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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“This is the leech crushing our communities.”
— Brewer Mayor Jenn Morin speaking on Tuesday night about Penobscot County’s soaring jail budget.
TODAY’S TOP STORIES
Penobscot County’s budget committee partially approved a soaring $36 million bottom line for 2026. The overall budget, if approved, would set the stage for what could be substantial tax hikes for residents.
Graham Platner and Janet Mills have very different views on Chuck Schumer’s Senate leadership. It’s part of the tension between the top two Democrats vying to unseat Sen. Susan Collins next year.
A Bangor toy store is moving to a bigger downtown location. Out on a Whimsey’s new space at 43 Main St. was home to Rebecca’s Gift Shop for nearly 40 years until its owners retired.
Residents of a small Aroostook County town created a fund to keep their library alive. The new fund is critical because of rising costs and less support from the Maine State Library due to federal cuts.
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NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
- Progress on overdose deaths could be jeopardized by federal cuts, critics say
- Eliot Cutler accused of violating probation by shopping online for an escort
- Ellsworth’s new water treatment plant is pushing up firefighting costs
- Bangor-area man accused of impersonating bank customers pleads guilty
- 32-unit affordable housing complex debuts in Augusta
- Houlton nurses start 2-day strike
- Community support networks are growing in Maine. Here’s where to find help.
- Jury to decide if father-son duo ran $13M black market marijuana grow
- Central Maine Power’s 5-year rate hike proposal has been denied
- 2 people die in single-vehicle Livermore crash
- Howland man faces $250,000 fine after passport fraud conviction
- Maine infant contracts botulism after formula recall
- Under pressure, Maine Library Commission postpones vote to adopt new requirements for libraries
- Cumberland County leaders vote to keep contract with ICE
- Motley Crue is coming to the Bangor Waterfront
MAINE IN PICTURES
FROM THE OPINION PAGES
“It isn’t until you see the streetlights turn on, that you remember they’re on a timer. It isn’t until you need to move, that your car feels so small. And it is not until you need to see a doctor in Bangor that you realize how badly our health care system is failing.”
Opinion: Health care cannot be only for a privileged few
LIFE IN MAINE
This Maine deer hunting tactic has been working for 40 years, according to Outdoors contributor Tom Roth.
A former Caribou basketball star now officiates alongside his dad, a welcome development as the state faces a shortage of referees.
Peep this yurt for sale in rural Maine
A Maine hunter beat Lyme disease to complete rare Grand Slam with her dad.