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Trek Across Maine officials prioritize bicyclist safety

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 18, 2026

The 42nd annual Trek Across Maine, a three-day, 180-mile biking event, will begin and end in New Gloucester. The trek is a major with proceeds going toward lung health education, research and advocacy efforts. Sarah Brown, of the American Lung Association, encouraged riders to obey traffic laws and warned drivers the trek may result in congestion and intermittent delays along the route.

Local artists to host plein air painting at Coastal Rivers preserves

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 18, 2026

Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust invites artists and nature lovers of all experience levels to kick off a summer of outdoor creativity with “Painting at Preserves,” a series of free monthly plein air painting and sketching sessions. The first program is from 9-11 a.m. Monday, June 22, at Seal Cove Shore Preserve in South Bristol. Led by local artists Erica Qualey and Joy Vaughan, these sessions offer a unique opportunity to explore, connect and create within the scenic beauty of the Midcoast.

Jay data center on hold indefinitely as company backs out, despite veto of statewide ban

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 18, 2026

Plans for a data center at the former paper mill in Jay are on hold after the data center company pulled out of the project — just two months after Gov. Janet Mills cited the project as her reason for vetoing a statewide data center moratorium. Town officials posted on Facebook that the company that owns the mill, JGT2, notified the town that Sentinel Data Centers would not be moving forward with the project. Rep. Melanie Sachs (D-Freeport), who sponsored the moratorium bill, said she never saw evidence to back up the promises made by developers for jobs and other benefits to the area. Sachs said the benefits of the project seemed “overstated at best,” and now residents across the state are left without the protections of a statewide moratorium.

Opinion: Annulment of EPA ‘endangerment findings’ cripples Clean Air Act

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 18, 2026

The Clean Air Act is clear. It values the environment that supports all life on Earth. But regulations limiting an air pollutant may not be imposed on a corporation unless/until EPA scientists determine that a pollutant “endangers” the environment and/or human life. President Trump in an executive order directed the head of the EPA, Lee Zeldin, to reexamine the “endangerment” rationale of the EPA with an eye to rescinding it. On Feb. 12, 2026, Trump and Zeldin (with no scientific background) announced that they were erasing the EPA’s 2009 scientific finding that six greenhouse gases “endanger” human health and the environment, thus crippling the Clean Air Act. This is unprincipled and legally unsupportable. It ignores a 2007 Supreme Court holding. State governments and national environmental organizations have appealed. ~ Orlando Delogu, Portland

Maine moves to expand deer hunting season along the coast

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 18, 2026

The state is considering adding expanded archery season for deer hunting to towns along the coast and some Maine islands. A new proposal would apply to the midcoast and Hancock County, including the islands of Verona and Deer Isle-Stonington. The expanded season starts in mid-September and ends in mid-December, bracketing regular archery season, which lasts through the month of October. The push comes as deer populations have grown along the coast, in some places eating young trees and vegetation before they can regrow and causing problems for people such as car crashes, tick-borne diseases and extensive crop damage. 

West Marine stores in Maine among 59 to close nationwide

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 17, 2026

West Marine stores in Portland and Southwest Harbor are among 59 that the national chain plans to close. The Florida-based retailer of boating, fishing and watersports equipment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May.

King among lawmakers demanding info on Trump use of national park fees to pay for D.C. repairs

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 17, 2026

U.S. House and Senate Democrats are demanding transparency from the Interior Department after media reports revealed the Trump administration redirected roughly $90 million in national parks fees to help fund renovations and upcoming celebratory displays in Washington, D.C. The administration’s use of fee revenues to pay for fountain repairs, statue upgrades and fireworks shows in preparation for America’s 250th birthday on July 4 diverts money from national parks in desperate need of billions of dollars in maintenance, lawmakers wrote in two separate early-June letters to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. Joining in signing the Senate letter was Angus King (I-ME).

South Portland authorizes $58.5M in bonds for wastewater upgrades

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 17, 2026

South Portland’s Pearl Street Pump Station will officially get a facelift. The South Portland City Council unanimously approved the issuance of up to $58.5 million dollars in sewage revenue bonds for upgrades to the pump station and new wastewater treatment infrastructure at its meeting on Tuesday. 

Boston appeals court tosses Trump memo on offshore wind, letting federal permitting continue

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 17, 2026

The Trump administration is running out of legal paths to block offshore wind development, after the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed its appeal seeking to overturn a federal judge’s ruling. The lawsuit hinges on a first-day memo issued by the Trump administration in January 2025, indefinitely pausing federal reviews and approvals for offshore wind projects. Many of the projects in the pipeline had been in the works for years, with developers making substantial financial investments, and state officials and energy regulators shaping environmental and economic forecasts around the massive projects. A separate lawsuit filed in D.C. federal court in June by seven states, including Rhode Island and Maine, also takes aim at the Trump administration’s tactics to suppress offshore wind projects. The complaint challenges the deal under which the Trump administration offered $1 billion to French company TotalEnergies to walk away from two offshore wind projects it had planned.

Orrington trash plant fire causing unhealthy particle pollution in Greater Bangor

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 17, 2026

The trash plant fire in Orrington is causing unhealthy particle pollution in Greater Bangor. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has issued an air quality alert for the region, saying that emissions from the fire are producing very high levels of particle pollution. People should take extra caution outdoors if they encounter reduced visibility or the smell of smoke.

