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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The issue is the actual information was not received which causes confusion on the federal side.” 

— County Administrator Scott Adkins on the lien placed on Penobscot County for unpaid taxes. 

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins does not support a Republican’s proposed stock trading ban. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, wants to ban lawmakers, presidents and vice presidents from trading stocks. 

Penobscot County owes nearly $360K in unpaid taxes and penalties, according to the Internal Revenue Service. The majority of the lien against Penobscot County comes from two civil penalties, but those penalties have not been specified. 

Low water pressure at hydrants hampered the Ellsworth Fire Department’s response to a house fire. The hydrants, one at the Chapel Street intersection and the other at the Grant Street intersection, have since been labeled as “out of service” by the city’s water department.

The Coast Guard has found Maine schooner’s mast was poorly inspected before deadly break. Among the problems were that the construction of the mast did not properly protect it from water damage, and the inspections by the Coast Guard and the ship’s owners had been insufficient.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

MAINE IN PICTURES

U.S. Army Cpl. Oscar L. Sprague, Company H, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, is pictured among a group of men in this undated photo. The 22-year-old died and was declared missing in September 1950 during the Korean War. Sprague’s body has been identified and will be buried in his hometown of Milbridge in September 2025. Credit: Courtesy of the United States Defense Prisoner Of War/Missing In Action Accounting Agency

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

A man emerges from a tent in Portland’s Harbor View Memorial Park on Jan. 2, 2024, as city work crews began clearing the large homeless encampment with heavy equipment. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN

“This order, which is built on simplistic notions of solving difficult, complex problems, is both cruel and overreaching. There are many questions surrounding the order.”

Editorial: Affordable housing, higher wages, mental health care are needed, not threats of institutionalization

LIFE IN MAINE

Even in fog, the Bold Coast can enchant hikers. When you reach the top of Maine’s impressive cliffs, you won’t regret it. 

Outdoors Editor Susan Bard has some experience with her dog Annie on places to hike with your four-legged friend within a short driving distance of Bangor.  

The University of Maine men’s hockey team is poised for success after claiming the Hockey East championship last year, but don’t expect to see any easy wins at the Alfond this season.