a 2024 assault on school property.

The civil complaint stems from an alleged attack at Mount Desert Island High School on the morning of Oct. 3, 2024, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of Maine. The complaint alleges that Principal Matthew Haney watched a student assault a classmate and instructed a bystander to not intervene.

The Bangor Daily News is not identifying either of the former students involved because both were minors at the time of the incident, according to prior media reports, and one is an alleged victim of assault.

The assault allegedly began on a school bus when the student who is accused of the attack — who the lawsuit says was known to struggle with mental health problems — punched two of her peers.

The bus driver phoned Haney to warn him of the attack and request police presence upon their arrival at school, more than 20 minutes later, according to the lawsuit.

But instead, the complaint says, only Haney and a school nurse were present when the bus pulled into MDI high school that morning.

Once off the bus, the student who is accused of the attack allegedly resumed the assault: she repeatedly smashed a steel water bottle over her classmate’s head, forced her to the pavement, bit her face and punched her in the head and eye, the suit says.

A video that captured the incident later circulated online, attracting widespread media attention, some of which was generated because the alleged attacker is transgender.

Throughout the assault, Haney stood by and told the bus driver to “not touch” the student and to “let them fight it out,” according to the complaint.

The victim was left with a concussion, a “human bite to the face” and post-traumatic stress disorder, the lawsuit says.

Haney declined to comment on the matter when reached Wednesday by the Bangor Daily News.

The complaint says Haney had “actual notice” that the “fight was not over” and should have had police present by the time the bus had arrived. Once the students had exited the bus, Haney “failed to do anything aside from watch” the student be “brutally assaulted,” according to the lawsuit.

Michael Zboray, superintendent for the MDI school system, declined to comment on the matter when contacted Wednesday by the Bangor Daily News. Zboray previously said employee contact with students is directed by the state’s Restraint and Seclusion Law, according to online news outlet Bar Harbor Story.

Staff are only allowed to use physical restraint when the “behavior of a student presents an imminent risk of serious physical injury to the student or others, and only after other less intrusive interventions have failed or been deemed inappropriate,” according to the school’s physical restraint procedure.

Before the assault, the complainant alleges she informed Haney that she was being harassed by the student who would later attack her, but the principal had not acted to resolve their dispute, the lawsuit says.

The complainant had reported to school officials before the alleged assault that her classmate was calling her “transphobic” online, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that the student accused of the assault had transferred from Ellsworth High School, where other students had filed harassment complaints against her.

The lawsuit involves a single federal civil rights claim, arguing that Haney not intervening violated the student’s constitutional rights.

The plaintiff is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney’s fees.

Jack Baldacci, the plaintiff’s attorney, said “Principal Haney had clear advance notice of the danger posed by the other student, yet he failed to protect” Baldacci’s client. The student accused of the attack was temporarily suspended after the incident, as was the plaintiff, Baldacci said.

Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday told the heads of two federal law enforcement agencies that Maine needs more federal help combating illegal marijuana grow houses.

At a hearing to review budget requests from federal law enforcement agencies, the Republican senator from Maine asked FBI Director Kash Patel what the bureau is doing to address the “dangerous” grow houses operating in Maine, Oklahoma, California and other states.

A leaked federal government memo in 2023 connected illegal marijuana grow houses in Maine to Chinese organized crime, estimating at the time the presence of 270 growing sites in Maine linked to China that could produce more than $4 billion in revenue.

About 60 properties were searched in 2024. At the end of that year an assistant U.S. attorney estimated that “well below” 100 such properties remained in the state.

Collins said federal agencies have been helpful in the past to track money laundering, which is often linked to the grow houses, and provide interpreters to question suspects who are arrested, who may have been trafficked and forced to work and live at the illegal operations.

“Last year, you testified that the FBI would be sending more resources to the field, specifically to Maine, to combat these dangerous operations,” Collins said, adding that local sheriffs “have reported some improvement in federal interest and participation.”

Patel said many of the Chinese citizens running illegal growing operations have severed ties with their home country. In response, he said, the FBI is working with Homeland Security Task Forces to “reverse engineer” the connections through banking records in an effort to shut down the financiers of the U.S. operations.

Asked by Collins if a connection exists between the grow houses and the fentanyl trade, Patel said revenue from sales of the illegally grown marijuana “always goes back into the drug trafficking trade, into the drug traffickers’ pockets,” but federal officials have not been able to confirm a direct connection to the Chinese government.

“I’m not saying it doesn’t happen,” Patel said. “What we’re not seeing yet is the money directly being shipped back over to mainland China and the CCP from these grow house operations.”

Drug Enforcement Administrator Terrance Cole told Collins the grow house operators often use cryptocurrency to transfer wealth instantaneously. He said the DEA with its Bangor office identified up to 250 potential locations where that is occurring.

