Bellows lauded Maine's layered ballot system, while King warned if workers compromise "one laptop, one desktop... you can be in trouble."

Demand for single-family homes surged in the past two years, as the coronavirus pandemic prompted people to look for more living space. The increased demand, facilitated by low interest rates and coupled with supply constraints, led to soaring home prices. (These are 15 cities with the most overpriced housing markets.) But now the U.S. housing market appears to be coming back to earth, with some parts of the country showing early distress signs. Foreclosure filings -- a measure of the health of housing markets at local, state, or national levels -- are on the rise across the country. According to Attom, a curator of land and property data, home foreclosure filings - which include default notices, bank repossessions, and scheduled auctions - are up 153% in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period last year. In Maine, foreclosures rose by 77.8%, from 396 in the first six months of 2021 to 704 in the first half of 2022. The foreclosure rate in the state of one in every 1,050 homes ranks as the 21st highest in the nation. According to five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 American Community Survey, 60.7% of homeowners in Maine are paying down a mortgage, the 23rd smallest share among states. The typical household in the state has an income of $59,489 a year, and the typical home is worth $198,000. For context, the typical American household's annual income is $64,994, and the national median home value is $229,800. RankStateForeclosure rate (foreclosures per housing unit)Homes in foreclosure, 1st half 2022Homes with a mortgage (%)Median home value ($)1Illinois1:38514,08662.8202,1002New Jersey1:4109,17766.0343,5003Ohio1:47511,02862.4151,4004Delaware1:49790364.7258,3005South Carolina1:5134,56857.7170,1006Florida1:56017,62456.7232,0007Nevada1:5672,25967.5290,2008Indiana1:6064,82265.2148,9009Georgia1:7705,73164.5190,20010Michigan1:7735,91359.6162,60011Connecticut1:7731,97967.4279,70012Oklahoma1:8242,12054.5142,40013Maryland1:8632,93472.5325,40014California1:88116,34069.5538,50015Iowa1:8991,57160.4153,90016Alabama1:9252,47555.7149,60017North Carolina1:9584,91762.5182,10018Arizona1:9613,20763.3242,00019Texas1:1,00511,52756.8187,20020Pennsylvania1:1,0385,53159.9187,50021Maine1:1,05070460.7198,00022Colorado1:1,0732,32270.8369,90023Missouri1:1,0732,59661.2163,60024New York1:1,1067,67359.9325,00025Louisiana1:1,1071,87352.0168,10026Utah1:1,1271,02270.1305,40027Minnesota1:1,1692,12666.0235,70028Virginia1:1,2122,98568.2282,80029New Mexico1:1,22576853.4175,70030Wyoming1:1,39419558.1228,00031Mississippi1:1,39794550.0125,50032Hawaii1:1,43139264.4636,40033Nebraska1:1,44358559.4164,00034Wisconsin1:1,5031,81563.3189,20035Tennessee1:1,5281,98459.0177,60036Massachusetts1:1,5351,95468.5398,80037Rhode Island1:1,56031067.9276,60038New Hampshire1:1,59340165.0272,30039Arkansas1:1,71579654.2133,60040Alaska1:1,98516061.9275,60041Washington1:2,4001,33468.2366,80042Kentucky1:2,43282057.2147,10043Idaho1:2,47330464.1235,60044Montana1:2,65419456.0244,90045Oregon1:2,78265266.1336,70046Kansas1:2,81045458.6157,60047West Virginia1:3,62623646.7123,20048North Dakota1:4,4668353.2199,90049Vermont1:7,5984462.4230,90050South Dakota1:9,0684355.0174,600

The recent mass shootings at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, highlight the threat gun violence poses to public safety in the United States. And according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the problem is getting worse. A total of 45,222 people were killed by a firearm in the United States in 2020, the most recent year of available data - up from about 40,000 in 2019, and a 25% increase from 2015. Only three states - Hawaii, New Jersey, and Alaska - reported a decline in deaths resulting from a firearm injury between 2015 and 2020. In Maine, firearm deaths have climbed by 6.3% from 2015 to 2020 - the 45th largest increase among states. According to the CDC, a total of 153 people died from a firearm injury in the state in 2020, up from 144 in 2015. The current firearm mortality rate in Maine, meanwhile, ranks as the 11th lowest among states, at 10.4 deaths for every 100,000 people Gun sales in the state, measured using FBI firearm background check data as a proxy, also increased over the same period. There were an estimated 137,149 gun sales in Maine in 2020, up from 94,744 in 2015. The 44.8% increase in sales was the 19th smallest among states. RankStateChange in gun deaths, 2015-2020Firearm deaths per 100,000 people, 2020Total firearm deaths, 2020Firearm background checks, 20201Kansas49.7%16.9494249,5892Illinois43.0%14.117457,455,0653Iowa42.1%11.2351270,6144Mississippi38.9%28.6818366,8295Tennessee37.0%21.31473984,7606Indiana37.0%17.311591,935,5877Wyoming36.3%25.915491,3848South Carolina33.1%221131530,9309North Carolina31.8%161699890,28410Colorado31.5%15.4922680,50711Georgia31.0%17.71897904,03512Arizona30.4%16.71265665,45813Missouri30.3%23.91426708,18414Texas30.0%14.241642,325,28115Kentucky30.0%20.19023,330,46216Idaho30.0%17.6321281,28417Arkansas29.4%22.6673324,74118Ohio26.3%15.21764976,75119Massachusetts25.8%3.7268262,58320Minnesota25.1%8.9513958,39121South Dakota25.0%13.6120115,44822Michigan24.9%14.614541,068,51123Louisiana24.3%26.31183430,53724Virginia24.1%13.41174823,51325New York23.9%5.31052507,94026New Mexico22.8%22.7479206,25227Nevada22.6%17547219,34928Oregon21.8%13592516,09629Delaware20.5%14.413577,05730Washington20.3%10.9864781,47131Alabama19.1%23.611411,085,47532Florida18.8%13.730411,912,20433Pennsylvania18.0%13.617521,452,92134Oklahoma17.0%20.7826470,28635Wisconsin17.0%12.2717731,61836West Virginia16.9%18.1325265,70537Utah16.9%13.64291,216,77338Nebraska16.6%10.1197104,51139Montana16.1%20.9238172,69540Connecticut15.9%6219219,22741Maryland13.4%13.5803302,56342California11.4%8.534491,601,05443North Dakota8.7%13.810085,46544Vermont8.6%11.67657,96545Maine6.3%10.4153137,14946Rhode Island5.9%5.15451,36947New Hampshire5.8%8.9128174,66248Alaska-1.1%23.517598,95249New Jersey-6.7%5443177,90150Hawaii-9.1%3.45020,102