Fire still smoldering at Orrington trash incinerator

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 17, 2026

A massive fire that broke out at the Orrington trash incinerator Tuesday night was still smoldering Wednesday morning. The blaze erupted in the southern end of the Eagle Point Energy Center, which is located along the shores of the Penobscot River. Char marks and burnt holes were visible throughout parts of the facility as black smoke continued to billow out of the facility. It’s unclear what the scale of the damage to the trash plant is, but it’s likely to be a massive blow to EPEC, which was planning to reopen this fall to resume burning trash for towns in Greater Bangor and beyond. Evan Coleman bought the facility in February 2024, and the town of Orrington is a 25% owner of the plant.

Unity Environmental University sells property in $6M deal

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 17, 2026

Unity Environmental University is selling its campus in a $6 million purchase agreement. After closing costs and transaction expenses, the university said it expects approximately $3.23 million in net proceeds. The university first put its campus in Unity on the market in 2023. The sale comes after years of consolidation, when the university moved in-person instruction to its campus at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester while expanding its remote learning options. Unity struggled with enrollment following the COVID-19 pandemic, and opted to sell the property when “demand did not return at levels sufficient to support continued operation there.” The buyer, which has not yet been publicly identified, plans to use the property for “upscale summer camp programming and outdoor experiential offerings.”

Drought fails to dull tick harms to young moose

MAINE PUBLIC • June 17, 2026

Winter ticks took a heavy toll on young moose again this year despite hopes that a fall drought would help kill off some of the parasites. Lee Kantar, a moose biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife collared moose calves had a 72% mortality rate this year because of high numbers of winter ticks. Tens of thousands of ticks can attach to a single moose. The parasites only prey on a single host through their life cycle and their feeding can be deadly to young moose and reduce fertility in adult females.

Maine awarded $16 million in federal funding to bolster development in rural communities

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 16, 2026

More than $16 million dollars in federal funding has been awarded to economic development projects across rural Maine, state officials announced on Tuesday. The funding comes from the Northern Border Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership established in 2008 to alleviate economic distress and encourage job creation in northeast border states, and the projects include a wide range of initiatives. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry was awarded $1 million to construct a pedestrian and snowmobile bridge over the Sandy River, extending the 14-mile Whistle Stop Trail into downtown Farmington. $2.5 million goes to Main Street Skowhegan to continue construction of a riverfront promenade that connects the Kennebec River to downtown, enabling access to trails and the river’s whitewater rapids.

Maine ranks 14th in national report on life satisfaction

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 16, 2026

A report found Maine 14th out of all states on a number of factors that impact life satisfaction, ranking high on the environment and civil liberties but low on measures such as children and families, economic output and mental health. Maine received the top ranking for net greenhouse gas emissions and ranked third for air quality. Maine also ranked first for civil liberties, which the report calculated based on the rate of press freedom violations, such as assaults of reporters and restricting coverage, per 1 million residents. On the other hand, Maine ranked low for fatal overdoses (43rd) and youth depression (42nd). Maine’s lowest rank of 44th was for economic output, which is based on real gross domestic product. 

Opinion: Nuclear energy in New England, once unthinkable, now indispensable

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 16, 2026

The New England region was once a pioneer in nuclear energy, building some of the earliest nuclear plants in the world. However, in the last 30 years, the region became a center of opposition to nuclear, and all but two of them have closed. Nuclear technology has improved dramatically, the demand for electricity has grown more pressing and the understanding of how renewables fit in with other energy sources has “evolved.” It is not yet clear that it will join the national trend toward nuclear renewal, but there are reasons that it ought to. Most of all, the region needs the electricity. ~ Leonard Rodberg, Ph.D.

Want to camp for free? Become a volunteer host at a Maine state park

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 16, 2026

Twelve campgrounds in Maine, from Aroostook State Park in Presque Isle to Lily Bay State Park in Greenville to Camden Hills State Park, have volunteer hosts. Some have just two or three. Sebago Lake State Park, the largest campground with more than 250 sites, has 12 spots for volunteers. Park Manager Donna McGraw said she’s still trying to fill some of the 24 paid positions for this summer, and the hosts are critical to a positive camper experience. “We just do not have the staff,” McGraw said.

L/A Clean Water Authority hosting plant tour

SUN JOURNAL • June 16, 2026

Have you ever wondered where your waste goes when you flush, take a shower, or wash your dishes? Join a tour of the Lewiston Auburn Clean Water Authority’s Wastewater Treatment Facility on Lincoln Street in Lewiston to find out. The tour is free and open to the public. It will be held on Wednesday, June 25, starting at 5:30 p.m. with pizza, a brief discussion of the Androscoggin’s water quality and an overview of improvements that are being made throughout the Androscoggin River Watershed.

Trail access in Franklin County preserving community connections

SUN JOURNAL • June 16, 2026

A High Peaks Alliance op-ed series that began with land, family and public access in western Maine has turned to something simpler in its third installment: what happens when strangers meet on a trail. In “Togetherness on the Trails,” Kingfield resident Dan Rhodes reflects on the sense of openness people often experience outdoors, contrasting it with the tension and impatience of places such as airports. On a trail, he writes, encounters with others are usually welcome. “The kinship we feel on trails is real,” Rhodes wrote, “maybe because there’s no separate agenda like there is at an airport.”