Trump DEI crackdown expands to national park gift shops

THE HILL • December 12, 2025

The Trump administration’s efforts to purge diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) from the federal government is hitting gift shops at national parks. In a memo, acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron says items available for purchase in park gift shops should be reviewed for compliance with an order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to cease activities related to DEI, accessibility or “environmental justice.” Like the order before it, the memo does not define DEI. “Banning history books from park stores and cracking down on park T-shirts and keychains is not what national park visitors want from their Park Service,” said Alan Spears, National Parks Conservation Association senior director for cultural resources. The memo comes as part of a broader Trump administration push to reshape the portrayal of history at national parks and beyond.

As NOAA funding lags, a critical ocean weather system nears a breaking point

INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS • December 12, 2025

Years of underfunding and new delays in federal grantmaking threaten buoys and ocean monitoring assets run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that protect fishermen, cargo ships and endangered species across the country. With key grant deadlines now passed and new awards still pending, regional operators warn that some of those services could go dark at the peak of hurricane season.

See the 7 towns National Geographic recommends in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 12, 2025

Most travel writers recommend that visitors stop in Portland for a meal at a buzzy restaurant or a stroll through the shops of the Old Port. National Geographic, however, wants tourists to consider destinations farther afield. “You haven’t been to Maine until you’ve visited these small towns,” the publication declared this week. The list includes Bar Harbor and Camden — two towns often pictured on postcards. Ten miles off the mainland, Monhegan Island is well known to painters and naturalists. Skiers know Rangeley, of course. But the list includes some destinations Mainers might know and out-of-towners might not, such as Brooklin, Brunswick and Greenville.

After 23 years, Maine guide still finds trophy fish and new adventures

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 12, 2025

I’ve been guiding for 23 years and have fished many popular places around the state. Last April, with a client, I tried a completely new body of water. Chris caught a small largemouth bass and a couple pike. Then we hit the opposite shoreline and drifted down. That’s when Chris really got into largemouth. He ended up landing 30 fish up to 21 inches. What shocked us was the 20-inch brook trout I caught. I looked up the stocking report when I got home, and sure enough the state had put broodstock brook trout in that lake. ~ Kevin McKay

US House advances bill around water permits; environmental groups say it guts water protections

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 12, 2025

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to pass a bill that Republicans say would reform the Clean Water Act and cut through regulatory burdens. Democrats and environmental groups said the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act protects water polluters and removes clean water protections. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, who cosponsored the bill, said it would implement reforms that would stop the act from “being weaponized” to stop infrastructure projects like a pipeline. Democrats on the floor argued the bill would lead to more water pollution, higher water utility bills and decreased ability for a state to control the pollution within its boundaries.

New England’s shrimp fishery to shut down for the long haul after years of decline

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 11, 2025

Regulators voted Thursday to extend a shutdown preventing New England fishermen from catching shrimp, a historic industry that has recently fallen victim to warming oceans. New England fishermen, especially those from Maine, used to catch millions of pounds of small pink shrimp in the winter, but the business has been under a fishing moratorium since 2014. Rising temperatures have created an inhospitable environment for the shrimp, and their population is too low to fish sustainably, scientists have said.

Voter-approved trail grants add to access across Maine: ‘Go outside and play’

SUN JOURNAL • December 12, 2025

The first round of the Maine Trails Program awarded $7.5 million to 44 trail projects across 15 counties, including funding for proposals in Augusta, Rangeley, Waterville and Strong. The program, approved by voters as Question 4 in 2024, will distribute up to $7.5 million per year through 2034. Grants will support trail construction, rehabilitation, accessibility upgrades and community trail development. Some 108 applications rolled in for the first round, totaling around $17 million — over double the available funding. Among the 44 funded projects, 25 involve new trail construction, 14 for improved accessibility, and 13 for primarily motorized trail projects. Other projects include hiking, multi-use trails and land-acquisition initiatives.

