WMTW • 14th October 2026

Maine's new women's soccer team unveils name, logo ahead of 2027 debut

Maine's newest women's soccer team officially has a name.Maine Wildness was unveiled Thursday as the identity of the state's new USL W League team, which is scheduled to begin play in May 2027 at Fitzpatrick Stadium.The team, which is affiliated with the Portland Hearts of Pine, revealed its name and crest during an event at Live at Madrid's in Portland's Old Port, where approximately 500 community members got their first looks. According to the club, the name emerged after months of discussions...

WMTW • 23rd September 2026

Maine joins 7 states challenging offshore wind lease cancellations

Maine has joined seven other states in a federal lawsuit challenging the cancellation of offshore wind leases, including two covering roughly 216,000 acres in the Gulf of Maine.At the center of the lawsuit are two Gulf of Maine leases held by affiliates of Invenergy, a renewable energy developer. The states argue that the leases were unlawfully canceled as part of a federal settlement with the company.Under the federal settlement the government agreed to pay Invenergy $653 million from the Judgm...

WMTW • 18th September 2026

Maine officials identify phytoplankton behind Casco Bay bloom

The phytoplankton bloom likely responsible for clam deaths in Casco Bay has been identified may be past its peak, Maine Department of Marine Resources officials say.On Sept. 7, DMR received Marine Patrol flyover images of an unidentified bloom that prompted an investigation. The following day, water sampling confirmed the presence of Karenia mikimotoi in Portland Harbor at levels known to affect fish and shellfish.DMR said the bloom remains centered in Casco Bay but has been visible from the Mai...

WMTW • 16th September 2026

Maine lobsterman asks Supreme Court to hear GPS tracking challenge

A longtime Maine lobsterman is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his challenge to a requirement that federally permitted lobster boats carry electronic tracking devices. Frank Thompson argues that the tracking requirement violates the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable searches. The Supreme Court has distributed the petition for its Sept. 28 conference, where the justices are expected to consider whether to take up the case. The conference is not an oral argument, and the co...

WMTW • 9th September 2026

Portland releases new draft in plan to redesign Franklin Street

Portland has released a new draft plan to redesign Franklin Street, a major corridor connecting Interstate 295 to downtown, with changes aimed at making the roadway safer and more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. The project, also known as Reimagining Franklin, calls for removing the grassy median and narrowing the roadway to create more space for sidewalks, protected bike lanes and some on-street parking. The draft proposes new intersections at Lancaster, Oxford, Federal and Ne...

WMTW • 1st September 2026

Maine anglers can no longer use certain painted lead jigs on inland waters

A restriction aimed at protecting Maine's loon population from lead poisoning took effect Tuesday morning. Beginning Sept. 1, anglers are prohibited from using certain painted jigs on Maine's inland waters, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.The restriction applies to lead jigs that weigh one ounce or less or measure 2.5 inches or less in length. Since September 2024, Maine has already prohibited the sale of these jigs. The newest addition to the law states that a...

WMTW • 28th August 2026

Nearby lobster boats come to sailors' aid off Tremont

Two sailors were brought to safety Thursday afternoon after their small sailboat overturned near the Algerian Shore in Tremont, according to the town's fire department. At approximately 3:30 p.m., the Tremont Volunteer Fire Department responded to a report of a small sailboat that overturned at the Algerian Shore off Cape Road. Officials said two nearby lobster boats quickly assisted the sailors. One was brought safely to Seal Cove dock, while the other remained with the capsized boat to help gu...

WMTW • 25th August 2026

Young humpback whale calf found in Maine river was severely emaciated

The Marine Mammals of Maine stranding hotline received a report of a deceased humpback whale in the New Meadows River in Phippsburg on Friday afternoon. MMoME performed a full internal and external evaluation that found the 20-foot female calf was emaciated and had very little muscle or fat and few stomach contents. The findings showed that the whale was between 6 and 9 months old and still maternally dependent. MMoME said that samples they collected will be sent for histopathology and that ther...

WMTW • 14th August 2026

$48M federal grant awarded for Portland Downeaster station move

The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority has been awarded more than $48 million in federal funding to relocate Portland's Amtrak Downeaster station, federal officials announced on Friday. The Federal Railroad Administration awarded the NNEPRA the federal funding as part of a nationwide package of rail investments that were all announced on Friday.Patricia Quinn, executive director of NNEPRA, said the authority applied for the funding in February through a highly competitive grant proces...