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QUOTE OF THE DAY

All we have to do is share Eastport with ships 30 days a year … That allows us to keep it as it is for the other 335 days.

— Chris Gardner, head of Eastport’s port authority, on cruise ships visiting the Down East town.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

The friendly relationship between Janet Mills and Susan Collins may soon change. Their amicable relationship may change if Mills challenges the Republican senator in what may be one of the nation’s biggest races next year.

Luxury Bangor apartment building sells for $19 million. A Bangor-based corporation bought Tower 99 at 99 Franklin St. on Sept. 3, according to Maine real estate tax documents.

Bangor City Council candidate with experience on local boards wants to increase housing. Reese Perkins chairs the Planning Board and has served on the Board of Appeals and the Historic Preservation Commission.

Soaring taxes threaten longtime residents of Maine’s Unorganized Territory. For some landowners in real estate hot spots, property valuations have doubled or tripled, while their 2025 tax levies rose 60% or more.

Bar Harbor’s lost cruise ships are Eastport’s gain. Musicians played, vendors set up shop and City Hall closed at noon as Eastport welcomed the first Virgin Voyages cruise to ever visit Maine.

Caribou councilor files legal challenge of controversial vote on marijuana rules. The complaint alleges that councilors usurped the Planning Board’s authority by changing the cannabis ordinance without the board’s review.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

MAINE IN PICTURES

Shoppers browse Maine-grown produce at the 49th annual Common Ground Fair in Unity on Friday. This year’s growing season challenged farmers with a cold, wet spring, an extremely dry fall and upheaval in federal resources from the Trump administration, according to Sarah Alexander, executive director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Credit: Elizabeth Walztoni / BDN

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

Hundreds gathered in Augusta on Sept. 13, 2025, to honor Charlie Kirk and pray for his family. Credit: CBS 13

“We can set an example for our children and grandchildren that respect is stronger than resentment. By choosing our words wisely and treating others with dignity, we honor Charlie’s legacy and move our communities toward a healthier, more hopeful future. We won’t always agree. But violence is never the answer.”

Opinion: We can disagree without hatred

LIFE IN MAINE

Watch out for these fuzzy caterpillars in Maine this fall. At first glance hickory tussock caterpillars can look almost cute, but their barbed hairs can embed in skin and cause irritation or a rash.

Maine hunter bags 466-pound black bear with hounds. Hunting with hounds is a team effort, requiring cooperation between both dogs and hunters.

After more than 50 years covering Maine sports, Larry Mahoney is still looking for the next story. Mahoney was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday.