Casco Bay News Thursday November 12

(centralmaine.com) — Retired Freeport Police Chief Susan Nourse will help Gov.-elect Hannah Pingree build her administration as one of 22 transition leaders announced Tuesday. The team will recruit and recommend candidates for Cabinet posts, with Pingree aiming to assemble most of her Cabinet before her Jan. 6 inauguration.

WBLM  - Congrats, Maine! Way to continue showing our true colors when it matters most, WalletHub.com, a personal finance website, recently released its ranking of the most charitable states in the country and, not surprisingly, Maine ranked near the top.

Maine's overall survey score was a 60.53 out of a possible 100 points. The scoring was based on two major categories: Volunteering & Service and Charitable Giving. The categories were broken down into 17 subcategories to make the study as accurate as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

Maine ranked below average for charitable giving, coming in at 36st overall. However, the state truly stood out in terms of volunteering and community service, securing an impressive 6th place. This ranking was also the highest of any state in New England, once again proving that Mainers are truly the best.

South Portland schools vote down AI moratorium

WalletHub today released its report on the States Where College Education Costs the Most & Least, highlighting the places where Americans are having the most difficulty affording college...

Education Spending in Maine (1=Most Expensive; 24=Avg.):

  • Average Yearly Cost of College Education*: $59,929.19
  • Average Yearly Cost of College Education* as % of Median Household Income: 80.19%

*College education refers to in-state tuition and fees, books and supplies, on-campus room and board, and other on-campus expenses. For the full report

Maine Morning Star -   The immigration agent who allegedly shot and killed a Biddeford man was fast-tracked through training and had expressed anti-immigrant views, according to new reporting from The New York Times. Media reports identified David Brouillette as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in July. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not officially released the agent’s name. Guerrero, who was from Colombia, was not the intended target of the ICE operation and had a pending asylum case and a valid work permit, according to his family and lawyer. The Times obtained a series of emails that Brouillette, a former U.S. Army sergeant, sent in 2021 criticizing his sister’s relationship with a Colombian man, with whom she had two children.

Press Herald -  Southern Maine may see first snow of the season by week’s end: Much of the interior, southern part of the state can expect snow between Thursday night and Saturday morning, but forecasters are skeptical that flakes will reach the coast.... Snow is on its way to southern parts of Maine for the first time this season, but whether the flakes will reach the coast is still up in the air. The National Weather Service expects the precipitation to reach the region late Thursday and depart by early Saturday. The highest likelihood for snow to accumulate is on Friday in areas at least 1,000 feet above sea level, but lower-elevation areas could still see light snow by midmorning.

UPCOMING

Town of Freeport Calendar

NOV 13



LL Bean Northern Lights Deck the Hall Weekend



Mast Landing Brewing Company – Comedy 7
PM - 9PM 
200 Lower Main Street, Freeport

NOV 15

Meetinghouse Arts, 40 Main St., Freeport: Schooner Fare, 2-4, $34-$108
NOV 17Tonic, 7 Dunlap St., Brunswick: Open mic with Rexy Dinosaur, 6-8NOV 18

Project Review Board Meeting  Freeport Town Council Chambers 30 Main Street 6:00 pm

NOV 19

Join us on Thursday, November 19, from 5–7 PM for Business After Hours at Hilton Garden Inn Freeport, Downtown!
RSVP Here!
NOV 21


Casco Bay News Wednesday Nov 11

News Center Maine - The Maine Library Commission unanimously adopted a policy Monday prohibiting anyone “acting on behalf of the state library” from voluntarily granting law enforcement officers access to nonpublic library areas for immigration enforcement. If a law enforcement officer demands access to nonpublic areas, the policy instructs staff members to first ask why the officer needs entry.The policy calls for library staff members to contact the designated administrator on duty if the officer possesses a court-issued warrant or any other official documents authorizing immigration enforcement activity.

The University of Maine announced a voluntary Special Retirement Incentive (SRI) on Thursday, Nov. 5, for 158 eligible faculty members as part of ongoing efforts to address a projected $19 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2028. Faculty who choose to participate will receive a one-time payment equal to 100% of their annual base salary upon retirement on Sept. 1, 2027. 

Freeport Conservation Trust is pleased to announce that on Tuesday, November 3, John and Janet Schwanda of Freeport granted a conservation easement on their property, Hemlock Hill. This generous gift permanently protects 32 acres of forest and wildlife habitat in Freeport.

Governor elect Pingree announces transition leaders 


Casco Bay News Tuesday November 10

Statewide and town by town election returns for Maine

Wolfe;s Neck Center -   We are excited to release the reservation schedule for the 2027 season. Secure your perfect Campsite, Cabin, A-Frame, L.L.Bean Wicked Easy Camping or Comfort Camping site. Click here

Maine Morning Star -  Federal officials on Monday announced $10 billion in awards across all 50 states in the second year of the Rural Health Transformation Fund, grants created by Congress to bolster rural health in response to concerns about Medicaid cuts.

Texas received the largest grant for the 2027 fiscal year — almost $282 million — followed by Alaska, Montana, California and Oklahoma. Maine was awarded more than $190 million, roughly the same amount it received in the first year of the program.

The five-year fund is providing $50 billion in grants meant to address rural healthcare access and health improvement, with $10 billion available each year until 2030.

Maine Morning Star - Democratic wins across the country open a path to get rid of the Electoral College by way of a compact Maine signed onto two years ago.  

Currently, votes in a presidential election don’t go to candidates but to a state’s electors. Each state gets a set number of electors equivalent to the size of its congressional delegation. Every state has two U.S. senators but the number of U.S. House of Representatives members vary, based on population size. A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes, a simple majority, to win the presidency. 

In 2024, the Maine Legislature adopted something called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which Democratic Gov. Janet Mills allowed to become law without her signature. States that are part of the compact pledge their Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate with the most overall votes across the country. However, it would only take effect once states with a total of 270 Electoral College votes have joined. 

Including Maine, 18 states and the District of Columbia have ratified the agreement, giving the compact a total of 222 electoral votes. 

But Democrats took control of several more state governments during the midterm elections, opening up the possibility of securing the 48 more needed to reach the threshold. 

WMTW -  Should the Amtrak train station in Portland be moved? That's the $48 million question.The Portland City Council held a workshop Monday evening regarding the proposed relocation of the train station.

….The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) was awarded $48 million in federal funding to relocate the train station along St. John Street, near Northern Light Mercy Hospital.

NNEPRA said the current train station is inefficient, costly and creates delays. The Rail Authority added that if Portland's train station is relocated, trains would no longer have to backtrack to the main line, which will save 15 minutes on every trip.

…. City officials will have to agree with NNEPRA's preferred location, as the Rail Authority said there will not be another project if the current proposal does not go forward. NNEPRA said the $48 million in federal funding it received will not be able to be used for an alternative project or location.

Press Herald -   A state senator from Cape Elizabeth and a lawyer from Yarmouth are competing to win enough support from Maine lawmakers to become Maine’s next attorney general.

Sen. Anne Carney, a Democrat who has served in the Senate since 2020, and Tim Shannon, a lawyer who previously served on the Yarmouth Town Council, are hoping to succeed Attorney General Aaron Frey, a Democrat who is termed out this year after first winning the state’s top legal job in 2018.

…Carney wrote in a statement she is “talking with legislators one by one and working hard to earn each of their votes.”

“This is a moment when Maine needs an attorney general ready to defend our constitutional rights and our state from day one,” Carney wrote in a Friday email. “Every legislator represents an important part of Maine, and I’m building a coalition that reflects the statewide nature of this job and the urgency we all feel.”

Meanwhile, Shannon, 54, said he would focus on pushing back against Trump if elected. “The Trump administration is a threat to our country, our state and our democracy, and it’s had a negative effect right here in Maine,” Shannon said in a Monday phone interview, adding he has received “lots of support” from the Democratic lawmakers he has spoken with so far.



Casco Bay News Monday November 9

Maine Biz -   Portland Water District was awarded an $8.1 million grant to lead a regional watershed protection initiative safeguarding Sebago Lake, a drinking water source for more than 200,000 people.

The money came from the Regional Conservation Partnership Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Additional financing comes from $10 million in partner contributions.

WalletHub today released its report on the Most Charitable States, along with expert commentary, to highlight where people spend the most time and money helping others. WalletHub also released a Charity Calculator to help donors decide where and how to give.

Generosity in Maine (1=Most Charitable; 25=Avg.):

  • Overall Rank: 10th
  • 6th – Charities per Capita
  • 12th – % of Population Who Donated Time
  • 15th – % of Population Collecting/Distributing Food
  • 11th – Volunteer Rate
  • 21st – Volunteer Hours per Capita

Press Herald -   Freeport Community Services is looking to raise $3.5 million to expand its food pantry and thrift shop, which funds essential programs for Freeport and Pownal residents. The expansion push comes as FCS works to accommodate greater needs in the community, staff said. In addition to the food pantry, the Community Center offers home heating assistance, support for families in need during the holidays and age-friendly groups and classes.

