Maine

Boys’ lacrosse: 2024 Varsity Maine All-State team

Published

2 years ago

July 6, 2024

Press Room

Boys’ lacrosse: 2024 Varsity Maine All-State team

Evan Anastas

Evan Anastas, York junior midfielder: A repeat All-State selection, Anastas was named an All-American by USA Lacrosse. He recorded 49 goals and 20 assists, helping the Wildcats reach the Class B championship game for a second straight season. Anastas has committed to Bryant University.

Indi Backman

Indi Backman, Falmouth junior defense: The defensive stalwart on a team that allowed 10 or more goals just once in 17 games, Backman had 31 caused turnovers and 57 ground balls. He also provided a little offense, with six goals and five assists. One of Falmouth’s four All-Americans, Backman has already committed to Merrimack College.

Colin Blackburn

Colin Blackburn, Cape Elizabeth senior defense: With 101 ground balls and 33 caused turnovers, Blackburn was adept at getting the ball back into the hands of his teammates. His defensive ability was a key reason why the Capers were able to advance to a fourth consecutive Class A state championship game. Blackburn also added six goals and three assists. He’ll play lacrosse at Wentworth College in Boston.

Hayden Davis

Hayden Davis, Falmouth sophomore attack: Davis emerged as a key player in Falmouth’s run to the Class A title. He scored six goals and added an assist in the Navigators’ 18-5 win over Cape Elizabeth in the championship game. His four first-quarter goals helped stake Falmouth to the lead. The All-American finished the season with 40 goals and 32 assists.

Gio Guerrette

Gio Guerrette, Falmouth junior midfielder: A repeat All-State selection and a two-time USA Lacrosse All-American, Guerrette was an offensive force, with 57 goals and 15 assists. He also grabbed 61 ground balls. He plans to continue his lacrosse career at Quinnipiac after he graduates from Falmouth next year.

Joey Guerrette

Joey Guerrette, Falmouth junior midfielder: Guerrette joined his brother as an All-American this season, producing 46 goals, 27 assists and 38 ground balls for the Class A champion Navigators. He tallied three goals in the state championship game, and four in an 14-1 win over Scarborough in the semifinals. Guerrette plans to attend the University of Massachusetts, where he’ll play lacrosse.

Ward Jenkins

Ward Jenkins, Yarmouth junior defense: The best defender for the Class B champion Clippers, Jenkins was routinely responsible for locking down the opposition’s top offensive player. A junior captain, Jenkins earned USA Lacrosse All-America honors. He recorded 35 ground balls and 30 caused turnovers. Jenkins plans to continue his lacrosse career at Maryland-Baltimore County.

Ben Kerbel

Ben Kerbel, Scarborough senior goalie: Kerbel’s play in net was essential to the Red Storm’s improvement from five wins in 2023 to 11 wins this season as Scarborough reached the Class A semifinals. Kerbel made 232 saves and had a 62.3% save percentage. He made 19 saves in a semifinal loss to eventual state champion Falmouth. He plans to attend the University of Massachusetts and study mechanical engineering.

Keegan Lathrop

Keegan Lathrop, Cape Elizabeth senior attack: The 2023 Varsity Maine Player of the Year, Lathrop had another strong season, scoring 55 goals to go with 30 assists, 61 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers. A two-time All-American, Lathrop was a key player on a team that reached the state championship game each of his four seasons and won three Class A titles. He’ll continue his lacrosse career at the University of Delaware.

Beckett Mehlhorn

Beckett Mehlhorn, South Portland junior attack: The Red Riots’ top scorer for three straight season, Mehlhorn scored 51 goals this season. With more attention from opposing defenses, Mehlhorn also became a strong distributor and picked up 31 assists. He was named one of the state’s 10 USA Lacrosse All-Americans. He should be one of the top offensive players in the state again as a senior in 2025.

