QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We’re not performing at the level we’re capable of performing at. The scary part is [increasing housing] is a matter of maintaining the economy.”

— Mathew Eddy, executive director of the Midcoast Council of Governments, on the impact of unaffordable rental prices on Maine’s midcoast. 

TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES

Maine faces a key hurdle in effort to speed up criminal trials. Maine is one of nine states with no clear timelines for criminal cases, despite the state and U.S. constitutions including the right to a speedy trial.

Affordable housing is becoming harder to find on Maine’s midcoast. Scarce housing opportunities have pushed workers to either commute long distances or leave the region altogether.

Warming waters in Casco Bay are driving herring farther from shore. Climate change, human activity, ocean acidification and harmful algal blooms are causing different behaviors in species that could hinder their ability to reproduce and thrive.

Maine scientists are testing tree pulp and seaweed as PFAS alternatives. They are similar in function to, but safer than, certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. 

MAINE IN PICTURES

Class of 2024 graduate Declan Riorden accepts his diploma from Emily Hadad, dean of the University of Maine College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The graduate chose to wear a Palestinian shawl to demonstrate his support of Palestine and to protest the U.S. policy supporting Israel’s actions in the war in Gaza. Credit: Julia Bayly / BDN

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

“Republicans need to come back to the concerns of real Americans. What matters is not the move to vacate, in congressional parlance. What matters is the price of the weekly grocery bill.”

Opinion: Marjorie Taylor Greene is a distraction that is hurting Republicans

LIFE IN MAINE

Julia Gagnon didn’t make it into the top five on “American Idol” on Sunday night. Gagnon, who sang “Roam” by the B-52s and “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele, was one of two contestants cut.

Ready for the summer’s outdoor concerts? There’s something for everyone, every week from Memorial Day through mid-September. Here’s your ultimate guide and breakdowns of who’s taking the stage on the Bangor waterfront and Thompson’s Point in Portland. 

You will appreciate the power and grace this eagle demonstrates. New England-based photographer Corey Cain captured this footage of an eagle he calls “Sammy” in December of 2023.