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Column: Aroostook wind project should spur new public power authority

CENTRAL MAINE • September 17, 2026

If all goes well, Maine will host a gigantic wind farm in southeastern Aroostook County by sometime in the 2030s, producing electricity for the New England grid and advancing the shift to renewable energy the world desperately needs to stave off the worst effects of global warming. Last month, the Maine Public Utilities Commission announced the selection of Clearway Energy to build a 800-megawatt wind farm. That follows a failed 2023 effort by LS Power for a similar contract. This would be among Maine’s largest-ever infrastructure projects, doubling its wind energy capacity. The major alternative, ocean-based wind, was shut down by the Trump administration. Why shouldn’t Maine get more of the rewards? Other states siting large new generation facilities have created public power authorities — to plan, operate and in some cases own these assets. The advantages could be compelling. ~ Douglas Rooks

As concerns mount over Canadian trade war, Maine officials look to maintain neighborly ties

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 17, 2026

As Maine industries face an uncertain future amid the Trump administration’s trade war with Canada, state officials aim to coordinate with their Canadian counterparts to de-escalate the situation. Members of the Maine-Canadian Legislative Advisory Commission met Wednesday to discuss the latest developments in the trade war, and what they can do to support Maine businesses. 

Letter: Maine deserves greater detail on tick-borne disease

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 17, 2026

I read the July 31 report “Model finds high tick risk across Franklin County” with interest and some concern. I’m a Ph.D. researcher in vector ecology. I am glad people are paying attention to tick-borne disease risk; it matters greatly for our state and too often flies under the radar. My worry isn’t with any particular website, but with the uneven or missing scientific foundations that they rest on. When a tool hands the public a “risk score,” that number is only as trustworthy as the method behind it. If the calculation isn’t published, then we are unable to interpret (or even know how accurate) such a number or assertion is. ~ Merline Feero, Waterville

What you need to know about Biddeford’s newest development

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 17, 2026

A new five-building development is coming to downtown Biddeford over the next few years. Billed as a vibrant new neighborhood along the Saco River, Pearl Point will be a mixed-use development with housing, shops and restaurants. It is intended to be an extension of the downtown area. “We’re trying to create some urban design-forward residences that have everything you need within walking distance to everything Biddeford has to offer,” Fathom Companies President and Director Jim Brady said. Pearl Point will be located on the former Maine Energy Recovery Company parcel, which was acquired by the city more than a decade ago. The city’s intention was to tear down the old facility and create a project that would benefit Biddeford and add to its economic growth.

Edward Little greenhouse to provide produce and learning for Auburn students: ‘Getting your hands dirty’

SUN JOURNAL • September 17, 2026

This fall, Auburn public schools will open a greenhouse on the Edward Little High School campus. It’s part of the school department’s effort to provide healthy, local lunches to students — and a hands-on learning experience for students of all ages across district programs. But really, the possibilities are endless, said Amanda Courture, the department’s business manager. “We see this as the beginning of a culture,” she said. “We want our students to have that experience whether it’s just eating the good, local foods or helping learn how to grow them.”

Penobscot Nation secures 11,000 acres near Katahdin

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 17, 2026

The Penobscot Nation completed on Wednesday the acquisition of 11,300 acres near Mount Katahdin. The transfer is the first phase of a vast land return known as Wáhsehtəkʷ — a term for the east branch of the Penobscot River — that will ultimately bring 30,000 acres back under tribal control. It could also lead to a new southern access route into Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

Jared Golden breaks with party again, this time over Russian sanctions bill

MAINE PUBLIC • September 16, 2026

Maine Congressman Jared Golden crossed party lines this week to help give Republicans the votes they needed to advance a Russian sanctions bill. It was the second time this month that Golden — a Democrat representing Maine's 2nd Congressional District — broke ranks with his party on procedural votes that allowed a package of mostly Republican-backed bills to move forward. In the first instance, Golden said he voted with Republicans on the procedural rule because it contained a bill that he co-authored that will delay new federal gear requirements on lobstermen to protect endangered whales. Democrats oppose granting Trump any additional powers to levy tariffs. Golden, who is not seeking reelection, is among the few Democrats who have supported aspects of Trump's global tariffs.

North Haven fishing boat captain charged with manslaughter in crewman’s death

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 16, 2026

Geoffrey Barrett, 39, of North Haven, was charged this month in the death of Marshall Ames, 57, also of North Haven. Maine Marine Patrol said that on June 18 it responded to reports of a man, later identified as Ames, falling overboard from the fishing vessel Long Faces in Hurricane Sound. A Hurricane Island resident brought Ames to shore on Dyer Island and began performing CPR, but Ames was pronounced dead at the scene.Bar rett, the captain of the vessel, was charged with misdemeanor assault following an altercation with officers at a dock on Dyer Island. He was also charged with refusing to submit to a chemical test and boating under the influence.

Freeport approves plan for pedestrian-friendly village corridor

TIMES RECORD • September 16, 2026

Freeport Town Councilors Tuesday unanimously backed a plan meant to guide growth along Route 1 with a focus on pedestrian safety and housing development. The planned pedestrian improvements to the Main and Bow streets intersection of Freeport as outlined in the Freeport village corridor initiative plan include an all-way stop and increased sidewalk space.

