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What we're reading
— Maine cities and towns are seeing disposal costs rise sharply with a new law banning wastewater sludge from being spread on fields. Costs for getting rid of sludge linked to forever chemical contamination will rise 433 percent in Sanford alone and put more pressure on a state-owned landfill in Old Town.
— The results of the Maine moose permit lottery will be announced on Sunday, but the odds are long. One 77-year-old guide who has lived here all his life and guided successful hunts for others said he has never been drawn.
— Tension between the U.S. and Chinese governments has led to a slowdown in a school exchange program in Millinocket that once aimed to bring 200 students per year to Stearns High School. Only three Chinese students are here this year, leading town officials to reconsider funding for the program. |
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Campaign news and notes
— A Monday contribution to Golden caught our eye -- $1,000 on June 6 from Kevin Kelley of Ogunquit, a former spokesperson for Sen. Susan Collins who worked on her 2020 campaign and is now with the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. Golden is a former Collins aide, so he has some intersections with the Republican senator's inner circle, but it is another sign of the Democrat's crossover appeal with polls showing Republicans as a part of his coalition.
— Democrats continue to dominate absentee ballots ahead of Tuesday's special Maine Senate election in Hancock County. As of Wednesday afternoon, 1,118 Democratic voters in Senate District 7 returned their ballots compared to 225 Republicans. That lead looks set to only grow, with another 558 Democratic ballots and 107 Republican ballots issued but not returned. They must be returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
— A national trade group called the Consumer Technology Association has spent more than $27,000 on political ads on Maine TV stations in the past week, according to FCC filings. The ads target several bipartisan bills that aim to crack down on anti-competitive practices in the technology sector, saying they would "break American technology." The Verge has a good breakdown of the dispute. Apple and Google are members of the group, which looks to be leaning on congressional delegations in certain states without calling out members by name.
BDN writer Jessica Piper wrote this item. |
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| Former Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., second from right, jokes during a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022, to dedicate a room in her name. Another room was dedicated to the late Maine Sen. Margaret Chase Smith making both the first ones to be named after women senators on Capitol Hill. Joining Mikulski, from left, are Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland.(AP photo by Susan Walsh) |
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| 📷 Lead photo: Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine's 2nd District, speaks at Acadia National Park in Winter Harbor on June 18, 2021. (AP photo by Robert F. Bukaty) |
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