at 9:51 AM
Meta created a ‘Supreme Court’ for content. Then it threatened its funds.
Once hailed as a model for internet governance, Meta’s Oversight Board has been criticized as slow-moving and increasingly irrelevant.
at 9:46 AM
Lawsuit against Kanye West alleges hostile workplace, unpaid wages
The rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West) has been accused of creating a hostile work environment and calling employees 'slaves' in a new lawsuit filed by his former employees.
at 2:19 PM
French far right leads in elections but rivals hope to deny it majority
The results confirmed polling that showed the party — with a history of racism and xenophobia and once shunned by the mainstream — is no longer confined to the fringes of French politics.
at 10:18 AM
Trump ally Steve Bannon heads to prison to serve 4 months for contempt
Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon is scheduled to report to a federal prison in Connecticut to serve a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack.
Society Notebook: Preble Street leader honored for ‘challenging unjust systems’
Mark Swann, executive director of the social services agency, received the Muskie Fund's Access to Justice Award.
Volume of Maine’s storm and sewage overflows more than doubled in 2023
Heavy rains coming in back-to-back storms, sometimes when the ground was frozen, contributed to high levels of untreated storm and sewer water being washed in Maine's rivers and bays last year, resulting in shellfish bed and beach closures.
Harbormasters’ association says Biddeford’s plan for temporary position is unprecedented
The University of New England wants to build a new pier on the Saco River, but the city manager says the harbormaster is too biased to review the application.
at 8:24 AM
Julia Gagnon, Maine’s ‘American Idol’ star, sings new music at packed Portland show
Gagnon performed at Merrill Auditorium on Sunday night for the first stop on her 'Here in Maine' tour.
June 30
Hundreds flock to Gardiner for finish of cross-country Great Race
This year's rally included 125 cars, and hundreds of fans from across the country gathered at the finish line in downtown Gardiner.
June 30
Biden’s aides plotted debate strategy for months. Then it all collapsed.
For a full week, the president sequestered himself at Camp David with more than a dozen aides to prepare for Thursday’s presidential debate.
June 30
Biden allies rally behind him as he spends family time at Camp David
Senior Democrats rallied behind President Joe Biden with an unwavering show of public support amid private angst within the party about his debate performance.
June 30
Ombudsman ‘not aware’ of the high number of wanderings from Maine assisted living facilities
There is no requirement to notify the office of Maine's long-term care ombudsmen when residents wander from residential care – something that happened at least 115 times from 2020 to 2022.
June 30
English bulldog Babydog makes surprise appearance in West Virginia mural
The English bulldog had never been featured prominently in West Virginia history, until now.
June 30
How will Louisiana’s Ten Commandments requirement be funded, enforced?
As a legal battle ensues over a new Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms, the details of exactly how the mandate will be implemented and enforced remain unclear
Homeless families to be barred from sleeping overnight at Logan International Airport
Starting July 9, families sleeping overnight at Logan who are on the state's emergency assistance shelter waitlist will be offered transfers to the state’s safety-net system.
June 30
Boaters receive annual blessing from Portland religious leaders
A blessing for good catches and smooth sailing has been extended to all boaters – occupational and recreational.
June 30
Power outages reported after severe thunderstorms move through Maine
Most of Maine was under a severe thunderstorm watch, while Androscoggin and Oxford counties were under a severe thunderstorm warning.
June 30
Massachusetts man killed in Fairfield crash
Ryan Sargent, 38, died late Saturday after he failed to negotiate a corner on Center Road, according to police.
June 30
Israeli airstrike in the northern West Bank kills a Palestinian militant and wounds 5 other people
The strike took place in Nur Shams, an urban refugee camp that has been a frequent target of the Israeli military and is known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants.
June 30
Gaza’s remaining hospitals will stop working in 2 days, health officials warn
Many of Gaza’s medical facilities have been damaged, raided, or evacuated since Oct. 7. Israel has made hospitals a key target of its military campaign, alleging Hamas uses them for militant activity.
June 30
Black men helped power Biden’s 2020 Georgia win. Some are wavering.
