Maine
Federal grant boosts power grid and renewable energy project in northern Maine – The Boston Globe
TECHNOLOGY
Google search engine’s latest AI injection will answer voiced questions about video and photos
Google is injecting its search engine with more artificial intelligence that will enable people to voice questions about images and occasionally organize an entire page of results, despite the technology’s past misadventures with misleading information. The latest changes announced Thursday herald the next step in an AI-driven makeover that Google launched in mid-May when it began responding to some queries with summaries written by the technology at the top of its influential results page. Those summaries, dubbed “AI Overviews,” raised fears among publishers that fewer people would click on search links to their websites and undercut the traffic needed to sell digital ads that help finance their operations. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
RETAIL
Amazon is hiring 250,000 for holiday season, unchanged from 2023
Amazon.com Inc. will bring on about 250,000 people in the United States for the holiday shopping rush, unchanged from last year and an indication that the company expects steady demand in its biggest market. The online retailer, which typically announces its fall hiring binge to attract new recruits, recently said it was raising hourly pay by at least $1.50 to more than $22 an hour for its 800,000 US transportation and warehousing workers. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
TECHNOLOGY
Starbucks buys research farms as climate change threatens coffee supply
Starbucks Corp. is buying two new research farms that will test everything from drones to microbes as it seeks to make coffee more resilient to climate change, which has already constricted availability and driven up prices. A farm in Costa Rica will look at solutions including how technology can help growers. In Guatemala — a key supply region — Starbucks will replicate the challenges facing the small farms that make up 97 percent of its supply chain. Both locations will also study new coffee varieties as climate change shifts where the crop can thrive. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
DEALS
US Steel CEO pressed by two senators to defend Nippon Steel deal payout
Two prominent Democratic senators are criticizing United States Steel Corp. chief executive David Burritt over his potential $72 million “golden parachute” if the sale to a Japanese company goes through — while President Biden’s decision on the takeover hangs in the air. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, whose race for reelection is one of the closest in the chamber this year, wrote to Burritt Wednesday regarding financial incentives offered to him and other US Steel executives if Nippon Steel Corp. acquires the company in a $14.1 billion deal. The executives would be eligible for the incentives if they’re terminated following a takeover, according to a March filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
DRUGS
Lilly weight-loss drug copycats dealt blow as shortage ends
Eli Lilly & Co.’s blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs are no longer considered to be in shortage in the United States, threatening to upend the many knockoffs that became popular when patients couldn’t find the brand-name medicines. The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that the shortage of Lilly’s Zepbound and Mounjaro is resolved. The agency added that there are “legal restrictions on making copies of FDA-approved drugs” when there isn’t a shortage. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
WALL STREET
Oil prices jump again on worries about the Middle East as Wall Street fades
Crude prices jumped Thursday on worries that worsening tensions in the Middle East could disrupt the global flow of oil, while US stocks pulled back further from their records. The S&P 500 fell 0.2 percent amid a shaky week that’s knocked the index off its all-time high set on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 184 points, or 0.4 percent, and the Nasdaq composite edged down by less than 0.1 percent. Stocks sank as oil prices kept rising amid the world’s wait to see how Israel will respond to Iran’s missile attack from Tuesday. A barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, leaped 5 percent to settle at $77.62 after starting the week below $72. It’s potentially on track for its biggest weekly percentage gain in nearly two years. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
FINANCE
Fidelity plans latest mutual fund-to-ETF flip in muni market
Fidelity Investments is looking to convert two of its municipal-bond mutual funds into exchange-traded funds, a move that underscores the popularity of the $10 trillion US arena. The two funds impacted are the $170 million Fidelity Municipal Bond Index Fund and the Fidelity Municipal Core Plus Bond Fund, which has less than $70 million in assets. Both are expected to be converted next year, according to two separate regulatory filings. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
BIOSCIENCE
‘Lord of the Rings’ director piles $10 million into dodo de-extinction startup
Film director Peter Jackson and his partner, producer Fran Walsh, are the latest wealthy celebrities to throw support behind de-extinction startup Colossal Biosciences Inc. The couple invested $10 million in the company known for trying to bring back animals from the dodo to the woolly mammoth. The filmmaker, famed for making the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, is backing the biotechnology company as he seeks to prevent species from extinction in his native New Zealand, according to his publicist. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
CORPORATE CULTURE
Toyota curbs DEI policy after activist attack over LGBTQ support
Toyota Motor Corp., will refocus DEI programs and halt sponsorship of LGBTQ events, citing “a highly politicized discussion” around corporate commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. The Japanese carmaker told employees it will also end participation in notable rankings by LGBTQ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign and other corporate culture surveys. The company will “narrow our community activities to align with STEM education and workforce readiness,” it said in a memo Thursday to its 50,000 US employees and 1,500 dealers. The note comes a week after anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck started a social media campaign against the company, calling for customer boycotts because of its support for LGBTQ events and other initiatives. Toyota said at the time that the LGBTQ programs targeted were led by employee groups, not the company directly. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – Monday’s telethon held by WABI in partnership with Penquis and Heart of Maine United Way Monday raised money for the heating of homes, something so basic, yet so significant in a state like Maine.
