Maine News Wednesday September 9

News Center Maine — Dead and dying clams and worms, brown water, and a strong odor of decay have been reported along parts of the Harpswell coast as the Maine Department of Marine Resources monitors a widespread algal bloom in Casco Bay.

Clam harvesters in Harpswell began reporting the unusual conditions, prompting the town's harbormaster to ask coastal residents and harvesters to document what they see and provide photographs, descriptions, and exact locations.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources has also confirmed it is monitoring a bloom of the commonly occurring phytoplankton Karenia mikimotoi.

The bloom has been observed from Portland Harbor to Middle Bay, with additional reports from waters in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to DMR. Phytoplankton counts in Portland reached 2 million cells per liter, according to officials.

DMR staff and members of the public have reported brown discoloration of the water and an accompanying odor.

Early reports indicate clam deaths in Middle Bay and Maquoit Bay may be related to the bloom, according to DMR. 

Gorham residents petition to delay Amazon facility

WebHub  - Vaccination in Maine (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

• Overall rank: 5^th
• 17^th – Influenza Vaccination Rate in Children Aged 6 Months to 17 Years Old
• 19^th – Share of Teenagers Aged 13-17 with Up-To-Date HPV Vaccination
• 4^th – Share of Teenagers Aged 13-17 with Men ACWY Vaccination
• 4^th – Flu Vaccination Coverage Rate Among Adults
• 4^th – Share of Adults with Tetanus Vaccination
• 10^th – Share of Adults Aged 60 and Older with Zoster Vaccination
• 29^th – Share of Children 19-35 Months old Living in Poverty with Combined 7-Vaccine Series
• 17^th – Share of Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population without Health Insurance Coverage
• 28^th – Share of Children Under 6 Years Old Participating in an Immunization Information System

 Full Report

UPCOMING

Wolfe's Neck Center calendar

Freeport Farmers Market - Saturdays now through October: Through October 8:30am – 12:30pm at the BTLT Saturday Farmers Market at Crystal Spring Farm. 277 Pleasant Hill Road, Brunswick. The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. Farmers Market was established in 1999 to advance the Land Trust’s mission of supporting local agriculture. With over forty vendors, many of whom have been with the Market since its inception, the Saturday morning market offers a variety of local, fresh produce

SEP 8

Uprise Hot Yoga & Dance - Tuesday Classes: 7AM - 6PM 21 Main Street, Freeport

SEP 9

Maine Audubon Community Pizza Night at Maine Beer Company ? 525 US Route 1, Freeport  4:00 pm

SEP 10

FFCL Annual Book Sale Donation Drop Off Thu, Sep 10, 10AM - 4:45PM 10 Library Drive, Freeport, ME

SEP 11

Free camping for Freeport residents at Winslow Park will run from September 11 through September 28, 2026. Please note that free camping sites cannot be reserved in advance.

SEP 12

Chocolate Factory Tours → Wilbur's of Maine Factory, 174 Lower Main St, Freeport  11:00 am

SEP 13

Maine's 10th annual Cheese Festival lands at Manson Park in Pittsfield on September 13. Over 65 local vendors, cheesemakers, and farmers will be there from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with tastings, demos, and kids activities all day.

SEP 14

FFCL Annual Book Sale Donation Drop Off Thu, Sep 10, 10AM - 4:45PM 10 Library Drive, Freeport, ME

Cassatt Concert in Brunswick, ME  Mon, Sep 14, 2:30PM - 3:30PM 123 Maine Street, Brunswick 

SEP 15

Improving Fish Passage at the Brunswick Dam – Panel Discussion. Free the Andro is hosting a panel discussion to explore restoring abundant and sustainable fish passage at the Brunswick Dam. Tuesday, September 15, from 5 to 6 p.m at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick

SEP 18-20

Maine Biz - L.L.Bean will mark the reopening of its Freeport flagship store with a month-long series of concerts and events. The store has undergone a $50 million makeover led by Freeport-based Zachau Construction. The 120,000-square-foot store is expected to open in September, with the grand opening set for Sept. 18-20.

