The death of a pope triggers a centuries-old ritual to elect a new one involving sacred oaths, the piercing of ballots with a needle and thread after they’re counted, and the famed white or black smoke to signal to the world whether a new pontiff has been elected.
Nation & World
National and world news from the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff with charming, humble style, dies
Francis, who was 88, made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday.
Fishing industry cheers Trump’s order to peel back regulations; conservation groups fear overfishing
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden sees ‘progress’ in the action that the president says will improve the U.S. commercial fishery by opening up harvesting in previously protected areas.
Collins ‘encouraged’ by meeting with Navy secretary at Portsmouth Shipyard
The meeting came after workers at the Kittery shipyard were initially targeted as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce.
Judge temporarily blocks USDA from interfering with Maine’s funding
The USDA ‘must immediately unfreeze and release to the state of Maine any federal funding that they have frozen or failed or refused to pay because of the state of Maine’s alleged failure to comply with the requirements of Title IX,’ the judge ruled.
Trump administration rejected idea of pausing Title IX actions to let Maine Legislature consider reforms
Two Republican-sponsored bills to exclude transgender girls from girls sports in Maine were a topic of conversations between the federal agency and the Mills administration.
Trump pauses tariffs on most nations for 90 days, sending stocks soaring, but again raises taxes on Chinese imports
Facing a global market meltdown after his tariffs took effect Wednesday, the president abruptly backed down on most of the import taxes — except for those on China.
Maine senators split on vote to confirm Dr. Oz to lead Medicare, Medicaid
The Senate confirmed TV personality Mehmet Oz to lead the office that oversees health insurance programs for roughly half the country.
Looking to buy a new or used car? In need of repairs? What to know about new auto tariffs
Here’s what we know about how Mainers will be impacted by the changes that begin Thursday.
As tariffs set in, Mainers have about 2 months until car prices jump
President Donald Trump’s 25% tariff on imported vehicles and parts goes into effect Thursday. Dealers, mechanics and consumers could all take a hit.