A spokesperson for the Portland Fire Department says it's unclear how many businesses were affected, but a repair shop is reportedly a total loss and it appears that Maritime Antiques and the Sea Bags Factory sustained heavy damage:

Dozens of firefighters are currently battling a three-alarm fire on Custom House Wharf in Portland near Commercial Street:

Shopping malls, once the commercial hubs of the holiday season, are in decline. But in Bangor, it's also meant a rise in municipal code violations that are so severe that the city has taken the mall's owner to court:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning of a Salmonella outbreak that may be linked to contaminated oysters:

The snowstorm that dropped more than a foot of fresh snow in parts of Maine Tuesday night brought an early Christmas gift to downhill and Nordic ski areas. www.mainepublic.org/business-and...

In response to the drought, the company reduced withdrawals between August and October. But overall, extractions increased in Fryeburg and Denmark this year compared to the past two:

A previously unreported and recently completed audit found that Gateway Community Services overbilled MaineCare by more than $1 million. The state says such suspensions are imposed when there's suspected fraud: www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...

Maine's small Christmas Tree growers say their sales are up this season, despite an exceptionally wet spring, a severe drought, and tariffs that have made it a tough year for many farmers. www.mainepublic.org/business-and...

The ruling comes after the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine and several other groups filed a class-action lawsuit:

The bill requires serial numbers on firearms that can be built at home, including those made with 3D printers, yet have the same lethality as traditional guns:

Maine was one of about 20 states that sued the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development over a new policy that would have gutted federal funding for permanent and rapid rehousing services:

Linda Zillman, who died in September, was an art historian and longtime advocate for visual arts:

Simon Gonzalez's death is the second fatal school bus crash involving an elementary-age student in the past month:

The advocacy groups say the company's plan to preserve 50,000 acres doesn't meet regulators' standards:

Current Brown University students spoke about "losing a sense of safety" on campus after a shooter took the lives of two students:

Advocates for the unhoused say 52 residents who were homeless passed away in 2025:

As the ground freezes, it becomes harder for underground aquafers to refill with rain or snow runoff. www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025...

A man who is suspected of killing two and wounding several others at Brown University has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility, officials said.

A constellation of deep-pocketed outside groups is already poised to spend big to affect the outcome of the 2026 Maine U.S. Senate race that could determine which party controls the chamber after the midterm elections. Some of these groups are already running ads 🧵

TikTok has signed a deal to sell its U.S. business to three American investors — Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States. https://to.pbs.org/48KJGwL

Yes, the darkest day of the year is upon us. But that means brighter days are ahead. https://to.pbs.org/44CoI0F

Members of a support group in Maine lament that doctors have been dismissive of their menopause symptoms:

The family of Brayden Callahan, the 12-year-old boy who was fatally struck by a school bus in Rockland on Nov. 21, is taking legal action against Regional School District 13:

A windstorm could bring gusts of up to 60 mph to coastal areas. The Maine Emergency Management Agency is advising residents to prepare for power outages and dangerous roads:

The gift came from the estate of Donald Zillman, University of Maine at Presque Isle's 10th president, and his wife, Linda. www.mainepublic.org/education-ne...

Phillip Rench, of Waterboro, was one of the first candidates to challenge U.S. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, but the independent is bowing out after citing an undisclosed personal development. www.mainepublic.org/politics/202...

Last week, a group of Maine lobstermen worked out a plan for how they would respond to an aggregation of endangered North Atlantic right whales in federal waters. www.mainepublic.org/environment-...

Claims by a former employee against Gateway Community Services have recently gained national attention:

Organizations across the state received awards in the first year of Maine's trail program:

More than 120,000 tribal members in the U.S. are expected to lose marketplace insurance coverage because of the expiration of enhanced subsidies:

Maine Public News is here for you! Help us give you the news you're looking for. Fill out our brief survey at mainepublic.org/survey today. THANKS!

AdImpact, an organization tracking political ads, estimates the Maine Senate contest could help draw more than $300 million in spending on congressional races in the state next year:

U.S. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins both voted Thursday to advance a proposed three-year extension of subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The two were divided on a Republican plan that would have replaced the subsidies with health savings accounts:

A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled the administration illegally ordered a halt to new ocean wind power development. www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025...

Drivers must go through a 15-point certification process and have their vehicles inspected before driving students:

A federal grant will help create a new two-track certification program by August 2026. University officials say those certified will know how to recognize opioid disorders, treat them with medication and address stigma around addiction:

Maine long term care ombudsman Brenda Gallant says higher staff levels improve both patient care and worker retention:

A federal judge in Maine has rejected a request by the state and the U.S. Department of Justice to alter a settlement agreement intended to improve behavioral health care for children:

The class-action lawsuit is challenging the constitutionality of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that sought to end the automatic citizenship for babies born on U.S. soil regardless of their parents' citizenship status:

The project, proposed for a small lot in Portland's Old Port, has sparked some debate. And it has left some residents wondering whether it will pave the way for more towers in Portland's skyline:

Fifty-two unhoused residents used the warming space at 166 Riverside Thursday. The city used two shuttle buses to bring them to the warming shelter:

As the Gulf of Maine warms due to climate change, invasive sea squirts have become a major issue for the aquaculture industry, weighing down equipment and colonizing underwater surfaces:

The U.S. CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices says parents should consult with their doctors about the hepatitis B vaccine, and those who want to delay should wait until babies are at least two months old:

Gov. Janet Mills and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree have accused the Trump administration of targeting hungry people as it threatens to cut off some SNAP funding to about 20 left-leaning states:

During a cabinet meeting this week, President Donald Trump referred to Somali immigrants as "garbage."

The collaboration will focus on protecting Portland's working waterfront and coastal areas from sea level rise, as well as meeting sustainability goals like electrification:

Decorated Army Veteran Charles Norman Shay, who at 19 saved lives at Omaha Beach on D-Day, has died:

A five and a half square mile parcel of privately owned, ecologically diverse land in western Maine's High Peaks region on the South Branch of the Dead River, at the headwaters of the Kennebec River, has been permanently protected through a conservation easement:

The Maine Connectivity Authority has launched an online survey to find out what improvements Mainers may need in cellphone coverage:

Gorham residents say traffic, noise and light pollution will increase commute times and decrease quality of life and property values in the community: