TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — It was once argued that the trees would help save Florida’s Panhandle from the fury of a hurricane, as the acres of forests in the region would provide a natural barrier to savage winds that accompany the deadly storms. It’s part of the reason that tighter building codes — mandatory in […]

SCARBOROUGH — As another flu season is about to begin, a company in Scarborough that makes rapid diagnostic tests to determine in minutes whether a patient has the flu is ready. Maine and the nation recently suffered through one of the worst seasons for influenza – perhaps since the H1N1 flu outbreak in 2009 – with […]

AUGUSTA — A century after women were first allowed to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, Maine women who count themselves among the few and the proud may soon have their own organization. On Saturday, about a dozen women who served in the Marines gathered at Margaritas in Augusta to share stories and learn about […]

Augusta police are seeking the owner of a 50-pound piglet that tuckered itself out dodging traffic on Route 3 Saturday evening. Police received a report around 6 p.m. that the little pink rascal was running in traffic on North Belfast Avenue, just east of Church Hill Road, said Sgt. Jesse Brann. “A good Samaritan stopped […]

For much of this decade, the paper industry’s most notable product has been bad news: entire mills closing, others idled for weeks or months, bankruptcies, machines shutting down and workers laid off. Now, after two decades of cascading drops in papermaking jobs, the basement seems to have been reached. And that, ironically, gives hope to […]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s disjointed property insurance system that relies almost exclusively on small and midsize companies will take a multibillion dollar loss from Hurricane Michael, but has sufficient reserves and backups that providers should be able to pay claims without problems, analysts say. Major national players like State Farm, Allstate and Liberty […]

WOODSTOCK — A 36-year-old Buckfield woman was seriously injured when a vehicle fell from a lift in a garage and landed on her Saturday afternoon. Others working in the garage lifted the vehicle off her before responders arrived at Bulldog Auto, Fire Chief Kyle Hopps said. Hopps said the woman suffered serious injuries and was […]

Maine’s next governor will inherit a mixed economy that features strengths such as record-low unemployment, and weaknesses such as a shrinking labor pool and stagnant population growth. It’s an economy that is shifting from rural to urban, with mills and factories shedding jobs while service-oriented industries such as health care and tourism are creating new […]

About 40 volunteers from as far away as Georgia spent the wet morning filling in ruts caused by vandals driving an automobile in circles two weeks ago. “It’s a cold, wet day and we have a field full of people,” said Michael Graham, curator of the Shaker museum. Local businesses provided loads of dirt, lunch […]

SKOWHEGAN — A New Hampshire man was charged with aggravated assault after police said he injured a 2-year-old girl Thursday night in Skowhegan. Cody Alexander Swanson, 25, of Concord, later fled the scene but was arrested Friday, police said. Skowhegan Detective Michael Bachelder and patrol officers took Swanson into custody at 5:45 p.m. at Swanson’s […]