Maine News Service - Childhood poverty is down slightly in Maine, but pandemic-era learning challenges remain, according to a new report. The 2025 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows 75% of eighth graders are not proficient in math, while 74% of fourth graders are not proficient in reading. Kristen Kinchla, research associate with Maine Children’s Alliance, said adoption of a statewide reading curriculum would help. “You know it’s support for students, so they can learn to read and then, they can read to learn,” said Kinchla. “It’s really important for teachers to have the support to facilitate that learning, so that those kids can leave the fourth grade and succeed in their future grades.”
Press Herald - A proposal to allow doctors to waive the waiting period for terminally ill patients who want to be given life-ending drugs drew an emotional debate from lawmakers in the Maine Senate Monday before it was rejected by one vote. The fate of the bill is unclear after the Senate voted the proposal down 18-17.
Press Herald - Hannah Pingree is running for governor, adding her name to a list of well-known candidates battling it for the Democratic nomination in 2026... "I am running for Governor to bring Maine people together to do the hard things that none of us can do by ourselves,” Pingree said in the written announcement. “As a state, we face real challenges—but I also know we have real opportunities. I believe in Maine, and I believe in Mainers. I’m ready to travel the state to listen, to learn, and to talk about how we can build a strong future for Maine.”...Pingree, a former speaker of the Maine House, joins a slate of well-known Democrats looking to replace Gov. Janet Mills, who cannot seek reelection because of term limits.
Press Herald - Under intense pressure — and threats of a lawsuit — from Republicans and gun rights groups, Democrats reversed course and agreed to hold a public hearing on a citizens initiative that would make it easier to temporarily remove access to firearms from people who are in a crisis.
Republicans announced the public hearing shortly before 11:30 p.m. Monday — only moments after Senate President Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, told state senators to expect an additional public hearing to soon be announced, though she didn’t provide details.
The hearing, scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, will focus on a citizen initiative for extreme risk protection order, also known as a ‘red flag law,” which would allow a family member to petition a court to temporarily remove access to firearms of someone deemed a danger to themselves or others.
Maine currently has a “yellow flag” law, which can only be initiative by police, who can only seek a court order after taking that individual into protective custody and provided them with a mental health evaluation.