QUOTE OF THE DAY
— Bangor Public Works Director Aaron Huotari describing the winter of 2021-2022. This year has been much different, he said.
TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES
The UMaine women’s basketball and men’s ice hockey teams have big games Friday.
— The women face steep odds in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Ohio State and its standout pressure defense. Here’s how to watch women’s basketball.
— The men take on Boston University in their first trip to the Hockey East semifinals in more than a decade. Here’s how to watch men’s hockey.
— Despite the teams’ success, a 2022 law prevents you from being able to bet on these games.
Bangor schools switched to full-day prekindergarten, and they are seeing remarkable results.
A Hancock County probate judge won’t go to jail for not paying $43K in child support. He paid up and more.
MAINE IN PICTURES
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
- Janet Mills unveils minimum wage bill for Maine farmworkers after opposing past efforts
- Maine joins federal lawsuit accusing Apple of illegal monopoly over smartphones
- Joe Biden declares Maine’s twin January storms a major disaster
- French fry truck that closed I-95 in Bangor was going too fast, police say
- $17M PFAS research center at UMaine is moving forward
- Presque Isle city manager rescinds resignation and is back on the job
- Fire destroys Waldo County home and barn
- Driver killed when logging truck crashes into pond in The Forks
- Years-long dispute over Sebago Lake shorefront violations ends in agreement
- Missing York man found dead
- Maine man gets 12 years for role in multi-state meth ring
- Pierce Walston of Orono wins Maine Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year Award
- Cooper Flagg named as finalist for Gatorade National Basketball Award
THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND
This weekend brings the ninth annual Maine Science Festival in Bangor, featuring three days of programming for all ages centered around science, technology, engineering, math and creativity, at both the Cross Insurance Center and in downtown Bangor. For a full schedule for this free festival, visit mainesciencefestival.org. Also this weekend is Maine Maple Sunday, in which we welcome this season’s first delicious batches of Maine maple syrup. Sugar houses all over the state open their doors to visitors for shopping, samples and family-friendly farm activities. For a full list, visit the Maine Maple Syrup Producers website.
FROM THE OPINION PAGES
“I barely take home more than $1,000 every two weeks. My monthly rent is $885. All of my teeth are rotting, and I can’t afford a dentist … I’m working full time and relying on food stamps and MaineCare to support my family because my employer doesn’t pay me enough.”
Opinion: Community college workers shouldn’t have to rely on food stamps and MaineCare
LIFE IN MAINE
The fastest growth on Maine farms is not the crops but tourism. The finding comes from newly released census data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The U.S. National Biathlon Championships are this weekend in Fort Kent. The snow and cold weather came back just in time.
USA Today published its 2024 Restaurants of the Year. Maine’s lone entry on the 46-deep list is a rustic reservation-only spot in the interior midcoast (and it’s not The Lost Kitchen).