See all the chemicals in your Maine town’s drinking water

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 3, 2025

Public drinking water across Maine contains 68 contaminants to varying degrees, including forever chemicals, chromium and byproducts of the disinfectants used to clean the water, according to new data from Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that tracks toxic substances. The collected test data from 385 Maine water utilities provided by the state’s Department of Health and Human Services from 2014 through 2024. Consumers can find out which chemicals and in what concentrations are in their tap water by typing their zip code into the group’s database. “I’m not too happy with it,” said Chuck Harrison, general manager of the Bangor Water District. He said the group’s low contaminant guidelines are stricter than Maine or federal drinking water standards, which the water district meets. Almost 11,000 customers drink tap water from the Bangor Water District.

New rail push for Bangor wins over Republican skeptics

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 3, 2025

Though past efforts have failed, a broader coalition of Democratic and Republican lawmakers from urban and rural areas are backing this year’s proposal to study how to expand passenger rail service from Maine’s biggest city to the home of its flagship university. Gov. Janet Mills and her transportation department continue to air concerns about the cost of creating new train routes while arguing improved bus service is the better option for Maine at the moment. That has left lawmakers behind this year’s measure admitting it could stall out. But less than two years are left in the governor’s term. Having a rail advocate in the Blaine House could sharply change the conversation. This new approach could show a way forward for a long-stalled priority for politicians in the Bangor area and other places along a once-vibrant passenger rail corridor.

Pingree Criticizes Trump Cancellation of Grant for Maine Maritime Program

WGAN radio • March 2, 2025

Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is criticizing the Trump Administration termination of the University of Maine’s $4.5 million grant for its Maine Sea Grant program. Pingree called it a shortsighted and heartless decision and a devastating loss for Maine coastal communities and marine industries. “This program has long been a critical partner in supporting working waterfronts, advancing sustainable commercial and recreational fisheries, and preparing for the impacts of climate change—like those we saw during last winter’s storms, which devastated so many of our communities,” said Pingree. The administration said the work of Maine Sea Grant is no longer relevant.

Maine’s groundfishing industry is in decline. Saving it is complicated.

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 2, 2025

According to the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, there were more than 300 boat operators catching cod, haddock, pollock, halibut and flounder for a living in the early 1990s. In 2024, there were around 30. Once a major economic engine of Maine’s coastal region, the groundfishing industry is disappearing. At grocery stores and markets across Maine, it’s often easier to find cod caught in the Norwegian Sea than in the Gulf of Maine. Fishermen, scientists and advocates chalk the sharp decline up to a tangle of issues: unstable markets, regulatory changes, outdated science, competition with countries like Iceland and Norway and depleting fish stocks.

These 2 bills could change how Mainers hunt

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 2, 2025

Two controversial hunting bills will be considered by the Legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee in public hearings on Monday. One would restrict coyote hunting to six months instead of open season year round. How it would affect night hunting is unclear. The other bill would allow youth hunters to hunt on Sundays. Bills have been presented before to  restrict coyote hunting and it is a hot button topic between hunters and nonhunters. There also have been several bills over the years seeking to allow Sunday hunting in general and for only youths. These two bills are the latest attempts to make changes in those laws. The public hearings on these two bills will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, March 3, in Room 206 at the Cross Building in Augusta.

President Trump signs executive order unleashing forest "management "

USA TODAY • March 1, 2025

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday that looks to unleash forest management efforts following this year's devastating Los Angeles wildfires. The order takes steps for quicker federal permitting approvals of forestry projects under the Endangered Species Act so that clearing brush, timber removals and other projects aren't delayed by environmental and other regulatory reviews.

Trump takes actions to increase lumber supplies and curb wood imports

ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 1, 2025

President Donald Trump on Saturday signed a pair of actions to increase domestic lumber production, including a directive for the Commerce Department to investigate the possible harms that lumber imports pose to national security. The U.S. president signed an executive order to increase the possible supplies of timber and lumber. The goal is to streamline the permitting process by salvaging more wood from forests. Trump told reporters on Feb. 19 while aboard Air Force One that he was considering a 25% tariff on lumber imports.

