Maine News Friday October 16

Big Loop Trail at Hedgehog Mountain is CLOSED for a new bridge installation, to be completed over the next 1-2 weeks. 

Maine Morning Star - Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic nominee Troy Jackson offered new insight on how they view the state of American democracy, gun rights, campaign finance and more during their final debate on Thursday. 

…While the debate had a live audience, attendees were invited by the campaigns, not members of the general public. The format of debates had been a point of disagreement, as Jackson’s campaign had requested town hall-style forums, where voters could ask questions on the spot. 

Jackson continued to try to tie Collins to President Donald Trump on Thursday, while the five-term senator again pitched her seniority as most beneficial to Mainers, something that has been a thorough line in earlier debates and the campaign season. 

Tensions were high both on and off stage Thursday. In addition to the candidates continuing to take jabs at one anothers’ records, fifteen minutes into the debate a member of the audience interrupted, yelling to Collins, “AI data centers are destroying our climate,” before being escorted out. 

Collins turned the blame on Jackson, saying, “so this is obviously one of Troy’s supporters.” Jackson responded, “Oh shut up, I don’t even know that kid.” The audience member had a press badge on but it was unclear who he was. 

Soaring heating oil prices put struggling Maine families in a bind as winter nears: "How are we going to stay warm?" (cbsnews.com) — Freeport families like Chris and Cheryl Oliver are struggling to afford heat as oil prices soar nearly 80 percent, forcing painful tradeoffs between essentials. The Freeport Wood Bank is stepping in with donated firewood, but demand is extremely high and supplies may run out by midwinter. Local donations and awareness are becoming critical to help neighbors stay warm. 

(949whom.com) — Freeport residents can now check out the expanded 1912 Cafe inside L.L. Bean’s newly renovated flagship store, which reopened this fall with more seating and an updated menu. It’s one of nine new or revamped Maine restaurants that debuted in September, offering everything from comfort food to Asian fusion for your next in-state foodie road trip.

UPCOMING

OCT 16 

L.L.Bean – Grand Opening of the Flagship Store’s Reboot: Fri, Oct 16, 12AM - Sun, Oct 18, 11:59PM 95 Main Street, Freeport, ME

OCT 17

Community Event: Apple Talk & Tasting  2PM - 4PM 90 0 Harpswell Neck Road, Harpswell

Farmers Market at Crystal Spring Farm 9:30AM - 12:30PM  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. Located on Crystal Spring Farm, a 331-acre property owned by the Land Trust, the Market is now one of the largest in Maine. With over forty vendors, many of whom have been with the Market since its inception, this Saturday morning Market offers an exceptional variety of local, fresh products including vegetables, fruits, seedlings, dairy, meat, seafood, cut flowers, mushrooms, baked goods, and artisanal and prepared foods.

Family Ragtime Concert with Stephen Costanza 11 AM -12 PM 317 Main Street Yarmouth

Americans across the country will march and protest to remind Trump and his MAGA cronies that in our democracy, no one is above the law.   

OCT 18

Meet the Marsh - Cousins River Fields & Marsh Preserve in Yarmouth, Maine.  A family-friendly fall festival celebrating the ongoing restoration of the preserve with activities, trail exploration, fall-themed ambience, and tasty treats amid a beautiful seasonal landscape. Free to attend. 

OCT 24

ANNUAL WOLFE'S NECK CENTER FALL FESTIVAL -  Join us for hayrides, family activities, yoga, local food and more! One ticket secures a wagon ride around campus.

Maine News Thursday October 15

 7PM - Troy Jackson and Susan Collins' debate will be streaming live on pressherald.com, centralmaine.com and sunjournal.com.

Maine Morning Star -   More than 250 people sent a letter to Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey Wednesday requesting that his office investigate corruption allegations against U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. The group argues that a state statute would permit such an investigation because it governs state election laws and does not distinguish between state officials or federal officials. Title 17-A M.R.S.A. Section 33 states that the Maine Attorney General “shall” designate the deputy attorney general or an assistant attorney general to investigate alleged violations of election law.

Maine News Wednesday October 14

Susan Collins and Troy Jackson square off in latest debate

Constant Contact -    No Mainer should be forced to choose between paying for heat or other essentials like food, gas and medication. A reminder that you can connect with the folks at Freeport Community Services if you would like more information about heating assistance with oil, pellets or K-1 propane. They also have a relationship with the Freeport Wood Bank to get firewood delivered to your home and can connect you with the Opportunity Alliance to help you apply for the federal Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). HEAP is an income-based program that sends a direct payment to your fuel vendor for homes heated with oil, kerosene, wood, propane, natural gas, electricity or other fuels. 

