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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The sign will also be removed shortly as it was not official guidance and again, the office is not closed — we are working on it.”

— Kasey Lovett, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, about a sign on the door of the federal agency’s lone Maine office in Bangor saying it is “permanently closed.”

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

The whiplash of sweeping decrees, mixed messages and reversals from the Trump administration continued in Maine. The federal housing office in Bangor said it is closed permanently while the administration insisted it is open. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture restored funding to Maine’s public universities a day after freezing it to investigate the schools’ policies on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

All of Maine’s federal judges recused themselves from a Laurel Libby’s lawsuit stemming from the Republican lawmaker’s social media posts about a transgender high school athlete. Here’s why they did it.

Maine health care providers warned of service cuts related to a state budget stalemate. The Legislature on Tuesday night once again failed to pass a short-term budget that fills a $118 million MaineCare shortfall.

A lawsuit alleged “grotesque” abuse at a Hampden care home. Employees of Lee Residential Care were previously accused of “physically and emotionally torturing” two men.

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center’s new president talked to the Bangor Daily News about the hospital’s future. Ava Collins takes over the flagship hospital as the health care system navigates decreasing credit ratings, administrative changes and the ends of some services.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

MAINE IN PICTURES

UMaine students cheer during a pep rally for the men’s hockey and basketball teams in the Memorial Union on Wednesday before the Black Bears upcoming playoff game. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

An Ethiopian woman sits next to a sack of wheat after it was distributed to her by the Relief Society of Tigray in the town of Agula, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, on May 8, 2021. Credit: Ben Curtis / AP

“Foreign assistance is not charity. It’s an investment in America’s economic growth and national security.”

Opinion: I saw how USAID protects American lives

LIFE IN MAINE

Bar Harbor’s library is getting its first addition in its 114-year history. When the Jesup Memorial Library was founded in 1911, motor vehicles weren’t even allowed in the scenic coastal town. 

Deer jerky is easy to make, healthy, flavorful, packed full of protein, and a great way to enjoy your harvest. “As with many culinary pursuits, the world of jerky has seeped into the gourmet realm, but the basics remain the same: remove the moisture from thin strips of lean meat by way of heat, and/or airflow,” Outdoors contributor Chris Sargent writes.

UMaine’s men’s hockey and basketball teams are headed into tournaments this weekend. At a rally in Orono on Wednesday, the UMaine pep band bellowed DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win.” And that’s exactly what Black Bears fans are hoping to do.