Maine

Birds often found in tropical places like the Caribbean and Florida are appearing in Maine. Over the past week, people from Gray, outside Portland to the Acadia region have reported what scientists have identified as purple gallinules. “If you see photos of them, they’ve got these incredibly long toes,” said Doug Hitchcox, a naturalist at Maine Audubon. How did...

Cindy Soule’s fourth-graders in Maine’s largest city have studied pollination in a community garden. They solved an erosion problem that was damaging trees. They learned about bear scat. Then came a fresh layer of snow and temperatures that hovered around freezing — but her students were unfazed. Bundled up and masked, they scooted outside with their belongings in buckets....

Four New England governors joined together to share a message encouraging people to celebrate the holidays safely this year. Govs. Charlie Baker, Janet Mills, Chris Sununu and Phil Scott each shared the same video Wednesday evening, where all four spoke and encouraged people to wear masks, avoid travel and gather in smaller groups than usual at the peak of the…

It’s difficult to imagine a year when we needed a little comic relief more desperately than in 2020. No yuks? Yuck. Fortunately, New Englanders came through with some welcome pandemic distractions.

A Paycheck Protection Program loan for nearly $1.2 million issued to an organic farm operator allegedly located in western Maine has raised suspicion after a massive disclosure of federal records about the small business relief program. According to records released by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Common Ground Organic Farm LLC, based in Bridgton, received the loan. The records show…

A heartbroken Maine family is warning parents to check in on their children after their teenage son died by suicide due to COVID social distancing leading to social isolation. Spencer Smith left a note for his parents, writing about feeling locked in the house and growing apart from his friends, his father Jay Smith said.

The parents of a Maine teenager say “COVID-19 isolation” led to their son’s recent suicide. Spencer Smith, 16, of Brunswick, died by suicide on Friday, according to NBC affiliate News Center Maine. Smith’s parents said he left a note saying he felt “locked in the house” and was growing apart from his friends. “He’s loved by so many that...

A pair of small earthquakes surprised residents near the border of Maine and Canada on Wednesday morning. The earthquakes reached a magnitude of 2.4 and 3.0 and both happened before 8 a.m. The epicenter of the quakes was about three miles from the small town of Robbinston, near the border with New Brunswick, Canada, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The…

If you’re at home marathoning your way through holiday movies, there’s a good chance “Elf,” starring Will Ferrell, might find its way into the mix. In the film, Ferrell’s character Buddy goes to New York City shortly before the holidays to find and meet his biological father after a lifetime at the North Pole. He’d thought he was just...

Jacob Knowles, a fifth-generation Maine fisheman, is going viral on TikTok for a surprising — and adorable — reason.

Just like a real-life movie, the story of Buddy the Elf meeting his biological father has come to life, just in time for the holidays.

With Gov. Janet Mills in quarantine, the state’s acting chief justice instead swore lawmakers into office Wednesday in a historic offsite session that featured the state’s first openly gay House speaker and the first Black woman in a party leadership position. House members formally elected Democratic Rep. Ryan Fecteau to succeed House Speaker Sara Gideon. The 28-year-old is also...

Hot days at the New Hampshire Statehouse traditionally feature a formal motion to allow men to remove their jackets. This week, a motion to permit extra layers of wool and fleece would be more fitting. Newly elected members of the Legislature will meet Wednesday for Organization Day on an outdoor field hockey pitch at the University of New Hampshire, where…

An investigation into what caused a fishing boat carrying four Maine fishermen to sink off Cape Cod will likely take weeks or months, the Coast Guard said Friday. The boat sank off Provincetown on Monday when it was en route to Gloucester, Massachusetts. Members of the Maine fishing community have been raising money for the families of the men lost…

Thanksgiving week has arrived in New England amid rising concern that travel and gatherings could worsen a surge in coronavirus cases across the region and country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving amid the pandemic. This comes as the United States has reached over 12 million confirmed cases of COVID-19.  In…

In so many ways Tuesday was not the night Democrats envisioned. Not only was there no overwhelming nationwide repudiation of Donald Trump, but the hope many had that the Senate would flip into a Democratic majority hinges on two races in Georgia.

Sen. Susan Collins is set for reelection to the U.S. Senate after her opponent in Maine’s most expensive political campaign, Democratic House Speaker Sara Gideon, conceded the race. Collins’ victory comes after more than $100 million were spent in the race, and it helps Republicans’ chances of controlling the Senate for at least the next two years. Gideon’s concession...

If the red and blue political map turns your stomach green, look to Maine for an alternative vision for picking our presidents. On Election Day, the state will be the first to try a ranked choice voting system in a presidential general election. So what is ranked choice voting and why do its supporters say it’s a better way to...

Maine is reinstituting restrictions meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 amid a resurgence of the virus in the state, Gov. Janet Mills announced Sunday. While Maine has been one of the most successful states at controlling the virus, it’s now dealing with a wave of new infections, this week reporting a significant increase in coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and...

A coronavirus outbreak at a rural Maine church has infected dozens of people, authorities said, and an investigation that originally centered around the church has found more cases in area schools. On Wednesday, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention advised in a release that “individuals who spent any time at the Brooks Pentecostal Church or Lighthouse Christian Academy…