Morning Links - Friday February 21, 2025

Friday, February 21, 2025

Arts

Envision Resilience: Designs for Living in a Changing Climate 🏛 SPACE

Asylum Seekers

During Maine traffic stop, 3 admit to being in country illegally 🏛 WMTW

Business

Lobstermen see controversial fishing gear in action for the first time - YouTube - Portland Press Herald

Buy Local

7 Independent Bookstores That Maine Authors Love 🏛 Down East

City

Plans for MLK memorial in Portland remain stalled 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Constitutional Crisis

Collins says Trump is violating Constitution, but it’s not up to her to stop him 🏛 Maine Beacon

Angus King tells Senate colleagues, ‘We’ve got to wake up.’ 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Maine schools told to remove DEI or lose federal funding 🏛 Portland Press Herald

AG Frey warns CFPB shutdown threatens financial consumer safeguards 🏛 Maine Morning Star

Trump and Musk are not improving government. They’re creating chaos and wasting money. 🏛 Bangor Daily News

Canadian boycott could hurt Maine’s tourism economy 🏛 Maine Center for Economic Policy

Maine farms face uncertain future as federal funding freeze continues 🏛 WCSH News Center Maine

Mainers on the northern border have mixed views on annexing Canada 🏛 The County

Opinion: Elon Musk shows us that, yes, it can happen here 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Letter: Show up to protect democracy 🏛 Bangor Daily News

Poll sheds light on how Mainers feel about President Trump, Elon Musk - YouTube - WMTW-TV

UNH poll shows most Mainers disapprove of job Trump is doing - YouTube - CBS 13 News

Education

University of Maine System reports increased enrollment again - YouTube - NEWS CENTER Maine

Fiddlehead’s Giuliano among Cumberland County Teacher of the Year nominees 🏛 The Windham Eagle

Environment

Republican legislators look to bring small-scale nuclear power to Maine 🏛 WCSH News Center Maine

Funding to clean up contaminated Keddy Mill may be slashed 🏛 The Windham Eagle

Windham Natural Resource Advisory Committee leads efforts to improve water quality 🏛 The Windham Eagle

Beaver dam caused Maine train derailment that led to injuries, forest fire - YouTube - WMTW-TV

Food and Drink

Silver Street by Taj 🏛 Portland Food Map

Here's What is Replacing The North Point in Portland, Maine 🏛 WCYY

As egg shortage continues, Maine breakfast spots cope with rising costs 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Guns

Lewiston ramps up efforts to combat teen gun violence with new safety sessions - YouTube - CBS 13 News

Health Care

Letter: Maine lawmakers should unite to support health care-saving supplemental budget 🏛 Bangor Daily News

Letter: Protect Medicaid to protect Mainers 🏛 Bangor Daily News

Proposed ambulance assessment tax causing industrywide concern - YouTube - WMTW-TV

Pharmacy closures create growing 'desert' in rural Maine - YouTube - CBS 13 News

History

Throwback Thursday Photo: Ice Storm of 1998 🏛 Portland Old Port

Justice

Swatting of Maine secretary of state was part of broader attack on U.S. officials 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Labor

Maine approves private plans that employers can use instead of public paid leave program 🏛 Maine Morning Star

Sunday River ski patrol takes first step toward unionizing 🏛 Maine Public

Lewiston Mass Shooting

Lewiston shooting commission chair recaps ‘profound’ fact-finding mission 🏛 Portland Press Herald

LGBTQIA+

Republicans call for Maine schools to lose federal funds over transgender athlete policies 🏛 Bangor Daily News

Maine lawmaker posts photo of transgender student on podium for girls sport - YouTube - CBS 13 News

Maine Speaker of the House replied to me regarding Laurel Libby's outing of a trans student on her official Facebook. 🏛 Reddit

Laurel Libby is bigoted trash 🏛 Reddit

Trump threatens to cut federal funding to Maine over transgender athlete policy 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Trump threatens to withhold federal funding over Maine transgender athletes 🏛 WCSH News Center Maine

Trump threatens to withhold federal money over transgender students - YouTube - WMTW-TV

Oops

Babb’s Bridge reopens nearly 6 months after truck broke through deck 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Historic bridge damaged by overweight truck reopens ahead of schedule - YouTube - WMTW-TV

Politics

Maine GOP proposes cuts to health care, housing, college aid, and paid leave 🏛 Maine Center for Economic Policy

Opinion: Pass the supplemental budget to protect Maine families 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Secretary Shenna Bellows - YouTube - Maine Public

Sen. Collins to vote against Trump’s controversial pick to lead FBI 🏛 Maine Morning Star

Susan Collins votes against Kash Patel as Donald Trump’s FBI director 🏛 Bangor Daily News

Susan Collins, Angus King vote against Trump's pick for FBI director 🏛 Maine Public

Susan Collins votes no as Kash Patel narrowly wins confirmation as FBI chief 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Letter: Let down by Collins’ support of Gabbard, RFK Jr. 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Letter: We must continue to support Palestinian rights 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Public Safety

Racially-charged responses to recent crime negatively impacting Black Mainers 🏛 WCSH News Center Maine

Letter: Maine needs overdose prevention centers 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Social Safety Net

Oversight Committee wants answers from Maine Housing about problems with LIHEAP 🏛 Maine Public

Things to Do

It’s Official! Back Cove Music ＆ Arts Festival Set for Summer 2025 🏛 Portland Old Port

March First Friday Artist Pop Up Market for Collective Marks 🏛 SPACE

Utilities

Why you might be waiting on your heating fuel delivery in Maine 🏛 Portland Press Herald

Vacationland

Can-Am sled dog race on track for March after last year’s cancellation 🏛 The County

Voter Suppression

Voter ID initiative to appear on Maine ballot in November - YouTube - CBS 13 News