Good morning. Temperatures will range from the low 20s to low 30s, with mostly sunny skies throughout the state.
Here’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.
The parts of Maine where LePage was least popular prospered most under his tenure
–LePage has maintained staunch support in the northern, rural areas of Maine that have struggled economically during his time in office, while being deeply unpopular in the southern, urban areas that have prospered. Overall, voting data and a variety of economic indicators suggest Mainers’ opinions of the governor are divorced from what’s going on in their local economies.
Tax lien on former Millinocket mill torpedoes plan for $30 million factory
–An old federal tax lien against Millinocket’s former paper mill site will keep a North Carolina firm from launching a $30 million factory there to produce a composite wood product that can replace steel in high-rise building construction.
The man who has led Maine’s universities for the past seven years is retiring
–When James Page took the helm of Maine’s university system, student enrollment was declining and the state’s public universities faced sizable, long-term deficits. Seven years later, Page will step down at a time when enrollment has stabilized — and even grown on some campuses — and the system’s long-term deficits have disappeared.
Frayed tempers were on display at the latest fish farm meeting
–Tempers were hot and patience was at a low ebb Monday night for some who attended a tense public information meeting organized by the company that would like to build one of the world’s largest land-based salmon farms in Belfast.
He guided UMaine to its best football season ever but is the lowest-paid coach in the league
–At 32 years old, Joe Harasymiak appears to be a rising star in the Football Championship Subdivision ranks. Despite leading the Black Bears to the national semifinals for the first time, he ranks at the bottom of the salary scale among his peers and likely will receive offers from other schools.
In other news..
Maine
Free Christmas meals around Maine
Maine postal workers brace for influx of last-minute Christmas mailings
Portland Planning Board approves hospital expansion project
Business
Miller Drug to become Northern Light Pharmacy
Maine colleges pull sportswear from shelves over supplier’s alleged ties to slave labor
Conservation group to buy 17 acres in latest effort to preserve Hancock County shoreline
Politics
LePage wants Mills to continue with lawsuits he filed against AG’s office
Poliquin asks court to stop Maine from certifying a winner in 2nd District race
Libertarians are no longer an official political party in Maine
Opinion
Maine is a laboratory of democracy. Let’s keep it that way.
There are good reasons to worry about ACA, but Texas ruling shouldn’t cause panic
Mainers deserve a senator who will stand up for them
Sports
3 finalists named for state’s top football honor
Red Sox owner John Henry exploring a NASCAR investment
2 UMaine football players named All-Americans; coach earns AFCA honor
Your Morning Update is published every weekday. To receive this in your inbox weekday mornings, or to check out our range of free newsletters, click here.
To subscribe to the Bangor Daily News, click here.