QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I don’t see why neighborhood parks need bathrooms. Ninety percent of the time kids walk or ride their bikes to the park, and if they have to go to the bathroom, they go home.”

— Adele St. Pierre, who lives next to Fairmount Park in Bangor, speaking at a public meeting on a city proposal to install public bathrooms at several neighborhood parks.

TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES

For young offenders in Maine, justice varies with geography. An investigation by Bangor Daily News reporter Callie Ferguson working with The New York Times compared the treatment of wayward youth across the state.

Maine Democrats made a bid to pass a “red flag” gun law. The Dems also advanced a suite of other gun-control bills.

Bangor residents spoke up against public bathrooms. A city proposal would add six of them, mostly in neighborhood parks.

Could a ship hit a bridge in Maine? A local repeat of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge catastrophe is unlikely for three reasons.

Plans for a large solar array at Knox County Airport have stalled out. The delay stems from the company hired to do the job and could affect a major federal grant.

MAINE IN PICTURES

Warren Knight, co-owner of Smiling Hill Farm, speaks out against the Gorham Connector project at a Monday press conference alongside supporters. The proposed highway would go through 45 acres currently owned by the family-owned local attraction. Credit: Nick Song / Maine Public

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

FROM THE SPORTS DESK

Fresh off a loss last weekend against archrival Boston University during the Hockey East tournament semifinals, the University of Maine Black Bears will tonight take on 12th seed Cornell University in the NCAA tournament semifinals. If UMaine wins, it’ll move on to play against either Denver or UMass in the second round on Saturday. The UMaine track and field season kicks off this weekend as well.

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus gather Friday at a news conference to denounce the spending package being voted on for the current budget year, at the Capitol in Washington. Credit: J. Scott Applewhite / AP

“A small group of Republicans in the House has been more committed to creating chaos than to actually governing.”

Editorial: Politics again brought us to brink of US government shutdown

LIFE IN MAINE

Honey bees have the reputation. But they may not be the best pollinators.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Shakespeare did it, at the Bangor Mall. The Bangor Daily News’ Judy Harrison reviews Ten Bucks Theatre’s production of “The Book of Will.”

Baxter State Park should be on your “bucket list.” At least according to Reader’s Digest.