Maine News Monday October 5

 WalletHub compared all 50 states across 52 key metrics, ranging from assaults per capita and the total loss from climate disasters per capita to the unemployment rate.

Safety in Maine (1=Safest; 25=Avg.)

Overall rank for Maine: 3^rd

3^rd – Murders & Non-Negligent Manslaughters per Capita

1^st – Assaults per Capita

8^th – Loss Amounts from Climate Disasters per Capita

19^th – Fatal Occupational Injuries per 100,000 Full-Time Workers

25^th – Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles of Travel

14^th – Sex Offenders per Capita

12^th – Share of Uninsured Population

 For the full report

The Intercept – The US Army announced last year that it had enough of a specific model of armored vehicle and that any more deliveries would be “excess.” But even so, Congress found a way to keep funding alive for the vehicle — and executives at the company that produces the vehicle found a way to flood key members of Congress with campaign donations.

In the weeks after this year’s appropriations bill passed, employees of AM General or its parent company donated tens of thousands to key appropriations committee members in both chambers, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif.

Collins is separately facing scrutiny over a report from ProPublica that the FBI investigated an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving a major donor, an ex-defense contractor. Collins’ office denied that there was any kind of pay-to-play arrangement and said she fully cooperated with the FBI. There is no indication that AM General’s donations were part of such a scheme, but the giving nonetheless demonstrates how Collins’s campaign account has grown with help from employees at defense contractors doing business with the government.

Before the Army put the future of the vehicle in jeopardy, Collins was not a frequent beneficiary of contributions from the company’s workers. She last received campaign funds from AM General or its parent company’s employees more than a decade ago. But after the Army’s “excess” announcement last year, employees and the company’s PAC donated over $58,000 to committees associated with Collins.

One observer of money in politics said that appropriators receiving money from government contractors is a long-standing problem.

Town of Freeport - Freeport residents can vote in-person by absentee ballot at Town Hall, now through October 29th without special circumstances. If you are a resident and unregistered, you can register and vote in the same visit. See all November 3rd Election information here, including sample ballots, Citizens Initiative proposed ordinance language, plus links to register and request absentee ballots online. Election Day voting will be at Freeport High School from 7am - 8pm on November 3rd.

UPCOMING

OCT 5

Maine Association of Psychiatric Physicians 2026 Fall Meeting → Harraseeket Inn, 162 Main Street, Freeport
6:30PM - Board of Appeals | Council Chamber
Weekly Ukulele Jam  3PM - 4PM 53 Depot St
How Maine Elections Work: A Community Conversation → Freeport Performing Arts Center, 30 Holbrook St., Freeport 6:00 pm
Halcyon String Quartet & Alisa Amador: The Future is Here → Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main St, Freeport 5:00 pm
How Maine Elections Work: A Community Conversation → Freeport Performing Arts Center, 30 Holbrook St., Freeport 6:00 pm

OCT 6
6:00 PM | Invasive Species Workshop Learn how to identify and manage invasive plants with experts from Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Bradley Room, Freeport Community Center
6PM - Town Council Meeting | Council Chambers

OCT 7
6PM - Planning Board | Council Chambers
Nature’s Palette: Art Inspired by the Season → Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main St, Freeport 10:00 am
Maine Marathon Oct 7 2026: What runners, spectators and drivers need to know for Sunday's race (wmtw.com)

OCT 8
The Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce invites you to join it on Thursday, October 8, from 5–7 PM for Business After Hours at Brickyard Hollow.   Connect with fellow Chamber members and local business owners for an evening of networking, conversation, and community connection at one of Freeport’s local favorites.
6:30PM - Shellfish Commission Meeting | Council Chambers

OCT 9
Join us October 9th, at 4 pm at Sparhawk Mill, 41 Bridge Street, Yarmouth, to celebrate the removal of the Bridge Street Dam. No need to RSVP. Limited parking is available at Sparhawk Mill, and Main Street in Yarmouth is only a few minutes away on foot

OCT 13
Freeport Trail Challenge  Click Here to Learn About the Trail Challenge

OCT 17

OCT 18

Meet the Marsh - Cousins River Fields & Marsh Preserve in Yarmouth, Maine.  A family-friendly fall festival celebrating the ongoing restoration of the preserve with activities, trail exploration, fall-themed ambience, and tasty treats amid a beautiful seasonal landscape. Free to attend. More info.  .

