Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024

Quote of the Day

"This is the week of the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year, longest night of the year. That's kind of a very visible and tangible reminder [that] it's getting colder, it's getting darker longer, and the issue of homelessness and the need hasn't subsided.”

— Tyler Morrison, an administrator at Bangor’s Hope House, speaking during a vigil Wednesday for people who have died as a result of being homeless.

Today’s Top Maine Stories

A Japanese restaurant in Bangor has been cited for 1,700 labor violations. According to the state, the violations at Green Tree Restaurant were related to payment of wages, earned paid leave, minimum wages and employment of minors.

Dozens gathered in Bangor to remember homeless residents who have died. This year’s vigil comes as the city is preparing to close Bangor’s largest homeless encampment.

Brewer is looking to make its busiest road safer. The city is considering a number of changes to South Main Street, the most noticeable would be the addition of a 12-foot, shared-use path separated from motor vehicle traffic.

Janet Mills’ family home in Farmington is for sale. The five-bedroom, four-bathroom home, now owned by the governor’s brother, includes a wrap-around porch, a grand staircase and a four-bay carport.

Here’s why RFK Jr. can’t stop Maine communities from adding fluoride to their water. “Recommend” is the key word when considering how Kennedy and Donald Trump could affect Maine.

News from Around the State

• Jobs outlook report predicts Maine labor shortage will continue

• Maine delegation urges IRS to reconsider Bangor Tax Assistance Center closure

• 2 people killed in Clifton car crash

• Legendary Maine singer-songwriter David Mallett has died

• Caribou to raise fire and ambulance rates on 8 area towns

• MDI property owners fined $231K for unpermitted junkyard

• Popular Amish-run meat market in Unity closing next spring

• $1M grant will help midcoast police to expand addiction treatment

• Maine doughnut mogul taking her biggest chance yet on real estate and art

• Portland council gives green light to 2-day music festival in 2025

• 3 charged in scam to take Maine man for $100K

• UMaine men’s basketball coach likes his team’s progress

• 2025 UMaine football schedule features games against bowl teams

Maine in Pictures

Duke's Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after hitting a three-point shot Tuesday during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against George Mason in Durham, North Carolina. Credit: Ben McKeown / AP

Things to do this Weekend

For the last weekend before Christmas, is there anything more seasonally appropriate than “The Nutcracker”? Robinson Ballet and the Bangor Symphony Orchestra will present multiple performances of the beloved ballet Saturday and Sunday at the Collins Center for the Arts in Orono. At sundown Saturday, there’s a winter solstice celebration at Sears Island in Searsport, including candle luminaries, singing and food trucks. For those last minute shopping needs, there’s the Merry Makers Market at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, featuring more than 100 vendors in the ballroom from 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday. And for a holiday treat, all weekend the Penobscot Theatre continues its production of “A Christmas Carol” in Bangor, and the Grand Theatre presents “A Christmas Story: The Musical” in Ellsworth.

From the Opinion Pages

Life in Maine

Here are a few tips on how you can make a nontraditional holiday wreath. It won’t look out of place if you leave the wreath up after everything else for the holiday has been put away.

This century-old Down East tradition delivers Christmas cheer wrapped in red string. During the holiday season, the Sunbeam has visited islands and coastal communities throughout Maine.

A Dover-Foxcroft man got an 8-point buck. Doug Kane II, 23, has been hunting since he was 10 years old and shot his 13th buck during Thanksgiving week.

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