Column: Runaway pigs and a drunk rooster, just part of life on the dairy farm

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 4, 2026

On Memorial Day 1960, my 8-year-old twin brother Don and I sat on the pigpen fence, having just completed our barn chores on our grandparents’ dairy farm in Mercer. Awaiting Grammy Lue’s brass-horn breakfast call, we rocked back and forth until the fence collapsed. Smeared with slop, we raced into the farmhouse and yelled, “Grammy, the pigs have escaped.” To ease the tension, Don chimed in, “But Mr. Chubby (our 250-pound boar) is no longer bunged up.” After days of constipation, Chubby took care of business in Grampa’s potato patch. Henrietta — the matriarch of our Barred Rocks — was busy digging for grubs when the pigs stampeded by. Panic-stricken, she laid an egg on the lawn. ~ Ron Joseph

Trump Administration says it supports Rep. Golden's proposal to delay right whale regulation

MAINE PUBLIC • May 4, 2026

The Trump Administration said it supports a proposal by Democratic Maine Congressman Jared Golden to push back new federal protections for North Atlantic Right Whales to 2035. A moratorium on new federal rules around right whales is already in place until 2028 due to concerns from lobsterman who say certain regulations for the endangered species would cripple the fishing industry. Rachel Rilee, oceans policy specialist with the Center for Biological Diversity, cited NOAA data saying cases of whales getting tangled in fishing gear are on the rise. "Another seven years would absolutely result in more entanglements and more death for the right whale, which is only going to make it harder to make gains in conservation,” she said.

180 acres are for sale in Bar Harbor for $2.5M

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 4, 2026

Almost 180-acres is for sale with five existing housing lots and potential for more. The property off the Crooked Road is owned by Christopher Bettencourt and Denise Carey Bettencourt. It was called the Brigadoon Subdivision when the town approved the five housing lots in 2024. The property is one of the largest parcels available in Bar Harbor. With portions of the site within 5-kilometers of the habitat of an endangered species of bat, the Bettencourts rethought the project to avoid wetland alterations. Because of the bats and other considerations, the original subdivision plan was scaled back in 2024. According to the April 23 listing by Lamacchia Realty, Inc., “Its proximity to conserved lands further enhances a sense of seclusion amidst the island’s natural beauty.”

Letter: Matt Dunlap is the choice for outdoor enthusiasts

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 4, 2026

If you are an outdoor enthusiast, as I am, then Matt Dunlap is our candidate for the 2nd Congressional District. I believe no one has done more to develop and support popular recreational activities including snowmobiling, boating, hiking, hunting, and fishing. ~ Bucky Owen, Orono

Maine’s legislative session is officially over. Here’s a look at what happened.

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 4, 2026

Maine lawmakers closed out the 132nd Legislature last week after months spent confronting the fallout of drastic federal policy changes and funding uncertainty. A $45 million bond for agricultural and forestry programs seemed to gain momentum, managing to reach the necessary two-thirds majority in the Senate, but ultimately failed in the House. Lawmakers declined to advance a proposed climate superfund, after other states that passed similar policies have been sued by the Trump administration. Instead, lawmakers backed a study to assess how much money greenhouse gas emissions have cost the state. A measure that made it into law adds additional requirements around the testing of PFAS in water. It requires landlords for residential buildings supplied by well water to test for PFAS, and if a homeowner is selling their property, they must disclose if the well water has tested positive for PFAS contamination. But another bill that would have allocated $1 million towards PFAS testing failed to secure funding.

Chasing waterfalls: A guide to western Maine’s best water features

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 4, 2026

A drive through western Maine offers a mix of waterfalls, including:
• Cascade Stream Gorge Falls, Carrabassett Valley
• Falls at Frenchman’s Hole, Township E
• Dunn Falls, Andover
• Smalls Falls, Rangeley
• Screw Auger Falls, Grafton Notch Township
• Mother Walker Falls, Grafton Notch Township
• Step Falls, Newry
• Coos Canyon, Byron
• Snow Falls Gorge, West Paris
• Rattlesnake Pool, Stow
• The Cataracts, Andover

