Midcoast resort goes on sale for $5.7M

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 21, 2026

Point Lookout, a resort set across 122 acres in Northport, is for sale for $5.7 million. The property includes 40 cabins, a 23,000-square-foot guest services building with a fitness center, four miles of hiking trails and a full-sized artificial turf soccer field with stadium seating.The property was listed on Friday on a commercial real estate website. Point Lookout, located on Ducktrap Mountain overlooking Penobscot Bay, was built as a corporate retreat for credit card giant MBNA when the company was the largest employer in midcoast Maine.

MAHA activists criticize Trump for promoting coal to power energy-hungry AI data centers

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 21, 2026

Nearly 200 activists in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement are criticizing President Donald Trump’s promotion of coal to fuel the rise of artificial intelligence data centers, according to a letter sent Friday. The letter, signed by at least two former staffers from Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign, marks the first major MAHA movement mobilization over fossil fuels and the latest in a series of rifts between the diverse group of activists and the Trump administration over environmental policy.

Maine farming group warns of possible ICE raids targeting farms, workers

WMTW-TV8 • August 21, 2026

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association is warning farmers to be alert for possible immigration enforcement activity in Maine. In a message sent to farmers on Thursday, MOFGA said it had received information that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids were anticipated beginning Friday, Aug. 21, and potentially continuing through the weekend and into early next week.

GOP senator blocks Trump nominees over wetlands

THE WEEK • August 21, 2026

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) on Thursday vowed to halt all of President Donald Trump’s nominees until his administration eases a wetlands conservation policy aimed at protecting the breeding grounds of ducks and other waterfowl. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last weekend said it would at least temporarily retain the Biden-era program, which bars farmers from draining land near protected federal conservation easements. “My farmers are furious and so am I,” Cramer said. The Trump administration’s “blind defense of a Biden rule favored by environmental extremists” just “confounds me.”

Biddeford fisherman lands 529-pound swordfish

WMTW-TV8 • August 21, 2026

A Biddeford fisherman believes he may have landed a record-setting catch after reeling in a 529-pound swordfish while fishing off the Maine coast. Max Mourmouras was aboard his fishing vessel, the Retreviah, about 10 miles offshore when he caught the swordfish while tuna fishing, according to Saco Bay Tackle Co. Mourmouras landed the fish by himself after a fight that lasted about an hour and a half. The fisherman believes the catch could be considered a potential Maine state record in the rod-and-reel category.

Letter: We need to advocate for fair, effective climate legislation

SUN JOURNAL • August 21, 2026

The Carbon Fee & Dividend (CF&D), was first introduced during the Reagan administration. Republicans liked it because it was a policy that wouldn’t increase the size of government, would be good for the economy, for their constituents and for the planet. The policy has broad support. Here in Maine, where it is better known as “Carbon Cash Back,” over 100 businesses, faith communities, environmental groups and health organizations support it. Thirty-two Maine municipalities have voted in favor of a resolution supporting carbon pricing at the federal level. Even economists agree on the benefits of CF&D; 3,500 of them have signed a letter to that effect. Learn more at citizensclimatelobby.org. ~ Bonnie Sammons, Belgrade

Maine hikers can summit these 3 New Hampshire peaks in a single day

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 21, 2026

The White Mountains are a playground for many Mainers. The biggest hike I tackled was what’s known as the Franconia Ridge Loop. This challenging 9-mile route travels up and over three major peaks (Little Haystack, Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette), all rising over 4,000 feet above sea level. This puts them in a special category for hikers in the Northeast. In fact, many make it their mission to hike all 48 mountains in New Hampshire that are over 4,000 feet. In addition, many hikers tack on Maine’s 14 mountains that reach over 4,000 feet, several of which are located in Baxter State Park.

A dead whale covered in shark bites keeps washing up on Maine islands

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 19, 2026

Mike Kersula and his crew noticed a bad smell as they approached the beach on Enchanted Island by boat two weeks ago. Then a crew member realized that what had looked like a ledge was bobbing up and down in the water along the small island about five miles south of Stonington. A 43-foot adolescent male fin whale was decomposing on the shore, riddled with shark bites. Fin whales are the second-largest whale species in the world, with adults in the north Atlantic reaching 70 feet, and are listed as federally endangered. Causes of death usually can’t be determined for whales, but a number of whales have been struck by boats or had problems with fishing gear along the East Coast this summer.

The largest bear killed in Maine was 700 pounds

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 21, 2026

Fourteen years ago, Matt Knox shot his first bear. It became Maine’s current state record for a bear killed with a firearm, with a live weight of 699 pounds. Even more impressive, it was taken over bait.

Opinion: Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument offers a beacon of hope

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 21, 2026

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument marks its 10th anniversary on Aug. 24. The monument has averaged up to 40,000 visitors in recent years, and visitation for 2026 is trending significantly upward. The annual economic impact is over $26 million plus payments in lieu of taxes totalling since 2016 almost $3 million. Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, has for 10 years has inspired young learners to connect with nature. The National Park Service and Friends have both invested in night sky programs. NPS maintains nation-to-nation relationships with all Wabanaki Nations. In the face of increased threats to public lands, I hope Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument remains a beacon of hope for what can happen when communities come together to invest in a brighter future. ~ Brian Hinrichs, Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters

Virginia restored 12,000 acres of seagrass. Can Maine also stem the decline?

