Opinion: Planned Old Port tower flies in the face of the culture we claim to celebrate

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 20, 2025

I am writing to express my deep concern and strong disapproval of the Portland Planning Board’s decision to approve the Old Port Square tower proposal. This project represents a fundamental misalignment with the values, character and needs of Portland and its residents. First and foremost, approving a 30-story tower in the heart of the Old Port is profoundly disrespectful to the historic identity of this city. The attempt to frame the tower’s design as a “lighthouse beacon” that honors Maine’s heritage is disingenuous and, frankly, insulting. Growth can and should happen, but not at the cost of erasing the character and community that make Portland a place worth investing in. ~ Jenna Valente, Cumberland

Column: Why the chickadee is fitting as Maine’s state bird

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 20, 2025

“The state bird shall be the chickadee.” There it is, written directly into Maine law: Title 1, Chapter 9, Section 209. It’s been our official state bird for 98 years. The recognition is fitting. Chickadees are inherently cordial, industrious and useful. They watch out for their neighbors. They’re backyard birds, both at home and up at camp. Chickadees are quick to assess danger and often decide humans aren’t very threatening. While mourning doves and blue jays scatter the moment someone steps into view, chickadees remain at the feeder going about their business. They may scold, and more than once I’ve found myself asking them, “Why are you mad at me?” ~ Bob Duchesne

Opinion: South Portland residents’ waterfront vision continues to be ignored

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 20, 2025

Community members have been clear over the past three years that they don’t want anyone to live on contaminated soil next to 13 oil tanks in a flood zone on a peninsula that dead-ends on one already congested. Why is that so difficult to understand? This is a safety issue, a human rights concern and an environmental justice alarm, not a vendetta against affordable housing. Yet the Comprehensive Plan Committee has designated the eastern waterfront (Bug Light) as a unique high-growth area. The best use of the Shipyard District is to be protected as a national monument or a state park.~ Barbara Dee, South Portland

Senators Introduce Legislation To Reauthorize Wildlife Crossings Program

NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER • December 19, 2025

A group of bipartisan senators has introduced legislation to reauthorize the Wildlife Crossings Program, a competitive grant program with the goal of reducing Wildlife Vehicle Collisions while improving habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species. The crossings program, which is set to expire in 2026, was passed in 2021 to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and support enhanced connectivity to help animals adapt to the changing climate. In Maine, the Department of Transportation was granted $9.3 million to construct a wildlife crossing using a pre-cast concrete arch culvert to provide passage for moose, deer, and other large wildlife in the city of Caribou. The project will improve safety by reducing wildlifevehicle collisions in the area, remove two existing barriers for wildlife and fish passage, and improve habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species.

Can European holiday demand reverse Maine’s lobster export slump?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 19, 2025

Maine is hoping Europeans will once again find a place for its lobster on their Christmas tables to offset dismal sales, with the value of year-over-year exports to the European Union down about 42% through September. Dealers blame the lackluster sales on a combination of factors: a declining catch, the rising price of getting the lobster to market and international trade volatility. In 2017, the first year the U.S. lobster industry was hobbled by the Canadian trade differential, 19% of Maine’s Christmas exports went to Europe; last December, without that tariff handicap, 62% went to Europe.

Maine Calling: Winter Light

MAINE PUBLIC • December 19, 2025

Maine Calling teams up with our colleagues at Maine Public Classical to discuss their holiday special “Night Lights,” which celebrates the magic of light in the wintertime. From the winter solstice to the stars in Maine’s dark skies, festive holiday lights and more, we reflect on this unique time of year. And we’ll hear some of the music and stories that will be part of Night Lights, which will air several times from December 23 to 25. Panelists: Sarah Tuttle, host and producer, Maine Public Classical; Jessica Miller, host, Weekend Edition; radio operations announcer, Maine Public; Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic, associate professor of physics; chair of physics and astronomy, Bates College. VIP Callers: John Meader, astronomy educator; co-founder, Dark Sky Maine; owner, Northern Stars Planetarium; photographer; Pandora LaCasse, sculptural artist who creates the holiday light installations in Portland.

