Friends of Casco Bay - This year, Falmouth residents made a clear choice for clean water, public health, and the future of Casco Bay. By a strong margin, voters chose to uphold the town’s pesticide and fertilizer ordinance—an ordinance shaped by years of study and public input. Friends of Casco Bay shared local water quality data in support of the measure and encouraged members in town to weigh in. With this vote, Falmouth joins a growing group of Casco Bay communities using common-sense lawn care practices that reduce toxic runoff, protect eelgrass and clam flats, and support the resilience of Casco Bay. Read the full story
Press Herald
- Maine’s 5-year-old ban on products made using toxic "forever chemicals" is about to expand to thousands of everyday household products, including children’s toys, cookware and cosmetics. At the first of the year the state will also require all cleaning fluids, dental floss, menstrual products, ski wax, textiles and upholstered furniture sold in Maine to be free of forever chemicals, or PFAS, a group of manmade chemicals that don’t break down easily in the environment or the body.
- Community members have raised thousands in donations to support Portland’s waterfront workers after businesses were destroyed in a Friday fire at Custom House Wharf. Some fishermen also lost a lifetime worth of equipment, said Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, which had raised $18,000 by Monday morning. those who lost gear.
- Maine was awarded $190 million Monday in first-year funding under the Rural Health Transformation Program, a new pot of federal money designed to partially offset losses from upcoming Medicaid cuts. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said the funding, which can be used starting in 2026, “will help strengthen our rural hospitals and support innovative approaches that can lower costs and improve health outcomes for Mainers no matter where they live.
- On Nov. 6, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted against a Senate resolution that would have limited the president’s authority to use U.S. armed forces in or against Venezuela without congressional approval. The measure, introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., sought to require such authorization for military action related to Venezuela amid ongoing actions by the Trump administration, including vessel interceptions and strikes that have killed at least 105 people. The resolution failed, 49-51.