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Calais City Manager Mike Ellis has been authorized to evaluate financing options for possible purchase of the armory from the Maine National Guard. 

Discussion of a possible sale dates back years, but late last year the Guard announced it would keep the armory in case of possible changes in how units might be assigned across the Maine National Guard. That concern now appears to have eased, and the Guard is again willing to sell the building, which the city would use to house the Police Department, administration and other services.

There’s a lot to consider, though, as the city faces rising costs for education and municipal services, and a 25 percent higher county tax bill than it paid last year.

Read our story to find out what the asking price is and what financial constraints the council has to consider before moving forward.

And our piece on the Maine Library Commission’s adoption of draft standards for Maine’s libraries this week outlines the possible changes coming for libraries around the state.

The adoption of the draft follows months of discussion to balance the cost of providing services to libraries and the essential services libraries fill in our communities, and now that the commission’s draft is complete it’s time for the public to weigh in.

Public comments will open next month and the commission will schedule a hearing to ensure that “every shred” of input is received, Chairman Bryce Cundick said, before the commission finalizes the proposal next year. So, if you have a comment, share it. The commission has pledged to respond to every one.

Have a great weekend and please share this newsletter with family members and friends. They can sign up on our website to have it delivered to their inbox each Saturday. 

Thank you for reading, 

Judy

Calais City Council votes to pursue financing to buy armory: Officials say the building could house police, administration and other services. Read this story by Ethan Bien

Maine Library Commission adopts sweeping standards for public and school libraries: The proposal now moves to state legal and administrative review before opening to a 45-day public comment period. Read this story by Judith Meyer

Washington County budget panel faults commissioners for sending preliminary spending plan with no cuts: Confronting a 27.6 percent jump in spending that could add $3.4 million to the tax burden, the Budget Advisory Committee has begun scrutiny of proposed spending. Read this story by Judith Meyer

Lubec shellfish warden resigns, urges hiring a successor with enforcement experience: The town will rely on an hourly employee until a new warden is trained, and it might add a deputy to strengthen enforcement. Read this story by Ethan Bien

UMaine to cut faculty and staff: The University of Maine in Orono and its regional campus in Machias plan to lay off staff and cut faculty to address a $19-million budget shortfall projected for next fiscal year. Read this story by Kristian Moravec

Endangered salmon may soon swim freely up a downeast river. But as the climate changes, a comeback isn’t guaranteed: Cherryfield rallied to remove the last dam on the Narraguagus after decades of habitat rehabilitation by local conservationists and landowners. They are committed to decades more. Read this story by Delger Erdenesanaa

An inside look at 1 Maine school district’s push to embrace Trump’s stance on transgender students: Newly public emails and texts show how school leaders sought advice from conservative organizations and then debated behind the scenes over their new rules to exclude transgender students from sports. Read this story by Kristian Moravec of The Maine Monitor and Daniel O'Connor of The Monitor & Bangor Daily News

Read the texts and emails of school leaders grappling with the legality of their new transgender student policy: More than 900 pages of emails, texts and other documents shed light on the outside influences that shaped the Sullivan-based school board’s decisions about transgender students and a state lawsuit. Read this story by Kristian Moravec

Seabird researchers report good year for razorbills and puffins: Seal Island saw a record 127 razorbill nests, while Eastern Egg Rock saw a record 213 puffin burrows. Read this story by Derrick Z. Jackson

Washington County municipal elections and annual town meetings, Sept. 21: Whiting

The following stories are from other newsrooms. While The Maine Monitor does not place its content behind a paywall, some newsrooms we link to below may. Paywalled stories are followed by a ($). We encourage you to consider supporting local Maine newsrooms.

Gold Star Families Memorial Monument unveiled in Washington County | WABI

The average price of heating oil in Maine is up 74 percent from last year | WMTW

Maine now has more homes on the market than since the pandemic | Bangor Daily News ($)

New outdoor ‘Math Path’ opens along Cherryfield river trails | WABI

Second Foliage Report issued for Maine; color arriving for northern and western areas | WABI

The entire state is now experiencing moderate to severe drought | WGME

CBP supervisor in Calais charged with stealing, swapping computer hardware | WABI

The reprinted state constitution recognizes Maine’s treaty obligations with the Wabanaki Nations for the first time in 150 years | Maine Public

Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to GPS boat tracker | WABI

11,000 acres of ancestral homeland returned to the Penobscot Nation | Maine Public

Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom. You can reach Monitor Local editor Judith 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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