Mayors say ICE crackdown is hurting local businesses

A pastor searched for a missing congregant. He found a car with the keys on the floor. Evaristo Kalonji, an asylum seeker from Angola who has no criminal record, vanished from South Portland. He turned up in one detention center, then another. Read this story by Kristian Moravec.

The Maine Monitor brings you free-to-read original investigative and in-depth reporting each week on our website and email newsletters. In addition to highlighting our original stories, in Maine's Daily Digest we share a curated snapshot of the day's significant news to keep you in touch with what's happening today in Maine. While The Maine Monitor does not place its content behind paywalls, some newsrooms we link to in this newsletter may. We encourage you to consider supporting these local Maine newsrooms.

Mills proposes $300 rebates, cellphone ban in schools during fiery State of the State speech | Maine Public

A pastor searched for a missing congregant. He found a car with the keys on the floor | The Maine Monitor

Maine mayors tell Mills that ICE crackdown is hurting local businesses | Maine Public

As ICE keeps people home, city leaders in Maine brace for evictions | Portland Press Herald

Bangor International Airport director provides update on investigation into deadly plane crash | WMTW

Proposal would implement automated speed control systems in highway work zones to slow drivers down | Maine Public

Could ICE be barred from non-public areas in Maine? | Portland Press Herald

They watched immigration agents in Maine. Then one fired projectiles at their cars. | Bangor Daily News

Lawyers say it is harder for Mainers arrested by ICE to get bond hearings | Portland Press Herald

Portland schools consider remote learning options amid ICE activity | WGME

As Senate Republicans lose confidence in Kristi Noem, Susan Collins dodges question about her leadership | The Maine Monitor and NOTUS

As ICE operations in Maine continue, neighbors step in to feed each other | Portland Press Herald

Maine bill aims to boost access to American Sign Language interpreters | Maine Public

Some Maine Republicans abruptly leave State of the State as Gov. Mills delivers address | WMTW

February 4: Join The Maine Monitor's religion reporter Sean Scott in-person at the Bangor Public Library, or virtually, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for a panel discussion with Maine leaders at faith-based organizations who are serving low-income and other vulnerable community members, including by providing housing, food assistance and addiction recovery services. Local faith leaders will talk about the needs they are seeing in their communities and how they aim to fill in the gaps. Register to attend in-person or virtually.

Last year The Maine Monitor hosted 16 listening tour sessions across Maine, meeting Mainers in 12 of the state's 16 counties. We asked participants to tell us what they need — and are missing — from local news. We learned a lot, including that people are hungry for more accountability journalism and that they are relying on local news to connect to their communities and one another. Read more on our listening tour takeaways.

Thanks for allowing me to provide you with a look at today's news. We'll be back with more tomorrow.

this edition was curated by george harvey

Have feedback or a correction? Let us know directly: george@themainemonitor.org.

The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting is an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization. We deliver Maine's Daily Digest, a special curated look at important news from across Maine's news organizations, as part of our commitment to ensuring Mainers have the information they need to be engaged citizens.

Our publication, The Maine Monitor, produces original investigative and in-depth news reporting on issues impacting the state of Maine to better inform and empower our readers. Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom.

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