MAINE NEWS & NOTES

Maine News Friday July 10

Press Herald - A ballot question limiting transgender students’ rights in sports and access to school facilities will not appear on the November ballot, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled Friday

The citizens’ initiative, filed by a group called Protect Girls Sports, initially qualified for the ballot but later met a legal challenge over the signature collection process, which a group of citizens said broke several state rules and resulted in invalid signatures.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows agreed and rejected nearly 4,000 signatures, leaving the group 500 names below the required threshold. A Superior Court judge upheld that call last month, but the group appealed.

Protect Girls Sports argued to the Supreme Judicial Court on July 1 that the secretary of state’s rules for out-of-state signature collectors were unlawful, and that she did not have the right to invalidate more than 1,000 signatures on that basis.

The high court, in a unanimous per curiam decision Friday, said Bellows had not only the right but the obligation to invalidate those signatures.

“As a result of the Secretary’s proper invalidation of the signatures collected by these four circulators, the petition fell below the constitutional threshold for an initiative petition to be submitted to the voters of Maine,” the court wrote. “The Secretary thus correctly determined the petition to be invalid.”

The referendum would have required participation in school sports and use of facilities including bathrooms and locker rooms to be based on a student’s sex assigned at birth, rather than their gender identity.

Although the question will not appear on the November ballot, the petitioners are allowed to keep collecting names; per the state’s constitution, their initial signatures only remain valid for a year after the petition was filed with the secretary’s office. In this case, that occurred on Nov. 3, 2025.

UPCOMING

JULY 10

30th Annual Ocean Waves Quilters Quilt Show July 10th – July 12th →
Old Orr's Island Schoolhouse, 1594 Harpswell Islands Rd, Orr's Island
10:00 am

JULY 11

Great State of Maine Air Show - Blue Angels → Brunswick Landing Venture, 74 Neptune Dr, Brunswick 9:00 am
Discovery Park, LL Bean, Freeport: Lexi James & Wildheart, 7 PM

JULY 12
Memorial Park, 5 Park St., Freeport: The Honey Tones, 2-4
Music in the Parks - Memorial Park, 19 Bow St 2:00 pm

JULY 14
Complete Streets Committee →30 Main Street, Freeport 7:30 am
Conservation Commission → 5 Depot Street 6:30 pm

JULY 16

Winslow Park, 50 Winslow Park Way, Freeport: Coastal Winds, 6-7:30, park has $3 entry fee

Bandstand By The Sea, 1410 Harpswell Neck Rd., Harpswell: Harpswell Concert Band, 6-7:30

Thursday, July 16, 2026 | 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (music starts at 6:30 PM) Kresge Auditorium, Bowdoin College, 239 Maine St, Brunswick, ME More info: FreeportSpeech.org

Thursday Night Concert Series at Winslow Park

For more info on the artists and to see the Memorial Park summer concert schedule, visit the Meetinghouse Arts website

JULY 16 — COASTAL WINDS: Enjoy the vibrant sounds of the Coastal Winds, a community band featuring over 35 skilled woodwind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists from the Freeport area.
JULY 23 — THE FLUKES:A Fun-Loving Ukulele Society, The Flukes bring joy to all ages with their performance, playing tunes from Bach to the Beatles.
JULY 30 — THE DELTA KNIGHTS BAND: Led by frontman Rob Babson, The Delta Knights Band has spent 30 years as a Southern Maine staple, delivering a tight, expert blend of blues, R&B, and classic rock.
AUGUST 6 — VINYL FOSSILS…Don't miss this six-piece band performing classic rock and roll music.
AUGUST 13 — CAROLE WISE | MARK ABRAHAM | DENNY BREAU | APRIL REED-COX: Four gifted Maine musicians unite to perform a harmonious, authentic blend of original songs celebrating friendship and collaboration.
AUGUST 20 — CORMAC MCCARTHY: Don't miss Cormac McCarthy's enthralling Americana set, showcasing his expertise as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and storyteller.
AUGUST 27 — BESS JACQUES & THE STRAYS: Bess Jacques & The Strays deliver a vibrant, nostalgic blend of jazz and pop, featuring lush vocal ballads and hard-swinging originals from their debut album.
Winslow Park Concerts are a community collaboration between Meetinghouse Arts and the Town of Freeport View it on website

JULY 17

JULY 18
Discovery Park, LL Bean, Freeport: Skosh, 7 pm

JULY 19
Memorial Park, 5 Park St., Freeport: Arcadia Band, 2-4 PM

JULY 22
Waves for the Bay: Friends of Casco Bay Members Annual Meeting: 5:30-7:30 pm. Where: Portland Yacht Services, 100 West Commercial Street, Portland, ME. The event will be held outside on a gravel surface under a tent, rain or shine.