The Community Center’s current footprint is ill-suited for the number of people it serves, said Jennifer Hazard, FCS communications and engagement director. The food pantry is located in four rooms of a former historic home, meaning that only a few clients can shop at a time while others wait.

...The expansion, set to break ground in 2027, will open up the food pantry to accommodate more visitors and include an activity area where children can play while parents shop.

....The thrift shop also will be expanded to accommodate shopping, donation drop-offs and processing all on one side of the center, said Liza Moore, who chairs the FCS capital campaign committee.

Press Herald -   Brunswick operates a public fitness facility at the Brunswick Recreation Center, at 220 Neptune Drive. It has cardio machines, free weights and strength training equipment.

Paid membership costs residents $20 monthly or $220 annually, and nonresidents $30 or $330. Day passes cost $5 and $10, respectively. Active military personnel, students and adults 65 and older qualify for discounts.

A free basic membership gives residents and nonresidents access to an indoor walking track and basketball and pickleball courts. The center is open seven days a week. runswick acquired the former Navy field house after Brunswick Naval Air Station closed. The Parks and Recreation Department moved there in 2013, and renovations were completed in 2022.

Friends of Casco Bay – Even with autumn rains, Casco Bay remains extra salty because it hasn't received its normal influx of fresh water. Maine’s rivers, streams and groundwater tables are at record low levels. And the State's recent report on Combined Sewer Overflows showed lower-than-normal amounts, partly because of the drought and partly because of continued improvements to sewer systems, including separating stormwater from wastewater and building storage tanks like those along Back Cove.

Climate change means our weather patterns increasingly swing between prolonged dry periods and intense precipitation. Despite the drought, stormwater remains the largest unmanaged source of pollution to Maine waters.

Brian Tyler Cohen  - New England will have zero Republican Senators for the first time since the GOP was founded in the 1850s.

Casco Bay News Sunday November 8

 wmtw.com — Freeport’s two preliminary rainfall reports show 1.41 inches and 1.12 inches as rain adds up across Maine. Nearby reports include 1.23 inches in Brunswick and 1.04 inches in Yarmouth, with the regional list reflecting amounts reported to the National Weather Service

CUToday.info (cutoday.info) — Cumberland County Federal Credit Union packed 550 pounds of food for Freeport Community Services during Maine’s second annual CU Kind Day. The October volunteer effort brought credit unions together statewide to support food banks, help families and provide supplies to local nonprofits.

pressherald.com — Freeport Democrat Amy Leshure won the District 3 county commissioner race with 72.8% of the overall vote, defeating independent Robert Vail. State Sen. Mattie Daughtry also secured another term representing a district that includes Freeport, as neighboring Harpswell voters strongly backed Democrats across the ballot. 


Casco Bay News Saturday November 7

 Freeport Democrat Amy Leshure won the District 3 county commissioner race with 72.8% of the overall vote, defeating independent Robert Vail. State Sen. Mattie Daughtry also secured another term representing a district that includes Freeport, as neighboring Harpswell voters strongly backed Democrats across the ballot.

Press Herald -  The new Maine Legislature, when it convenes next month, will look much bluer. Riding a national wave, Maine Democrats flipped 17 Republican-held seats across both chambers on their way to huge majorities — their largest in the state House since the 2008 election, and their largest in the state Senate since the 1984 election.

Battleground districts all across the state went to Democrats, and some non-battlegrounds, too. Even the district currently held by Rep. Laurel Libby, one of the stars of the Maine Republican Party, flipped this cycle.

In the upper chamber, Maine Democrats will hold a two-thirds supermajority: 24 seats to Republicans’ 11. In the Maine House, Democrats and the independents who caucus with them will hold 90-61 majority.

Press Herald - Freeport residents denied a ballot measure aimed at launching a ship that has been stranded in a Freeport neighborhood for decades.  Voters also filled three Town Council seats Tuesday and elected two to the Regional School Unit 5 board.  According to unofficial vote counts from Tuesday’s election, 3,025 residents voted against the ship launching referendum, while 2,405 voted for it.

....On the Town Council, two district seats and one at-large seat were up for grabs on Election Day. Joanna Benoit, the council chairperson, was reelected to her at-large post. Benoit ran unopposed. In District 3, Matthew Pillsbury was the lone candidate and was reelected to his seat.

