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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We had two hours to get our affairs in order and were then locked out of our computers and accounts.”

— Tessa Corsetti of Kittery, the former regional bat coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who was fired in February because her “skills and expertise no longer aligned with the needs of the Department of Interior.” Since then, Corsetti received one email from her supervisor saying they’re working on bringing her back, but has heard nothing since. 

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Maine universities can’t access U.S. Department of Agriculture funding for women in STEM and the maple industry. The University of Maine System believes the awards are “under review for alignment with the new administration’s priorities,” a spokesperson said.

The Trump administration found that the Maine Department of Education is violating Title IX with its transgender athlete rules. The administration on Wednesday also issued the state an ultimatum: Keep trans athletes out of girls’ sports or lose federal funds. Meanwhile, the Maine Principals’ Association, the governing body for school sports in Maine, is pushing back against the Trump administration, saying it has no grounds to investigate the organization. 

Maine federal workers who were laid off by the Trump administration said they would go back to their jobs “in a heartbeat.” ​​Two federal judges last week ordered the reinstatement of thousands of employees who were fired unjustly, but some Mainers remain in limbo.

Maine scientists raised the alarm over possible federal research cuts. The MDI Biological Laboratory currently has more than 60 percent of its indirect costs reimbursed. The Trump administration wants to cut that to 15 percent.

Patagonia is suing Marden’s for selling counterfeit clothing. Fake Patagonia jackets have been sold by Marden’s at all 13 locations, according to the lawsuit.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

MAINE IN PICTURES

Jane Disney, a research professor at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, peers through a microscope at zebrafish embryos Wednesday, while college students Gabrielle Wilson, left, and Jeong Won Eom observe. The program that provides research experience at a biomedical institution to undergraduate students in Maine would be in jeopardy if proposed federal funding cuts are implemented. Credit: Bill Trotter / BDN

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

An attendee at the school board meeting for Regional School Unit 40 in Union on June 6, 2024, holds trans flags to show support for retaining the district’s transgender students policy. Credit: Jules Walkup / BDN

“​​It is shameful that some Republican lawmakers in Maine are welcoming punitive cuts from the Trump administration that will harm Maine people.”

Editorial: Maine must continue to reject Trump demands over transgender athletes

LIFE IN MAINE

A new play dramatizes Maine folk hero and lighthouse keeper Abbie Burgess. She’s been the subject of a beloved children’s book, had a U.S. Coast Guard cutter named after her and is now the subject of “Matinicus: A Lighthouse Play,” set to premiere Thursday in Bangor.

Maine released proposed numbers of Maine moose permits for each hunting zone. The state will begin accepting moose permit applications on April 1, online only. 

An Aroostook County woman left a 19-year dog breeding career to become a body piercer. “My daughter was like, we need to get a piercer for the shop,” Jia Rumi recalled. “I said, ‘OK, do you have someone in mind?’ and she said, ‘You.’”