Three takeaways from the latest Senate debate between Collins and Jackson

Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment - The Northeast Farmers Fund provides technical and financial assistance to farmers across the region working to expand market opportunities for regenerative products. Funding can support projects ranging from equipment and infrastructure to certification, value-added processing, marketing and distribution.

A button lost hundreds of years ago. A fragment of a ceramic dish. A piece of glass left behind near a kitchen door. Individually, these objects may seem small, but together, they offer clues about the people who lived, worked and gathered at a place over generations. In August, Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment’s Casco History Lab hired archaeologists from the Northeast Archaeology Research Center to conduct a Phase I archaeological survey at the historic Saltbox House on our Freeport campus. The survey was an important step in preparing the house for preservation and learning more about its history. More

 

Maine News Tuesday October 13

Freeport Patch - 5 fun things to do in Freeport (pressherald.com) — Freeport residents get a handy, insider guide to favorite local restaurants, coffee spots, and unique shops, plus must-visit outdoor gems like Wolfe's Neck and the Desert of Maine. Chamber director Tawni Whitney highlights both big-name outlets and small hidden treasures, giving you fresh ideas for where to eat, explore, and bring the kids right in town.

Finding something fun to do in Portland without spending money isn't always easy, but a brand-new attraction just opened downtown, and the best part is that it's completely free. The Portland Museum of Art officially opened a new outdoor space called PMA | AMP on October 2, and it's not your typical museum experience.

Located in Portland's Arts District, this 4,200-square-foot outdoor pavilion is designed to bring art, entertainment, and the community together. Instead of walking through traditional museum galleries, visitors can enjoy rotating art installations, performances, outdoor movie screenings, and creative workshops.

This isn't just a place to look at art. There's public seating and free Wi-Fi, meaning you could literally grab a coffee, bring your laptop, and spend some time enjoying downtown Portland.  Read More: Portland Museum of Art Opens Free Outdoor Pavilion in Mainee

Maine News Monday October 12

Maine Senate race set to be the most expensive per capita

Newsweek -  A Republican-aligned super PAC mistakenly bought ads attacking Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson in the wrong state, the PAC confirmed to Newsweek on Monday. “During a recent independent expenditure, our media vendor mistakenly placed approximately $25,000 in digital advertising in the Portland, Oregon media market instead of Portland, Maine,” Defending Main Street wrote in a statement to Newsweek. Once the error was identified, the ads were “immediately stopped and corrected,” the statement said. The vendor is also refunding the PAC the full amount of the misplaced spend, and no donor funds will be lost.

Press Herald - The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a federal judge’s ruling and dismissed the Maine lobster industry’s defamation lawsuit against a California aquarium on Friday. The Maine Lobstermen’s Association, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association and three lobster businesses sued the Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation in 2023 after the organization’s Seafood Watch program put lobster on a “red list,” urging consumers to avoid the seafood. The foundation had claimed measures in the fishery don’t do enough to reduce entanglement or promote recovery of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population.

The plaintiffs argued the foundation made “false and defamatory statements” about the Maine lobster industry’s practices and misled consumers and businesses about the fishery’s “integrity.” In the lawsuit, they claimed to lose business, with some consumers specifically citing the red listing.

The foundation moved to dismiss the lawsuit, but a judge allowed the suit to advance in 2025. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overruled that decision Friday, and ordered the lawsuit to be dismissed.

Press Herald - Maine could experience an early peak of influenza cases this flu season, public health experts said, urging residents to not delay getting immunized. “We are seeing the beginnings of influenza circulating earlier than we have had in recent seasons, said Anna Krueger, an epidemiologist with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

While flu season runs from October to May, typically cases crest in late December, January or February. Cases peaked around the winter holidays during last flu season, with a high of 1,347 reported for the week ending Jan. 3, according to Maine CDC data.

So far this flu season, Maine has recorded 104 cases through Oct. 3, compared to 36 for the same time period in 2025.

How candidates for Maine governor say they’ll fill a projected $1B budget gap

Maine Morning Star - On ancestral Wabanaki homelands now known as Freeport, Maulian Bryant, executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance, told a crowd of tribal citizens and supporters of tribal sovereignty that they are on the verge of a historic time. 

“No more vetoes of large-scale legislation that restores our tribal rights,” Bryant said earlier this month during the alliance’s annual gathering known as Nihkaniyane, which means going forward together. 

