ICE anxiety exposes lack of immigration support resources at UMaine

Intensified immigration enforcement has put Maine in the national spotlight with mass protests and public anxieties. Following the detainment of University of Southern Maine student Jean-Pierre Obiang, the Orono community has braced for possible impact, in case Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) looks to other UMaine system students.

Digging up Bananas: The archaeological excavation of UMaine’s mascot

University of Maine’s beloved Bananas T. Bear was not always a person in a suit. The first mascot was a living, breathing black bear gifted to the university’s football team in 1914. From then on, a tradition that involved the lives of more than 16 black bears in a 51-year period was born.

Kobe ICE raid through the eyes of a former employee

On June 26, two unmarked vans pulled into the nearby Walmart parking lot in Bangor. Next door, the Kobe Ninja House had just opened its doors. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in bulletproof vests made their way into the establishment, where they cut the phone lines, held employees inside and ultimately arrested three immigrants. Nearly four months after this raid, Kobe reopened, with one former employee coming forward to share what was not released to the public.

Maine Day partying at the Ave causes concern for damages and student safety

April 30 marked the ninth year of Orono student housing complex, the Avenue, being used as the location for Maine Day partying. Annually, hundreds of University of Maine students trespass the apartment complex to drink alcohol in a large crowd from the early hours of the morning until night on the Wednesday before Finals Week.

Current gun anxiety and Maine’s approach to the violence

Gun violence has become a horrifying familiarity in the United States. In many cases, shock has given way to desensitization; news of such events has become less ‘breaking’ and more routine. Charlie Kirk, right-wing political activist and founder of Turning Point USA was fatally shot on Sept. 10. This assassination will no doubt spur more conversations regarding firearms and political agendas. Regardless of political affiliation, there is gun anxiety in America. 

Horror stories of violation in disguised anti-abortion clinics

Representatives from GRR (Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights) and the Mabel Wadsworth Center, a sexual and reproductive care provider in Bangor, visited the University of Maine to have a talk about women’s health on Feb. 5. In this luncheon talk, one controversy in women’s care carried clear outrage amongst the group. Stories of anti-abortion centers around Maine should be a horror story, not day-to-day shared experiences. Regardless of views of abortion, trickery and shame rituals have no place in any health-related office. 

Live Election Day coverage for Nov. 4.

The Orono community will be voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Collins Center for the Arts (CCA) on the University of Maine campus. On the ballot today is Question 1, Question 2, Town Council elections for a three-year term and the candidate for the R.S.U No. 26 School Board. With volunteers managing traffic, helping orchestrate same-day registration, and the CCA bumbling with activity, the countdown begins. Local issues hold immense amounts of weight, and each voter becomes a heavier voice for each issue. 

Why I hate ‘Little Women’

 I am not a man using this article as an excuse to bash women. I am a woman who hates this book and stands by the fact that people who enjoy it have been brainwashed and deceived. If you adore the book or got too emotionally involved with the Greta Gerwig adaptation, please read with caution.

The death of the Almanac

OPINION: The blood of print publication is in our own hands, the heartbeat of which has been atrophying since the new century. The 2026 edition of the “Farmer’s Almanac” will be the final adieu to 200 years of forecasting, but the death of the Almanac began before editor Sandi Duncan released the news this past November. 

Lynchings are being prominently marked as suicides and swept under the rug

OPINION: Delta State University (DSU) first-year student Trey Reed was found hanging from a tree on campus Monday, Sept. 15. From information released Tuesday afternoon, the police pushed back against the possibility of a race-based lynching. Instead, they ruled it a suicide. However, Reed’s family will not accept that answer until a thorough investigation has been completed. Hung from a tree as a Black man, the outrage across social media is brewing.