Maine News Tuesday

Upcoming elections: 

Press Herald -   A new independent poll shows political newcomer Graham Platner holding a commanding — and growing — lead in Maine’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. A University of New Hampshire poll released Tuesday found that Platner has a 38-point lead over two-term Gov. Janet Mills.

 Janet Mills - In their op-ed on Governor Mills' support of the tribes of Maine, tribal leaders Chief Po Basset of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik and Chief William Nicholas of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township, wrote:"During the meeting, which was held at our request, each chief spoke directly about their challenges, hopes and needs. The governor was respectful, honest and welcoming... As the elected chiefs of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township and Sipayik, we felt this meeting was the best we've had with any Maine governor."

Graham Platner - In a general election match-up this November, I win against Susan Collins by 11 points. And we win independent voters by 9 points. Meanwhile, my opponent in the Democratic primary, Janet Mills, is barely tied with Susan Collins. And what’s worse: Only 29% of independent voters support Mills.

 New Republic - The Gettys ... take up almost two complete columns in [Gavon Newsom's new] book’s index. The 270-page book includes 61 different page references for one or more Getty. The Gettys took him on vacation as a boy (highlights include their paying the famed paleontologist Mary Leakey to take them around Kenya, a hot-air-balloon safari, and a week hanging out with King Juan Carlos of Spain to attend Princess Cristina’s debutante events). The Gettys put up the money for 10 of the 11 businesses Newsom started or led. The Gettys either came over on holidays or hosted the Newsoms. Gavin was around so much and was so close with the family that in multiple anecdotes in the book he is mistaken for one of the Getty children. Young Gavin and his sister accompanied their father on a shopping trip intended to cheer up teenage J. Paul Getty II when he returned to the United States minus an ear after his kidnapping.

Press Herald Snow flew in just about every direction Monday as Maine’s coastline felt the blast of a blizzard that rocked much of the Northeast, bringing wind gusts of over 50 mph in some areas. Maine dodged the brunt of the storm, which dropped more than 2 feet of snow on Massachusetts and New York, but the fraction of the nor’easter that reached northern New England was enough to shutter schools, town offices and businesses.

A moratorium on large music venues aimed at a proposed 3,300-seat Live Nation concert hall was extended for another six months Monday, with officials now eyeing an April timeframe for deciding on an ordinance change that could kill the project. The proposal to bring the Live Nation venue to downtown Portland has been controversial and officials say they need more time to consider a range of concerns from the public.

Rising property values and years of inflation have pushed property taxes up across all 16 Maine counties, straining household budgets. To address the issue, the Legislature last year convened a group of 13 people, including lawmakers, citizens and various experts to issue guidance on how best to lower property tax burdens. After meeting six times in 2025, the state’s Real Estate Property Tax Relief Task Force has released a range of suggestions.

Maine ICE observers say agents threatened to put them on ‘domestic terrorist’ watchlist Tourists from Maine stuck in Mexico amid violence following death of cartel boss In Shenna Bellows’ court battle with Trump, she’s got former DOJ attorneys on her side Angus King: ‘I cannot in good conscience’ attend Trump’s State of the Union Former police recruit sues Maine Criminal Justice Academy Maine lawmakers look to regulate AI use in mental health care Brunswick neighbors mobilize following series of ICE arrests Maine Morning Star  — Freeport's state representative Melanie Sachs is leading a push in Augusta for a temporary moratorium on large data centers, aiming to pause new high‑power projects until mid‑2028 while Maine studies impacts on the grid and rates. The debate, sparked by controversial proposals in towns like Wiscasset and Sanford, could shape electricity costs and rural development across the state, including here in Freeport. The red flag law passed by Maine voters in November takes effect Saturday, expanding the ways firearms can be temporarily confiscated from someone deemed a threat to themselves or others.  More than 62.5% of Mainers who voted in the November 2025 election backed the citizen initiative. Maine now joins twenty-one other states, including four in New England, that already have an extreme risk protection order that allows family or household members to directly petition a court to temporarily confiscate someone’s firearms.