Good morning. Temperatures will be in the 40s with cloudy skies and rain in parts of the state.
Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
Why a Bangor inn kept collecting tax dollars even as code violations persisted for years
The city errs on the side of being more collaborative with landlords, generally refraining from more extreme measures such as shutting properties down and taking landlords to court. It’s because people’s homes hang in the balance.
You have questions? We have answers. About elections.
–With Maine voters heading to the polls in one week to elect a new governor, a new Legislature and decide three congressional elections, we asked readers to submit questions related to this year’s voting process, which will include ranked-choice balloting in congressional elections for the first time in U.S. history.
–If you still have questions, send them to politics@bangordailynews.com, and we will strive to answer as many as we can.
One year later, family of hunting shooting victim says life is ’empty’
–Family members of Karen Wrentzel say the 34-year-old loved spending time in the woods. Having been robbed of her vibrant presence, they are encouraging hunters to be cautious when pursuing game.
Maine nonprofits have job openings, but the pay is often not great
–A new study found that nonprofit organizations, which employ one in six Maine workers, expect staff levels to rise or stay the same during the next 12 months, even though wages aren’t keeping up with inflation. Rising benefit costs also pose a challenge for the state’s nonprofit organizations and their employees.
Democrat drops out of DA race after allegations of misconduct
–Jon Gale announced late Monday night he will withdraw from the race, less than 12 hours after a Bangor Daily News report that the party had asked him to step aside. The BDN also reported that three former coworkers at a previous workplace said he had been investigated for sexual misconduct there, leading to the party’s decision to call for his withdrawal.
In a statement announcing he will leave the race, Gale said he “engaged in extramarital affairs,” but that his wife “has forgiven me,” and that he accepts “full responsibility for those decisions and actions.” However, he said that he never “victimiz[ed] anyone, nor was I accused of victimizing anyone.”
Penquis girls make dramatic turnaround to reach ‘C’ North soccer title game
–The Patriots had an 0-6-1 record to close out the regular season, but the No. 9 seed has knocked off three higher-ranked opponents, including the No. 1 team, to earn a spot in Wednesday’s championship game at Fort Kent.
Read this: Stephen King uses a medical mystery to reflect on the state of America today
–The BDN’s Emily Burnham reviews Stephen King’s newly released novella “Elevation,” which is out today.
“Elevation” tells the story of Scott Carey, a recently divorced, childless, middle-aged Castle Rocker muddling through a rather lonely, slightly boring life as a work-from-home web designer.
In other news…
Maine
A few bad apples, but mostly good ones in New England’s crop
State officials say road salt runoff is contaminating private wells
Trump’s EPA wants to rewrite standards for tribal waters in Maine
Politics
Maine faces a looming shortage of polling place workers
Independent Alan Caron quits Maine governor’s race
Mills, Moody jab each other gently in another tepid debate
Opinion
After a week of terror, choose leaders who reject hatred and division
Trump’s reckless rhetoric is fueling a climate of hate
What pro-Trump votes in the House don’t tell us
Sports
Patriots defense dominates Monday night football win over Bills
Cora-nation! Rookie manager leads Red Sox to championship
Former UMaine player to coach US women’s national team in 2018-19
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