Events will include cameos from Boston Red Sox and Portland Hearts of Pine players, as well as the Wallflowers, the band led by Jacob Dylan that rose to prominence in the 1990s with hits like “One Headlight” and “6th Avenue Heartache.”

Events will include a grand-opening weekend, Sept. 18-20, featuring an outdoor concert with country star Kip Moore.

A so-called heritage weekend, Sept. 25-27, will feature a vintage product drop and repairs for “well-loved” apparel.

A fall festival, slated for Oct. 2-4, will feature local makers, artists, music and food, presented by Visit Freeport.

A makers weekend, Oct. 9-11, will feature demonstrations by L.L.Bean artisans at work.

The annual pumpkin festival, Oct. 16-18, will include thousands of jack-o’-lanterns as well as fall crafts, treats and activities, presented by Camp Sunshine.

Events culminate with hometown weekend, Oct. 23-25, featuring players from the Boston Red Sox and Portland Hearts of Pine. The Friday night concert will spotlight Jacob Dylan and the Wallflowers.

L.L.Bean, founded in Freeport in 1912, operates 65 stores in 19 states, along with 25 stores in Japan and 14 stores in Canada.

OCT 1

Thursday, October 1, 4:30–6:30 PM, we’re bringing back the Great Golf Ball Drop at the state-of-the-art driving range at Maine Golf in Freeport, The event features a $1,000 cash prize for the golf ball closest to the pin, a Longest Drive Contest with $200 prizes for the top-finishing men and women, and special prizes for our youth divisions. golf balls are $5 each or 6 for $25. Each golf ball purchase includes entry into the Longest Drive Contest — (maximum 6 drives per person).  

NOV 7

Twin Keys: A Love Story: Thomas Wolf with Jessica Chow Shinn and Michael Shinn, duo-pianists  2 PM

Maine News Tuesday September 8

QC Times - An established Freeport engineering firm, Bennett Engineering Inc., has been acquired by national company IMEG, but the local team will keep operating from its Freeport office under a transitional name. Leadership roles are staying in place to maintain client relationships while opening new project and career opportunities for staff, which could influence future commercial and institutional projects around town. 

Gubernatorial candidates present drastically different plans to improve healthcare costs, access

JOBS

• Tyler Technologies, Inc. posted a job opening for Cloud Observability Architect in Yarmouth. Apply here.
• Inspirations of Peoria posted a job opening for Housekeeper in Topsham. Apply here. 
• You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.

Maine News Monday September 7

Good things in Mid Coast Maine

Maine Morningstar - -After some sparring, both candidates in Maine’s U.S. Senate race have agreed to a series of debates slated throughout October, though the formats have yet to be solidified.   emocratic nominee Troy Jackson and Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins have now both agreed to four debates by the same hosts. Collins’ campaign announced the incumbent accepted the debates last week, but did not specify dates or formats. Meanwhile, on Friday, Jackson’s campaign confirmed he accepted the debates as well, but laid out specifics. 

Maine News Sunday September 6

 Press Herald - Maine teachers rank 41st in the country for starting salary and 29th for average pay.  In an effort to address this, lawmakers included funding in the most recent biennial state budget to raise minimum salaries from $40,000 to $50,000 gradually over the next three years. The Maine Sunday Telegram compiled current pay data for most Maine school districts (representing 89% of all teachers). Here’s what we learned

Patch - Maine vs. Massachusetts law on not criminally responsible cases (wmtw.com) — A recent comparison of Maine and Massachusetts insanity laws highlights how judges, not juries, usually decide not-criminally-responsible cases in Maine, including one involving a Freeport man. The piece explains the high legal bar for such defenses, references several Maine cases, and outlines how severe mental illness and postpartum conditions can affect criminal responsibility determinations. 

JOBS

• General Dynamics Bath Iron Works posted a job opening for Planning Technician - Outfit Fabrication in Brunswick. Apply here.
• Northbridge Companies posted a job opening for Cook/Chef, Full time in Brunswick. Apply here. 
• You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.

