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Good morning from waaay far Downeast, or the ends of the earth, as our visiting family and friends call our far-flung homestead in East Machias. But anyone who lives here knows that we are only halfway to far-flung. 

If you want to talk really far-flung, take a leisurely drive (another 80 miles from our house) to gorgeous Danforth at the northern tip of Washington County. This weekend you’ll definitely want “stop off” in Eastport, where pirates will be invading! The annual Eastport Pirate Festival celebrates nearly two decades of family-friendly, freebooting fun.

The weekend is packed with activities, including a parade today (fingers crossed that the weather behaves better than the pirates). Be sure to leave time for the Wabanaki exhibit at the Tides Institute and Museum of Art.

Fall in Maine is arriving later, getting warmer

Fall is in the air, though we have a couple weeks left of meteorological summer. It’s a transitional time not just for our wardrobes, schedules and outdoor activities, but for the climate.  

Maine has seen above-normal temperatures in September almost every year since the late 1990s.

Read this story by Annie Ropeik of The Maine Monitor.

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

State Police released an after-action report Friday detailing the department's response to last October's mass shooting in Lewiston. | Portland Press Herald

ICYMI: A plan to remove tide gates in Addison is prompting residents to ask what it means to restore a habitat to its “natural” state. | The Maine Monitor

Maine is facing a potential state of emergency over mosquito-borne illnesses for the first time ever. The state’s Arboviral Public Health Panel voted Thursday to recommend a state of emergency. | Bangor Daily News

Houlton Farms Dairy will halt milk production by the end of the month. The company said the decision was driven by a decline in sales of milk, and the closure of the dairy farm that supplies raw milk to the company. | Maine Public

PFAS were detected in 80 percent of samples taken from 25 various public drinking water sources across the town of Tremont. | Mt. Desert Islander

ICYMI: A transportation broker company with a pending contract to handle all MaineCare rides throughout the state is facing complaints from vulnerable riders who say they’re being left at their appointments and declined for rides without receiving the required documentation giving the reason. | The Maine Monitor

Sen. Collins has announced $1.3 million will be given out to six health care organizations across the state, including Healthy Acadia. | WABI

Twenty years after Martha and Peter Kataftos opened Martha’s Diner, the owners of the beloved restaurant on High Street are looking to pass on their business to someone new. | Ellsworth American

Our public health reporter Rose Lundy and former government accountability reporter Samantha Hogan were each awarded a 2024 Publick Occurrences accolade from the New England Newspaper & Press Association for their investigations. | The Maine Monitor

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.