OCT 24

ANNUAL WOLFE'S NECK CENTER FALL FESTIVAL -  Join us for hayrides, family activities, yoga, local food and more! One ticket secures a wagon ride around campus. 

Maine News Sunday October 4

Sam Smith -  I first took part in an election stuffing envelopes when I was 12 years old in a vote that ended decades of GOP rule in Philadelphia. Seventy six years later I am still working on the principle I learned back then: go with  the candidate who will act and vote the best. The fact that a candidate may have said or acted wrong in the past, especially on non-political matters, is pretty standard but the important thing is what will they do in the job that they’re seeking. For example, neither Susan Collins nor Troy Jackson are particularly strong role models but Jackson is the one who will most likely vote the right way if elected. Much clearer is the justifications for supporting Hanna Pingree.

The other race that draws my attention is for town council in Freeport.  Running is Jim DeGrandpre who I’ve known and worked with for about six decades and have never experienced a bad moment. He not only is a great candidate, he is a role model for candidates we should be proud to elect.

Maine nonprofit receives national award for fighting childhood hunger (wmtw.com)

Press Herald  - The Maine Trust for Local News partnered with the Siena Research Institute to survey 824 residents and take a snapshot of life in Maine. Although three out of four respondents described an overall positive quality of life, only 20% said life in the Pine Tree State is getting better or much better.

And 38% said life is getting worse or much worse — that’s more than double the share of people nationally who said things are getting worse in their communities, according to polling Siena conducted last year.

Mainers are more likely to feel safe and secure in their home than the average American. The state’s outdoor spaces, as Hoffman noted, as well as its schools (particularly higher education) and sense of community scored highly.

But they say healthcare is hard to find, housing costs are high and the likelihood a young person will get a job with opportunity for advancement is low. All of that contributes to the disproportionately high number of people feeling that things are getting worse.

Bowers News Media  - On September 22, ProPublica broke a big story about how a public corruption investigation into Sen. Susan Collins, and other powerful members of Congress of both parties, was cut short by the Trump administration's evisceration of the Department of Justice.

The investigation involved Martin Kao, the former CEO of a military contractor called Navatek, who is currently in federal prison for influence peddling and illegal campaign contributions. The short version of this long story is that Kao claims he steered a large contribution to Sen. Collins's Super PAC in exchange for the preferential treatment of his company in securing government contracts. While Kao's claims were never proven, the investigation was ongoing and only dropped after Trump returned to the White House and effectively put an end to all federal investigations of public corruption.

University of Southern Maine - The Maine Center for Business & Economic Research at the University of Southern Maine is conducting a study to better understand how people engage with live performing arts in Greater Portland. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and asks about your experiences with live performing arts, what influences your decisions to attend, how you learn about performances, and your perceptions of performing arts organizations in the region.

Maine News Saturday October 3

Press Heald -  A citizens’ petition calling for the launch of an 80-ton ship that’s been landlocked in a Freeport neighborhood for decades has enough valid signatures to appear on town ballots in November. The question asks residents if they would approve a temporary boat launch in the zoning district containing 0 Shore Drive, the planned site to launch the Island Rover. In the process, it would exempt temporary boat launches from certain town environmental and zoning requirements.

….Some neighbors have opposed the launch off Lower Flying Point Road, worried about coastal erosion, the well-being of wildlife and that the ship could get stuck in the mud.

Last year, the Freeport Coastal Waters Commission denied a temporary boat launch for the roughly 90-foot schooner in the residential area — where the water in Raspberry Cove’s mudflat only reaches a depth of about 6 feet at the highest astronomical tide — for environmental reasons, including possible impacts to the cove’s coastal species.

