Letter: Portland’s Franklin Arterial plan ignores sea level

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 19, 2025

It’s time to get real and be honest with the public about the Franklin Arterial revamp planning and sea level rise. The City of Portland project rendering shows a 275-unit apartment building in the current Franklin Arterial median at the intersection with Lancaster Street. A major problem with this presentation is that, by 2100 or earlier, that intersection will be the shore of Back Cove. More than half of the project’s new buildings shown in the rendering will flood. It is past time to be honest. ~ Carl Wilcox, Minot

Letter: This Canadian is taking his tourism elsewhere

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 19, 2025

Since the 1930s, my family has summered or visited Maine every single year, spending thousands of dollars there. And we are not alone. Thousands of Canadians travel to beautiful Maine every year. We always felt welcome. But apparently the USA does not need us anymore. So says President-elect Trump. So, over the next four years, we will visit Gaspésie and New Brunswick instead of Maine. The ocean is just as nice and the lobster just as good. And I hope that we will resume visiting beautiful Maine in 2029. When cross-border trade takes place, it is because it is mutually beneficial to both parties. ~ Paul Beland, Montreal

Firefighters rescue driver of U-Haul that went through ice on Echo Lake

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 18, 2025

A 10-foot U-Haul truck went through the ice on Echo Lake on Mount Desert Island early Saturday, after being driven more than 450 yards across the lake. The driver, a 75-year-old man, was reportedly confused and not sure where he was driving. Firefighters carried him to shore before taking him to MDI Hospital. Later in the morning, the truck broke through the ice and became submerged. A marine salvage company is working to remove the truck from the lake.

Long-awaited cleanup begins with the digging of a giant hole in Portland Harbor

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 18, 2025

The long-awaited $25 million Portland Harbor dredging project starts on Monday as contractors begin digging a 9-acre pit in a shallow South Portland cove where seven decades of a working waterfront’s industrial sins will be buried over the next three winters.

Letter: Wildfires put every US state on notice – Maine included

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 18, 2025

Disastrous fires are becoming worse and increasing in frequency due to climate change causing warming of the planet. This fire is happening in January, which is hard to fathom. I look at our beautiful Maine woods and wonder if we are OK here because Maine is so much farther north. But then I remember the massive forest fires in Canada, near our latitude, that have occurred in recent summers. Some were so severe that their smoke polluted the Eastern Seaboard for days. America has just elected a climate denier and a politician who does not want to face scientific facts. As American citizens we can change all this by demanding action to slow climate change. ~ Nancy Hasenfus, Brunswick

What I’ve learned about hiking in extreme cold

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 18, 2025

We knew it was going to be alarmingly cold that day based on the weather reports. When hiking in the cold, it’s best to sweat as little as possible because that moisture cools your body down quickly when you slow down or stop for a break. In preparation, I packed a wool shirt that I could change into if I became too sweaty.  It takes a lot of energy to stay warm, so we packed extra snacks. And as usual, we carried survival gear. Hypothermia was our primary concern. This is when your body temperature drops low enough that things stop working properly, and this can rapidly lead to death. Windmilling your arms helps restore circulation to your fingers. Another trick for staying warm is to drink lots of water. This thins your blood and therefore improves circulation. Most important is to keep moving.

As Portland transitions away from PFAS-laden firefighting foam at the Jetport, lawmakers intend to make state follow

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 17, 2025

As the Portland International Jetport transitions away from firefighting foam laden with ‘forever chemicals,’ a state lawmaker is pushing for the rest of Maine to follow. State Rep. Dan Ankeles (D-Brunswick) teased a bill on Tuesday that would create a statewide collection and disposal process for the toxic aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), which contains high levels of a persistent, harmful class of compounds known as PFAS. The foam is common in fire departments across Maine. The Portland Fire Department is in the midst of that transition, having swapped AFFF in two of three fire trucks stationed at the Jetport for a PFAS-free foam while the final truck undergoes maintenance before completing the switch. Both measures follow the calamitous spill of the toxic firefighting foam at the Brunswick Executive Airport last August.

Column: For an interesting snapshot of local birds put out backyard feeders

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 17, 2025

The moment I put out a feeder, soon after Christmas, the chickadees, nuthatches and titmice pounced on it like it was an NFL playoff fumble. This alerted the blue jays and mourning doves. Within minutes, it seemed like every jay and dove within a half-mile knew the banquet table had been reset. Then a pair of northern cardinals settled in. Last week, I put out a suet feeder. A hairy woodpecker was on it instantly. Soon thereafter, a red-bellied woodpecker joined the feast. When it comes to appreciating wildlife, there’s no place like home. ~ Bob Duchesne

Art exhibition shines a light on the beauty of Maine’s night sky

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 17, 2025

On view through Feb. 28 is an exhibition that celebrates Maine’s clear skies and the ecosystem that thrives under the cover of night. The show is a collaboration between Waterfall Arts in Belfast, the Union of Maine Visual Artists and Dark Sky Maine. It includes more than 30 artists and a program of events that range from a lantern-making workshop to film screenings. DarkSky International is an organization that aims to restore the nighttime environment and protect communities and wildlife from light pollution. It has certified more than 200 places as part of the International Dark Sky Places program, which recognizes responsible lighting policies and effective efforts to reduce light pollution. The list includes two places in Maine — the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine Woods.

