Casco Bay News Thursday October 29

Andrew Thompson said he wouldn’t have been able to take much time off of work after the birth of his daughter had it not been for Maine’s new paid family and medical leave law.

Thompson, a baker at Scratch Bakery in South Portland, said his wife Katherine gave birth to Lucy, their first child, in January. She received paid leave through her work as an elementary school teacher, but Thompson said the bakery didn’t have its own program, so he received paid time through the state program.

Maine’s paid leave law was approved by lawmakers in 2023, and was fully implemented this year. Maine residents could begin applying for their paid leave benefits in March, and start receiving them in May. Andrew Thompson said he wouldn’t have been able to take much time off of work after the birth of his daughter had it not been for Maine’s new paid family and medical leave law. Thompson, a baker at Scratch Bakery in South Portland, said his wife Katherine gave birth to Lucy, their first child, in January. She received paid leave through her work as an elementary school teacher, but Thompson said the bakery didn’t have its own program, so he received paid time through the state program.

Maine’s paid leave law was approved by lawmakers in 2023, and was fully implemented this year. Maine residents could begin applying for their paid leave benefits in March, and start receiving them in May. Read the rest of the story 

Town of Pownal -  Pownal continues to offer a Senior Property Tax Assistance Program to help eligible residents offset the cost of property taxes.The program is available to qualifying seniors who receive Maine's Property Tax Fairness-related tax relief benefits and meet the Town's eligibility requirements. Eligible applicants may receive a supplemental refund or credit from the Town to help reduce their property tax burden. The deadline to apply is November 15th.

Maine Morning Star - Citizens of Wabanaki Nations are divided in their pick for who should represent Maine in the U.S. Senate, highlighting the tension the tribes face between the need for investment and their ultimate goal of full sovereignty.

The tribal councils of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the Mi’kmaq Nation endorsed Democratic nominee Troy Jackson, citing his commitment to advocating for the Wabanaki Nations’ sovereignty. Meanwhile, the two chiefs of the two reservations of the Passamaquoddy Tribe endorsed incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, pointing to her ability to secure federal funding as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Neither the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township nor the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik have endorsed Collins. As a tribal citizen of the Passamaquoddy community at Sipayik emphasized in a recent op-ed, their chief is not authorized to endorse political candidates on the Tribe’s behalf.

But the individual endorsements still mark a departure from elections past, as the five-term senator had never before received such endorsements. They also illustrate the competing interests the candidates are appealing to as the Nov. 3 election nears.  

The dilemma in front of Portland school officials: On Tuesday, the school board was presented with two paths forward: move fifth grade from elementary to middle school, or close one of the district's three middle schools. Whichever way officials lean, it's bound to meet resistance based on the cost — either monetarily or in nostalgic attachment to a historic building. 

Town of Freeport -  Freeport Community Library will be getting much-needed replacement siding. The project is scheduled to begin on Monday, November 9th. The existing cedar siding will be replaced with a more durable, and less expensive composite shingle. 

The library will remain open throughout this process. The work is all happening outdoors and won't impact the entrances, since there is brick facade on that part of the building. 

This work will be noisy. We will continue to offer regular programs and meeting spaces, but please be aware that there will noise while the new siding is being installed. 

We expect this to take several weeks but we do not have an exact timeline, as weather, timely arrival of materials, and other issues could impact the length of time this will take. 

Safety is a top concern of library staff and the contractor. We are working with RSU5 to ensure that neighboring middle schoolers are kept away from areas currently under construction. Active work areas will be clearly marked and blocked from foot traffic, to keep humans and canines safe. Freeport Public Works will be hauling away discarded siding material every day that work is happening. 

UPCOMING

Calendar for Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment

News Center Maine - L.L.Bean is gearing up to transform its Freeport flagship campus into a winter wonderland for its annual Northern Lights Celebration. The festivities kick off Friday, Nov. 6, with a new Holiday Treat Weekend, marking the first of 11 themed weekends stretching into the new year.

….The annual tree lighting ceremony is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 20, at Discovery Park, where a 32-foot Norway spruce will be illuminated alongside performances by local a cappella groups.

