Press Herald
- Disclosures of past online comments made by Graham Platner are part of a well-known political playbook, highlighting the risk young outsiders face when seeking public office. While the negative press and advertising that follows can seem like dirty politics, it’s become a critical part of vetting candidates and drawing early contrasts during a campaign. Here how it's affecting Maine's U.S. Senate race.
- Prices for meat, poultry, fish and eggs have increased by about 34% since January 2018 — an increase many Mainers simply can’t afford. A family of four in Maine on a “survival budget” needs to spend a minimum of $933 per month on food, Now, with food-related benefits potentially lapsing for about 13% of Mainers and deer season opening this month, hunting could become an even more important source for rural Maine families.
- On Thursday, 531 MaineHealth patients received estate vendor letters
indicating they were deceased and providing information to their next of
kin about resolving their estate. The problem was, none of those patients were actually deceased.
According to Caroline Cornish, Communications and Public Affairs Manager at MaineHealth, an error in MaineHealth’s computer system for generating estate vendor letters was the cause of the incident. In an email to the Press Herald on Oct. 31, Cornish said MaineHealth “sincerely regrets” the error and has sent apology letters to all patients who have been affected.
- A new report says Gulf of Maine lobsters are healthy, but are being caught faster than they can be replenished in a warming environment. A new assessment estimates there were about 201 million lobsters in northern New England in 2023 — down 34% from the 2018 peak. While still above the 143 million needed to sustain the population naturally, the stock falls short of the 229 million required to support the fishery at current levels amid changing conditions.
- When Maine voters cast ballots Tuesday on referendum Questions 1 and 2, it will be the 30th and 31st time that’s happened over the last two decades. Since 2004, voters have approved 14 citizen-led efforts and rejected 15. Two more are on the ballot next week. Maine’s process has been in existence for over 100 years, and recently, there have been several statewide initiatives on the ballot. Here’s a closer look at Maine's history of citizens’ initiatives.
Bowdoin students closely watching Mamdani in NYC mayor’s race.
- Maine’s sole area code will last about another 25 years before running out of numbers. New 207 numbers are expected to run out in the first quarter of 2050. For years, Maine officials have warned that the coveted code could be nearing extinction. Two years ago, the code was expected to fill up before 2030.“The 207 area code is part of Maine’s identity,” said Philip L. Bartlett II, chair of the Maine Public Utilities Commission.