The Maine Monitor
@themainemonitor.org
A nonprofit newsroom delivering citizen-supported, nonpartisan journalism for Maine: https://themainemonitor.org.
Read our Social Media and Community Guidelines: https://themainemonitor.org/community-guidelines/
Read our Social Media and Community Guidelines: https://themainemonitor.org/community-guidelines/
Seal Island saw a record 127 razorbill nests, while Eastern Egg Rock saw a record 213 puffin burrows.
Seabird researchers report good year for razorbills and puffins
Seal Island saw a record 127 razorbill nests, while Eastern Egg Rock saw a record 213 puffin burrows.
themainemonitor.org
September 16, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Seal Island saw a record 127 razorbill nests, while Eastern Egg Rock saw a record 213 puffin burrows.
The last barrier on the Narraguagus River just came down, opening up the way for salmon.
But there is no guarantee they will come back in greater numbers given other challenges.
But there is no guarantee they will come back in greater numbers given other challenges.
Endangered salmon may soon swim freely up a downeast river
Cherryfield rallied to remove the last dam on the Narraguagus after decades of habitat rehabilitation by local conservationists and landowners. They are committed to decades more.
themainemonitor.org
September 15, 2026 at 7:43 PM
The last barrier on the Narraguagus River just came down, opening up the way for salmon.
But there is no guarantee they will come back in greater numbers given other challenges.
But there is no guarantee they will come back in greater numbers given other challenges.
Texts and emails show the influence conservative policy groups had on a Sullivan-based school district’s debate over whether to align its Title IX policy with Trump’s executive order or to abide by state law.
themainemonitor.org/rsu24-push-e...
themainemonitor.org/rsu24-push-e...
Inside RSU 24 embrace of Trump’s stance on transgender students
Newly public emails and texts show how school leaders sought advice from conservative organizations and then debated behind the scenes over their new rules to exclude transgender students from sports.
themainemonitor.org
September 14, 2026 at 9:17 PM
Texts and emails show the influence conservative policy groups had on a Sullivan-based school district’s debate over whether to align its Title IX policy with Trump’s executive order or to abide by state law.
themainemonitor.org/rsu24-push-e...
themainemonitor.org/rsu24-push-e...
“The best thing parents can do to keep their children out of the hospital this winter is to get them vaccinated.” — Dr. Mary Ottolini, MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland.
What to know about this year’s flu, COVID-19 and RSV shots
Major medical groups issued immunization recommendations last week, ahead of the fall respiratory virus season that begins in October.
themainemonitor.org
September 11, 2026 at 1:36 PM
“The best thing parents can do to keep their children out of the hospital this winter is to get them vaccinated.” — Dr. Mary Ottolini, MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland.
The Maine state troopers who violently arrested a York County man in 2024 denied the accuracy of his account of the incident in court filings this week.
This story was co-published with @bangordailynews.bsky.social:
This story was co-published with @bangordailynews.bsky.social:
Troopers deny wrongdoing in lawsuit over violent Maine arrest
Justin Savage of Limerick sued three state troopers last September over the force they used arresting him in his driveway one night in March 2024.
themainemonitor.org
September 9, 2026 at 8:25 PM
The Maine state troopers who violently arrested a York County man in 2024 denied the accuracy of his account of the incident in court filings this week.
This story was co-published with @bangordailynews.bsky.social:
This story was co-published with @bangordailynews.bsky.social:
Some of Maine’s rural counties could be hit hardest by Medicaid cuts, according to data The Maine Monitor received from the state under a public records request.
Where Medicaid cuts could hit hardest in Maine
See how many people in each county could be subject to new work requirements in order to receive health benefits.
themainemonitor.org
September 9, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Some of Maine’s rural counties could be hit hardest by Medicaid cuts, according to data The Maine Monitor received from the state under a public records request.
Because of his late entry into the U.S. Senate race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Democrat Troy Jackson hasn’t yet had to file a quarterly FEC report or his Senate personal financial disclosure.
