Data presented at the seventh annual Governor's Opioid Response Summit in Augusta Thursday indicate reported fatal overdoses have fallen by more than 20% since the first of the year.

The state Department of Education has announced its proposed priority list for school construction projects, but officials say there's still a long way to go before construction.

The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to proceed with its plans for large-scale layoffs. The Maine AFL-CIO said it's most concerned about potential layoffs at Social Security offices in Maine and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Communities are starting to consider new tools to address the lack of affordable rental housing in Maine's midcoast. On Wednesday, Rockland's City Council opened the issue to the public by hosting a forum on rent stabilization.

The body has not yet been identified. Marine Patrol officers have been searching the Kennebec River since Sunday for 22-year-old Robert Stolt.

Ruby Whitmore of Old Town was one of several young people with Type 1 diabetes who shared their experiences with members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is reviewing the Trump administration's proposed cuts to research programs.

Commercial property owners in Portland said they're skeptical of a proposed ordinance that would require them to pay a fee if their storefronts remain vacant for three months or more. The fees would be waived if property owners install temporary art in storefront windows.

The state is unlikely to witness the same devastation but climate change is driving heavier rainfall and localized flooding.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said the seven have been charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana.

The listening session was organized by a public safety committee launched by Mayor Carl Sheline two summers ago following several shootings.