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Exclusive | Maine rep banned for posting about trans athlete slams state’s woke leaders, sues over free speech violation

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Exclusive | Maine rep banned for posting about trans athlete slams state’s woke leaders, sues over free speech violation


A Maine state legislator posted about trans athletes in women’s sports on her Facebook page — then got banned from speaking or voting on the State House floor.

Now she’s suing the House speaker for violating her First Amendment rights.

“It was a bad move politically for the Democrat majority to censure me for speaking up for Maine girls and their right to a fair, safe, and level playing field, especially because 80% of Americans feel as I do,” Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Minot) told The Post.

Laurel Libby says her constituents have been disenfranchised by her censure. AP

It all started on February 17 when Libby, a Republican from Maine’s 64th District,  posted a photo of a Maine high school transgender pole vaulter standing on the first-place step of a state championship podium.

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“We’ve learned that just *ONE* year ago John was competing in boy’s pole vault… that’s when he had his 5th place finish,” Libby wrote on her Facebook page. ”Tonight, ‘Katie’ won 1st place in the girls’ Maine State Class B Championship.”

The athlete’s first-place win shot their school’s team to a championship win by a single point.

“I comment about a wide variety of current issues here in Maine, so I did not expect a big issue about it,” Libby said of the post.

“It was a public photo from a public event that an individual chose freely to participate in and step up on a podium during.”

Laurel Libby’s Facebook post drew ire from her Democratic colleagues. Representative Laurel Libby / Facebook

The Democratic House speaker and majority leader in Maine quickly caught wind of the post and demanded she take it down. When she refused, they introduced a motion to censure her, citing the fact that the photographed individual is a minor.

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The resolution, which bars her from speaking on the House floor or voting on legislation until she apologizes, passed along partisan lines in a 75-70 vote.

Libby is banned from speaking or voting on the State House floor until she apologizes for her post. AFP via Getty Images

“We’re getting into really dangerous territory, because speech is not free when a simple majority can silence a member of the minority party,” Libby said.

Her lawsuit alleges the Democratic majority violated Libby’s constitutional rights because the Facebook post is protected by the First Amendment. Free-speech attorney Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, agrees.

“Stripping an elected representative of her right to speak and vote for refusing to delete a lawful Facebook post is a blatant violation of free speech and the First Amendment,” Lukianoff told The Post.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills sparred with President Trump at the White House over transgender athletes. Getty Images

“The Constitution doesn’t grant lawmakers the power to muzzle colleagues for making arguments on one of the hottest topics of the day in a way that they don’t like.”

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The debacle helped ignite a contentious exchange between Maine Gov. Janet Mills and President Trump over transgender athletes in the White House last week. 

The administration has cut funding to Maine public universities, as the state continues to defy Trump’s executive order to keep trans athletes out of women’s sports, accusing the state of failure to comply with Title IX.

President Trump signed an executive order barring transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. AP

 Meanwhile, Libby says her censure harms the voters who elected her to represent them.

“It’s a silencing of my constituents, and it says your vote doesn’t matter, your voice doesn’t matter, and we don’t think that you deserve representation in the State House,” she said.

She also thinks “100%” the move will cause her colleagues to self-censor for fear of the same retribution.

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Laurel Libby alleges her constitutional rights have been violated by her colleagues who censured her. AP

“If it’s so easy to silence someone who you disagree with on policy, that absolutely shuts down policy debate, because there’s a danger that you can lose your voice and your vote simply by expressing a different opinion,” the lawmaker said.

In a further shock, on Wednesday, all of Maine’s federal judges recused themselves from the case, sending it to the District of Rhode Island. Libby declined to comment about that development.

The defendants have 21 days to respond to Libby’s suit.

Rep. Libby insists that her post was intended to stand up for women and girls. AP

As she awaits their response, she worries what Maine girls will make of the Democrats’ move to silence her.

“It’s a terrible message to send to our young women,” she said. “Our female athletes are already having to compete against biological males, and now they’re being told by this censuring action not to even speak up about it — to sit down and shut up, essentially.”

