Maine News Monday April 27

FREEPORT EVENTS

Maine Biz -  The Mount Desert Island YMCA found a housing solution for its employees when it bought a single-family home with six bedrooms and common spaces to use as shared housing.  The MDI YMCA bought 2 Rockwood Ave. in Bar Harbor from Tim and Susan Buell for $650,000. Erica Brooks of Swan Agency Portside Real Estate Group brokered the deal. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust financed the acquisition.

Hannah Pingree - In my community, when your house is on fire or you’re having a health emergency, we rely on our neighbors - even if we don’t agree politically. Because it’s up to all of us to show up for each other. That’s exactly how I think about politics.

Women's Tennis Sweeps Middlebury and Williams For First Time In Program History (bowdoin.edu)

Brunswick residents try to stop town from building new fueling station (wgme.com)

Press Herald -  The biggest change at Acadia National Park this year is for foreign tourists. An America The Beautiful Pass, which covers entrance fees at many national parks and federal lands, jumped to $250 for non-U.S. residents in 2026. The pass will still cost $80 for U.S. citizens and residents. Baxter State Park introduced a change to its reservation system for 2026 so campers will be able to book four consecutive nights at the same site online.

Why a small mountain town became the cannabis capital of Maine How ranked-choice voting will factor into the Maine governor primaries Maine businesses are cashing in on Hearts of Pine fever More Maine high schoolers are looking to Canada for college These Mainers nurture a passion for growing orchids Portland protesters demand release of 19-year-old in ICE detention

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Life as a Working Mom in Maine 

• Overall Rank: 6^th
• 10^th – Day-Care Quality
• 25^th – Pediatricians per Capita
• 5^th – Gender Pay Gap (Women’s Earnings as % of Men’s)
• 8^th – Ratio of Female Executives to Male Executives
• 13^th – Female Unemployment Rate
• 12^th – Parental-Leave Policy Score
• 9^th – Avg. Length of Woman’s Work Week (in Hours)
• 26^th – % of Single-Mom Families in Poverty

 For the full report:

Maine Morning Star - Maine enacted several new laws during the latest legislative session that aim to counter President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, codifying the pushback from local, community efforts.There’s a ban on immigration agents entering public schools, state libraries and hospitals without a judicial warrant, and a measure to protect tenants against the disclosure of their personal information. 

Gov. Janet Mills signed both into law last week. And earlier this month, she approved a measure clarifying that jails can refuse to hold people detained solely for a civil immigration violation, paving the way for the Cumberland County Jail to stop holding Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees. 

Maine Morning Star -   Gov. Janet Mills on Friday vetoed a bill that would have banned data centers larger than 20 megawatts until November, 2027 — which would have been the first such moratorium in the nation. “A moratorium is appropriate given the impacts of massive data centers in other states on the environment and on electricity rates,” Mills wrote in her veto letter to the Legislature. “But the final version of this bill fails to allow for a specific project in the Town of Jay that enjoys strong local support from its host community and region.”

Press Herald -  Intermed will no longer accept Martin’s Point Medicare Advantage insurance, starting in 2027. About 4,500 InterMed patients will be affected, according to the healthcare provider.

WBLM -  Education holds an important place for many Mainers. According to the U.S. Census, more than 35% of residents have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, ranking the state 18th nationwide and above the national average. Top ranked colleges

Maine News Sunday April 26

InterMed will no longer accept Martin's Point Medicare Advantage insurance, starting in 2027 (sunjournal.com)

FREEPORT EVENTS

Tidal chart for May in South Freeport 

APR 26

Forever Wild Yoga & Wellness - 98 Main Street Ste 10 Brunswick 6 pm
O’Donoghue’s Pub, 103 Pleasant St., Brunswick: Open mic hosted by Billy The Kid, 3-7
Celebration Tree Farm & Wellness Center,125 Bowie Hill Rd, Durham 6 pm

