More than a quarter of coastal dunes at 4 southern Maine beaches were lost during the historic January 2024 storms and researchers say the dunes have yet to fully recover.
Penelope Overton
Staff Writer
Penny Overton is excited to be the Portland Press Herald’s first climate reporter. Since joining the paper in 2016, she has written about Maine’s lobster and cannabis industries, covered state politics and spent a fellowship year exploring the impact of climate change on the lobster fishery with the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team. Before moving to Maine, she has covered politics, environment, casino gambling and tribal issues in Florida, Connecticut, and Arizona. Her favorite assignments allow her to introduce readers to unusual people, cultures, or subjects. When off the clock, Penny is usually getting lost in a new book at a local coffeehouse, watching foreign crime shows or planning her family’s next adventure.
Posted inBusiness, Health, Local & State, News
What do ever-hotter summers mean for Maine’s economy?
As the state charts increasingly warm and longer summers, businesses across all industries are planning for more weather extremes.
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Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
Maine public water supply complies with law, but is it safe?
A national advocacy group says federal limits for three carcinogens found in tap water from public systems in Maine and across the U.S. are too low. Water districts say it’s not fair to expect ratepayers to fund improvements to meet its lower recommended levels.
Posted inLocal & State, News
EPA and Brunswick Executive Airport clinch chemical spill deal
The deal gives the airport board 2 years to clean or replace fire suppression systems, but does not hold the board responsible for off-campus pollution or levy a fine for the largest firefighting foam spill in Maine history.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine scientist skis Greenland to document climate change
A Freeport climate scientist is enduring minus 40-degree temperatures while skiing across Greenland to document the fastest warming section of the Arctic and install sensors that can help predict the rate of sea level rise and ocean warming around the world.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine’s biggest composting plant to close
State regulators say the Hawk Ridge facility in Unity is a source of PFAS contamination in nearby streams, rivers and fish. The owner says the state’s regulatory environment has made its operation unsustainable.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Manufacturers seek product exemptions from Maine PFAS ban
Makers of products like nonstick cookware cite health, safety and functioning of society as reasons they should be able to continue selling products made with forever chemicals.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
Heat danger: Maine’s most vulnerable at risk from rising summer temps
Last summer was Maine’s hottest on record and data show the state is getting hotter.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine issues new fish consumption limits for PFAS-tainted waters
Six bodies of water have new fish consumption advisories due to elevated levels of forever chemicals.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Where in Maine are you most likely to get a dangerous tick bite?
For the last 6 years, the answer has been Hancock, Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties, according to researchers at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s tick lab.