Maine News Wednesday May 3

FREEPORT EVENTS
FREEPORT TALES

Press Herald --  Freeport residents ages 16 and up can audition at Freeport High School on June 14 or 16 for the Freeport Players’ summer production of the musical comedy “Once Upon a Mattress.” Rehearsals run through July and early August, with performances scheduled for Aug. 7-9 and 14-16, offering plenty of chances to get involved onstage or in the audience.

Senate poll - Maine Platner 49% Collins (Inc) 45%

Press Herald - Nearly half of Mainers can’t afford basic needs according to a new report from the Brookings Institution, a public policy nonprofit. While the findings are mostly in line with national averages, research revealed the affordability crisis is moving into the middle class. Staff Writer Gillian Graham digs into the key takeaways here.

Maine BIz -   West Marine stores in Portland and Southwest Harbor are among 59 locations targeted for closure by Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based West Marine Inc., according to a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Latest controversy dampens some Maine Democrats’ enthusiasm for Platner

We profiled every major Maine candidate. Read the stories

Graham Platner - A "reporter" with Fox "News" asked me if I thought I was too extreme or too radical to defeat Susan Collins here in Maine. Here’s what I told him:

I don’t think it’s radical to try to bring down costs for working Mainers.

I don’t think it’s radical to try to make sure that our communities don’t get hollowed out because housing has become unaffordable for young people.

I don’t think it’s radical to try to create a health care system that doesn’t exist just to screw over working people all for the benefit of a health insurance CEO.

There’s nothing radical about thinking that the working people of Maine should be able to afford groceries, buy a home, or have a health care system that isn’t collapsing before their eyes.

What’s radical is somebody like Susan Collins who has, for decades now, passed policies that only support corporations and billionaires – to the detriment of working people.

What’s radical is supporting, over and over again, illegal and insane foreign wars that have done nothing to benefit the people of Maine and have, in fact, sent the cost of everything from gasoline to groceries through the roof.

What’s radical is pretending you’re concerned about women’s rights or our democracy as you vote to confirm people like Brett Kavanaugh and refuse to stand up to a dictator president who is sending armed masked agents across the country to kidnap and murder American citizens.

Jobs

• SAS Retail Services posted a job opening for Retail Merchandiser in Freeport. Apply here.
• Albertsons Companies, Inc. posted a job opening for Retail Sales and Store Support in Freeport. Apply here. 
• You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.

Maine News Tuesday June 2

Hmm - "As my old boss, Bill Clinton, might have said, there is nothing that's wrong with Maine that can't be fixed by what's right with me." – Angus King III, making his pitch to voters in Old Orchard Beach ahead of the June 9 gubernatorial primary.

Polls

ME-02 POLL Joe Baldacci: 49% Paul LePage: 41% Pan Atlantic Research

WalletHub -  The personal finance company WalletHub today released its report on the Best States for Racial Equality in Education, along with expert commentary. To identify which states demonstrate the highest levels of racial equality in education, WalletHub analyzed all 50 states across six key metrics. The study examines disparities between white and Black Americans in areas such as high school and college attainment, test scores, and graduation rates. Below, you can view key highlights from the report. 

Racial Equality in Education in Maine (1=Most Equality; 25=Avg.):

• Overall Rank: 7^th
• 1^st – Share of Adults with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree
• 20^th – Average ACT Score

To view the full report and your state’s rank

Graham Platner - Susan Collins is the single largest recipient of AIPAC money in the United States Senate.  In just the last few weeks, Susan Collins took over half a million dollars from AIPAC. One-third of her entire campaign fundraising haul came directly from AIPAC.  And that doesn’t not even include any of AIPAC’s Super PAC spending.

There is a genocide happening in Gaza. American taxpayers have been paying for bombs to destroy hospitals and schools overseas – instead of building them here at home. We’ve been paying to help starve children in Palestine – rather than feeding them in America.

Wikipedia -   The American Israel Public Affairs Committee  is an American pro-Israel lobbying group that advocates its policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States. It is one of several pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the United States, and has been called one of the most influential lobbying groups in the U.S.

MS NOW- After reports over the weekend that Graham Platner sent sexually explicit text messages to women while he was married, Democrats are standing by Maine’s presumptive Democratic Senate nominee. Asked on Monday if he was rethinking his support for Platner, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. — the progressive leader who endorsed the oyster farmer just days into his campaign — told MS NOW, “Certainly not.”

It was a similar sentiment from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. — another Platner booster — who brushed off questions about the candidate’s indiscretions and pivoted to rising gas prices, the war in Iran and Democratic hopes of unseating the Republican incumbent, Sen. Susan Collins.

