Governor Mills Directs Flags Lowered Statewide on Thursday

Flags to be lowered in concert with funeral services for the Honorable Gerald Talbot, Maine Game Warden Joshua Tibbetts

Governor Janet Mills has directed that the United States and State of Maine flags be lowered statewide from sunrise to sunset on Thursday, May 21, 2026, in honor of the Honorable Gerald Talbot and Maine Game Warden Joshua Tibbetts, both of whom will be laid to rest that day.

Talbot, Maine's first Black legislator and the founding president of the Maine NAACP, will be

Maine Awards $3 Million to Advance PFAS Solutions for Farmers

May 15, 2026
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry

AUGUSTA - The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) today announced $3 million in new PFAS Fund research grants to support Maine farms impacted by PFAS. While the vast majority of Maine farms are not impacted, DACF is

Local Student and Artist Gives Back to MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital’s Family Birth Center

MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital Family Birth Center care team members, artist Miles Merriam and his mother stand in front of one of the art pieces he created, titled Woodland Lullabies, installed in the department. Pictured from left: Amy Campbell, DMD; Miles Merriam, artist; Jennifer McKenna, MD, associate medical director of MaineHealth Obstetrics and Gynecology Rockport; and Thomas O’Connor III, MD, MaineHealth Obstetrics and Gynecology Rockport.

ROCKPORT, Maine – In April, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital’s Family Birth Center welcomed two new original art pieces by an artist with a personal connection to the hospital.

The artist, Miles Merriam, a 15-year-old student at Oceanside High School in Rockland, created the paintings as a way to give back to the place where

MaineHealth Update on Searsmont Patients

PORTLAND, Maine - MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland continues to treat eight patients who were injured in the Searsmont incident. 

Two patients who were taken to the hospital on Friday, May 15, were treated and transferred.

No further updates are planned for this evening, but updates will be provided on Sunday as they become available. Patient privacy laws limit what can be shared at this time, and we would defer to law enforcement and other officials involved in the investigation for any additional information.

BREAKING: Area Departments Responding To Fire & Possible Explosion at Searsmont Lumber Mill

Update: 4:04pm: Officials say at least 10 people, including firefighters, have been injured after an explosion and massive fire at a lumber mill in Searsmont. The Thorndike Fire Department says multiple fire trucks have also been destroyed.

According to WGME, the fire started in the wood shavings area where they are packaged in plastic bags than extended to a silo which caused a explosion.

Update 12:15pm: Statement from Rep. Chellie Pingree; My heart is with the Searsmont community as officials respond to a reported mass casualty incident at Robbins Lumber.

Details are still limited. Please follow updates from local authorities, avoid the area, and keep those impacted and the first responders in your thoughts.

Update: At least 7 people have been transported to area hospitals in critical condition. One of the people have been transported by LifeFlight.

BREAKING: Searsmont, Maine - We're getting word that multiple area departments are responding to fire and possible explosion at Searsmont lumber mill Robbins Lumber on Friday, May 15th, 2026 in Searsmont, Maine.

Fire departments from the region have responded to the scene including Knox departments Rockport, Camden, Rockland and Thomaston.

Multiple injuries reported.

Fire marshal units have been called to scene.

Stay with us for further updates.

USDA Distributes Oral Rabies Vaccine for Wildlife in Northern Maine

AUGUSTA-- In cooperation with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services' Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC), officials from U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Wildlife Services will begin to distribute oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits this week. USDA Wildlife Services will distribute nearly 450,000 ORV baits in Aroostook County from May 13 through May 22.

This spring ORV bait distribution is in addition to the annual fall distribution and is in

'Maine Comfort Dog Baxter Honored May 30 with Portrait Unveiling, Community Tribute and Fundraiser'

'Maine Comfort Dog Baxter Honored May 30 with Portrait Unveiling, Community Tribute and Fundraiser', 25 %Sales this day to benefit Hero Pups

Baxter set the standard for what comfort dogs can do. Now it’s about making sure more communities have access to that same level of care.””

— Brad Sterl

PORTLAND, ME, UNITED STATES, May 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Maine Comfort Dog Baxter to Be Honored with Portrait Unveiling and Community Tribute Event in Portland, Maine at Woof Play Eat

Baxter, widely recognized as Maine’s first full-

University of New England and Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences Announce Partnership

The partnership would expand pathways to Podiatric Medicine.

These collaborations provide clearer pathways, greater access, and meaningful opportunities for students to advance into careers in health care.”

— Beth Taylor-Nolan, Dean of UNE Online

PORTLAND, ME, UNITED STATES, May 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The University of New England (UNE), an independent university in Maine, and Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences (DMU) have entered a new partnership that expands pathways for UNE students pursuing careers in health sciences.

Through this agreement, students enrolled in UNE’s