Here’s what we know and don’t know about both candidates’ finances.
Here’s what we know and don’t know about both candidates’ finances.
Voters know less about Troy Jackson’s finances than any other major U.S. Senate nominee
The Democrats’ replacement nominee hasn’t yet had to file information that’s typically available already for most Senate candidates.
themainemonitor.org
September 9, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Because of his late entry into the U.S. Senate race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Democrat Troy Jackson hasn’t yet had to file a quarterly FEC report or his Senate personal financial disclosure.
Here’s what we know and don’t know about both candidates’ finances.
Here’s what we know and don’t know about both candidates’ finances.
As Maine’s Senate race heats up, there has been a similar attack launched against both Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson: lobbying ties in the family.
The Monitor asked both campaigns what they make of the critiques, and examined the different rules at the state and federal level.
The Monitor asked both campaigns what they make of the critiques, and examined the different rules at the state and federal level.
Collins, Jackson navigated family lobbying ties under different rules
It’s been nearly 20 years since the federal government put some restrictions on lobbying by family members. Maine and other states haven’t followed suit.
themainemonitor.org
September 8, 2026 at 8:47 PM
As Maine’s Senate race heats up, there has been a similar attack launched against both Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson: lobbying ties in the family.
The Monitor asked both campaigns what they make of the critiques, and examined the different rules at the state and federal level.
The Monitor asked both campaigns what they make of the critiques, and examined the different rules at the state and federal level.
Ethan Hughes travels throughout Maine, and around the world, to stand against corporations he sees as exploiting natural resources and Indigenous peoples.
He and his family also protest humanity’s disconnection from nature by the way they live.
He and his family also protest humanity’s disconnection from nature by the way they live.
Family defies convention to protest environmental destruction
Thousands have visited them to learn about living without oil, electricity or cars.
themainemonitor.org
September 4, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Ethan Hughes travels throughout Maine, and around the world, to stand against corporations he sees as exploiting natural resources and Indigenous peoples.
He and his family also protest humanity’s disconnection from nature by the way they live.
He and his family also protest humanity’s disconnection from nature by the way they live.
Come work with us!
The Maine Monitor is hiring a Membership Coordinator, an Operations Manager and a Director of Audience Outreach & Community Engagement.
Learn more and apply at themainemonitor.org/careers/
The Maine Monitor is hiring a Membership Coordinator, an Operations Manager and a Director of Audience Outreach & Community Engagement.
Learn more and apply at themainemonitor.org/careers/
September 3, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Come work with us!
The Maine Monitor is hiring a Membership Coordinator, an Operations Manager and a Director of Audience Outreach & Community Engagement.
Learn more and apply at themainemonitor.org/careers/
The Maine Monitor is hiring a Membership Coordinator, an Operations Manager and a Director of Audience Outreach & Community Engagement.
Learn more and apply at themainemonitor.org/careers/
The trade group representing Maine’s mobile home industry told officials in one southern Maine town it is preparing to sue them and other municipalities if they pass ordinances restricting how much mobile home park owners can raise lot rents.
Mobile home group threatens lawsuit over rent control ordinance
The Maine Manufactured Housing Association is preparing to push back against a wave of local ordinances that restrict mobile home parks’ ability to raise rent.
themainemonitor.org
September 2, 2026 at 8:25 PM
The trade group representing Maine’s mobile home industry told officials in one southern Maine town it is preparing to sue them and other municipalities if they pass ordinances restricting how much mobile home park owners can raise lot rents.
A Portland District Court judge was correct in giving a father the power to decide whether his daughter could attend an evangelical church following a clash with the girl’s mother over her religious upbringing, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled on Sept. 1.
Maine court rules father can restrict daughter’s church attendance
A lawyer for the mother said they plan to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
themainemonitor.org
September 1, 2026 at 10:04 PM
A Portland District Court judge was correct in giving a father the power to decide whether his daughter could attend an evangelical church following a clash with the girl’s mother over her religious upbringing, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled on Sept. 1.
