As the U.S. Forest Service shrinks its local footprint, Maine leaders worry the federal government is handing off responsibilities without enough resources.
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, News
A lobster turf war is brewing in coastal Maine
A battle between a local co-op and a seafood conglomerate in Spruce Head has escalated from permit disputes to a floating blockade, testing the limits of the working waterfront.
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Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
Maine makes a high-stakes bet to protect its waterways
With extreme weather on the rise, the state is embracing an ancient, low-tech method of using dormant cuttings to stabilize shorelines.
Posted inCommunity, News, Politics
Drag storytime protests in Gorham spark library altercation
Police investigate reports of assault and threats after a local man attempted to force his way into a private room at the Baxter Memorial Library.
Posted inNews
Appeals court rules Maine’s gun waiting period likely constitutional
The ruling allows the state to resume enforcing a 3-day waiting period while a lawsuit brought by a gun buyer, three dealers and a training center continues.
Posted inBusiness, Food, News
How high gas prices are rippling through Maine’s economy
Farmers, fishermen and forest product companies call diesel the lifeblood of the state’s working lands and waterfronts.
Posted inMaine, News
5 takeaways from Maine’s new wildlife action plan
From newly listed plants to the symbolic return of the gray wolf, the state’s 10-year plan provides a nonregulatory path to protect Maine’s most vulnerable species.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
Maine Climate Council grapples with affordability
The council believes inflation anxieties are the primary barrier to the state’s green transition.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
How a chemical spill in Brunswick has affected Casco Bay
A 2-year study tracked the toxic reach of forever chemicals from a 51,000-gallon spill of firefighting foam in 2024.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
Maine renews attempt to expand state landfill
Despite opposition from the Penobscot Nation, state environmental regulators have issued a new ruling allowing expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill.