Press Herald - Supporters of a referendum that would bar transgender students from sports teams and private spaces that align with the students’ gender identities said Monday that they’ve gathered enough signatures to force a statewide vote on the issue.
The group behind the effort said it collected over 82,000 signatures from Maine voters — about 14,000 more than the number required to put a citizen initiative on the ballot. The signatures must now be reviewed and certified by the Department of the Secretary of State before the referendum is approved to appear on the ballot in November.
.... The referendum would require Maine public school students to play on teams matching their sex as it appears on their birth certificates. Girls could participate on a boys team if no female team is available to them in a given sport.
The proposal also would require students to use restrooms, locker rooms and other private spaces based on the sex they were assigned at birth.
MSAD 75 Superintendent Heidi O’Leary initially announced a two-hour delay Monday morning, saying the threats were likely a hoax. She later told parents that classes were canceled due to the nature of the messages. O’Leary did not clarify what types of threats were made.
“While many such threats are often determined to be hoaxes, the volume and scope of these messages across multiple buildings have created an environment of insecurity and potential chaos,” O’Leary wrote in the announcement. “We must treat all threats as credible until law enforcement can fully confirm otherwise.”
The superintendent said the decision was made out of an abundance of caution and the district is working with local authorities.
Patch - Travelers without Real ID now face $45 fee at Portland Jetport (wgme.com) — If you fly out of Portland International Jetport without a Real ID or other federally accepted ID, you'll now be charged a $45 fee to use TSA's new ConfirmID system. The change, which Maine's Secretary of State criticizes as excessive, took effect Sunday and caught some travelers by surprise, so officials urge residents to update their IDs or be ready to pay online in advance.
Press Herald
- The U.S.-Ireland Alliance is removing former Maine Sen. George J. Mitchell’s name from its scholarship program after the release of more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the organization announced on Sunday. The board unanimously voted to rename the program as a result of documents related to Epstein made public on Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice.
- Maine may be off to a cold, snowy winter, but the long-term trend is clear: The state is warming, its coldest days are losing their bite, and the seasonal temperatures and snowfall haven’t broken records. So far this winter, Maine has logged 38.4 inches of snow in Portland and 47.3 inches in Bangor. That’s a lot to shovel, especially when it falls all at once, but not a record snowfall for either place over the last 10 years.
- Maine’s Amy Allen wins second songwriter Grammy
- Platner raises $4.6M in 4th quarter of 2025 for U.S. Senate race; Mills $2.7M
- As Maine student enrollment declines, districts face consequences, and seek opportunities