Danielle Hewes, Penquis contributor and volunteer, says some people might not even know that they qualify for heating assistance.
“I think there’s this misconception that you can’t get that if you’re working. Like that’s just for people on general assistance. The truth of the matter is this is for the people that are maybe not able to work, but also for the people that are working. They’re making ends meet,” she said.
For Danielle, that’s what makes events like the telethon so special: it’s making a real difference in the community with people who need the help the most.
Speaking about Penquis in particular, she said, “You learn about all of the other things they do and how they help the community and you can’t help but want to be a part of that.”
If you weren’t able to donate Monday, donations are still being accepted.
You can go to homeunitedway.org/heat.
You can also call 941-2800.
Copyright 2026 WABI. All rights reserved.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine Democrat Graham Platner has picked up another high-profile endorsement in his bid to flip a key Senate seat blue, marking another sign of the oyster farmer and combat veteran’s political resiliency even as he continues to face controversy throughout his campaign.
Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego announced Monday that he was backing Platner, saying that the first-time candidate “reflects the grit and independence that defines Maine.”
“Graham Platner is the kind of fighter Maine hasn’t seen in a long time, someone who tells you exactly what he thinks, doesn’t owe anything to the special interests, and wakes up every day thinking about working families,” said Gallego, who won a Senate seat in Arizona in 2024 by more than 2 points while Trump carried the state by nearly 6 points.
Platner has previously been endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat.
However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has endorsed Platner’s main opponent, Maine Gov. Janet Mills.
Both Platner, 41, and Mills, 78, are hoping to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins, 73, a five-term incumbent who announced last month that she was running for another term. A victory in Maine is crucial for Democrats’ efforts to take back control of the Senate. The Democratic Party needs to net four seats to retake the Senate majority, and they are aiming to do that in Maine, North Carolina, Alaska and Ohio.
READ MORE: Maine’s Graham Platner thinks voters will overlook his past to support a new type of candidate
Platner has gained traction with his anti-establishment image and economic equality message. He’s pressed forward despite controversies over old social media posts and a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol, which he recently had covered up.
Gallego is among the Democrats named as possible 2028 presidential contenders. Last fall, he stumped in New Jersey, Virginia and Florida, where he campaigned for Democrats who went on to win their elections.
“I have an immense amount of respect for him and I’m looking forward to joining him as a fellow Marine and combat infantryman in the U.S. Senate,” Platner said in a statement.
Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
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On March 2, Spurwink will join community partners for a special viewing of Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine at the University of Southern Maine’s McGoldrick Hall.
Directed by Richard Kane and produced by Melody Lewis-Kane, the film shines a compassionate light on the realities of Maine’s homelessness crisis. Through deeply personal stories, Building Hope explores the challenges faced by unhoused individuals and families, while highlighting the hope that emerges when communities come together to create solutions. It’s been praised for its honesty, dignity, and inspiring message: change is possible when we work together.
Following the screening, a panel of local leaders and advocates will discuss the film and the ongoing effort in Maine to end homelessness. Panelists will include Katherine Rodney, Director of Spurwink’s Living Room Crisis Center; Cullen Ryan, Chief Strategic Officer at 3Rivers; Donna Wampole, Assistant Professor of Social Work at USM; and Preble Street staff. Catherine Ryder, Spurwink’s Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, will bring her expertise in trauma-informed care and community collaboration to the panel as the moderator.
This event is free and open to the public.
McGoldrick Center, USM Portland campus
05:00 PM – 07:30 PM on Mon, 2 Mar 2026
Nitro completes utility deal with West Virginia American Water – WV MetroNews
Search and rescue license plates raise $33K at auction for statewide fund
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Is Iran expanding attacks to target energy and civilian sites in the Gulf?
Trump claims US stockpiles mean wars can be fought ‘forever’; Kristi Noem testifies before Congress – US politics live
War in the Middle East: Iran’s broad retaliation in the Gulf • FRANCE 24 English
Trump sends official notification to Congress on strikes against Iran
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