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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I feel like we’re, as a human species, going through a huge science experiment about what our brains can handle with this level of interruption and distraction.” 

— Ben Sprague, a member of the Bangor School Committee, which is considering strengthening its ban on cellphone use by students.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Susan Collins joined Democrats to oppose Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Pentagon. The Maine senator’s fellow Republicans still have the numbers to confirm Hegseth as President Donald Trump’s secretary of defense.

Bangor school leaders are considering strengthening a student cellphone ban. Currently students are barred from using phones during class “except when the administration authorizes use for a specific educational, health or safety purpose.”

Bangor residents want a Mainer to be their next city manager. While only about a dozen residents attended a meeting to share the qualities they want in their top administrator, many voiced a preference for a local candidate.

The state found a sunken scallop boat and a body off Trescott. The discovery is the latest development in the search for missing father-and-son fishermen.

Here are four weirdly shaped Maine homes on the market right now. If you’re looking for something more architecturally out there than a colonial, ranch or McMansion, Maine’s real estate market has plenty of options.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

MAINE IN PICTURES

A woman walks down a Maine seaside path in a photo from the book “Sealskin” by Jeff Dworksy, published late last year. Dworksy, a fisherman and photographer, documented Stonington and the surrounding communities in the 1970s and 1980s. Credit: Courtesy of Jeff Dworsky

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

A Maine identification card not compliant with Real ID. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine secretary of state's office

“Maine has one of the lowest rates of Real ID uptake in the country, with about a quarter of state-issued IDs complying with the federal law, compared to more than half nationwide.”

Editorial: Continuing to fight against Real ID would be counterproductive

LIFE IN MAINE

A fisherman’s photos capture an old way of life on Penobscot Bay. “Sealskin” juxtaposes Jeff Dworsky’s hardscrabble documentary pictures with seemingly unrelated text about an old Celtic folktale.

We want to know Mainer’s advice for a southerner struggling with snow. If you have any tips or tricks to combat the cold, let us know. 

Here’s what birding books can do for you that apps cannot. “Over the years, I’ve developed a certain fondness for birding authors who display a flair for writing,” Outdoors contributor Bob Duchesne writes.

We want to know: What is your favorite ice fishing trap?