With a new governor on the horizon — particularly with Wabanaki Nations’-endorsed candidate Democrat Hannah Pingree, who supports restoring full sovereignty, leading in polls — Bryant and others are optimistic about the future of the Tribal-State relationship. Outgoing Gov. Janet Mills, also a Democrat, had opposed sweeping change, though during her two terms ushered through several piecemeal adjustments. 

“No more compromises,” Bryant said. “We’re going for it.”  

The Wabanaki Nations have less sovereignty than other federally recognized tribes because of a 1980 land settlement agreement subjecting them to state laws in a manner more akin to municipalities.

Maine News Sunday October 11

Maine attorney files ethics complaint against Sen. Susan Collins (wmtw.com)

Maine family raises more than $6.6 million for Alzheimer's research and they aren't done yet (newscentermaine.com)

Yarmouth breaks ground on 18 affordable housing units behind town hall (pressherald.com)

Here's what's on the ballot in Brunswick (pressherald.com)

Dangerous Freeze and Frost Warnings Issued for Maine and New Hampshire as Temperatures Plummet (travelinglifestyle.net)

Democratic Conservation Alliance - Did you know that 60 million bison roamed the American West until settlers began hunting them in the 1800s?  In less than a century, they almost went extinct — because of decisions just like the one that Donald Trump made.  It took conservationists decades to bring bison back from this — with just hundreds left alive — to the population that exists today. But now, Trump is evicting bison herds from their natural habitat that keeps them alive.

Regenerative Agriculture (morningagclips.com) — A new Northeast Farmers Fund based in Freeport is offering financial and technical support to help regenerative farmers scale up and reach better markets across the region. Run by Wolfe’s Neck Center, the program has already enrolled more than 50 farms and opens wider enrollment this month, aiming to assist hundreds more by 2028. Local farmers can learn more and apply online.

U

Maine News Saturday October 10

Yarmouth breaks ground on 18 affordable housing units behind town hall

Maine News Friday October 9

Former President Barack Obama released a video backing the Democratic challenger to Sen. Susan Collins in the U.S. Senate race. 

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Maine News Thursday October 8

Cumberland County low-income transportation funding cut in half

NY Times - For many Maine voters, chilly weather could present a particular challenge this year: New England’s northernmost state is singularly reliant on heating oil, and the price of the product is surging because of President Trump’s war with Iran, which has clogged a vital oil shipping corridor.

The issue has started to move to the center of the race between Senator Susan Collins, a vulnerable fifth-term Republican, and her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, who has blamed Ms. Collins for the rising fuel oil costs. Their contest could be critical to determining which party controls the Senate.

For Ms. Collins, who initially supported the war but has opposed it for months, the rising fuel costs pose a significant headwind as she works to fend off Mr. Jackson, voters and strategists in both parties say.

“It’s a huge issue up here,” Lance Dutson, a Republican strategist in Maine, said Tuesday night as temperatures in parts of the state dipped into the 40s. Ms. Collins can point to her work to bring federal heating assistance funds to the state, he added, but that might go only so far in assuaging an “emotional electorate” facing deep financial strain because of the price increases.

(newscentermaine.com) — Rising heating oil prices are pushing more Midcoast families to seek free firewood from the Midcoast Wood Bank, which serves Brunswick along with nearby towns. Households in need can receive up to two cords of donated wood, but organizers say they urgently need more volunteers, trucks, and wood donations to keep up. The program aims to prevent residents from going cold this winter. 

5 Takeaways From the First Maine Senate Debate

Maine News Wednesday October 7

(themainewire.com) — Freeport residents just hosted a detailed public forum on how Maine elections work, featuring Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Freeport Town Clerk Christine Wolfe explaining ballot safeguards and voter participation. The event also drew attention when Bellows declined to answer questions about 250 absentee ballots previously found in an Amazon package, raising ongoing concerns about ballot custody.

Five takeaways from the Collins-Jackson debate 

WMTW - People in Bath are seeking help in their effort to save the historic clock tower at First Baptist Church. The  clock tower has stood watch over the Maine community for more than 170 years, but recent renovation work on the church's clock and steeple uncovered severe rot damage, likely doubling the cost of the renovation project. Because of funds, we are stuck," said Fred Bogue, a First Baptist Church trustee. "It's our bell tower, but it's also the city's clock. The bell rings, and it has been ringing since 1855. We would like to see it continue." A GoFundMe page has been set up in an effort to raise money to help fund the project, which is expected to cost about $150,000.