QUOTE OF THE DAY
— Kelly Normandin, who has been searching for months for a safe, pet-friendly apartment in the Skowhegan area.
TODAY’S TOP STORIES
Gov. Janet Mills may get Democratic pushback on proposed cigarette tax hike. Mills and her office said the $1 per pack increase to Maine’s $2 cigarette tax — along with a boost in the excise tax on other tobacco products — will generate about $80 million over two years.
Bangor bus riders approve of the recent switch to a new fixed stop system. Previously, riders could get on the bus at any point along the route by waving it down, making it hard for buses to run on time.
Bangor mobile home park becomes Maine’s second bought by residents under new law. After raising $8 million to outbid a corporate investor, residents of a Bangor mobile home park unanimously voted to purchase their park Saturday.
Renting in rural Maine can be as hard as it is in cities. Rents for middle-income earners are rising fast, making it hard for potential tenants to find a place to live.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
- Maine supreme court considers new rules for disciplining justices
- Maine’s marine resources chief has profane exchange with lobstermen
- Maine Republican Party ousts its chair for the 2nd straight time
- Maine Democratic Party chair is stepping down
- Maine is seeing increase in flu and COVID cases
- Owner may demolish parts of Bangor Mall in coming years
- Longtime Bangor hardware store owner has died
- Broadway in Bangor to be narrowed to 1 lane for I-95 bridge work
- St. Joseph Healthcare’s president is retiring
- If you see flames in Hampden, it might be this
- FBI investigated Snapchat post threatening Orono High School
- Trial starts Monday for Aroostook man who allegedly killed girlfriend
- Ellsworth firefighters want 2nd station to boost ambulance service
- Historic Bar Harbor caretaker’s cottage could be yours if you can move it
- 10 pets killed in Surry house fire
- Judge lets sale of UMaine’s Belfast center continue despite church lawsuit
- Damariscotta man killed in single-car crash
- Portland sees record overdoses in 2024, but fewer lives lost
- Hampden Academy girls basketball beats Bangor with 2-3 zone
- Penobscot Valley is dominating Class C girls basketball after 3 playoff losses
- Cooper Flagg breaks ACC freshman scoring record in win over Notre Dame
- First-period goals, Boija’s goaltending earn UMaine hockey sweep of UMass Lowell
- Hot-shooting UMaine men’s basketball team tops Albany
- Albany women’s basketball uses late run to upend UMaine
MAINE IN PICTURES
FROM THE OPINION PAGES
“Every year, millions of Americans, most of whom have health insurance, incur medical debt. These unpaid bills often force people to curtail spending on essentials, such as heat, housing and food. Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the U.S.”
LIFE IN MAINE
There’s never been a better time to visit a sauna in Maine. In the bleak midwinter, when daylight is scarce and temperatures struggle to rise above freezing, some Mainers have found warmth, solace and rejuvenation in a practice that stretches back centuries: traditional Nordic sauna.
You can ride a snowmobile through Caribou’s new light show. Jim Gamage and Troy Haney created the “Northern Lights” trail to entice people to come north and take advantage of Aroostook’s winter recreation opportunities.
Maine man gets first moose and bride-to-be the same day. With blood up to his elbows, Jared Lavers of New Gloucester dropped to one knee in the North Woods beside his dead moose and asked his girlfriend of six years for her hand in marriage.
