Press Herald - The median statewide home sale price reached a new record of $436,000 in June, according to data released Thursday by the Maine Association of Realtors. Hannah LaClaire breaks down the data and shares three big takeaways regarding the current housing market.
New - Senate poll - Maine
Collins 48%
Jackson 47
Polling Numbers
Press Herald - A ballot question limiting transgender students’ rights in sports and access to school facilities will not appear on the November ballot, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled Friday
The citizens’ initiative, filed by a group called Protect
Girls Sports, initially qualified for the ballot but later met a legal
challenge over the signature collection process, which a group of citizens said
broke several state rules and resulted in invalid signatures.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows agreed and rejected nearly
4,000 signatures, leaving the group 500 names below the required threshold. A
Superior Court judge upheld that call last month, but the group appealed.
Protect Girls Sports argued to the Supreme Judicial Court on
July 1 that the secretary of state’s rules for out-of-state signature
collectors were unlawful, and that she did not have the right to invalidate
more than 1,000 signatures on that basis.
The high court, in a unanimous per curiam decision Friday,
said Bellows had not only the right but the obligation to invalidate those
signatures.
“As a result of the Secretary’s proper invalidation of the
signatures collected by these four circulators, the petition fell below the
constitutional threshold for an initiative petition to be submitted to the
voters of Maine,” the court wrote. “The Secretary thus correctly determined the
petition to be invalid.”
The referendum would have required participation in school
sports and use of facilities including bathrooms and locker rooms to be based
on a student’s sex assigned at birth, rather than their gender identity.
Although the question will not appear on the November
ballot, the petitioners are allowed to keep collecting names; per the state’s
constitution, their initial signatures only remain valid for a year after the
petition was filed with the secretary’s office. In this case, that occurred on
Nov. 3, 2025.
UPCOMING
JULY 10
30th Annual Ocean Waves Quilters Quilt Show July 10th – July 12th →
Old Orr's Island Schoolhouse, 1594 Harpswell Islands Rd, Orr's Island
10:00 am
..JULY 11
Great State of Maine Air Show - Blue Angels → Brunswick Landing Venture, 74 Neptune Dr, Brunswick 9:00 am
Discovery Park, LL Bean, Freeport: Lexi James & Wildheart, 7 PM
JULY 12
Memorial Park, 5 Park St., Freeport: The Honey Tones, 2-4
Music in the Parks - Memorial Park, 19 Bow St 2:00 pm
Complete Streets Committee →30 Main Street, Freeport 7:30 am
Conservation Commission → 5 Depot Street 6:30 pm
Winslow Park, 50 Winslow Park Way, Freeport: Coastal Winds, 6-7:30, park has $3 entry fee
Bandstand By The Sea, 1410 Harpswell Neck Rd., Harpswell: Harpswell Concert Band, 6-7:30
Thursday, July 16, 2026 | 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM (music starts at 6:30 PM) Kresge Auditorium, Bowdoin College, 239 Maine St, Brunswick, ME More info: FreeportSpeech.org
Thursday Night Concert Series at Winslow Park
For more info on the artists and to see the Memorial Park summer concert schedule, visit the Meetinghouse Arts website
JULY 16 — COASTAL WINDS: Enjoy the vibrant sounds of the Coastal Winds, a community band featuring over 35 skilled woodwind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists from the Freeport area.
JULY 23 — THE FLUKES:A Fun-Loving Ukulele Society, The Flukes bring joy to all ages with their performance, playing tunes from Bach to the Beatles.
JULY 30 — THE DELTA KNIGHTS BAND: Led by frontman Rob Babson, The Delta Knights Band has spent 30 years as a Southern Maine staple, delivering a tight, expert blend of blues, R&B, and classic rock.
AUGUST 6 — VINYL FOSSILS…Don't miss this six-piece band performing classic rock and roll music.
AUGUST 13 — CAROLE WISE | MARK ABRAHAM | DENNY BREAU | APRIL REED-COX: Four gifted Maine musicians unite to perform a harmonious, authentic blend of original songs celebrating friendship and collaboration.
AUGUST 20 — CORMAC MCCARTHY: Don't miss Cormac McCarthy's enthralling Americana set, showcasing his expertise as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and storyteller.
AUGUST 27 — BESS JACQUES & THE STRAYS: Bess Jacques & The Strays deliver a vibrant, nostalgic blend of jazz and pop, featuring lush vocal ballads and hard-swinging originals from their debut album.
Winslow Park Concerts are a community collaboration between Meetinghouse Arts and the Town of Freeport View it on website
JULY 18
Discovery Park, LL Bean, Freeport: Skosh, 7 pm
JULY 19
Memorial Park, 5 Park St., Freeport: Arcadia Band, 2-4 PM
JULY 22
Waves for the Bay: Friends of Casco Bay Members Annual Meeting: 5:30-7:30 pm. Where: Portland Yacht Services, 100 West Commercial Street, Portland, ME. The event will be held outside on a gravel surface under a tent, rain or shine.