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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It’s insane, the lot rents they’re asking … And houses are out of reach for people just making a middle income.”

— Elaine Therriault, a resident of West Village mobile home park in Monmouth.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Laurel Libby’s lawsuit is unprecedented test of Maine legislative rules. Libby’s case, claiming First and 14th amendment violations, challenges Maine’s rules on legislative participation.

How a Maine law blocks private buyers from mobile home parks. Maine requires mobile home park owners to give residents notice of an impending sale to allow them to make an offer instead.

Acadia National Park stops talking about being understaffed. Chronic seasonal staffing shortages have been a big challenge for the operation of Acadia National Park in recent years, but officials at the park and with partner organizations have suddenly stopped talking about it.

Ace Flagg is excited to “come home” and play for UMaine next season. “Getting in the gym constantly and working on things outside of my comfort zone have drastically helped me grow as a player,” the 18-year-old Newport native says.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

MAINE IN PICTURES

Fans say UMaine men’s basketball playoff run is “just the tip of the iceberg” despite Saturday’s loss. UMaine senior guard Quion Burns, center, celebrates with his teammates after the men’s basketball team won its first home playoff game in 30 years on March 8. Credit: Seth Poplaski / UMaine Athletics

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

Credit: Composite by Leela Stockley / BDN and Pexels

“In the United States, we have a constitutional right to due process. This means that if we are accused of a crime, we are guaranteed the right to a lawyer to represent us, even if we cannot afford an expensive attorney. However, in Maine, this is currently not the case for more than 700 criminal defendants, who qualify for a state-provided lawyer but do not have one. About 100 of these defendants are in jail, and 51 have waited for a lawyer for more than a year.”  

Opinion: Maine must speed up transition to public defender system

LIFE IN MAINE

404 years ago Sunday, Wabanaki man first to meet Mayflower settlers. In most classrooms across the country, few students are taught about Samoset, the Eastern Abenaki man who in 1621 became the first Indigenous person to make contact with the settlers at Plymouth Colony, better known today as the Pilgrims.

Fishing and treasure hunting with this upbeat YouTuber from Etna. You’ve not experienced the outdoors until you have seen it through the camera of Aaron Quintal of Etna in his “Outdoors with Aaron” YouTube channel.

If you need to reconnect with nature, looking at tree bark could be the therapeutic escape you’re looking for. “As I walked, I took note of the brick red undertone of oak trees and the smooth surface of paper birch, curling in great white sheets,” Aislinn Sarnacki wrote this week, reflecting on all of the trees she observed on a recent hike.