Maine Calling: Plant-based eating, January 23

MAINE PUBLIC • January 17, 2025

A range of diets are centered on plants: vegan, vegetarian, plant-forward — which can also be called flexitarian. We learn about the history of and reasons for these food choices, and nationwide trends in dietary habits. Our panelists will offer some ideas and recipes for eating more fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains and other ingredients. This show is tied to a Maine Historical Society Exhibit: “Maine’s Untold Vegetarian History.”

Commissioner urges lobstermen to move gear from area with dozens of right whales

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 17, 2025

Maine’s marine resources commissioner is “strongly urging” lobstermen to move their gear from an area in the Gulf of Maine where over 70 endangered North Atlantic right whales were spotted earlier this week. “The ramifications of another entanglement in Maine gear could be devastating to your fishery,” Commissioner Pat Keliher said Friday afternoon.

Maine still relies heavily on fossil fuels but calls zero-carbon goals ‘achievable’

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 17, 2025

Maine energy officials on Friday offered a sober assessment of the state’s reliance on fossil fuels as they released a plan touting advances in electric heat pumps and electric vehicles and outlined ambitious goals for offshore wind, clean energy jobs and other features of a zero-carbon environment. More than a year in the making, the Maine Energy Plan released by the Governor’s Energy Office boasted of the state’s “nation-leading adoption” of heat pumps and heat pump water heaters, helping to reduce the state’s dependence on heating oil, a goal set in state law in 2011. A technical report in the energy plan demonstrates that Maine’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2040 is “achievable, beneficial and results in reduced energy costs across the economy,” it said.

Maine Department of Marine Resources begins first bay closures for scallop fishing

MAINE PUBLIC • January 17, 2025

The Maine Department of Marine Resources will close several bays to scallop fishing this weekend, the first round of closures in the season this year. Scallop fishing will be halted this Sunday in Cobscook Bay along with Whiting and Denny's Bay, Upper Machias and Little Machias Bays and Upper Western Bay. Jeff Nichols, director of communications, said the process is a routine tool used to manage scallop populations. "Based on the survey work that we've done, we've made a determination that continued fishing in those efforts would deplete the resource to a point where it could not effectively recover," he said.

Nordic Aquafarms drops plan to build $500 million Belfast salmon facility

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 17, 2025

Nordic Aquafarms announced Friday that it is giving up on its plans to build a land-based salmon farm in Belfast. “This decision comes after long-fought legal challenges waged by opposition,” the company said in a statement, adding that it has spent “tens of millions of investment dollars and many years of planning and permitting” the project. The U.S. subsidiary of a Norwegian aquaculture company of the same name went public in 2018 with its plan to build a $500 million facility capable of producing 30,000 metric tons of Atlantic salmon per year in recirculating indoor tanks. The facility, which was to be built near the Northport town line, was to draw water from Penobscot Bay for its tanks and discharge wastewater back into the bay, but it was dealt numerous legal setbacks as it tried to secure that access.

More than 3 million people visited Maine state parks in 2024

MAINE PUBLIC • January 17, 2025

More than 3 million people visited Maine state parks in 2024, according to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Three million visitors represents a more than 6% increase over 2023 attendance and the third time in four years that visitation surpassed 3 million. Andy Cutko, director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands said crowding at popular parks like Tumbledown Mountain and Popham Beach can harm natural resources as well as the visitor experience so his agency is working to limit crowds. Many state parks are undergoing renovations in 2025 and he recommends that visitors call ahead before making plans to visit parks this summer.

Maine will now regulate new outbuildings in unorganized territories

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 17, 2025

Mainers building barns, sheds, garages or other outbuildings in unorganized territories will be required to notify the state starting at the end of January. The accessory structures typically don’t need permits in these areas, but the Land Use Planning Commission announced a new rule Friday requiring property owners to fill out a notification form with the state saying they’ll meet the required standards. Less restrictive land use regulations in the state’s unorganized territories are a draw for people looking for places to homestead. But the commission said in its announcement that the rule was created to address issues with buildings not complying with required standards

Offshore wind a key feature of governor’s energy plan

MAINE MORNING STAR • January 17, 2025

The Governor’s Energy Office on Friday submitted its strategic plan for delivering affordable and reliable energy while meeting the state’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2040. A key component of the plan, which was delivered to the Legislature, is developing offshore wind — the future of which remains in flux with the incoming administration of President Donald Trump.

Unsigned mailer targets Freedom residents days before solar vote

MORNING SENTINEL • January 17, 2025

Days ahead of a Jan. 21 vote, residents have received a letter in the mail urging them to vote against the town’s proposed Commercial Solar Ordinance. The letter, citing problems with the ordinance’s treatment of landowners and restrictions on solar development, is the latest push in a three-year fight between the town’s Board of Selectmen and Planning Board, each accusing the other of writing an insufficient ordinance while making a grab for power.

Climate change impacts threaten future of Maine lighthouses

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 17, 2025

Maine’s lighthouses were added this week to World Monument Watch’s list of heritage sites threatened by a variety of forces, including neglect, wars and extreme weather driven by climate change. The state’s 66 lighthouses, in spots along the coast that were already vulnerable, are increasingly threatened by sea level rise and intensifying coastal storms, creating a challenge for stewards of the historic structures who now have to figure out how to repair them – and mitigate future damage.

Tractor-trailer and pickup trucks collide on Route 4 in Livermore

SUN JOURNAL • January 17, 2025

A pickup truck and the tractor-trailer truck collided and a utility pole was struck late Thursday night on state Route 4, near the Turner line. The fuel tank on the tractor-trailer truck ruptured and fuel leaked out.