Maine Morning Star

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The DOJ plans to send election monitors to every state ahead of Election Day, expanding a longstanding practice that’s spurred concern this year among Democrats and voting rights advocates because of President Donald Trump’s push to influence elections. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/27/r...

As lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan helped reshape state government’s relationship with the 11 tribal nations in Minnesota. Now, she promises to bring that experience to Congress. | by Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/26/r...

Rising costs of healthcare, gas and groceries during President Donald Trump’s second term have put Republicans on defense, not only in Washington, but in statehouse and gubernatorial races across the country. | via @stateline.org mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/27/r...

A proposed federal rule would halt Medicare reimbursements for providers who use health technology companies to administer remote monitoring for their patients. | via @kffhealthnews.org mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/26/m...

The Maine Ethics Commission on Monday fined Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles more than $22,000 for violating state campaign finance laws. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/26/m...

A tpanel of the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held rare oral arguments Sunday as the DOJ seeks a court order requiring California officials to segregate and not count the ballots of some 20,000 voters, who federal officials say are suspected noncitizens, until those voters can prove otherwise.

The sheer size of investment in data centers is drawing concern as it surpasses all other historical booms and crowds out other more job-creating ventures. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/26/r...

Neither candidate seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Jared Golden has tried to emulate his unique relationship with his party. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/26/g...

A string of high-profile deaths and injuries involving electric scooters and bikes is spurring states and cities across the country to crack down on them. | via @stateline.org mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/23/r...

The U.S. Department of Justice is sending election monitors to polls in Portland and Lewiston to oversee the Nov. 3 elections, the Maine Secretary of State’s office confirmed. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/23/d...

Beyond affordability and accountability for the Trump administration, as Democrats eye a likely House majority, and possible U.S. Senate control, they will soon face decision points about their agenda — and which wing of the party it favors. | by @fischler.bsky.social

The U.S. Department of Justice is stepping up its legal campaign over the midterm elections, suing Alaska over its U.S. Senate election and appealing a lawsuit against suspected noncitizen voters in California. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/23/r...

The percentage of working-age adults without health insurance has increased in the past two years, largely because many people can no longer afford Obamacare coverage after Congress allowed federal subsidies to expire at the end of last year. | via @stateline.org

All three candidates for governor are concerned about Maine students’ declining test scores. But not all of them are willing to change the key policy experts say is holding the state back from widespread academic reform. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/23/w...

As Election Day approaches, top Democrats on the intelligence committees in Congress are preparing for the possibility that President Donald Trump will allege foreign interference to discredit unfavorable results. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/22/r...

“When you have someone like Troy go to the United States Senate and call everything for what it is, it disrupts and makes it harder for everyone to get away with all of the glad-handing that goes on,” U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told the crowd in Portland on Thursday.

The cost of individual health insurance plans rose to $9,804 on average, while family coverage reached $28,303. Both represented a 5% increase over the last year, according to a survey released Thursday by the nonpartisan health organization KFF. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/22/r...

The current Trump administration claims its mass deportation efforts have expelled nearly a million people through July of this year, but those include both voluntary returns and people turned around at the border, according to a new analysis by the former chief DHS statistician.

Justice Bruce Mallonee said it “remains a challenge” to determine if the second determination complies with environmental justice, especially because the term is not defined in state law and has not been interpreted by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/22/w...

A federal judge on Wednesday night blocked the Department of Homeland Security from conducting election-related field operations that could sweep up U.S. citizens in nine states. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/22/r...

The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday denied the Trump administration’s emergency request to implement a rule that would terminate gender-affirming care for transgender people incarcerated in federal prisons. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/21/r...

"Maine Morning Star’s election coverage is aimed at informing the state’s electorate with timely, nonpartisan news and information that they need to cast their vote. We think our work connecting Mainers to their government is key to a healthy democracy." mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/21/h...

State and local government employees report high levels of job satisfaction across the country, but face significant rates of burnout and on-the-job harassment, according to a new national survey of nearly 5,000 public servants across all 50 states. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/21/r...

The Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve has only released heating oil twice in its 26-year history, and this is the first time it will be used to lower prices. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/21/f...

The winner of Maine’s U.S. Senate seat might not be known for days or weeks after the Nov. 3 election. That’s because the odds favor a ranked-choice runoff. “We think there’s a huge likelihood that it’s going to happen,” Secretary of State Shenna Bellows told Maine Morning Star.

ICE is considering hiring 24 contract workers at its offices in Williston, Vermont to support immigration enforcement operations around the country, federal records show. | By @vtdigger.bsky.social mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/21/i...

