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There is a friendly tradition at the Maine State House in Augusta that former legislators bring goodies to colleagues with whom they served previously on various committees. The tradition continued Wednesday, when former Rep. Terry Hayes appeared before the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government while carrying a tray of brownies.

Hayes, a former state treasurer and now the executive director of the Maine Municipal Bond Bank, was in the committee room to testify against a bill that would allow towns and counties in Maine to seek bankruptcy protection. Her remarks followed a series of others who opposed the measure, warning that even introducing the possibility of municipal bankruptcy could drive up interest rates and make future borrowing more costly for taxpayers.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Marianne Moore, a Republican who represents Washington County and parts of Hancock County. She and her staff members spent months researching the issue, including reviewing laws in the 30 states that offer bankruptcy protection.

Washington County officials cooled to the idea of bankruptcy protection after the bill was introduced, but Moore chose to move forward anyway so lawmakers could continue discussing the unrelenting financial pressures facing local governments.

While Hayes opposed the bill, she had only kind things to say about the senator, thanking her for her obvious commitment to her constituents.

When presenting her bill, Moore described how a series of events had pushed Washington County into deep debt and how “we” worked on solutions — placing herself squarely alongside her constituents and identifying as one of them.

It was sweet. Just like the brownies.

Last Wednesday, we held a coffee hour in Farmington to talk with our readers in western Maine about the work Monitor Local is doing. The event was well attended — especially for such a bitterly cold day — and many people said they would like to meet more often. We will.

We also plan to schedule a similar event Downeast and look forward to meeting with many of you to talk about our local news. If you have local news ideas or just want to chat, please reach out to me. My email is listed just below. 

And if you are enjoying this newsletter, please share it with family members and friends. They can sign up on our website to have their own delivered each Saturday.

Emergency bill to let towns, counties file for bankruptcy protection garners little support: The Maine County Commissioners Association and the Maine Municipal Association testified against the bill Wednesday, citing concerns that interest rates could rise if banks get nervous about lending. Read this story by Judith Meyer

A majority of Washington County municipalities agree to prepay 2025 tax anticipation note: Six towns and the Passamaquoddy Nation have declined to prepay their portion of the county’s debt, while several others are set to meet this week as the county approaches its payment deadline. Read this story by Judith Meyer

ICE activity increases in Maine as anxiety grows in immigrant communities | Associated Press

‘A lawless force’: Democratic candidates criticize deportation surge in Maine | The Maine Monitor and NOTUS

Masked agents detain civil engineer in Portland, leave his car running in the street with a smashed window | The Maine Monitor

Mother of 4 detained in Portland as immigration enforcement ramps up in Maine | The Maine Monitor

The working immigrants caught up in Donald Trump’s crackdown on Maine | Bangor Daily News

ICE is keeping Maine’s Congressional Delegation in the dark about its operations in the state | The Maine Monitor and NOTUS

Mills demands data on immigration arrests as fear spreads amid enforcement surge | Associated Press

ICE detainees are being removed from the Portland jail | Bangor Daily News

Judge orders ICE to say why it detained Maine immigrant at routine check-in | Bangor Daily News

‘We know you live right here,’ ICE agents tell Maine woman who followed them | Bangor Daily News

While The Maine Monitor does not place its content behind paywalls, some newsrooms we link to in this newsletter may. 

Central Maine and coastal areas could get as low as negative-20 degrees starting Saturday with bitter cold expected to persist through Monday. National Weather Service and state officials are urging residents to prepare their homes and avoid any outdoor activities without proper gear. | Maine Public

Federal cuts to climate funds could threaten polar vortex research seeking to understand shifting winter weather patterns, the first step toward more accurate weather forecasts. | Maine Public

New social services agency covers three counties. | Quoddy Tides

The Town of Machiasport will hold a special town meeting at the Fort O’Brien school on Monday, January 26, at 6:00 PM to decide whether the Town will vote to authorize the payment of $302,201 for Machiasport’s obligated portion of the Washington County tax anticipation note repayment. | Town of Machiasport Facebook page

Locals worry as Winter Harbor Marine Center, which is the terminal for ferry service to Bar Harbor, goes up for sale. | The Working Waterfront

Deep freezes in 2023 and 2024 provided relief for some of Maine’s most preyed-on tree species. Will that continue in 2026? | The Maine Monitor

New iGaming law will provide tribe with significant revenues. | Quoddy Tides

For years, Mainers have grappled with unaffordable rents and scarce housing availability for working. This past year, the Legislature passed historic reforms that began to confront these challenges. | The Working Waterfront

There’s ‘nothing’ in this isolated corner of Maine, and that’s why people like it. | The Maine Monitor and Bangor Daily News   (Maine Monitor context: As ecotourism grows, so does the desire to maintain Downeast’s wild character.)

Residents in several Maine towns report USPS delays. | Maine Public

Tribes work with conservation organizations to reacquire lands. | Quoddy Tides

U.S. Sen. Angus King and Gov. Mills blasted an ICE memo that reportedly allows agents to enter homes without judicial warrant. | Maine Public

The outlook for 6 forest pests and diseases in Maine | The Maine Monitor

The Bar Harbor Town Council sent a slate of proposed amendments back to the Planning Department asking for more work to be done on Hadley Point regulations for commercial use of publicly owned land. | Mount Desert Islander

A new Maine program gives young fishermen career skills, bucking a trend that encouraged students to look at possible occupations other than a life on the sea. | The Working Waterfront

The Maine Monitor and its publisher, the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, announced a trio of personnel moves this week, including the return of Editor Kate Cough from her maternity leave. | The Maine Monitor

Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom. You can reach Monitor Local editor Judy Meyer directly via email: judy@themainemonitor.org.

The Maine Monitor is a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit news organization that produces investigative journalism. We believe news is a public good and keep our news free to access. We have no paywall and do not charge for our newsletters. If you value the reporting we do for Maine, please consider making a donation! We cannot do this reporting without your support.

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