Opinion: Keep Maine beautiful by protecting, investing in our public lands

CENTRAL MAINE • May 3, 2026

Outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of Maine’s economy. Each year, millions of visitors come to experience our parks, trails, waterways and working forests — supporting roughly 32,000 jobs and generating $3.9 billion in economic activity. In 2020, Congress created the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund. This landmark legislation provided five years of dedicated funding to address long-overdue repairs on federal lands. Here in Maine, the LRF delivered $54 million for critical repairs to our public lands. Now, with that funding having expired, Congress is considering the America the Beautiful Act, introduced by Maine’s own Sen. Angus King. By passing this legislation, Congress can ensure that Maine’s treasured public lands remain safe, accessible and vibrant. If we want future generations to experience Maine as we know it today, we need to invest in it now. ~ David Heidrich, Augusta

Letter: Landowners need to take Tree Growth Tax Law seriously

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 2, 2026

The Legislature has called for a survey to collect information from assessors regarding their experiences administering the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law. Forest owners: To ensure that this survey is something more than a witch hunt, talk to your assessor about your land, what you do there, how it benefits your neighbors, and how your woods support the small businesses that make up Maine’s forest products industry. Don’t let this survey become the first step in the elimination of Maine’s Tree Growth Tax Law. ~ Bill Streever, Pembroke

Podcast: Uncertainty at U.S. Forest Service and on America’s public lands

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 2, 2026

The U.S. Forest Service is reorganizing. The federal agency will move their headquarters from Washington D.C. to Salt Lake City, closing over 50 research stations in 31 states, and will restructure management to rely on states more. All these changes are coming while state GOP leaders and the Trump administration are pushing for the sale or transfer of federal public lands.

Opinion: Congress must protect the travel economy that powers Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 2, 2026

Tourism is deeply embedded in Maine’s character, from more than 3,000 miles of coastline and waterfront that define our coastal communities, to our pristine lakes, rugged mountains and distinctive small towns. It is a cornerstone of who we are and a vital driver of economic prosperity across the state. Tourism is not a secondary industry in Maine. It is one of the foundational pillars of our economic strength. In 2024 alone, tourism generated $15.9 billion in total economic impact, supporting 115,900 jobs and delivering $5.4 billion in wages to Maine workers. Congress is considering S.3623, the Durbin-Marshall credit card bill, which would impose new mandates on the credit card system that could potentially harm rewards programs. When visitation declines, Maine’s communities will feel the consequences. ~ Kerri Bickford, former Maine state representative, Topsham

Letter: Clean up Portland’s streets

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 2, 2026

Walking through Portland — particularly along Washington Avenue — I have been increasingly discouraged. What should be clean city streets are instead marred by overflowing litter, dog waste bags, broken glass and ignored garbage by businesses and home owners. We need a new approach to civic pride. During a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I was struck by how immaculate the city remained thanks to a team of “ambassadors” funded through a local merchant association. Portland should consider two paths: • Shared responsibility: Require property owners to take active ownership of the sidewalk and curb immediately in front of their businesses. • A dedicated workforce: Enact a modest fee to fund a professional “ambassador” program for consistent maintenance. ~ Clean sidewalks are the foundation of a thriving city. It is time we stop accepting the status quo. ~ Michael Harris, Portland

Opinion: Maine fishermen’s bodies are breaking down. Where’s the help?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 2, 2026

Commercial fishing in Maine is breaking the people who sustain it. Four out of five fishermen report overuse injuries — torn shoulders, damaged knees, chronic back pain — from work that hasn’t fundamentally changed in generations. Most don’t retire from the job. Their bodies give out first. We know how to reduce that damage. What’s missing is consistent federal support. This isn’t an abstract policy debate — it’s being decided right now in the federal budget process. Programs like Sea Grant do more than fund research. They support the training, safety systems and local partnerships that keep fishermen on the water longer and in better health. Fishing communities cannot rebuild their workforce or protect their health one budget fight at a time. If Maine wants a future on the water, Congress needs to fund it — deliberately and as policy. ~ Chris Payne, Cumberland, graduate student, University of New England

Column: Something is missing from my yard this spring. Rat poison might be why.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 2, 2026

