Maine News & Current Events | Public News Service

An AARP Maine survey finds Democratic Gov. Janet Mills with a narrow lead over Republican challenger, former Gov. Paul LePage, 51% to 46%. Among voters 50+, the race is tied at 48%, with women voters 50+ giving Mills the slight lead. (Adobe Stock)

Friday, October 7, 2022

Older Voters: A Formidable Factor in Maine Gubernatorial Race

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and her challenger, former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, both are courting votes from Maine's largest contingency -- …

According to a poll by Voto Latino, one of the most important issues to Latino voters in the 2022 midterm elections is abortion rights, with 70% of those surveyed supporting a person's right to choose. (Felipe Sanchez/Adobe Stock)

Latino Voter Turnout Uncertain for 2022 Midterms

With the November midterms fast approaching, concerns have risen about Latino voter turnout. Across the U.S., 11% of voters in the 2020 General …

This year, more than 70% of the attempts to restrict library resources have targeted multiple titles, according to the American Library Association. (Adobe Stock)

Maine Libraries Observe 'Banned Books Week'

Controversial books are nothing new, but the incidence of book challenges and bans has increased substantially in recent years. For the American …

Maine artist Russel Whitten creates an ocean scene at East Point Audubon Sanctuary at Biddeford Pool. (Elizabeth Creamer/Maine Audubon)

Maine Audubon 'Brush with Nature' Event Captures Wilderness Sanctuaries

The beauty and inspiration of Maine's coastal wetlands soon could be hanging on a wall near you. Twenty-seven plein-air painters will be creating …

Once installed, a trio of solar arrays is estimated to save Maine taxpayers at least $7.2 million over the next 20 years. (Photocreo Bednarek/Adobe Stock)

MaineDOT Installing Solar Arrays to Power Capitol Complex

The Maine Department of Transportation is "going green," with plans to install solar arrays on three state-owned properties in Augusta. The …

Parents of roughly 36,000 Maine kids have been told by a medical professional that their child has anxiety or depression. (Adobe Stock)

Well-Being Report Highlights Mental-Health Struggles of Maine's Kids

Children's advocacy groups are sounding the alarm about the mental-health challenges of Maine's kids. The 2022 Kids Count Data Book released today …

Different municipalities may have different rules about accessory dwelling units, sometimes known as

Maine Communities Work to Become More Age-Friendly

Eleven projects in Maine have been awarded grants from AARP to make communities more livable, especially for older residents. Types of projects …

Maine is among 22 states plus Washington D.C. with automatic voter registration when eligible voters get or update their driver's license. (evgenii/Adobe Stock)

Mainers Can Now Register to Vote at the BMV

Maine now has what is known as automatic voter registration at Bureaus of Motor Vehicles. When someone goes to get a driver's license or update one…

At least four U.S. Supreme Court justices have signaled support for the independent state legislature theory, which the Brennan Center for Justice says could have

ME Election Officials Sound Alarm on 'Independent State Legislature Theory'

The U.S. Supreme Court plans to consider a case which could have major implications on the power of state legislatures to control elections. In …

Maine residents can contact MaineCare Member Services to find a dental provider that accepts MaineCare. (satura_/Adobe Stock)

ME Groups Spotlight Improvements to MaineCare Coverage, Eligibility

MaineCare is seeing two big changes this month. Children under 21 and Mainers who are pregnant now are eligible for coverage regardless of their …

In 2019, Maine passed a law requiring MaineCare to cover all pregnancy outcomes including abortion. (alexkoral/Adobe Stock)

ME to Protect Abortion Patients, Providers from Restrictive States

The legal status of abortion in various states is changing day-to-day with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but Maine is among those taking action to …

Proponents of a consumer-owned utility say as Maine works to improve the power grid, it is important to hold power companies in the state accountable. (Adobe Stock)

Campaign Gathers Signatures to Start Consumer-Owned Utility in Maine

A campaign in Maine is gathering signatures to replace the state's investor-owned energy grid with a consumer-owned utility. Central Maine Power (…

The price of meat has gone up 12.3% in the last year. (Fxquadro/Adobe Stock)

Report: Corporate Consolidation Seen as Major Driver of Inflation

Seven in 10 Americans view inflation as the most pressing issue facing the nation right now, and in Maine, a new report seeks to explore the causes…

The Common Loon mostly breeds in Canada and the northern United States. (Tim Corner/Adobe Stock)

Maine Biologists: Give Loons Space This Nesting Season

Maine is home to the largest number of loons in the region, and it's nesting season. The Maine Loon Restoration Project is a five-year effort to …

More than 90% of voters surveyed by AARP Maine want a candidate who supports allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drugs. (hankimage9/Adobe Stock)

Poll: Older Mainers Worry About Inflation, Prescription Drug Prices

Ahead of next Tuesday's primary election, new polling shows many Mainers are extremely motivated to vote, and reveals the issues that matter most to …

More than 1,700 Mainers have completed the HiSET since 2020. (JackF/Adobe Stock)

ME Officials Urge Adults Without High School Diploma to Complete HiSET

Maine education officials are encouraging residents who never graduated from high school to return to adult education and complete the High School Equ…

