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Midcoast Wood Bank prepares to meet huge need as heating oil prices surge

TIMES RECORD • September 24, 2026

The Midcoast Wood Bank is bracing to meet high demand for free firewood as heating oil prices peak and temperatures drop. Midcoast Woodbank founder Bruce Wildes said, “The price of oil is through the roof, and people are struggling with heat and food and fuel for their cars. We are counting on donors and volunteers to help us bring the wood to people who need it.” On Wednesday, volunteers split donated wood into 16-inch pieces, and then used a small tractor to dump it on a pile to dry. This batch likely won’t be ready to burn until the fall of 2027. The organization offers two cords of wood to any household that needs it. The volunteer-run operation prepares firewood in Topsham, stockpiling in the leadup to the winter months. Volunteers meet to work from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and Wednesdays.

Historic Cape Elizabeth barn gets a new life

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 24, 2026

The air smelled of old wood and remnants of smoke. The dark wood-paneled walls were bare, except for a yellowed birthday poster for Peter Eastman – or Pops to some. The creaky floors were empty. Soon, the approximately 100-year-old barn will be buzzing with activity, a new home to educational programs, movie nights and community events for the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust. It will continue the building’s legacy as a gathering space, said Executive Director David Briman.

Will a weekend nor’easter be enough to bust the drought? Keith Carson explores

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 24, 2026

Literally 100% of Maine is in at least a moderate drought, with parts of the coastline in extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The good news: We’re actually in better shape than we were last fall, but we still need a lot of rain to officially be out of a drought. Those graphics show us that Maine’s coast would need almost a foot of rain — 11.29 inches, to be precise — in just one month to stomp this drought out. That’s why one rainy weekend won’t fix this. 

Rural Maine road to a popular hiking trail finally being paved after a year-long battle

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 24, 2026

Chick Hill Road in Clifton was regraded Wednesday and will be repaved Thursday and Friday, according to a notice from the town. The road is used by residents and hikers to gain access to the nearby 1,100-foot peak the road is named after. Chick Hill Road was the subject of multiple agenda items last fall for the Clifton Select Board after it was torn up as part of an improvement project but not immediately repaved.

Happytown Farm, Orland, 55 acres protected

MAINE FARMLAND TRUST • September 23, 2026

In late August, farmers Karen and Paul Volckhausen and Angelica “Munch” Harwood celebrated a new chapter for Happytown Farm as Maine Farmland Trust closed on an easement protecting the 55-acre farm in Orland, with support from Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust. Since the early 1980s, the Volckhausens have been producing organic vegetables, meat, poultry, and flowers, and have long been deeply involved with MOFGA, local farmers’ markets, MFT, and mentoring countless young farmers. As they began to plan for retirement, Karen and Paul searched for many years to find new owners for the farm – and with transition planning support from Land For Good, farm employee Angelica “Munch” Harwood recently took over operations under a rolling lease agreement, which should allow her to build the equity necessary to eventually complete the purchase of the farm, while MFT’s and GPMCT’s purchase of the easement on the farm will help to make this arrangement financially feasible for Paul and Karen. The Volckhausens also donated a trail easement across the property.

Deering Family Farm, Scarborough39 acres protected

MAINE FARMLAND TRUST • September 23, 2026

The Deering Family Farm has become the latest in a growing cluster of protected farms in Scarborough. In August, the Deering family five siblings, including longtime MFT Lands Committee member Glen Deering, purchased 39 acres from the O’Donal family while simultaneously closing on a conservation easement with MFT to permanently protect the land. The Town of Scarborough contributed half of the funds toward the easement through the town’s conservation Land Bond.

EPA waives Wilton’s $273,000 match for water main project

SUN JOURNAL • September 23, 2026

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved Wilton’s request to waive a $273,000 local match for a water main upgrade backed by $1.09 million in federal funding. The agency said Wilton qualified under financial capacity criteria used for the Community Grants Program. Communities where at least 11.7% of residents receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits may request a waiver. EPA said 13.9% of Wilton’s population receives SNAP benefits and verified the town’s supporting documentation before approving the request.

Opinion: Maine’s outdoor recreation economy relies on access to gear

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 23, 2026

Outdoor recreation is a key piece of Maine’s economic vitality. Over the last decade, our state’s outdoor recreation economy has nearly doubled, generating almost $4 billion per year. While growth has not stalled, it is slowing. In order to keep up the momentum, we must prioritize affordable access to the outdoors. One of the best ways to overcome our current barriers is to increase equitable access to outdoor equipment, from canoes and fishing rods to sleeping bags and hiking boots. What makes Maine’s outdoor recreation economy extraordinary is the opportunity to try and learn an activity and be hooked for life. That’s the economy we need to protect for the future. ~ Jeff McCabe, Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation.

Inland Woods + Trails celebrates land donation to Rumford Community Forest

SUN JOURNAL • September 23, 2026

Inland Woods + Trails celebrated on Sept. 19 the donation of 52 acres to the Rumford Community Forest, a permanently protected, nearly 500-acre natural and recreational area at 161 Isthmus Road. Gabe Perkins, executive director of Inland Woods + Trails, said the tract will be called the Lucy and Christy Pachios Woods in honor of the couple whose family donated the land.

