Maine News Friday

Press Herald -   The University of Maine is planning budget cuts, staff reductions and a tuition increase, according to documents made public Friday, as the school aims to address an expected $18 million shortfall next year. ...In a letter this month, President Joan Ferrini-Mundy described this year as “the most difficult” budget process since she became president in 2018.
University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy photographed in October 2024. (Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer)

The university asked each department, including athletics and administration, to submit budgets in December that reduced expenses by 7%.

Now, the school is proposing a budget that includes $5.6 million in permanent budget cuts and $5.7 million in one-time cuts, according to a slideshow that will be presented at the university’s budget committee meeting next week. Fewer than 10 staff positions will be eliminated, which Ferinni-Mundy said this month was achieved “without faculty retrenchments.”

The university also plans to increase tuition across the board. In-state tuition is expected to rise 3.9% to $13,230, and out-of-state tuition 4% to $38,340. The school notes that those rates are still less expensive than other land-grant colleges in New England.

Troy Jackson (candidate for Governor) -  I grew up in Aroostook County, a poor kid in a town full of poor kids. My dad was a logger, like his dad and his dad before him. After my parents split up, he'd sometimes bring me into the woods with him. He wasn't trying to teach me the trade, he just wanted time with his kid. 

There's one day I think about more than any other: I was around eleven, and the loggers were on strike — not for a raise, just to hold onto the wages they already had. 

At first everyone was joking around, passing the time. Then the landowner showed up, and everything changed in seconds.

He told them: do the work for what I'll pay you today, or I’ll replace you tomorrow.

I didn't understand all the issues at hand, but I understood how wrong it felt to watch a rich man with power that knew how to use it.

It took me about twenty years to truly understand what my dad must have felt that day. By then I had a family of my own. I was logging, driving hours every day chasing jobs, missing time with my kids, worrying about money and my family every single night. 

One night on the road it all hit me at once: the stress, the anger, the feeling that no matter how hard you work, someone else still controls your fate and your family’s future.

I thought: no parent should have to lose their dignity just to make ends meet.

A couple years later I was part of a big labor fight of my own — blocking the border to stand up to landowners cutting our wages — and a couple years after that, I ran for the legislature, because I believed that someone who grew up like I did needed to be in the room when decisions got made.

I spent twenty years there, six as Senate President. We did a lot of good work: Free school meals for every kid. Real investments in housing, child care, and education. Some of the strongest reproductive health protections anywhere in the country.

But there were real frustrations, too. Time and time again I saw legislation that would be a gamechanger for working families get watered down, killed, or vetoed. Powerful people marched in and dictated what we would do. It wasn’t so different from what I saw as a kid in the woods with my Dad.

I'm tired of watching working families get squeezed while the wealthiest keep getting more.

That's why I'm running for governor. For the workers who've been told they're replaceable, for the families who do everything right and still fall behind, and for that eleven-year-old boy who learned early what it looks like when people with power don't care about the people doing the work.

Prress Herald -  A $200 billion funding request from the Trump administration to continue operations in Iran — launched in February with joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes — is higher than expected, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said. Collins, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, told reporters in Washington, D.C., that the request made by the Pentagon to fund the ongoing conflict “is considerably higher than I would have guessed.” 

Portland officials are facing growing backlash over plans to host a Turning Point USA Faith gathering at the Portland Expo in May, but are defending their decision — as of now — to allow the event to proceed. Critics argue the city was intentionally misled by Calvary Chapel Greater Portland, which secured the venue under the guise of a local outreach event before it turned into a stop on the group’s “Make Heaven Crowded” tour

Court-appointed lawyers will be paid on time after Gov. Janet Mills signed an emergency bill into law, giving $21 million to the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services. The commission had previously warned that it would run out of money later this month to reimburse private attorneys representing low-income criminal defendants and parents who risk losing custody of their children to the state.

Elder abuse, theft, a ‘hostile takeover’: What’s fueling the dispute between 2 Westbrook historical societies?

