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Over the past decade, more than 15 dams have been removed from rivers across the state, with proponents arguing that it's necessary to preserve the endangered Atlantic Salmon and other seagoing species that musy travel upstream to spawn in the cold water tributaries of waterways like the Kennebec. 

At a recent public hearing associated with facilities along the Kennebec River, commentators asked regulators to consider removing four additional dams, arguing that the impact on fish populations and their associated benefits to the state's outdoor tourism industry more than make up for any economic losses associated with losing the dams. 

Supporters have also pointed to successes in fish reintroduction, including hundreds of Atlantic sturgeon turning up in downtown Gardiner last summer.

Not everyone is in favor of removing their local dam, however. In Dover-Foxcroft, residents voted to keep their dam, despite the potential costs.

While grants and the support of nonprofits would have paid for most of the cost of removing the Dover-Foxcroft dam outright, Tuesday's vote means residents may now be on the hook for $8 million or more to bring the town's dam in compliance with federal standards.

It remains to be seen if this represents an outlier to the trend or a change in the pattern. Read more in this Maine Monitor story by Emmett Gartner.

Six months in, Maine’s first public defenders’ office talks strategy

This week, Josh Keefe got an up-close look at how the state's first public defenders' office, which serves Kennebec and Somerset counties, is operating. 

The Maine Monitor has been investigating the indigent defense crisis for years now. Until late last year, Maine was the only state with no public defender system, instead paying private attorneys on a case-by-case basis to take clients.

Frayla Tarpinian, Maine’s first district defender and head of the office, told a room of public defenders in late May that she hoped that having all of the defenders in the room together would allow them to see patterns across the system, eventually creating a process that’s more protective of defendant’s rights.

“I think we are fighting a cultural battle here."

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. 

The Somerset County Sheriff's Office busted its 20th illegal marijuana operation of the year — seizing more than 1,700 marijuana plants in Anson during the latest raid. | Maine Public

Rep. Austin Theriault of Fort Kent won the 2nd District Republican primary Tuesday, defeating Rep. Mike Soboleski of Phillips by roughly a 2 to 1 margin and earning the chance to take on incumbent Rep. Jared Golden, a Lewiston Democrat. In response to the result, Rep. John Andrews of Paris quit the Legislature. | Sun Journal

Gas prices, which traditionally rise in the summer, have been falling in Maine since April due to weak demand and strong supply. | Portland Press Herald

Voters in four school districts rejected their proposed budgets at validation votes held in conjunction with Tuesday's primary. These districts included MSAD 17, in Oxford Hills, where local selectboards advocated for 'no' votes due to budget increases and a failure to reopen a West Paris elementary school. | WMTW

Central Maine Power customers should expect an increase in their monthly bills to cover the $220 million in storm damages incurred by the company in 2022 and 2023. | Portland Press Herald

Voters in Rangeley approved a roughly $5.8 million municipal budget that includes money for the town's police department, which is currently without officers or a chief. | Sun Journal

Downtown Norway has been experiencing a surge of revitalization activity of late. | MaineBiz

An individual from York County is the first death in Maine this year due to Powassan virus, a tick-borne pathogen. Other infections were previously confirmed in Kennebec and Lincoln County. | Bangor Daily News

The town of Dixfield has inquired with the town of Wilton about contracting for law enforcement services. Dixfield's police department was dissolved in 2020; the town has been contracting with the Oxford County Sheriff's Office for services. | The Franklin Journal

Maine has lost a third of its dairy farms since 2020, with many operators citing high costs and low returns. | Maine Public

Maine households are the worst offenders on food waste, according to a DEP study. In fact, we waste the equivalent of more than 9,000 fully loaded semi-trailer trucks every year. | The Maine Monitor

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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.