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Greetings from Downeast where the grass is still green, but the canopy has mostly left us for another year. For some, this is a somber time of year: barren branches, temperatures falling along with the leaves, the sun leaning heavy against the horizon, and winter knocking on the door.

Gloom can set in easily, I’ll admit, especially here in rural coastal Maine, where the economy still struggles despite an influx of newcomers eager to become year-round Mainers. (We’ll see if they’re still here come February!)

But the promise of a revitalized economy the newcomers were expected to bring is being rather shy. Local and state leaders are banding together, doing what they can to coax prosperity out of the shadows.

Yesterday, a rural issues symposium was held at the University of Maine at Orono, attracting about 250 scholars, practitioners, community leaders, and policymakers from across the state, eager to learn how they can help.

Two panels of in-the-trenches experts offered insights on the critical challenges facing rural Maine. My colleague Emmett Gartner and I served as moderators for this important inaugural annual event.

Nursing homes grapple with uncertainty over MaineCare reimbursement rates

While developing the new reimbursement system, set to go into effect on Jan. 1, the state studied the relationship between nursing home geography and operational costs to determine if rates should account for location. The Department of Health and Human Services found that rural nursing homes had higher costs than urban facilities, but super rural nursing homes had lower costs. Based on these findings, the department decided not to take location into account when determining reimbursements. 

DHHS is also eliminating a specialty cost reimbursement for island and remote facilities because it found “no significant differences” between the state’s one island facility (Eastport Memorial Nursing Home) and the rest.

Read this story by Rose Lundy 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: The Callahan Mine site is home to one of Maine’s earliest aquaculture projects. | The Maine Monitor

Undergraduate and graduate enrollment is up in the University of Maine system this year, though not as much as early predictions indicated. | Portland Press Herald

ICYMI from The Monitor: Last year the Maine Legislature allocated $31 million to emergency medical services around the state. Here’s a breakdown of who received funding. | The Maine Monitor

Acadia National Park saw record-breaking attendance, and while officials are used to large crowds, it is the time of year that is drawing attention. | Ellsworth American

Speaking at the state’s top lobster-landing port, Charlie Colgan had a harsh prognosis for the fishery. But he also offered hope for a future for the community in which it might still rely on a thriving “blue economy.” | The Working Waterfront

Divers are trying to make a dent in Maine's 'ghost gear' problem, one abandoned trap at a time. | Maine Public

‘Lost on a Mountain in Maine’ inspired generations of Mainers. Now, its influence could spread nationwide. | Portland Press Herald

New incentives spark demand for whole-home heat pumps in Maine. | Maine Public

The local permitting for the 1.4-million-square-foot Whole Oceans development on the banks of the Penobscot River expired Sept. 3, according to the town of Bucksport. | Ellsworth American

The Maine Climate Council has concluded green hydrogen is unlikely to be a commercially viable market by 2030, so putting an additional 15,000 Mainers in electric vehicles by the decade’s end is the state’s best hope of meeting its emissions targets. | Portland 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.