FHS Annual Meeting Sunday, April 26th at 3:00 PM Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main Street As America marks the 250th anniversary of the War of Independence, come learn about Freeport's revolutionary-era history through the people, stories, and sounds that bring the era to life with a preview of our upcoming Summer exhibition. Register Here

Our Contact Information Freeport Historical Society 45 Main Street Freeport, ME 04032 2078653170 http://www.freeporthistoricalsociety.org

Shuck Yeah! Oyster Shucking and Cooking Class

Sunday, April 26 •  3:00 PM
@ Wolfe’s Neck Center

Join Chef Malcolm Kelly to learn about how to safely shuck an oyster along with some tasty recipes. Using oysters from Quahog Bay Conservancy, you will learn raw, grilled and baked oyster preparation and enjoy these yummy bivalves.

APRIL 27 
Finance Committee Meeting, 30 Main St,  5 pm
Little Roots In Person  - Freeport Community Library, 10 Library Drive - 10:15 AM
Defend Democracy Messaging Project - Peaks Island Community Center, 129 Island Ave, Peaks Island 10 am

Join us on Monday, April 27th, from 5:30–7:30 PM for an open house at our office, 52 North Road in Yarmouth. Whether you’re an experienced paddler or just paddle‑curious, this casual gathering is a great chance to learn about the many paddling opportunities throughout the Royal River watershed. We’ll review maps, share stories, and highlight both well‑known and more remote paddling areas on the Royal River and beyond. Snacks and beverages will be provided. RSVP

POWNAL MEETINGS & EVENTS

April

27th 6:00 PM Public Hearings

27th 6:30 PM Select Board meeting

28th 6:30 PM Conservation Commission Meeting

29th 6:30 PM Capital Asset Plan Funding Committee Meeting

May

16th 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Pownal Community Day

APRIL 29
The operator of the Amtrak Downeaster is hosting a pair of open houses next week, soliciting community feedback on the future of the rail line’s service. “It’s a chance for the community to help design a passenger rail system that works better for everyone,” Patricia Quinn, the authority’s executive director, Open house will be held in in Freeport, April 29 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Freeport Community Center.

APRIL 30

 The inaugural Wolfe’s Neck Center “Twilight Meeting” for Freeport community and local partners. Updates on Wolfe’s Neck Center campus stewardship, farm operations, education programs, historical buildings and research. Expect a 45-minute presentation, 15 minutes of small group Q&A, and light refreshments. RSVP here

MAY 1

Maine Democrats Biennial Convention. 1 Thompson Point, Portland. 9 am
Wolfe's Neck Center - Our beloved Farm Cafe opens on May 1 and you’re going to want to see this menu! Chef Macolm Kelly has outdone himself, offering a variety of rotating freshly made pastries, breakfast sandwiches (beginning May 22) and salads, all made with Wolfe’s Neck meats and produce. Hours: 8am-1pm

Sample items:

Squash Muffins

Egg & Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

Garden Salad

Roast Beef Sandwich

MAY 2

MAY 3

MAY 9 

Climate Solutions Dance Party: Dance your way into climate action!  in collaboration with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and SPACE Gallery.  The event is a celebration of the paperback release of Dr. Johnson’s New York Times bestselling book What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures —an inspiring collection of possibilities for building a better climate future.  The first 200 people to arrive will receive a copy of the new book. Grab your tickets before they sell out.  TICKETS

MAY 11
Join Maine Historical Society’s Donor Engagement and Events Specialist, Sophie Bray, for an entirely informal opportunity to socialize and converse. In Novare Res Bier Cafe, 4 Canal Plaza, Suite 1 Portland, ME, to mingle, hang out, and chat a little history. Our History Happy Hour offerings are held on the second Monday of every month at a different establishment in greater Portland from 5:30–7:30 p.m.

