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Greetings on this glorious 89 degree day! No, your eyes do not deceive you. As I write this week’s dispatch, I’m sitting at the water’s edge, listening to the tide roar in, not along the Downeast Bold Coast, but more than 1,800 miles south in Puerto Rico, experiencing the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean from a much different vantage point.

My son and his bride chose this small piece of heaven for their destination wedding, which took place on Monday under a dramatic tropical sky, with the cerulean waters of the vast, eternal ocean as the backdrop.

Although the trade winds here speak a different language than our maritime gales, it occurs to me as I look toward the horizon and watch the surf crash upon the beach that these two worlds are connected by something powerful.

There are daily political parades here — dozens of festooned cars with drivers piping the music of their chosen candidates. Back home, the beats and the candidates might be different, but the fervor is the same. Impending election day passion roars across the ocean, from shore to shore.

At Maine EMS, a debate over funding and process

A committee tasked with distributing $31 million in funding to faltering emergency medical service agencies around the state met in Alfred earlier this month to determine how the remaining $19.3 million would be spent. 

Some think all the money should go directly to EMS agencies, while others emphasize the need to support training centers.

Read this story by Adrienne Washington 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: Child care providers across the state cited for numerous safety violations. | The Maine Monitor

Missing Washington County couple found, husband deceased. | Spectrum News Maine

Two lawmakers have requested a full-scale review of safety and staffing concerns at Riverview in Augusta and Dorothea Dix in Bangor, which house patients with severe mental health issues. | Portland Press Herald

The Biden Administration said Wednesday it intends to appoint University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy to serve on the National Science Board. | Mainebiz

Maine resettled close to 700 people through the federal refugee admissions program during the fiscal year that ended last month. | Maine Public 

Eight Aroostook County nursing homes have received a combined $3 million from a one-time state payout aimed at solving staffing problems and covering other costs. | The County

A major pancake franchise opened earlier this week at a former Big Stop in Houlton. | The County

Two years after voters passed a citizen’s initiative to sharply reduce cruise ship traffic — leading to an ongoing stream of legal complaints — Bar Harbor officials hope that another vote next month will bring the lawsuits to an end. | Bangor Daily News

MaineHealth is partnering with Tufts University on a new $20.7 million study that will research post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. | Portland Press Herald

Guaranteed income pilot project aims to help low-income single mothers in Maine. | Maine Public

Thanks to the combined efforts of various homeschool families, local kids now have an opportunity to engage in competitive sports. | Ellsworth American

With the first snowfall and frosts happening across the state, it’s time for many Mainers to fire up their wood stoves or turn on the heat. That brings higher costs. | Bangor Daily News

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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.