Morning update: What you need to know in Maine today

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“When I run into things marked ‘unknown,’ I don’t want to stop there. I think, ‘how unknown? Why unknown?'”

— Researcher and author Larry Glatz, who recently identified five unknown soldiers buried in Maine for more than 200 years.

TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES

Bangor wants to spend $2.4M on a new public safety training building . The building would be built near an existing center where firefighters practice extinguishing structure fires.

The Ellsworth Police Department’s new brass is looking to expand mental health outreach . The focus on new hires and programs is a welcome change for the department, which saw its former chief fired in March on suspicion of working while inebriated.

Here’s what we know about the toxic foam spill in Brunswick . The malfunction last week at the airport released 1,450 gallons of PFAS laden firefighting foam into a hangar and the surrounding environment.

Five unknown soldiers buried in Maine for more than 200 years have finally been identified . The revelation comes thanks to Larry Glatz’s years of self-directed research, and his habit of reading every historical document in full.

MAINE IN PICTURES

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

• Paul LePage to host fundraiser for Angus King’s Republican opponent
• Maine’s public defense commission seeks another $64M to fund new offices and boost lawyer pay
• UMaine’s $45 million renovation of Alfond Arena is on schedule
• Someone allegedly broke into a Bangor food truck and only stole chips
• Jury finds Holden man guilty of driving drunk and striking pedestrian
• Dexter-area schools to reopen after closing for ‘specified threat’
• Growing auto parts business to open regional hub in Presque Isle
• Bar Harbor voters will have say on alternative cruise ship limits
• MDI workers help woman find engagement ring in 2 tons of trash
• Midcoast cabinetmaker finds growing demand in Maine and beyond
• Wardens offer $1K reward for whomever cast an illegal net in premier Maine trout river
• Maine mobile home park residents say New York company keeps raising the rent
• Man allegedly crashed stolen utility truck and brought down power lines and utility pole
• Maine’s warming lakes incubate damaging invasive plants
• Judge denies guilty plea by man accused of killing Damon’s co-worker
• Damaged Maine covered bridge won’t be repaired until spring
• Someone turned in a live cannonball to Maine police station
• Maine-NH interstate bridge closed due to ‘police incident’

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

“An amendment to our Constitution can shift the needle in ways that changing a law simply can’t. It could clarify that all Mainers who are harmed by identity-based discrimination are equally protected and valued under the law.”

Opinion: It’s time for Maine to enact an equal rights amendment

LIFE IN MAINE

Hunters are hitting the Maine woods for bear season . By late Wednesday afternoon, Gateway Trading Post in Ashland had registered 26 animals.

“I wasn’t excited about trying to find space for more cultch in our small house with a growing family, but when I opened the lid, I couldn’t help but smile.” BDN Outdoors contributor Chris Sargent finds a surprise among childhood junk that rekindled his hunting spark .

Fancy chicken coops? Mainers are spending thousands on hen houses.