This is the second time a citizens’ group has circulated a petition aimed at launching the Rover. In June, they failed to gain enough valid signatures to get the issue on the ballot.

44 miles of the I-295 between Portland and Topsham will be repaved and get drainage upgrades due to $27.8 million from a federal grant program.

Thousands of eligible Mainers will automatically get discounts on their bills through the state’s Low Income Assistance Program, Gov. Janet Mills said.

30 condo units coming to Gorham

News Center Maine -  Harpswell officials are monitoring a new wave of an algae bloom that has killed thousands of shellfish in Casco Bay after testing confirmed brown water spotted offshore Wednesday was part of the bloom. Fishermen reported seeing brown water about 1 to 2 miles offshore Wednesday morning, according to Harpswell Harbormaster Darcie Couture.

…Testing confirmed the presence of Karenia mikimotoi, the species of algae responsible for the bloom. The sample had a concentration of about 20 million cells per liter, according to Couture.

In a social media post, Couture said strong northeast winds over the past several days could have transported material from an offshore bloom toward the Maine coast. She said the movement of particles in the ocean does not necessarily follow the direction the wind is blowing.

The development comes as officials continue to monitor the effects of a Karenia mikimotoi bloom that has caused widespread marine life mortality in parts of Casco Bay.

WMTW - A pilot from Windham, New Hampshire, walked away with only minor injuries after crashing a plane while landing at the Brunswick Executive Airport in Brunswick on Thursday.

The Brunswick Police Department says the 82-year-old pilot was flying a 1930s Kinner Sportwing airplane when the plane flipped over after landing.

The pilot was the only person on board and was treated at the scene for what police said were minor injuries.

The plane was headed to Owls Head from Lawrence, Massachusetts. Owls Head is home to the Owls Head Transportation Museum.

The museum released a statement on Thursday afternoon saying they were still assessing the situation and gathering information.

"We have been told the pilot is safe, and the incident occurred during taxi rather than while landing. We remain optimistic that the vintage Kinner aircraft will be properly assessed and operable soon," the museum said.

Things to do at the Wolfe’s Neck Ctr for Agriculture & the Environment

9am – 10am:  Visit the animals. The first thing you’ll likely hear at Wolfe’s Neck Farm are the “baaaaa” of our sheep. Who could ask for a better welcome?  Head on into the big red Wishcamper Livestock Education Barn to see our flock of sheep, goats, chickens and rabbits up close.

10am – 12pm: Bike around and get acquainted. From the Little River Farmstead, turn left and head up the road to our campground office. Here you’ll find L.L. Bean bicycles for rent, ready to take you out on an adventure around the farm. Bike the dirt roads around the farmstead and campground, or for a longer ride, head back out to Wolfe Neck Road or Lower Flying Point Road for scenic views of our neighborhood.

12pm – 1pm: Enjoy lunch at the seasonal Farm Café. By now, you are sure to have worked up an appetite. Return your bike at the campground office and pop over to the Farm Café (open May-October) next door for a delicious hot sandwich, salad or pastry all made with Wolfe’s Neck Center meats and produce.

1pm – 2pm: Walk off your lunch on the nature trails. Walk back up Burnett Road to the Little River Farmstead, and head down the road to the left of the buildings. Here you’ll find the trailhead for beautiful paths that meander through lush woodlands, along the marsh and past our outdoor classrooms. Stop by Heron’s Hideaway to see if you can get a glimpse of the birds wading in the marsh!

2pm – 3pm: Cool off by the shoreline. Take a walk up to West Bay, through the campground, and follow the path towards Hayload Point. This lovely little trail leads you right down to the rocky shore, with a bench that’s perfect for some reading, reflecting…or an afternoon nap! West Bay also boasts a staircase to the shoreline, and at high tide you can take a kayak, canoe or stand up paddle board out to explore on the water. Rentals are available at the campground store and online to pre-book.

