Bipartisan Group of Senators Including Collins, King: Voters Have Spoken, Congress Must Fulfill Responsibility On January 3, 2021 U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) joined Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) to issue the following statement on the upcoming Congressional certification of the 2020 Presidential election results:   “The 2020 election is over. All challenges through recounts and appeals have been exhausted. At this point, further attempts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 Presidential election are contrary to the clearly expressed will of the American people and only serve to undermine Americans’ confidence in the already determined election […]

By Ramona du Houx Isle au Haut has received $211,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to install a solar power array, enabling the island to receive 100 percent of electricity from clean, renewable solar power.  This funding was awarded through the USDA Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). “Located seven miles off Stonington, Isle au Haut is a small, remote island in the Gulf of Maine,” said Senators Collins and King.  “This funding will provide this rural island community with clean, renewable, locally generated power.  In doing so, the island will be able to lower its electricity rates for years to come.” Once installed, it would provide 100 percent of electricity needs on the island for […]

By Ramona du Houx Community solar has increased exponentially since Maine Insights first reported on its possibilities. After a struggle with the LePage administration the siting and construction of solar panel farms ins on the increase. Even during the dark days of the anti-solar governor, the solar industry persisted. In Oxford, Maine a parcel of land adjacent to the railroad tracks which extends into Paris will be the site of a 30-acre, $8 million, solar farm scheduled to go online in 2021. ISM Solar Development recently opened an office in Poland to oversee the project. The East Providence, Rhode Island, company is already working on 10 solar projects throughout the Maine. “The land has been on the market for several […]

January 1, 2020 By Ramona du Houx The Maine Farmland Trust (MFT) and The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) helped distribute $47,960 in grant funding to 38 Maine farms through the Maine Farm Emergency Grants program, in December. This is the second round of funding the two organizations have collaborated to fundraise and administer in response to the needs of Maine farmers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Sarah Alexander, Executive Director of MOFGA, notes, “Dealing with the day to day impacts of the coronavirus on top of a severe drought this summer has made for a difficult year for farms across the state. As we begin winter it’s important that we continue to support these businesses that are […]

December 30, 2020   Augusta, MAINE — Amid an increase in Maine’s COVID-19 positivity rate and a continued high rate of hospitalizations, the Mills Administration today announced that it will extend the requirement for certain businesses statewide to close by 9:00 p.m. in order to limit activities that could contribute to the transmission of COVID-19.   “With more people getting sick, going to the hospital, and dying from COVID-19 in Maine, it is clear we cannot afford to relax this rule now, especially as we wait to see the full impact of the holiday season on the rate of the virus transmission in our state,” said Janet Governor Mills. “Maintaining an early closing time for businesses will keep them open for the majority of their operating hours while curbing late night gatherings where we are more likely to lower our guard. I encourage all Maine people who want to sustain their favorite small business […]

Augusta, MAINE — With widespread community transmission and increased COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Maine, Governor Janet Mills signed an Executive Order on December 11, 2020 that simplifies and strengthens the enforcement of the State’s face covering requirement. Moving forward, owners and operators of all indoor public spaces – regardless of the type of entity or size – must not allow those who refuse to wear a face covering to enter or remain in their venue. Previous Executive Orders had required enforcement in some but not all public settings. Additionally, the Governor announced she has recently dedicated $100,000 in CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) to continue the State’s “Keep It Maine” public awareness campaign about the importance of taking seriously health […]

Governor Janet Mills released the following statement December 15, 2020 in response to the arrival of the first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Maine:  “Today, the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Maine and will be administered to frontline health care workers across the state. This news is a much-needed beacon of hope in an otherwise difficult time. This logistical feat is the result of months of collaboration by Maine hospital systems, health care officials, long term care facilities, pharmacies, the Federal government, the Maine CDC and DHHS, and others. I thank all of them for their efforts to protect the health and safety of Maine people.   “The arrival of this initial shipment is just the beginning of what will be a months […]

Governor Janet Mills on November 5, 2020 issued an executive order requiring Mainers to wear face coverings in public no matter their distance from others. That order comes amid a week of coronavirus cases increasing and transmission surging to levels not seen even in the earliest weeks of the pandemic. It’s the latest move from the Mills administration to tamp down on rising case levels. Last week Gov. Mills pushed back the reopening of bars and tasting rooms. Under a previous executive order issued in July, Mills required Mainers to wear face coverings in public spaces only when physical distance is not easily maintained. This new order also requires business owners to prominently post signs about the face covering requirement, […]