Collins said the statistic “shows how incredibly serious this problem is.”

She said the grow houses are often rendered uninhabitable by mold, which is a problem in a state with a housing shortage.

SHERMAN — The Sherman Area Historical Society is pleased to announce that “The Red House” has been purchased by Richard Bonner from the Perrin family and generously donated to the organization in honor of his mother, Esther Garnett Bonner.

Bonner currently lives in California. He is a descendant of Isaiah Foster, one of the early settlers of Sherman. His mother, who was born in Silver Ridge, also supported community projects and previously donated the children’s room at the Sherman Library in honor of her great-grandmother, Laura Foster Gerry. As a continuation of his mother’s legacy of supporting the community, Richard Bonner chose to donate the historic building to the Sherman Area Historical Society.

Bonner’s donation of the Red House will provide the Sherman Area Historical Society with a permanent home for preserving and sharing the history of the communities of Sherman, Benedicta, Sherman Station/Stacyville and Silver Ridge.  

The board members and volunteers of the Sherman Area Historical Society have spent many hours organizing historical materials and building community support to establish the organization. Over the last four years, they have sold hot dogs, cinnamon rolls, fudge and other baked goods at the local band stand, held monthly meetings, worked on the auction and the yard sale at Sherman Old Home Days, gathered photos, and taken classes for preserving historical items and collections. 

The society would like to thank Jarice Perrin Kelley for working with Bonner and helping to facilitate the transition of the property, as well as hosting society meetings for four years before the organization had a location of its own.

The society is deeply grateful for Bonner’s generous gift and for the community members whose dedication has helped make the preservation of Sherman’s history possible.

To help preserve and support Sherman’s history, you can become a member or donate to the Sherman Area Historical Society. 

Please visit the new website at https://shermanareahistori.wixsite.com/sherman-area-histo-1.

Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/544271813907614/.

The five Democrats running to replace Gov. Janet Mills are debating around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday at an event hosted by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and News Center Maine in Portland.

The candidates — former Maine public health chief Nirav Shah, former House Speaker Hannah Pingree, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Senate President Troy Jackson and former clean energy executive Angus King III — will face off for the third time on TV in a debate focused on the economy.

This debate will not air on TV until Thursday. See live updates from the debate below.

President Donald Trump’s administration will block new home healthcare and hospice providers from enrolling in Medicare for at least the next six months, citing concerns about widespread fraud.

The moratorium announced Wednesday will temporarily bar new providers in those categories from signing up for reimbursement from Medicare, the health insurance program for Americans aged 65 and older and those with disabilities. It will not impact providers registered with Medicare, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The latest move by Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force aiming to crack down on healthcare scams came a day before he is scheduled to speak on the topic in Bangor.

The U.S. government has for years tried to tackle fraudulent payments from Medicare to hospice and home healthcare providers. Scammers can bill Medicare for services that the patient doesn’t need or want, allowing them to rake in millions of dollars. The national fraud prevention group Senior Medicare Patrol has repeatedly issued alerts on the issue.

It is unusual to pause registrations nationwide. CMS has paused enrollments in the past in specific counties when staff suspected fraud tied to those locations, including in 2013, when it barred new providers based in Florida’s Miami-Dade County and several counties in Illinois.

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz did not provide specific evidence to reporters on Wednesday to explain why the Trump administration believes it is necessary to bar new enrollments across the U.S., as opposed to in specific areas.

Fraudsters that have been barred from collecting Medicare often try to get around the ban by starting a new company, said Stephen Lee, a former federal prosecutor who worked in Illinois at the time of the 2013 enrollment pause. But pausing new enrollments doesn’t help alleviate theft by companies that are already enrolled in Medicare, he said.

“It would be a mistake to think that this tool alone will work,” he said.

The moratorium will give CMS time to account for hospice and home health expenditures under the Medicare program and create additional guidance, an administration official said.

The Trump administration has been criticized for mixing the president’s political preferences with agency efforts to eliminate fraud in government payments. The administration singled out some Democratic-led states, including California and Minnesota, as not doing enough to combat fraud.

Vance on Wednesday said the Trump administration would ​defer $1.3 ​billion in ​funding for California to detect and prevent Medicaid fraud. Medicaid is the federal- and state-run health program for low-income Americans.

In 2024, 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries received hospice care at a cost of $28.3 billion, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. The same year, 2.7 million patients on Medicare received home healthcare at a cost of $16 billion, according to the agency that advises Congress on healthcare spending.

Vance’s task force has recently taken action against hospice services, particularly in California, where the state auditor said in 2022 that lax oversight had enabled large-scale fraud.

Industry groups had urged different approaches as the Trump administration weighed potential action. The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation said in March it supported temporarily pausing hospice provider enrollments. The National Alliance for Care at Home warned against overly broad action that could deter doctors and patients from recommending or seeking care.

