The Maine Department of Labor has updated the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program (CSSP) rules to implement recent statutory changes, expand participant supports, improve program flexibility, and clarify program requirements.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Angus King announced that they secured federal funding to support the construction of a new Amtrak Downeaster station in Portland. The $48,136,000 investment is to help relocate Portland’s existing station, improving the speed and reliability of passenger rail service in Maine, according to their joint Aug. 14 news release. 

AUGUSTA —According to Maine Listings, 1,697 Maine homes sold in July—a jump of 7.75 percent from July 2025. The median sales price (MSP) also rose 1.67 percent to $427,000 comparing July 2026 to July 2025. The MSP indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less.

But along the coast, sales declined in Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties (see chart below).

BANGOR, Maine — Rudman Winchell and Gross, Minsky & Mogul, two longstanding Bangor law firms with deep roots in the region, have announced that the attorneys and staff of Gross, Minsky & Mogul, P.A. will join Rudman Winchell effective October 1, 2026.

AUGUSTA — The Maine State Beekeepers Association will mark its 50th year with the 2026 Bee Fest, a free public celebration of bees, beekeeping, honey, and Maine’s pollinator community, Sunday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Viles Arboretum, 133 Hospital Street, Augusta, Maine.

Bee Fest welcomes current beekeepers, people considering their first hive, families, gardeners, food enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the vital role honey bees play in Maine’s environment and agricultural landscape.

MIDCOAST—It's a book crawl...on wheels!

On Saturday, August 2, at  9 a.m. in Augusta, 10 women—some who knew one another—some who didn't—lined up to board Lyndee Waldbauer's customized party bus prepared to have a bookish adventure in the Midcoast.

Waldbauer's minibus, called "The Belle of Belgrade," is retrofitted with pink curtains, cozy bench seating, pink cushions, and a cheery sign at the front stating: "Good Vibes Only."

This is Maine's newest way for adults to make friends.

Looking for a fun activity to do with family or friends this August? Interested in learning more about the current effort to remove millions of lost lobster traps currently in Maine's waters and along the shore? OceansWide’s "Vinalhaven in-water/seafloor and land-based marine debris removal and recycling demonstrations" is happening during the month of August. 

State regulators have approved York Hospital’s plan to join MaineHealth, clearing the way for the organizations to begin working together, according to an Aug. 10, 2026 joint York Hospital and MaineHealth news release.

The approval follows a comprehensive review through the state’s Certificate of Need process and by the Attorney General.

The 2026 campaign kicks off Thursday, August 20, at the Augusta National Guard Armory, and will be followed by monthly in-person hiring events throughout the state.

"You're invited!" said Maine Dept. of Labor, in a news release. "Are you looking for a new career? Maybe you are transitioning from military service, or just looking for a change?"

Maine's annual Hire-A-Vet Campaign is a statewide effort with the goal of at least 100 employers hiring at least 100 veterans and military family members during a 100-day period.

CUSHING — Alan Magee, distinguished artist, illustrator and a longtime resident of Cushing, will present "Stories from Five Decades" in an Arts In The Barn event, Wednesday, Aug. 12, at 7 p.m., at 17 Hathorne Point Road in Cushing. 

"Hear tales from the advertising industry in New York City to the more personal artwork he does today in Maine and everything in between," said Cushing Historical Society, in a news release.

The Hosmer Pond Association’s annual meeting will be held Thursday, Aug. 20, at 6 p.m., at the Camden Snow Bowl, and will begin with a potluck supper, followed by the speaker and a short business meeting.

Maine’s community colleges received a $5 million federal grant on August 5 to provide specialized short-term training that prepares students for work at Maine’s small- and mid-sized manufacturers. 

LIBERTY — The Town of Liberty’s Walker School Repurposing Committee has launched a regional tenant search and Tenant Interest Survey for the Liberty community center, a major step in transforming the former Walker Elementary School into a mixed-use municipal and community facility, according to the Committee, in a news release.

The $3.5 million redevelopment project will preserve and modernize the historic Walker School, "creating a community-centered destination for Liberty and surrounding communities," said the committee.

The facility is expected to open in June 2028.

DAMARISCOTTA — In an Aug. 6 news release, MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital said it will move forward with a new regional model for women’s health services that preserves comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care in Damariscotta, expands local gynecologic services and transitions inpatient Labor and Delivery services to MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital effective Dec. 18, 2026.

BANGOR — The Maine Departmentof Transportation will be implementing a nighttime closure of Broadway under the I-95 bridge in Bangor on August 13, between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

The project work consists of removing the existing concrete barrier and steel sheets below the bridge, according to MaineDOT, in a news release.

During these hours, Broadway will be closed to all vehicular traffic.

Flaggers will be onsite to assist pedestrians through the work zone during the closure period. This work is part of the ongoing bridge replacement project on I95.