Other holiday activities include movie nights, trivia, gift-making workshops, pet visits with Santa, holiday light displays, and heated igloos.

Visitors can also enjoy themed weekends featuring holiday treats, nostalgic decorations, gift wrapping, and other seasonal activities.

The celebration will ring in the new year with The Maine Event, a family-friendly New Year's Eve gathering at Discovery Park featuring music, games, and a countdown at 9 p.m. Festivities are scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m.

Northern Lights will continue into the new year with wellness-themed activities, including yoga walks and outdoor experiences.

A full schedule of events and registration information is available here.

OCT 29 

The Art Department · A Conversation with Tim Sample & Linda Rowell-Kelley →
Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main Street, Freeport 7:00 pm

District 1 and District 4 Joint Meeting → Maine Coast Waldorf School, Freeport
6:00 pm

The Art Department · A Conversation with Tim Sample & Linda Rowell-Kelley →Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main Street, Freeport 7:00 pm

NOV 3

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

Casco Bay News Wednesday October 28

Mainebiz -   The Maine Affordable Housing Coalition will bring together housing industry leaders, researchers, advocates, policymakers, philanthropists and community members on Nov. 9 for its annual conference.

“Housing is the single biggest burden facing Maine’s families and working people today,” said Laura Mitchell, executive director of the coalition. “As rents soar and homeownership slips further out of reach, the ripple effects are felt across every corner of our state: young workers are forced to leave, parents face impossible choices between housing and basic needs, fixed-income seniors struggle to age in place and local business owners can’t recruit or retain the staff needed to keep their doors open.”

Freeport Community Services - Last night at our annual meeting, we shared our plans to expand both our Thrift Shop and our Food Pantry.  Thrift Shop proceeds fuel our vital programs, and the Food Pantry supports our neighbors in need. With the future expansion of these spaces, we can serve the growing needs of our community well into the future. 

WalletHub compared the 50 states across 34 key indicators of job-market strength and economic vitality. The data set ranges from employment growth to the median annual income to the average commute time.

Finding a Job in Maine (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

• Overall rank for Maine: 7^th
• 5^th – Job Opportunities
• 28^th – Employment Growth
• 10^th – Unemployment Rate
• 10^th – Avg. Length of Work Week (in Hours)
• 23^rd – Avg. Commute Time (in Minutes)

Town of Freeport - Freeport residents can vote in-person by absentee ballot at Town Hall through October 29th without special circumstances. If you are a resident and unregistered, you can register and vote in the same visit.

WBLM-   Over the last several years, there have been more than 32,000 vehicle accidents in Maine that have involved deer. In 2025 alone, there were 7,672 deer crashes averaging out to more than 21 per day. Maine ranks number 9 in the nation in odds of having a deer-related vehicle crash and those odds are set to increase over the next few months.

That's because deer mating season has arrived in Maine and during the peak of rutting season in November, deer crashes around the state typically spike. Roughly 20% of the deer crashes in 2025 took place in November. 

92 Moose - Going out to eat can get expensive quickly, especially when you’re trying to grab a bite and catch up with friends. So when I saw that a new spot in Portland is serving burgers, grilled cheese and fries for just $7 each, I had to know more. According to Portland Press Herald, the food menu sticks to a few familiar favorites: burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches and fries, all priced at $7 each. Honestly, seeing a price like that caught my attention. These days, it feels like even a quick meal can add up befor 

Casco Bay News Tuesday October 27

WBLM - According to the latest data from beerinfo.com, the average Mainer consumed over 31 gallons of beer in 2025. That was good enough to rank Maine as the 11th highest state for beer consumption.

Maine Morning Star -  The Maine Ethics Commission on Monday fined Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles more than $22,000 for violating state campaign finance laws.

B95-FM  -  If you spend a lot of time driving the I-95 through Maine there is a good chance that you have broken the law without even realizing it.

Without hashing out the specifics of how fast you drive, I think we can all agree that many of us frequently drive faster than the posted speed limit.  A lot of times this happens when we're on the highway.  This often causes us to drive faster than the flow of traffic.  When that happens we tend to camp in the left lane of the highway.

Is it legal to do this?  Technically, no.