Lawmakers advance bill to reform Maine’s school funding formula

Why Angus King and a Utah Republican are worried about a rural home program 

Millions of pounds of food donated across Maine

Maine may spare some scam victims from paying taxes on losses

Plan to boost child care in Maine gains support, but funding remains uncertain

Wolfe's Neck Center - For a limited time, when you book 5 nights in our Cove Cabin, you’ll receive 2 additional nights free. That’s a full week to enjoy the coast, take part in a hands-on class, stop by the dairy barn and explore the trails around campus at your own pace. Cove Cabin offers a comfortable, laid-back retreat with a galley-style kitchen, open living and dining space, and room for everyone. The downstairs bedroom includes a queen bed and bunk beds, while a sleeping loft above provides two additional twin beds, making it an easy fit for families or small groups. Offer ends March 23. Valid for stays enjoyed any time during the 2026 season. To book - (207) 865-9307 

Maine Morning Star- "Apartment owners shouldn’t be dragged into the middle of the fight between the Fed and the state over immigration. That’s not the job of apartment owners, and they don’t have the expertise to figure out who’s right and who’s wrong." – Dan Bernier with the Central Maine Apartment Owners Association, on legislation

Mills for Maine  -  Governor Mills has a record of stepping up and delivering for Mainers. On day one as Governor, Janet Mills expanded health care to more than 100,000 Maine people. She has fought for education, fully-funded schools for the first time in Maine history, guaranteed access to free school meals and made community college free for all Maine students. While Senator Collin's pivotal vote for Brett Kavanaugh stripped reproductive healthcare away from 1/3 of all American women, Governor Mill's was committed to expanding reproductive care across the state. And as Trump's tariffs push housing prices even higher, Governor Mills has made the biggest investment in housing in Maine history. 


 

Events

JOBS IN FREEPORT 

MARCH 21

Mast Landing Spring Clean Up Day - 9 am-12 pm. Mast Landing Audubon Sanctuary...

Volunteers are invited to join Maine Audubon’s Land Steward for a morning of sanctuary clean-up. Come help us clean up the sanctuary parking lot, spruce up the picnic pavilion area, and help clear the trails of any lingering winter debris. Sign up 

The Wizard of Oz  Youth Edition - Freeport Performing Arts Center 30 Holbrook St, 2 pm
FLOR CUADRO FLAMENCO|  7:00 PM Celebrating both the deep-rooted traditions and the evolving contemporary expressions Flamenco. Tickets


MARCH 23

Finance Committee Meeting - 30 Main Street 5 pm

Weekly Ukulele Jam

 3 PM
@ Bradley Room at Freeport Community Services


MARCH 24
Public drop in at Town Manager's office -  30 Main Street, 4 pm
Appointments Committee Meeting - 30 Main Street 6 pm
Town Council Workshop - 30 Main Street 6 pm 
Tonic, 7 Dunlap St., Brunswick: Open mic with Rexy Dinosaur, 6-8

MARCH 25
Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca will be joined by Christoph Aeppli, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Jim Stahlnecker, a biologist with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and Heather Kenyon, Friends of Casco Bay’s Science and Advocacy Associate, for a practical discussion of new PFAS data from across Casco Bay and the lower watershed, including results connected to the Brunswick spill.

PFAS—often called “forever chemicals”—are long-lasting pollutants that can build up in water, wildlife, and people, raising concerns for environmental and human health. 

In this conversation, Ivy and the panel will talk about the completed study and how the results compare to EPA criteria and limits used in other states. They’ll look at state PFAS data from fish and shellfish in Casco Bay. They’ll also discuss potential sources and next steps in Maine.

Please join us with your favorite hot beverage as we explore the evolving science of PFAS and what it means for Casco Bay. We’ll leave time for your questions so we can learn together and consider informed next steps in protecting the Bay.

Coffee with the Casco Baykeeper: The PFAS Results are In!
Zoom

MARCH 26

The Untold Stories of Portland's Irish Domestic Servants

Thursday, March 26, 1:00 p.m.
Online on Zoom
Learn More | Register

MARCH 27



MARCH 31
Tonic, 7 Dunlap St., Brunswick: Open mic hosted by Rexy Dinosaur, 6-8

Chinese in Maine: From Struggle to Success, Book Talk with Gary Libby

Tuesday, March 31, 1:00 p.m.
Online on Zoom
Learn More | Register

April 4
Poetry Workshop Freeport Community Library, 12 pm
 
April 5
O’Donoghue’s Pub, 103 Pleasant St., Brunswick: Open mic hosted by Mike Aron, 3-7

April 6
Sustainability Workshop - 6:30 pm Freeport Community Services, 53 Depot Street

April 7 

April 8-10

 ARTIST WORKSHOP!  