3pm – 4pm: Learn about our vegetable production. Walk backup to the road and follow the loop back around to our Education Garden. Walk along the mulch paths and admire the many different organic fruits and vegetables that our team members have been growing all summer long for our Farm Stand. Like what you see? Check out the Farm Stand on our Little River Farmstead to see what’s for sale and in season!

4pm – 5pm: An afternoon at the Dairy. Walk over to the Organic Dairy to pay a visit to our cows and calves. If they are in the barn they are typically found munching on hay between grazing or getting ready to be milked. The Milking Parlor is open to the public so be sure to step inside. While you’re there, Meet some of our dairy apprentices and learn more about the Organic Dairy Farmer Training Program.

Insider Tip! If the cows are not in their barn it means they are grazing in one of our pastures. Learn more about managed grazing. 

5pm – 7pm: Get out on the water at sunset. Paddling around Casco Bay is an unforgettable experience. Circle around Googins Island, a protected osprey habitat, and you may be lucky enough to see the resident osprey couple catch fish for their young. Paddle out along the peninsula, or “neck”, and take in beautifully colored rocky ledges framed by forest of oak and pine, and you may glimpse the area’s resident harbor seals or a majestic bald eagle. Kayak and canoes are available to rent at our campground office.   

Maine News Friday October 2

Around for more than 150 years, Mathew's is known as the oldest pub in Portland, Maine, and now it is up for sale as part of a larger real estate offering

Cumberland approves funds for Casco Bay Trail (wgme.com)

Maine News Thursday October 1

“Growing up in America at this time, there is a significant lack of hope. That is the sort of thing that young people need — hope when we are envisioning our future.” - Katya Fromouth, a 17 year old from Yarmouth

Press Herald - UMaine board votes to rename George Mitchell Center. The former Democratic senator’s name is also being removed from a scholarship after a task force recommended rebranding all campus institutions affiliated with Mitchell, who is referenced hundreds of times in documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. ….A task force established by the University of Maine had unanimously agreed that campus institutions affiliated with Mitchell should be renamed. That includes the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions and the George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship, which supports students who study abroad in Ireland. The board voted 9-5 with one abstention to accept the task force’s recommendation.

….Mitchell, 93, represented Maine in the U.S. Senate as a Democrat from 1980 to 1995. He has denied allegations that he was connected to or aware of Epstein’s criminal activity and said he regrets ever having known the convicted sex offender.

Maine Morning Star -  More than a thousand immigrants in Maine will lose their health insurance starting Oct. 1, due to Medicaid eligibility changes passed through President Donald Trump’s 2025 budget law. H.R. 1 made significant cuts to the national health insurance program that millions of low-income households rely on, removing certain groups of immigrants, as well as adding work requirements that together will result in at least 7 million people nationwide losing their coverage. 

To watch or hear the governor debate tonight 

• On TV: News Center Maine WCSH Channel 6 (Portland/southern Maine) or WLBZ Channel 2 (Bangor/eastern Maine), over the air or on cable
• On your phone or tablet: Stream free on the News Center Maine app
• On your smart TV: Download the News Center Maine app on Roku, Apple TV, or Fire TV and watch live
• Online: Stream live at newscentermaine.com/watch

Maine News Wednesday September 30

Maine Democrats - Maine will decide the Senate majority. By defeating Susan Collins, we can remove one key supporter of the corruption and cruelty of the Trump Administration and send a Senator to Washington who'll fight for working families.

Maine can elect a governor who’ll work for all of us. By electing another Democratic governor, we will have a leader who’ll treat working people fairly and strengthen opportunities for every Mainer to thrive.

Maine will deliver the House Majority. By winning both Congressional Districts, we can begin the essential work of reversing the greed, violence, and corruption that is running rampant in Washington.