According to the Maine Legislature website: “An operator driving on a limited-access way with a speed limit of 65 or more miles per hour is restricted in ordinary operation to the right-hand lane and may use adjacent lanes for overtaking and passing another vehicle, but must return to the right-hand lane at the earliest opportunity. This requirement does not apply to an authorized emergency vehicle, or to a vehicle otherwise directed by posted signs, a law enforcement officer or a highway maintenance crew.”

Casco Bay News Monday October 26

WMTW - Freeport Fire Rescue is warning residents that ongoing dry conditions mean even a single discarded cigarette or poorly extinguished fire could spark a dangerous blaze. The department urges locals to fully douse campfires, handle wood-stove ashes carefully, and never toss smoking materials into dry leaves or from vehicles, as drought concerns and fire risk remain elevated across Maine

WOKQ - Freeport residents may be surprised to learn their town is one of six Maine communities that restrict or tightly control chain and fast-food restaurants. Local ordinances require chains like McDonald’s and Starbucks to match downtown Freeport’s architectural style, part of a broader statewide push in several towns to preserve small-business character and avoid corporate sprawl.

Friends of Casco Bay - We’re looking for true, personal stories about the many ways water shapes our lives, from moments of joy and adventure to unexpected challenges, discoveries, and connections. No storytelling experience is necessary. If you have a story that only you can tell, we’d love to hear it. More info 

Maine Morning Star -  The U.S. Department of Justice is sending election monitors to polls in Portland and Lewiston to oversee the Nov. 3 elections, the Maine Secretary of State’s office confirmed.

The Department of Justice has in recent years sent observers to other states on a smaller scale, usually in response to a civil rights violation. But this comes amid several efforts by the Trump administration to assert authority over the election and following an attempt to force Maine, among other states, to hand over voter information.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said she doesn’t expect the observers will have any impact on election processes.  “Any monitors are subject to the same laws and rules as any other observer at the poll,” Bellows told Maine Morning Star. “That means they can observe what’s taking place, but they may not interact with voters, handle ballots or equipment, or disrupt voting in any way.”  

Press Herald - Since [LL Beans] reopening, some of the 400,000 visitors have taken to Reddit, Instagram and Facebook comment sections to voice complaints about the store and, to varying degrees of relevance, about Maine’s signature brand as a whole, from the price of its clothes to the politics of the late Linda Bean.  While others have applauded the new look and layout, the most commonly shared critique of the physical space is that it lacks charm.

. ... L.L.Bean is smart to take into consideration that not everyone who comes through its doors is interested in shopping. Many people might merely be accompanying someone who is. The more comfortable those people are, the more the actual customers can be left to spend.

That starts with giving them somewhere to sit, which now includes more benches throughout the store, Adirondack chairs around the grounds, camp-inspired nooks by the fitting rooms and living room-like setups with brown leather couches in front of fireplaces, at least one of which had a chessboard.

... While most of these people are probably content to play on their phones, anyone in search of amusement has options, starting with the trout pond and stream tank, where there’s information on different species, as there is by taxidermy displays throughout the store.....

History buffs can read about the evolution of the Boat and Tote bag and of the flagship store itself on shadow boxes containing products from throughout the years, which, these days, could easily fetch four figures on eBay. Kids can draw on giant chalkboards or get inside a rowboat surrounded by nature scenes, while the 21-plus crowd can play cornhole outside with a beer in hand from walk-up drink and snack shack The Outpost.

Brunswick families living in hotels after town condemns mobile homes

Maine News Sunday October 25

UPCOMING

Calendar for Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment

Wander in Terror walk in Freeport mixes spooky sounds and lighting across historical eras.  Freeport families can head to the Desert of Maine for the Wander in Terror walk, a Halloween attraction filled with eerie lighting, spooky sounds, and themed scenes from different historical eras. On Halloween day, organizers are adding trick-or-treating, a pumpkin scavenger hunt, a train ride, and other family activities, with extra tickets now released online after earlier sellouts

OCT 27

Municipal Facilities Committee Meeting → Town Hall Council Chambers, 30 Main Street, Freeport 8:00 am

