Morning Update: What you need to know in Maine today

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I am grateful for the Court’s action, and I am ready to get back to work representing the people of House District 90.”

— Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, following the Supreme Court’s ruling that her censure in the Maine House of Representatives be lifted.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered that Rep. Laurel Libby’s vote in the Maine House should be restored after she was censured for posting a transgender student on social media that then went viral. Supreme Court Justice Ketanki Brown Jackson dissented, saying that the case “raises many difficult questions” and that the Auburn Republican may ultimately win.

The Maine House approved a bill that would remove the state from a compact seeking to elect presidents by a national popular vote instead of through the Electoral College. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact currently includes 18 states that account for 209 electoral votes.

The town of Orrington has no way to foreclose on Eagle Point Energy center if the private owner stops making payments. The majority owner signed a promissory note in March 2024 for monthly payments starting in July, but if those stop the town will be out $2.5 million.

Bangor may cut down hundreds of trees to help prevent the spread of an invasive species. The city has been exploring options to protect its numerous elm trees from the emerald ash borer.

Augusta has become the most hyped housing market in Maine. It boasts a stable labor market, proximity to recreational opportunities and has recently approved more than 400 more housing units.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

• Why it’s been raining every weekend in Maine
• EPA calls PFAS contamination a priority. But it cut millions in research funding for Maine.
• Browntail moth caterpillars are out in force in Brewer
• Aroostook town replaces police chief who left after 4 months on job
• Jordon Hudson and Bill Belichick are reportedly engaged
• A new exhibit will celebrate an extinct Maine seafood industry
• Why the MPA is asking lawmakers to avoid middle ground on transgender athlete bills
• He missed all of last season. Now Caleb Leys is America East Pitcher of the Year.
• Veteran second baseman is having a standout year as UMaine enters league tournament

MAINE IN PICTURES

Sonny Liston, in black trunks, is seen just before Muhammad Ali’s “phantom punch” that knocked him out in 1 minute, 42 seconds of the first round during their heavyweight championship bout in Lewiston on May 25, 1965. The city where their fight took place will be receiving a full-body bronze statue of Ali later this month. Credit: John Rooney / AP

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins delivers the annual Margaret Chase Smith Public Affairs Lecture at the University of Maine in Orono in this March 31, 2015, file photo. Credit: Ashley L. Conti / BDN

“We believe you can be the first federally elected Republican, Sen. Collins, to summon the mighty courage to obliterate the current complicity.”

Opinion: Now is the time for Susan Collins’ own ‘Declaration of Conscience’

LIFE IN MAINE

Maine guide Kevin McKay was recently outfished by his wife. During a jovial back-and-forth exchange, Stac McKay reeled in a 20-inch smallmouth to rival Kevin’s 19 ½ inch catch.  

Trolling for spring salmon isn’t for everyone. It takes skill and patience, as Bangor Daily News contributor Leighton Wass recounted after a May fishing trip.