Maine News Sunday September 27

 HISTORY

Friends of Casco Bay -  On September 27, 1996, the Julie N tanker collided with Portland's Million-Dollar Bridge, spilling more than 179,000 gallons of oil into Casco Bay and the Fore River. It remains the largest oil spill in Maine history.

…13.8 miles of coastline were covered in oil, with the upper Fore River marsh heavily affected. The impact to birds was devastating. Friends of Casco Bay contacted 100 trained oiled-bird rehabilitation volunteers to assist Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife with oiled bird recovery… In the end, 78% of the oil was cleaned up, an amount considered exceptionally successful. (15-20% is considered a typical oil recovery success.)

UPCOMING 

Town Council District  Meetings are opportunities for the Freeport community to connect with councilors and discuss items and issues important to them. The four events are coming up on the dates listed below. 

For this year's meetings, we are combining districts and holding multiple events, to make it more convenient for residents to attend. Feel free to attend one or both of your district’s meetings! All events will begin at 6:00pm

Unsure of which meeting to attend? Use this PDF map to find out which district you live in

Districts 1 & 4 - Hosted by Councilors Dan Piltch & Chip Lawrence

Monday, September 28th at Meetinghouse Arts (40 Main St)
Thursday, October 29th at Maine Coast Waldorf School (57 Desert Rd)

Districts 2 & 3 - Hosted by Councilors Eric Smith & Matt Pillsbury

Thursday, October 1st at South Freeport Church (98 S Freeport Rd)
Tuesday, October 13th at Wolfe’s Neck Center (184 Burnett Rd)

Learn all about your Town Council here


SEP 27


SEP 28
Weekly Ukulele Jam - 3PM - 4PM  Freeport Community Services
Storytime with Taylor  10:15AM - 10:45AM  10 Library Drive, Freeport, ME ….Storytime continues at Freeport Community Library twice weekly. We meet in the Little Room during cold months and inclement weather, and during warm months, we meet outside the library by the parking lot. When indoors, storytime capacity is 40 people. Come share stories, songs, and rhymes! Each Monday and Thursday has different programs. Storytime runs about 15 minutes and is designed for ages 0-4, but all are welcome


SEP 30 
On Wednesday, September 30th, Freeport Community Library & RSU5 Community Programs will host a Candidates Forum at Freeport Community Library.  This event will start at 6:00pm.  Join us to hear from candidates for Freeport Town Council, the Water and Sewer Districts, and the RSU5 School Board

OCT 1
Maine Naturalist and Executive Director of the Maine Humanities Council, Samaa Abdurraqib is the Featured Poet for our October 1st Open Mic Poetry eventaganza. The event will be held at beautiful Meetinghouse Arts at 7:00 PM 

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).  

Nature’s Palette: Art Inspired by the Season → Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main St, Freeport

10:00 am

Freeport Folio presents: Open Mic Poetry with Featured Poet Samaa Abdurraqib →
Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main Street, Freeport 7:00 pm


OCT 2
Mainely Palestine - The Teach-In events at Bowdoin College on Friday, October 2nd, have been cancelled.  ALL Mainely Palestine events will happen on Saturday, October 3, 9 am - 6 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Middle Street, in Brunswick.  Details at www.mvprights.org/mainely-palestine

OCT 2-4
Patch - Freeport residents can look forward to the 27th Freeport Fall Festival Oct. 2-4, with five music stages, local food vendors, kids' activities, and a free shuttle linking downtown and L.L.Bean's redesigned flagship store. The piece also spotlights spooky nights and family Halloween fun at the Desert of Maine, plus fall-themed events in nearby Bath and Brunswick.

OCT 3
People Plus is hosting an afternoon of beer tasting on Oct. 3 at Wild Duck Pub in Topsham. Proceeds will go toward providing rides for homebound seniors. 


OCT 4 
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM | 50th Annual Pettengill Family Farm Day - 2026 is the 50th Anniversary of this beloved event! It is going to be an extra-special Farm Day. Live music, delicious food, vintage arts, crafts, and games, farmhouse and trail tours 31 Pettengil Farm Rd, Freeport

OCT 6
6:00 PM | Invasive Species Workshop Learn how to identify and manage invasive plants with experts from Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Bradley Room, Freeport Community Center 

OCT 7
At just 35, Ken Curtis became the nation’s youngest governor, and went on to transform Maine government. Join author Doug Rooks for a talk on his new book, Transformational: Ken Curtis, Maine’s Reform Governor, and discover what Curtis’s leadership can teach us today. Learn more and register.

