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Opinion: New England’s governors need to stop chasing a nuclear energy fantasy

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 30, 2026

Are all six New England governors out of their minds? It’s 2026, renewable energy is surging globally, nuclear power plants remain as dangerous as ever, and they want to build new nukes? New nuclear plants take 10 to 15 years to come online. Solar, wind, storage and efficiency can be permitted and built now, at a fraction of the cost. Every dollar, every year spent chasing nuclear is a dollar and a year not spent on the energy sources that can actually reduce emissions. And every reactor produces radioactive material that will stay lethal for thousands of years, with no permanent storage solution anywhere. Governors, please do your homework to learn why the second Seabrook reactor was never built. In 1972, it was projected to cost under $1 billion. By 1984, the price had ballooned past $10 billion. ~ Rob Okun

Federal funding for tick-borne diseases extended until 2030

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 30, 2026

A 2021 law that provided funding for studying and combating vector-borne diseases, including those carried by ticks, has been reauthorized through 2030. The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Wednesday, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who sponsored the Senate version of the bill. The law provides $10 million in funding for grants to regional centers of excellence in vector-borne diseases and for a national strategy around the diseases, which include such tick-borne illnesses as Lyme disease, Powassan virus, anaplasmosis and babesiosis, along with diseases carried by mosquitoes, such as dengue and West Nile virus.

Opinion: New England’s winter forests need the Roadless Rule

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 30, 2026

Growing up in New England instilled in me a deep appreciation for trees. The roadless areas that remain are vital resources for outdoor recreation and watershed protection. But they are currently under threat. The Trump administration has moved to rescind the Roadless Rule under the guise of more local forest control and wildfire management. The Green Mountain National Forest holds approximately 80,000 acres of inventoried roadless areas. the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) in New Hampshire and western Maine encompasses an estimated 368,000 acres of inventoried roadless areas. These are the places that create a community of people around shared outdoor experiences. At a moment filled with attempts to sell off our public lands, having the Roadless Rule to protect these places is more important than ever. ~ Anneka Williams

MDI town restricts garage access after bear sightings

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 30, 2026

The fate of the three dumpsters at the Mount Desert Town Garage has taken a backseat to what Town Manager Alex Kimball describes as a more pressing matter: a mother bear and her two cubs. “For at least the past two nights, a mother bear and her two cubs have been spotted at the dumpsters at the town garage,” Kimball wrote in a September 29 email. “They are definitely feeding at the dumpsters, and will almost certainly keep coming back as long as the food source is available to them.” The town will be placing temporary barricades in front of the garage’s entryways.

Birds & Climate Change, Oct 27

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • September 30, 2026

From large-scale habitat changes associated with European colonization to rapid climate change today, the birds of North America have faced, and will face, dramatically changing habitats across the continent. Steve Hampton examines the past, present, and future of our birds and explores why some are adapting, and some are not. Sponsored by Mid-Coast Audubon, hosted by Camden Public Library, on Zoom, October 27, 2026.

Opinion: Maine’s Blue Economy will form its future

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 30, 2026

For thousands of years, the Gulf of Maine has sustained our communities — we have harvested these waters, building our lives around its tides and seasons. Maine’s coastal communities have reinvented themselves, to innovate and adapt. The almost $6.8 billion in economic activity and 90,000 jobs supported by Maine’s ocean-related businesses are dynamic and reflect an economy that is changing. The Blue Economy Task Force 2.0 identified five opportunity for growth in Maine: aquaculture and marine vegetation, marine biotechnology, ocean data and research, resilient coastal infrastructure and sustainable boatbuilding and marine propulsion. Maine’s first Blue Economy Week (Sept. 29-Oct. 2) is a way to have scientists, investors, students, fishermen and educators come together to chart our course. To collectively ask: How do we build upon what Maine already does well while continuing to innovate to meet this moment? ~ Rhiannon Hampson, Gulf of Maine Research Institute

This weekend could be the ‘gem of all gems’ in Maine’s fall foliage season

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 30, 2026

Maine’s fall foliage display was largely spared by the recent nor’easter and could show out in parts of the state this weekend. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say this weekend is shaping up to be the gem of all gems for leaf enthusiasts in Maine!,” Gale Ross, fall foliage spokesperson for the state said.

Column: Breaking ground for a new farmers market in Brunswick

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 30, 2026

On Sept. 24, well after actual ground had been broken, Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust held its ceremonial groundbreaking for its new farmers market, and, in a slightly longer future, a home for community programs and the land trust itself. It seemed especially apt that this land trust, with agriculture central to its DNA, would come to Dionne Farm, which lies at the heart of Crystal Spring Farm along the conservation and agricultural corridor from Brunswick to Freeport. The Crystal Spring Farm land family has grown to 360 acres. Those acres include the site we stood upon, the 25-acre Dionne Farm, whose generously-supported purchase was completed in 2025 as a gift of place to our whole area. ~ Sandy Stott

Couple sued by lobster co-op over fraud scheme sells marina to pay off penalty

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 30, 2026

A couple accused of defrauding a Maine lobsterman’s cooperative have paid their court-ordered penalty in full after selling a Winter Harbor marine facility and ferry terminal for $3.2 million. Anthony and Josette Pettegrow were ordered to pay just over $3.8 million after they were sued in federal court in 2019 by Lobster 207 over a fraud scheme connected to the couple’s Trenton lobster pound. Joseph Townsend, a local philanthropist and conservationist, purchased Winter Harbor Marine Center, which serves as the terminal for a ferry to Bar Harbor.