Maine News Thursday July 9

Press Herald - With Graham Platner announcing Wednesday that he will withdraw from Maine’s Senate race after days of speculation, the question now becomes: Who will replace him?... Party officials are planning an in-person convention of about 600 people for the purpose of selecting a new Senate nominee, according to a person familiar with the planning who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to disclose details of the ongoing discussions.

FREEPORT

Lower Mast Landing Road: Updated Closure for Roadwork -Due to a collapsed pipe in a culvert near 29 Lower Mast Landing Road, crews will be working on the road to replace the pipe. Construction will end on July 11th

ooo

Intercept - In group chats of progressive activists and political operatives concerned with the state of the Senate race in Maine Wednesday morning, a link to an anonymous Google Doc was making the rounds. It disavowed Graham Platner, the disgraced Democratic nominee whose campaign was throttled by a rape accusation on Monday, and called to replace him with Troy Jackson, a recent gubernatorial contender the document deemed “the one candidate who can hold Platner’s coalition together.”

Platner suspended his Senate campaign on Wednesday evening, and there is no clear alternative to his candidacy. His campaign’s swift downfall has presented Democrats and his primary supporters with several bad options: The party establishment could pick a candidate and inflame an already frustrated base that scoffed at its efforts to anoint Gov. Janet Mills as the nominee, or it could bend to Platner’s past demands and let him influence the selection of his successor.

In either case, a base already exhausted by months of Platner scandals is at risk of fracturing and failing to consolidate behind a potential replacement — and Democrats are at risk of once again losing a key seat they need to pick up for control of the Senate to Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

NOTUS’ Emily Kennard reports on the fallout from the Platnerpocalypse inside Democratic politics. Has the progressive, populist push for more “outsider” candidates come at the expense of rigorous candidate vetting? A lot of people point at Maine and say obviously, yes. But progressives insist the party cannot turn away from outside-the-box candidates, even as they struggle with the aftermath of their strong support for Platner as red flag after red flag was waved.

JOBS

Banana Republic, Inc. posted a job opening for Retail Sales Associate - Main St - Freeport in Freeport. Apply here.
Regional School Unit 05 posted a job opening for Long-Term Substitute Art Teacher in Freeport. Apply here.
You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.

Maine News Wednesday July 8

Matt Kerbel, Wolves and Sheep - As of this writing, Graham Platner has not yet formally withdrawn from the Maine Senate race, but his departure should be inevitable. His party support cratered—and justifiably so—in the wake of the sexual assault allegation against him that surfaced on Monday. He has canceled public events while considering his next steps, and if he doesn’t yet realize that his candidacy is no longer viable, he will soon.

This could be a blessing in disguise for Maine Democrats. Maine election law has a provision allowing party nominees to withdraw for any reason as long as they do it by a specified date, which in this case is next Monday. After that, the party has two weeks to find a replacement. Given that Platner was polling even with Susan Collins in a state that Kamala Harris won by seven points while the Democratic gubernatorial nominee is running away with her contest, it’s fair to say that from an electoral perspective Democrats will be better off without Platner on the ballot.

Maine Biz - Portland-based Maine Community Bank launched a dedicated merchant services division to meet growing demand for card processing, point-of-sale systems and e-commerce solutions. The division will operate effective immediately.

JOBS

Advantage Solutions posted a job opening for Traveling Retail Merchandiser in Freeport. Apply here.

U-Haul International, Inc. posted a job opening for Storage Facility Housekeeper in Brunswick. Apply here.

You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.

Maine News Tuesday July 7

NOTLUS - A seasoned Democratic strategist in Maine not working on the Senate race told NOTUS’ Christa Dutton that state party committee members are “seriously looking at alternatives” already. Of course, the internet is also doing that, as well as Washington’s text chains and Signal chats. Christa’s operative had some takes on the early names rising to the top of a replacement list:

Gov. Janet Mills, who was forced from the Senate primary by Platner-mentum? “I don’t think anyone challenges her, assuming she wants it.”

Retiring Rep. Jared Golden, the candidate establishment dreams are made of? “His desire to be done with politics seems sincere.”

Former state legislator Troy Jackson, whom the online left has all but crowned the next nominee already. “Thus far I haven’t heard anyone in Dem political circles calling for him to run.”

