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A newspaper ad promoted a white supremacist book burning in Maine

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A newspaper ad promoted a white supremacist book burning in Maine


A white supremacist has taken out an advertisement in a small northern Maine newspaper promoting a book-burning event later this year — a public display that reflected a growing comfort that hate groups have felt in promoting their messages in Maine and elsewhere in recent years.

While racist groups have long used keyboard activism to spread their messages online, where it’s easy to remain anonymous, they’re now using various tactics to spend more time in the public eye.

That has included harassing local officials, testifying on state and local policy changes, disrupting public meetings and distributing signs and other promotional materials. Those activities have coincided with a nationwide jump in reports of anti-semitic and anti-immigrant behavior in recent years, according to experts who track those incidents.

The New England White Network, led by New Hampshire activist Ryan Murdough, was behind the recent advertisement in the Aroostook County newspaper, along with some other recent public demonstrations across Maine.  

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“June Book Burning,” said the ad, which ran in a March issue of the Fort Fairfield Journal. “During pride month, New England White Network is going to party like it’s 1933.”

It included multiple allusions to Nazi history. Although the month was off, it referenced an episode from May 1933 in which the National Socialist German Students’ Association burned more than 25,000 volumes of what it deemed anti-Nazi books. The ad also featured a logo for the New England White Network that resembled the Iron Cross, a famous German military medal.

Self-proclaimed National Socialist Ryan Murdough, founder of the New England White Network, took out an ad for a June Book Burning in an Aroostook County newspaper. Credit: Fort Fairfield Journal ad

“The ad was an opportunity to post something pretty extreme and draw attention,” said Christopher Magyarics, a senior investigative researcher for the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism who has tracked Murdough’s activities.

Magyarics pointed to other recent cases in which Murdough’s group has tried to put its views into wider circulation. Last year, his group began posting messages on community bulletin boards, along hiking trails and on magazine racks around Maine, Magyarics said. Its materials have generally taken aim at Jewish-owned businesses and public officials it views as anti-white, including Maine Gov. Janet Mills.

In one case from January 2024, Murdough sent a letter to Mohammed Albehadli, who was then the coordinator for diversity, equity and inclusion in the South Portland schools. The letter pushed Albehadli to quit his job and move his family out of the state, according to the Press Herald.

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The district’s superintendent called the email “the most vile” message he had seen during 35 years in education, and Albehadli told the newspaper that the “message raised safety concerns for my family and I … We could not feel safe again after receiving it.”

In March, the New England White Network provided testimony against Maine legislation that would recognize certain Muslim celebrations as state holidays.

“As White Nationalists, it’s our job to stand up for White people and hold elected leaders’ feet to the fire when they implicitly express solutions for our people,” said Jay Gonzalez, director of the group’s Maine chapter, in written testimony. “It’s also our duty to publicize our grievances and force them into the mainstream.”

The Anti-Defamation League reports a significant increase in the distribution of antisemitic literature and this hate map indicates antisemitic incidents around the nation, including Maine. Credit: Courtesy Anti-Defamation League.

In recent years, there has been a broader increase in reports of hateful acts across the nation.

The Anti-Defamation League found there was a 200 percent increase in reports of anti-semitic incidents from October 2023 to September 2024 — in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel — compared with a year earlier. The number of incidents topped 10,000.

Immigrants and refugees also faced more harassment during that time, especially after a viral disinformation campaign last fall about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, which was embraced by President Donald Trump, according to ADL.

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Jeff Tischauser, a senior researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center, attributed some of the uptick to Trump, who in his new administration has attacked diversity initiatives and pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionists, including those linked to racist groups such the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

“There is a sense that the Trump administration and the FBI under Kash Patel is not going to take violence against the left as seriously as previous administrations,” Tischauser said.

While hate groups have long shared their views online, they have also been happy to trumpet examples of their message getting a wider audience.

Last fall, Christopher Pohlhaus, a former Maine resident who founded the notorious Blood Tribe neo-Nazi group, claimed credit for stoking the online rumors about Springfield, Ohio.

Magyarics noted that Murdough ran as a white supremacist in 2010 for the New Hampshire State House.

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In response to questions from the Bangor Daily News, Murdough said that the New England White Network has multiple chapters that are promoting their causes in venues such as town council and school board meetings.

He noted that the only people allowed to attend the upcoming book burning in Maine will be vetted members of the network.

But that isn’t stopping Murdough from using the event to promote his group. After the ad recently ran in the Fort Fairfield Journal, he shared photos of it online and declared the Aroostook County publication “the most pro-White newspaper” in the nation.

The paper’s editor and publisher, David Deschesne, said in an email response to the BDN that his newspaper is not pro-white, but rather that he accepted the ad from Murdough in the interest of allowing free speech.

“I am just the middleman providing information — albeit information about an ideology I do not agree with — which is a position all newspapers/news organizations should be doing,” he said. “One cannot provide that service by arbitrarily gatekeeping and deciding whose speech should be protected and whose speech shouldn’t be.”

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The letter’s publication caused an outcry among some local readers. Deschesne pointed to a letter he received from a Mapleton woman that was published in the April 2 issue.

In the letter, Nicole Gamblin questioned why the paper accepted an ad for such “a heinous and horrific event.”

“By choosing to take a buck and post this, you are promoting hate and violence,” Gamblin wrote. “We have too much of this in our world right now. We must do better.”