On June 14, Maine voters will select candidates for governor, U.S. House of Representatives and all 186 seats in the Maine Legislature. (Adobe Stock)

ME Outreach Works to Increase Low-Income, Minority Voter Turnout

Maine outreach groups are doing their part to increase voter turnout for the June 14 primary election and November general election. They are …

Conservationists note that old, wild forests bring various benefits, from storing carbon to preserving biodiversity. (Wikimedia Commons)

Groups Aim to Protect Old Forest in Northern Appalachian-Acadian Ecoregion

Conservationists in the Northern Appalachian-Acadian region are changing how they think about forest protection and management, by bringing together …

Maine's Climate Action Plan cites supply disruptions during the pandemic as a wake-up call to improve the state's local food systems. (Adobe Stock)

Maine Seeks Proposals to Increase Access to Local Food

Maine is seeking proposals for a grant opportunity to support local food producers and production and assist low-income residents in accessing local f…

679 people who were counted in the 2022 Point in Time survey are chronically homeless. (JP Photography/Adobe Stock)

MaineHousing: Better Data Collection Can Help Reduce Homelessness

Data from Maine's annual Point in Time homelessness survey has been released, showing 4,411 individuals were experiencing homelessness on Jan…

Arctic terns have one of the longest annual migration patterns of any species on the planet, traveling from the Arctic to the Antarctic circles and back, nearly 19,000 miles. (rabbitti/Adobe Stock)

Experts, Birders: Turn Off Home Lights at Night During Migration Season

Saturday is World Migratory Bird Day, and bird experts said it is a great time to be on the lookout for types of birds you may not see every day in …

Nearly 70% of voters who identify as Independents oppose overturning the decision in Roe v. Wade, according to a January 2022 poll by Marquette University Law School. (Judith Anne/Adobe Stock)

Mainers Rally In Support of Roe v. Wade After Leaked Draft Opinion

Mainers gathered Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Portland, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the right to have an abortion. Politico …

Polling shows that many Mainers worry about affording future health-care costs, and groups hope Maine will continue to take that concern seriously in future legislative sessions. (hafakot/Adobe Stock)

Groups: Maine Lawmakers Took Health Care Seriously This Session

With the conclusion of this year's legislative session, advocates say Maine lawmakers have taken key steps toward reducing the cost of health care…

During the pandemic, 141 child-care centers closed in Maine, and many more closed temporarily. That's limited some women from getting back into the workforce. (Rafael Ben-Ari/Adobe Stock)

Report: Gaps in Data Limit Maine's Ability to Support Marginalized Women

A new report finds the pandemic disproportionately impacted women, but that gaps in data limit Maine's ability to help those in need. Women are …

Estimates suggest that in 2018, more than 20,000 service members were sexually assaulted, but there only were slightly more than 6,000 reports. (Ovidiu lordachi/Adobe Stock)

Veteran Women's Center Underscores Toxic Culture in Maine National Guard

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and advocates are urging more accountability for responding to sexual assault…

The Penobscot River is one of the ancestral rivers in which the Penobscot Nation has fought to keep water rights. (kellyvandellen/Adobe Stock)

Native Community Development Group Works to Boost Wabanaki Economies

Indigenous Mainers are working on a plan to boost tourism for the state's five Wabanaki Nations. The Wabanaki Cultural Tourism Initiative has …

Maine's Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point has been facing high levels of toxic chemicals in their drinking water for decades. (Wabanaki Alliance)

Groups Rally for Clean Drinking Water for Passamaquoddy Tribe

Groups rallying at the State House on Monday called on lawmakers and Gov. Janet Mills to pass and sign a bill to address the high levels of toxic …

The news organization Reuters has identified nearly 900 threats against election workers in the last year. (Krakenimages.com/Adobe Stock)

ME Lawmakers Spotlight Need to Protect Election Workers

The Maine Legislature passed a bill on Tuesday to strengthen protections in the law for election workers and volunteers. In a recent survey of …

A report finds nationally, Black and Latino kids were 50% more likely to face incarceration than their white peers in 2019. (mario beauregard/Adobe Stock)

Report: Too Many Youth Incarcerated in Maine, Across U.S.

Almost a quarter-million American children were incarcerated in 2019, and a new report found it is about five times more than states' annual point-in-…

The Affordable Care Act was signed by former President Barack Obama 12 years ago today. (Annap/Adobe Stock)

Mainers Spotlight Impact of Affordable Care Act, Signed 12 Years Ago Today

Twelve years ago today, then-President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law, and it has helped provide more than 156,000 …

Maine, one of the most rural states in the nation, has just two congressional voting districts. (Maine.gov)

Officials to Mainers: Check Your New Districts Before Election Time

With new maps for the next decade of elections finalized in Maine, election officials are urging voters to make sure they are up-to-date on any …

Groups in Maine highlight a need for more funding for early education and care. The current continued resolution is set to expire March 11th. (Alessandro Biascioli/Adobe Stock)

ME Groups: Congress Needs to Pass Fully-Funded Appropriations Bill

Mainers are urging Congress to pass a fully funded, full-year appropriations bill, instead of the stopgap continued resolutions for the various …