It will be hard to move forward because this is a bad moment for Democrats, full stop. The party establishment backed Mills, a candidate so old she had to promise to seek only one term, and her campaign never caught fire. Now they have to explain why anyone should trust them to pick the next nominee. The left stayed firmly in formation around Platner through it all — and it really has been a lot — insisting that anyone with concerns about their candidate was an idiot who didn’t understand what real people are actually like. Now they, too, have to make the case that they should be trusted to pick the next candidate.

This remains one of the marquee races, if not the marquee race, of the cycle. And Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent who was always going to be tough to beat, has been able to sit back through months of Democratic infighting — which now continues.

Polling USA has Troy Jackson 5 points ahead of Collins, and Platner 4 points behind here. Mills is tied.

Maine Morning Star - Religious schools accepting public funds are required to follow Maine laws that protect against discrimination based on faith, gender identity and sexual orientation, a federal court has ruled. Crosspoint Church, which runs Bangor Christian Schools, and St. Dominic Academy in Auburn filed separate appeals in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston in January, 2025. The state’s anti-discrimination law infringes on their constitutional right to free exercise of religion, they said.

UPCOMING

JULY 7

Tonic, 7 Dunlap St., Brunswick: Open mic with Rexy Dinosaur, 6-8

JULY 8

Peaks Island Lions Club, 2 Garden Rd., Peaks Island: Don Campbell, 5

Thursday Night Concert Series at Winslow Park

For more info on the artists and to see the Memorial Park summer concert schedule, visit the Meetinghouse Arts website

JULY 9 — JIM SHARKEY: Original songs blending Celtic traditional ballad influences with contemporary issues.
JULY 16 — COASTAL WINDS: Enjoy the vibrant sounds of the Coastal Winds, a community band featuring over 35 skilled woodwind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists from the Freeport area.
JULY 23 — THE FLUKES:A Fun-Loving Ukulele Society, The Flukes bring joy to all ages with their performance, playing tunes from Bach to the Beatles.
JULY 30 — THE DELTA KNIGHTS BAND: Led by frontman Rob Babson, The Delta Knights Band has spent 30 years as a Southern Maine staple, delivering a tight, expert blend of blues, R&B, and classic rock.
AUGUST 6 — VINYL FOSSILS…Don't miss this six-piece band performing classic rock and roll music.
AUGUST 13 — CAROLE WISE | MARK ABRAHAM | DENNY BREAU | APRIL REED-COX: Four gifted Maine musicians unite to perform a harmonious, authentic blend of original songs celebrating friendship and collaboration.
AUGUST 20 — CORMAC MCCARTHY: Don't miss Cormac McCarthy's enthralling Americana set, showcasing his expertise as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and storyteller.
AUGUST 27 — BESS JACQUES & THE STRAYS: Bess Jacques & The Strays deliver a vibrant, nostalgic blend of jazz and pop, featuring lush vocal ballads and hard-swinging originals from their debut album.
Winslow Park Concerts are a community collaboration between Meetinghouse Arts and the Town of Freeport View it on website

JULY 9

Shellfish Commission Meeting 30 Main Street, 6:30 pm

JULY 10

JULY 11

JULY 12
Memorial Park, 5 Park St., Freeport: The Honey Tones, 2-4
Music in the Parks - Memorial Park, 19 Bow St 2:00 pm

JULY 17

Maine News Monday July 6

Wall Street Journal - Graham Platner said his campaign would reflect on the "best path forward" after a woman he was romantically involved with alleged that he sexually assaulted her. The allegation, which Platner denied, is the latest controversy to emerge about the Maine Senate Democratic nominee's past. In a video he released, Platner said he was "mindful" of the impact it could have on his race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. The video comes after Politico detailed an allegation by a woman who said Platner forced himself on her about five years ago and had nonconsensual sex with her after she told him repeatedly to stop

Harpswell Anchor - Freeport residents should know that Freeport Community Services received a $5,000 grant from the Maine Women’s Giving Tree, part of more than $104,000 awarded to 15 Midcoast nonprofits. The women-led giving circle supports organizations from Wiscasset to Freeport that serve women, children, and families, backing everything from housing and literacy to health care and hunger relief.

Pilots will perform high-flying feats at the upcoming Great State of Maine Air Show, returning to Brunswick Executive Airport on July 11 and 12. This year, the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels will undoubtedly draw crowds with their precision flying routines — the team's first performance in Maine in five years.

Morning Star - The termination of two federal leases in the Gulf of Maine present the latest layer of uncertainty for offshore wind projects, once thought to be key to Maine’s energy secure, low-carbon future. Last month, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a settlement agreement with Chicago-based Invenergy, which included the termination of offshore wind leases in Maine, California and New York.

