A version of this story first appeared in the Morning Update newsletter. Sign up here to receive the Morning Update and other BDN newsletters directly in your inbox.
Happy Monday!
Maine is getting a final lashing from the weakening nor’easter, which has delivered the brunt of its blow to southern New England and the Middle Atlantic States.
Today winds will gust up to 24 mph and up to an inch of rain is expected from Greater Bangor to the Down East coast. The National Weather Service described that rain as “beneficial” for a region grappling with a moderate to severe drought.
That wetness will linger into Tuesday before we get a chance to dry out mid-week.
Given how parched Maine has been for months, this rain is certainly welcome.
Penobscot County leaders spent thousands on travel and dining amid multimillion-dollar budget crisis
During budget discussions last year, Penobscot County’s commissioners were trying to find ways to cut spending during a budget and tax hike. One of the proposals for saving was to cut county-funded travel and credit card use.
At that time, Bangor Daily News reporters had already filed multiple public records requests with the county, including for credit card statements, to show readers what was going on before a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall was revealed. After a lengthy process to obtain the records, I sifted through credit card charges and statements to see how officials were using their county-issued cards.
Charges for packs of raisins, pricey meals and plane tickets to towns along the East Coast immediately stood out. Asking department heads about their spending revealed even more about how the county was communicating and operating amid years of overspending.
We found a permissive spending culture among county officials, some of whom didn’t know about the ongoing multimillion-dollar budget crisis.
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From the Opinion Page
“Neighbors talking trash about each other seems to be a clear sign of a dark period in U.S.-Canadian relations.”
Opinion: US-Canada relations have weathered disagreements before. They will again.