Press Herald - The average price of heating oil has risen more than 40% since the start of the war in Iran, state officials said Thursday. A gallon of heating oil averaged $5.40 statewide on Monday, according to the Maine Department of Energy Resources. That’s the highest price per gallon Maine has seen since November 2022, when the cost of oil shot up in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to state data.
Gov. Janet Mills, with support from community college leaders and students who have benefited, is pushing hard to make free tuition permanent. A cornerstone of her affordability agenda, the program has allowed more than 23,000 students to attend community college tuition-free since 2022. It's included in this year’s supplemental budget, along with language that would enshrine it in law in perpetuity.
Chebeague Island closing only store
...The largest piece of the funding would go toward long-needed infrastructure improvements, through the Maine Agriculture, Food System and Forest Products Infrastructure Investment Fund. Rep. Bill Pluecker (I-Warren), who sponsored the bill, said at a January public hearing that LD 2094 is meant to combine stakeholder feedback with bond bills from last year proposed by himself and Sen. President Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland).
...The bill would allocate several million dollars to the Farmers Drought Relief Grant Program, a major investment following drought conditions last year. It also includes funding for the Maine Healthy Soils Program, the Maine Working Farmland Access and Protection Program and the Dairy Improvement Fund. The proposal needs the support of two-thirds of the Maine Legislature before it can be sent to voters.