The federal agency canceled contracts to continue providing food and funding to Maine schools and nonprofits for 3 more years. The change comes as one in eight Mainers — about 180,000 people — faces hunger. That includes roughly 45,000 children, about 20% of the state’s total population under 18.
Daniel Kool
Staff Writer
Daniel Kool is the Portland Press Herald's utilities reporter, covering electricity, gas, broadband - anything you get a bill for. He also covers the impact of tariffs on Maine and picks up the odd business story. He joined the Press Herald in 2024 as the night reporter. A graduate of Boston University, he previously covered city news, transportation and higher education for the Boston Globe. His work has also appeared in GBH News, the Boston Globe Magazine and Boston University's student newspaper, where he was the city news editor. A midwestern transplant, Daniel lives in Biddeford, where he plays with keyboards and little noise-making boxes.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
Five years after Maine’s first case, where does COVID-19 now stand?
One health care expert is concerned that lessons learned during the pandemic — the importance of transparency, trust in government and communication between officials, health care systems and citizens — are being forgotten.
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Posted inLocal & State, News
‘I’m afraid for this country’: Ukrainians in Maine worry for their homeland, new homes
For some Ukrainians living in Maine, the country’s dire position — and the United States’ shifting attitude — create dual anxieties: While the fate of their homeland appears uncertain, so too does the political landscape of their new home.
Posted inLocal & State, News
National Weather Service to halt weather balloon work in Maine
Within hours of the news, forecasters at news outlets throughout the country decried the decision, saying that it would undermine forecasting for affected communities.
Posted inLocal & State, Nation & World, News, Politics
Gov. Mills says tariff back-and-forth creates ‘significant economic uncertainty’
President Donald Trump on Thursday postponed 25% tariffs on many imports from Mexico and some imports from Canada for a month amid widespread fears of the economic fallout from a broader trade war.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Trump administration finds Maine in violation of Title IX over transgender policy
The decision, dated Feb. 25, came just days after the administration announced its investigation and does not appear to be based on conversations with state officials.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Federal government announces, then hits pause on, plan to sell 4 buildings in Maine
The federal government had posted a list of more than 300 ‘non-core’ properties slated to be sold that included the US Custom House in Portland and 3 other federal properties across the state.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News, Politics
King, Pingree condemn firings of 7 Togus employees, including 5 veterans
Sen. Susan Collins said she has been in touch with the Trump administration about the firings at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Augusta but defended the White House’s right to make changes to services at the VA.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Maine’s federal workforce roiled by Trump administration policies
Togus VA workers are fired, the Acadia hiring freeze is lifted and a Portsmouth Naval Shipyard hiring event is canceled.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime, News
Dedham man arrested in 2024 shooting on UMA Bangor campus
Police arrested Zachary Fossett, a 48-year-old from Dedham, Friday afternoon, more than a year after the shooting left one person injured.