Politics

Rena Newell, the current tribal representative for the Passamaquoddy at Pleasant Point, will become the new chief. Chief Kirk Francis was elected to a sixth term as the Penobscot Nation's top leader, and Chief William Nicholas will return for a fourth term at the Passamaquoddy tribe at Indian Township.

According to a memo from Interim City Manager Danielle West, the passage of eight recommendations from a city charter commission would cost around $1 million annually, while five ballot questions would cost the city $5.5 million.

In this week’s Pulse: Maine pols unite over lobster "red listing," channeling book-ban fever, GOP candidates decline to answer BDN survey questions, swamped election officials, and a few programming notes.

Republican 1st Congressional District candidate Ed Thelander used his first press conference to blame Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree for an uptick in violent crime in the city of Portland.

Maine’s congressional delegation also wants federal officials to provide Maine fishermen and other stakeholders with access to a tool to assess the effect of new fishing management measures.

A text message sent to an unknown number of Maine voters tells recipients that Gov. Janet Mills "put this disgusting content in Maine schools," referring to excerpts from the award-winning memoir "Gender Queer."

Shawmut is one of four dams that Brookfield Renewable U.S. owns along the Kennebec River. And it has become the latest flashpoint in Maine's decades-long debate over how to restore habitat for Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish while preserving jobs and tax revenues that rely on the dams.

Snyder said she's decided not to seek re-election because of her opposition to a charter commission proposal that would change local governance to an "executive mayor" system.

Sevee & Maher Engineering has long-standing ties with both active state-owned landfills, raising concerns among lawmakers about whether the study will be objective. It holds a contract with the state to operate, monitor and maintain Dolby Landfill, dating from 2018, and the state has paid $1.96 million, according to the bureau.

Republican Fred Sanborn-Sanders, who had posted on Facebook that Muslims "should not be allowed to hold public office," withdrew from the race Aug. 18, too late for the GOP to try to replace him on the ballot.