MAINE MONITOR • August 20, 2026

Maine’s seagrass meadows are shrinking and thinning. And this isn’t the only place where seagrass is declining. These underwater meadows off Maine’s coast are part of a global, decades-long pattern of loss believed to be driven by development and human activity on coastlines, nutrient pollution, and climate change. The decline is a serious problem for the young sea creatures who use these underwater meadows as a nursery habitat, and for the coastal communities that the seagrass helps in myriad ways — improving water quality, storing carbon, stabilizing erosion, absorbing the destructive energy of storm surges and more. Scientists have estimated that, between the late 1800s and early 2000s, the world lost about 29 percent of its known seagrass areas. And this loss is ongoing. More recently, using satellite images, researchers estimated that, between 2019 and 2024, the world lost about 4 percent of its seagrass areas.

Fact brief: Do two-thirds of Maine potatoes end up in processed foods?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2026

Yes. Roughly 65% of Maine potatoes end up in processed foods, such as french fries, potato chips, dehydrated potato products and canned products. Maine harvested about 1.74 billion pounds of potatoes in 2025, worth $257.3 million. Maine’s potato processing capacity expanded this summer with the opening of a Taste of Maine Potato Chip Co. plant in Limestone. The 81,100-square-foot facility uses locally grown potatoes and has an initial capacity to produce 15 million pounds of kettle-cooked chips per year. 

Fisher Farms named as the Maine Dairy Farm of the Year

WMTW-TV8 • August 20, 2026

Fisher Farms in Sabattus has been named the 2026 Maine Dairy Farm of the Year as part of the New England Green Pastures Award. The award recognizes one farm family from each of the six New England states for agricultural excellence, environmental stewardship and community leadership. Fisher Farms has been in the Fisher family since 1865 and is currently operated by Alden and Lisa Fisher alongside their daughters Carmen Fisher and April Wyman. The farm currently oversees 135 animals, including 55 cows that are milked twice per day. 

Sharks spotted near Kennebunk, Kennebunkport beaches

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2026

Sharks were sighted off Kennebunk and Kennebunkport beaches on Thursday. The sightings were reported off Gooch’s Beach in Kennebunk and Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, the Kennebunkport Police Department said in a social media post. “Due to increased shark activity along the coast, beachgoers are encouraged to remain alert and use caution when entering the water,” the department said. The department advised people to be extra aware of their surroundings and, if they spot a shark, “to calmly exit the water, alert others nearby.”

Maine’s drought conditions keep getting worse

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2026

Most of Maine is back under drought conditions. More than half the state was experiencing at least moderate drought conditions as of Tuesday, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. A stretch of the coastline from Cumberland County up through southern Hancock County is under severe drought conditions.

Editorial: 10 years on, Katahdin Woods and Waters is a monument worth celebrating

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 20, 2026

The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument was created a decade ago when then-President Barack Obama signed an executive order. The 85,563 acres for the monument were given to the federal government, along with an endowment to maintain the monument, by Roxanne Quimby and her family. When first proposed, it was often met with vitriol and venom. A decade after the monument’s official designation, that anger has largely subsided. It is, in part, a testament to the benefits that the conserved land has brought to a region that has been hit hard by the shuttering of paper mills and the accompanying loss of jobs. 

How to stay safe when you or your kids are riding ATVs

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 20, 2026

Maine officials are reminding off-road vehicle users to prioritize their safety following two fatal crashes in two days that claimed the lives of young people. The warden service has investigated six fatal off-road vehicle crashes since spring, including five that involved ATVs and utility task vehicles, also known as side-by-sides. That does not include ATV or UTV crashes that occur on public roads, which fall under other agencies’ jurisdictions. Ronald Fournier, a recreational safety supervisor for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, says there are two constants among fatal ATV crashes: speed and lack of helmets.

In 1964, Jane Sewall bought an abandoned Maine island; later, she gave it away to keep it wild

ECONOMIC TIMES • August 19, 2026

Jane Sewall's childhood dream came true when she purchased Witch Island near South Bristol, Maine. In a generous move, she donated it in two stages to prevent commercialization, carefully timing the gifts to sidestep impending tax regulations affecting property values. The Maine Coast Heritage Trust and the Maine Audubon Society were the fortunate recipients, while Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust now oversees the island as a protected wildlife haven.

National Parks Advocates Plan Day of Protest Against Donald Trump

NEWSWEEK • August 19, 2026

National park advocates are planning a nationwide day of action against President Donald Trump’s parks agenda, calling on his administration to provide greater protection and investment for the federal workforce that maintains the country’s parks. Parks supporters will gather online and at events across the country on August 25 to “speak out for America’s national parks.”

Maine sees uptick in travelers coming from Canada

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 19, 2026

Data shows that border crossings from Canada into Maine are rising again this summer, although traffic is still down from 2024. Federal data shows fewer Canadians visited the United States in 2025 amid political tensions and economic pressures. Some boycotted the United States last year in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The exchange rate for Canadians has also gone up.