After criminally charging 28 noncitizens and threatening election officials, the DOJ is now asking a federal judge to immediately order CA election officials to not count ballots of voters it suspects are noncitizens until their citizenship can be verified. | via @jonshorman.bsky.social

Farmers will be eligible to receive one-time payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide relief for high fuel and input costs. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/20/r...

This summer’s 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act removed a 1974 mandate that required every manufactured home to be built on a nonremovable steel frame, known as a chassis. Experts and home producers think the change could help unlock thousands more affordable housing options around the country.

While such announcements often have a nationalistic, competitive edge, a robust network of collaboration has driven the development of floating turbine technology. Now, with project delays and policy reversals, the industry is facing a bit of a crisis. | via @InsideClimateNews.org

The United States Supreme Court declined Monday to hear an appeal attempting to overturn Maine’s 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/19/u...

Immigrants living in the United States with humanitarian status from Ukraine and Sudan will retain their deportation protections and work authorizations for now, the Department of Homeland Security said over the weekend. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/19/r...

Three New England Democrats made an unannounced visit Friday to ICE regional headquarters in Burlington, Massachusetts to follow up on reports of detainees being housed there for multiple days and sleeping on concrete floors with limited food available. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/19/d...

All three candidates for Maine governor are promising property tax relief through an expanded homestead exemption, but questions remain about how their proposals would be funded and how much relief they would deliver to homeowners. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/19/a...

With 17 days to go before the November elections, Democratic Party leaders, supporters, and candidates took to the streets across Maine on Saturday as part of a nationwide mobilization to get out the vote. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/17/o...

Since the task force last met in early September, drought conditions have expanded, now reaching all areas of the state. The conditions are already affecting the fall harvest for farmers, and there has been a rise in the number of dry well reports. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/16/d...

Last-minute Trump DOJ suit in California targeting noncitizen voters alarms advocates | by @jonshorman.bsky.social mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/16/r...

More than 100,000 Ukrainians and roughly 2,000 Sudanese immigrants are bracing for the possibility they’ll lose their humanitarian protections by Monday. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/16/r...

Editorial: "Each election cycle, the torrent of dark money flowing into Maine gets more and more unwieldy. And all these millions ultimately do is pay for more ads to drown out competitors, overwhelming voters so our leaders can continue to make decisions that donors hope will benefit them."

The latest Federal Election Commission filings provide the first full look into Jackson’s campaign’s finances, since he replaced former Democratic nominee Graham Platner in late July. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/16/j...

On the latest episode of Stories from the States, Maine Morning Star reporter Kaitlyn Budion discusses the concerns of Maine conservationists who think the rollback of the roadless rule would hurt one of the few unbroken stretches of wilderness in New England. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/16/r...

During their second and final debate appearance Thursday evening, Democrat Matt Dunlap and Republican Paul LePage resurrected many of the same disagreements from their initial debate, digging further into each other’s record in state government. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/15/d...

“I think that Congress does need to keep reasserting itself,” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Thursday night, during her fourth and final debate against Democrat Troy Jackson. “But I think our democracy will be just fine.” mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/15/i...

The Trump administration sought a federal court order Thursday to force California to purge 20,000 people from its voter rolls over claims they are not U.S. citizens, a major development less than three weeks before the midterm elections. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/15/r...

Top Republican and Democratic senators have unveiled a 417-page bill to overhaul the approval process, a pathway for what’s known as “permitting reform," though getting to a finish line anytime soon won’t be easy. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/15/r...

A slew of pressing policy debates are on tap for Democrats, including healthcare, immigration, voting rights, the war in Iran, oversight, education and beyond, as they aim to reverse many of President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans’ actions since January 2025.

Organizers across hundreds of advocacy groups will pull together thousands of events nationwide Saturday to encourage early voting in this year’s midterm elections. There are roughly 30 No Kings events planned in Maine. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/15/r...

“This energy that Graham tapped into and the policies he was talking about, similar to my old boss, existed before he became a thing.” - Ronnie Cho, who organized for former President Barack Obama in Maine and is now advising People Powered Maine. mainemorningstar.com/2026/10/15/f...

In the hour-long debate, the candidates touched upon familiar topics, but the event also highlighted several key dynamics, with Charles frequently attacking Pingree, seen as the frontrunner, often repeating falsehoods about her record serving in the administration of Gov. Janet Mills.

“With all due respect to Senator Collins, I just don’t think her denial can be the end of this,” said former Maine Public Advocate Bill Harwood, who was among the signees of a letter calling on the state Attorney General's Office to investigate allegations of corruption.