Michel Bernier wins 2025 Can-Am 30

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 1, 2025

Michel Bernier of Saint Anselme, Quebec, took first place in the 2025 Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog 30-mile race with a time of 2:46:28. According to the official results, Stephane Roy took second place with a time of 2:47:45 and Eric Delisle took third place with a time of 2:50:05. The first team over the finish line was Alexander Therriault of Oxford, Maine, who crossed at 12:21:07 pm.

Column: Known as a sign of spring, robins are year-round species

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 1, 2025

Let’s start with the myth that robins are a sign of spring. We definitely see an influx in their numbers during spring migration, but they are a year-round species in Maine and have been for a long time. Robin winters in the state has been known since the time of Audubon. Bird populations and ranges are changing, increasingly so with the changing climate. I have long looked to red-winged blackbirds as a truer sign of spring in Maine, but even they are starting to become more regularly seen in winter. In winter, robins are primarily frugivores and can devour a bush of berries within an afternoon. Soon we’ll be hearing their melodious songs filling the morning air. You can usually pick out a robin because it’ll wake you up even before the sun rises, but at least you know that means longer and warmer days are coming! ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox

Maine Sea Grant in jeopardy after Trump administration terminates $4.5 million grant program

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 1, 2025

The federal government is discontinuing a $4.5 million grant program for Maine Sea Grant, one of the state’s prominent fishery organizations, as one of the first major cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration amid President Donald Trump’s efforts to slash budgets and issue grant restrictions. The move leaves 20 employees and Maine Sea Grant’s programming in limbo. “This notice is devastating for our team and countless partners, the University of Maine and the entire state,” Maine Sea Grant Director Gayle Zydlewski said. Maine Lobstermen’s Association said in a written statement Saturday. “While we appreciate the importance of cutting fraud and waste from government spending, eliminating vital programs like Maine Sea Grant could have a negative impact on both our economy and our environment.”

UMaine loses multi-million-dollar Maine Sea Grant funding from NOAA

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 1, 2025

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has pulled the plug on the University of Maine’s multi-million-dollar Maine Sea Grant. The current four-year grant is entering its second year. “It has been determined that the program activities proposed to be carried out in Year 2 of the Maine Sea Grant Omnibus Award are no longer relevant to the focus of the Administration’s priorities and program objectives,” a letter NOAA sent late Friday night to the university said. Termination of the funding is immediate, the letter said. It is the latest fallout for Maine from the cuts by Elon Musk.

Massachusetts woman killed in Piscataquis County snowmobile crash

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 1, 2025

A 53-year-old Massachusetts woman was killed in a snowmobile crash Friday afternoon in Piscataquis County. At about 1:30 p.m., Stefanie Cappello of Southborough, Massachusetts, was traveling north on snowmobile trail ITS 85/86 with a group of other snowmobiles, heading towards Millinocket, according to Mark Latti, spokesperson for the Maine Warden Service. Cappello, who was riding eighth in the line of nine snowmobiles, was unable to navigate a turn on the trail and her snowmobile struck a tree. Cappello was declared dead at the scene. The initial investigation blamed operator inexperience.

1 person killed in Piscataquis County snowmobile crash

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 1, 2025

One person was killed in a snowmobile crash Friday in northern Maine. The crash was reported at 1:44 p.m., on the ITS 86 West snowmobile trail near Kokadjo. Rescue crews drove to a road near the location of the initial 911 call, and then traveled about four miles by snowmobile to reach the crash site. The Maine Warden Service is investigating.

