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Amid our typical, fun summertime smells — fresh-cut grass, barbecue, wet dogs returning from the river — is the rather un-fun scent of wood smoke. That's from wildfires burning in western Canada and northern Quebec, which are causing hazy skies throughout the state.

With the smell and the peculiar (but extraordinary) sunsets, come concerns about the air quality. Meteorologists have said the air quality in northern regions of the state is unsafe for certain people, such as those with lung or heart disease.

Obviously, there isn't much Mainers can do about fires burning across the continent, but we can keep an eye on our own health. If possible, avoid strenuous activity outside, keep your windows closed, and check in with your at-risk neighbors and friends. We're all in this together.

Federal grant will help Maine install heat pumps in low-income homes

A recently announced $450 million federal grant aimed at reducing climate pollution across New England could help Maine meet its ambitious goal to place thousands of heat pumps in low-income homes and expand a critical subset of HVAC technicians trained to install them.

David Cash, administrator of the EPA New England region that includes Maine, said the cooling properties that the heat pumps can provide could be crucial for elderly people, a group that is more prone to heat-related illnesses. Maine could see mean annual temperatures increase by 2 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050, according to this year’s update to the Maine Climate Council’s assessment.

Read this story by Emmett Gartner of The Maine Monitor.

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

Mexico residents ask questions about future of town’s police department | Rumford Falls Times

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is expected to continue impacting Maine's air quality this weekend | WGME

ICYMI from The Maine Monitor: A look at Maine’s aging housing stock

Androscoggin Lake has an algae bloom and is now unsafe for swimming, a nonprofit that manages the lake said this week | Maine Public

Franklin County commissioners approved using $700,000 in TIF money to support the construction of the new emergency operations building | Sun Journal

Residents in Rumford expressed concerns with the judicial system at a town hall-style meeting, with representatives of the district attorney's office pointing to staffing shortages | WMTW

Farmington board welcomes new police officer, discusses PFAS contamination | Daily Bulldog

Oxford will benefit from $1.6 million in state funds to reconstruct the Rabbit Valley Road in a way that makes it more resistant to floods | Advertiser Democrat

Rep. Jared Golden has said he will not endorse a presidential candidate in the upcoming election | News Center Maine

Interviews for Franklin County's Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee will take place next week, as commissioners look to re-staff the committee after rebooting it earlier this year | Sun Journal

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.