Seabird researchers report good year for razorbills and puffins

MAINE MONITOR • September 16, 2026

There was a record-setting story to tell this summer on Seal Island about razorbills, chunky black-and-white birds that stand about 16 inches tall. Razorbills are cousins of Atlantic puffins and the closest living relative to the extinct great auk. There is no official record of razorbills having historically nested on Seal Island. They were hunted to the extent that Arthur Herbert Norton, a leading expert of Maine’s natural history in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, saw no razorbills in the state from 1894 to 1923. Seal Island saw a record 127 razorbill nests this year, while Eastern Egg Rock saw a record 213 puffin burrows.

Court Upholds Maine’s Stormwater Protections

FRIENDS OF CASCO BAY • September 16, 2026

Maine’s Superior Court has upheld key provisions in a federal stormwater permit that applies to the state’s most urban areas. The court’s action upholds a requirement that regulated municipalities must adopt low impact development ordinances. This is good news for Casco Bay and many other waters in the state because stormwater is one of the largest sources of pollution into our waters. 

Yosemite development scheme recalls admin’s other public lands sell-off efforts

THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY • September 15, 2026

In late August, NOTUS (now The Washington Sun) reported that the Trump administration has been working behind the scenes to give away a piece of Yosemite National Park to a well-connected investment firm. The unprecedented swap would allow an access road for a planned resort, and it’s a priority for political leaders atSecretary Doug Burgum’s Interior Department. The deal harks back to 19th-century robber barons’ efforts to buy up American land and resources, in the days before a strong national conservation ethic could be concretized in law and regulation. But it’s also entirely in keeping with recent proposals, statements and back-room dealings coming out of this administration, which remains fixated on the promise of privatizing, liquidating or trading away millions of acres of our shared public lands (even if they won’t quite say it out-loud).

Some residents concerned by proposal for Berwick-based manufacturing facility

MAINE PUBLIC • September 16, 2026

A Massachusetts-based chemical manufacturing company is planning to build a 50-plus-acre facility in Berwick, Maine, on a land parcel designated for industrial use. According to the company's proposal, the facility will build and test machinery used to produce a type of chemical used in explosives and plastics. The company plans to build the manufacturing equipment only, but will need to store 1,000 pounds of RDX, an explosive chemical, onsite. Residents expressed concern during public comments at a planning board meeting last week, calling for a thorough assessment of potential safety concerns and environmental impacts.

Why It Seems Like Great White Sharks Are Overrunning Maine

WIRED • September 16, 2026

It was a busy summer for shark sightings along the rest of the East Coast, but Maine, in particular, seems to have had a great white bonanza. A dozen sightings were reported in a two-day period near Pine Point Beach in southern Maine in August. Beaches were temporarily closed all over the state following multiple sightings throughout July and August. The sharks followed beachgoers through the end of summer. Experts say that the reason for our recent glut of shark encounters is a lot more complicated than just attributing them to climate change, especially when it comes to great whites. Instead, a successful conservation effort decades ago is likely starting to pay dividends, coupled with more people bringing technology that can spot sharks to the beach.

Ellsworth composting facility continues to rack up odor complaints

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 16, 2026

The composting facility Ellsworth is suing for violating its odor ordinance has continued to rack up smell complaints in recent months despite ongoing litigation. The complaints are the latest chapter in a years-long saga over the stench emanating from Maine Organics on Industrial Road. Since last year, the city’s code enforcement department has fielded dozens of odor-related complaints from the company’s neighbors, prompting a string of violations against the composting facility.

Letter: BEP should approve energy corridor conservation plan

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 16, 2026

As a lifelong Mainer, landowner, and former director of the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission, I have spent decades studying and teaching land use planning and resource management. After reviewing the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) Conservation Plan, I believe it represents a thoughtful and meaningful commitment to conservation that deserves public support. What stands out most to me is the plan’s permanent protection of 50,000 acres of forest land that will be connected to existing conservation lands in northwestern Maine. ~ Paul B. Frederic, Starks

Shifting Vision: Joel Babb’s Painted Universe

FARNSWORTH ART MUSEUM • September 16, 2026

The imagination of Joel Babb is balanced by his painterly precision, resulting in sweeping landscapes that shift between illusion and reality. His emphasis upon passageways, often defined by light, results from multiple vantage points and degrees of detail. These visual shifts evoke a hiker’s sense of trek and discovery, whether through large-scale, aerial views of Boston or ground-view perspectives of the Maine wilderness. Shifting Vision: Joel Babb’s Painted Universe will feature a dozen large-scale works, ranging from his earliest to most recent Maine paintings, with an examination of philosophical and technical approaches that shape his practice. At Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, October 3, 2026 – January 31, 2027.

‘Shark Week’ Flips All Logic On Its Head As Maine Perplexes Over Summerlong Great White Invasion

MAINE WIRE (Maine Policy Institute) • September 15, 2026

North Atlantic analysts are still gobsmacked over the number of killer sharks lurking off the Maine coast this summer. Even a Gulf of Maine “scientist” failed to come up with any solid theory. Apparently the moral to the story is killer sharks are as sharks can be. After 400 million years lurking beneath, they evidently aren’t ready to spill their strategy to not only surviving but prospering.

Scarborough Marsh wraps up for the summer

MAINE AUDUBON • September 15, 2026

At the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, Labor Day Weekend means the end of the summer season, but one that ended with some of our busiest days of the year! The weekend brought sunny skies and warm temperatures which meant canoes and kayaks paddled along the Dunstan River all day long. Kids and adults alike crafted their own animal puppets and made seed balls filled with native aster, goldenrod, and milkweed seeds. Many folks stopped by to check out our used book sale as well. Over the course of the summer, we saw more than 1,500 visitors from all over the United States and the world.