\Maine Morning Star -   In their final debate, the five Democrats running for governor were asked how they would help struggling renters. From rent relief to eviction prevention, the candidates highlighted parts of their housing plans, while reiterating much of what they’ve said before: there’s a housing crisis, with insufficient stock and a dearth of affordable options.

Amid a flurry of last-minute campaign events ahead of the June 9 primary, the five Democratic candidates — Shenna Bellows, Troy Jackson, Angus King III, Hannah Pingree and Nirav Shah — gathered at the University of Southern Maine’s Hannaford Hall on Thursday evening for a forum sponsored by the Cumberland County Democratic Party.

Maine Morning Star -   President Donald Trump’s administration sued Maine on Wednesday for refusing to provide immigration authorities with covert license plates. The 18-page complaint filed in the U.S. District Court accuses the state of discriminating against federal immigration agencies by requiring that vehicles could only be granted such plates if they aren’t used for civil immigration purposes. 

“Federal law enforcement agencies should not be subject to the challenged BMV policy, which is unconstitutional and recklessly disregards officer safety, public safety, and federal operational needs,” the lawsuit reads.  The Trump administration has also filed similar lawsuits against Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington.

“There are over 150,000 renter households in Maine. Fifty-one percent of them are spending as much as 51% of their income on rent and risk eviction every month,” said moderator Cathy Lee. “Many of you focus on building housing, which takes years, or reducing property taxes for homeowners. What policies do you propose that would stabilize renter households now?”  MORE

Maine News Monday June 1

Press Herald -   As spring turns to summer in Maine, park rangers are welcoming some familiar faces. Along with the tourists, the state will once again become home to thousands of birds of different species. The 16th annual Feathers Over Freeport birding festival at Bradbury Mountain and Wolfe’s Neck Woods state parks on Saturday and Sunday celebrated their return with a community event for all ages. 

...“The focus is on just inviting people to come with their whole family to enjoy,” said Wolfe’s Neck park manager Andy Hutchinson. The highlight, he said, are the returning ospreys that nest high up in the trees on Googins Island every year.

Other event highlights included a do-it-yourself birdhouse making station, a leave no trace presentation, a bird footprint making workshop, and a wildflower walk. The live music event was rained out Sunday, but the weather held up enough for a two-hour morning walk for the early birds.

“If you went without a guide, you’d miss them,” Hutchinson said of the ospreys spotted on the morning walk. “It was really nice for people to see (the osprey) on her eggs and hear the male in the background making his call.” 

InteractivePolls - Governor Janet Mills has reminded Maine voters that she remains on the ballot for the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, despite suspending her active campaign on April 30. Mills made the clarification in an interview with the Sun Journal on Sunday. “People have the impression that I ‘withdrew’ or ‘dropped out,’ but I simply suspended active campaigning,” she said. “I am still on the ballot. CitinG challenges and trailing poll numbers, Mills paused campaigning but did not file formal withdrawal paperwork with the Secretary of State. As a result, any votes cast for her will be counted. She has not endorsed the presumptive nominee, Graham Platner.

Newsweek -  Collins is currently polling worse against Platner, who is leading RealClearPolitics’ average by 7.8 points.

Press Herald -  A customer at the popular Miss Portland Diner in the West Bayside neighborhood of Portland said she found a hidden camera in the bathroom Wednesday morning.  The customer, Cheyenne Farrell, told WGME that the camera was taped to the base of a chair in the corner of the stall, which was facing the toilet.

Tom Manning, a co-owner of Miss Portland, said in a statement Sunday afternoon that he called Portland police after Farrell told them about the camera. He said they are still investigating the situation.

“First and foremost, the safety, privacy and trust of our guests and employees are extremely important to us,” Manning wrote, adding that they turned the camera over to police and are cooperating with the investigation.

Press Herald -  This fall, Maine voters could be weighing in on a question about transgender inclusion in school sports and private spaces, put forward by a citizens' initiative. But because of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows' most recent decision, the debate heads to the judicial branch, where both the Maine Superior Court and Maine Supreme Judicial Court could review it. Here's a closer look at the path a ballot question must take in order to become law.

Maine Morning Star -   Several of the 20 contested Republican primaries for the Maine Legislature are in swing districts that’ll be consequential for whether Democrats hold onto their slim majorities in the general election.   “Especially in a state like Maine that has smaller legislative districts, you can outperform national trends,” said Billy Bob Faulkingham, the outgoing minority leader of the Maine House of Representatives.  Democrats have held a trifecta in state government since Gov. Janet Mills began her tenure in 2019, but the party’s majorities in both chambers have narrowed. In 2024, Maine Democrats bucked national trends of Republicans gaining control of state legislatures, however the Maine GOP flipped seats in each chamber. 

WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 key indicators of economic performance and strength. The data set ranges from GDP growth and the unemployment rate to startup activity and the share of jobs in high-tech industries.  

Economic Performance of Maine (1=Best; 25=Avg.):

Overall Rank: 48th 

47th – Change in GDP

44th – Exports per Capita

32nd – Startup Activity

37th – % of Jobs in High-Tech Industries

47th – Annual Median Household Income

34th – Change in Nonfarm Payrolls

30th – Government Surplus/Deficit per Capita

For the full report

Maine News Sunday May 31

Newsweek -   Republican Senator Susan Collins is trailing Democrat Graham Platner in polls for Maine's U.S. Senate race ahead of this year's midterm elections, but she similarly struggled in public polling in her 2020 race but went on to win reelection.

The race is among the most important of the midterms, with Democrats viewing it as a top flip opportunity after former Vice President Kamala Harris carried the state by about 7 percentage points in 2024. On paper, Collins looks more vulnerable now than she did in 2020, but her outperforming the polls that year has raised concerns among Democrats about whether there could be a similar situation this year.

Politico -  Graham Platner exchanged sexually explicit texts with multiple women while married to his wife, Amy Gertner, his campaign confirmed to POLITICO on Saturday, the latest scandal he has faced since launching his Maine Senate campaign last year. In a statement, Gertner slammed a former friend for spreading “malicious gossip” in the wake of a Wall Street Journal report that she had informed her husband’s campaign of the texts in late August.

Two new books dive deep into the history of Maine’s Irish immigrants

News Center Maine -  Streets in Maine were closed Saturday morning as crews worked to clear trees and restore power following strong winds. A cold system from Canada brought chilly temperatures, rain, and winds to Maine, according to NEWS CENTER Maine Meteorologist Christian Bridges. In Portland, wind gusts were up to 45 mph.

Brunswick neighborhood market to close after 71 years (pressherald.com)

FREEPORT

At Wolfe's Neck Center Farm Camp, kids engage in hands-on learning immersing them in sustainable agriculture and the environment. From caring for livestock, tending (and tasting) what is in our gardens, exploring our surrounding ecosystems and making new friends, campers fill their days with fun and discovery. While emphasizing play, exploration and farm-based activities, campers will try new things, gain confidence and skills, and grow in their individual relationship with farming and food. Our nonprofit educational farm is located just five miles from I-295 and downtown Freeport, ME.  CONTACT

JOBS

• Domino's Pizza, Inc. posted a job opening for Customer Service Rep(03091) - 8 School St. in Freeport. Apply here.
• First Atlantic Health Care posted a job opening for Certified Nursing Assistant - Med Tech -CNA-M in Freeport. Apply here. 
• You can search for other jobs near Freeport here.

Low-carbon design shapes agricultural education center (constructionspecifier.com) — Freeport’s Wolfe’s Neck Center has opened a new low-carbon Smith Center for Education and Research, giving local agricultural programs a permanent, energy-efficient home. Built with mass timber, biogenic materials, and rooftop solar, the Grange Life facility dramatically cuts energy use while echoing traditional barn architecture. It’s designed to host public meetings and hands-on sustainable farming education for the community.

REST OF MAINE

Press Herald -   Democratic challenger Graham Platner has so far outraised Republican Susan Collins in the race for her U.S. Senate seat, $16.3 million to $15.1 million. But Platner is also outspending the incumbent, $14.1 million to $7 million, according to campaign finance reports.

WCVB -   For generations, Fogg’s Water Taxi has helped people navigate Maine's Casco Bay, connecting island communities and visitors across the region's busy coastal waters.  The family-owned business offers transportation throughout the bay, along with sightseeing tours that showcase the region’s islands and waterfront views. Despite the large area they cover, owner Dennis Fogg says the service stays efficient thanks to Fogg's fleet of seven boats.

But the Fogg family’s connection to boating goes beyond transportation.  At nearby Fogg Boatworks in Yarmouth, the family also designs and builds the vessels they use. The company manufactures custom aluminum work boats known as Foggcraft, built for a range of commercial and practical uses.

The boats are designed with Maine’s unpredictable coastal conditions in mind. According to the company, the vessels are fuel efficient and capable of handling rough weather, making them well suited for life and work on Casco Bay.

Midcoast Now - Read about some new ventures for Rice's Drug Store in Bath and STARC on Brunswick Landing, and a goodbye to Tess' Market in Brunswick. 

Bronze flag holders disappear from veterans’ graves in apparent theft on Orr’s Island