Senate votes to confirm Yvette Herrell's nomination to Trump administration post

ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL • December 19, 2025

Former New Mexico congresswoman Yvette Herrell's nomination to a Trump administration post was confirmed this week by the U.S. Senate, despite both of her home state senators casting "no" votes. Herrell was appointed by the president in June to be an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, overseeing the U.S. Forest Service and other departments. Her nomination was bundled with about 100 other nominees for a final confirmation vote. On a party-line vote, the U.S. Senate voted 53-43 late Thursday to confirm the nominees. New Mexico's two U.S. senators joined other Senate Democrats in voting against the nomination package to hold the Trump administration accountable for breaking the law. Herrell, a former Republican state legislator, served a single term in the U.S. House after winning election in 2020. However, she was ousted from Congress by Democrat Gabe Vasquez in 2022, and lost again in a tight rematch in the 2024.

Drought predicted to linger into spring, officials say

MAINE PUBLIC • December 19, 2025

The latest report from the U.S. Drought monitor shows that 100% of the state is still in moderate, severe or extreme drought conditions. At the final Maine Drought Task Force meeting of the year on Friday, state officials, stakeholders and researchers reported mixed updates. Even if Maine gets a lot of snow this winter, officials say an above average snowpack still won't move the needle. "Wintertime rains aren't always beneficial for groundwater conditions, especially because we can't guarantee that that water is going to make its way down into the aquifer if the ground's frozen," said Nick Stasulis of the U.S. Geological Survey.

The big, bad, endangered wolf

PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE • December 19, 2025

The latest threat to endangered species comes from Congress. A House bill would update the 52-year-old Endangered Species Act so it can "better achieve its goals." However, what some lawmakers call an update is being seen more as a remake. Chris Allieri, executive director of the NYC Plover Project, said, this is not warranted, it’s not scientific, it’s not ethical." The bill has made it through several House committees and is still awaiting a full vote. Allieri noted if Congress genuinely wants to reform the law, it should reverse funding cuts to wildlife and environmental agencies. Polls show 84% of Americans want the U.S. to focus on preventing endangered species from becoming extinct.

Hunter helps deer struggling on ice in Belfast

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 19, 2025

Brian Fogg was on his way to work Tuesday when he spotted a deer struggling to cross a frozen tributary of the Passagassawakeag River off Head of the Tide Road in Belfast. The deer kept trying to get up, but fell through each time. “Then it got to the point where it was exhausted,” Fogg said. Fogg walked up to the doe, which was so tired it didn’t seem to mind his presence. He broke the ice with his boots until the water reached his waist, then shed some layers so he wouldn’t get soaked. Fogg, a hunter, always tries to help wildlife he sees in need, but he would not recommend others take the same approach. He said people can sometimes do more harm than good.

A legacy Aroostook lumberyard is back on the market for twice the price

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 19, 2025

A legacy Presque Isle lumberyard is back on the market three months after it sold at a foreclosure auction. The former Rathbun Lumber Co. was listed for $499,000 through RE/MAX County in late November. It was purchased by Glendon Braley and Green Meadow Farms Inc. of Mapleton at auction in September for $250,000, documents filed in the Southern Aroostook Registry of Deeds show and a Green Meadow employee confirmed Thursday. The lumberyard was run by the Rathbun family at 43 State St. from 1948 until 2016, when owner Alden Rathbun sold it to longtime employee James Mclaughlin. It last sold for $275,000.

I learned the hard way what to pack for the Maine outdoors

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 18, 2025

Since moving from North Carolina to Maine, I’ve learned — sometimes the hard way — that things just happen here. The weather shifts fast. The dirt road is suddenly closed. The old bridge can’t be crossed. A bike tire goes flat. And staying warm takes more energy than expected. Each lesson has added something new to my backpack. It now comes with me every time I head into the woods or onto a back road, and it’s fuller than ever with extra layers of clothes, a compass and maps, a hand-held GPS, safety items, a multi-tool, paracord and even a Ziploc of Vaseline-covered cotton balls for fire-starting thanks to a local guide’s tip. and snacks.

240,000 Miles of Stone Walls Hide in New England Forests

WHEN IN YOUR STATE • December 18, 2025

At its peak, New England had an estimated 240,000 miles of stone walls. They were built by families who cleared the land, fought a revolution, chased a wool boom, and then walked away. The walls they left behind tell a story. The Laurentide Ice Sheet was the principal glacier covering North America during the last Ice Age. Between about 30,000 and 15,000 years ago, the ice scraped across New England. It stripped away the ancient soils, scouring the land down to its bedrock, lifting up billions of stone slabs and scattering them across the region. When the ice melted, it left behind a rocky mess that would take thousands of years to bury. When Europeans first arrived in New England, the land was densely forested and covered with a thick layer of topsoil and humus. By the mid-1800s, 75 percent of New England was clear cut. Without the natural vegetation to hold and replenish the topsoil, the soil eroded and eventually exposed the more stoney glacial soils below. The rocks that glaciers had buried thousands of years earlier were back at the surface, and farmers had to deal with them.

