Morning update: What you need to know in Maine today

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about refugees because they’re looped in with asylum seekers, but they’re completely different people with different types of opportunities.”

— Steve Letourneau, chief operating officer of Catholic Charities Maine. The organization is expecting to help 150 refugees resettle in Greater Bangor over the next year.

TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES

Leonard Leo is making bigger plays in Maine politics . The Federalist Society leader, who was instrumental in the conservative shift of the Supreme Court under President Donald Trump, has recently directed money to groups working in Maine.

Car thefts in Maine are becoming more sophisticated . ​​The state has seen a rise in “cloned” vehicle identification numbers over the past five years, which can easily go undetected in private sales.

Bangor is expecting 150 refugees over the next year, starting next month . Hailing from 11 countries, the new residents will arrive in a city already struggling with a lack of affordable and quality housing.

A farm that supplied milk to a Houlton dairy is selling off its cows . Both businesses will continue in different ways, but it will be the end of a six-decade relationship between the two.

MAINE IN PICTURES

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

• Mills administration agrees to give unionized state workers $2K payments
• Many Maine school districts are experiencing budget cuts and staff shortages
• Bangor library cards get their 1st redesign in 20 years
• Old Town police will temporarily patrol Penobscot Nation Reservation
• Penobscot County emu tests positive for mosquito-borne disease
• Presque Isle welcomes 1st JetBlue flight
• Maine man dies after crashing into state trooper’s cruiser
• A Maine town’s largest elm comes down at 158 years old
• A 19th century Maine mansion is now an $80K fixer-upper
• Another big Maine employer is opening a child care facility
• Waterville fire chief named new Maine fire marshal
• Matt Damon spotted at Maine juice bar over the weekend
• Oceanside girls basketball star transfers to Florida prep school with her sister
• UMaine women’s soccer coach gets 5-year contract extension

THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND

It’s the second-to-last weekend for the season at the Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor, with country singer Jordan Davis set to perform Saturday night. Also on Saturday, hip-hop artist Lil Yachty performs at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. For family-friendly activities, at 1 p.m. Saturday, Beech Hill Preserve in Rockport hosts its annual Kites & Ice Cream event, where every child will receive a free kite and a scoop of ice cream from Stone Fox Farms. There’s also a charity rodeo at Apple Hill Stables in Levant, with four shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And the Not Your Grandma’s Flea Market returns to downtown Bangor at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

“The need for open, transparent public communication could not be greater. Our lives today and the lives of our children depend on it.”

Opinion: With Sears Island offshore wind port plan, Maine is putting the cart before the horse

LIFE IN MAINE

Did you know West Quoddy Head is not the easternmost point in the U.S.? But, it does have the nation’s easternmost state park — and gift shop.

This autumn chicken hack can save money and get you eggs sooner . In the wild, animals have their young when food is more available and predators are less of a problem. But with domestic animals, those things aren’t as important.

Selling certain lead jigs is no longer legal in Maine . A new law closes a loophole in a 2023 use ban that still allowed sales of the jigs, which are known to poison wildlife, including the state’s iconic loon.

This spot near an entrance to the University of Maine campus is an empty field now . But in the 1960s, it transformed from a Depression-era ‘Hooverville’ into UMaine’s hippie paradise.