OCT 10

The Pownal Fire and Rescue Company will be hosting a Bean Supper on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at the North Pownal Community Center. Come enjoy a homemade meal consisting of beans, hot dogs, breads, and desserts prepared by department members. Dinner will be served in two sittings.  We look forward to seeing you!


Choose from two dinner seatings:

🕟 4:30 - 5:45 PM

🕕 6:15 - 7:30 PM

Donations: ❤️ $10 (ages 15+)

❤️ $5 (ages 6-15)

❤️ Free for children 5 and under


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. 

DEC 4

Maine News Saturday September 26

WMTW -   Harriet Beecher Stowe School in Brunswick was closed Thursday after officials discovered a malfunction in the building's main fire alarm panel during a routine maintenance inspection. The Brunswick School Department said it made the decision to cancel classes after consulting with the Brunswick Fire Department, which determined the school should not operate without a fully functioning fire alarm system.

Press Herald - The nor’easter moving north along the mid-Atlantic and southern New England coast this weekend will bring hazardous beach conditions, rain and gusty winds to southern Maine. The storm has slowed and was moving into southern New England on Friday, said Jerry Combs, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s office in Gray.

While there may be a chance of rain Saturday morning and afternoon in Maine, the odds increase Saturday night and into Sunday and Monday. The rain may start sooner in York County, Combs said. Southwestern Maine can expect 1 to 2 inches of rain, but Combs said he is not expecting any flooding.

Press Herald -  Former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree continues to hold a comfortable lead over Republican Bobby Charles and independent Rick Bennett in the race to become Maine’s next governor, a New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll shows.

Pingree — a 49-year-old Democrat from North Haven who led a policy office under Gov. Janet Mills and is the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree — has had double-digit polling leads over Charles and Bennett since winning the crowded Democratic primary in June. That trend continued in the latest poll of the race.

Pingree garnered support from 48% of respondents, compared to 36% for Charles and 8% for Bennett in the poll of 309 likely Maine voters that was conducted from Sept. 15-17 and had a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points. Among the respondents, 8% said they “don’t know” or refused to say whom they will for in November.

$1.8 million: The amount made by softshell clam harvesters in Brunswick in 2025. An algae bloom in Casco Bay is threatening the industry and caused the Department of Marine Resources to close certain harvesting locations in Brunswick and Harpswell.  “This is the biggest mortality event I’ve ever seen along the Brunswick shores and in particular in Maquoit Bay, but it’s also the most dense I’ve ever seen softshell clams in this town,” said Dan Devereaux, Brunswick coastal resource manager.

The Brunswick Visitor Center is closed for renovations through Sunday. 




Maine News Friday September 25

 A Rendering of The Jay, the mixed-use building planned for the former J&J Cleaners site on Maine Street in Brunswick. (Courtesy of town of Brunswick)

Mount Airy’s Autumn Leaves Festival was ranked second in a national USA Today readers’ poll, and Freeport’s own Fall Festival also made the top‑10 list of fall events. That recognition puts Freeport alongside major festivals nationwide, offering extra visibility for the town just weeks before the October celebration draws visitors to its waterfront and downtown.

Press Herald -  A new report says federal immigration enforcement could lead to the loss of up to 7,000 workers in the state and $3.3 billion in annual economic output, according to the Maine Office of New Americans.

The state-commissioned report, released Thursday, analyzes the contributions of over 30,000 foreign-born workers in Maine and explores the potential impacts of federal immigration enforcement on the state’s workforce and economy.

Prepared by Maine-based Wallace Economic Advisers, the report shows the loss would affect businesses across the economy — including food production, housing, hospitality, construction and healthcare — as well as the people who rely on them.