James DeGrandpre won the only contested seat on the council, for District 2. DeGrandpre received 875 votes while Steve Doran trailed with 319.

Voters also confirmed two uncontested candidates to the local school district board, which covers Freeport, Pownal and Durham. They are Anna Child and Anthony McElligott.


Casco Bay News Friday November 6

Freeport - Public Works is working with Maine Department of Transportation to restore automatic mode capabilities to the traffic lights at Mallett Drive and Route 1. This process is expected to take 2 - 3 weeks to complete. In the meantime, the lights are on timed mode, which may increase wait time for drivers and crossing pedestrians. Public Works thanks the community for your patience and understanding during this time

Press Herald  - After the Cumberland-North Yarmouth school board decided not to review the district’s cost-sharing agreement last spring — following opposing requests from each town about whether to do so — a petition will now force talks about the decades-old agreement. 

“When you explained it to people, it wasn’t hard to get their signature,” said Shirley Storey-King, a Cumberland resident who organized the petition. 

The cost-sharing formula for Maine School Administrative District 51 calculates how much each town contributes. The agreement has been a topic of discussion in recent years as both towns consider what would account for a fair financial distribution of the school’s growing budget and look to reduce residents’ rising tax burdens.

The current formula, created in 1966, is based on the overall property taxes each town generates. Currently, Cumberland pays for 73% of the municipal contribution to the school budget and North Yarmouth pays 27%.

Advocates for reconsidering the agreement say it should be more dependent on how many students each town sends to the district. In recent years, 68% of MSAD 51 students have come from Cumberland and 32% from North Yarmouth. Others argue that a 60-year-old formula should be regularly reviewed as a matter of practice. 

Press Herald -  Harpswell voters continued the town’s recent trend, backing Democratic candidates by lopsided margins across the ballot on Tuesday. State Rep. Cheryl Golek, a second-term Democrat who lives on Harpswell Neck, received 2,229 votes to 1,313 for political newcomer Braeden Webber, a Republican who lives on Great Island. Golek’s House District 99 also includes part of Brunswick. With results from the neighboring town, Golek swept to victory with 64.1% of the vote.

State Sen. Matthea “Mattie” Daughtry, D-Brunswick, gained Harpswell’s support on her way to a fourth consecutive term. Daughtry, who currently serves as president of the Senate, received 2,139 Harpswell votes to 1,375 for challenger Bernard “Ben” Porter, a Republican who lives on Orr’s Island.

Maine Mornring Star - The bolstered Democratic majority of the Maine House of Representatives re-selected Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford to serve as speaker on Thursday. 

The Democratic caucus also kept Rep. Matt Moonen of Portland as majority leader. With former Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Lori Gramlich termed out, Democrats selected Rep. Ambureen Rana of Bangor to assume the role. 

Maine Morning Star  - After Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a temporary statewide data center moratorium earlier this year, voters in several Maine towns approved local ordinances this week. 

Voters in Peru, a town in Oxford County, approved a 180-day moratorium on data center development and permitting. The local ballot question received 578 votes in support and 182 against, according to local results on the town website. 

Wiscasset voters also approved a measure to temporarily stop the town from accepting, processing, reviewing or approving applications for new or expanded data centers. Unless lifted earlier or extended, it would expire six months after enactment.

The Wiscasset moratorium got 1,363 votes in favor and 713 against. 

In York County, voters in Wells were asked if they want a 180-day moratorium on development of data centers 100,000 square feet or larger. Residents were resoundingly in favor of the measure, with 5,818 yes votes and 1,282 no votes. 

But not every moratorium was successful. In North Berwick, a ballot question that would have created an outright ban on data centers larger than 25,000 square feet failed. The measure got 738 votes in support and 1,698 votes against. 

UPCOMING

Town of Freeport Calendar

NOV 6

Family Fun Friday - An evening of fun and free pizza at the Landing YMCA, featuring bounce houses, gym games, and open swimming. 5PM - 7PM 24 Venture Avenue, Brunswick, ME. Check the event website for the most up-to-date info.

NOV 7

NOV 8
NOV 9
NOV 10 

Tonic, 7 Dunlap St., Brunswick: Open mic with Rexy Dinosaur, 

Complete Streets Committee →  30 Main Street, Freeport  7:30 am

Special Town Council Meeting → 30 Main Street,5:30 pm
Conservation Commission → 5 Depot Street, Freeport 6:30 pm
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