The openness of some Black men to voting for Trump – despite his history of racist and offensive comments – is often rooted in the belief that the Biden administration has not done enough to ease their economic struggles.
June 30
A farm-supply chain vowed to cut DEI roles amid pressure. Outcry followed.
Tractor Supply Company vowed to stop submitting data to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, and to no longer sponsor Pride festivals and voting initiatives.
June 30
Tim Scott has benefited from mentors along the way. He’s hoping for another helping hand
The South Carolina senator is one of a handful of prominent people being considered by former President Donald Trump to be his running mate this year.
June 30
A San Francisco store is shipping LGBTQ+ books to places where they are banned
Beginning last May, she started raising money and looking for recipients. Becka Robbins's books have gone to places like a pride center in West Texas and an LGBTQ-friendly high school in Alabama.
June 30
French voters propel far-right National Rally to strong lead in first-round legislative elections
A new coalition on the left, the New Popular Front, also poses a challenge to the pro-business President Macron and his centrist alliance Together for the Republic.
at 2:18 PM
Hurricane Beryl approaches southeast Caribbean as a Category 4
Hurricane warnings were in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
June 30
Suspected female suicide bombers kill at least 18 in Nigeria, authorities say
Authorities in Nigeria's northeastern city of Gwoza say at least 18 people have been killed and 30 wounded, including 19 seriously, in coordinated attacks.
June 30
Zelensky appeals to West to relax targeting limits for Ukraine as glide bombs hammer front line
The Ukrainian president said Sunday that Russia had dropped more than 800 glide bombs in Ukraine in the past week alone.
Fungus takes toll on Maine’s browntail moth populations
Ideal weather conditions for the fungus are helping kill browntail moth caterpillars, which cause an itchy rash in humans.
Maine’s medical cannabis market had its boom. Is it in a bust?
The gap between sales of medical and recreational cannabis is narrowing in Maine.
June 30
Endangered Atlantic salmon population takes a hit after river dredged in Phillips
Phillips is being investigated by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for damaging Atlantic salmon habitat along the South Branch of the Sandy River.
June 30
In rural Maine, efforts to provide drug treatment often met with resistance, despite high demand
Only about 2,400 people live in the Lincoln County town of Whitefield, where a 54-bed recovery residence recently opened in spite of heavy opposition.
Whispering Pines Haunted Hotel: Ghouls galore in Funtown’s newest ride
The attraction opened last year and gained national attention from USA Today as one of the top 10 best new theme park attractions in the U.S.
Beryl strengthens into a hurricane in the Atlantic, forecast to become a major storm
A major hurricane is considered a Category 3 or higher, with winds of at least 111 mph. As of Saturday afternoon, Beryl was a Category 1 hurricane.
After president’s debate debacle, Jill Biden delivering message that they’re still all in
The first lady is trying to rally support for her husband after a dreadful performance in Thursday's presidential debate created fresh worries about President Joe Biden's age and his ability to compete in November's election and to serve another four years.
June 30
Oyster farmers, fans celebrate a successful season at Maine Oyster Festival
Dozens of oyster farmers shucked and sold oysters at the 3rd annual festival in Freeport this weekend.
June 30
Gloomy Saturday brings out the women for Woodsman’s Day at Monmouth Fair
In a record-breaking year for the fair, several women turned out to compete in Saturday's events.
June 29
Biden administration pauses collection on some student loans
A spokesperson for the Education Department said the agency is taking action to support borrowers while meeting the terms of the injunction.
June 29
A pet donkey ran away. Five years later, he’s living with a wild elk herd.
After years of getting tips that lead to nothing, the Drewry family had given up. Until a hunter posted a 41-second compilation to Instagram which would eventually make its way back to the Drewrys and confirm that the pet they had long given up for dead was in fact alive.
June 29
Republican leaders call for probes into alleged Affordable Care Act fraud
Republicans have countered that the program’s purpose has been distorted and that Democrats have been too generous in providing federal subsidies for private health insurance.
June 29
Maine CDC issues warning after child’s death is linked to influenza
It's the 6th influenza-related child death in Maine since 2019, according to health officials.
