Pilot safe after plane crashes into Moosehead Lake

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 6, 2025

A solo pilot was rescued Saturday morning after his plane crashed into Moosehead Lake near Greenville during the 51st annual International Seaplane Fly-In. The plane is still submerged in the lake, and is believed to be sitting in about 90 feet of water. A plane flying to Fryeburg from Aroostook County crashed near the Eastern Slope Regional Airport on Thursday, killing the pilot. A crash at Bangor International Airport on Aug. 24 killed another pilot. It was the first fatal crash to occur at the airport. And a float plane crashed Monday on Flagstaff Lake in Eustis, injuring the pilot and a passenger.

Houlton rolls out the red carpet for eclipse documentary premiere

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 6, 2025

Houlton residents walked and worked the red carpet, taking center stage as “A Moment in the Sun,” an award-winning documentary featuring the community’s 2024 eclipse response, had its hometown premiere. New York City-based directors Mia Weinberger and Tom van Kalken shadowed several local people in the months leading up to the cosmic event. Shot all on location in Aroostook County, the 78-minute film explores how a rural community of 6,000 pulled together to welcome nearly 30,000 eclipse chasers, scientists and tourists from around the world.

Acadia monthly visits reach 36-year high in August

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 6, 2025

Acadia National Park had more visitors in August than any month since 1989. The park on Mount Desert Island saw a record-breaking 842,827 visitors last month. In July, the park hosted 797,030 visitors. August of 1989 remains the park’s busiest month on record, with 1,045,060 visitors making the trip to Mount Desert Island. It was also the park’s busiest year on record, with over 5.4 million visitors. The next busiest year was in 2021, after the Covid-19 pandemic, when the park saw more than 4 million visitors.

Man rescued after spending night stranded on Soper Mountain

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 6, 2025

Maine Game Wardens and members of the Maine Association of Search and Rescue Technical Rescue Team rescued a telecommunications worker Friday after he became stranded on Soper Mountain in northwest Piscataquis County the day before. Chad Wilcox, 51, of Connecticut, was hiking with two coworkers to service communications equipment when he became separated and trapped on a ledge with a steep drop.

Column: In Waterville and China, a happy break from browntail moths

MORNING SENTINEL • September 6, 2025

I was a victim of browntail caterpillars a couple of times and don’t wish to revisit the experience. One of my favorite activities is hanging clothes outdoors on a windy day, inhaling the scent of laundry detergent and watching the fabrics flap in the wind. I especially love that exercise out at the lake, where in June we strung two, lengthy cotton clothesline ropes. I lost that privilege over the last few summers as browntail wreaked havoc at the shore, raiding the oaks and fruit-bearing trees. But the wet, soggy spring this year and efforts by the city of Waterville and our China neighbors the last few years to mitigate browntail has made it safe once again to enjoy the outdoors without angst. ~ Amy Calder

$1.4M price cut sparks new drive to save Presque Isle outdoor center

THE COUNTY • September 5, 2025

Presque Isle-area residents and officials are making a new push to preserve and reopen the city’s shuttered Nordic Heritage Outdoor Center after the asking price for the property was recently cut in half, from $2.9 million to $1.5 million. For 25 years, the 750-acre venue welcomed skiers, hikers, cyclists and student athletes to competition grounds and more than 30 miles of all-season trails traversing its wooded landscape. Last year, its builder and operator, the Portland-based Libra Foundation, closed it and put it up for sale. Schools and trail users were left hanging. Despite a public outcry, Libra didn’t change its mind and no one interested could afford to buy it. Designed as a world-class biathlon venue and ski trail system, the facility was built in 1999 as part of the Maine Winter Sports Center, which also included the Fort Kent Outdoor Center.

High Peaks Alliance raises funds for Rangeley region’s Junior Guides

RANGELEY HIGHLANDER • September 5, 2025

At its most recent monthly potluck supper, the Rangeley Region Guides’ & Sportsmen’s Association welcomed representatives from the High Peaks Alliance, who presented a check for $1,070 in support of the Association’s Junior Maine Guides program. The funds were raised during the High Peaks Outdoor Heritage Festival, which featured the Maine Moose Lottery, through a dunk tank fundraiser.

Newry couple’s plans to extract lithium-rich ore remains ‘on hold’

MAINE MONITOR • September 5, 2025

It was more than a year ago that Maine regulators approved final changes to Maine’s 2017 mining law, capping a yearlong process that was designed to clear the way for the development of a lithium-rich deposit in the western part of the state.  So far, the overhaul has done little, if anything, to inspire Mary and Gary Freeman, the owners of the land in Newry where the deposit was discovered in 2021, to move forward with a small-scale spodumene mining operation. Mary Freeman said the project remains “on hold.” “Unless the price of spodumene soars, the costs to remove it under current regulation is prohibitive,” she said. “The mining regulations in Maine are not designed to promote environmentally safe extraction but rather to ban mining.” Luke Frankel, a staff scientist at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said the state has taken an appropriately cautious approach to mineral development, learning from past mistakes and in the case of spodumene, finding a reasonable middle ground.

