Morning Update: What you need to know in Maine today

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Giving hospitals only a few months to comply with these burdensome new requirements or risk losing millions of dollars in discounts they are entitled to under the law will harm patients and communities across the country.”

— Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, which is joining a number of hospitals suing the Trump administration over changes to a drug discount program.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

The first major snowstorm expected across Maine is expected to bring up to 9 inches of snowfall to parts of the state. The storm has prompted cancellations and delays, especially throughout the midcoast region. 

A handful of Maine school boards are scrambling to respond to a lawsuit over transgender student policies. The Maine Human Rights Commission filed suit against five schools that have bucked Maine’s legal protections for transgender students amid scrutiny from the Trump administration.  

Maine’s delegation in the Senate and House have called for an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s deadly boat-strike order. Hegseth allegedly ordered a second strike to kill survivors on a suspected drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea during a September operation. 

Orono has approved a plan to seek input on how to fund more than $11 million in town improvements, including a sewage revitalization project. The town would need approval for at least $9 million in bonds to undertake current projects. 

The small town of Freedom is struggling to reconcile conflicts of interest. A series of recall elections this year have roiled the small Waldo County community. 

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

• Maine lawmakers outline competing visions for energy policy
• Maine hospitals sue Trump administration over changes to drug discount program
• Overlooked during the opioid crisis, more of Maine’s oldest began to struggle with drugs
• 3 Mainers die after boat overturns on Florida river
• 2 charged after allegedly driving away from Bangor crash
• Threat drew police to Bangor International Airport
• Time is running out for Washington County towns to come up with prepayment plans
• Driver in fatal I-95 crash fell asleep coming back from drug deal, court records say
• 5 HIV cases detected in Cumberland County as Bangor-area outbreak grows
• 2 UMaine basketball players lost for season with lower body injuries 
• UMaine men’s hockey has battle for top goaltending job
• UMaine basketball star records rare stat line not seen on team for 10 years
• Cooper Flagg shows ‘NBA superstar’ potential with historic performance

MAINE IN PICTURES

A patient waits for assistance at the makeshift street medicine clinic at the Union Street Brick Church in Bangor in September. The street medicine team has seen an increase in older adults doing harder drugs in recent years. Credit: Katherine Emery / The Maine Monitor

FROM THE OPINION PAGES

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prepares to give a television interview outside the White House on March 21, 2025, in Washington. Credit: Mark Schiefelbein / AP

“No matter where we stand politically, we should all agree on this: war-making authority should not rest with one person.”

Opinion: Susan Collins’ war powers votes don’t reflect Maine values

LIFE IN MAINE

There’s plenty of short stories and outdoors guidebooks to gift to that special someone in your life this holiday season.

A Newport woman won this year’s Maine Women Hunters big buck contest after harvesting a hefty 17-pointer.

Catching up with the buck you saw on your trail camera is a thrill. Sometimes, we get exactly what we were hoping for. And if we get really lucky, we end up with the hunt of a lifetime.