QUOTE OF THE DAY

“A lot of sellers have that COVID price on their mind, but this market is switching, The properties have really gotten so expensive that it’s basically all out-of-staters flying in.”

— Lois O’Connor, a Casco-based real estate broker-owner, on the hot market for Maine’s lake-front camps.

TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES

A Judge will reconsider whether a Bangor man who defrauded the government can employ himself. The case stems from Nathan Reardon’s 2022 conviction for defrauding the federal Payroll Protection Program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Maine survivor advocate blasted Joe Biden for inviting her ex-husband Don McLean to the White House. The “American Pie” singer, who took a plea deal after a well-publicized Maine domestic violence case, was at a dinner for the Kenyan president also attended by Gov. Janet Mills.

Maine’s rural lake camps are seeing historic interest. Buyers used to be able to get good deals, but agents say that’s happening much less.

Three new murals are coming to downtown Bangor this summer. Traffic-calming street art, storm drain adornments and a woodland scene by an artist called The Color Wizard are in the works.

A Bangor cop started his new downtown walking beat. A self-proclaimed “social butterfly,” Officer Keith Larby was eager for his first day on the new assignment.

MAINE IN PICTURES

Parker McCollum brought his “Burn It Down Tour 2024” to Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor on Sunday night. McCollum was joined by special guests George Birge and Corey Kent. McCollum called his tour “the biggest and best show we have ever put together.” It was the first concert for the 2024 summer season on the Bangor waterfront. Credit: Jodi Devost / BDN

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE 

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

BDN reporter Kathleen O’Brien wanted to know what was making that strange croaking sound every hour in downtown Bangor. She discovered that the frog-shaped clock attached to the outside of the Maine Discovery Museum had its own unique story, and has been hopping along, ribbit-ing out the time for more than 20 years. Video by Leela Stockley.

FROM THE OPINION PAGES 

“Rather than bolstering the transparency around questionable activities involving executive branch family members and foreign entities, Congress should ban those activities entirely.”

Editorial: More transparency not enough to fix presidential conflicts of interest

LIFE IN MAINE

On a morning stroll in 1977, a family found the bloodied body of a young woman a stone’s throw from Acadia National Park. Leslie Spellman’s killer still hasn’t been found.

There’s a saying in Maine about baby animals that goes: “If you care, leave them there.” 

Two sportsmen buddies had a good Samaritan moment after reeling in quite the catch on Moosehead Lake. Shawn Jacobs and Dustin Nadeau were recently able to reunite a fellow fisherman with some lost gear. 

It’s the end of May, which means weeds are popping up in your garden. Here are a few natural solutions to keep them from taking hold.