View in browser   |   Forward

Greetings on what looks to be a decent Saturday for raking out my garden beds.

We're trading mud and sticks for ever-greening fields and budding trees; the birds are back and the peeper frogs are on the way.

It's a busy time of year, not just for crocuses but also for lawsuits,  budgets and referendums — all in the links.

Enjoy the (hopefully long) weekend.

Facing new spruce budworm outbreak, Maine foresters look to history as a guide

There are questions over how Maine’s forests will fare in a world beset by climate change.

Read this story by Jan DeBlieu for The Maine Monitor

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

The winter disconnection period has ended, allowing utilities to cut power over unpaid bills. | Maine Public

ICYMI: A bill that would boost transparency of how Maine’s opioid settlement funds are being spent advanced out of committee last month. | The Maine Monitor

A redemption center in Jay will close due to a state order, after an appeal to a state board was upheld. | Sun Journal

2024 Surveillance Report from UMaine Extension Tick Lab highlights tick-borne disease risk. | Daily Bulldog

Governor Janet Mills told reporters that she welcomed the Department of Justice's legal challenge. | WGME

Andover residents rejected a selectmen-backed effort to hire a town manager. | Rumford Falls Times

Lawmakers have proposed $3.3 million to support civil legal services. | News Center Maine

Residents of Strong and Phillips are petitioning their town officials to withdraw from MSAD 58. | Sun Journal

ICYMI: Maine Veterans’ Homes could be insolvent in two years unless lawmakers approve more than $4 million in funding. | The Maine Monitor

The Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs held a hearing on several bills seeking to regulate cell phone usage in classrooms. | WGME

New Sharon and state officials are organizing a vote on taking over the local water district. | Sun Journal

A FEMA-funded generator project to turn a Fayette meetinghouse into a warming shelter has been frozen. | Franklin Journal

Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom. If you have feedback or a tip that you want to send to Ben Hanstein directly email him at: benjamin@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