“It’s a bad deal for Mainers, at a time when energy is getting more and more expensive, we are spending public dollars to not build energy resources and to not bring electricity prices down,” said Nick Janzen with Maine Conservation Voters.

As part of the agreement, the federal government will reimburse Invenergy up to $765 million, which the company will then reinvest in natural gas-fired power plants and geothermal power generation projects.

…In a statement, Gov. Janet Mills said the termination undermines years of work and planning to protect Maine’s fisheries, diversify energy resources and create economic investment.

Maine News Sunday July 5

Press Herald - Hundreds of Maine companies, large and small, share in the surprising breadth of military spending each year in communities across the state. All told, there are about 300 defense contractors in Maine.

UPCOMING

JULY 5

Memorial Park, 5 Park St., Freeport: Richard Reichner, 2-4

Women's History Walking Tour 10-30 AM Maine Historical Society Learn More | Register

Routini Run 8:30AM - 9:30AM 21 Stanwood Street, Brunswick, ME

JULY 6
Coffee with Town Council 30 Main Street, Freeport 8:00 am

JULY 7

Tonic, 7 Dunlap St., Brunswick: Open mic with Rexy Dinosaur, 6-8

Town Council Meeting 6:00 pm

JULY 8
Peaks Island Lions Club, 2 Garden Rd., Peaks Island: Don Campbell, 5

JULY 10

JULY 11

JULY 12

Memorial Park, 5 Park St., Freeport: The Honey Tones, 2-4

JULY 17

Maine News Saturday July 4

FREEPORT

Patch - Meetinghouse Arts’ summer concert tradition returns to downtown Freeport from 2-4 p.m. on Sundays from July 5 through Aug. 30… At the center of this evolution is a heartfelt recognition of John Albright, a tireless advocate for live music in Freeport. For years, Albright curated performances, supported emerging and established artists, and created a welcoming gathering place for audiences of all ages. His work has left an enduring imprint on the Freeport community and the town’s cultural identity.

“John doesn’t just book bands — he builds community,” said Suzanne Watson, executive director of Meetinghouse Arts. “We are deeply grateful for John’s leadership, passion and belief in the power of music to bring people together.”

The 2026 Albright Summer Music Series in Memorial Park will feature a dynamic lineup of regional talent spanning genres from folk and blues to indie rock and jazz. The free, family-friendly concerts will take place weekly at Memorial Park in downtown Freeport. This series falls under our Music in the Parks programming, which enters its fourth year this summer.

Maine News Friday July 3

Patch - Freeport residents can look forward to free Sunday afternoon concerts at Memorial Park, as Meetinghouse Arts launches the newly renamed Albright Summer Music Series from July 5 through Aug. 30. The series honors longtime music advocate John Albright and will feature regional performers across genres, plus partnerships with local businesses to keep the downtown atmosphere lively and welcoming.

Times-Record- Moderation Brewing Company’s move into the redeveloped Brunswick Central Fire Station in June cleared the way for a second brewery to expand into its own new space. Black Pug Brewing Company, owned by couple Sam and Emi Wilson, will open at the former Moderation location on Maine Street later this summer. Moderation still owns the building but is leasing it to their fellow Brunswick brewers. Black Pug Brewing moved out of 30 Bath Road, its home since 2018, in late June.

Black Pug Brewing Company is getting ready to open soon at the former Moderation Brewing location on Maine Street. The two Brunswick brewers are collaborators and good friends. The relationship between the two Brunswick brewers allows them to share ideas and equipment, and stay afloat during a tough economic times, Sam Wilson said.

Maine News Thursday July 2

Newsweek - Collins leads Platner 50 percent to 47 percent among registered voters in Maine, underscoring what is expected to be one of the nation's most closely watched Senate contests. A notable finding in the survey comes from the bloc of voters who say they are "extremely" motivated to cast a ballot. Among that group—which makes up roughly two-thirds of registered voters surveyed—Platner holds a 53 percent to 44 percent advantage over Collins, a 9-point lead.

Patch - Yarmouth, Maine doctor accused of running a massage parlor as a front for prostitution reaches plea deal (wmtw.com) — Freeport police led an investigation, alongside Brunswick officers, into a Yarmouth doctor whose Route 1 business in Freeport was alleged to be a front for prostitution and human trafficking. The doctor has now pleaded guilty to engaging a prostitute, while advocates stress that sex trafficking continues to affect hundreds of people each year in Maine.

Maine Morning Star - Starting in 2028, Maine may have to contribute $50 million per year to maintain its federal food assistance due to the Trump administration’s changes that penalize states for making largely unintentional errors while administering food benefits.

