Quote of the Day
— U.S. Rep. Jared Golden on the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law on Sunday.
Today’s Top Maine Stories
Look inside the long Social Security fight for Maine’s public workers. The Social Security Fairness Act, which was signed into law on Sunday, was not passed as a result of a backroom deal or dramatic compromise.
Two Christian schools say they shouldn’t have to follow Maine’s anti-discrimination law. The schools separately sued the state in 2023, claiming that recognizing gender nonbinary students would violate their freedom of religion.
Janet Mills implored lawmakers to quickly close Maine’s $118M Medicaid shortfall. The Democratic governor is going to offer a budget adjustment that uses projected revenue to cover health care cost overruns.
News from around the state
Temporary housing for homeless proposed in Belfast church
More than 1,000 Cumberland school emails targeted in phishing scam
Bangor Savings Bank gets approval to expand waterfront campus
Ellsworth council votes to build road to new courthouse site
Bangor is getting another Dollar General
Suspect in Edgecomb killing found on a boat in California
Longtime BDN journalist Kent Ward dies at 93
Maine officer seriously injured in collision has been identified
Janet Mills wants to ensure Maine is ready for the next big storm
Stockton Springs appoints temporary town manager
Lobstering union reaches $5M settlement with former CEO
Maine’s right-to-repair law is now in effect
More officials protest Maine’s plan to dock ferries on mainland
Maine in Pictures
Kyle Jacques of Gorham caught this 21 3/4-inch brook trout in Moosehead Lake Saturday. It was the biggest brookie he has caught. Credit: Bryant Jacques / Courtesy of Kyle Jacques
Maine town of the week
MADAWASKA: Few border towns in Maine are as intertwined with its neighboring town in Canada as Madawaska. Though an international border and the Saint John River separate them, Madawaska and Edmundston, New Brunswick share countless economic and cultural ties. Not only does Twin Rivers ship pulpwood processed in Edmundston to be turned into paper in Madawaska, families on both sides of the border maintain close connections and, in many cases, share the same language, French.
From the Opinion Pages
“The lack of drama and objections to the 2024 election results once again highlights the stunning hypocrisy of Trump’s persistent claims of election fraud in 2020.”
Editorial: This Jan. 6 was ordinary. That doesn’t erase what Trump did 4 years ago.
Life in Maine
These are some of the oldest continually operating businesses in Bangor. Some of the shops and bars you frequent, the institutions you bank with and even the publication you’re reading right now were in Maine before cars, electricity and telephones.
Rare American geese might be a good fit for your homestead. All three American breeds are generally friendly; they forage for food, and have even been used to weed gardens.
Maine’s largest ice fishing derby is on track for its 20th year. Freezing temperatures over the past week have added 3 to 4 inches to the existing ice ahead of the derby on Jan. 25 and 26.
This fall marks the final year of Maine’s adaptive moose hunt, a five-year experiment meant to reduce the winter tick population. So, how did it work, and what happens next?