Latest Maine Headlines

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

Mother Sues Maine School Over Keeping Teen’s Gender Transition Private

Apr 12 2023 // A Maine woman is suing a school district whose counselor encouraged her teen’s social gender transition, providing a chest binder and using a new name and pronouns, without consulting parents.It’s the latest...

Maine Sues Manufacturers Over Forever Chemical Contamination

Mar 31 2023 // Maine’s attorney general is suing manufacturers of so- called forever chemicals that have contaminated farms and wells, contending they knew about the toxicity decades ago but concealed the information from the...

Maine Lobster Industry Files Defamation Suit Over California Aquarium’s Whale Warning

Mar 15 2023 // A coalition representing the Maine lobster industry is suing an aquarium on the other side of the country for recommending that seafood customers avoid buying a variety of lobster mostly harvested in their state.Industry...

Right-to-Repair Referendum Qualifies for Ballot in Maine

Feb 24 2023 // A referendum campaign aimed at ensuring independent shops have the information needed to repair newer cars has qualified for the November ballot.The secretary of state announced Tuesday that 74,686 signatures were...

Judge Upholds Maine Law Opposed by Diocese Allowing Older Sex Abuse Suits

Feb 17 2023 // AUGUSTA, Maine — A state judge on Tuesday upheld a Maine law that eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, allowing survivors to pursue lawsuits for sex crimes that happened decades ago.An attorney...

Maine Proposal Would Buy Out Farms Contaminated by PFAS Chemicals

Feb 16 2023 // A Maine lawmaker has proposed a bill to require the state to offer to buy out farmers whose land was contaminated by long-lasting chemicals caused by the spreading of sludge. The chemicals are PFAS chemicals, which are...

Wild Ducks Found Dead in Maine Test Positive for Bird Flu

Feb 14 2023 // Wildlife authorities in Maine said six wild ducks found dead in a stream in Winthrop have tested positive for bird flu.The hooded mergansers were found dead in Mill Stream and tested positive for a highly pathogenic avian...

Advocates for Paid Family Leave Launch Campaign in Maine

Feb 9 2023 // The Maine Paid Family Leave Coalition on Tuesday launched a renewed push for a paid family and medical leave benefit as the Democratic-controlled Legislature takes up the issue.Maine Sen. Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, and...

Maine Lawmakers Propose Arming Security Guards or Teachers in Schools

Feb 7 2023 // AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Republican lawmakers said it’s time to beef up security in Maine schools, either with armed security officers or by allowing teachers to be armed. A bill sponsored by Rep. Steven Foster,...

Maine AG Fines Moving Company Over Threatening Emails to Negative Reviewers

Feb 1 2023 // A moving and storage company in Maine has agreed to pay a $125,000 fine and refrain from using a misleading email address to threaten customers who leave negative reviews, according to the state attorney general’s...

Maine Jury Awards $4.5M for Claim of Sexual Abuse Committed 30 Years Ago

Jan 30 2023 // PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A jury has awarded $4.5 million in damages to a woman whose lawsuit contended she was sexually abused three decades ago by a family friend in Maine.The federal jury found in favor of 36-year-old...

Cable Company Subcontractor Dies After Fall From Bucket Lift in Maine

Jan 19 2023 // RANGELEY, Maine (AP) — A cable company subcontractor died after falling from a bucket lift that encountered utility wires while the vehicle was traveling on a road, officials said.The man was in the bucket, which was...

Catholic Diocese Challenges Maine Law Allowing Older Sex Abuse Claims

Jan 10 2023 // PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland is challenging a Maine law that eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, allowing a wave of new lawsuits.A motion in the first of the new...

Maine’s New Laws Address PFAS, Minimum Wage, Pay for Unused Vacation

Jan 4 2023 // Minimum wage earners will see a pay increase and employers will have to pay departing employees for unused vacation time under laws taking effect Jan. 1 in Maine.Maine’s minimum wage will increase from $12.75 to...

Highway Fatalities Top 170 in Maine

Dec 29 2022 // Maine is likely to finish the year with its highest number of highway fatalities in 15 years, as a pandemic trend of speeding and reckless driving continues across the state, officials said.The unofficial number of highway...

Lawsuits Alleging Maine Church Knew About Sex Abuse Now Number 14

Dec 23 2022 // Two more people have filed lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by a Roman Catholic clergy member and a nun — both deceased — raising the number to over a dozen since Maine loosened the statute of limitations last year.One...

Maine Catholic Church Hit With More Sex Abuse Claims Under Revised Law

Dec 12 2022 // Four people in Maine have filed lawsuits with claims that they were sexually abused by Catholic priests as children.Three men sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland on Thursday in Cumberland County Superior Court. The...

Maine Jury Awards Ex-Trooper $300,000 in Whistleblower Case

Dec 6 2022 // A jury in Maine awarded a now-retired state trooper $300,000 Friday after finding that the state police retaliated against him when he raised concerns about the agency’s intelligence gathering work.George Loder, 53,...

Maine Retreats on Ban on Sales of Pre-Rolled Medical Marijuana Products

Nov 22 2022 // Maine is backing down from some of its guidance for the medical marijuana industry by allowing the sale of pre-rolled products to resume. The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy last month banned medical marijuana caregivers...

Black Medical Worker Awarded $3 Million in Maine Racial Discrimination Case

Nov 7 2022 // A federal jury has awarded $3 million to a former Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center worker who said racial discrimination led to his firing.Attorneys for David Ako-Annan, who is Black, said the damages...