Morning Update: What you need to know in Maine today

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We all want to be energy efficient just due to the fact that energy is so expensive. But some of the things written into this code create a lot of difficulties for people building houses, and whenever you create difficulties for people building houses, you increase costs.”

— Rep. Jack Ducharme, R-Madison, who has sponsored a bill exempting towns with fewer than 10,000 people from having to abide by Maine’s uniform building and energy code.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Landlords say a Bangor property management company owes them thousands of dollars. They wanted the rental income they were owed. They also wanted answers. They got neither, according to an investigation by the Bangor Daily News.

Maggie O’Neil was having a busy 2024 until bad news forced her to slow down. O’Neil learned she has a rare cancer and now must find a bone marrow donor.

Four big housing ideas from Maine lawmakers. Legislators have submitted a score of bills aimed at alleviating the state’s acute housing shortage, many corresponding to recommendations in a new state report that came out last week.

Bangor restaurants delay raising prices as egg costs skyrocket. Bagel Central now spends $2,825 a week on average for eggs, compared with $1,000 last winter, owner Scott Bryson said.

Permanent closure of Bucksport landfill could begin this summer. Bucksport Mill LLC’s proposed plan for permanently closing the site is now close to 2,000 pages long, but state officials still are asking for the company to submit more information.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

MAINE IN PICTURES

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

President Donald Trump holds up an executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, after signing it at an indoor presidential inauguration parade event in Washington. Credit: Matt Rourke / AP

“After less than two weeks, there’s plenty of shock. Awe, not so much. Unless you are somehow awed by making other people’s lives miserable. Or by chaos and confusion, or by outrageous remarks.”

Editorial: Shock, but not awe, from President Trump

LIFE IN MAINE

Here are some ways to replace pricey eggs. Mainers have faced uncomfortably high egg prices before. In a 1909 edition of the BDN, a columnist wrote that with eggs reaching 50 cents per dozen, “egg economy was simply forced upon me,” with “ruin staring me in the face.” Luckily, today’s grocery stores carry solid substitutes, and online recipes for vegans offer new inspiration.

Maine groundhog expert reveals five secrets Punxsutawney Phil won’t tell. University of Southern Maine professor Christine Maher, who has been studying the same group of groundhogs for almost 30 years, shares five fun facts.

Twenty-two kids caught fish for the 1st time in this outdoor adventure. The third- and fourth-graders, who had never ice-fished before, learned the basics — and everyone caught a fish.

Here are some of the winter pleasures of Moosehead Lake. Covering nearly 75,000 acres, Moosehead Lake is the largest lake in Maine. It’s home to more than 80 islands. And, Aislinn Sarnacki writes, the area is a particularly special place to visit in the winter.

A Caribou cusk fisherman pulled in a 19-pound togue. The 37-inch fish won Camden Huck a first place prize in the Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby.

Eight cozy restaurants and pubs in Maine to visit this winter. It can be hard to drag yourself out of your home during the winter months. Here are eight eateries and bars around the state that make it easy.

Strap on your snowshoes and hike Eagles Crag in Acadia. Located on the southern slope of Cadillac Mountain, Eagles Crag is a rocky overlook that provides an open view of the southeast corner of Mount Desert Island, including Otter Cove, Gorham Mountain, The Beehive and, of course, the sparkling ocean beyond.

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