Morning update: What you need to know in Maine today

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I must tell you that I have never seen or heard of such high percentages of school staff saying that they did not have faith in their superintendent, and strongly suggest that you consider making a career change.”

— Phyllis Hunter of the Maine Education Association in an email to Daniel Ross, superintendent of schools in Deer Isle, Stonington, Sedgwick and Brooklin.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

A Bangor lawmaker wants to cap property taxes for Maine seniors. The proposal comes as rapidly increasing property values have led to tax increases that have hurt older Mainers on fixed incomes.

The clock is ticking for Central Maine Power to protect land for its power corridor approval. The utility must permanently conserve 50,000 acres, an area larger than Acadia National Park, in the vicinity of the corridor through western Maine.

A Bangor man accused of killing ex-girlfriend pleaded not guilty. Richard Thorpe, 43, is accused of killing 39-year-old Virginia Cookson in her Bangor home in September.

Deer Isle-area school staff voted no confidence in their superintendent. Employees have alleged that Daniel Ross doesn’t always tell the truth, is rarely present in the school buildings, that they have felt unsupported and “targeted” by him, and that students have been negatively affected.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

MAINE IN PICTURES

Shoppers head for stores at the Bangor Mall as soon as their bus arrives from Saint John, New Brunswick, in this 2010 file photo. In its heyday, the Bangor Mall was the largest north of Boston and drew shoppers from as far away as Canada. Credit: Gabor Degre / BDN

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

In this Oct. 29, 1938, file photo, West Point Military Academy cadets march into Yankee Stadium before a football game between Army and Notre Dame in New York. Credit: File / AP

“College football was never meant to be about the raw quality of the game. It was always about the traditions, the rivalries, the teams.”

Opinion: College football is now just a business, each player a free agent — and the fans lose

LIFE IN MAINE

An Indian Township man shot a deer he had chased since 2020. Nicknamed “Drop Tine,” the buck became a local legend of sorts, with several hunters, including other members of Joseph Socobasin’s family.

We want to hear your most practical gift ideas. Whether it was a book, a tool or gadget, a handmade item or an offer of help. If it made your life better, we want to hear about it.

Try these Bangor-area walking trails for a Thanksgiving day stroll. “For many people, it’s tradition to venture outside and exercise sometime during Thanksgiving day. Some do it before the big meal, and some do it after,” Aislinn Sarnacki writes.

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