David Dutremble is leading an effort to reform what he considers a broken system, in which judges assign specially registered lawyers or mental health workers to step into the most contentious cases, such as divorces, to represent the children.

L.L. Bean owns the most followed board on the social media website Pinterest, according to a recent study highlighted by Mashable, another social media site.

A top defense official indicated Wednesday that workers at the Navy’s four public shipyards — including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery — could be given a special exemption from budget-related furloughs.

Lawmakers held a public hearing Wednesday on a financial-transparency bill aimed at Maine’s hospitals, motivated by a recent national dialogue on uneven costs of health care nationwide.

Lawmakers have made progress on a measure to use revenue from the state’s next wholesale liquor contract to pay off Maine’s debt to its 39 hospitals, but Democratic leaders differ on whether the bill should be tied to an expansion of MaineCare.

LEWISTON — After three devastating fires, the city began to focus on recovery Wednesday and made finding permanent housing for those who lost their apartments a priority.