Town Manager's Office Drop-In → 30 Main Street, Freeport 4:00 pm

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

Meet Us Outside: Walk with Emma. 3PM - 4PM. 33 Skolfield Place, Harpswell

OCT 29 

The Art Department · A Conversation with Tim Sample & Linda Rowell-Kelley →
Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main Street, Freeport
7:00 pm

Maine News Saturday October 24

The Trump administration plans to remove 50% tariffs on some Canadian products. The tariff changes, effective Oct. 30, are a bid to help Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and other Republicans in the coming midterm elections. Duties will be removed on some products used in agriculture, including certain machinery and refrigeration products, packaging and plywood sheets, according to documents posted on the White House website. At the same time, a 50% tariff will be placed on other Canadian goods, including carpet, certain valves and waste products

Press Herald - New solar panels on the roof of Harpswell Community School could start generating electricity this year.  Shawn Johansen, director of facilities for Maine School Administrative District 75, said that after contractors receive a few remaining pieces and paperwork is finalized by Central Maine Power, the array will generate about 110,000 kilowatt-hours of energy each year. The electricity will be sold back to CMP rather than going to the building, but the generation will slightly exceed the school’s current usage. A 2026 report by the architecture and engineering firm Harriman said the building used approximately 87,000 kilowatt-hours in the 2024-25 school year.

Press Herald - New solar panels on the roof of Harpswell Community School could start generating electricity this year.  Shawn Johansen, director of facilities for Maine School Administrative District 75, said that after contractors receive a few remaining pieces and paperwork is finalized by Central Maine Power, the array will generate about 110,000 kilowatt-hours of energy each year.

The electricity will be sold back to CMP rather than going to the building, but the generation will slightly exceed the school’s current usage. A 2026 report by the architecture and engineering firm Harriman said the building used approximately 87,000 kilowatt-hours in the 2024-25 school year.

Maine News October 23

UMaine shares plan to bring budget deficit down

Press Herald - Thos. Moser is closing its longtime Freeport showroom and relocating the operation, along with its Freeport staff, to Portland’s Old Port by January. The move shifts a notable high-end furniture destination and local jobs out of town, while highlighting Portland’s growing cluster of Maine-based designers and retailers in the historic Storer Bros. Building.

At $6.04 per gallon, it will cost Mainers about $750 more to fill the standard 275-gallon oil tank this winter than last.

AOC stumps for Jackson as high profile figures descend on Maine ahead of election

Press Herald - The Maine Department of Health and Human Services took action against two Portland behavioral health companies that receive federal funds through MaineCare, according to records from the agency’s program integrity unit.

DHHS suspended Medicaid payments to Maine Connect Care earlier this year and another company, USA Family Wellbeing, has received violation notices for alleged overbilling, according to letters sent to the providers.

Both providers were included in a confidential list of criminal division cases the Office of the Maine Attorney General accidentally sent to reporters and other non-office employees on Oct. 8. Neither company appears to have been charged in state or federal court, according to a review of online records. 

WBLM - It is rare to find a business that has been around for a few decades.  It is incredibly rare to find a business that has been around for over a century, let alone several centuries! However, that is the case with one hotel located in Southern Maine.

According to various sources, including the history of the inn itself, this hotel has been welcoming guests since the 1660s!  Yes, the place has been around for about 360 years.

Trish and Ken Mason are America’s only known ninth-generation innkeepers.  Trish’s family has operated The Seaside House since 1756, when her ancestor Jedidiah Gooch purchased the property from a cousin.

The history of the property goes back even further.  Records indicate an inn was operating there as early as 1660, when ferrymen were asked to live on the oceanfront peninsula at the mouth of the Kennebunk River and help travelers cross the river.

News Center Maine - Freeport is taking another step toward transforming its downtown, with town councilors unanimously approving a new Downtown Tax Incremental Financing District to help fund future improvements.  The Town Council voted Oct. 20 to establish the TIF district, which would provide a dedicated funding source for infrastructure upgrades, pedestrian amenities, public spaces, and other downtown investments….

The district covers approximately 300 acres along the U.S. Route 1 and Main Street corridor, stretching from Mallett Drive to the Metro Breez bus stop near Maine Beer Company.

