Heating bill’s future / Seaweed drones / Bear hunting

Maine heating aid bill won’t pass before January without Senate Republicans’ support

The $474 million package voted down by Senate Republicans Wednesday would deliver $450 relief checks to most Mainers.

Maine Catholic church faces mounting lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse

Three men and a woman have stepped forward to file lawsuits alleging they suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic priests decades ago.

Patient safety ratings drop at Maine hospitals

The Leapfrog Group gives 3,000 U.S. hospitals bi-annual letter grades based on more than 30 measures of patient safety.

Scientists take to the sky to research Maine’s seaweed

The researchers have been flying drones to measure the amount of rockweed and create a map for harvesters and fishery managers.

Bobby Nightingale gets 2 life sentences for Aroostook murders

The Presque Isle man was found guilty in August of the 2019 double murder that left Allen Curtis and Roger Ellis dead.

Maine flu rates spike just in time for the holidays

“Maine’s flu season is undeniably here, but it’s not too late to protect yourself and your loved ones in time for holiday gatherings,” said Nirav D. Shah, director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

2 Italian laborers were 1st to be hanged after Maine reinstated the death penalty

If Raphael Capone and Carmine Santore had killed Paschual Coscia just six months earlier, they would never have been executed.

The unique woodpecker moving into Maine’s suburbs

“Reports of woodpecker sightings from readers have doubled in the last month. I even had a male visit my backyard, the first in a decade.”

UMaine men’s basketball overpowers UMaine Augusta to end losing streak

The University of Maine men’s basketball team finished strong in its 103-67 victory over the University of Maine of Augusta.

Bill protecting same-sex and interracial marriages clears Congress

Democrats moved the bill quickly through the House and Senate after the Supreme Court’s June decision that overturned the federal right to an abortion.

Bear hunting in Maine is growing in popularity

While the final numbers are not in, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has reported 3,758 bears killed by hunters in 2022.

Maine high school basketball will still be fun this winter — I promise

“There’s nothing like Maine high school basketball, and I promise you, this year will be as exciting as those in the past.”

Ask us your questions about Maine’s offshore wind energy plans

Engineers and government officials here believe Maine has the potential to be both a national and international leader in offshore wind energy.

In other Maine news …

Renovated hotel will feature only coworking space north of Bangor

Bubble Tea Cafe brings popular Thai drink to Aroostook County

Remains of Waldoboro man who disappeared in 2021 have been found

Supreme Court case could upend Maine’s environmental justice laws

The Bangor girls basketball team will play a faster game this season

Woman dies after being hit by pickup truck in Lewiston

Missing Milford man has been found

Man dies at Somerset County Jail

Livermore Falls loses EMS license due to staffing issues

Gibson Les Paul guitar stolen from South Portland store