“This report is the first of its kind to examine what Maine’s economy could look like if immigrants continue to disappear from our workforce,” Gov. Janet Mills said via email. “President Trump’s cruel and dangerous immigration agenda is forcing us to contemplate this reality, from the immediate moral and humanitarian harm to the undeniable consequences for Maine’s workforce”

Maine Morning Star -   Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey is urging residents to check if they bought certain generic drugs, in which case they may be eligible for new settlement funds.  Maine and 47 other states and territories plan to use settlement funds from drug manufacturers to refund consumers that paid inflated prices for certain generic drugs from May 2009 and December 2019, according to a press release from the Office of the Maine Attorney General.

The coalition filed a series of antitrust lawsuits against drug manufacturers, starting in 2016, arguing the companies conspired to raise the prices of generic drugs. The coalition has reached settlements with several manufacturers, totalling roughly $96.5 million.

This month a federal judge gave initial approval to the coalition’s plan for the settlement funds.

Consumers can check the list of eligible drugs here or at https://aggenericdrugsclaims.com/, or call 1-866-290-0182 and email info@AGGenericDrugs.com. Consumers can then submit a claim for the drug purchase until March 8, 2027.

The Nation  - - [Susan] Collins's undeniabl gift for pork-barrel spending could now come back to haunt her, thanks to a new pay-for-play scandal broken on Tuesday by ProPublica. The ProPublica story focuses on Collins's links to Martin Kao, the former CEO of a defense contractor called Navatek. Last year, Kao was sentenced to 87 months in prison for bank fraud and Covid relief fraud.

Prior to his conviction, Kao had provided damning testimony to the FBI about a political quid pro quo scheme he was working. Legally, defense contractors are not allowed to donate to campaigns, so Kao used shell corporations to donate to super PACs supporting politicians who promoted Navatek projects to the Pentagon. Collins and her office were in the crosshairs of the FBI investigation into Kao's activities, but the senator was saved from possible criminal charges by Donald Trump's reelection, which led the president to fire FBI agents working on the investigation (some of whom had also investigated Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election).


Maine News Thursday September 24


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. This local assistance program reflects the Town's commitment to helping seniors manage the burden of property taxes. Interested in applying? Applications and eligibility information are available on the Town website or by contacting the Town Office. Town Office: 207-688-4611 

Mortgage rates rose in 37 of the 50 states between Q1 2026 and Q2 2026, the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its new report on the States Where Mortgage Interest Rates Are Increasing the Most, based on proprietary user data.

Press Herald -    Bowdoin College has climbed to near the top in a national ranking of higher education institutions, tying for third best liberal arts college. Williams College and Amherst College, both in Massachusetts, were ranked one and two respectively.

The Brunswick school is among seven Maine institutions to appear on the U.S. News and World Report’s 2027 rankings of the country’s best colleges and universities. Third is the highest rank Bowdoin has held, although it last appeared there in 2018. The college dropped to the ninth spot in 2024, and has been rising since.

U.S. News and World Report’s rankings includes separate lists for liberal arts colleges and universities and ranks schools based on factors like graduation rates, how the school is regarded by peer institutions, financial resources and faculty salaries.

On the university list, the public flagship University of Maine sits at 262, five spots below last year and nearly 50 down from its ranking several years ago. It’s now tied with the private University of New England, which climbed more than 30 spots.


Maine News Wednesday September 23

MS NOW - According to a new investigation from ProPublica, Sen. Susan Collins narrowly escaped being embroiled in an FBI bribery probe into defense contracts, lawmakers and large campaign contributions. For that, she can thank the Trump administration's commitment to making America a place where the wealthy, connected and morally flexible can get away with almost anything. The good news is that if we're determined enough, we can undo the damage that has been done.

ProPublica's story begins in 2019, when the head of Collins' super PAC, Scott Reed, met with executives from a defense contractor called Navatek that the senator had helped land a Navy research contract in Maine. Then Collins' fundraiser made a request: The company should make a six-figure donation to help the senator in her re-election bid. The executives said they would pony up - if Collins helped them get more contracts.

…."To skirt campaign finance laws and conceal the source of the funds," ProPublica reported, "Navatek planned to funnel the donation through a shell company. The CEO [Martin Kao] wanted assurance that Collins would know where the money came from. Reed confirmed that she would, the executive said - and that Navatek would get its government contracts."

More on Susan Collins 

Portland Press Herald on Susan Collins

Maine News Tuesday September 22

Maine Democrats - Last week, Susan Collins endorsed MAGA extremist Bobby Charles for Governor, once again showing she’ll always put her party over the people of Maine.