Luminous Landscape: Color and Composition

By Philip Frey

April 8 - 10, 2026 | 9 AM - 3 PM


This is your opportunity for an in-depth exploration of the the fundamentals of composition, color theory, as well as best photo and sketching practices for landscape painting.


LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE!

April 11 | Open Mic Poetry with Betsy Sholl
Free tickets can be reserved here now for our next Freeport Folio Open Mic Poetry featuring Betsy Sholl, Poet Laureate of Maine 2006-2011. We have also invited the to be crowned 2025-2026 Maine State Poetry Out Loud Champion. The event is on April 11th, 1pm at the Freeport Community Center. Tickets are free but seats are limited

More Freeport Folio events

 April 25 Poetry Workshop with Joseph Coleman at Freeport Community Library
April 25 Community Poetry Reading at the Freeport Community Library
April 30 National Poetry Month Statewide Grand Finale: Maine Poet Laureates Public Reading. A first-time, historic gathering of all Maine State Poet Laureates
July 30, Open Mic Poetry with Featured Poet Richard Blanco
October 1 Open Mic Poetry with Featured Poet Samaa Abdurraqib

October 31 Dead Poets Poetry Death Match

APR 11
LADIES OF FLAME  7:00 PM A beloved all-women musical ensemble that performs a lively selection of heartfelt songs and popular hits. Reserve tickets

APR 24
ERICA BROWN & THE BLUEGRASS CONNECTION: Friday, April 24 at 7:30 PM A fun and energetic five-piece band featuring some of the finest musicians in New England.

MAY 1
Maine Democrats Biennial Convention. 1 Thompson Point, Portland. 9 am 

MAY 20 

Are You Cyber-Savvy? Understanding the Geopolitics and Personal Threats of Cyber Attacks, which will be held on Wednesday, May 20, at 7:00 pm at the Freeport Performing Arts Center.  You will hear from Nathaniel Fick, a Maine resident, former American diplomat, technology executive and author of the memoir One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer.  Ambassador Fick was selected to lead the U.S. State Department's Bureau for Cyberspace and Digital Policy in 2022. Ambassador Fick will be joined by Rachel Wilson, Head of Cybersecurity for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Ms. Wilson transitioned from a career leading counter-terrorism and cyber-exploitation missions at the National Security Agency to protecting the financial sector.  Tickets go on sale a month before the event.


Thanks to 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 Wednesday

Maine Morning Star -   Mainers will vote on the rights of transgender student athletes to access sports teams, bathrooms and locker rooms aligning with their gender identity this November. On Tuesday, the Secretary of State’s Office confirmed that more than valid 70,000 signatures were collected by proponents of the citizen-led ballot initiative, which means the question will be decided on by voters during the midterm elections.

Top of the Morning -  Gov. Janet Mills and each of the Wabanaki Nations reached agreement on two bills that initially sought to grant greater self-governing power to the Tribes on Tuesday, though the amended versions are far narrower.

Press Herald -  Maine superintendents have been rolling out early drafts of their budgets over the past few weeks, and things aren’t looking great, with districts projecting increases of 5% to 10% over the last fiscal year. Portland, South Portland and Lewiston schools have proposed budgets that would cut a combined 128 positions and increase taxes. Why? Officials say rising salary and health care costs, and declining enrollment, are stressing their books.

Portland will close its shelter for asylum seekers this month due to a rapid decline in use over the past year, attributable to the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies. The 179-bed facility in the Riverton neighborhood, which housed 157 people at this time last year, now has only one remaining resident who is expected to leave by March 20. The closure will result in 35 layoffs.

Maine News Thursday

MSN -   Maine and Colorado this week approved ballot initiatives by advocacy groups seeking to ban transgender student-athletes from playing on girls’ sports teams, putting a debate that has become an enduring political flash point up for direct vote in blue states where leaders have resisted such policies.

The states are the latest to take up the issue this election year. Voters in Washington state will also vote on trans athletes in November, and similar measures have been proposed in Arizona, Nevada and Nebraska.