June 29
Trump dodged a broad range of questions as Biden struggled onstage
Much of the focus of Thursday’s debate focused on Biden’s confusing and meandering answers, and the ensuing panic his weak performance caused among Democratic officeholders, donors and operatives.
June 29
10 Ukrainians, imprisoned in Russia for years, return home after mediation
The former prisoners, wrapped in blue and yellow flags, reunited with families in Kyiv and called those who couldn’t be there. For some, the separation had lasted many years.
June 29
UN starts to move tons of aid from U.S.-built pier after security fears suspended work there
Millions of pounds of aid have piled up. In just the last week, more than 10 million pounds were moved ashore, according to the U.S. military.
June 29
In Egypt, Gaza evacuees live in the shadows: ‘Everything is closing in’
Washington Post reporters visited displaced Gazans at their homes and workplaces around Cairo, where they have found sanctuary and a measure of calm, but are unable to build a future.
June 29
Democrats still stumble on how to ‘pass the torch’ to younger leaders
When the 2022 midterm elections went better than expected, the party got something that it had lacked for many years: a benchfilled with Democrats coming into prominence.
June 29
How Denmark is nudging the nation to cut back on meat
Geranium is part of the Danish capital’s growing reputation as a revolutionary culinary destination, but the domestic furor over its menu shows not everyone in Denmark is ready for innovative plant-based cuisine.
June 29
A harmless asteroid will whiz past Earth Saturday. Here’s how to spot it.
June 29
U.S. and Europe warn Lebanon’s Hezbollah to ease strikes on Israel and back off from wider Mideast war
They are warning that the group should not count on the United States or anyone else being able to hold off Israeli leaders if they decide to execute battle-ready plans for an offensive into Lebanon.
June 29
Florida arts groups left in the lurch by DeSantis veto of state funding for theaters and museums
Arts leaders across the state say it's the first time they recall a Florida governor eliminating all grant funding for arts and culture.
June 29
Martin Mull, hip comic and actor from ‘Fernwood Tonight’ and ‘Roseanne,’ dies at 80
He played Colonel Mustard in the 1985 movie adaptation of the board game 'Clue,' which, like many things Mull appeared in, has become a cult classic.
June 29
Unum settles with Labor Department for wrongly denying life insurance benefits
The U.S. Department of Labor reached a settlement with the Portland-based insurance company Friday.
June 28
New York Times editorial board calls on Biden to drop out of race
The editorial board said the president was the 'shadow of a great public servant' during his first 2024 debate Thursday against former president Donald Trump.
June 28
FAA investigates near-collision at Portland Jetport
The incident Tuesday appears to involve a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 that took off on a closed runway where an airport vehicle was conducting a safety inspection.
June 28
Ratings for first presidential debate down sharply from 2020
The drop in the number of debate viewers, from 73 million to 48 million, was not surprising, since the Biden-Trump debate occurred so early in the election cycle.
June 28
Prosecutors in Sen. Bob Menendez’s bribery trial rest; judge rejects defense request for acquittals
Lawyers are poised to call witnesses starting Monday to defend the New Jersey Democrat, who, along with 2 businessmen, faces multiple federal charges.
U.S. removes Gaza aid pier due to weather and may not put it back, officials say
Aid agencies have had difficulty moving the food to areas further into Gaza where it is most needed because the humanitarian convoys have come under attack.
June 28
Corrections union wants Cumberland County sheriff removed from office
The union claims Sheriff Kevin Joyce committed an ethical – and possibly criminal – violation when he issued a news release 4 years ago blaming a jail guard for assaulting an inmate.
June 28
Alec Baldwin’s case is on track for trial in July as judge denies request to dismiss
The ruling removes one of the last hurdles before prosecutors can bring the case to trial with jury selection scheduled for July 9 in Santa Fe.
June 29
Portland Adult Education graduates celebrate success and sacrifices
The 141 graduates, many of whom came from other countries and worked multiple jobs, took care of family and dealt with homelessness, all while working toward high school diplomas and workforce certificates.
