Offshore wind could have saved New England ratepayers millions last winter

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 4, 2025

New England’s wholesale electricity prices would have been 11% lower last winter if some offshore wind projects that had been contracted but not built were finished, according to a new report. The report, published last week by consulting firm Daymark Energy Advisors, found that if a handful of projects off the coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island — totaling about 3,500 megawatts of capacity — had been online by the winter, they could have produced enough energy to power more than 560,000 homes for a year while reducing the wholesale costs across the region by roughly $400 million. The study comes as the Trump administration is rolling back offshore wind development.

Bath-based Maine Trails Coalition appoints new director

TIMES RECORD • September 4, 2025

The Maine Trails Coalition recently appointed Leigh Hallett as its new director. The Bath-based organization, founded in 2019, champions the establishment, use and stewardship of trails in Maine and serves as a statewide voice for trail users and advocates. Hallett brings decades of nonprofit leadership, strategic communications and statewide engagement experience to MTC, positioning the coalition for growth and impact at a pivotal moment for trails in Maine.

Learn about Maine’s native turtles

TIMES RECORD • September 4, 2025

Wildlife rehabilitator Pam Meier will host “Bringing Turtles Out of Their Shells” at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, at Rockland Public Library. Meier is founder and director of The Turtle’s Back, Inc. and will help children get to know Maine’s native turtle species face-to-face and learn how fascinating and different they all are. Children will also learn why turtles are in decline, how to identify different species and genders, what to do (and not do) if you find a turtle, what rehabbing these ancient reptiles is all about, and how attendees can help.

What the widespread drought could mean for Maine’s fall foliage

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 4, 2025

Maine’s drought has worsened for weeks, fueling an unusually high number of wildfires in August. Now it’s threatening to dampen the fiery leaves Maine is known for in the fall. More than 85% of the state is considered at least abnormally dry, and roughly 62% is facing some level of drought. Maine’s drought is among the most severe in New England, according to the drought monitor.

Presque Isle looks to hide new solar projects from public view

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 4, 2025

Presque Isle city councilors Wednesday reviewed changes to the city’s land use ordinance that would require new commercial solar developments to be at least 1,200 feet from a paved road or residence and have four rows of trees to keep projects out of public view. The city’s Planning Board recommended the amendments amid local complaints that large solar arrays are eyesores. Councilors agreed with the need for new projects to be pushed back and buffered from view, but challenged the 1,200-foot setback requirement as “excessive,” and sent the proposal back to the Planning Board for review.

Fewer Canadians traveling Maine Turnpike this summer

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 4, 2025

Summer traffic counts by the Maine Turnpike Authority show that the number of Canadian travelers has decreased as much as 43% on the 109-mile toll highway from Kittery to Augusta. The drop corresponds with similar declines in Canadian border crossings into Maine that have followed President Donald Trump’s political insults and tariff threats made earlier this year. While visitor numbers are up this summer at Acadia National Park and some tourist-oriented businesses have reported a strong season, in part because of mostly sunny skies throughout July and August, some in the industry worry that the loss of Canadian tourists will hurt their bottom line.

Acadia visitor center in Trenton opens after months of delays

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 3, 2025

After months of delays, the state’s new Acadia Gateway Center in Trenton has opened. The $27 million visitors center was expected to open earlier this summer, but construction-related delays resulted in it remaining closed through July and August. The building will be a place where people visiting MDI and Acadia National Park can stop, use the restroom and talk to staffers about recreational services and related businesses on the island, which draws millions of tourists each year.

Skowhegan officials consider camping ban due to homelessness impacts

CENTRAL MAINE • September 3, 2025

Town officials are moving forward with developing an ordinance that would explicitly prohibit overnight camping in public spaces as part of an ongoing effort to address the impacts of homelessness. Bryan Belliveau, director of economic and community development, said, “They’re just moving around a lot more.…we certainly don’t want them in our public places trashing them. We’ve got to do something to get them out of here.” Police can issue trespass notices or warnings but need more authority to make people move permanently. Whitney Cunliffe, chair of the select board, said, “These are some of our nicest places getting ruined. I care about homeless. But we’ve got to take care of the residents that pay taxes here, and people need to feel safe.”