A survey of 824 Mainers by the Siena Research Institute found an overwhelming 85% of people have negative feelings about the availability of affordable housing here. The rest of the story 

Royal River Conservation Trust - During this past spring's high flows, it was hard to imagine that the Bridge Street Dam could be gone by fall. And yet, here we are: the Bridge Street Dam has been fully removed - for good. After decades of advocacy by local residents and conservation organizations, our community was given the opportunity to remove the Yarmouth dams and restore the Royal to a free-flowing river -if we could come together to raise the necessary funding. Led by the experienced team at American Rivers, a coalition including state and federal conservation partners, Royal River Alliance, Maine Rivers, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, and dozens of others set about raising public and private funds to support the river's restoration. Over the past 18 months, the coalition successfully raised the $1.5 million needed to remove the Bridge Street Dam. Even amid this year's drought, the transformation is already visible. Newly revealed riffles and pools are beginning to reshape the river, creating areas of flowing water that will provide better habitat and oxygenate areas that were previously stagnant. View the Bridge Street Dam removal video and time-lapse.

But the work isn't finished. The coalition is now focused on Phase 2: Remove the East Elm Street Dam and complete the restoration. We still need to raise and additional $660,000 to secure a contractor for next summer. Contributions are currently being matched dollar for dollar, up to $300,000 ($150,000 already matched).

Maine News Tuesday September 29

 In just four years, from 2018 to 2022, Casco Bay’s eelgrass habitat diminished by 54 percent.

Maine Morning Star  - Historian Heather Cox Richardson described a Troy Jackson win as a step toward reclaiming American democracy Monday night in Portland. "This is our moment," the widely known scholar and Maine resident told a packed auditorium at the University of Southern Maine of the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee sitting beside her. Known for her daily substack "Letters from an American," which boasts over 3 million subscribers and connects daily headlines to long-term patterns in American history, Richardson has a public following rare to academics.

Here's what's in Yarmouth's new plan for safer streets (pressherald.com)

Central Maine Power Co.'s plan to raise rates by $7 is on the rocks.

Friends of Casco Bay - Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is a flowering plant that grows in dense thickets in the shallows of inlets, bays, and estuaries. Underwater, it looks like a wild meadow of graceful grasses swaying with the tides. Eelgrass meadows have been compared to rainforests and coral reefs for many reasons – they are dynamic ecosystems that play an essential role in the health of our oceans and planet. Eelgrass beds provide vital habitat and nursery grounds for fish, lobster, shellfish, and many other marine species, benefiting Maine’s fishing industries. In this era of climate change, seagrasses around the world, including Maine’s eelgrasses, are being studied as sources of carbon capture and are known for buffering ocean acidification. Plus, they reduce wave action, stabilize sediment, and prevent erosion – something we are more keenly aware of since the destruction from this past winter’s major storms. 

Maine News Monday September 28

 Morning Star - President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement could result in the state losing anywhere from $395 million to $3.3 billion in annual economic output.

That’s according to a report commissioned by the Maine Office of New Americans, which assessed the contributions of more than 33,000 foreign-born workers in Maine and modeled how federal enforcement could leave employers across various sectors critically short of workers.

….Maine’s immigrant workforce is relatively small but an increasingly important component of the state’s economy, concluded the report, which was prepared by Maine-based Wallace Economic Advisers using U.S. Census data.

An estimated 33,079 foreign-born workers directly generated about $177 million in state income tax revenue and $2.25 billion in personal income between 2020 and 2024, the report found. Factoring in broader economic activity that employment supports, the report estimates that immigrant employment helps sustain nearly 74,000 jobs and nearly $15 billion in total economic output. 

 WalletHub -  Portland, Maine, has the highest ratio of full-service restaurants to fast-food establishments, which is three times higher than in Jackson, Mississippi, the city with the lowest.

Here's what's in Yarmouth's new plan for safer streets (pressherald.com)

Morning Star - The Maine Department of Corrections has opted to continue its policy that allows staff to punish incarcerated people before and regardless of a finding of guilt, underscoring the discretion that props up the prison system.

Incarcerated Mainers raised concern about this section of the department’s disciplinary policy that permits prison staff to issue sanctions regardless of whether the formal disciplinary process has been initiated or if someone has been found not guilty.

It’s been a part of the department’s rules for decades, but proposed disciplinary policy changes recently offered an avenue to sound alarm. The department announced it would not alter the section of concern last week.