 



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Maine

This Monster Burrito Challenge in Waterville, Maine, Is Not for the Weak

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This Monster Burrito Challenge in Waterville, Maine, Is Not for the Weak


Are you up for a Maine food challenge, or are your eyes bigger than your stomach?

A Waterville staple, Buen Apetito has a monster burrito just waiting for someone to eat it down to the very last bite.

This thing is a beast, literally called La Bestia, and it’s definitely a mighty task for a fearless foodie.

Take on the Buen Apetito La Bestia Food Challenge in Waterville, Maine

According to Buen Apetito, if you can finish a super-sized burrito in 30 minutes or less, you’ll get the $60 meal for free, a La Bestia champion shirt, and a picture on the wall of fame. That’s not to mention the bragging rights of dominating a task few will be able to conquer.

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Wondering what’s in the burrito?

The Mexican restaurant shared in a Facebook comment on a post that the burrito is filled with “grilled chicken, chorizo, and tender shredded beef or pork. Built on a layer of seasoned rice, refried beans, and French fries, it’s melted together with a shredded Mexican cheese blend and a drizzle of creamy cheese sauce, sautéed peppers and onions, green salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, creamy guacamole, and a bed of shredded lettuce all wrapped in three extra-large tortillas fused into one epic wrap.”

Let’s just say that this thing is packed full.

The first La Bestia contender took up his fork and knife in December 2025, but despite coming close, he couldn’t come out with the win.

As of March 2026, the challenge has remained undefeated. But you never know, someone is bound to come out victorious.

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Just note that you can only try your hand at this food challenge on Wednesday and Thursday.

Buen Apetito Has Been a Longstanding Waterville, Maine, Restaurant

First opened in 1999, Buen Apeitito has been around for nearly 30 years.

Centralmaine.com reported that the Mexican restaurant was originally located at the Railroad Square complex off Chaplin Street before moving to 99 West River Road in 2023.

A little over a year later, in 2024, Buen Apetito shared on Facebook that it was passing on the torch to new owners, including Dalia, “the heart and soul of [the] kitchen for twenty years,” her daughter, Norma, and Norma’s husband, Shawn.

READ MORE: Famous Maine Restaurant Buen Apetito Adds Powerhouse New Owner to Crew

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And it seems like not only are things still going strong, but new additions like La Bestia food challenge are only enhancing the spirit of big flavor and delicious Mexican food at the Waterville staple.

So, you think you’re up for the task of taking down a beast of a burrito at Buen Apetito? Good luck.

You Know You’re From Maine If You’ve Tried All 19 of These Foods

Here’s a number of foods associated with Maine. How many of them have you had?

Gallery Credit: Sean McKenna

The New York Time’s Best Restaurant Lists Feature These 7 Maine Spots

Gallery Credit: Sean McKenna

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How the Good Neighbor Day of Giving telethon is impacting Maine’s communities

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How the Good Neighbor Day of Giving telethon is impacting Maine’s communities


BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – Monday’s telethon held by WABI in partnership with Penquis and Heart of Maine United Way Monday raised money for the heating of homes, something so basic, yet so significant in a state like Maine.

Danielle Hewes, Penquis contributor and volunteer, says some people might not even know that they qualify for heating assistance.

“I think there’s this misconception that you can’t get that if you’re working. Like that’s just for people on general assistance. The truth of the matter is this is for the people that are maybe not able to work, but also for the people that are working. They’re making ends meet,” she said.

For Danielle, that’s what makes events like the telethon so special: it’s making a real difference in the community with people who need the help the most.

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Speaking about Penquis in particular, she said, “You learn about all of the other things they do and how they help the community and you can’t help but want to be a part of that.”

If you weren’t able to donate Monday, donations are still being accepted.

You can go to homeunitedway.org/heat.

You can also call 941-2800.

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Arizona Sen. Gallego endorses Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner

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Arizona Sen. Gallego endorses Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner


PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine Democrat Graham Platner has picked up another high-profile endorsement in his bid to flip a key Senate seat blue, marking another sign of the oyster farmer and combat veteran’s political resiliency even as he continues to face controversy throughout his campaign.

Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego announced Monday that he was backing Platner, saying that the first-time candidate “reflects the grit and independence that defines Maine.”

“Graham Platner is the kind of fighter Maine hasn’t seen in a long time, someone who tells you exactly what he thinks, doesn’t owe anything to the special interests, and wakes up every day thinking about working families,” said Gallego, who won a Senate seat in Arizona in 2024 by more than 2 points while Trump carried the state by nearly 6 points.

Platner has previously been endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat.

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However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has endorsed Platner’s main opponent, Maine Gov. Janet Mills.

Both Platner, 41, and Mills, 78, are hoping to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins, 73, a five-term incumbent who announced last month that she was running for another term. A victory in Maine is crucial for Democrats’ efforts to take back control of the Senate. The Democratic Party needs to net four seats to retake the Senate majority, and they are aiming to do that in Maine, North Carolina, Alaska and Ohio.

READ MORE: Maine’s Graham Platner thinks voters will overlook his past to support a new type of candidate

Platner has gained traction with his anti-establishment image and economic equality message. He’s pressed forward despite controversies over old social media posts and a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol, which he recently had covered up.

Gallego is among the Democrats named as possible 2028 presidential contenders. Last fall, he stumped in New Jersey, Virginia and Florida, where he campaigned for Democrats who went on to win their elections.

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“I have an immense amount of respect for him and I’m looking forward to joining him as a fellow Marine and combat infantryman in the U.S. Senate,” Platner said in a statement.

Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy.

Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue.


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