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Good morning,

In the wee hours of June 19, I was squinting at the livestream on the Maine secretary of state’s YouTube page on my phone, trying desperately to stay awake until the results of Maine's ranked-choice tabulation were announced. I fell asleep around 1:30 a.m., not long before the results were announced.

Thankfully for me, our election reporter Matt Junker was there in the room, for all 17 hours, along with small army of campaign staff, political party operatives, journalists, and members of the public. They assembled Legos, played Go Fish, and had a "nonpartisan pizza party." Matt also moderated a great panel on ranked-choice voting and the role it played in the recent primaries earlier this week. 

Ranked-choice voting has dominated the news these past few weeks, but it wasn't all our reporters were focused on. Environment reporter Delger Erdenesanaa was in the room in Lewiston on Tuesday at one of two public hearings on a rate proposal put forward by Central Maine Power; religion reporter Sean Scott talked to faith leaders at Portland's pride parade; and Monitor contributor Lana Cohen examined changes to MaineCare aimed at helping kids with higher needs stay in their homes. And rural government reporter Daniel O'Connor has been closely following the budget cuts in Lincoln, and their potential impact on public safety. 

Plus we've got two (!) new episodes of The Maine Monitor Radio Hour. I hope you'll give them a listen.

Have a great Sunday,

Kate

Inside the 17-hour final day of Maine’s ranked-choice voting count: Just as secretary of state officials seemed confident that the end was near, a host of unexpected delays kept pushing back the process. Read this story by Matt Junker

MaineCare changes aim to provide more support for high-needs children: The changes include a new standardized assessment process and a more behavioral support for children with higher needs. Read this story by Lana Cohen

Progressive faith leaders push for transgender rights: Many of the faith leaders who participated in Portland’s recent Pride parade have been working collectively to support immigrants and advocate for transgender rights since the start of the second Trump administration. Read this story by Sean Scott

Electricity customers voice concerns over CMP’s latest rate proposal: Central Maine Power is looking to raise rates by an average of $18 per month, citing a need for greater grid reliability in the face of more extreme weather. Read this story by Delger Erdenesanaa

Augusta school district sues right-wing provocateur for allegedly assaulting official: The school board’s latest skirmish with a right-wing provocateur involved Tim Bodnar, known by his online moniker “Truth Slinger.” Read this story by Daniel O'Connor of The Maine Monitor and Bangor Daily News

Panelists examine Maine’s use of ranked-choice voting: The discussion looked at the ranked-choice voting strategies used by Democrats and Republicans as well as potential ways to expedite the timeline for tabulating results. Read this story and watch the recording

Lincoln passes deep budget cuts that could hit public safety hard: The 12.8% cut was pushed through in a series of 4-3 votes by the council’s narrow conservative majority, which is facing a recall effort. Read this story by Daniel O'Connor of The Monitor and BDN

Lincoln fire and police departments issue dire warnings after budget cuts: The fire and ambulance department may need to lay off between four and eight of its 20 employees, Capt. Ken Goslin said. Read this story by Daniel O'Connor of The Monitor and BDN

Budget cuts will make it hard to fill a ‘terrible’ Lincoln town manager job: Maine towns often struggle for months to hire town managers, and Lincoln has lost four of them in just months. Read this story by Daniel O'Connor of The Monitor and BDN

May ‘radio hour’ digs into midterm elections, Northern Light Health’s finances: The show offers a behind-the-scenes look at recent Maine Monitor reporting. Listen to this episode

June ‘radio hour’ digs into contaminated sludge, Maine’s electric grid, ranked-choice voting, Calvary Chapel’s influence: The show offers a behind-the-scenes look at recent Maine Monitor reporting. Listen to this episode

Farmington approves renovation of Maine’s oldest public skateboard park. Read this story by Ben Hanstein

Machias voters unanimously approve $69,000 to cover police and fire overruns. Read this story by Evan W. Houk

Fairfield Town Council plans next steps after budget articles fail. Read this story by Makayla Morello

Wilton Board of Selectpersons restores broader Main Street closure for Blueberry Festival. Read this story by Bob Neal

Skowhegan Select Board elects new leaders, expands ATV access. Read this story by Makayla Morello

Fairfield Town Council approves fiscal 2027 budgets, building repairs and fire engine pump fix. Read this story by Makayla Morello

Madison Select Board welcomes new members, sets leadership for fiscal year. Read this story by Makayla Morello

Jonesport weighs 30‑month extension for Kingfish aquaculture project. Read this story by Jessica Brockington

Wilton voters approve 64 of 65 warrant articles with little debate at town meeting. Read this story by Bob Neal

RSU 9 launches pilot program to keep struggling students in school. Read this story by Ben Hanstein

Machias approves $3.9 million budget amid questions on airport, school resource officer. Read this story by Evan W. Houk

MSAD 58 sets July 20 meeting on new budget plan. Read this story by Ben Hanstein

Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom. You can also email The Monitor's editors: editors@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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