Stories
Sea level rise is accelerating along Maine’s coast. This year, record high water levels have been documented in Bar Harbor, Cutler and Wells. For coastal communities it means threats to buildings and infrastructure, the loss of beaches and intrusion of salt water into private wells. A modest 1.6 foot rise, which is expected by the year 2050, will…
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A mid-sized project in York County that’s part of the state’s new “community solar” program is just about to go live. It’s happening as the state’s capacity for generating low-polluting electricity from the sun has surged in the last two years by more than 300% — and that’s expected to grow as the state moves…
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Boston Mayor-elect Michelle Wu is making history on several fronts. She is the first woman and first person of color elected to lead the city. But at 36, she is also about to become Boston’s first millennial mayor. Wu’s relative youth comes with opportunities and challenges. “There’s always a few people that say the wrong thing or…
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York County is the historical epicenter in Maine for vector-borne diseases. Since deer ticks first appeared in southern portions of the state in the late 1980s, they’ve gained a strong foothold — as have the diseases they carry, such as Lyme, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis. York County is also home to the state’s only human cases…
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On a sunny day in August, environmental scientist Kellie Merrell scans the shoreline from a motorboat in the shallows on Lake Fairlee. There are lots of cottages. White pine trees tower over the water, reaching out from a few rocky points. Merrell is here with a team of scientists from the state to do a…
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Thomas Kania is the grandson of Polish immigrants, people who he says came to the United States for opportunity. Now Kania, a real estate investor, says it’s their experience that has motivated him to help others looking for a bit of opportunity of their own — newly arrived Afghan refugees. “It’s basically the American spirit,”…
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Jose Antonio Armas lost family members in Mexico during the pandemic, and when his mother passed away, he couldn’t return to his homeland to bury her because of his immigration status. “Even though it’s been 25 years since I’ve been in the U.S. and I haven’t been able to see them again, the altar, the…
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“Climate resilience” has become a phrase that describes the efforts of scientists, conservationists and government officials to respond to sea-level rise, intense storms, and increasing temperatures. The concept is getting the attention of military planners as well, and in Maine, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery is hardening its own historic facilities against higher tides,…
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Scientists at the New England Aquarium say they’ve developed a “revolutionary” way to monitor threatened and endangered sea turtles over long periods of time. After rehabbing four loggerhead sea turtles that were found cold-stunned on Cape Cod beaches, researchers surgically implanted acoustic tags just under the turtles’ skin, and have since found them thriving in…
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General Electric announced Tuesday it’s reorganizing into three companies, two of which it plans to spin off. The company isn’t saying yet which of its new companies will keep its commitment to clean up the Housatonic River. About 20 years ago, GE signed a court-ordered agreement to remove PCBs from the river, and from the…
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