Column: How to improve your bird identification skills

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 1, 2025

When it comes to building bird identification skills, I propose that there are five levels of proficiency. Level one: identification by sight. Tip: Don’t rely on color. Rely on field marks. Color can vary by age, gender and season. Field marks are more consistent. Level two: identification-by-sound. Tip: 20 percent of the birds make 80 percent of the noise. Learn to recognize the bird songs you hear most often. Level three: bird ranges. Tip: Wherever you are going, get familiar with what birds to expect there. Level four: habitats. Tip: Recognize habitat preferences. Level five: bird behaviors. Tip: Observe behavior. Duh. ~ Bob Duchesne

A 50-year-old event helps Maine’s fishing industry hash out its differences

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 1, 2025

An annual weekend event that brings together fishermen with scientists, government officials and industry observers is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Rockport. The Maine Fishermen’s Forum, which was first held in 1976, is being held this weekend at The Samoset Resort, overlooking Penobscot Bay. The conference over the years has become both a forum to discuss fisheries policy and management and a place to socialize and get to know other people involved with the industry. And, to longtime attendees, it has morphed into an event where people on different sides of issues can come to agreements that otherwise would remain elusive.

Town officials and homeowners rally in support of bipartisan climate preparedness bill

MAINE MONITOR • February 28, 2025

Maine lawmakers on Thursday heard overwhelming support for a bipartisan bill that would bolster the state’s disaster preparedness efforts and provide millions of dollars in grants to fortify Maine homes and local infrastructure against climate change-fueled storms. The bill, L.D. 1, was received warmly by members of both parties at a public hearing. The bill would create three new initiatives, largely in response to the recommendations of a state climate resilience commission, whose members urged the state to improve emergency communications, help small Maine communities navigate federal disaster assistance, and buttress homes and infrastructure before the next disaster strikes. The third initiative would establish a new state fund with $750,000 matching funds to leverage the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s loan fund.

Trump Says US Doesn’t Need Canada’s Timber, And Wyoming’s Lumber Industry Agrees

COWBOY STATE DAILY • February 28, 2025

Wyoming has a small, struggling lumber industry that has been on life support of late, and it was heartened to hear President Donald Trump say that America doesn’t need lumber from Canada. Neiman Enterprises, Inc., owned by Jim Neiman, is one of Wyoming’s last remaining large lumber production companies. A larger supply would cure many of the ills Wyoming’s lumber industry has faced and would bring his own business back to full vitality, Neiman said.

Lewiston plans to begin $5M in riverfront upgrades next year

SUN JOURNAL • February 28, 2025

The city is nearing the start of major upgrades to the riverfront and Simard-Payne Memorial Park worth more than $5 million, likely to be set in motion during budget talks this spring. The list of projects, including a community pavilion in the park and overlooks and steps down to the canal along Oxford Street, are part of the city’s Riverfront Island Master Plan. In early 2024, the city received nearly $4 million in federal funding toward the improvements. City leaders are hoping to encourage more recreational use on the riverfront, but also new economic activity to capitalize on the coming development of Maine MILL, which stands for Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor.

Lawmaker wants Maine to help farmers hurt by federal funding freeze

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 28, 2025

A state lawmaker has submitted an after-deadline bill to create a state-funded, no-interest loan program to help Maine farmers struggling to survive a federal funding freeze that has left them on the hook for at least $1 million in unreimbursed expenses. Sen. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough, says Maine farmers shouldn’t face financial ruin for believing the U.S. Department of Agriculture would honor long-term contracts through agricultural programs that have enjoyed bipartisan support, some of which date to the Dust Bowl era. Maine can’t afford to lose any more farms, said Brenner.

CMP seeks $228 million for 2024 storm repair costs

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 28, 2025

Central Maine Power Co. on Friday asked state regulators for approval to collect $228 million from ratepayers to cover the costs of restoring power and cleaning up after more than two dozen storms last year. Public Advocate Heather Sanborn said CMP’s request marks the third consecutive year the utility has had more than $100 million in storm costs and “demonstrates the urgent need for utilities to take comprehensive and cost-effective steps to reduce storm costs.”