Preliminary counts for enrollment across Maine’s seven public universities and law school show that student enrollment could exceed 28,000 this school year, continuing an upward trend in enrollment driven by online learners.
What used to be one of Maine’s smallest universities has seen the biggest increase in students
Online learners have fueled enrollment growth at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, which preliminary numbers show is now the third biggest public university.
themainemonitor.org
August 31, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Preliminary counts for enrollment across Maine’s seven public universities and law school show that student enrollment could exceed 28,000 this school year, continuing an upward trend in enrollment driven by online learners.
Six months since the new red flag law went into effect, a total of eight orders have been filed.
Law enforcement officers are continuing to favor the pre-existing yellow flag law.
Law enforcement officers are continuing to favor the pre-existing yellow flag law.
5 people have used Maine’s red flag law on family members so far
Six months since the new red flag law went into effect, a total of eight orders have been filed. Law enforcement officers are continuing to favor the pre-existing yellow flag law.
themainemonitor.org
August 31, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Six months since the new red flag law went into effect, a total of eight orders have been filed.
Law enforcement officers are continuing to favor the pre-existing yellow flag law.
Law enforcement officers are continuing to favor the pre-existing yellow flag law.
The Maine Monitor hosted a panel discussion in Portland on Thursday as part of its ongoing series Monitor Talks. The panelists spoke about their efforts to launch a new treatment and re-entry program at the Franklin County jail in Farmington.
The people behind 1 jail’s new approach to addiction treatment
Officials involved in the Franklin County Detention Center’s addiction treatment program sat down with health care reporter Emily Bader at the latest in a series of Monitor Talks.
themainemonitor.org
August 28, 2026 at 9:54 PM
The Maine Monitor hosted a panel discussion in Portland on Thursday as part of its ongoing series Monitor Talks. The panelists spoke about their efforts to launch a new treatment and re-entry program at the Franklin County jail in Farmington.
Central Maine Power is asking that the Maine Public Utilities Commission increase the return on equity the company is allowed to make from 9.35 percent to 9.8 percent.
Consumer advocates argue against CMP’s requested returns
The scrutiny over Central Maine Power’s request is part of a growing movement to lower investor-owned utilities’ return on equity.
themainemonitor.org
August 28, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Central Maine Power is asking that the Maine Public Utilities Commission increase the return on equity the company is allowed to make from 9.35 percent to 9.8 percent.
With Lyme disease on the rise in Maine, physicians are eager for a Lyme vaccine to assist patients.
One is on the horizon, but its future availability is up in the air because the Trump administration has effectively eliminated the federal committee that would provide guidance on the new vaccine.
One is on the horizon, but its future availability is up in the air because the Trump administration has effectively eliminated the federal committee that would provide guidance on the new vaccine.
RFK hobbled the panel needed for smooth Lyme vaccine rollout
“All the rules are out the window,” said a physician who once served on the committee that gave guidance on new vaccines. “I don’t know how this plays out.”
themainemonitor.org
August 28, 2026 at 2:03 PM
With Lyme disease on the rise in Maine, physicians are eager for a Lyme vaccine to assist patients.
One is on the horizon, but its future availability is up in the air because the Trump administration has effectively eliminated the federal committee that would provide guidance on the new vaccine.
One is on the horizon, but its future availability is up in the air because the Trump administration has effectively eliminated the federal committee that would provide guidance on the new vaccine.
The situation at Marshwood Estates highlights the entrenched infrastructure issues at aging mobile home parks. But it also shows how things can change with a coordinated response.
Eliot residents turned to state for mobile home park help
The situation at Marshwood Estates highlights the entrenched infrastructure issues at aging mobile home parks. But it also shows how things can change with a coordinated response.
themainemonitor.org
August 27, 2026 at 8:51 PM
The situation at Marshwood Estates highlights the entrenched infrastructure issues at aging mobile home parks. But it also shows how things can change with a coordinated response.
