ROCKLAND — Despite three months of working on immigration language with a City Councilor for that councilor’s proposed amendment, Police Chief Tim Carroll continues to voice discomfort with the ordinance. The same discomfort is being verbalized in greater depth by the City’s attorney, and in the process, a new underlying pondering of “who’s the boss?” is railroading some conversations.

ROCKLAND — Beginning Tuesday, November 4, as part of improvements to Rockland's stormwater infrastructure, crews will begin work at the intersection of Winter Street and Park Drive. Traffic will be routed around this construction via Commercial Street, Weeks Street, and Tillson Avenue. The work should take between 2 and 3 days.

City of Rockland

Schedule: Oak & Orient Street Improvement Project

Week of September 29- October 3:

ROCKLAND — Midcoast Habitat for Humanity dedicated a new home at 47 Lawn Avenue in Rockland on Sunday, October 26, celebrating the transformation of a once-condemned property into two safe, affordable homes for local families. The dedication marks a milestone in the organization’s ongoing efforts to revitalize neighborhoods and expand access to affordable homeownership in Knox County.

With federal SNAP benefits in limbo and local food insecurity rising, United Midcoast Charities (UMC) has launched an Otter Shirt Auction to raise funds for its Urgent Needs Grant pool, helping feed Midcoast families through the months ahead.

ROCKLAND – An ordinance prohibiting involvement in immigration enforcement operations, and an ordinance allowing a Student Representative to serve on Rockland City Council are two of the items coming up on the November Council meeting agenda, to be introduced at the Agenda-Setting meeting on November 3, and approved or denied for further consideration at the November 10 regular meeting.

#53 Chapter 2, Article XIII Immigration Enforcement

UPDATE (10/31/2025): Since this article was posted, October 7, 2025, the proposed cost of construction for a new police department has been reduced from $5 million to $3 million, saving taxpayers an estimated $2 million dollars. This reduction is the result of a followup meeting that the City Manager and the Police Chief had with the architect.

All First National Bank branches are collecting items for local food pantries throughout the month of November. If you would like to help, First National Bank welcomes donations to your local branches.

Most-needed items include canned meats/fish, chili, soup, skillet meals, cereal, canned vegetables, and fruit.

Maybe you’ve heard this before: There’s good news and there’s bad news. This time it’s about the new 4Runner, the Toyota Highlander’s tougher cousin. It’s tougher because it’s bolted to a separate frame while the similar-size Highlander is a crossover SUV with a monocoque body — an oversize car to the 4Runner’s truck. And it’s new because for 2025 it got a roof-to-pavement re-do, the first one in 15 years.

Get to know Georges River Land Trust at a conservation happy hour, Thursday, Nov. 20, from 5 - 7 p.m., at the Pour Farm in Union. Learn who Georges River Land Trust is, where their 23 preserves and 80+ miles of trails are located, and provide feedback about what kinds of trails, events, and materials you want to see from the land trust.

The Pour Farm is a brewery in Union, offering fresh beer made with local ingredients. Located at the center of the Georges River watershed, this community hub is nearby to several of the land trust’s preserves and trail networks.

Rockland Public Library reference librarian Alison Brislin has been selected to participate in the 2025–2026 Library Leadership Development Program, organized by Library Leaders in New England (LLINE). This yearlong program brings together library professionals from across New England to strengthen leadership, collaboration, and strategic thinking skills. Participants are chosen for their leadership potential and dedication to advancing library services. 

BRUNSWICK — After more than 30 years of serving as the southern midcoast region's primary anti-homelessness agency, Tedford Housing is preparing to open the doors to a new facility that will dramatically expand its capacity to assist people experiencing homelessness, according to Tedford Housing. 

International Women of Service Organizations, International and American Women of Service Pageant held in Orlando, Florida, crowned 21 outstanding girls and women from around the country with International and American titles. Individuals participating in the International and American Women of Service Pageants represent countries, states and regions of the world through positive self-imagery, community and civic involvement, philanthropy and outstanding citizenship.

Two Midcoast Maine women are among nine women crowned as American Women of Service in 2025.

BRUNSWICK — The Maine Department of Transportation will be closing the northbound off ramp to Route 196 West and the northbound on ramp from Route 196 East overnight on October 27, 2025, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., to install bridge expansion joints and conduct shoulder paving. Closures will be clearly marked with signs and cones. The closure will last for one night.

Maverick Street will be closed for most of the day Monday, October 27, from Birch Street to North Main Street for road work.

ROCKLAND — The City of Rockland Public Works has begun a sidewalk installation along Mavrick Street. This will connect the new apartment complex "Peasley Park" with the Rockland Plaza shopping center.

The state’s largest driver of workforce development and research-informed innovation, the University of Maine System (UMS) also powers Maine’s economy through its payroll and purchasing — directly investing more than $638 million in Maine’s families and businesses last fiscal year. 

Join GO Logic and Midcoast Climate, Energy + Green Building Happy Hour for ScaleUp, CarbonDown: From Vision to Action — an afternoon of hands-on learning, real-world solutions and regional collaboration on scaling low-carbon housing in Maine.

This event takes place Friday, Nov. 7, from 3 - 6:30 p.m., at GO Logic Shop, in Belfast, and is part of passivhausMAINE’s Building Science Week, a statewide celebration of high-performance design and construction.

BRUNSWICK — The Maine Department of Transportation will be closing the northbound off ramp to Route 196 West and the southbound off ramp to Cooks Corner overnight on October 26, 2025, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., to install bridge expansion joints and conduct shoulder paving. Closures and detours will be clearly marked with signs and cones. The closure will last for one night.