Maine News Saturday September 5

 Freeport - The Porter's Landing ad hoc committee is looking for input about the potential future uses of the property.

Brunswick - Pine Tree Waste will not be collecting trash and recycling on Labor Day. Put your trash out on the curb Tuesday, instead.

Democratic nominee Troy Jackson has agreed to four televised debates against Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

Alternet - Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine has always played the game of posing as a “moderate,” while being a reliable vote for Senate Republican leadership and Donald Trump when they’ve needed her. This has required her to often masquerade, saying one thing while doing another. But after her vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018—after insisting his assurances about precedent convinced her he would not overturn Roe v. Wade—and her refusal even now to say she regrets the vote, more Maine voters started to see through her. The mask began slipping.

 JOBS 

• General Dynamics Bath Iron Works posted a job opening for Planning Technician - Outfit Fabrication in Brunswick. Apply here.
• Northbridge Companies posted a job opening for Cook/Chef, Full time in Brunswick. Apply here. 
• You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.

Maine News Friday September 4

WBLM - - Bar Harbor has officially been named the coziest U.S. fall destination for 2026, beating out 19 other popular autumn getaways,  including but not limited to Salem, Massachusetts, and Stowe, Vermont, according to BETMGM.

The study looked at all the important ingredients for a perfect fall escape: colorful foliage, sweater-weather temperatures, rainy days, shorter daylight hours, coffee shops, bookstores, farmers markets and parks. The town ranked No. 1 thanks in part to its 52-degree average fall temperature, which is almost exactly the study’s ideal sweater-weather temperature of 53 degrees.

It also gets about 16 inches of rain during the fall, giving you plenty of excuses to find a coffee shop, grab something warm and pretend you’re having a very intentional cozy moment.

October is expected to be especially beautiful, with peak fall foliage around October 21. And then there’s Acadia National Park with those views, those leaves and all the little shops.

 FREEPORT

Volunteers need to be there Oct 4th, from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm.

  Contact 

Free camping for Freeport residents at Winslow Park will run from September 11 through September 28, 2026. Please note that free camping sites cannot be reserved in advance.

Free sites will be available in person only on a first-come, first-served basis, by checking in at the Campground Gatehouse on September 11th starting at 1pm.

Free Camping Days Program Guidelines

• In-person check-in begins at the Gatehouse at 1:00 p.m. on September 11, 2026.
• Proof of Freeport residency is required (for example: driver's license, vehicle registration, or utility bill showing a Freeport address).
• The Freeport resident must be one of the occupants staying at the campsite.
• A tent, camper, or RV must occupy the site for the duration of the stay. Unoccupied sites may be forfeited.
• Camping equipment must be set up at check-in. Sites may not be held vacant or reserved using non-camping items.
• To allow as many residents as possible to participate, each household is limited to one free campsite at a time.
• The campground will remain open for paid reservations during this period. As a result, not all campsites may be available, and some sites may not be available for the entire duration of the program.
• Residents still have the option to make a paid reservation during this period may do so at the regular camping rates; reserved sites are not eligible for the free camping program and there are no refunds.
• All campers must be gone from the sites and checked out by 11am on Monday, September 28, 2026

View all Winslow Park information here

Maine News Thursday September 3

News Center Maine - "We're finding a lot of [fraud] in many places that you would not really think it's possible. Some states that you would think it wasn't so bad, but its bad. If you look at California, if you look at Minnesota, if you look at Maine. Who would think Maine, you know you think of Maine as this wonderful, very innocent place but Maine is bad, they're all bad," Trump said.

Patch - Mainers tell advisory council they're concerned about data centers — and the risk of missing out (bangordailynews.com) — Freeport's state Rep. Melanie Sachs is pushing for strong environmental reviews and a possible moratorium on large data centers as Maine's Data Center Advisory Council gathers public input on the industry's risks and benefits. Residents and officials statewide raised concerns about water, energy use, local costs, and farmland, while others warned that overregulation could make struggling communities miss out on new economic opportunities.