Colter Olson

Colter Olson, Yarmouth senior attack: The Varsity Maine Player of the Year, Olson enjoyed one of the best offensive seasons in state history, scoring 82 goals and 63 assists while leading the Clippers to the Class B championship. Olson was a leader on a young team. He assisted on the tying goal with two seconds left in the fourth quarter of the state championship game, then scored the winner in overtime. After producing more than 300 points in three seasons at Yarmouth, Olson will play at Rutgers University next season.

Chase Ranger

Chase Ranger, Mt. Blue senior midfielder: A two-year captain for the Cougars, Ranger scored 65 goals and added 19 assists to help Mt. Blue to a 10-win season. A strong two-way player, Ranger collected more than 100 ground balls and forced more than 30 turnovers. He was selected KVAC Player of the Year by the league’s coaches. Ranger will continue his lacrosse career at St. Joseph’s College.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Geoff Arris, Deering: Under Arris, the Rams made dramatic improvement, winning 10 games and earning the No. 4 seed in the Class A playoffs. It was a four-win improvement from 2023, and just two seasons removed from a one-win campaign in 2022. This was Deering’s first winning season since 2017.

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Varsity Maine Boys’ Lacrosse Player of the Year: Colter Olson, Yarmouth

Maine

How SCOTUS striking limits on party spending could impact Maine’s Senate race

Published

21 minutes ago

July 1, 2026

Press Room

How SCOTUS striking limits on party spending could impact Maine’s Senate race

The U.S. Supreme Court removed limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates, reversing a more than 50 year old federal election law. It was one of the least surprising in the series of decisions handed down by the high court over the past few days. That’s because it follows a […]

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Maine

Cooling centers to open in Maine as heat, air quality advisories take effect Wednesday

Published

11 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Press Room

Cooling centers to open in Maine as heat, air quality advisories take effect Wednesday

Many Maine municipalities will open cooling centers this week with the National Weather Service issuing a variety of heat advisories covering the next few days.

The Maine DEP also issued an air quality alert for Wednesday with ground-level ozone expected to reach levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups.

All of York County, interior Cumberland and Androscoggin counties, and the southern half of Oxford County will fall under an extreme heat warning from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Friday.

The warning calls for “dangerously hot conditions” that could feature heat index values of up to 110 degrees, with overnight lows only expected to fall into the 70s, according to the weather service’s office in Gray.

The rest of the state — save northern Aroostook, Piscataquis and Somerset counties — falls under a heat advisory from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday. However, the weather service has also placed much of the state under an extreme heat watch for Thursday.

Heat index values, which measure how hot it feels to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature, are expected to reach up to 104 degrees during the heat advisory period, the weather service warns. They could reach 110 degrees Thursday, when the extreme heat watch is in effect.

Northern Oxford and Franklin counties, and central Somerset County, can expect a heat index value of up to 99 degrees Wednesday, according to the weather service.

The weather service advises people to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms when possible, avoid extended periods in the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors. It also warns not to leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles, as “car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.”

