Latest Maine Headlines

All the headlines from our Maine Topic Page, ordered by recency.

After Firefighting Foam Spill, Maine Water Tests Below Danger Level

Oct 2 2024 // Maine environmental officials said all water samples analyzed so far in the wake of the state’s largest recorded accidental spill of firefighting foam are below its guidelines for potentially dangerous chemicals.A...

Maine Bill Would Require Army to Use State Crisis Laws to Remove Weapons

Sep 20 2024 // A bill introduced after a mass shooting in Maine would require the Army to use state crisis intervention laws to remove the weapons of a service member who is deemed to be a serious threat to themselves or others, U.S....

Maine Considers Public Flood Insurance Option for Municipalities, Property Owners

Sep 18 2024 // State leaders tasked with reviewing Maine’s preparations and responses to climate change-fueled natural disasters are at a crossroads.While Maine has seen seven federal disaster declarations for severe storms and...

Police Have Increased Use of Maine’s ‘Yellow Flag’ Law Since Mass Shooting

Sep 11 2024 // There has been a huge jump in law enforcement requests for Maine courts to allow guns to be seized from people deemed a danger to themselves or others since the deadliest mass shooting in state history, the governor said...

Maine Can Forbid Discrimination by Religious Schools Taking State Money

Aug 22 2024 // Maine didn’t violate the U.S. constitutional rights of religious schools by requiring them to abide by the state’s antidiscrimination law to receive taxpayer-funded tuition assistance, a federal judge ruled....

Maine Regulators Reject Letting Utility Report Suspect Marijuana Growers to Police

Aug 16 2024 // Maine utility regulators unanimously rejected on Tuesday an electric utility’s proposal to proactively report high consumption that signals a marijuana growing operation to law enforcement officials in an attempt to...

AM Best Upgrades Medical Mutual Insurance Co. of Maine

Aug 15 2024 // AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a+” (Excellent) from “a” (Excellent) and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) of Medical Mutual Insurance Co. of Maine...

Maine Employers Face Possible Damages in Lost Wages Cases Under New Law

Aug 15 2024 // Maine workers will now benefit from a law that allows the state to order businesses to pay back wages as well as damages from missed wages.The law went into effect Friday and is the latest state-level effort among...

Prompted by Mass Shooting, Maine Implements New Gun Safety Laws

Aug 13 2024 // With eleventh hour guidance from the state, Maine gun retailers on Friday began requiring a three-day wait period for gun purchases under one of the new safety laws adopted following the state’s deadliest mass...

Maine Grappling With Requests of Companies to Give Up Ownership of Dams

Aug 8 2024 // State environmental officials in Maine on July 30 denied petitions from corporate owners of three Bucksport-area dams to forfeit ownership.It was the second time within a week that the state Department of Environmental...

Maine Schools Face Unique Challenges in Ridding Water of ‘Forever Chemicals’

Jul 29 2024 // Days before winter break ended in December 2022, Bill Hansen was relieved to learn that Jordan-Small Middle School in Raymond had no traces of ‘forever chemicals’ in tests of the school’s water...

Maine Provides Waterfront Communities With $21 Million to Rebuild From Winter Storms

Jul 25 2024 // Maine is providing more than $21 million in grants to help dozens of waterfront communities rebuild from a series of devastating storms this past winter.The storms brought flooding, damage and power outages to the...

Maine Has No Medical Cannabis Testing Requirement. Health Advocates Urge Change.

Jul 10 2024 // Keri-Jon Wilson started as a hobbyist, making medical marijuana edibles on a small scale for patients suffering from chronic pain and cancer. But in 2015 she expanded her business, Portland-based Pot + Pan Manufacturing,...

Maine Doctor Convicted on Multiple Counts of IIlegally Distributing Opioids

Jun 24 2024 // A Maine doctor who runs an addiction treatment center has been convicted on multiple counts of illegally distributing opioids including oxycodone, hydromorphone and fentanyl.Dr. Merideth Norris, 53, of Kennebunk, Maine,...

Bipartisan Bill Aims to Authorize Payouts for Coastal Structures

Jun 11 2024 // A new bipartisan bill would authorize National Flood Insurance Plan payouts for structures condemned due to chronic erosion or unusual flooding.Introduced earlier this month by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and...

Maine’s Biggest Water District Sues 18 Manufacturers Over Forever Chemicals

Jun 10 2024 // The biggest water district in Maine is suing manufacturers of so-called forever chemicals in the hopes of recouping costs of monitoring and treating polluted wastewater.The Portland Water District lawsuit comes as the cost...

Lobster Monster Truck Gone Airborne Topples Utility Poles, Injuring Spectators

Jun 5 2024 // TOPSHAM, Maine (AP) — A lobster-themed monster truck performing for spectators in Maine clipped an aerial power line, toppling several utility poles and sending two people to hospitals, police said. Others suffered minor...

Disaster Aid Approved for April Snowstorm’s Millions in Damages in Maine

May 30 2024 // A powerful late-season snowstorm that caused millions of dollars in damage in Maine was a major disaster, the federal government has declared.The disaster declaration by President Joe Biden will help clear the way for...

Report Claims ‘Utter Chaos’ Including Drunk Deputies During Search for Maine Gunman

May 27 2024 // The search for the gunman behind last October’s mass shooting in Maine was marked by “utter chaos,” including one group of deputies who had been drinking nearly crashing their armored vehicle and others...

Maine to Spend $25 Million to Rebuild Waterfront Damaged by Winter Storms

May 20 2024 // Maine waterfrontMaine’s government will spend tens of millions of dollars to rebuild the state’s working waterfront communities after a series of devastating winter storms pummeled the state’s docks,...