…..Freeport has also updated zoning regulations to encourage new housing and mixed-use developments. Nearly 150 housing units are currently under construction within the proposed district, including three multifamily projects.

….According to Town Councilor Daniel Piltch, the district would give town leaders flexibility to address changing community needs.

"The strength of this TIF is the flexibility it affords to town leaders to adapt to evolving community needs over time without passing the cost on to existing taxpayers," Piltch said.

The town will now seek approval from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development before the district can move forward.

Maine News October 22

Patch - The Nov. 3 general election is coming up. Official Maine election resources: Find your polling place | Register to vote | Absentee, mail and early voting. Maine has no online registration-status lookup; contact your municipal clerk to confirm your registration.

Press Herald - Th e U.S. Department of Agriculture is launching an $8 billion fuel relief program that offers a one-time cash payment to help food producers manage the strain of high diesel prices and rising operating expenses. The  Harvest Relief program breaks ground as the first federal bailout to extend emergency fuel aid to fishermen as well as farmers, according to USDA. It comes at a time when the dock price of lobster remains static, said Ben Martens, director of the Maine Coast Fisherman’s Association.

Maine News October 21

WBLM -   How Should I Act While Crossing the Street?

1. Walk up to the crosswalk.
2. Wait to make sure a car stops. (You never know with those Massachusetts-plated cars.)
3. Start walking across the street.
4. Wave your hand in a kind gesture to the driver while crossing.|
5. Go on living your life.

 

Maine News Monday Oct 19

Here’s what Yarmouth voters will see on November’s ballot

Maine Morning Star -   The latest precipitation across the state still was not enough to alleviate Maine’s statewide drought, according to the Maine Drought Task Force.

The task force convenes when abnormally dry conditions in the state compound with the aim of increasing communication and awareness. Members from state and federal agencies met Friday for the second time this year.

Since the task force last met in early September, drought conditions have expanded, now reaching all areas of the state. The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, with data from Tuesday, had 4.64% of the state in extreme drought conditions, 43.10% in severe drought and the remaining 52.26% in moderate drought.

The conditions are already affecting the fall harvest for farmers, and there has been a rise in the number of dry well reports.  The midcoast region is experiencing extreme drought, with severe drought spreading wider across that area as well as much of Northern Maine.

Maine Morning Star -  With 17 days to go before the November elections, Democratic Party leaders, supporters, and candidates took to the streets across Maine on Saturday as part of a nationwide mobilization to get out the vote.

Underscoring what she sees as the stakes of the midterms, particularly Maine’s Senate race, Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told an estimated crowd of 1000 people who rallied in Portland’s Deering Oaks Park that a vote for a Republican is essentially a vote for President Donald Trump’s agenda.

“Two years of Donald Trump and the Republican majority in the House and the Senate have never had the backbone to say no to anything,” she said. “Not an illegal war, not illegal tariffs, not tax cuts for billionaires, not taking away healthcare for millions of people, not to the biggest grifter in the history of the United States.”

Press Herald -  The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to Maine’s 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases. Justices on Monday denied a petition for a writ of certiorari in the case, one of dozens that they declined to take up. The court, as is its standard practice, did not explain its reasoning for declining to hear the appeal.

Maine Democracy -    Over the past year, ICE has been terrorizing and harming our communities. And during the debates, Susan Collins defended her vote to give them $70 billion without guardrails. Now, her latest FEC filings revealed that she received thousands of dollars from Trump’s ICE contractor for her re-election campaign. Susan Collins has shown, once again, that she’s more concerned with appeasing her billionaire donors and special interests than standing up for the people of Maine. Enough is enough.

Press Herald -  More than 60,000 students, faculty and staff at Maine colleges and universities will receive free one-year digital subscriptions to Maine Trust for Local News publications this fall through a new sponsored program. The subscriptions will provide access to the Portland Press Herald, Sun Journal, Morning Sentinel and Kennebec Journal, among other Maine Trust publications. Funded by Bangor Savings Bank, the program covers Maine’s public universities, the Maine Community College System, Husson University in Bangor and Thomas College in Waterville.