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Alright, I suppose the nice part of fall is over.

That's a matter of opinion, of course. But I scraped frost off my windshield yesterday, and our spectacular brown, orange and red leaves are now increasingly just brown, not to mention piled all over my lawn. 

We also haven't had much rain lately, thanks to all that nice weather, so leaves and dead brush represent more of an issue than a few hours of raking this weekend.

Half the state is now seeing drought conditions and most of western Maine is now considered to be at high to very high risk for fires. It'll be important to keep an eye on our permitted brush and bonfires this month, particularly with the dry air and wind we often get in late fall. 

Hopefully in a couple weeks we'll be giving thanks for some much-needed rain.

Also, a note that The Maine Monitor is hiring! Take a look at the job postings here.

Federal audit finds Maine’s child welfare agency failed to follow its own policies

Maine was the first state reviewed for compliance with the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, which provides funding for state child welfare systems. Maine was chosen to kick off the audit series because of its poor performance in a federal risk assessment, its proximity to the department’s Boston office, as well as a concerning recent report from the state’s child welfare ombudsman.

“We found some real concerns,” said Tammy Levesque, a senior auditor for HHS’s Office of Audit Services. “And we have solid recommendations to affect change.” 

Read this story by Josh Keefe of The Maine Monitor.

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

Jared Golden declared winner in Maine’s hard-fought 2nd Congressional District race | Sun Journal

ICYMI from The Monitor: Hydropower accounts for roughly half of the renewable energy generated in Maine. What will happen as dams disappear? | The Maine Monitor

A Rumford man has been charged with arson and attempted murder after he crashed his vehicle into a house and shot at its occupants. | Sun Journal

Central Maine Power's parent company has sued NextEra Energy in federal court, alleging the company tried to sabotage the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line project via unfair business practices. | Portland Press Herald

Selectmen in Oxford are discussing whether the town should continue using a town hall-style meeting or switch to voting by ballot. | Advertiser Democrat

Franklin Memorial Hospital will renovate its emergency department beginning in December to update the facility and create more space for patients. The project is expected to take 2 years to complete. | Daily Bulldog

Residents of Fayette voted against selling the town's Starling Hall building, instead seeking funds to restore the historic structure. | Livermore Falls Advertiser

Sen. Collins has announced she intends to run for a sixth term in 2026. | WGME

RSU 10 school board directors voted to move students out of Mountain Valley Middle School to the Rumford Elementary School and the former Mexico police station. The middle school was closed in early October due to air quality concerns. | Rumford Falls Times

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.