University of Maine Cooperative Extension will host a webinar on Monday, January 5, 2026, from 6 - 7:15 p.m., focused on building financial literacy and management skills for commercial horticulture businesses.

Now in its sixth year of helping people with a passion for working with children and families open their own child care business, the Child Care Business Lab, a program of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), celebrates the opening of 15 new child care providers across the state and seeks participants for its upcoming 2026 cohort.

CEI’s Child Care Business Lab Graduates Expand Access to Child Care in Their Communities

Reporter's note: The initial article erroneously implied that City Councilors had voted to postpone for one month Ordinance Amendment #53, and Order #90 Immigration Enforcement, during the Dec. 1, 2025 Agenda-Setting meeting of Rockland City Council. However, votes can only be held during Regular meetings, which, for this December, means Monday, Dec. 8.

As scams targeting older adults continue to rise, Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) is taking action to help safeguard seniors and their families.

ROCKLAND — Preliminary findings from Eastern Mold and Remediation’s assessment about two weeks ago of the Rockland Police Station has classified the basement condo at a Condition 3 Level 2 in regards to microbial growth, according to Rockland Police Chief Tim Carroll. This Level 3 designation is the highest level. Signs of mild to moderate microbial growth were found in every space except the patrol room and the central hallway.

SEARSPORT — MaineHealth Waldo Hospital welcomes Kelsea Sandefur, DO, MPH, to its Physical and Integrative Medicine Searsport practice.

Dr. Sandefur joins Waldo Hospital after completing her residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Case Western/MetroHealth in Cleveland, Ohio, and her fellowship in preventive medicine and lifestyle medicine at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, Calif.

Bob Baines and Pamela Baker-Masson have been appointed to the Island Institute's board of trustees. 

Employees of Central Maine Power (CMP), a subsidiary of Avangrid, donated more than 1,000 pounds of food through company-wide drives to regional food banks ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The food collections were part of CMP’s participation in 92 Moose’s Camp Out Hunger and a company-wide food drive to fight hunger in Maine communities. 

BOOTHBAY HARBOR — The Keepers of Burnt Island Light are pleased to announce they have been awarded a $7,400 grant from The Maine Lighthouse Trust, supporting the continued preservation of the historic buildings on Burnt Island, home to Maine’s oldest original lighthouse tower (est. 1821).

The University of Maine System (UMS) is growing the next generation of entrepreneurs and the state’s innovation economy by providing free business and budgeting basics to middle and high school students. 

AUGUSTA – The Maine Community College System and The Associated General Contractors of Maine (AGC Maine) are partnering to launch a four-week, hands-on construction training program across the state to prepare Maine adults for careers in the construction trades. 

The Maine Construction Academy Immersion Programs, managed by AGC Maine and funded by MCCS’s Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce, will launch next year at five community colleges.

BELFAST — MaineHealth Waldo Hospital welcomes Ellen Pileski, NP, to its Pediatrics Belfast practice.

Pileski moved to Pediatrics Belfast full time from Primary and Walk-in Care Belfast, where she worked for the past two years as a nurse practitioner, according to MaineHealth, in a news release. Prior to that, she worked as a nurse practitioner at Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Alaska, providing primary, walk-in, urgent and emergency care.

ROCKLAND—Rockland’s creative economy just got a zesty boost with the arrival of Lemon Bar, a stylish yet comfortably down-to-earth new spot at 305 Main Street.

Owners Carly and Wesley Summers made the permanent move to Maine from Nashville, Tennessee, a year and a half ago after Wesley completed a three-month class at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship. Having both worked in restaurants—often together, most of their careers—the time and place felt right to open up their own cocktail and wine bar with the tagline: "A sweet bar for sour people."

Maine State Credit Union welcomes Mark O’Donal as its new Vice President, Commercial Banker, serving businesses and members across the Rockland and Midcoast Maine region.

“Mark is not only an experienced commercial banker but also someone who genuinely cares about the success of Maine’s businesses and communities,” said Stephen Wallace, President and CEO, in a news release. ”His values align perfectly with our mission, and we’re excited to have him on board.”

The Owls Head Transportation Museum (OHTM) has been awarded a $1.53 million federal Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) grant in support of the museum’s multi-phase Capital Campaign. This funding advances OHTM’s ongoing work to expand educational opportunities, increase public access to its nationally recognized collection, and strengthen its role as a year-round community resource, according to OHTM, in a news release.

Herring Gut Coastal Science Center presents its next Cabin Fever Series featuring Charles Walsh and Jon Steuber, owners of Seascale Maine. The program takes place December 4, from 6 - 7 p.m., at Herring Gut Coastal Science Center, 59 Factory Road, Port Clyde.

Coastal Mountains Land Trust (CMLT) has launched its new Learning Landscapes Grant Program, made possible through the generosity of an anonymous donor to the Land Trust. 

Coastal Mountains Land Trust launched their Learning Landscapes program four years ago, with the vision of connecting children with nature by conserving land next to schools, creating outdoor classrooms, and supporting teachers in moving their curriculum outside, according to CMLT, in a news release.

United Midcoast Charities is giving a fresh twist to a favorite local tradition with its newly reimagined 12 Days of Giving.

"The expanded format, running December 1 through 12, builds on the success of UMC’s former Day of Giving by offering more days, more ways to participate, and more opportunities for local generosity to shine," said UMC, in a news release.

Restorative Justice Project Maine has been awarded, for the second consecutive year, a grant by Abbagadassett Foundation to fund an internship with a justice system impacted individual. The one-year internship will begin in January 2026; applications will be received through Monday, December 5. The internship will be based at one of Restorative Justice Project Maine’s local offices, located in Belfast, Lewiston, and Portland.

When Malcolm Bedell opened Honey’s Fried Chicken Palace in Thomaston last year, he had dreams of bringing the restaurant to locations across the state.

But one question is stopping him from moving forward: “Who’s going to run it?”

Bedell and other employers throughout Maine say they’re struggling to find and retain staff — in large part because workers can’t find affordable housing.