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Maine Black Bears Swept By UMass Lowell In A Tight 5-4 Finish

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Maine Black Bears Swept By UMass Lowell In A Tight 5-4 Finish


The Maine Baseball Team was swept by UMass Lowell in the weekend series, losing on Sunday 5-4.

UMaine scored 3 runs in the 5th inning and 1 in the 6th inning to lead 4-1, but the Riverhawks scored 2 runs in the 7th and then pushed across the tying and winning runs in the 9th inning for the win.

Thomas Stabley started for Maine and went 6.1 innings on the mound. He allowed 5 hits and 3 runs, striking out and walking 1. Owen Wheeler pitched 1.2 hitless innings striking out 2. Sebastian Holt pitched the 9th and took the loss, allowing 2 hits and 2 runs, the big hit a 2-run homer to Nicholas Solozano, his 2nd of the day.

Hunter St. Denis homered for Maine, a solo shot, his 9th of the season, in the 6th inning.

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Albert De La Rosa was 2-4. JuJu Stevens , Shane Andrus, Quinn Murphy and Chris Bear each singled.

UMass Lowell is 19-27 while Maine is now 17-30.

The Black Bears will host Merrimack on Tuesday, May 12th in a non-conference game at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 92.9 The Ticket with the pregame starting at 1:30 p.m. Maine then closes out the regular season at home with a 3-game America East conference matchup with Albany Thursday- Saturday.

Check out photos from the game

Maine-UMass Lowell Baseball May 10

The Maine Black Bears hosted the UMass Lowell Riverhawks on Sunday, May 10th

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Gallery Credit: Chris Popper





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Meet Maine’s newest hot pitcher: Gorham’s Hunter Finck

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Meet Maine’s newest hot pitcher: Gorham’s Hunter Finck


It seems every season there’s a southern Maine pitcher or two headed to big-time college baseball.

Meet Hunter Finck, a Gorham High junior and the newest mound star.

Casual fans of Class A South baseball might be wondering, “Hunter who?” After all, Finck threw just one inning for the Rams as a sophomore because of shoulder tightness. It was his Gorham teammate, Wyatt Nadeau, now at Vanderbilt, who was getting the headlines.

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But, “when you say Hunter, everyone around here knows who you’re talking about,” said Gorham coach Ed Smith.

For several reasons.

Finck, 17, has been a standout for several years, always playing up an age group or two at the local level. Since he was 15, he’s pitched for Atlanta-based Team Elite Baseball at premier national showcase tournaments. On Dec. 8, Finck, a powerfully built 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-hander, committed to Alabama, a rising program in the power-packed Southeastern Conference.

Throughout the 2025 summer, playing for both Team Elite and Portland-based Maine Lightning Baseball, Finck built his arm strength back up to where it had been in 2024, when his fastball first crossed the 90 mph threshold. But it wasn’t until early October when Finck was ready to show his true self.

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In back-to-back tournaments in Florida with Team Elite’s top team, Finck impressed. On the second weekend, competing in the Perfect Game WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Florida, his fastball was up to 93 mph, his curveball was sharp, and a developing changeup was effective.

“It really came to life for Hunter in the fall,” said Brooke Richards, Team Elite’s national high school director. Richards said the college recruiters who rightfully saw question marks around Finck because of his limited track record “were probably scrambling at the same time.”

Alabama coach Rob Vaughn and his staff made an early impression.

Two months later, Finck was touring Alabama’s campus in Tuscaloosa.

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On the plane ride home, Finck said he knew he’d found the right spot, and he committed before the plane landed in New England.

Finck would be the first Mainer to pitch for Alabama, but recruiting pitchers from Maine is not new to Vaughn. As the head coach at Maryland (2018-23), Vaughn coached York’s Trevor Labonte for three seasons. Greely’s Zach Johnston originally committed to Maryland before opting to attend Wake Forest.