Join two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Alan Taylor for an engaging evening on the American Revolution. He’ll share the story of Joseph Plumb Martin, whose firsthand account reveals the hardships endured from Valley Forge to Yorktown.Taylor will then join MHS Executive Director Steve Bromage to discuss Maine’s role in the Revolution, his Maine roots, and his work on Ken Burns’s The American Revolution. The evening continues with a reception at MHS and access to Pathways to Freedom, featuring our rare Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence. Register

MAY 16 

As we do every spring, the Wolf's Neck Club will be selling perennials from our gardens as a fundraiser.   This year we will also have a Bake Sale on Saturday morning. The sale will be Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, 9-5, at the intersection of Birch Point and Wolf's Neck Roads.  For a successful Plant and Bake Sale, we need plants and baked goods and people to buy them. 

With participation from the club’s members, we can pull it off. It’s not hard or complicated, and it can be fun. We hope you can pitch in with outreach for the sale and in coming up with plants and baked goods to sell. 

Thanks to Maine Patch for some of the above

Thanks also to Bob Green for his music contributions to this list, He notes, "It is strongly recommended that you call ahead to confirm any performances and the conditions for entry.

Maine News Saturday April 25

Newsweek -  On prediction markets, Democrats’ implied chances of defeating Collins have now reached record highs.  Kalshi, a regulated U.S.-based prediction platform, currently prices a Democratic victory in the Maine Senate race at 73 percent, leaving Republicans—including Collins—at 27 percent. 

.Benjamin Freeman, Politics Growth at Kalshi and an election prediction specialist since 2019, flagged the shift on social media: “New all-time high. Democrats have a 73 percent chance of defeating Susan Collins in the Maine Senate race.”  Polymarket, a separate crypto-based platform popular among political traders, paints an even bleaker picture for the incumbent.  There, Democrats are priced at roughly 76 percent to win the seat, compared with 22 percent for Republicans, based on tens of thousands of dollars in matched wagers.

Troy Jackson - I have a plan to tax the ultra-wealthy and make real changes to support working people — because that’s what Mainers deserve. My Democratic opponents want to play it safe. They say they support the millionaire tax, but I'm the only one who wants to double it from 2% to 4% — so we can actually pay for what working families need, things like quality childcare and nursing homes, trade schools, property tax relief, affordable housing, and healthcare.

Freeport -  Obituary: Florris L. Bly (pressherald.com) — Florris L. Bly, 91, who once made her home here, worked as a legal secretary in town, and co-owned Arthur’s Market. 

Press Herald - Gov. Janet Mills on Friday vetoed a bill that would have made Maine the first state to enact a temporary ban on new data center development. The bill would have prevented state, local and quasi-governmental agencies from issuing permits or other approvals for new data centers until November 2027. Without a moratorium, a handful of projects appear ready to move forward, including one at the former Androscoggin Mill in Jay and another proposed in Sanford.

It’s official: passenger fares on Portland’s Casco Bay Lines are increasing again starting in June. Round-trip, peak-season adult tickets will rise from $14 to $16, 30-day passes from $48 to $51, and annual passes from $432 to $435. It’s the ferry service’s second passenger-ticket increase in the past three years. In 2024, Casco Bay Lines approved its first rate hike in 15 years, raising round-trip ticket fares by 82%.

U.S. forces aboard a Bath-built Arleigh Burke–class destroyer fired on and took control of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship crossing the Arabian Sea heading toward an Iranian port on Sunday. After six hours of repeated warnings and orders to evacuate the engine room, the Spruance disabled the Touska by firing several rounds into the engine room, according to videos of the exchange. U.S. Marines then boarded and took control of the Touska.

Judge gives Maine 30 days to review validity of trans referendum signatures

Cumberland fire chief was placed on leave over meeting misconduct 

Times Record -    A fuel island set to be constructed next to Brunswick’s Public Works facility is prompting alarm among nearby residents, who say they are worried about fumes, traffic, disruption and the future of Brunswick’s Senior Gardens — which will be demolished in the construction.  Several neighbors who live in the area of Water Street — which leads to Industry Road, where the Public Works building is located — told the Brunswick Town Council at its meeting Tuesday night that they’re concerned about the possible environmental impacts and the nuisance that a fuel station could create.