Tens of billions of dollars are estimated to be lost in the United States through healthcare fraud each year, translating into higher costs for patients and employers, according to the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association.

The Trump administration has also sought to tackle other healthcare sectors it has deemed a fraud risk. The fraud crackdown started in Minnesota, where the Trump administration said in February it would withhold $259 million in funds for Medicaid.

Trump has repeatedly invoked a ​scandal in Minnesota that dates back to 2020, in which 47 ⁠people were accused of defrauding $250 million from a state-run, federally funded child nutrition program. Many of the defendants in that case were Somali Americans, according to local news reports.

The controversy prompted Trump earlier this year to send in thousands of federal immigration officers as part of a migrant crackdown. Maine saw a six-day enforcement surge in January that the federal government said was aimed at the “worst of the worst” criminals. Data released in March showed only 11 had confirmed criminal records.

Story by Jody Godoy and Courtney Rozen. BDN writer Michael Shepherd contributed to this report.

WRITTEN BY EMILY BURNHAM

Many things about the trucking industry have changed in recent decades, from major technological advances to evolving rules and regulations around safety and emissions.

But many of the core reasons people begin careers in trucking remain the same, said Karen Stone, workforce grants and program manager at Eastern Maine Community College. Last year, Eastern Maine Community College began a partnership with Ancora Training to offer a 160-hour Class A CDL program.

“You make good money, you don’t need a college degree, and there’s something really appealing about being on the road and traveling around the country,” Stone said. “Those are things that don’t change. But there’s lots of stuff that is different now as well.”

For starters, many of the people entering the trucking workforce — whether straight out of high school or coming to the industry in their 30s or 40s — are looking for a work-life balance that in previous generations wasn’t generally available.

“A lot of folks are looking to start families, or already have kids at home, and want the kind of flexibility that allows them to be home for the holidays or other big milestones,” Stone said. “Truckers today, I think, value that work-life balance, and the industry has had to respond to that in order to make these careers appealing.”

Stone also said she finds there are generally two types of people looking to get their CDL licenses. The first are people coming straight from high school, many of whom come from trucking families involved in the lumber, paving, or construction industries. They want to continue their family business and may have parents, uncles, or grandparents who drove.

Then there’s a second wave of license-seekers who come to the industry in their 30s and older, who may have had a different career previously and are now looking for something different.

“Trucking is a new adventure for some of those folks,” Stone said. “This is a second career. We had a couple come into the program who both got their CDLs, so both the husband and the wife can team drive. That’s not something that would have happened in previous decades.”

For those younger drivers, however, Stone said many tend to be much clearer about what they want out of their careers and are willing to advocate for themselves to make sure the job is giving them what they want.

“I tell them to set their expectations for what they want and to find the employer that will give it to them,” she said. “Years ago, people went on the road knowing they were gone until they came back, and they were on their own. But now the industry has become more accommodating for employees. There are more jobs than there are workers, so they have to be.”

In Maine, there are multiple places where prospective drivers can get their licenses. In addition to CDL training courses at Eastern, Central, Kennebec Valley, and Northern and Washington community colleges, Northeast Technical Institute locations in Bangor and Cumberland have long offered CDL training. Other options include Caribou Regional Technology Center; Loring Job Corps Center in Limestone; St. John Valley Technology Center in Frenchville; Maranacook Adult Education in Readfield; Oxford Hills Adult Education in Oxford; Region 9 Truck Driving in Mexico; Tri-County Technical Center in Dexter; Somerset Career & Technical Center in Skowhegan; Keep Right Commercial Driving School in Albion; and GoDriving in York.

The workforce training programs at Maine’s community colleges are, for now, free thanks to funding from the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce. But Stone said she finds that students coming for their CDL licenses or other programs aren’t solely doing it because it’s at no cost to them.

“They’re not coming because it’s free,” she said. “They’re coming because they’re seizing an amazing opportunity.”

COURTESY OF UNITED INSURANCE

Maine’s trucking industry keeps the state moving, from long-haul carriers crossing the country to local fleets delivering essential goods to our communities. Every mile traveled represents dedication, expertise, and hard work. It also represents risk. That’s why having the right insurance coverage and a strong approach to safety and risk management isn’t just a box to check; it’s essential to business.

Why the Right Coverage Matters

Trucking operations face a unique combination of exposures. A single incident — whether it’s a cargo spill, equipment breakdown, or collision — can disrupt schedules, strain customer relationships, and create significant financial pressure. Comprehensive trucking insurance is designed to protect against these realities, but not all policies are created equal.

The right coverage should reflect the way you operate: the types of freight you haul, the distances you travel, the equipment you run, and the drivers you rely on. From auto liability and physical damage to nontrucking liability and workers’ compensation, each of these pieces plays a critical role in keeping your business resilient when the unexpected happens.

