Morning update: What you need to know in Maine today

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I want to win. It’s that simple. I know what winning does at the highest level. I profited from it when I owned a nightclub. I also know what it did for the community and I live in this community. It’s a pretty dark place when they aren’t winning.”

— Alex Gray, Waterfront Concerts founder and a leader of the new Bear Down Collective, said of a new effort to help UMaine Black Bears student-athletes get paid.

TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES

President Joe Biden surprised the nation Sunday when he dropped out of the 2024 race . He quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who now has to lock up her party’s nomination if she hopes to reset the race against Donald Trump . Democratic Party leaders have promised an “orderly process” to replace Biden .

Democrats received the news that Biden was dropping out with relief and turned their attention to the future . Many questioned his ability to beat Trump in November after a disastrous debate performance. Members of Maine’s congressional delegation praised Biden’s decision , calling it the “right decision for the country.”

Jared Golden gets increasing special interest money despite “no corporate PAC” vow . Golden’s opponent in the 2nd Congressional District race, state Rep. Austin Theriault, has charged him with hypocrisy for taking this kind of money.

A historic cleanup of the Penobscot River is finally beginning . Depending on how effective it is, the mercury cleanup could become a model for remediating industrial pollution in other freshwater bodies across Maine. This is how they plan to extract, bury and dredge the chemical .

He sat in a Maine jail cell for 85 days without an attorney . Wayne Boulier’s case highlights the two tiers of the state’s criminal justice system, in which one tier can afford to hire representation and the other relies on state-funded lawyers.

These four homes on the market are among Maine’s oldest . There are plenty of historic homes around the state that have been lovingly preserved or restored, including a number of properties built even before the American Revolution ended.

UMaine is finding new ways to help athletes get paid to stay competitive . The newly formed Bear Down Collective connects donors, supporters and businesses with student-athletes, who can earn money through Name, Image and Likeness deals.

MAINE IN PICTURES

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

• Short-term rental listings in Maine have exploded in just 3 years
• A tiny Ohio Street made of felt is on display at the Bangor Public Library
• Photos: Joe Bonamassa performs at Maine Savings Amphitheater
• More Maine roads may be abandoned as climate change brings worse floods
• Judge dismisses manslaughter charge against man involved in fatal Surry crash
• Despite recent closures, mom-and-pop markets still have an edge in rural Maine
• Court orders demolition of downtown Belfast building
• 8 injured after Jeep strikes moose, collides head-on with another SUV in Shirley
• Maine trooper injured after his cruiser was rear-ended during highway traffic stop
• Teen ‘ding-dong-ditch’ prankster shot by Maine homeowner
• Woman resuscitated after sustaining serious injury in Harrison crash
• Noah Carpenter guides West over East in 2024 Lobster Bowl

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

“Too many people are falling through the cracks in our society, not because they are bad people, but because the cracks are too big. It requires sustained action, and compassion, at all levels of government to make things better.”

Editorial: Keeping Hope House open is critical to addressing homelessness in Bangor area

LIFE IN MAINE

Maine is facing a boom in the population of Japanese beetles, feasting on our leaves, berries and beans. For nearly a century, Maine has tried to beat this crawling green foe with few results .

If you’re out birding in July, don’t stand under a turkey vulture. Its stomach acid is so strong that it can devour the victims of rabies, anthrax and other deadly diseases with total immunity. It will vomit in self-defense.

Don’t mess with a mama loon. This bald eagle did and learned the hard way that the pecking order doesn’t mean much when it gets between a mama loon and her chick.