QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The cost of business continues to go up for all of us doing everything. The programs are just really, really struggling, and the funding is nowhere near sufficient to support them to do the work. They need our help and support for them to be all that we need them to be — and everywhere that we need them to be.”

— Francine Garland Stark, executive director of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, on the rising cost to operate domestic violence intervention programs.

TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES

The end of this program is causing victims of domestic violence to feel less safe in York County. People convicted of domestic violence in Maine’s second most populous county are being allowed to end their probation early.

Maine is preparing for a future without its iconic pines. Researchers are planting tree species as temperatures rise, extreme weather intensifies and pests spread.

Bangor is paying someone to clean up used needles, but is it working? The job was created in response to repeated complaints about contaminated needles in public spaces throughout the city. PLUS: See how many syringes different Maine counties have collected.

A CMP driver’s crash spotlighted a century-old legal standard favoring the company. The law allows it to self-insure its vehicles, meaning it doesn’t have to carry policies for routine claims and can instead settle them in house.

A development built as housing in Portland will now be a luxury hotel. City officials are upset about the change, with one Planning Board member calling it a “bait and switch.”

MAINE IN PICTURES

Lauren Kircheis, director of research and education at the Viles Arboretum in Augusta, walks through saplings planted as part of the organization’s “forest of the future project” on June 13. The tree species here, like oak and poplar, are commonly seen in mid-Atlantic states today, but researchers believe they will be well suited to Maine’s future climate. Credit: i / BDN Credit: Elizabeth Walztoni / BDN

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

FROM THE OPINION PAGES 

“‘Wheel of Fortune’ fans everywhere are grieving Pat Sajak’s retirement, but I’m excited for him. I know a little something about big life changes. Spinning the wheel on ‘America’s Game’ back in 1996 led me to embrace a more authentic version of myself in a terrible year when I almost lost everything.”

Opinion: How Pat Sajak helped in my life’s wheel of fortune

LIFE IN MAINE

This year marks the 44th Maine moose hunt. You can see the 4,105 lucky hunters here.

It’s going to be a hot one this week. There are a few things you can do to stay safe and cool while the mercury approaches 100 degrees outside.

This will be a week to have an air conditioner. If you’re not fortunate enough to have one, you can still beat the heat without AC.