Rising electric bills lead to state scrutiny but little relief for residents

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 12, 2025

Rising utility prices are increasingly drawing scrutiny from state regulators and lawmakers nationwide. Many state leaders are considering rate freezes, additional energy assistance funds or new rates targeting large energy users such as data centers. But states only have so much control; regulators say they can’t change the fundamental market dynamics that will likely continue to push prices up. Between January and September of this year, average home electricity rates increased 11.7% — more than triple the rate of inflation. Many low-income households have long struggled to cover utility bills. Now, advocates say, high prices are affecting a growing swath of the middle class. The Maine Public Utilities Commission recently approved a supply price increase estimated to raise customer bills. And a separate rate increase request will likely come before regulators soon.

New 28-megawatt solar array in Sanford part of city strategy to diversify tax base

MAINE PUBLIC • December 11, 2025

Sanford has a new 28-megawatt solar array online, one of the largest installations in southern Maine. The Mousam River Solar Project is built on 140 acres of privately owned parcels of land and can provide enough electricity for 6,000 homes. Jack Kenworthy, Chief Development Officer for Walden Renewables, said it offers the kind of clean energy that grid operator ISO - New England is looking for. Kenworthy said there is a buyer for the power from the project with a large presence in Maine and New England that will be announced early next year.

Wells police searching for man who moved rabies-infected raccoon from road

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 11, 2025

Authorities are looking for a man who moved a rabies-infected raccoon out of a Wells roadway with his bare hands Monday. The raccoon was blocking traffic near the 1900 block of Sanford Road when police say a caller reported that the unidentified man tried to move the animal — first by poking it with a stick, then by picking it up by the scruff of its neck. “Responding officers observed that the raccoon was exhibiting signs of significant health distress, including visible porcupine quills embedded in its face,” the Wells Police Department wrote. A Wells officer euthanized the raccoon, which later tested positive for rabies. Because the man touched the infected raccoon with his bare hands, Wells police wrote in their post, he may be at risk of exposure. Nearly 50 cases of rabies have been reported across Maine so far this year, including 22 cases among raccoons.

Lewiston mill eyed for $300M AI data center

SUN JOURNAL • December 11, 2025

Lewiston officials will be asked next week to green light a $300 million artificial intelligence data center at Bates Mill No. 3. City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath said the project is a win for the city given the tax revenue, job generation and potential for the project to put the city “on the map” in the technology sector. Large data centers needed for generative artificial intelligence systems typically require enormous amounts of electricity, potentially straining power grids. As the demand for such centers has grown, so have public concerns over water usage needed to cool the system and the overall impact to electricity ratepayers. Staff and the development team agreed that a potential data center in the heart of the Bates Mill district “must not adversely impact water quality, water supply, or environmental conditions; (must not) create local or regional power shortages; nor generate excessive noise or other nuisances.”

Maine awards first round of funding for voter-backed statewide trail program

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 11, 2025

Maine awarded the first round of funding for a new statewide trail support program that voters backed in late 2024. The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry announced Thursday that $7.5 million was awarded for projects that will improve trails for hiking, walking, snowmobile riding and more. The 44 projects that will receive the funding are spread throughout nearly all of Maine’s counties. The money comes from Maine Trails Program grants, which support the design, construction, and rehabilitation of trails throughout the state for outdoor recreation and active transportation. In November 2024, Maine voters approved a $30 million bond to support the program. 

Skowhegan voters approve River Park lease

CENTRAL MAINE • December 11, 2025

Voters on Wednesday gave the green light for town officials to sign off on a lease agreement for the River Park project decades in the making. The lease delegates nearly all of the financial responsibility and liability for the project to Main Street Skowhegan, a local economic revitalization nonprofit that has long spearheaded planning and fundraising efforts for the River Park and expects to manage its operations. It is one of the last steps needed before construction, slated for early next year, can begin, according to project organizers. The first phase of the River Park includes an adjustable whitewater surf and kayak wave, an access road into the river on the south side, and the first 4,500 square feet of riverfront boardwalk.

