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Greetings on this particularly gorgeous weekend, with some timely rain, a few dark clouds and plenty of bright sunlight vying to bring out the best of western Maine's vivid colors.

In between checking out what's happened in the news this past week, I hope you get a chance to enjoy the last of the warm weather we're likely to see for a while.

Soon it'll be stacks of firewood, leaf rakes, apple orchards and (ugh) snow shovels, but for now let it be sunshine and pretty things, just for a few more days.

As Albert Camus reminds us: "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

As communities grapple with needle waste, advocates say limiting syringe programs is not the answer 

A 2022 rule increased how many needles a person could exchange per visit from 1:1 to 1:100. Some community leaders, including in Sanford and Portland, say they want to go back to the old rules.

Read this story by Emily Bader of The Maine Monitor

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

ICYMI from The Monitor: Maine’s watchdog agency spent years investigating four child deaths. Here are the takeaways. Read this story by Josh Keefe

Voter registrations have increased this month, as the state looks ahead to the November election. | WMTW

Oakland woman charged in death of infant ran since-closed child care business | Portland Press Herald

Oxford Hills advanced a $50.43 million budget for MSAD 17 for the third time this week, after two earlier budgets were rejected at referendum over the summer. The third vote will be on Oct. 8. | Advertiser Democrat

A Livermore Falls woman that previous was convicted of manslaughter in connection with a 2022 crash was sentenced to 4 years in prison this week. | Sun Journal

Farmington's due date for taxes is expected to be delayed this year, as selectmen wait for material associated with the town's tax commitment. | Livermore Falls Advertiser 

New addiction recovery center opens in Lewiston, with focus on harm reduction | Maine Public

The Fairfield man that fled a Skowhegan courthouse in handcuffs after being convicted of assaulting a child, only to be stopped by two members of the jury, was sentenced to 10 years in prison this week. | Morning Sentinel

A new state report is calling for 80,000 new housing units in Maine by 2030. | WMGE

Study: Rural Maine needs to ramp up construction to meet housing goals | Maine Public

Oxford County commissioners have established an advisory committee to help the county disperse opioid settlement funds. | Advertiser Democrat

Selectmen in Livermore Falls voted to revise the fire department's billing policy, hoping to recoup the costs associated with "nuisance calls" such as OUIs. | Livermore Falls Advertiser

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.