QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It slams the door on all the good and the potential good that the University of Maine Hutchinson Center has done.”

— Mike Hurley, former Belfast mayor and city councilor and member of the Committee for the Future of the Hutchinson Center, reacting to the University of Maine System offering to sell the facility to a church. 

TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES

Bangor is trying a different approach to helping people without homes. Jena Jones’ new role as homelessness response manager involves connecting people with services and looking for larger trends that might show which interventions are more effective.

The Gothic revival home of a general who transformed Rockland is for sale. Standout features of the 2,700-square-foot home include a large period barn, floor to ceiling windows in the front parlors and its location.

A group that had plans for a shuttered UMaine branch in Belfast is unhappy that the university system has chosen to sell it to a church. The UMaine System confirmed late Wednesday that Calvary Chapel Belfast was selected as the buyer.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited the Maine site that could become Frances Perkins monument. As FDR’s labor secretary, Perkins championed banning child labor and creating Social Security, a minimum wage and the 40-hour workweek.

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat representing Maine’s 2nd District, said he would not endorse a presidential candidate. Golden delivered the news Thursday after facing repeated questions on whether he would support his party’s likely nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. 

MAINE IN PICTURES

A color guard leads dignitaries out onto the new Madawaska International Bridge for a ceremonial ribbon cutting on Aug. 15. The bridge connecting Madawaska with Edmundston, New Brunswick, has been in the works for decades, since the old structure was more than 100 years old and deteriorating rapidly. The new U.S. Customs and Border Patrol station replaces a 65-year-old structure. Credit: Paula Brewer / BDN

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

The third edition of the popular Bangor Waterfront Night Market takes place from 4 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, with hundreds of vendors, food trucks and entertainers set up along Bangor’s Waterfront Park. It’s a great family event, as is the return of “Jurassic Quest” — an immersive live experience featuring life-size dinosaur models — set for multiple shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Cross Insurance Center.

Other live entertainment options in eastern Maine include rockers Whiskey Myers and Blackberry Smoke at the Maine Savings Amphitheater and improv troupe The Focus Group at the Bangor Arts Exchange, both on Friday night. There’s also the annual Paranormal Fair at Fort Knox State Historic Site in Prospect from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and Friday through Sunday, the annual Belfast Harbor Fest showcases boats, music, food and more on the Belfast waterfront.

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

“The panel’s 13 members face a tight turnaround time, with their final report due by Dec. 13.”

Editorial: Trump shooting review panel has no time for theatrics

LIFE IN MAINE

As hunters prepare to take to the woods this fall, those who were awarded an antlerless deer permit should have good luck this year. The herd is healthy, and many areas in Maine still have room for healthy population growth.

There’s a strange phenomenon that’s been seen in Maine blueberry fields. Unusual colors are popping up in this year’s crops, but the berries are perfectly safe to eat. 

Shorebirds aren’t any easier to identify than sparrows. But Bangor Daily News birding expert Bob Duchesne has three tips to get you started.