Good morning from Augusta, where for the time being the race to be Maine’s next governor is focused on policy and hasn’t fully shifted to sniping and attacks between the candidates that will become common later this year.

Justices on Maine’s high court heard arguments Wednesday in a procedural case about Medicaid expansion, but many questions turned to larger issues of whether the state must — or even could — fund it with no revenue dedicated by the Legislature.

Good morning from Augusta. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court will hear oral arguments today on whether the administration of Gov. Paul LePage needs to submit to the federal government a plan to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, a key moment in advocates’ bid to force expansion.

Just days after the nation’s top intelligence officer warned of persistent attempts by Russia to hack American voting infrastructure, the Maine secretary of state’s office confirmed it is seeking federal funds to beef up cybersecurity of the state’s voter registration system.

Gov. Paul LePage’s legacy as Maine’s 74th governor will be complex and varied, ranging from his conservative accomplishments to verbal explosions that put Maine in a negative national light.

Assistant Maine House Majority Leader Jared Golden picked up his fundraising pace en route to and after being tapped last month as Democrats’ nominee to face U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, but the Republican incumbent is still miles ahead in the money race.

The following article and accompanying photo, published June 25, 2018, on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail website, are reprinted on Fiddlehead Focus with kind permission of the authors

Devon Cyr of Fort Kent visits with Fr. Jim Nadeau in Skowhegan during a reception celebrating the priest's 30th year of ordination

This handsome cat is Romeo. At 4 years old, he is still a young chap. Romeo is all gray, very friendly and in good health.

Equality Maine, which supports and advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Maine, is holding its second annual Dine OUT for Equality on Aug. 22.

UMFK Summer Theater will offer audiences an outdoor theater experience next week at Crocker Beach in Fort Kent with performances of “Mother Courage and Her Children” by Bertolt Brecht.

Fort Kent martial artists brought home many awards from the Graves’ Institute of Self Defense 27th annual Summer Kick Off Karate and Jiu-Jitsu Tournament on June 16 in Mars Hill.

You may have run across the initials NEHGS in a footnote or heard someone refer to “Hist Gen” and wondered what they are.

I don’t know what inspires me to look things up when they could come back to haunt, but this is different.

I once said I don’t mind being misquoted as long as I am given the opportunity to correct, so here we go again.

With the Maine Legislature inching closer to adjourning for the year, it’s a good time to update constituents on what my colleagues and I have achieved and what work remains unfinished.

I’ve often said that Maine feels like one large small town. From the coast to the forest, cities to small rural towns, we all share one incredibly important thing: our sense of community.

Around the time I turned 8 years old, my father began to teach me about guns, shooting, hunting and especially firearm safety.