Morning update: What we’re talking about in Maine today

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Whether it’s interest rates are finally being absorbed, if it’s a macroeconomic thing, if people are feeling less good about spending money, or simply they’ve hit the affordability ceiling, we’re feeling it. We are not going to keep pricing things higher and higher.”

— Brit Vitalius, designated broker at Vitalius Real Estate Group, on the Maine housing market.

TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES

These are 4 ways the Maine housing market has radically changed in just a decade. The Maine cities and towns that have been hit hardest by the spikes in value over the last decade may surprise you.

Bangor is poised to lift a longstanding construction restriction that planners hope will bring more housing to the city. That change now goes to the City Council for final approval.

The world is weighing in on the fate of four Maine dams blocking passage of endangered salmon. The stakes couldn’t be higher, pitting the potential survival of a species against business interests.

The big road construction projects Maine will have to deal with this summer. They may cause some headaches over the next couple months.

MAINE IN PICTURES

Holden Police Chief Eddie Benjamin waves to people in vehicles cheering on the group of runners as they make their way along Route 1A in Holden for a 6.5-mile leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics on Friday. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

INSIDE THE NEWSROOM

I spent six months chronicling the journey of a Ukrainian family that fled the war in their country and found safety with sponsors in Maine, though they face an uncertain future. This story shares snapshots of Mariana, Zlata and Mykyta Haletska’s lives, and it aims to capture the tension of gratitude and loss as they navigate an impossibly unfair situation.

Now that the project is out in the world, I feel simultaneously relieved and like a piece of me is missing. Reporting and writing this story was personal. In some ways, the Haletska family’s experiences mirrored those of my parents and siblings, who were part of a wave of refugees leaving their motherland after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Like Mariana, many of my relatives still live in Ukraine, and I think of them often. The weight of the ongoing destruction there is soul-crushing.

I am grateful to the Halestka and Deveau families for opening their lives to me. It was an honor to tell this story, which I will carry with me for a long time.

— Valerie Royzman

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

“Symbols of Pride, like the ubiquitous rainbow flags, can serve a much more important message. They send a message of belonging. They tell LGBTQ+ Americans and Mainers, ‘You are welcome here.’”

Editorial: Pride Month is time for celebration, but also to push back on efforts to diminish LGBTQ+ Mainers

LIFE IN MAINE

The historic crunch in Maine’s real estate market is putting land out of reach of aspiring homesteaders. But resourceful Mainers are finding ways to live off the land without owning it.

BDN Outdoors contributor Sarah Sindo sought out 360-degree views of the Katahdin region. All it took was braving an 80-foot climb up an old fire tower.

Not everyone has the time (or energy) to take a road trip to some of Maine’s hiking destinations. That’s OK. All of these hikes are within an hour of Bangor and offer treks for all levels.

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