Author: Portland Post

Maine Gov. Janet Mills reversed her opposition to a 2% millionaires tax, backing the measure as Democrats add it to the state’s two-year budget plan.

Maine’s wild blueberry industry, which produces nearly all of the nation’s wild blueberry crop, is investing heavily in mechanical harvesting and sorting technology as growers confront persistent labor shortages that threaten the viability of hand-raking — the traditional harvest method that has defined the industry for generations. The shift has been gradual but is now accelerating. Industry estimates suggest that approximately 60 percent of Maine’s wild blueberry crop is now harvested mechanically, up from roughly 40 percent a decade ago. The remaining acreage, much of it on smaller family farms with rugged terrain, continues to rely on hand-raking crews. “We’d…

The Portland Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2026-2027 season with a groundbreaking community partnership model that takes the orchestra out of the concert hall and into neighborhoods, schools, and public spaces across Greater Portland, aiming to reach audiences who have never experienced a live symphonic performance. Under the theme “Music Without Walls,” the season includes the orchestra’s traditional Merrill Auditorium concert series alongside 24 community performances in non-traditional venues — libraries, community centers, parks, houses of worship, and even a brewery — across Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, and Scarborough. “The concert hall will always be our home, but music belongs…

L.L.Bean’s ongoing expansion of its Freeport campus is attracting a growing cluster of outdoor recreation businesses to the Midcoast region, cementing the area’s identity as Maine’s outdoor industry hub and creating a mini-ecosystem of gear makers, outfitters, and experience providers. The iconic retailer completed a $45 million expansion of its flagship store and Discovery campus last year, adding a 15,000-square-foot outdoor skills center, expanded kayak and paddleboard demo areas on the Harraseeket River, and a year-round outdoor event space. The investment has drawn increased foot traffic to Freeport, benefiting the town’s broader retail and hospitality sector. “L.L.Bean is the anchor,…

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is expanding its childhood vaccination outreach program in rural communities, deploying mobile clinics and partnering with schools, libraries, and community organizations to improve immunization rates that have fallen below recommended levels in several counties. The initiative, called “Healthy Maine Kids,” targets Aroostook, Washington, Somerset, Piscataquis, and Oxford counties, where childhood vaccination rates for routine immunizations like MMR, DTaP, and polio have dropped below 90 percent — the threshold generally considered necessary for community-level protection. “Every child in Maine deserves access to vaccines that protect them from preventable diseases, regardless of where they…

The redevelopment of the former Brunswick Naval Air Station has reached a milestone 10 years after the base’s closure, with the 3,200-acre property now home to more than 100 businesses, 600 housing units, and a thriving mix of education, recreation, and cultural institutions that have transformed a military installation into a vibrant community asset. The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which oversees the property now known as Brunswick Landing, released a 10-year progress report this week showing that the development has attracted more than $500 million in public and private investment and created approximately 2,500 jobs. “When the Navy left, a…

Maine Audubon’s annual bald eagle survey has documented a record 922 nesting pairs across the state in 2026, continuing a remarkable recovery story that has seen the iconic raptor rebound from near-extinction in Maine to one of the densest nesting populations on the East Coast. The count represents a 6 percent increase over last year and marks the 25th consecutive year of growth in the state’s bald eagle population. In 1978, when the species was first listed under the Endangered Species Act, Maine had just 29 known nesting pairs. “The bald eagle recovery in Maine is one of the greatest…

The South Portland City Council has approved a 180-unit affordable housing development on a former industrial site along the Fore River, a project that supporters say will make a meaningful dent in the region’s housing shortage while transforming an underused waterfront property into a vibrant residential community. The development, called Fore River Landing, will include a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, with all units reserved for households earning between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income. Rents will range from approximately $700 to $1,400 per month, well below market rates in the Portland metro area. “This…

Maine’s craft spirits industry has more than doubled in size over the past five years, with the number of licensed distilleries growing from 38 in 2021 to 82 today, making the Pine Tree State one of the fastest-growing craft spirits markets in the country. The growth mirrors the trajectory of Maine’s craft beer boom a decade earlier, with small-batch distillers leveraging the state’s reputation for quality, craftsmanship, and locally sourced ingredients to carve out a distinctive niche in the spirits market. “Maine distillers are doing something genuinely different,” said Luke Davidson, executive director of the Maine Distillers Guild. “They’re using…

A powerful late-March nor’easter brought heavy, wet snow and damaging winds to western Maine this week, downing trees and power lines across the region and leaving more than 45,000 customers without electricity at the peak of the storm. The storm, which moved through Monday night into Tuesday, dropped 14 to 22 inches of heavy snow across the foothills and western mountains, with the highest totals reported in the Rangeley, Bethel, and Rumford areas. Coastal areas received a mix of rain and snow, with Portland receiving about 4 inches of slushy accumulation. “This was a classic spring nor’easter — heavy, wet…