Defending its decision, the department argued in written responses to critical testimony that it would be unreasonable to wait for the formal process, which can take weeks to complete, and not take certain actions, such as changing one’s housing status, particularly when safety is at risk.  

Press Herald - On Sept. 20, the floors were lined with paper and three large canvases were spread over the tables. Eighteen artists worked from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to turn them into colorful banners.

The Artists’ Rapid Response Team!, or ARRT!, has been painting in Maine since 2013. The group works with progressive nonprofits to create banners, lawn signs and props. The goal is to help these organizations make their issues more visible.

At this weekend’s “marathon ARRT! workday,” the group made two banners for the Maine Multicultural Center, an organization that provides services to immigrants in the Bangor area. The banners will be used for tabling and taken to protests and rallies. When not in use, they will hang in the organization’s office and welcome people, said Adrian Arias-Palomo, the center’s executive director, who attended the work session to help the artists paint…

AART! was started by Natasha Mayers, an artist based in Whitefield. She had been making protest art for many years. She said she thought it would be beneficial for nonprofits to have an artist in residence, but knew many would never be able to afford it. So, she gathered a group of artists that were already individually doing protest art to make banners, and ARRT! was born. Fourteen years later, the group has worked with over 150 nonprofit organizations to create over 600 banners.

Maine News Sunday September 27

 HISTORY

Friends of Casco Bay -  On September 27, 1996, the Julie N tanker collided with Portland's Million-Dollar Bridge, spilling more than 179,000 gallons of oil into Casco Bay and the Fore River. It remains the largest oil spill in Maine history.

…13.8 miles of coastline were covered in oil, with the upper Fore River marsh heavily affected. The impact to birds was devastating. Friends of Casco Bay contacted 100 trained oiled-bird rehabilitation volunteers to assist Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife with oiled bird recovery… In the end, 78% of the oil was cleaned up, an amount considered exceptionally successful. (15-20% is considered a typical oil recovery success.)

Maine News Saturday September 26

WMTW -   Harriet Beecher Stowe School in Brunswick was closed Thursday after officials discovered a malfunction in the building's main fire alarm panel during a routine maintenance inspection. The Brunswick School Department said it made the decision to cancel classes after consulting with the Brunswick Fire Department, which determined the school should not operate without a fully functioning fire alarm system.

Press Herald - The nor’easter moving north along the mid-Atlantic and southern New England coast this weekend will bring hazardous beach conditions, rain and gusty winds to southern Maine. The storm has slowed and was moving into southern New England on Friday, said Jerry Combs, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s office in Gray.

While there may be a chance of rain Saturday morning and afternoon in Maine, the odds increase Saturday night and into Sunday and Monday. The rain may start sooner in York County, Combs said. Southwestern Maine can expect 1 to 2 inches of rain, but Combs said he is not expecting any flooding.

Press Herald -  Former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree continues to hold a comfortable lead over Republican Bobby Charles and independent Rick Bennett in the race to become Maine’s next governor, a New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll shows.

Pingree — a 49-year-old Democrat from North Haven who led a policy office under Gov. Janet Mills and is the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree — has had double-digit polling leads over Charles and Bennett since winning the crowded Democratic primary in June. That trend continued in the latest poll of the race.

Pingree garnered support from 48% of respondents, compared to 36% for Charles and 8% for Bennett in the poll of 309 likely Maine voters that was conducted from Sept. 15-17 and had a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points. Among the respondents, 8% said they “don’t know” or refused to say whom they will for in November.

$1.8 million: The amount made by softshell clam harvesters in Brunswick in 2025. An algae bloom in Casco Bay is threatening the industry and caused the Department of Marine Resources to close certain harvesting locations in Brunswick and Harpswell.  “This is the biggest mortality event I’ve ever seen along the Brunswick shores and in particular in Maquoit Bay, but it’s also the most dense I’ve ever seen softshell clams in this town,” said Dan Devereaux, Brunswick coastal resource manager.

The Brunswick Visitor Center is closed for renovations through Sunday.