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MAINE NEWS & NOTES
Maine News Saturday June 27
Press Herald - Maine is full of roadside farmstands, many of which ask customers to serve themselves — Pine Ridge Acres’ store in Cumberland county is just one example. Columnist Leslie Bridgers explores how this system works, what happens when someone doesn’t pay and if honor-system farmstands are another one of those ‘only in Maine’ things.
A housing project intended to help people facing long-term homelessness transition into stable housing was recently approved by the Portland Planning Board. The four-story, 33-unit Home For Good project on Forest Avenue will be at the site of a Tex-Mex restaurant that closed in 2022.
With the last day of school in the rearview mirror, students across Maine are heading into summer break. Many of their teachers, meanwhile, are transitioning to seasonal jobs, some for the fun of doing something different, others out of financial necessity. The average salary for a public school teacher in Maine is $68,820, according to the statewide teachers union, while the average starting salary is just $45,830.
The state’s minimum salary is set to increase from $40,000 to $50,000 this year (and incrementally each year until 2029) thanks to legislation that passed this spring following years of advocacy from teachers.
But Maine still lags behind most states, per the National Education Association, and even the average wage for all teachers is on the lower end of the state’s area median income range (between $67,000 and $97,000).
Teachers, librarians and ed techs across southern Maine said they love their jobs but a teaching salary often just isn’t enough to cover childcare, pay rent or think about buying a home, especially for early-career educators, those in single-income households or parents.
Seasonal jobs can help close that gap. The Press Herald talked to eight educators about the extra work they do in the summer, and why they do it.
Maine Morning Star - Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner wants to overturn the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited money on elections by any means possible.
He supports a constitutional amendment and ethics rules on the high court, which the Sullivan oyster farmer included in his latest policy rollout Thursday to rid politics of corruption. He also supports more roundabout efforts, such as an ongoing attempt to use a Maine law to debunk the foundation of the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, he told Maine Morning Star.
“Getting money out of American politics is the end state,” Platner said. “How we get there may take several different kinds of possibilities, but we should be right now aggressively pursuing every single one of them.”
To this end, our offices will be closed for the month of July. We are not the first non-profit to adopt a sabbatical month. We have learned from other non-profits we work with and are inspired by here in Maine.... How many of us have spent countless hours staring into our computers with back-to-back meetings, events, and obligations? Scheduling and rescheduling? This type of stress gets trapped in our bodies and we need time to unplug and to just ‘be.’”
WCYY - Following the pandemic, many movie theaters throughout Maine closed their doors permanently. Many of those belonging to Cinemagic but other small theaters felt the pain as well. That included the Nordica Theater in Freeport, Maine, which decided to permanently close. It looked to many in Freeport that the small theater would simply do what other vacant spaces do in Freeport, transform into something else.
Instead, Patriot Cinemas decided to step up and reopen the movie theater after a six-year absence. Patriot Cinemas Opens New Location in Freeport, Maine |
FREEPORT
The Freeport Wood Bank, supported by Freeport Community Services, provides free firewood to households that rely on wood heat. This past winter, demand was so high that supplies ran out before the season ended—highlighting how vital this resource is. Now is the time to rebuild. Donations of split firewood or logs help volunteers prepare for the coming winter, ensuring no family is left without heat. Volunteers are also needed to cut, stack, and deliver wood—no experience required. \
Jun 27-28 Freeport, Maine's Fifth Annual Oyster Festival June 27-28 (ultimatemaine.com) — Freeport is gearing up for the fifth annual Maine Oyster Festival June 27–28, bringing oyster farms from along the coast, food trucks, artisans, and live music into town. Expect new perks like a free shuttle, pre-order tasting tickets, farm tours, and a Friday “Meet the Farmers” kickoff party. It’s a chance to enjoy peak-season oysters while supporting Maine’s coastal aquaculture scene right in Freeport. Jun 28 Cadenza, 5 Depot St., Freeport: Songwriters in the Round presented by Jud Caswell, 4, $30-$35, show also will be livestreamed on Cadenza’s Facebook page Farmer in the Morning (Freeport) →Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment, 184 Burnett Rd, 9:30 am Jun 30 Tonic, 7 Dunlap St., Brunswick: Open mic with Rexy Dinosaur, 6-8 July 3 Maine Historical Society 5 pm Learn More July 4 Cook’s Lobster & Ale House, 68 Garrison Cove Rd., Bailey Island: Travis James Humprey, 5-8 Discovery Park, LL Bean, Freeport: Don Campbell Band, 7 pm July 5 Women's History Walking Tour 10-30 AM Maine Historical Society Learn More | Register |
Maine News Wednesday June 24
Maine Biz - Noble Pizzeria & Barbecue, at 476 Stevens Ave. in Portland, will have its final day of operation on July 12.