The University of Maine System, which oversees the state’s public universities, will now accept credentials that high schoolers earn through the long-time Jobs for Maine Graduates program as course credits.
Maine universities hope to boost college aspirations
The University of Maine System will accept credentials earned through the Jobs for Maine Graduates program.
themainemonitor.org
August 26, 2026 at 6:57 PM
The University of Maine System, which oversees the state’s public universities, will now accept credentials that high schoolers earn through the long-time Jobs for Maine Graduates program as course credits.
Come work with us!
The Maine Monitor is hiring a Membership Coordinator, an Operations Manager and a Director of Audience Outreach & Community Engagement.
Learn more and apply at themainemonitor.org/careers/
The Maine Monitor is hiring a Membership Coordinator, an Operations Manager and a Director of Audience Outreach & Community Engagement.
Learn more and apply at themainemonitor.org/careers/
August 25, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Come work with us!
The Maine Monitor is hiring a Membership Coordinator, an Operations Manager and a Director of Audience Outreach & Community Engagement.
Learn more and apply at themainemonitor.org/careers/
The Maine Monitor is hiring a Membership Coordinator, an Operations Manager and a Director of Audience Outreach & Community Engagement.
Learn more and apply at themainemonitor.org/careers/
Efforts to combat erosion with natural materials at Popham Beach and Sebago Lake, among other places, show how landowners must factor continued upkeep into the projects’ costs.
Living shorelines in Maine show mixed success
Efforts to combat erosion with natural materials at Popham Beach and Sebago Lake, among other places, show how landowners must factor continued upkeep into the projects’ costs.
themainemonitor.org
August 24, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Efforts to combat erosion with natural materials at Popham Beach and Sebago Lake, among other places, show how landowners must factor continued upkeep into the projects’ costs.
Join The Maine Monitor for a panel discussion Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m. on how Maine’s county jails are providing addiction treatment, the types of treatment being used and the growing medical costs jails are facing.
Register to attend in person at UNE North in Portland or to receive the Zoom link:
Register to attend in person at UNE North in Portland or to receive the Zoom link:
Monitor Talks: Treating Addiction in Maine’s Jails
An expert panel discussion on on how county jails are providing addiction treatment.
www.eventbrite.com
August 21, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Join The Maine Monitor for a panel discussion Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m. on how Maine’s county jails are providing addiction treatment, the types of treatment being used and the growing medical costs jails are facing.
Register to attend in person at UNE North in Portland or to receive the Zoom link:
Register to attend in person at UNE North in Portland or to receive the Zoom link:
The mother met all of Maine’s reunification requirements except for finding housing, which did not “constitute evidence of parental unfitness,” Justice Andrew Mead wrote.
Maine terminated parental rights over a lack of affordable housing
Child welfare authorities said the mother’s inability to move from New Mexico to Maine made her an unfit parent. The state’s highest court disagreed with that finding on Tuesday.
themainemonitor.org
August 19, 2026 at 5:07 PM
The mother met all of Maine’s reunification requirements except for finding housing, which did not “constitute evidence of parental unfitness,” Justice Andrew Mead wrote.
A team in Phippsburg has been working for nearly a decade to get wild oysters to regenerate in Maine’s cold, turbulent waters.
They wanted to restore wild oyster reefs to the Maine coast
A team in Phippsburg has been working for nearly a decade to get wild oysters to regenerate in Maine’s cold, turbulent waters.
themainemonitor.org
August 18, 2026 at 2:13 PM
A team in Phippsburg has been working for nearly a decade to get wild oysters to regenerate in Maine’s cold, turbulent waters.
Low-income homeowners are least likely to test and treat their well water for arsenic, and a state program to help them has treated fewer homes than anticipated.
Maine struggling to get homeowners to treat wells for arsenic
Low-income homeowners are least likely to test and treat their well water for arsenic, and a state program to help them has treated fewer homes than expected.
themainemonitor.org
August 17, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Low-income homeowners are least likely to test and treat their well water for arsenic, and a state program to help them has treated fewer homes than anticipated.