Morning update: What you need to know in Maine today

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I really wanted to understand what was wrong with me. Why do I not have this maternal instinct that everyone says exists in women? Why am I not drawn to having kids?”

— University of Maine professor Amy Blackstone on studying why fewer people are having kids.

TODAY’S TOP MAINE STORIES

We asked five Maine politicians to reflect on their extreme remarks . Their reactions ranged from “shame on you” to a story of how one left politics altogether. The story is the first from our new Democracy Project series, which will examine how political polarization, cynicism and apathy is changing civic life in Maine . We want to know how you think polarization is changing civic life in Maine .

The Bangor Public Library has become a flashpoint in the city’s homelessness crisis . Despite prevalent negative social media posts about people who are homeless gathering there, parents at the library didn’t share those concerns, and attendance has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Aroostook’s former Air Force base is a tourism hub despite little marketing . It’s drawing thousands of former military personnel and others fascinated with the base’s historic sites and ties to the Cold War.

She didn’t want to have children. It turns out she was far from alone . A new study illuminates how fewer people plan to have kids.

MAINE IN PICTURES

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

• Gun shops have big questions about Maine’s new waiting period law
• Bernie Sanders tells supporters in Bangor that America must defeat Donald Trump
• Bangor doctor’s medical license suspended for allegedly sexually assaulting patient
• Bangor parents charged in 10-year-old son’s death plead not guilty
• Holden police slammed man’s head against cruiser and improperly arrested him, lawsuit says
• 11 arrested during raid of Bangor homeless encampment
• She allegedly stole a dump truck in Vermont and drove to Bangor
• Photos: Bangor State Fair returns for its 175th year
• Photos: Godsmack rocks Maine Savings Amphitheater
• The owner of Maine’s northernmost mall finds success by keeping it local
• Weight limit on Madawaska international bridge to be lifted Aug. 1
• You can now get Botox in Houlton
• Pilot who died in Trenton plane crash founded teleservices firm
• Maine gets tougher on the spending for small town ballot measures
• Camden’s new wastewater plant will send less sludge to the dump
• 3rd fox infected with rabies found in Bath
• 3rd man arrested in Cushing death
• 2.8-magnitude earthquake strikes central Maine
• 3 dead bodies found in Mechanic Falls home
• South Gardiner man charged with murder
• Maine AG finds police justified in fatal shooting of 23-year-old in Augusta
• One of Maine’s most packed neighborhoods may lose its only pharmacy
• Wrong-way driver crashes into I-295 construction site
• Armed robbery reported after escape attempt at South Portland youth prison
• How UMaine men’s basketball’s roster changes could help it win a playoff game

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

“Let’s face it, the idea of just outlawing price increases to limit inflation has superficial appeal. But the Biden proposal should be dismissed for what it is, a clumsy election year attempt to attract some more votes for his party by appearing to quench inflationary fires that ironically Biden himself helped ignite.”

Opinion: Biden’s effort to bring housing price relief with rent controls is flawed

LIFE IN MAINE

It all started with a rotting dock. Lon Cameron and Tyler Kidder used their Maine ingenuity to make a new type of boat and start a small business around it .

The state’s wildlife department wants to balance the needs of hunters, recreationists and the moose herd. So if you spend any time in the Maine woods, you can help find that balance .

There’s nothing more beautiful than the mournful wail of loons on a lake or pond in Maine. In this video, you can hear two loons talking to each other at sunset .