Maine Morning Star - The Republican-led U.S. Senate served up a rare public check on President Donald Trump’s agenda Tuesday when it voted to approve a House-passed War Powers Resolution to end hostilities in Iran.
Senate approval marked the first time both chambers have agreed in a rebuke of Trump over his war in Iran.
The concurrent resolution, which passed 50-48, does not require the president’s signature and its enforceability has been a perennial topic of debate.
The Senate’s approval occurred against the backdrop of the administration’s peace deal negotiations with Iran, which have been criticized from both sides of the aisle.
Four Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the measure: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; Rand Paul of Kentucky; Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy, who recently lost his primary race after Trump endorsed an opponent; and Susan Collins, who’s fighting a tough reelection campaign in Maine.
FREEPORT
Public Works is currently making temporary repairs to a sinkhole due to a collapsed pipe at a culvert near 29 Lower Mast Landing Road. Traffic is reduced to one lane during this time and will return to two lanes later today (6/24), once the temporary fix is complete. The Town is in the process of hiring a contractor to fix the pipe. That work should be completed over the next 1-2 weeks. View it on website
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Maine News Tuesday June 23
Election Time For the first time since March, Susan Collins is projected to win Maine's Senate race.
Susan Collins 56.9%
Graham Platner 43.1%
News Center Maine - Maine Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner has won the endorsement of a prominent reproductive rights group: Planned Parenthood.
Four years ago this week, Kavanaugh and three other justices confirmed by Collins were in the majority that overturned Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 case that had established a national right to abortion.
...“When Susan Collins told us that Brett Kavanaugh had assured her that Roe was settled law—it was the law of the land and that a woman's right to choose was in no way, shape or form under threat—she either lied to us or she was tricked," Platner said. "Neither one of those is something we want out of our United States Senator for the state of Maine.”
Maine News Monday June 22
Tipp Gazette - One of the Navy Blue Angels’ lead solo pilots hails from Freeport bringing local roots to one of the world’s most elite flight demonstration teams. Lieutenant Commander Connor O’Donnell, a Yarmouth High graduate and Naval Academy alum, now flies high-profile shows while racking up more than 1,200 flight hours and over 200 carrier landings.
Hello Homestead - Disease-carrying ticks are on the rise in Maine, and that’s bad news for pet owners. Just like their humans, pets that spend any time outdoors are vulnerable to tick-borne diseases. Lyme, anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis have been on the rise among pets, with cases of one disease doubling over the last year.
WGME - A big weekend of Maine high school championships ended with baseball, softball, and lacrosse titles decided across all classes, but there was also standout news for Freeport. Local golfer Eli Spaulding, now at Loyola University, dominated the Philadelphia Amateur Golf Championship 9–8, adding to his resume as reigning Maine and New England amateur champion.
Ticks have become a common enemy for Maine humans and animals alike. In recent years, the disease-carrying arachnids have spread throughout the state and are now present year round. People who spend time outside are already reporting high tick activity this spring. And pet owners need to take the same precautions they do for themselves when it comes to their four-legged companions.
WGME - A big weekend of Maine high school championships ended with baseball, softball, and lacrosse titles decided across all classes, but there was also standout news for Freeport. Local golfer Eli Spaulding, now at Loyola University, dominated the Philadelphia Amateur Golf Championship 9–8, adding to his resume as reigning Maine and New England amateur champion.
WGME - Trek Across Maine raises more than $719,000 as hundreds ride across Maine
The Fat Boy restaurant in Brunswick reopens June 26 to begin its 71st season
Maine Morning Star - [The] effort to repeal recreational cannabis had seemingly gone quiet after the campaign missed the winter deadline to submit signatures to get on the November ballot. Now with about 40,000 of 67,682 signatures needed (at least 10% of total votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election), the campaign is eyeing the November 2027 ballot, said Caroline Alcock of Massachusetts, the group’s general consultant.
The campaign appears to be almost exclusively driven by out-of-state interests, meanwhile local cannabis supporters are getting organized in opposition....
The proposed ballot referendum would do away with the commercial cultivation, sale, purchase and manufacture of cannabis starting in 2028, while still allowing personal use and possession of up to 2.5 ounces. It would also create new testing and tracking requirements for medical cannabis, which the Maine Legislature rejected earlier this year. The petition is valid until the spring of 2027....
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- First Atlantic Health Care posted a job opening for Dietary Aide / Kitchen Staff in Freeport. Apply here.
- TIBCO Software, Inc. posted a job opening for Public School Clinician Immigrant and Refugee Services Brunswick Jr. High and High School in Brunswick. Apply here.
- You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.
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