Collins is proudly backing a candidate who wants to ban abortions, raise the retirement age, and threaten to send ICE to Maine polls – someone so extreme that even his own sister publicly denounced him.

This is yet another example of Susan Collins choosing party loyalty over what’s best for Maine. If she’s re-elected, she will just continue being another rubber stamp for MAGA’s extreme agenda — and her endorsement of Bobby Charles proves it.

Where Susan Collins and Troy Jackson stand on immigration policy

WMTW - Two clam flats are temporarily closed due to a large phytoplankton bloom along southern Maine's coast. According to the Department of Marine Resources, these targeted closures include the entire intertidal growing area of Maquoit Bay in Brunswick and the eastern side of Middle Bay in Harpswell.  Until further notice, no clams, quahogs or oysters can be harvested from Maquoit Bay, and no softshell clams or quahogs can be taken from the eastern side of Middle Bay. The closure notice explains the department's concern that continued harvesting during the bloom will cause additional stress for the area's shellfish and more deaths.

Maine Morning Star -  Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King endorsed Democratic gubernatorial nominee Hannah Pingree at Bowdoin College on Sunday.  Their hourlong conversation, attended by 300 people in a standing-room only auditorium, also covered the stakes of Maine’s gubernatorial election in light of the cuts to health care, food security and affordability as a result of federal policies, as well as the polarization of both parties and how the next governor needs to bridge that gap.  “We’re going to have some challenges, and that’s one of the reasons I’m supporting you, because I think you’re the person to confront them,” King told Pingree as the crowd cheered. 


 

Maine News Monday September 21

Press Herald -   The Chair of the Cumberland Town Council was arrested on Labor Day for operating under the influence, police say.

The Yarmouth Police Department arrested Michael Edes, 67, at approximately 10:20 p.m. on Sept. 7, Chief David Gallant said. While being processed at the Yarmouth Police Department, Edes refused a breath, blood or urine test, police said. Edes was charged with operating under the influence and issued summons for October.

While Edes’ attorney Jon Goodman confirmed Edes was charged with an OUI, he disputed the allegation. “Mike absolutely did not operate any vehicle while under the influence, however, and he looks forward to the opportunity to share his side of the story in court,” Goodman said in an email.

Maine Morning Star -  The implementation of Maine’s recently passed gun safety laws — a red flag referendum voters overwhelmingly approved and a 72-hour waiting period facing a legal challenge — would greatly differ depending on who the next governor is.

Democrat Hannah Pingree said she supports both laws, and detailed how she would implement the red flag law that the current governor, Janet Mills, opposed. Independent Rick Bennett said he would enforce both laws if the waiting period survives its legal challenge while Republican Bobby Charles said he opposes both measures.

Both the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, groups that are typically on opposing sides of most gun-related legislation, singled Pingree out as being the outlier on an issue that has become increasingly relevant for Maine since the 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston.

“One of these candidates is not like the others,” Nacole Palmer, executive director of the Maine Gun Safety Coalition, which endorsed Pingree in the gubernatorial race. “Only one of these candidates is actually aligned with where the Maine people have shown themselves to be, and the other two are not.” 

WMTW - A building that was under construction in North Yarmouth partially collapsed on Saturday, landing on a crane. Firefighters were called to the construction site on Walnut Hill Road at about 12:30 p.m. and found part of the building had given way. One wall landed on a crane that was being used to lift parts of the building into place. There did not appear to be significant damage to the crane. Officials said the workers were at lunch when the structural failure occurred and no one was hurt.

Maine News Sunday September 20

Press Herald  -  Northern Cumberland County and southern Waldo County, plus a portion of coastal Hancock County, are the driest, but the entire state is now under at least moderate drought conditions, U.S. Drought Monitor says.

Part of Maine is under an extreme drought designation for the first time in several months, and the entire state is now considered to be in at least a moderate drought.

A stretch of Maine’s coastline from northern Cumberland County to southern Waldo County, plus a portion of coastal Hancock County, are considered to be under extreme drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s latest update on Thursday.

The last time any part of Maine was under an extreme designation was in early April. Conditions gradually improved in the following months thanks to spring showers.

By July, the majority of the state was free from any U.S. Drought Monitor designation, but a lack of rain in the weeks that followed allowed drought conditions to return.