Third boater dies after Flagstaff Lake incident

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 3, 2025

A boating accident on Flagstaff Lake in Eustis on Saturday claimed the life of a third New York woman. Noor Nasir, 22, of Selden, New York, died Tuesday night at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center. At approximately 1:30 p.m. Saturday, seven people were boating in the upper reaches of Flagstaff Lake in a pontoon boat. The boat was underway near Cathedral Pines Campground when the bow started to go under. The driver, John Morris, 50, of Eustis, attempted to raise the bow, but the boat flipped, throwing all seven passengers into the water about 180 feet from shore. Witnesses rushed to assist those in the boat, and were able to get all seven to shore. No one in the boat was wearing a lifejacket.

Column: Mainers have many different methods for dealing with ticks

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 3, 2025

To remove a tick you should use fine-tipped tweezers, grasp it as close to the skin as possible, then slowly and steadily pull it straight out without twisting or squeezing the body. If you want to send it to the lab for testing — as Mainers have been doing 15-20% more frequently this year than last — put it in a ziplock bag or other sealed container, dead or alive. If you decide not to test it, put it in a sealed container in the trash, burn it or flush it. Do not squish a tick with your fingers because any pathogens it’s carrying could get on your hands and into any cuts or other breaks in the skin. Note that ticks must be attached at least 24 hours to transmit Lyme disease.

South Portland’s Fork Food Lab keeps the Maine food scene forever fresh

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 3, 2025

If you want to know what’s next for Maine’s food scene, look no further than South Portland’s Fork Food Lab. The shared commercial kitchen space and food business incubator is the epicenter of the state’s up-and-comers. On any given day, you’ll find Fork Food Lab members at their kitchen stations baking hoagie rolls, simmering jams, prepping pork bellies or packaging spreads for sale at local farmers markets. Members run the gamut from food trucks and carts, packaged foods businesses and prepared meal shops to catering companies and private chefs. “There’s really nothing quite like this in Northern New England,” said Corinne Tompkins, the facility’s deputy executive director. The incubator has helped scores of successful food businesses launch in the nine years it’s been operating.

Belfast hires firm to handle environmental cleanup of downtown properties

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 2, 2025

The Belfast City Council has selected a firm that will coordinate the federally funded cleanup of two downtown properties. Councilors voted 5-0 on Tuesday to choose TRC Environmental Corporation after the city was awarded $2.5 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields cleanup and assessment programs earlier this year. Of that amount, $2 million can be spent on remediating the two sites, while $500,000 can be spent on assessing the condition of another 10 properties in the city. The selection of the firm marks forward progress in a years-long effort by Belfast to redevelop the downtown area around its waterfront, which was once dominated by industrial operations.

Bucksport rejects proposal to dump mercury-contaminated waste in landfill

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 2, 2025

The owners of a troubled Bucksport landfill that once served the local paper mill want to reopen it to accept mercury-contaminated material dredged up as part of cleanup efforts on the Penobscot River. But town officials declined on Thursday to even hear the proposal, citing what they see as serious historical harm to the town from American Iron and Metal, the scrap metal company that bought the former Verso Paper mill site in 2015 and acquired the landfill with it. “It just seems like AIM is just hellbent on making sure this town doesn’t have water to drink,” Mayor Paul Bissonette said. 

Column: Westbrook’s Vertical Harvest is an architectural response to food insecurity

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 2, 2025

A newly constructed Vertical Harvest growing facility in Westbrook is due to begin large-scale production of salad greens this autumn — about 6,850 pounds per day. With an urban footprint of just one-half of an acre, this automated farm can produce a yield equivalent of 250 rural acres of the same crop. It can sustain this production in all weathers and seasons, day or night. Vertical Harvest’s 1:500 spatial leverage is a result of the intensive stacks of moving modular trays inside a building designed exactly for this purpose, in which water, nutrients, light and temperature are controlled with strict precision. In short, the mysterious new building in Westbrook is a sealed clockwork for economical agriculture, a brilliant architectural reply to the pressing problem of food security. ~ Jon Calame

As Scarborough grows, new report tries to get a handle on traffic

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 2, 2025

For the first time in nearly two decades, the town of Scarborough has completed a townwide transportation assessment. As Scarborough’s population continues to grow, residents have expressed concerns about an influx of traffic and congestion. Approved by the Town Council last month, the study identified 11 intersections and road segments for improvements. The report identified 14 intersections and eight road segments as high crash locations. The findings focused on complete streets — thinking of roadways as home to pedestrians, bicycles and motorists. And the report identified a need to expand the multimodal transportation network within the town. Residents expressed interest in the addition of sidewalks and bike lines to major throughways.