Cooling Centers

Acton
- Acton Town Hall, 35 H Road; Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Alfred
- Parson Memorial Library, 27 Saco Road; Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Arundel
- Arundel Town Hall, 257 Limerick Road; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Auburn
- Auburn Senior Community Center, 48 Pettengill Park Road; Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Auburn Public Library, 49 Spring St.; Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- The Drop-In Center, 121 Mill St.; Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Augusta
- Augusta Civic Center, 76 Community Drive; Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Berwick
- Berwick Fire Department, 3 Public Safety Way; Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Buxton
- Buxton Town Hall, 185 Portland Road; Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- As-needed on Friday and Saturday; call Buxton Dispatch at 207-929-5151
Cape Elizabeth
- Thomas Memorial Library, 6 Scott Dyer Road; business hours (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7p.m.)
Cornish
- LeRoy F. Pike Memorial Building, 17 Maple St.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Falmouth
- Mason Motz Activity Center, 190 Middle Road; Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon
- Falmouth Memorial Library, 5 Lunt Road; Wednesday and Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Family Ice Center, 20 Hat Trick Drive; Wednesday and Thursday, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hollis
- Hollis Town Hall, 34 Town Farm Road; Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kennebunkport
- Kennebunkport Police Department, 101 Main St.; Tuesday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Church on the Cape, 3 Langsford Road; Tuesday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Louis T. Graves Library, 18 Maine St.; Tuesday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lewiston
- Alter LA, 70 Horton St.; Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Limington
- Old Town Hall, 297 Sokokis Ave.; Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
North Berwick
- D.A. Hurd Library, 41 High St.; Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Old Orchard Beach
- Libby Memorial Library, 27 Staples St.; Wednesday thru Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Recreation Department, 140 Saco Ave.; Wednesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Salvation Army, 2 6th St.; Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ogunquit
- Ogunquit Fire Department, 13 School St.; Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Portland
- Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square; Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Troubh Ice Arena, 225 Par Ave.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saco
- Saco Transportation Center, 138 Main St.; Wednesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Scarborough
- Scarborough Public Library, 48 Gorham Road; business hours (from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Mondays and Fridays, until 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, until 1 p.m. Saturdays).
Shapleigh
- Shapleigh Community Building, 24 Back Road; Wednesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
South Berwick
- South Berwick Library, 27 Young Road; Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
South Portland
- South Portland Community Center, 21 Nelson Road; Wednesday and Thursday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Main Library, 482 Broadway; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Memorial Branch Library, 155 Wescott Road; Wednesday and Thursday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Westbrook
- Walker Memorial Library, 800 Main St.; business hours (from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, until 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday)
- Westbrook Community Center, 426 Bridge St.; Wednesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
York
- York Town Hall, 186 York St.; Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- York Public Library, 15 Long Sands Road; Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has also issued an air quality alert from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesday along the coast from Kittery to Acadia National Park. The agency warns that ground-level ozone concentrations are expected to reach levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Ozone levels may reach “moderate levels” further inland, according to the Maine DEP, including in all of Androscoggin and Kennebec counties, as well as parts of Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Penobscot, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington and York counties.

Elevated ozone levels can pose a risk to children, older adults and people suffering from respiratory or heart diseases, according to the Maine DEP. Anyone exerting themselves outdoors may also experience health effects, which could include coughing, shortness of breath, throat irritation and mild chest pain.

Ozone levels were already climbing in southern New England on Tuesday, according to the Maine DEP, and winds are expected to bring those conditions to Maine on Wednesday.

The Maine DEP recommends that vulnerable populations avoid strenuous outdoor activities, keep windows closed, and circulate indoor air with fans or air conditioners. Those with asthma are also advised to keep quick-relief medication handy.

Particle pollution levels are also expected to be moderate across the state on Wednesday due to wildfire smoke, the Maine DEP said in its announcement Tuesday. Wildfires in Colorado, which have claimed the lives of three firefighters, had burned nearly 90,000 acres as of Tuesday, according to the Denver Post.

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Maine

Maine could face $50M in penalties from federal food assistance policy changes

Published

21 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Press Room

Maine could face M in penalties from federal food assistance policy changes

Maine could face up to $50 million in penalties next year due to errors in its payments for federal food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Newly released data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture find that Maine’s error rate last year was nearly 11%, the bulk of which were overpayments. That’s in line with the U.S. average. But starting in October of next year, states with error rates above 6% must cover a portion of the SNAP benefits.

Anna Korsen, executive director of Full Plates, Full Potential, said the overpayments aren’t fraud — they’re human error. She said this new cost-shifting policy enacted last year under the Trump administration further complicates the SNAP application process.

“Instead, we could make this program more accessible and more efficient,” Korsen said. “And that would reduce the number of errors and also ensure that Mainers who are eligible for SNAP have access to it.”

She’s urging Congress to delay or reverse the policy under the farm bill that’s currently under consideration.

Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services said it’s taking steps to reduce the error rate, including modernizing its systems and hiring an additional 40 eligibility specialists.

This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.

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