Northern Forest Canoe Trail Issues 25th Anniversary Book

NORTHERN FOREST CANOE TRAIL • December 11, 2025

In celebration of 25 years, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail has published a special anniversary coffee table book: 25 Years of Trail Tales. This book explores the canoe trail's origins, the history of our organization, our stewardship work and, of course, stories by thru-paddlers, day-trippers, racers, volunteers and more, all accompanied by beautiful photos of the woods and waters of the Northern Forest.

Maine exports to Canada down nearly 20%, with forest products hardest hit by tariffs

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 11, 2025

Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration contributed to a decline in Maine exports to Canada and fewer northern neighbors coming to visit the Pine Tree State this year. Overall, exports from Maine to Canada are down nearly 20%, according to the Maine International Trade Center. Natural resources including pulp, paper, lobster and salmon are leading the decline, but there are also losses in manufacturing. Canadian tourism fell from 7% of all visitors to the state in 2024 to just 4% in this year. President Donald Trump has argued that one goal of the tariffs is to encourage domestic manufacturing and the purchasing of American-made products. A recent survey from Pan Atlantic Research found that nearly a third of Mainers believe that tariffs are bad for the state because they drive up costs and hurt businesses.

Letter: Boycott the new symbols of white privilege

SUN JOURNAL • December 11, 2025

The Trump administration is institutionalizing racism everywhere, even resorting to Jim Crow tactics. As recently reported (“National Park Service drops free admission on MLK Day”), no longer will there be free admission on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. There will be free admission for Donald Trump’s birthday, however (June 14). Trump recently spent the weekend attacking Somalis with unhinged racism. All this follows his life of racist practices in real estate — all the way to the White House. On Trump’s birthday, let’s boycott national parks, the Kennedy Center and other institutions that have been reborn as symbols of white privilege. ~ Paul Josephson, Vinalhaven

Why some Maine towns decide to dissolve themselves

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 11, 2025

Two Maine municipalities are taking votes within the next week to continue the deorganizing process — Maxfield in Penobscot County and Highland Plantation in Somerset County. Deorganizing is the process to formally eliminate a town government and join Maine’s unorganized territory through 12 steps that can take up to two years to complete. When a town dissolves itself, the remaining services citizens receive are split between the county and the state. Many small towns across the state with low populations suffer from limited resident participation, both in filling positions and voting in local elections, which can make local government stagnant and ineffective. Thin budgets and escalating costs hurt local services while declining populations cannot raise enough money to keep them operating.

Here’s why you might see photos of deer in Maine real estate listings

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 11, 2025

Many sellers and real estate agents include photos of wild animals — either from a game camera or photos the sellers captured — in online property listings. The practice is one method sellers use to make their Maine homes stand out and attract buyers who may come from urban areas and are looking for a more rural place. Having wildlife nearby and the photos to prove it can make a home a “lifestyle property.” Some people relocate to Maine because they want plenty of land and access to the wildlife that come with it. Wildlife can appeal to animal lovers. But photos of deer, moose, turkey or other game also can entice avid hunters.

Maine lawmakers hear from forest products industries on the impacts of tariffs on Canadian imports

MAINE PUBLIC • December 10, 2025

The effect of 10% tariffs on Canadian wood imports was the subject of a public hearing before the state's Maine-Canadian Legislative Advisory Commission Wednesday. Dana Doran, executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, says his members are struggling to stay afloat. Collin Beal, a Woodland Pulp mill contractor, says tariffs and a downturn in the overall global market contributed to a recent shutdown of the mill.

Public lands group files suit over new national park pass that features Trump

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 10, 2025

A public lands advocacy group sued the Trump administration in federal court Wednesday over the inclusion of President Donald Trump’s face on the forthcoming National Park annual pass. The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit that alleges the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture violated the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, which requires department officials to feature an image on the annual pass chosen from a public photo contest. CBD Executive Director Kierán Suckling said, “Blotting out the majesty of America’s national parks with a closeup of his own face is Trump’s crassest, most ego-driven action yet.”