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Good morning. Temperatures will be in the 30s with mostly sunny skies throughout the state. Here's what we're talking about in Maine today.

Justice Department finds Maine in violation of law for limiting disability services

  • The U.S. Department of Justice has determined that Maine has been violating federal law for years by not providing a man who has several disabilities and medical conditions with the help he needs in his home to go about his daily life, in a finding that could have ramifications for many more people with disabilities.

    The state must grant him the services he is eligible for, and protect the civil rights of other people with disabilities who need support services, or else potentially face a lawsuit, according to a Feb. 10 letter from the Justice Department to the Maine attorney general’s office.

Walmart’s request for a tax break in Ellsworth could test the ‘dark store’ theory
  • In appeals Walmart has filed concerning stores in three communities around the state, the company has argued that its properties are not meant to be repurposed and should be valued as if the stores were dark – vacant, up for sale and likely unappealing to prospective buyers.
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Why campaign finance complaints are piling up in Maine’s US Senate race

  • Ethics complaints have piled up in the high-profile race, even as some of the charges against Susan Collins, Sara Gideon and allies may not be ruled on before the election or lead to major fines. While they may not generate heavy penalties, they can provide messaging sugar highs and retaliatory strikes for the two sides.
Growing aviation company is pursuing 2 different expansions in Bangor
  • The company has closed on a deal to buy 4 acres of city land, and it would lease two new structures from the city to house its expanding operations.
Penobscot County again says it will redesign proposed jail after 8-story building plan is criticized

  • Penobscot County commissioners will “take a pause in the process” of planning a new county jail after hearing criticism from the public about the proposal for an eight-story, 250-bed jail they introduced last week.
Mainers could face higher rates initially with consumer-owned utility, report finds
  • But those rates should be lower in the future because of its tax-exempt status, according to the report from London Economics International.
Belfast 15-year-old to compete in 28th annual Can-Am dog sled race

  • The 28th edition of the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races to begin Feb. 29 in Fort Kent expects a handful of veteran mushers, but also some new faces -- including a 15-year-old first-time competitor. Caleb Hayes of Belfast trains with his father, Jonathan Nathaniel Hayes, proprietor of Poland Spring Seppala Kennels out of Frenchville. The elder Hayes has raced in Can-Am off and on throughout the past 20 years, but said of his son, “ I will feel far more proud supporting him and seeing him cross the finish line.”

Poll: Bernie Sanders leads Maine in fractured Democratic presidential primary
  • Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders had a commanding Maine lead in the Democratic presidential primary in a poll released Tuesday by Colby College that found only one other candidate meeting a 15 percent threshold needed to win delegates. It largely mirrors national polling that has seen two former front-runners wane since last fall.
Expansion of Bangor’s waterfront park would extend pedestrian path along Penobscot River

  • In addition to a 2 ½-year construction project that has recently closed the lower half of the city’s waterfront park and a possible expansion of Geaghan’s Pub and Craft Brewery, the city is also considering extending the waterfront park, adding a parking lot and more walking trails.

New Maine poll shows Susan Collins and Sara Gideon nearly tied in 2020 race
  • The Republican senator facing a heavily nationalized fight from Democrats in her bid for a fifth term later this year was nearly tied with House Speaker Sara Gideon, her top Democratic rival, in a poll released Tuesday by Colby College that showed a mixed response to Collins' recent votes to acquit President Donald Trump in a heavily divided yet blue-leaning state.
Relive some of the best moments from the 2020 Maine high school basketball tourney quarterfinals

FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Teens go in search of mythical ‘Basin Screecher’ in Phippsburg woods
  • The Pine Tree State has no shortage of unexplained crypto creature encounters. There’s Cassie the mythic Casco Bay sea monster, first reported in the 18th century. In the 1970s, kids say they saw a gorilla on the loose in Durham. Bigfoot was reportedly sighted in Turner just a few years ago.

    Now, thanks to three Morse High School students, we can now add another to the list: The Basin Screecher.

In other news...

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CLASSIFIEDS


QUALITY, BUILDABLE LAND EDDINGTON
Chemo Pond 3 Rd., Lot 28, 7.4 acres; buildable land mins. to Bgr/Ells; snowmbl/atv trails; nearby water; $59,000; Kelley & Wally Fenlason, 207-949-7376. Realty of Maine.
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EAST MACHIAS MLS#1282261
Covenants protect investment. Rd front, rights to common lot. Near Gardner Lake. Great opp. Survey says 8.97ac. lot. $26,500 Sunrise Realty, Anita Johnson,
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HAMPDEN MLS#1413707
4 BR/2 BA 1918 farmhouse on 1.2 acs. Spacious fam. rm., huge backyard, 2-car att. gar. & front porch. $169,000 Jean Jenkins, Vacationland Realty, VacationlandRealtyMaine.com
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DEDHAM
Lot # 1 Hillside Dr. Conv. loc. minutes from 1A. Subdivision lot., Elec. at St., septic test avail. Walking trails abound & Lucerne Beach Club nearby. $25,000
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COUNTRY LIVING IN MILO RANCH
3 BR/1.5 BA W/2-car attach gar Deck & nice yard. Big basement. 1-car detach gar & shed w/gen. Near Schoodic & Ebeemee Lakes & KI. Trails nearby. Anne Bailey, DeWitt-Jones Realty, 207-943-3163
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