 Patch - Mainers tell advisory council they're concerned about data centers — and the risk of missing out (bangordailynews.com) — Freeport's state Rep. Melanie Sachs is pushing for strong environmental reviews and a possible moratorium on large data centers as Maine's Data Center Advisory Council gathers public input on the industry's risks and benefits. Residents and officials statewide raised concerns about water, energy use, local costs, and farmland, while others warned that overregulation could make struggling communities miss out on new economic opportunities.

FREEPORT 

At its July 21st, 2026 meeting, Town Council unanimously voted to establish the Porter's Landing Ad Hoc Advisory Committee. The committee is charged to identify potential future uses that support the working waterfront, evaluate the feasibility, benefits, drawbacks, and impacts of those options, and submit a report to the Town Council. The committee is interested in your feedback. TAKE THE SURVEY

Maine News Tuesday Sep 2

 Maine's three gubernatorial candidates have agreed to participate in four televised debates this fall.

FREEPORT

Suzanne Lovett - Woods fire on Baker Road in Freeport. Very much appreciate how quickly Freeport Fire & Rescue (and the responding towns) contained the fire. 

JOBS

• Vineyard Vines, LLC posted a job opening for Crew Lead (Part Time Manager) - 58 Main St, Freeport, ME in Freeport. Apply here.
• Premium Retail Services, Inc. posted a job opening for Seasonal Merchandiser in Brunswick. Apply here. 
• You can search for other jobs near Freeport here

Maine News Monday September 1

Best high schools in Maine 

The University of Maine System is projecting the highest overall student enrollment in more than a decade.

Maine Morning Star - Maine’s universities are enrolling more international students for the fifth year in a row, defying the national trend of higher education enrollment declines.

The biggest reason for the growth is the 250% increase in international students enrolled online, according to preliminary data from Fall 2026. An overwhelming majority of those students will never attend Maine’s public universities in person and thus are not impacted by President Donald Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign students and immigration.

From imposing fees for post-degree practical training to reducing the duration of international students’ visas and, in some cases, to students with valid visas facing arrest and detention by federal agents, the administration’s policies have resulted in fewer foreign students enrolling in U.S. colleges and universities, according to national data.

But in Maine, the popularity of online programs and the steady stream of students from Canada have allowed the state’s public universities to start the semester with 1,169 international students — the highest in five years — while overall enrollment also grows across all seven campuses. Canadian students, who can attend Maine’s public universities at the in-state tuition rate, account for 393 of the total. Roughly 500 foreign students are pursuing fully online degrees.

Maine Senate Democratic Campaign Committee - Our Democratic majority in the Maine Senate has fought to protect public education, and we've worked hard to make sure all Maine families have a chance to thrive here. This past session, we:

✏️ Funded universal free school lunches

✏️ Made community college permanently free

✏️ Guaranteed $50,000 minimum teacher salaries

...and so much more. But as the school year kicks off, the stakes of this election get even higher. Our three-seat majority is our thinnest in more than a decade.
 

 WBLM - Just how rural is Maine? According to the popular pop culture site America's Health Rankings, it’s very rural. In fact, the site claims Maine is the second most rural state, only trailing Vermont. The site based its findings on metrics from the U.S. Census.

According to the U.S. Census classifies any rural area as any region outside of an urban area. An urban area is defined as a region with 50,000 people or more, or what’s known as an urban cluster—an area with a population between 2,500 and 49,999.

Maine’s rural population makes up 61.5% of the total. That is an absolutely huge number. Like I said earlier, Vermont leads the way in the report, with a rural population of a balmy 66.1%.

The rest of the top five isn’t surprising: West Virginia, Mississippi, and Montana are all states you’d expect to see on the list. 

JOBS

• U-Haul International, Inc. posted a job opening for Storage Facility Housekeeper in Brunswick. Apply here.
• Albertsons Companies, Inc. posted a job opening for Night Crew Stocker in Brunswick. Apply here. 
• You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.