I haven’t seen a chipmunk in my yard since November. Perhaps there’s a particularly talented short-tailed weasel haunting my neighborhood. They prowl my yard in some winters, but I usually see them or their tracks when they’re around. I fear that the reason I haven’t seen a weasel this year is for the same reason I haven’t seen a chipmunk. Rat poison. The poisons-du-jour are known as second-generation rodenticides, or SGARs. They are anticoagulants. A critter that ingests the poison dies from internal bleeding. The poisons are contained in bait stations sized for rodents, too small for pets or other animals to enter. The problem is that any predator that later eats the rodent gets poisoned by proxy. SGARs are working their way up the food chain. ~ Bob Duchesne

Bond to support farm and forestry funding will not be on November ballot

MAINE MONITOR • May 1, 2026

Washington County farmers face mounting economic uncertainty, but they will not see a proposal for relief funds on the November ballot. Lawmakers made several attempts to revive L.D. 2094, a bill that would have directed a $45 million bond into existing grant and low‑interest loan programs for farmers and the forestry sector. The legislative session ended in mid‑April with the bond proposal stalled between the House and Senate, without a consensus. “Farmers aren’t looking for a handout,” Shelley Megquier, policy and research director at Maine Farmland Trust, said. “It’s heartbreaking, but not devastating,” she added, referring to the lack of funding secured for agriculture during a time when economic futures are historically unstable from drought and tariff price hikes, among other concerns.

Donald Trump backs Jared Golden’s bill to extend pause on federal lobster rules

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 1`, 2026

President Donald Trump came out in support of U.S. Rep. Jared Golden’s bill to extend a pause on federal regulations intended to protect endangered whales, bolstering a top priority for Maine lobstermen. The White House issued a Friday letter saying the Republican president would sign the measure if Congress sent it to his desk. Golden’s measure would extend the six-year pause that was negotiated as part of a 2022 spending bill for another seven years into 2035.

The ice is out on Maine’s largest lake

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 1, 2026

Ice-out on Moosehead Lake was declared at 8:30 a.m. Friday. Currier’s Flying Service made the annual call. The earliest recorded ice-out was April 14, 1945, and the latest was May 29, 1878. The declaration traditionally signals the start of the summer tourism season on one of Maine’s most popular lakes.

Maine saw fewer visitors in 2025 but they spent a record amount of money while they were here

MAINE PUBLIC • May 1, 2026

The Maine Office of Tourism is reporting that the state saw 650,000 fewer visitors last year, but they spent more than $9 billion, a record high. State Tourism Director Carolann Ouellette said the tourism marketing effort known as Forged by Nature celebrates all things Maine and that appeals to visitors. "What's important to us as Mainers, from working waterfronts, working landscapes, farms and forests, and just who we are as a people. That's what makes Maine special to our visitors," Ouellette said.

Maine’s largest oil power plant wants to skirt clean air requirements

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 1, 2026

State environmental regulators are moving toward a deal that would let Maine’s largest oil-fired power plant skirt the latest pollution controls, igniting a debate over whether the aging facility is a vital energy safety net or an expensive smog-producing relic. The Department of Environmental Protection has issued a draft order for a clean air exemption for Wyman Station on Yarmouth’s Cousins Island. Owned by NextEra Energy, the peaking plant runs mainly when there is high demand for electricity or when other plants go offline. The decision carries consequences for both the region’s energy security and its climate mandates as New England struggles to prevent blackouts during extreme weather while transitioning away from fossil fuels.

Opinion: Water is the leading public health challenge for Maine’s gubernatorial candidates

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 1, 2026

I had a bill this year, LD 2115, that would have created a fund to pay for well testing, abatement, remediation, installation and maintenance of filtration systems, the provision of bottled water, and even facilitating connections to local water districts when possible. Despite bipartisan support, the bill died for lack of funding. I challenge my fellow Democrats running for governor and also the independents and Republicans: Commit (in writing!) that people on wells in both rural Maine and unconnected parts of populated areas will be able to look at your next biennial or supplemental budget this January and see actual initiatives and language that show you’re going to take even a modest bite out of this $1.3 billion problem. A small amount of consistent, sustainable funding will go an incredibly long way. ~ Rep. Dan Ankeles, D-Brunswick