Maine’s moose season opened with rain, but these hunters still found success

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 29, 2026

Maine’s moose season opened Monday in the rain, with wet weather from a nor’easter expected to continue through Tuesday. Despite the gloomy skies and damp woods, the weather didn’t deter hunters, with several moose brought to check stations across the state. As of noon Tuesday, 148 moose had been tagged. The state allocated 1,150 bull permits for the week across 16 wildlife management zones.

As heating oil prices hit record highs, Mainers are eyeing winter with growing trepidation

MAINE PUBLIC • September 30, 2026

Heating oil prices in Maine hit a record high last week, at $6.02 a gallon on average. It'll now cost an extra $740 to fill a standard 250-gallon tank than a year ago. On top of the global market turmoil triggered by the U.S. - Iran war, heating oil, which is similar to diesel, is also affected by limited refining capacity, which has taken a hit from fighting in the Middle East and in Ukraine. "As a result, we're seeing very tight supplies for diesel and heating oil," said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. Democrats in Maine and across the country are laying the affordability issue at the feet of Republicans.

Fungi and Flesh: William Henry Hunt’s Watercolors and the Politics of Technique

BOWDOIN COLLEGE • September 29, 2026

In 1858, William Henry Hunt painted an extraordinary little watercolor called Fungi, now in the Bowdoin College Museum of Art’s collection. In this talk, Professor Pamela Fletcher offers a close reading of the painting and its contexts, connecting the materiality of Hunt’s technique to the questions of ecology, pollution, beauty, difference, and vision that shaped both the Victorian world and our own. At Bowdoin College, Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center, Brunswick, September 30, 7:30 pm.

Ecology of New Hampshire's 4,000-Foot Mountains

Ecology of New Hampshire’s 4,000-Foot Mountains is the first comprehensive ecology and natural history guide organized around New Hampshire’s iconic 48 4,000-foot peaks. Publication date November 1, 2026.

Missing man found dead after falling off boat in Blue Hill

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 29, 2026

James Kannry, 82, a resident of Blue Hill and Virginia, was reported missing on Sept. 20, and investigators believe he fell off a boat. Maine Marine Patrol and other agencies searched the area for several days with no success. On Tuesday, a 911 caller reported locating a body in the water in Blue Hill, roughly five miles from where Kannry was believed to have fallen into the water.

Springworks Farms' Lisbon headquarters for sale

MAINE PUBLIC • September 29, 2026

Springworks Farm, a major regional producer of greenhouse grown lettuce, has shuttered and is selling its sprawling Lisbon headquarters. Broker Mike Carey said in a press release that the 168-acre campus including greenhouses, support buildings and a farmhouse will be sold in a "lender-ordered" auction in mid-October. Springworks was founded in 2014 as an aquaponic farm that grew lettuce and fish with a recirculating indoor water system. The company said its method significantly reduced resource inputs while allowing it to grow greens all year round. Its customers included Hannaford and Whole Foods supermarkets. According to its website Springworks could grow five million heads of lettuce and 160 metric tons of tilapia a year.

Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine introduces bill to protect presidential monuments from demolition

WMTW-TV8 • September 29, 2026

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, has introduced a bill to protect official monuments to U.S. presidents. Pingree, and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, unveiled the Protecting Presidential Memorials Act this week. The proposal would mandate an act of Congress to demolish any congressionally designated memorial, like the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial or the Kennedy Center.

After holding out, Cumberland votes to start design of Casco Bay Trail

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 29, 2026

After tabling it this summer, the Cumberland Town Council on Monday approved $12,000 toward the start of the first section of the Casco Bay Trail. Cumberland had been the lone holdout among the four communities along the initial leg of the trail to approve the federally required funding. The Casco Bay Trail, a planned 72-mile loop from Portland to Auburn and over to Brunswick, would be built along the state-owned St. Lawrence and Atlantic Rail corridor. Last year, the state authorized converting the 26-mile stretch from Portland to Auburn into the multiuse interim trail.

Moxie Pond wilderness conserved

MAINE PUBLIC • September 29, 2026

A new conservation purchase will protect nearly three square miles of forest and lakefront in Somerset County from logging and development. The new Moxie Pond Wilderness Preserve, covering more than 1,800 acres, is adjacent to the Appalachian Trail corridor and connects to nearby conserved land. "There are a lot of excellent conservation attributes with this property, including several miles of brook trout habitat in cold mountain streams," said Peter Mandych, land conservation director at Northeast Wilderness Trust. The property includes a mile of undeveloped shoreline on Moxie Pond. The land will be managed as a wild space where logging and development are prohibited. But it will be open for recreation, hunting and access to existing ATV and snowmobile trails. The $3.2 million purchase was organized by the Wilderness Trust and Trust for Public Land.

Biennial Maine Food Producers Showcase returns to Portland

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 29, 2026

The biennial Maine Food Producers Showcase and Golden Fork Awards is set for Thursday, Oct. 8 in Portland. Hosted by the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, the industry event spotlights innovation in Maine’s food economy. The showcase is aimed at buyers, distributors, retailers, chefs, foodservice professionals, investors, industry partners and community leaders interested in discovering Maine food and beverage companies.