With ovid-19 cases on the rise in Maine – Mills Administration announces new measures to prevent infections Extends Keep Maine Healthy Program; Resets Indoor Gathering Limits; Postpones Reopening of Bars; Amends Travel Protocols November 1, 2020  As the COVID-19 virus explodes across the country, Maine this week recorded a significant increase in cases, hospitalizations, and positivity rates. Friday saw 103 new cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day increase in Maine since the beginning of the pandemic. Saturday saw 98 new cases, and one more person lost their life to the virus. Maine’s 7-day positivity rate, while still significantly lower than other states, doubled over the last two weeks to 0.92 percent. “If we do not control this outbreak, we may never get this evil […]

10/27/2020 AUGUSTA – Most Maine people shopping through the Health Insurance Marketplace can pay less than $75 per month for health coverage in 2021, according to new federal data released ahead of the start of open enrollment on Sunday, November 1. Sixty percent of Maine HealthCare.gov customers qualify for a plan costing under $75 a month, while 40 percent can pay under $10 a month. The average individual market health insurance premium in Maine will be 13 percent lower next year. Maine is one of four states where average premiums are dropping more than 10 percent from 2020 to 2021 – the third year in a row of premium declines in Maine. Open enrollment on the Health Insurance Marketplace begins Sunday, November 1 and ends on Tuesday, December 15. Eligible Maine people […]

10/22/2020  AUGUSTA – Students from 92 Maine schools chose Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the U.S. presidential race, in Student Mock Election results tallied Wednesday in Augusta. The voting has been underway at Maine schools since mid-October, for the offices of U.S. President, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senate. Chellie Pingree (D-North Haven) won the student vote for the District 1 U.S. Representative to Congress seat and Jared Golden (D-Lewiston) won for the District 2 U.S. Representative to Congress seat. Students chose Sara Gideon (D-Freeport) in the U.S. Senate race. Full results are posted online at http://www.maine.gov/mockelection/. Statewide results will be provided to the national mock election program for inclusion in national results. “The mock election is a great opportunity for students to learn about […]

10/22/2020  AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Health and Human Services announced today the launch of StrengthenME, an initiative to help Maine people cope with the stress and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing free tools, support, and community connections that promote wellness, resilience, and recovery. StrengthenME is funded by nearly $5 million through a joint grant from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Maine DHHS announced in June that the Department would use $1 million from the first round of this funding to develop the initiative. DHHS was awarded $3.7 million in the second round of funding to extend this project over a longer term, recognizing that public health emergencies have both immediate and […]

VALUES INCREASE BY 19.56 PERCENT IN SEPTEMBER AUGUSTA (Oct. 22, 2020)— With historically-low interest rates, and more buyers than sellers, sales of single-family existing homes increased 22.78 percent comparing September 2020 to September 2019. According to statistics released by Maine Listings, the median sales price (MSP) for homes sold in September 2020 rose 19.56 percent to $273,500, compared to September 2019. The MSP indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less. “September’s impressive sales volume capped a solid third-quarter recovery for Maine residential real estate,” says Tom Cole, 2020 President of the Maine Association of REALTORS® and Managing Broker of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group in Brunswick. “January through September 2020 sales are 2.6 percent ahead of the […]

10/22/2020  By Ramona du Houx The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry (DACF) has announced the recipients of this year’s Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) awards. Spanning a host of products, from strawberries to mixed vegetables, SCBG grants totaling $534,303.00 are being awarded to: Blue Barn LLC, Daybreak Growers Alliance, the Maine Maple Producers Association, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Alliance, and multiple projects with the University of Maine system (in the School of Biology and Ecology, the School of Food and Agriculture, and the Maine Food and Agriculture Center). DACFs Division of Quality Assurance and Regulation will also apply $12,000 of SCBG funding to a pilot project supporting farmers seeking certification in Good Agricultural Practices. Find more […]

By Ramona du Houx Full Plates Full Potential disclosed that 1,421,533 summer meals were served to Maine kids – which is over a 200 percent increase compared to last summer. These staggering results are in part due to the USDA leniences granted to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to address feeding children safely during the Covid-19 pandemic. The program traditionally provides access to free meals to any child 18 years old and younger in certain eligible high-need areas and require that children consume their meals on site. This summer, the USDA waived these requirements, among others, which allowed summer meal sites to deliver meals, offer multiple or bulk meals at once, and expanded the reach of the program into […]

By Ramona du Houx October 15, 2020 Maine Veterans and members of Common Defense gathered outside the Augusta Civic Center for the October 15th U.S. Senate debate to protest Susan Collins.  “In the past I voted for Senator Collins because I thought she would show integrity and hold the line against big interests,” said Carroll Payne, a retired US Marine Corps First Sergeant from Plymouth, Maine. “That didn’t turn out to be the case.”    Veterans are highlighting their disappointment in Collins for supporting the agenda of Donald Trump, and becoming complicit in “pay-to-play” politics. In February, the pro-Collins 1820 PAC received a $150,000 donation from a shell company connected to Martin Kao, a defense CEO who was recently arrested for defrauding […]