QUOTE OF THE DAY
— Kristie Billings, on the possibility that the tiny Honk Island in Stonington, named after her fisherman father Pearl E. “Honk” Billings Jr., would be bought by a fisherman or otherwise continue to be a working waterfront property. The island recently went on the market for $95,000.
TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES
The Hampden facility where employees were “torturing” residents isn’t required to be licensed. The recent guilty plea of an employee who waterboarded and sexually assaulted residents raises questions about what oversight exists at Lee Residential Care and other similar facilities throughout the state.
Bangor just got a snapshot of its homeless population. More than 90 people were counted at Bangor’s largest homeless encampment, according to data MaineHousing presented to Bangor city councilors last week.
Before this property became a family compound it was a German-style restaurant. It was one of Stephen King’s favorite haunts and referenced in his “Dark Tower” series.
It’s been an interesting week in Maine’s 2nd District gun debate. U.S. Rep. Jared Golden’s Republican opponent, state Rep. Austin Theriault, won an endorsement from the National Rifle Association on Monday, then was hit with a story on a gun-related police call that he made in 2023.
MAINE IN PICTURES
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
- Maine’s senators take no side on presidential debate that Jared Golden didn’t watch
- Gwen Walz will campaign for Kamala Harris in Bangor this week
- Outdoor groups launch ‘Yes on Question 4’ campaign
- Maine has issued its 1st recall for cannabis products
- Maine’s minimum wage will rise to $14.65 next year
- Serious crash closes Outer Broadway in Bangor
- Bangor drive aims to fill a self-storage unit with pet food
- Aroostook aerospace company won’t reveal location of rocket launch
- Fort Kent businessman buys former Madawaska Kmart building
- You can rent this famous landscape architect’s Maine home on VRBO
- A tiny island in Stonington’s harbor is for sale for $95K
- Man killed in Canaan crash
- These Maine geese are developing ‘angel wings.’ That’s not good.
- Early goals help Ellsworth girls soccer top Hermon
- Former Bangor girls basketball star is now a scholarship player at UMaine
- UMaine men’s basketball opener will be Cooper Flagg’s Duke debut
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND
The summer season at the Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor has very nearly wound down, with Pitbill and T-Pain performing on Saturday, and the season-closing concert from Post Malone set for this Monday. Also this weekend is some family-friendly fall fun, including “Shrek: The Musical” on Thursday evening at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, the Maine Transportation Festival all weekend at the Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor, and Maine Apple Sunday, in which apple orchards across the state throw their doors open for tastings and other special activities.
FROM THE OPINION PAGES
“Just as any successful team understands, success results from all team members striving, to the best of their ability, to create a cohesive and powerful team dynamic.”
Opinion: ‘The Creator’s Game’ has been changing lives for hundreds of years
LIFE IN MAINE
For some animals, fall is the time for babies, and September is an active month for baby snakes. Keep your eye out for juvenile garter and ringneck snakes, which are just barely the size of a nightcrawler when they are born.
Whether you participate in the state’s annual bear hunting season, Outdoors contributor Chris Sargent is steadfast in his belief that most people don’t really understand hunting them over bait. He notes that the practice is “backed by research, statistics and data gathered by Maine state biologists and hunters.”
Fall means it’s the perfect time to forage for mushrooms in the Maine woods. But, V. Paul Reynolds notes, it’s important to know your stuff — or better yet, check with a trusted guide.