View in browser   |   Forward

Good morning:

Early this year we partnered with Journalism New England on a project to recruit and train community journalists. Our three-month Career Lab provided hands-on training for a small group of aspiring reporting fellows to contribute to Monitor Local’s coverage of government in Western and Downeast Maine. Jessica Brockington and Melissa Razdrih took part in that training and are now actively reporting for Monitor Local. 

Jessica has been following the application by Kingfish Maine to build a $100 million aquaculture project in Jonesport and has an update this week. We also have a story from Melissa with details about a couple of public hearings that will be held in Eastport next month for voters to consider two new ordinances, one of which will prohibit large-scale data center projects. She also covered this week’s meeting of the Board of Selectmen in Lubec, during which officials tabled a proposed ordinance that would have allowed the Fire Department to charge residents for emergency services.

Our training program prepared these journalists to cover stories that are important to our communities, and we’re ready to train more people interested in joining our work.

For more information about the program and application process, go to: 

Community Reporting Career Lab Fellowships | The Maine Monitor. If you’re interested in freelance work but not interested in this training opportunity, please reach out to me at judy@themainemonitor.org. I’d love to hear from you.

Enjoy the weekend, and please share this newsletter with family members and friends. They can sign up on our website to have it delivered to their own inbox each Saturday. 

Washington County manager sues the county for wrongful firing: The court issued a temporary restraining order, putting Renée Gray’s firing on hold. A hearing on that order is scheduled July 30. Read this story by Judith Meyer

Ordinance that would prohibit DeepGreen data-center project in Eastport scheduled for hearing in August: The City Council, the Washington County Commission and the Passamaquoddy Tribe have all raised objections to the project. Read this story by Melissa S. Razdrih

Lubec officials table a proposal to charge residents for fire and emergency services after receiving pushback: Selectmen approved funding for the Paula Tinker Memorial Lubec Junior Firefighters program, first pitched to the board in April. Read this story by Melissa S. Razdrih

Voters will consider ordinance changes to give Kingfish Maine more time to begin construction in Jonesport: The aquaculture project has been delayed by years of legal challenges, but was finally cleared in April to proceed. Read this story by Jessica Brockington

Why are Maine communities struggling to keep their managers?: Rising turnover and a shrinking talent pool leave local governments searching for stability and new ways to mentor future leaders. Read this story by Makayla Morello

Washington County Commission authorizes unorganized territories manager to approve certain liquor licenses: Commissioners approve committee to study selling unused Emergency Management Agency space. Read this story by Judith Meyer

Most candidates have to disclose how they make money. Not those running for Maine governor: The Maine Monitor asked the three gubernatorial candidates to provide their personal financial information voluntarily. Here’s what they said. Read this story by Matt Junker

Building recovery connections in rural Maine: Gov. Janet Mills’ 8th annual Opioid Response Summit, held in Bangor on Thursday, explored strategies to help people affected by addiction. Read this story by Emily Bader

Maine is ramping up effort to reduce packaging in landfills. Will towns participate?: The state is seeking an operator for a new program to shift some recycling costs from municipalities to large companies. But only 16% of municipalities have said they’ll sign up so far. Read this story by Megan Blonigen

‘They keep killing people’: Grief and anger follow Biddeford ICE shooting: Hundreds of people gathered at protests in Southern Maine after a man was shot and killed by federal immigration agents in Biddeford on Monday. Read this story by Megan Blonigen, Sean Scott and Josh Keefe

The Maine Monitor receives $1 million grant from the American Journalism Project: The 3-year grant invests in the nonprofit news organization’s long-term capacity to deliver more local news for Maine. Read this story

The following stories are from other newsrooms. While The Maine Monitor does not place its content behind a paywall, some newsrooms we link to below may. Paywalled stories are followed by a ($). We encourage you to consider supporting local Maine newsrooms.

The state’s annual “point in time” survey found fewer people experiencing homelessness last winter | Maine Public

A $15 million state program designed to help homeowners install storm-resistance roofs will be delayed until next year | WGME 

Maine International Film Festival highlights state’s film incentive gap | WABI

Maine has seen a 46 percent drop in overdose deaths since 2022 | Maine Public 

A “cold blob” in the North Atlantic could be the result of global ocean currents shifting due to climate change | Public News Service

Advocates say new EPA guidance on PFAS falls far short of what’s needed | Spectrum News Maine

Maine Audubon loon count returns today | WABI

Trump administration to buy back another energy company's offshore wind leases for 4 more projects, including in Maine | Spectrum News Maine

Cooke to expand with acquisition of Mowi Canada East's fish farms | Quoddy Tides 

Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom. You can reach Monitor Local editor Judith Meyer directly via email:  judy@themainemonitor.org. 

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.

Manage preferences | Update email address