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A few years ago, amid an onslaught of news about the COVID-19 pandemic, there was another story that blipped across the radar in Maine: reports that Brunswick startup bluShift Aerospace was looking to launch rockets from the tiny town of Jonesport, known more for its fishing and rugged coastline than anything to do with space.
Conversations I had about the news — both with colleagues in the media and with friends — went something like this: “Maine? Rockets? What?” There was general skepticism and bafflement, and after Jonesport banned rocket launches, the plan largely faded from the news.
This spring, however, Gov. Janet Mills signed a law enabling Maine Space Corporation to become a nonprofit organization. This caught our eye at The Monitor. We’d heard of bluShift, but what was Maine Space Corporation doing, and why did they need to become a nonprofit?
Stacey Zhang, our intrepid Ida B. Wells intern, set about looking into it. The resulting story is a fascinating deep dive into the nascent space industry in Maine and where its boosters are hoping it will go from here.
Speaking of interns and fellows: this week we say goodbye to Stacey and Fitzgerald Fellow Yasmeen Khan, who are returning to their studies at Amherst and Harvard, respectively. We’ve been so lucky to have them this summer, and I have no doubt you’ll see their bylines and excellent work far into the future.
Enjoy the spectacular weekend and last gasps of summer!
~ Kate
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Facing pushback on land, Maine’s space industry looks to the sea
The Maine Space Corporation, which lawmakers recently voted to make a nonprofit, is looking into sea-based launch platforms.
Read this story by Stacey Zhang |
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Waldo County opioid spending raises transparency questions: As the county creates a committee, which will form another committee, to disburse opioid funds, officials are unable to clarify how initial spending decisions were made. Read this story by Daniel O'Connor |
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Our guide to researching nursing homes and assisted living facilities: Transitioning an older loved one into a nursing home or assisted living facility is difficult, especially when you’re trying to figure out whether a facility will be safe and meet their needs. Read this story by Rose Lundy |
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A conversation with Brian Ambrette, director of Maine’s new resilience office: “It’s important for an entity like the State Resilience Office to have this kind of high altitude vantage point to think about responses that can address multiple issues at a time, like threats to community safety, economic wellbeing and resilience posed by climate change.” Read this story by Emmett Gartner |
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Why Maine is losing out on a wood building boom
Cross-laminated timber has long been used in Europe but is relatively new in the U.S., and Maine only recently added it to its building code.
Read this story by Lori Valigra of the Bangor Daily News
Note: this story appears on The Maine Monitor's website as part of our collaboration with Maine Focus, the investigative team of the Bangor Daily News. Read more about the partnership |
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Have feedback or a correction to send to Kate Cough? Send it to her directly via email: kate@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. |
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