Morning Update: What you need to know in Maine today

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I think my first words were ‘Shut up.’ And then I turned to the race marshal and said, ‘Did you know about this?’”

— Fayth Weed, a longtime musher and medical team leader for the Can-Am sled dog races in northern Maine, recalling her partner’s surprise marriage proposal after this year’s race.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Graham Platner’s frontrunner status has changed the tone of the race with Janet Mills. A recent University of New Hampshire poll found the governor 38 points behind the political newcomer in the race for the Democratic nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

A Republican lawmaker advocating for a new courthouse says funding it “isn’t rocket science.” The Newport District Courthouse has been closed for more than a year after mold was found in the building.

There is more Maine can do to fix its housing crisis, Mills said Monday. The governor appeared at the Main View Apartments in Orono to celebrate the 24 units remaining affordable for the older and disabled adults who live there.

The state reversed its plan to close a major Caribou bridge during construction. Locals had slammed the bridge closure as “crazy,” “unacceptable” and “devastating.”

The owners of an Orland brewery bought a garden supply center in Blue Hill. The sale marks the end of an era for Mainescape founder Don Paine and his wife, Althea, after decades running the business.