Column: Choose your own fall migration experience

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 2, 2025

Birding in Maine is like a farm-to-table restaurant. The offerings are always fresh, and the menu changes with each season. Recently, I spent an afternoon on my deck overlooking the lake. Five loons and six ospreys were raising a ruckus for hours. Then a foraging flock came along; 20 warblers fluttered in the branches. I counted at least ten species. Last Saturday, Bar Harbor Whale Watch took 130 birders on a 12-hour voyage to Cashes Ledge in the Gulf of Maine. I saw more Cory’s shearwaters in ten minutes than I’ve previously seen in my entire life. There are so many adventures out there right now that I’m not keeping up. I have yet to go shorebirding this season. Most years I make at least one trip to the Lubec sand bar before Labor Day, and another after. Hawk-watching season has arrived. Now that reservations are needed to drive up Cadillac Mountain, this adventure requires pre-planning. Watch the forecast, look for a morning in mid-September when good weather and a northwest breeze are predicted, and hope there’s parking space available. If that sounds like too much effort, remember the simplest option: pour a coffee, sit on the patio and let Maine’s birds come to you. ~ Bob Duschesne

2 injured when floatplane crashes in Flagstaff Lake

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 1, 2025

Two occupants were injured when a small floatplane crashed into Flagstaff Lake near Eustis on Monday afternoon, state police said. The small single engine floatplane equipped with pontoons was beginning to take off from the lake when it plunged into the water. On board were the pilot, 62-year-old Stephen Vorpagel of Readfield and one passenger. Both individuals were rescued, brought to shore, and suffered minor injuries.

Lovesick moose sparks sex education lesson

SUN JOURNAL • September 1, 2025

In 1960, a visit of a bull moose on my grandparents’ dairy farm generated big news in Somerset County. Motorists slowly drove past our pastures to catch a glimpse of the moose, which had a crush on Ginger, our top milking cow. On the third morning of the moose’s visit, brother Don and I asked Grampa to explain the bull’s attraction to our prize cow. “Ask your grandmother.” Inside the kitchen, we ambushed Grammy with questions about moose sex. “Ask your mother,” she said. “For some reason,” mother explained, “the moose wants Ginger to be his mating partner.” Grandpa had had enough of the utterly bewildered moose. He sicced Bonnie, our border collie, on the brute to drive him into the woods. But Bonnie instead chased him into the barnyard. Bypassing the clothesline, his left antler snagged the backstrap of Grammy’s bra. She grabbed the porch broom and chased the moose yelling, “Drop that bra!” A month later, we spotted the tattered bra on a witch hazel bush. I handed the bra to Grampa, which he called an “over the shoulder boulder holder.” ~ Ron Joseph

The Next Acadia National Park?

THE TRAVEL • August 30, 2025

Acadia National Park is often one of the first places that comes to mind when travelers think of natural beauty in Maine. With its rocky coastline, scenic hikes, amazing spots to view fall foliage, and sweeping views from Cadillac Mountain, it ranks among the most popular national parks in the country. But there's another corner of Maine that has slowly gained attention over the past few years. Located in the state's North Woods, Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument has Americans buzzing, especially those wanting to completely unplug from the stressors of daily life. While many travelers have recently become aware of this area, it has long been on the radar of conservation groups. At one point, it was even tied to the Maine Woods National Park project, a proposal led by RESTORE: The North Woods.

Massachusetts man found dead off coast near Bremen

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 1, 2025

Authorities are investigating the death of a 74-year-old man whose body was recovered near Bremen hours after he was reported missing from his sailboat Sunday, according to the Maine Marine Patrol. Friends of Mark Metzger, of Waltham, Massachusetts, reported him missing around 11:40 a.m. Sunday, the agency said in a statement Monday morning. Metzger was not aboard his 19-foot sailboat, which had been anchored on the western side of Bremen Long Island.