QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I think families can police their own.”

— Army Reserve Capt. Jeremy Reamer, the commander who oversaw Robert Card II before he carried out Maine’s deadliest mass shooting, speaking to a state commission on Thursday about why he took minimal action after being warned that Card was “going to snap and do a mass shooting.” Reamer added that he did not know which of Card’s family members was responsible for removing the shooter’s guns.

TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES

Robert Card II’s Army Reserve commander admitted he didn’t follow-up on a hospital’s request that Card receive counseling and lose access to his guns. Jeremy Reamer told the state commission he didn’t see the counseling form until the mass shooting because his email was “down at the time.”

The Maine House voted to censure two Republicans who said the October 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston was God’s punishment for expanded abortion rights in Maine. House lawmakers also voted to allow lawsuits against gunmakers.

The fallout continues to mount from a Democrat’s late-night budget maneuver over the weekend. The moves from Rep. Melanie Sachs of Freeport have led to tension among powerful Democrats.

A Clinton woman who suffered a stroke in 2020 will run this year’s Boston Marathon. Kellie Wiswell was 34 when she lost the ability to walk properly. When she got out of the hospital, the first place she went was the marathon finish line.

The Bangor Region YMCA has more than half of the money it needs to build a new campus. The nonprofit has raised more than $28 million from private donations and federal awards.

The mother of a missing Washburn man said an ex-cop’s arrest only raises more questions. In an interview, Brenda Foote responded to the latest development in the disappearance of her son Erik.

You could live in a century-old Bucksport bank for half a million dollars. The building has a high-end apartment in the basement, views of the Penobscot River and, of course, a vault.

MAINE IN PICTURES

Ellen Severance at the Oronoka Restaurant in Orono puts a lobster bib on Rocky Pasqua, a Delta Air Lines pilot on layover, in 2003. Credit: File / BDN

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

On Friday night in the Bangor area, jam bands Roots Rhythm & Dub and the Midnight Riders play at the Bangor Arts Exchange, and the always-entertaining Popovich Comedy Pet Theater performs at the Collins Center for the Arts in Orono. It’s also the unofficial end to the Maine ski season this weekend, with the popular Reggae Fest set for Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley through Sunday. And if you’re looking ahead to warmer weather, the annual Old Town Canoe scratch-and-dent sale is set for Friday through Sunday at Ski Rack Sports in Bangor, where you can get a new or used canoe or kayak for a steep discount.

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

“I believe the old argument that unrestricted gun rights is a right bestowed on Americans by the Constitution is not at all accurate. If one were to read the Federalist Papers it would quickly become evident that limitations to rights are purposefully embedded in the Constitution.”

Opinion: There’s a long history of restrictions on gun rights in America 

LIFE IN MAINE

Canoe and kayak races in Maine traditionally draw people of all skill levels, but paddlers in this weekend’s races will face the challenge of high, fast water

“Weird things happen during migration. Some are routine, while others are extraordinary,” Bob Duchesne writes. He offers some examples.

If you don’t have hugelkultur in your garden, maybe you should.