Press Herald -   The operator of the Amtrak Downeaster is hosting a pair of open houses next week, soliciting community feedback on the future of the rail line’s service.  The events will include an update on the new station proposed for Portland, a presentation highlighting recently completed projects and conversations about potential new investments and service changes, the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority said in a Wednesday announcement.

“It’s a chance for the community to help design a passenger rail system that works better for everyone,” Patricia Quinn, the authority’s executive director, said in a written statement. Quinn will give presentations at both events.  Open houses will be held in  in Freeport, April 29 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Freeport Community Center

NY Times - Maine’s governor vetoed a bill that would have banned the construction of new data centers in the state, which would have been the first law of its kind in the U.S.

Maine News April 24

Janet Mills vetoes temporary data center ban

Portland Press Herald - Earlier this week, the Maine Attorney General’s Office conceded that up to 3,014 signatures backing a referendum on trans participation in school sports might be invalid.

A judge gave the Secretary of State’s Office a month to gather new evidence and further investigate questions regarding the validity of signatures backing a referendum on transgender athletes in school sports.

The office must issue a new determination of validity within 30 days, Superior Court Justice Deborah Cashman ruled Friday.

The ruling comes after a group of Maine residents argued that the controversial referendum did not gather enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. In a lawsuit last month, they argued that there were problems with at least 7,900 signatures that Secretary of State Shenna Bellows had verified.

The Office of the Maine Attorney General, which is representing Bellows, said many of the arguments put forward by the residents should be rejected, but conceded that up to 3,014 signatures that Bellows’ office initially found to be valid should be invalidated.

Maine Morning Star -  Maine’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles launched a mobile branch on Thursday that aims to expand access to rural parts of the state that lack services. The portable unit, branded BMV4ME, offers the BMV’s most common services, such as issuing driver’s licenses and learner’s permits, as well as handling name and address changes.  

“This modernization improves our customer service,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said in a statement, “We can’t wait to take it on the road to service not only Maine’s most rural communities but also senior living facilities, veterans’ homes and other sites where Mainers would most benefit from the convenience of in-person BMV service.”

Portland Press Heald - Three Democrats running for Maine governor stood side by side Wednesday to accept an unusual joint endorsement along the Kennebec River — a scene made possible in large part by ranked-choice voting in the upcoming June 9 primaries. Experts say the system will be crucial in deciding this year’s Maine governor's primaries, as crowded fields in both parties make it unlikely any candidate will secure more than 50% of the vote in the first round.

Maine is delaying some Medicaid payments until July 1 to address its budget shortfall, according to state officials, though hospital leaders say patient services won't be disrupted. When lawmakers approved the $519 million supplemental budget this month, it included funds to make up the $62 million Medicaid shortfall. It’s the second year in a row that Maine has delayed some Medicaid payments to make up for budget shortfalls.

Southern Maine pastor detained by ICE, leaving a hole in his church community

How to avoid scams, according to Maine fraud experts

Former dean of pharmacy, who researched maple syrup, sues UNE for firing him

Mi’kmaq Nation and federal wildlife refuge agree to share land in Aroostook County

Tariff refunds won’t benefit many Maine businesses, consumers

 

Maine News April 23

Platner's interview with NBC News 

Portland Press Herald - Amid growing political pressures on American higher education and the rising cost of college, some southern Maine students are heading across the border. The number of American study permit holders in Canada reached its highest point in a decade in 2025. Last year, after President Donald Trump took office and began slashing grant funding and threatening schools with investigations, Canadian universities began seeing rising interest from American students

At first glance, 2025 appears to have been a banner year for housing production in Portland. The planning board approved 1,420 units — a city record and an almost 200% increase from the 477 approved the year before. However, last year was one of the worst years for completions in the last decade, with just 187 units added, down 68% from 2024. 

