Mayor Mark Dion discussed the uncertainties surrounding Portland’s budget due to potential supplemental funding from Augusta, which could impact city planning until July. He highlighted the school department’s ballot proposal in June and the rising costs of education. Dion mentioned a new railroad station on St. John Street, which could cost around $50 million, aiming to enhance public transportation and reduce car usage. He also addressed a lawsuit against Maine DHHS over a 50% cut in shelter funding, arguing for legislative oversight. Dion emphasized the need for law enforcement to address criminal conduct among the homeless and noted progress in reducing police vacancies from mid-20s to the mid-20s.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. military carried out three strikes Monday in the waters of the Eastern Pacific against boats suspected of carrying drugs, killing 14 and leaving one survivor.
Officials in Louisiana, Vermont and Virginia pledged Thursday to keep food aid flowing to recipients in their states, even if the federal program is stalled next month because of the government shutdown.
President Donald Trump announced he's ending "all trade negotiations" with Canada because of a television ad opposing U.S. tariffs that he said misstated the facts and called "egregious behavior" aimed at influencing U.S. court decisions.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's backing off a planned surge of federal agents into San Francisco after speaking to the mayor, as protesters gathered outside a U.S. Coast Guard base where they were located.