Risk Management: Your First Line of Defense

Insurance is critical, but preventing losses in the first place is even more powerful. Strong risk management practices help protect your people, your equipment, and your bottom line.

Effective programs often include:

• Driver training and monitoring to reinforce safe habits and reduce preventable accidents
• Regular maintenance schedules that keep equipment in top condition and minimize roadside breakdowns
• Clear safety policies that set expectations and create a culture of accountability

Investing in these strategies often yields fewer claims, lower downtime, and more favorable insurance options.

A Partner Who Helps You Stay Ahead

The trucking landscape is evolving. Regulations shift, technology advances, and customer expectations grow. Your insurance partner should help you stay ahead of these changes, not leave you to figure them out alone.

The right insurance partner can help you:

• Identify coverage gaps before they become costly problems
• Understand how new risks affect your operation
• Build a safety and compliance strategy tailored to your fleet
• Navigate claims efficiently so you can get back on the road faster

When your insurance partner understands trucking, the process becomes clearer, smoother, and far less stressful. With the right coverage and a proactive approach to safety, you can protect your business, your drivers, and the communities you serve mile after mile.

If you’re looking for the right partner who understands the unique challenges your business faces, reach out to us at UnitedInsurance.org/Trucking. We’re happy to start a conversation that we know will lead to a great partnership down the road.

WRITTEN BY EMILY BAER

Trucking is the backbone of the modern supply chain, quietly moving goods to keep everyday life running.

Traditionally, the industry has been male-dominated, but that’s beginning to shift. In recent years, the number of women entering the field has gradually increased, driven by new training opportunities, changing workforce demands, and targeted efforts to open doors in a field long dominated by men.

In Maine, that shift has been amplified by a nearly $100,000 Women in Trucking grant to Maranacook Adult & Community Education from the Maine Department of Labor and the Maine Department of Transportation, aimed at commercial driver’s license training for women.

“We were extremely fortunate to receive the grant,” MACE Director Steve Vose said. The funding provides scholarships to help more women afford the training required to get their licenses.

Vose and his colleagues have long recognized the need for driver training programs in Maine and have worked to adapt their course offerings to the changing demands of the industry. Recruiting women drivers is part of that.

With two female instructors, Nancy Frost and Patti Springer, leading the charge, the Readfield-based program has created an environment where women won’t feel like outsiders in the classroom.

 Instead, they train alongside peers under the guidance of industry professionals who reflect their presence in the field.

Historically, MACE’s CDL program enrolled three or four women annually. But once word of the grant spread, all 16 spots were filled within two weeks.

“I thought we’d have a hard time attracting women,” Vose said. “But the class filled really quickly, and now I’ve got nearly twice as many waiting.”

The timing couldn’t be more critical. Nearly everything in daily life — food, fuel, consumer goods, construction materials — relies on drivers, but the trucking industry hasn’t kept pace with demand.

“There’s a real driver shortage right now, and it’s critical,” Vose said. “Everything we rely on is delivered by trucks, so when there aren’t enough drivers, you feel it everywhere.”

Part of MACE’s success is that it offers a clear, practical pathway into a stable, well-paying career. And it’s fast.

“In about four months, we can take a student with a high school diploma and have them out driving trucks, earning a good living,” Vose said.

But just because it’s fast doesn’t mean the program is easy. Students must complete federally required classroom hours, master manual transmissions, and learn to maneuver massive vehicles with precision. They practice for hours on closed courses before ever hitting the road.

“These trucks are massive vehicles,” Vose said. “We want our students to be safe behind the wheel. That’s the most important thing.”

The work is rigorous, technical, and increasingly in demand.

Women have worked in freight for decades, but the number of female drivers has lagged behind men. In 2025, Women in Trucking, a national organization dedicated to promoting the employment of women in the trucking industry, reported that women still account for only 9.5% of professional drivers in the United States.

Anecdotally, that number appears to be driven more by a lack of training opportunities geared toward women than by a lack of enthusiasm for the profession.

“There is far more demand than I ever expected,” Vose said. “And the interest keeps growing. It just hasn’t stopped.”

In addition to the Women in Trucking grant from the state, Vose draws on a patchwork of grants and partnerships — including support from the Harold Alfond Foundation — to help meet students where they are.

“Our goal is to make this training accessible to students of all ages and backgrounds and to use every resource we can to keep that pathway open,” he said.

Looking ahead, there’s a sense that the Women in Trucking cohort is just the beginning. With additional funding on the horizon and growing interest from women across the region, Vose hopes to expand the program.

“We’ve filled the program for now, but we have all this interest, and I don’t want to turn anybody away,” Vose said. “Trucking isn’t just one kind of job. It offers so many different paths depending on lifestyle, experience, and what drivers want from their careers.”