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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I picked and planted things and moved old sludge piles by hand that had old toilet paper sticking out of them. No one told us that it was a forever chemical pile.”

— Lisa Toles, a migrant farmworker who has worked for 20 years at farms and greenhouses in Maine that were contaminated with PFAS. Toles received a letter from the state urging her to get tested and wanted to but has been delayed because she did not have insurance.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Few Mainers are getting tested for PFAS despite a push by the state. The 164 positive tests the state has collected since last fall likely represent a fraction of the people exposed to high PFAS levels.

Brewer repaid more than $773,000 to Northern Light after a tax dispute. The amount of money became public two months after a judge’s ruling. 

Bangor will preemptively comply with a state law limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Monday night’s City Council vote refers to a Maine law expected to take effect in July.

Maine’s proposed data center ban could restrict a facility planned at the former Loring Air Force Base. A bill headed to the Legislature would halt permits for facilities using more than 20 megawatts of power until late 2027.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

MAINE IN PICTURES

Paul Ridlon, who practices a form of modern Paganism, lives in a yurt in Portland. As religious adherence has declined both nationally and in Maine, Pagans across the state say they have seen growing interest in the earth-based spirituality their traditions offer, a trend that is supported by religious survey data. Credit: Joseph Ciembroniewicz / The Maine Monitor

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

Credit: Stock photo / charliepix

“It’s this simple: Kids can’t advocate for themselves. They rely on adults to protect and care for them.”

Opinion: Maine children deserve a dedicated voice to advocate for them

LIFE IN MAINE

Bangor is getting a cryptozoology museum next month. 

Student actors captured Fort Kent Community High School’s third recent championship, winning the weekend’s Class B regional drama competition in Brewer.

An ice fishing disaster ended with the perfect consolation prize for Outdoors contributor V. Paul Reynolds.