A provision in President Donald Trump’s 2025 budget law requires states to pay for portions of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which had exclusively been funded by the federal government since it began many decades ago. How much each state has to pay will depend on its payment error rate — a measure of how often households receive too much or too little in benefits.

Maine’s payment error rate of more than 10% in 2025 means the state would be responsible for 15% of SNAP benefit costs beginning in 2028.

Anti-hunger advocates have warned that if the state is unable to come up with its share, it might drastically reduce the state’s SNAP benefits.

Chebeague Island restoration effort improves shore for people and plovers

FREEPORT

Town of Freeport - Beginning Monday, July 6, the Town of Freeport will implement new Town Hall public hours to better align open hours with staff capacity and community usage patterns.

Under the new schedule, Town Hall will be open:

· Monday: 7:30am - 5:00pm

· Tuesday: 7:30am - 6:00pm

· Wednesday: 7:30am - 5:00pm

· Thursday: 7:30am - 5:00pm

Analyses of Town Hall activity showed very low transaction volumes during the 5:00 - 6:00pm hours, during which time multiple departments remain staffed. Adjusting hours allows the Town to focus staff coverage during times residents most frequently seek in‑person assistance.

Times Record - As part of its campus redesign, L.L.Bean will stop selling retail goods at the Bike, Boat & Ski Store on Main Street. It will continue to carry boating and skiing equipment in the new flagship.

As it wraps up a multiyear redesign, the L.L.Bean campus in Freeport will stop selling cycling equipment, a spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. The company is also moving retail operations out of the Bike, Boat & Ski Store on Main Street.

The change is part of an effort to focus on “heritage activities like hunting, fishing, family camping, watersports and winter fun,” L.L.Bean public affairs manager Jason Sulham said in an email Wednesday.

Boat and ski items will be moved over to the new flagship store, Sulham said, but the retailer will no longer carry cycling equipment

Sam Smith – Our happy recycling center behind the Fire Department has been closed meaning we now have to go more miles to 100 Hedgehog Mountain Road. Not only is there no longer a center right in the town but the Hedgehog facility is only open Wednesday through Saturday 7AM-4 PM.

Maine News Wednesday July 1

The Casco History Lab is a new program Wolfe’s Neck Center created in 2025, and is based in the deep history of the farm’s 626 acres. Each year the Lab’s manager, Tilly Laskey, collaborates with Wolfe’s Neck Center staff and community members to build relationships through co-developing yearly experiments. For 2026, we are working with the Penobscot Nation’s Cultural and Historic Preservation staff and the Maine Ulster Scots Project.

Flip the Senate - Democrat Graham Platner has led Susan Collins in the last 3 polls, with a 2-point lead in the most recent poll from The New York Times.

Maine Morning Star - Despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Tuesday upholding transgender athlete bans in other states, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said the state will continue to defend its inclusive policies. The high court upheld bans in Idaho and West Virginia on trans girls playing on girls' sports teams, aligning with the Trump administration's interpretations of federal anti-discrimination laws that claim allowing such participation is unsafe and unfair.

"The question before the Court is: Under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment," wrote Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the majority opinion. "In other words, may schools maintain women's and girls' sports for biological females? The answer is yes."

Maine is not one of the 27 states that have passed similar bans. The state has protected trans athletes' rights to play in school sports and access bathrooms and locker rooms for more than a decade through a provision in the Maine Human Rights Act. . Frey said Tuesday the ruling does not stop Maine from defending its law.

Sam Smith - I've yet to see a non-partisan report on the difference in the playing skills of transgender athletes and ordinary women players. I don't see this as a political or moral issue but based on the pragmatic question of whether having transgender players is fair.

FREEPORT

If you are looking for ways to stay cool, the Freeport Community Library will be open regular hours on Wednesday and Thursday, so swing by if you need a place to get out of the heat and catch up on some summer reading while you are there! Freeport Community Services (Freeport Community Services | Connecting neighbors, enriching lives) will also be open both days and offering their space for residents to stop by and cool off.

The Maine Emergency Management Agency keeps a list of Cooling Centers in Maine which can be found here: Mass Care | Maine Emergency Management Agency

For the latest on the heat and hot weather, visit the National Weather Service (Gray, Maine) website at Weather Story for New Hampshire and Western Main

There will be commercial fireworks display in Freeport this year. In addition, the Town of Freeport prohibits the use of consumer fireworks in the Town of Freeport. For more information, please view our Fireworks Ordinance at Microsoft Word - chap38.doc