In a virtual news conference, Maine labor leaders react to a new set of recommendations about how to improve the state's climate resiliency. (Maine AFL-CIO)

Report Recommends Slew of Climate, Labor Policies for Maine

A new report outlines steps Maine could take to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and pollution, create new jobs and build more equitable and resilient …

A report found paid family and medical leave can lead to increased employee engagement as well as higher morale and productivity. (Paid Leave for ME)

Mainers Rally for Paid Family, Medical Leave This Session

Dozens of Maine residents came together at the State House yesterday, calling on the Legislature to pass a bill this session to implement a paid …

Chief Kirk Francis of the Penobscot Nation was among those who testified in support of a bill to restore tribal sovereignty to the Wabanaki Nations in Maine. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Flickr)

Wabanaki Nations, Allies: Restore Sovereignty to Maine Tribes

More than 100 Mainers attended a Tuesday hearing on a bill to restore tribal sovereignty to Maine's four Wabanaki Nations. Advocates of LD 1626 say …

Research from the Mayo Clinic Health Center shows volunteering can lead to lower rates of depression and anxiety, especially for people age 65 and up. (Mediteraneo/Adobe Stock)

Volunteering in Retirement Brings Mental, Physical Benefits

Many nonprofits and advocacy groups across Maine, and the nation, have seen fewer volunteers during the pandemic, but research shows donating your …

Nearly 70% of fire fighters in the United States are volunteers, which can be a barrier to getting support after traumatic events. (Peter Abzug/Adobe Stock)

ME Firefighters: Extend Law to Support First Responders with PTSD

A bill in the Maine Legislature would keep a law in place that makes it easier for first responders to get workers' compensation coverage for Post-Tra…

Concerns over the cost of prescription drugs led 30% of Maine adults to not fill a prescription, cut pills in half or skip doses of their medicine. (Bonsales/Adobe Stock)

Maine AARP: Focus on Seniors This Legislative Session

With the Maine legislative session under way, advocates for older Americans say residents need action on issues from prescription-drug costs and …

Across the United States, 38 states operate some kind of needle=exchange program. (Wikimedia Commons)

ME Recovery Advocates: Access to Fresh Syringes Saves Lives

Death rates in Maine have been on the rise among people who use drugs, not only from overdoses but also complications due to injection drug use…

Narcan, or Naloxone, can help treat an opioid overdose in an emergency situation. (Flickr)

ME Advocates Urge Expansion of Good Samaritan Law

A bill before the Maine Legislature would expand the state's Good Samaritan law, which protects people seeking help for an overdose from arrest or …

More than half of Maine adults struggle to afford prescription drugs, according to a new survey. (pickselstock/Adobe Stock)

Poll: Mainers Face Health-Care Affordability Burdens

A new poll found a majority of Mainers struggle to afford the medical care they need. Advocates for increasing access to health care say Gov…

Maine now has the third-highest minimum wage in New England, after Connecticut and Massachusetts. (Adobe Stock)

ME Minimum Wage Now 60 Cents Higher Than Last Year

Mainers working for minimum wage will see a modest increase in their paychecks starting this month, as inflation has driven it to $12.75 an hour…

More than 190 winter bird species can be found in Maine, including chickadees, crows and mallards. (Ann Stryzhekin/Adobe Stock)

Maine Birders Urged to Assist in Mapping Wintering Species

The Maine Bird Atlas is in its fourth year out of five, an effort to document the abundance and distribution of the state's wintering and breeding …

If passed, Build Back Better would allocate additional funding for home and community-based care for seniors and people with disabilities. (Miguel Tamayo)

ME Labor Leader: Child Care, Pre-K, CTC Needed to Boost Working Families

With the future of the Build Back Better Act in doubt in Congress, labor leaders are urging Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to get on board to improve …

Maine law requires at least five eight-hour days of paid leave, but has no other policies for family or medical leave. (Rostislav Sedlacek)

Mainers Say Comprehensive Paid Family, Medical Leave Policy Needed

AUGUSTA, Maine -- The commission tasked with finding the best way to establish a paid family and medical leave policy in Maine has until Feb…

More than 2.8 million Americans signed up for health insurance coverage through the online marketplace during the 2021 Special Enrollment Period. (onephoto/Adobe Stock)

Mainers Could Get Help Paying ACA Marketplace Plan Premiums

AUGUSTA, Maine -- With open enrollment deadlines for the Affordable Care Act marketplace approaching, groups are urging Mainers to make sure they've …

Maine has more than 2,000 children in foster care, but not enough families for family placements. (cristalov/Adobe Stock)

Groups: Maine Foster Youths Need More Families Available for Placements

PORTLAND, Maine -- About 2,200 children are in foster care in Maine, and agencies say there are not enough families who are actively able to accept …

Groups representing 77,000 physicians and more than 200 hospitals issued a declaration of a national children's mental health emergency. (Robert Hainer/Adobe Stock)

Mental-Health Summit to Raise Awareness of Challenges in Maine System

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Advocates for access to mental-health services are holding a Behavioral Health Summit today at the Augusta Civic Center. They are …

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