Holy Donut workers at Portland’s Park Avenue store vote to unionize

A Kennebunk resident has been in ICE custody for 8 months. His friends are advocating for his release. Eliot Cutler accused of violating probation for 5th time

 Maine Morning Star - The Maine chapter of the Sierra Club has endorsed three candidates in the Democratic gubernatorial primary: Shenna Bellows, Troy Jackson and HanAt a press conference Wednesday, Emma Conrad, chair of the chapter’s political committee, said the organization often endorses in primary elections, but this is the first time endorsing three candidates, which they said was a benefit of the state using ranked choice voting in the primary. More

Yarmouth: Lawmakers reject speed camera bill, but MDOT and Turnpike plan to try again (newscentermaine.com)

Portland Weekly Newsletter 

The Lincolnville-based Cellardoor Winery has closed its Portland tasting room on Middle Street. 

Jetport update: A new approach for airplanes landing at the Portland International Jetport will minimize ongoing noise complaints, officials say. 

Student walkout: Students at Lyman Moore Middle School in Portland walked out of class last week in support of social studies teacher Josephine Tibbetts, who believes she was retaliated against when administrators declined to renew her teaching contract.

187: The number of housing units built in Portland in 2025, after 582 were built in 2024, and 780 built in 2023.

Press Herald -    The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to drop U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from its contract with the U.S. Marshals Service to hold federal detainees at Cumberland County Jail.  The board voted 3-1 to drop ICE from the agreement roughly eight months after dozens of constituents began showing up to commission meetings to advocate for such a move.

The decision also comes about three months after the Department of Homeland Security pulled its prisoners out of the jail. That was in the wake of Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce referring to ICE’s arrest of a corrections officer during the January surge in Maine as “bush-league policing.” DHS officials also cited the county’s decision to hire an “illegal alien” in the first place, though Joyce had said the correction officer’s record was “squeaky clean.”

JOBS

L.L.Bean, Inc. posted a job opening for Security Officer - 3rd Shift in Freeport. Apply here.

NextEra Energy Resources, LLC posted a job opening for Senior Production Technician (Shift) in Yarmouth. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.

Friends of Casco Bay is searching for an Administrative Assistant.

Maine News April 22

Election Time

Maine - 2026 US Senate Graham Platner 51% (+6) Susan Collins* 45%

Maine House Democrats - We just finished up the second session of the 132nd Legislature in Augusta....Some highlights include:

+Ensuring tax fairness with a millionaire's tax!

+Supporting education and child care by overhauling the state school funding formula to ensure every town receives its fair share, raising starting salaries for teachers, clearing the child care waitlists, and guaranteeing free meals for public pre-K students.

+Making a $68 million investment to build affordable homes and providing annual property tax relief by increasing the Property Tax Fairness Credit from $1,000 to $1,500.

+Protecting women’s rights from the Trump Administration by ensuring funding for reproductive health care centers and starting a program to track sexual assault forensic examination kits.

+Protecting immigrants by prohibiting ICE from accessing dorms, schools, libraries, and hospitals without a warrant from a judge.

+Introducing first-in-nation legislation that will put a temporary ban on data center development, giving the state time to put guardrails in place that will protect Maine’s natural resources and ensure electric costs for consumers aren’t driven up by big corporations.

Press Herald 

The small mountain town doesn’t immediately seem like one of Maine’s most vibrant cannabis markets. Bethel, a community of about 2,500 in the White Mountains, has about one dispensary, grow, or manufacturing facility for every 200 residents — the highest concentration of cannabis businesses of any Maine municipality with more than 1,500 residents. To locals, the surprise isn’t the number of shops, but how they all manage to stay in business.

A Maine island airline says the United States Postal Service owes nearly $400,000 for mail deliveries dating back to 2023, prompting it “to make a small stand” Tuesday. Penobscot Island Air says it has ferried mail on 75 days so far in 2026 without payment. A USPS spokesperson said Tuesday that the agency will be reaching out to the airline “to resolve the matter.” But the airline says it has already been in regular contact with USPS, to no avail. 

I traded my car for the Metro bus in Portland. Here’s how it went.