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I have been loving environment reporter Delger Erdenesanaa’s stories on seagrass — an underwater flowering plant. It kind of looks like a weed, but it is an important habitat for many marine species and improves water quality. Seagrass has been declining here and around the world, and researchers are trying to figure out how best to bring back these ocean meadows.
It’s often the small things that matter — or perhaps aren’t so small after all.
Take arsenic, which reporting fellow John Forbes wrote about this week. You can’t taste, see or smell it, but exposure to the naturally occurring element has been linked to increased rates of certain cancers. Yet only about half of Maine people with private wells have tested for arsenic, and a statewide effort to help more people pay for testing and treatment hasn’t gotten as far as it would have liked.
Then there is the elusive wild oyster. Abi Brissett, one of our summer reporting interns, wrote about efforts to restore wild oysters to Maine’s coast. But getting the bivalve mollusks to spawn and survive on their own, and at scale, is still a work in progress.
Thank you, as always, for reading our stories. I hope you enjoy the last few weeks of summer.
— Erin
P.S. We'd love to see you this Thursday evening for the latest in our series of Monitor Talks, where health care reporter Emily Bader will be hosting a conversation about addiction treatment in Maine's jails. You can find more details and register to attend either in person or on Zoom here. |
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They wanted to restore wild oyster reefs to the Maine coast. Could it be done?: A team in Phippsburg has been working for nearly a decade to get wild oysters to regenerate in Maine’s cold, turbulent waters. Read this story by Abi Brissett |
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Maine struggling to get homeowners to test and treat private wells for arsenic: Low-income homeowners are least likely to test and treat their well water for arsenic, and a state program to help them has treated fewer homes than expected. Read this story by John Forbes |
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Virginia restored 12,000 acres of seagrass. Can Maine also stem the decline?: Maine’s declining seagrass is part of a global pattern, and successful projects elsewhere offer lessons for new restoration efforts. Read this story by Delger Erdenesanaa |
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Even small Maine towns are weighing data center bans: Data centers — large warehouses that hold computer needed by AI and other software to function — have drawn ire for high water and power use. Read this story by Daniel O'Connor of The Maine Monitor and Bangor Daily News |
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High court: Maine wrongly terminated a mother’s parental rights because she couldn’t find an affordable home: Child welfare authorities said the mother’s inability to move from New Mexico to Maine made her an unfit parent. The state’s highest court disagreed with that finding on Tuesday. Read this story by Josh Keefe |
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Another Maine police department uses an AI startup to write reports: Officers are required by the software to make edits before signing off on the reports, including removing obscure or intentionally incorrect words the company calls “Easter eggs.” Read this story by Daniel O'Connor of The Monitor and BDN |
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August ‘radio hour’ explores how Maine jails treat addiction: The show offers a behind-the-scenes look at recent Maine Monitor reporting. Listen to this episode |
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Federal regulators accept preliminary permit for underwater data center off Eastport. Read this story by Melissa S. Razdrih |
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Maine Library Commission supports paid director requirement, drops municipal funding proposal. Read this story by Judith Meyer |
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Norway Planning Board rejects solar array, advances apartment redevelopment. Read this story by Carlyssa Baker |
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Repair or replace: FDR Memorial Bridge between Lubec and Campobello Island faces pivotal choice. Read this story by Elora Griswold |
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Department of Education has conditionally accepted plan for Strong to withdraw from SAD 58. Read this story by Ben Hanstein |
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Officials review more than a dozen active land use ordinances as they prepare to revise Kingfield’s ordinance. Read this story by Ashton F. LeCraw |
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Waterville to form working group to tackle plan for pedestrian and cyclist safety, transit and parking. Read this story by Charley DiAdamo |
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Kingfield withdrawal from MSAD 58 advancing to a November vote. Read this story by Ben Hanstein |
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Residents of Jay’s Hidden Circle celebrate first‑in‑Maine purchase of their mobile home park. Read this story by Bob Neal |
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Lubec School Department moves to limit public access to the community playground. Read this story by Ethan Bien |
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Petition challenges Maine Library Commission’s draft library rules. Read this story by Judith Meyer |
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Wilton resident challenges Board of Selectpersons to enforce ordinances governing junkyards, other trash. Read this story by Bob Neal |
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Rangeley Board of Selectmen prioritizes hiring new code officer, flags major Scenic Byways contract error. Read this story by Ashton F. LeCraw |
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Robin Crockett hired as new principal at Spruce Mountain Elementary School. Read this story by Bob Neal |
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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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