Maine residents who walk through cemeteries to feel more alive

2 areas of Casco Bay temporarily closed to shellfish harvesting as algae bloom spreads (pressherald.com)

JOBS
  • Giri Hotel Management LLC posted a job opening for Line Cook - Part Time in Freeport. Apply here.
  • Regional School Unit 05 posted a job opening for Custodian (683) in Freeport. Apply here. 
  • You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.


Maine News Saturday September 19

Patch -  Freeport town leaders back plan to make shopping district safer for pedestrians (wgme.com) — Freeport’s Town Council just backed a major Village Corridor Initiative to slow traffic and make the Route 1 shopping district safer and more walkable, while adding significant new housing. The plan would narrow parts of Route 1, prioritize pedestrians, and potentially create thousands of new condos and apartments over decades, aiming to keep Freeport livable for workers, seniors, and young residen

Opening of LL Bean’s new structure

Press Herald - Eliot Cutler will soon return to jail to serve two and a half months for repeatedly violating the terms of his probation, a Hancock County judge has ordered. The disgraced two-time gubernatorial candidate appeared in court in Ellsworth on Friday morning and made an impassioned plea to Superior Court Justice Patrick Larson that he should be allowed to continue his probation as normal, despite allegedly violating the terms of his release six times since his 2023 conviction for possessing thousands of sexually explicit images of children.

The Hill - As fuel costs rise amid the U.S.-Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars, Americans in the Northeast may have to pay significantly more to heat their homes this winter.  With the price of diesel, in particular, increasing, so too will the cost of a home heating fuel known as heating oil or fuel oil that is commonly used in Northeast states.

William O’Neil, principal research analyst at S&P Global, said that heating oil and diesel prices tend to move together, so when diesel prices go up, heating oil usually does, too.

“The price of diesel historically has a pretty strong relationship to the price of heating oil because they’re effectively chemically identical. They just have different additives, different treatments,” O’Neil said.  He said that those Americans could end up paying nearly 50 percent more this year to heat their homes than they were last year. 

Press Herald - This summer, the Maine Trust for Local News commissioned a survey of 824 Maine residents by the Siena Research Institute, the primary pollster for The New York Times...The results were predictable in some ways and surprising (and even contradictory) in others.

Overall, three out of four people surveyed described the quality of life in their community as positive. In southern Maine (Cumberland and York counties), that jumped to 84%, but in northern and western Maine, it fell to 68%.

Perhaps paradoxically, 38% said life was either getting somewhat worse or much worse, nearly twice as many as the number of people who said things are getting better. The why here was perhaps the most predictable: Housing and other economic factors, including job opportunities.

.Affordability ranked lowest among the four main categories — and by a wide margin. The high cost of housing, childcare, groceries and fuel contributed to those negative feelings.

The best thing about living in Maine, according to respondents, was the quality of life and sense of community, followed by nature and the environment. More

 

Maine News Friday Setember 18

Maine Morning Star- The Penobscot Nation received 11,000 acres of ancestral land back this week, the first phase of what is expected to be one of the largest land returns ever between a U.S.-based nonprofit and a tribe.  Located near the base of Katahdin, the land return affords the Penobscot Nation access to a culturally significant area, natural resources for hunting and harvesting, and more authority to expand its longstanding conservation work, said Penobscot Nation Natural Resources Director Chuck Loring. While specific plans are still being developed, one goal is to create an access route to the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. 

The Campus -  On Thursday, the University of Maine sent a letter to its employees addressing a projected $19 million budget deficit. In the letter, President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and Provost Gabriel Paquette outlined a plan that will include staff layoffs and faculty retrenchments across both UMaine and UMaine Machias campuses to reduce university spending. The plan would go into effect for the next fiscal year (FY28) if the draft budget is approved by the Board of Trustees (BoT). The number of faculty and staff positions that will be eliminated, and when those affected will receive notice, has not yet been determined.  

Maine Fraternal Order of Police Executive Director Arrested on OUI Charge (themainewire.com)

JOBS

  • TJX posted a job opening for Store Cleaning Associate in Brunswick. Apply here.
  • Bowdoin College posted a job opening for Food Service Worker (part-time) in Brunswick. Apply here. 
  • You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.
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