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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“These are designed to be houses that will have no heating or electric bills while the solar array is active.”

— Steve Eaton, vice president of operations for Zero Energy Homes, one of the companies that have teamed up to build affordable solar-powered homes in Maine.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Susan Collins starts to line up money for Maine that may not come. With an August recess approaching, Congress has little time to pass all 12 funding bills before the Sept. 30 deadline.

I’m the Bangor Daily News’ new rural politics reporter. Tell me what I need to know. Is there a fierce and undercovered debate in your community? Are services strained? Are government policies affecting you?

Invisible rural homelessness grows in the shadow of a Maine tourism mecca. In 2023, 42 percent of Hancock County residents were below the poverty line, or above it but still unable to make ends meet.

Orrington trash plant at risk of permanent closure if judge freezes funding. Eagle Point Energy Center has been embroiled in a lawsuit with the facility’s former owner, Penobscot Energy Recovery Co., over tipping fees.

New partnership aims to build affordable solar homes in Maine. Two Maine companies plan to build 10 solar-powered houses for low- and moderate-income residents who have been priced out of the housing market. 

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

MAINE IN PICTURES

A fawn and doe look up from grazing in Dedham on Thursday. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

President Donald Trump holds his signed signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House, on July 4, 2025, in Washington, as House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, left, watches and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, takes a photo. Credit: Evan Vucci / AP

“When you defund Planned Parenthood, you’re not punishing an organization. You’re punishing the people who rely on it to survive.”

Opinion: On July 4, politicians celebrated freedom while slashing live-saving social programs

LIFE IN MAINE

This Maine island mail boat will take you on a puffin tour. Seal island, 21 miles off the coast, encompasses 65 acres and is the site of the largest puffin colony in Maine.

Meet the rare Maine bug that’s equal parts Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula. This critter is an accomplished hunter, it’s also part vampire — but only on other insects.

Watch this huge Maine snapping turtle visit a fisherman. Colin Chase of Gray enjoyed a close encounter with a huge snapping turtle on a lazy day of fishing

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