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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The devil is in the details, and we don’t know any of the details. If the [federal] money is not coming forward, then there’s going to be screaming and hollering.”

— Paul Stearns, a former state representative and former school superintendent, on an anticipated executive order from President Donald Trump to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. The department’s new secretary, Linda McMahon, thinks this can be done without affecting federal education funding.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Here’s what the end of the U.S. Department of Education would mean for Maine. President Donald Trump held off Thursday on an anticipated order, but school officials in Maine and other states are preparing for him to follow through on his long-discussed promise. 

Gov. Janet Mills’ office suggested the federal investigation into Maine’s transgender athlete rules was a sham. It appears no state officials were contacted during the Title IX investigation, which took only four days.

More than 20 people applied to be Bangor’s next city manager. Whoever is selected will take the post after Debbie Laurie retires in May. 

Rural Maine communities are trying a new model for child care. Schools and day cares usually operate separately, but organizers hope that bringing them under one roof will make it easier for working parents.

Northern Maine’s only homeless shelter is months away from closure. It takes roughly $100 per night to keep one shelter bed open in Maine.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

MAINE IN PICTURES

John Bapst’s Silas Comstock (No. 89) and Messalonskee’s Owen Kirk (No. 5) go after the puck in the Class B North boys hockey championship game at the University of Maine’s Alfond Arena on Wednesday. Bapst won the game 3-1. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

Spectators cheer athletes on during the 4×800 meter relay at the New England outdoor track and field championships at Cameron Stadium in Bangor on June 10, 2023. Credit: Kim Higgins / BDN

“Participation in girls running sports is plummeting … Eating disorders are a massive issue for girls’ running … Athletes are assaulted by male coaching staff. If we care about the integrity of girls’ sports, these are the problems to address, not attacking trans girls.”

Opinion: There is no place for hatred in running

LIFE IN MAINE

A bill to increase Maine’s fishing license fees inched one step forward. The upshot is the state would put the extra income toward eight hatcheries where it raises brook trout for stocking lakes and ponds.

Here are winter birds you can expect to see in Acadia National Park. “After a half-century of birding my way past Thunder Hole, I know pretty much what I’m going to find, and where I’m going to find it,” Bob Duchesne writes.

UMaine hockey is facing a challenging regular season-ending series at UMass. “It’s going to be really, really intense,” said UMaine head coach Ben Barr, who is also a former UMass associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.