Maine

Maine signs 10-year liquor administration contract with current provider

Published

1 year ago

December 3, 2024

Maine signs 10-year liquor administration contract with current provider

An inspector checks Fireball whiskey bottles on the line at Boston Brands of Maine in Lewiston in 2020. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Following months of negotiations, Maine’s Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations reached an agreement to continue contracting with its current liquor distributor for another decade.

The state’s new contract with Pine State Trading Co., which was signed last week and took effect Sunday, replaces two previous contracts that were extended to allow more time for negotiation, said Sharon Huntley, director of communications at the Department Administrative and Financial Services, which oversees the bureau.

Pine State has overseen trade marketing and administration for the department since it was awarded the previous contract in 2014.

Following an open request for proposal issued late last year, Pine State was the only company to place a bid.

The contract gives the company, based in Gardiner, sole authority to market, sell and distribute distilled spirits products to the more than 600 agency liquor stores within Maine. State law dictates that only agency stores can sell spirits, wine and malt liquor for off-site consumption.

Under the new contract, Pine State is entitled to 7.55% of total net sales and additional revenue within the state’s tightly regulated liquor market. That will likely add up to tens of millions of dollars, based on previous sales figures.

For the last 10 years, the company was entitled to 6.95% of total net sales and revenue in Maine: 4.7% for administration, warehousing and distribution, plus 2.25% for trade marketing.

That amounted to more than $16 million in fiscal year 2023, and more than $120 million over the life of the contracts, according to a review of the bureau’s annual reports. Huntley later confirmed those figures.

Pine State placed its bids for the 2024-34 administration and marketing contracts nearly a year ago, during a request for proposal period that ended in late January. Weeks later, it was offered the contract, pending final negotiations.

Maine is one of 17 states that controls the sale of spirits at the government level, according to the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. New Hampshire and Vermont also employ versions of the “control” model.

In Maine, the bureau sets the prices of distilled spirits and organizes sales, meaning operating expenses – including contractor payments – can contribute to the final cost of bottles.

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Maine

Maine Water staff donate coats to help communities stay warm

Published

10 hours ago

February 3, 2026

Press Room

Maine Water employees once again came together to support local communities by collecting and donating more than 140 winter coats this season.

Maine Water’s Coats for Kids program is an employee-funded program to purchase brand new coats for families in need this winter. This year, employees’ contributions purchased 146 new winter coats, according to Maine Water, in a news release.

“Our dedicated water professionals, who live and work in the very Maine communities we serve, once again showed they are as passionate about contributing to the quality of life in our communities as they are about delivering high-quality water to our customers each and every day,” said Maine Water President Mark Vannoy. “Since starting the initiative, our teams helped more than 1,300 people stay a little warmer through the cold, Maine winters.”

The coats were distributed to the following organizations:

Homeless Liaison for BD/Saco/Dayton schools
Thomaston Grammar School
Owls Head Community School
Union Elementary School
Warren Community School
Skowhegan School
Seeds Of Hope
Knox County Homeless Coalition
Bucksport – Pastor Remick

Maine Water employees stretch the donated funds by shopping off-season and at clearance sales, according to Maine Water. Shopping for 2026 will begin in a few weeks. Since beginning in 2013, Maine Water employees have donated more than 1,300 coats in its communities.

Maine Water is a public water utility regulated by the Maine Public Utilities Commission. The company owns 12 public water systems engaged in the collection, treatment and distribution of drinking water for homes, businesses and fire protection service to more than 32,000 customers in 21 Maine towns.

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Maine

Maine lawmakers named in latest batch of Epstein files documents

Published

22 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Press Room

Maine lawmakers named in latest batch of Epstein files documents

PORTLAND (WGME) – The names of multiple Maine lawmakers, both past and present, appear in the 3 million pages of Epstein files documents released Friday by the Justice Department.

Governor Janet Mills’ name appears three times.

Her name appears twice in connection to an email to the Southern District of New York’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.

It was sent in June of 2020, and the sender’s name is redacted.

In that email, a tipster claimed the governor was “instrumental in the crimes against my daughter and I” and also claimed the governor was involved in drug trafficking.

Friday’s document dump includes a large number of uncorroborated tips to law enforcement involving a host of individuals, and there is no other mention of this type regarding the governor.

The third time her name appears is in relation to a news brief summarizing a bill proposal in the state back in 2023.

Others, including former Governor Paul LePage are also named in similar style news briefs.

Former Senator from Maine George Mitchell’s name also appeared in the latest batch of Epstein documents.

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CBS13 reached out to the Governor’s Office for comment and additional context, and they declined to comment.

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Maine

32 Maine influencers you should be following

Published

1 day ago

February 2, 2026

Press Room

32 Maine influencers you should be following

Jody Hartman’s two dogs Stella, right, and Mabel sit in the leaf pile at their home in Freeport. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)

Mainers are not easily influenced.

People here take pride in not following all the latest trends and in the fact that we get most of the fads and new stores after they’ve already made it to the rest of the country. That said, Mainers are always interested in what their fellow Mainers have to say.

That’s probably why there are so many Maine-based influencers, for lack of a better word, folks with creative and extensive social media accounts who add their own voices to the varied and vibrant conversation about Maine life. They range from funny takes on the Maine accent or shoveling snow or doing the groceries, to dining reviews, holistic health tips and adorable photos of cats and dogs.

Here are a few suggestions for fun, thought-provoking, informative or creative Mainers — including some non-human ones — with social media accounts to follow and what you might expect from them.

Alexander Widener

@alexander_widener on Instagram (158K) and TikTok (129.5K)

Widener worked in New York City, in fashion and home decor, before moving to Wiscasset and opening an interiors shop, Widener Company. In videos he offers info on specific antiques, including on Staffordshire dog figurines from England. He also shows off and explains various antique “hauls” he made recently.