U.K. Organization Launches Petition Opposing New U.S. National Park Fees

NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER • December 18, 2025

Visit USA, an association that offers U.K. travelers accurate information from U.S. travel experts, launched a petition opposing the new U.S. national park fees for international visitors. The fee changes, announced in late November by the Trump Administration, mean that nonresidents will now have to pay $200 for an annual pass (up from $80). Nonresidents without an annual pass will pay $100 per person to enter 11 of the most visited national parks, including Acadia, in addition to the standard entrance fee. “This fee contradicts the very ethos of national parks — spaces meant to be enjoyed by all, regardless of borders. International tourism not only fosters global understanding and appreciation of the U.S.'s stunning landscapes but also brings significant economic benefits to park-adjacent communities and the nation as a whole,”said Kate Kenward, CEO of Visit USA.

Opinion: Federal permitting reform will unlock Maine’s access to affordable energy

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 18, 2025

Outdated federal permitting laws are slowing projects that could help lower energy prices, strengthen our grid and create new jobs. The process for building essential infrastructure has become unpredictable, overly litigious and far too slow. Maine has felt the consequences more than most. Access to affordable energy, including ever-cleaner natural gas, is often blocked not because of feasibility or environmental concerns, but by outdated and weaponized federal permitting. One example is the lack of certainty under the Clean Water Act, which has been used by activist groups to block pipelines based on political goals unrelated to water quality. By embracing sensible federal reform, we can unlock our state’s full potential, strengthen our grid and create jobs that benefit communities. ~ John Nutting, Leeds, served in the Maine House of Representatives (1986-92) and Maine State Senate (1996-2002, 2004-2010)

A new book explores conflicts created by the seal population recovery

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 17, 2025

Have seal conservation measures worked too well? In her book, “A Year with the Seals,“ Alix Morris is admirably even-handed as she explores and reports on her findings. The controversy over seals is not one “just of human-wildlife conflict, but of human-human conflict.” Morris is probably right when she predicts that conflicts between our species and the rest of the world are likely to get worse, not better. Investigations like hers will be essential in order “to take the time to identify and address the deeper issues at the heart of them.” ~ Thomas Urquhart

The man behind the fall of offshore wind

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 17, 2025

David Stevenson saw himself as an outlier at the Heartland Institute’s 2023 International Conference on Climate Change. He leaned over during one session to tell me, cheekily, that he might be the ​“only person here who believes in climate change.” And yet, despite that belief, Stevenson has dedicated the better part of a decade to obstructing a source of clean energy that can help replace the fossil fuels that are baking the planet. In fact, that’s why he was at the Heartland Institute’s conference: to rail against offshore wind farms. The following day, Stevenson laid out his case. It’s too expensive, he argued, and the United States was not effectively assessing its environmental impact. He suggested a plan to get the public to care about this issue: putting whales front and center.

Brunswick native plays with paradoxes – and multiple selves – in ‘Tim Travers’ movie

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 17, 2025

Samuel Dunning, a Brunswick native, stars in the new comedy/science fiction film "Tim Travers and the Time Traveler's Paradox." Now, he is working on promoting his directorial debut, “Canoe Dig It?” — a Maine-set mockumentary about a freestyle canoeing competition at Moosehead Lake that he also wrote and starred in.

Patten man gets scouting nod for sharing outdoor adventures with youth

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 17, 2025

A Patten physician has been awarded the 2025 Wallace H. “Bud” Jeffrey Award for distinguished service to youth through his work with the Maine High Adventure Program, part of the Katahdin Area Council of Scouting America. Ron Blum, who first came to Patten in 1975 as a rural health program physician, has been connected to the Maine High Adventure Program at Baxter State Park since the 1970s. He first came on as a local doctor who occasionally treated scout injuries from the program base. The Maine High Adventure base in Matagamon, created by Bud Jeffrey.