Norway Paris Solid Waste board calls for forensic audit as $100K turns up missing

ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • September 23, 2026

Directors of Norway Paris Solid Waste board voted Sept. 22 to pursue a forensic audit of its books after a review found that more than $100,000 is missing. The board of directors is working to remedy years of poor financial oversight after discovering missing grant funds, bank accounts closed without authorization and account statements that do not match balance sheets, among other discrepancies.

Lobster processor’s waste overwhelms Bucksport water treatment plant

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2026

An area lobster dealer’s processing facility has strained the limits of Bucksport’s wastewater treatment plant for more than a year, leading the town to require the company to improve its own treatment. Greenhead Lobster, a Stonington-based dealer that is among Maine’s largest, opened its 15,000-square-foot processing plant in Bucksport’s industrial park in 2019. By 2025, it was handling up to 40,000 pounds a day as market demand shifts toward frozen and processed products, rather than whole live lobster.

Waterfront property values just spiked 200% in this Maine town

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2026

Waterfront property values in Greenville have jumped 205% on average after the lakefront community’s first market adjustment in decades. The increase is pushing up tax bills for many property owners in the Piscataquis County town that has a mix of multimillion-dollar homes and more modest ones surrounding Moosehead Lake, an area where home values have surged since the onset of the pandemic. “The whole Moosehead Lake region is exploding,” Town Manager Mike Roy said.

Maine joins lawsuit over federal deal to redirect offshore wind investments to fossil fuels

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 22, 2026

Maine and six other states have joined New York in a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a maneuver to kill offshore wind developments and steer energy developers toward fossil fuel enterprises. In a pair of lawsuits, filed in New York and Maine, attorneys general from the states claim the administration illegally used $1.4 billion in public funding to pay two companies that planned to build offshore wind developments on the East Coast to instead invest in fossil fuel plants in other parts of the country. The states argue that the payments, in addition to being illegal, will deprive them of electricity that they needed from the offshore wind developments.

Historic tombs, giant blueberry attraction are among Maine’s most endangered historic places of 2026

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2026

Four places made Maine Preservation’s list of most endangered historic places this year: Handley Hall in Augusta, Swanton-Deering House in Bath, Wild Blueberry Land in Columbia Falls, and Hillside Cemetery historic tombs, Eastport. More information on how to help preserve these four sites and others on Maine Preservation’s list of endangered historic places can be found at mainepreservation.org/most-endangered.

Maine, northeast states file new lawsuit against Trump’s payouts stopping offshore wind

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 22, 2026

Attorneys general from eight East Coast states are suing the feds over the buyouts of two offshore wind leases, under which the Trump administration pledged to pay developers Bluepoint Wind and Invenergy $1.4 billion to abandon their projects. Those projects were slated to be built off the coast of New York and New Jersey. Under the agreements with federal agencies, the companies will reinvest the funds into oil and gas projects elsewhere in the country. The lawsuits were joined by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. 

Nubble Light bundles up for a fall revamp

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2026

One of the country’s most photographed lighthouses is looking a tad less photogenic these days. York’s Cape Neddick Light Station — better known as Nubble Light — is covered in scaffolding and massive white sheets to protect it from the elements as it gets a revamp. It’s getting prepped for its 150th birthday, which is still three years away, but work will continue periodically until then. York Parks and Recreation Director Peter Murray said the town is doing its best to make the red-eyed giant “as presentable as possible.” A few frustrated visitors have told Murray they planned visits around seeing the lighthouse and didn’t know the tower would be hidden. But for most, the occasional scaffolding is a sign that the landmark will be sparkling for years to come.

Fact brief: Is it illegal to walk on the dunes at Footbridge Beach in Ogunquit?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2026

Yes. Ogunquit’s beach ordinance prohibits people from entering restricted areas, including dunes. The rule covers Footbridge Beach, which lies within the ordinance’s definition of Ogunquit Beach. Violations carry a minimum $200 fine. Ogunquit’s 2024 comprehensive plan says its dunes buffer the coast from wind, waves and flooding, replenish beach sand, provide wildlife habitat and help protect the Ogunquit River estuary. Other southern Maine communities have similar rules.

After 15 years, a once robust fish canning business returns to Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2026

Maine Canned Fish began its 20 month build-out in fall 2024. It is the first new seafood canning factory in the state in over 50 years. “Our tins are filled with wild caught, Maine caught fish, landed fresh, handled locally, and packed with care. No shortcuts, no imports, no mystery. Just honest seafood, caught in our waters and canned in our cannery in Topsham, Maine,” reads some of the promotional material from Maine Canned Fish. During the height of Maine’s fish canning industry in the 1900s, over 8,000 people were employed by canneries.

YMCA welcomes pickleballers while Belfast works to appease City Park neighbors

MIDCOAST VILLAGER • September 22, 2026

The effort to resolve the pickleball dispute at Belfast’s City Park has produced a temporary place to play, promising results from quieter equipment and what Mayor Eric Sanders describes as a productive search for long-term answers. The Waldo County YMCA has agreed to make room for two pickleball courts at the rear of its back parking lot until snow arrives, Sanders said in a Saturday update. The city plans to provide nets and other equipment for the courts. The arrangement is intended as a short-term measure while Belfast continues examining how to preserve the fast-growing sport without subjecting nearby residents to hours of the sharp, repetitive noise that prompted complaints this year.