Nineteen-year-old Damien DuMont was elected to the MSAD 45 school board in March, less than a year after graduating from Washburn High School. Credit: Cameron Levasseur / The County

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If anyone knows M&C we’d like to explain why paint is bad for trees.”

— Orono Land Trust in a Facebook post after discovering that someone had spray-painted on the trunk of a 350-year-old white pine known as the Big Old Tree.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Donald Trump’s low approval in Maine is a problem for Susan Collins. Two Democrats vying to oust Collins led the five-term Republican in hypothetical November matchups, a recent poll found.

High health insurance costs are driving Mainers to alternatives. These take many forms, but they share a commonality: they are not subject to the same rules as insurers.

Power rates are about to skyrocket on Maine’s most remote island. Rising electricity prices have been a recent theme across the state. But the situation on Matinicus is unique.

A recent Maine high school graduate is now on the school board. Nineteen-year-old Damien DuMont decided to run on Election Day, when he went to the town office to vote and noticed there were vacant seats.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

Search officials seek camera footage of missing 24-year-old Winslow man

Bangor Family Dollar is closing

Advocate called for removal of Maine teen months before double homicide

Wabanaki youth initiative nets $348K federal grant for food program 

Maine tried zoning reform to fix its housing crisis. It’s unclear if it’s working.

Someone spray-painted all over a 350-year-old tree in Orono

Teen believed to be involved in St. Albans hit-and-run that seriously injured man

Feds and Mi’kmaq Nation sign deal to protect piece of Aroostook wilderness

Hampden waste center to bring recycling back to the Bangor area after 6 years

Maine’s transgender sports referendum is on the verge of dropping off the ballot

Bangor has some of the nation’s cleanest air

Sen. Tim Scott to give keynote at Maine GOP banquet

Maine man charged with attempted murder after crashing into Bar Harbor police cruiser

Bangor man in his underwear accused of criminal mischief

Eliot Cutler accused of 5th probation violation

Maine wardens join search for missing 24-year-old Winslow man

Bangor sets daily low temperature record during wave of cold weather

Bangor releases its 2026 road work plans

MAINE IN PICTURES

Nineteen-year-old Damien DuMont was elected to the MSAD 45 school board in March, less than a year after graduating from Washburn High School. Credit: Cameron Levasseur / The County

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

A first rendering of one man’s idea to turn a portion of the Bangor Mall into housing includes walls of windows with a sprawling central skylight and a large central courtyard. Credit: Courtesy of Michael Cole

“This could act as a catalyst for the city of Bangor to develop a master plan for the entire area that could direct and organize future development to create a new, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood where people want to live, work and play.”

Opinion: A vision for a new Bangor Mall neighborhood

LIFE IN MAINE

A church built by one of Maine’s premier architects is on the market.

Videos show dead Maine moose covered in winter ticks. Here’s how they kill.

Read an account of Maine’s “big night” for amphibians.