The groups pushing the initiatives, which would bar transgender student-athletes from participating in sports teams of their gender identity, have called them citizen-led efforts to bypass state legislatures. Critics said the proposed bans are discriminatory.

Leyland Streiff, with the advocacy group Protect Girls Sports in Maine, said in an interview that a majority vote would be “the most democratic way possible” to decide on the issue and that the petition sidesteps “elected officials that are clearly out of touch right now with what the rest of the state actually wants.”

Press Herald -   Portland will close its shelter for asylum seekers this month due to a rapid decline in use over the past year attributable to the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies. The decision will result in 35 layoffs.

City officials said Tuesday that the closure is necessary to adapt to the realities of the immigration system. This time last year, there were 157 people staying at the 179-bed shelter in Portland’s Riverton neighborhood. This week, city officials said only one individual remains, and they will be leaving March 20

The developers behind the massive Portland Foreside project plan to build a natural gas-fired cogeneration plant to provide electricity, heat and hot water to the property, raising concerns about potential environmental impacts.

ICE surge cost Maine’s economy millions, report says

3 members of Portland family released 4 months after immigration arrest

Maine announces $12M to help fund housing first projects in 3 cities

Portland software firm ranks 3rd in growth among New England businesses

Platner supporters hit Mills over funding for sexual assault cases. Here’s the full story.

Kennebunk Elementary principal placed on leave amid police investigation

Amid war with Iran, military moms hope to start Maine’s first Blue Star Mothers chapter

Leslie Bridgers went on an excursion recently to an Aldi location in New Hampshire in order to find out why the grocery store chain has such a cult following. A Portland location is set to open March 26.

Maine lawmakers signed off Wednesday on emergency funding for the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services amid a critical shortfall for private lawyers who represent low-income criminal defendants and parents in court. The vote came a week after the commission said it would stop paying those lawyers later this month. The proposal now heads to Gov. Janet Mills; if she signs it, the funding will take effect immediately.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Thursday she’s backing political newcomer Graham Platner in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. Warren, a Massachusetts progressive and 2020 presidential candidate, said she thinks Platner is the best candidate to challenge five-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins in November. Warren said Platner "is going to flip Maine and then actually deliver change for working people.

Maine Public -   Maine voters finally learned this week who will appear on the Republican and Democratic primary ballots for governor, absent any successful challenges to their signature-gathering efforts. There were very few surprises.

Four of the five Democratic candidates who qualified — Secretary of State Shenna Bellows of Manchester, former Senate President Troy Jackson of Allagash, former House Speaker Hannah Pingree of North Haven and former Maine CDC director Dr. Nirav Shah of Brunswick — all already have high levels of name recognition among engaged Democratic voters. The fifth candidate, businessman Angus King III of Portland, is a relative political newcomer but has undeniably received a boost from the name that he shares with his well-known father, former two-term governor and current U.S. Sen. Angus King.

Bellows, Jackson, Pingree and Shah are all campaigning on their track records in government and/or politics in addition to their individual policy priorities. King, on the other hand, is running as the political outsider who hasn’t “spent my life in Augusta debating policy or drafting reports” and is, instead, touting his years working in Maine’s affordable housing and clean energy sectors....

This week, Mills, who's been trailing Platner in publicly available polling, launched an attack ad that leans heavily on one of her strengths to try to expose a potential weakness in her opponent’s resilient candidacy: women voters. In doing so, her campaign took a confrontational tack in a party primary, outracing the armada of political action committees that often assume that role.

The ad focuses on Platner’s 2013 post on Reddit about a website providing locking underwear for women to guard against sexual assault while on a “blind date, taking an evening run, ‘clubbing’, traveling in unfamiliar countries.” Platner, in a post that originally surfaced in October, responded, “How about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not get so (expletive) up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?”

He added, “Rape is a real thing. If you’re so worried about it to buy Kevlar underwear you’d think you might not get blacked out (expletive) up around people you aren’t comfortable with.”

The ad repurposes the post in a 30-second spot in which a group of women are portrayed as reacting to it for the first time while a narrator impersonating Platner’s gravelly voice reads it out loud — an official for the Mills campaign said the voiceover was performed by a human, not artificial intelligence.
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