Mainers gather to honor the late Rev. Martin Luther King

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Mainers are gathering to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the holiday that honors the slain civil rights leader.

The largest of Monday’s events starts with a youth summit in Portland followed by a dinner with music and an address by Penobscot Indian Sherri Mitchell, an attorney and activist.

Portland city councilors will consider honoring King this week by renaming a major thoroughfare in his honor. If the plan is accepted, Franklin Street would become Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

City Councilor Spencer Thibodeau says there are no public memorials to King in Maine’s largest city, and renaming the thoroughfare would be a fitting tribute. Portland’s transportation committee will discuss the change this week, and a public hearing will be held Feb. 15.