Good morning, Bangor.

Applications are open for the 2026 Beyond Banking Grant Program, where Maine Savings Foundation will give five $5,000 awards to nonprofit groups that serve local neighbors — recipients will be announced Dec.

7. Nonprofits can apply in areas like health, education, culture and social services until Oct. 4.

Today, first responders and community members mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with memorial ceremonies across Maine.

In Bangor, International Airport personnel and the Fire Department hold tributes at 8:30 a.m. while similar events occur in Portland, Freeport, and Kennebunk.

Cole Land Transportation Museum hosts Heroes and Heritage Week starting Sunday with a Transportation Festival featuring touch-a-truck exhibits and a helicopter landing, followed by Cheers & Gears on Thursday ($50 admission) and a classic car show on Saturday — all raising funds for local veterans.

A study by Insurify shows that Mainers pay $4,965 per year for car upkeep, making Maine the 6th most affordable state to own a vehicle.

The study measured the costs of insurance, fuel and maintenance, with New Hampshire emerging as the cheapest.

A new report from Educate Maine shows that Maine’s fourth graders now rank 44th nationwide in reading and links the drop to districts using curricula not based on research + 82% of the surveyed districts reported employing at least one such program.

Candidate Rick Bennett said today he will mandate K-3 classrooms statewide to use a vetted reading curriculum — with training paid by the state — to help every child read proficiently by the end of third grade in his first term.

State agencies & wildlife experts trained responders at Hermon Pond today using new smartphone technology to map affected wildlife in real time as teams searched the area to improve care for impacted animals.

Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau visited the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone Thursday to see municipal solar arrays that cover 70% of local electricity needs and saved the town $76,000.

He called clean energy a solution to rising rates in the state + a model for future projects.

The Maine CDC reported a new HIV case in Penobscot County this week that brings the outbreak total to 46 — nearly all cases involved drug injection or homelessness and 80% of patients reached care within 30 days.

The Maine Association of Realtors reported that August had a 10% drop in single-family home sales while the median price rose 4.31% to $424,550+Franklin County saw an 18.54% jump, pointing to seasonal market adjustments across Maine.