Letter: Don’t let beach access opponents turn us against each other

CENTRAL MAINE • September 5, 2025

The Aug. 24 op-ed from attorneys Gilliard and Kieser (“Maine beach access case carries huge implications for private property“) was yet another attempt to tell us not to believe what we can see with their own eyes — our beaches and coastline are under attack in ways our Supreme Court, in 1989, surely didn’t intend. Today, families need permission slips to hold a sandcastle contest. Today, lawyers squabble about whether scuba diving counts as “navigation,” whether seaweed is a fish and whether clammers can continue doing what humans have done for thousands of years. Mainers won’t let ideologues turn us against each another. We know that letting kids play soccer on the beach isn’t the same as the government taking our trucks. When the lawyers have flown back to California, we’ll still be here, digging each other out of snowbanks, the same way we always have, and always will. ~ Benjamin E. Ford, Archipelago Law, Portland

Cape Elizabeth will soon be home to a solar field

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 5, 2025

There will soon be a solar field on the capped landfill next to Cape Elizabeth’s transfer station. After six years of consideration and planning, Encore Energy, a Vermont-based solar company, was approved for a land lease by the Town Council for the parcel off Spurwink Avenue near the Gull Crest Fields. The 6.5-acre parcel will be home to 2,796 solar modules.

Berwick man dies after ATV crash

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 5, 2025

A Berwick man was killed and his passenger injured when his ATV crashed Thursday evening, according to the Maine Warden Service. Tyler Anderson, 31, was driving the Polaris ATV on a trail near Hall Road when he veered off of the trail, hit an embankment and rolled. Anderson was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Dover, NH, where he died a short time later. The passenger sustained facial injuries that were not life-threatening, according to the warden service. An initial investigation indicates that excessive speed for the terrain likely contributed to the crash.

Animal sculptures to be introduced at Waterville downtown celebration

CENTRAL MAINE • September 5, 2025

Chris Miller creates public art projects with hopes that they spark joy, curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world. In that vein, Miller, of South Portland, sculpted Wild Maybes, four large, concrete animals that now grace Levine’s Park in downtown Waterville, inspired by a nostalgia for pre-history. “This project reflects our community’s strong desire for more public art and we’re thrilled to welcome Wild Maybes as a joyful and imaginative presence in downtown Waterville,” Marie Sugden, exhibitions coordinator for Waterville Creates, said.

Opinion: Science, not politics, is the answer to Willard Beach water woes

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September x, 2025

Over a year ago, Willard was added to the state Department of Environmental Protection’s list of impaired waters because of persistent bacterial contamination in the water. What is needed now is a transparent science-based plan focused on outcomes — one that residents can engage with and hold city leaders accountable for. I recommended an independent study by scientists with expertise in water quality, stormwater, nutrient dynamics and algal bloom science. Scientists should use microbial source tracking to identify the origins of fecal contamination in water, soil and sediment. MST distinguishes between human and dog (or other animal) feces. With microbial source tracking, the percentage of contamination each contributes to Willard Beach’s sands, soils and water can be determined and appropriate remediation taken. Science, not politics, holds the answer to addressing the impaired water quality at Willard Beach. ~ Diane Gotelli, South Portland

A Maine compost operation heavily contaminated by PFAS is closing

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 5, 2025

Casella Waste Systems is closing its Hawk Ridge Compost Facility in Unity Township after Maine regulators discovered high levels of forever chemicals on the site and indications that the contamination may have spread to the land around it. For almost four decades, Hawk Ridge, the state’s largest composting facility, has accepted millions of gallons of sewage sludge and turned it into compost used in Maine and beyond. The test results and Casella’s response show the pervasive nature of the chemicals and the difficulty in crafting Maine’s pioneering effort to regulate them. Casella submitted its closure proposal to the DEP in late August. It includes no longer accepting sludge as of Sept. 1 and removing all materials from the site, cleaning it and closing by June 30, 2026. Casella would pay for the closure, a DEP spokesperson said.

Pontoon boat crash that killed 3 in Maine is the latest involving ‘death trap’ vessel

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 5, 2025

A boat crash that killed three on Flagstaff Lake has the hallmarks of other incidents involving a specific model of pontoon boat recalled this year due to safety issues. The boat, a 2024 18-foot Sea-Doo Switch, was one of thousands recalled by Sea-Doo’s parent company Bombardier Recreational Products in February due to an increased risk of the boat nosediving into the water, causing it to flip end over end on its bow. That matches the description of Sunday’s crash in the western Maine town of Eustis, according to the Maine Warden Service. The agency is still investigating the incident that killed three of the seven people on board, but it has said the boat flipped despite the driver’s attempt to correct it. The weather conditions were calm that afternoon.

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.