Finck said there were other schools from the Power 4 conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC) that pursued him.

“I looked at all of them seriously. I thought all of them were great, but I just really wanted to go to Alabama, especially after I saw it,” he said. “I feel like they really wanted me. I have a very good relationship with all of their coaches, so that’s one of the main reasons.”

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Gorham’s Hunter Finck delivers a pitch during the Rams’ 8-0 win over Cheverus on Tuesday in Gorham. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)

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WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT HUNTER FINCK?

Gorham senior Miles Brenner is a strong pitcher in his own right. He’s committed to play at Wheaton College, annually among the top NCAA Division III programs in New England.

“What stands out about Hunter is obviously his velocity, his power,” Brenner said. “But it’s also his mindset. He’s always working, always trying to get better.”

Smith, Gorham’s coach, points to several factors that predict future success for Finck: His progression has always “been ahead of the curve;” he’s been a hard thrower from an early age who has the strong frame to support increased velocity; and “his compete level is off the charts.”

Smith and Richards both describe Finck as having a commanding presence and in-control demeanor on the mound.

“For a kid who doesn’t have a lot of innings under his belt, his composure on the mound is very good. It’s very professional,” Richards said. “Pitching-wise, it’s hard stuff. He attacks. It’s a fastball with life. He has good feel for three pitches that typically he’s very good commanding. When he misses, it’s not by much.”

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SO FAR THIS SEASON

Though he has a bright future ahead, Finck is focused on Gorham baseball this spring. In his first start, he threw four innings of one-hit ball, striking out eight in an 8-1 season-opening win against Sanford at Goodall Park.



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On Tuesday, he threw a two-hitter in an 8-0 win against previously unbeaten Cheverus. It was the first time he’d pitched seven innings since his freshman year. Standing tall, with a strong power stride, Finck started the game with a 93 mph fastball and was still throwing 90 in the fourth inning. Through five innings, he allowed two singles, and with sharp command of his fastball and curveball, he did not get to a three-ball count. A few pitches got away from Finck in the sixth and seventh after Gorham scored its eighth run (on a Finck RBI single), but with help from an errorless defense, he worked around a walk in each inning and finished his shutout with nine strikeouts.

The Rams have a deep pitching staff. In addition to Finck and Brenner, senior Wyatt Washburn is another future college pitcher — he’s headed to Colby College. Add in Nadeau and Jack Karlonas (Husson) from last year’s Gorham team, and Finck has benefited from being surrounded by older teammates who can offer advice, give support, and engage in mature conversations about the craft of pitching.

Of Nadeau, a 6-foot-6 right-hander who has drawn regular starts in his first season at Vanderbilt, Finck said, “he helped me to see what it was like to be at that level and show me everything that goes with it. … He showed me what the standard is.”

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Washburn said of Finck, “He’s just one of those guys that loves the game of baseball and wants to be doing it all the time. It’s the love of the game and his work ethic.”

With Gorham having plenty of quality pitching, Finck will not be overtaxed. Smith has said he expects to stick to a three-starter rotation. That could also ease the pressure of being “the Alabama kid,” as Smith said he heard opposing players call Finck during the preseason.

The way Finck sees it, his choice of college doesn’t change anything in the present. Opponents might think of him as the Alabama kid, but he’s pitching for the Gorham Rams, always trying to compete and play at his best to help his team win.

“So, nerves are the same,” he said. “Pressure’s the same, in my opinion. Just with a label on it.”

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Maine inmate arrested after walking off Thomaston jobsite, corrections officers say

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Maine inmate arrested after walking off Thomaston jobsite, corrections officers say


THOMASTON, Maine (WGME) — A Maine inmate is behind bars after corrections officers say he walked off a jobsite nearly a week ago.

45-year-old Brian Day was arrested.

He was being held at Bolduc Correctional Facility before he left a jobsite in Thomaston on Monday.

45-year-old Candice Fisher was also arrested.

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She was wanted by the Rochester, New Hampshire Police Department.



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