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We're in the heart of autumn now, when any foggy roadside can be brightened by the sudden orange flare of a transformed tree. Unfortunately, every lawn can also be transformed into a pile of leaves, and some serious raking is on the horizon.

Between all of your admiring and ruing, do take a quick look through what's happening in western Maine this week — trees aren't the only things changing this time of year. School districts are grappling with absenteeism and staffing shortages. The state is looking at new regulations for everything from solar power to mosquito-borne illnesses. And locally, we've got new officials stepping into new roles.

Just a few more changes to distract you from all that raking.

A quarter of Maine House races have only one major-party candidate. Here’s a map of those districts.

In the upcoming election, 37 of the 151 Maine House districts, or one quarter, will have only one major-party candidate, according to a Monitor analysis of data from the secretary of state’s office. That’s up from 22 districts in 2008 and 10 in 2010. 

This is occurring as the number of independent voters in Maine has declined, falling below the number registered with each major political party for the first time in decades. 

The number of races where Democrats and Republicans did not face off rose significantly in the pandemic election of 2020, and has stayed at almost the same level since.

Read this Maine Monitor story by Josh Keefe.

While The Maine Monitor does not place its content behind paywalls, some newsrooms we link to in this newsletter may. 

The candidates for the 2nd Congressional District debated Thursday, discussing everything from the economy to abortion to gun control to lobsters. | Bangor Daily News

Planning is underway for a new MSAD 17 middle school in the Paris area. | Advertiser Democrat

New regulations proposed for solar power development are being designed to balance the competing land uses of solar and agriculture. | Maine Public 

RSU 9 administrators detailed their schools' efforts to address chronic absenteeism, staffing shortages and other issues. | Franklin Journal

Roughly 16,000 students of the University of Maine System have begun receiving partial refunds as part of a $2.15 million settlement associated with online learning degrees during the COVID-19 pandemic. | Morning Sentinel

Rangeley's new police chief is settling into his position. | The Rangeley Highlander

A Lewiston man and former owner of a Lisbon sausage market was arrested this week by the FBI in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. | Sun Journal

Local police are investigating reports of prop money being used as legal tender in Jay-area businesses. | Franklin Journal

Maine is considering a public health emergency over mosquito-borne illnesses, such as eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus, following more than a dozen reports across the state. | Press Herald

Know of a story that we should be digging into? Send it to our newsroom. 

The Maine Monitor is a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit news organization that produces investigative journalism. We believe news is a public good and keep our news free to access. We have no paywall and do not charge for our newsletters. If you value the reporting we do for Maine, please consider making a donation! We cannot do this reporting without your support.