Maine
Delta Ambulance won’t require paramedics on some emergency calls in central Maine
Town officials sought answers from Delta Ambulance on Tuesday about a new plan to start using EMTs instead of sending paramedics on every emergency call, at the same time the regional transport service’s fees are going up.
Leaders from China, Belgrade and Vassalboro discussed their concerns with Chris Mitchell, Delta’s executive director, at China’s town office. Mitchell announced earlier this month that Delta’s per capita fees for towns will rise from $35 to at least $55 in July 2026, raising the alarm for towns that rely on the service.
He also said Delta is switching its EMS license from a paramedic level to an EMT level, which will permit EMTs to go on calls with or without a paramedic and offer basic life support. Paramedics with advanced life support training will also be working and able to intercept EMT ambulances on the way to a hospital if more care is needed.
Town officials worry the change means a higher cost for a more limited service.
Ambulance dispatchers determine how serious a call is based on the information they receive from an emergency caller, but it isn’t always reliable. Becky Hapgood, China town manager, said she is concerned a paramedic will be left behind for an emergency that requires advanced life support.
Mitchell said the change in licensure is a way of addressing paramedic shortages across the region. Calls that previously would have gotten no Delta ambulance because all paramedics were occupied can now get a basic-level ambulance, which Mitchell said would cover 57% of the service’s calls.
Mitchell said that because the stakes are higher in rural areas, Delta will have conversations with each town about its need for paramedics, considering rural roads and distance from an emergency room.
Delta operated a paramedic intercept system with Waterville that Mitchell said was made easier because of the two local hospitals and a concentration of calls in the city. Waterville, which runs its own transport operation, has a mutual aid agreement with Delta but is not one of the communities the service contracts with.
“We had a fly car — a paramedic on a SUV — covering two non-medic ambulances,” Mitchell said. “And that system worked really well, because at no point was there a paramedic that was really far away from a call.”
He added: “That model doesn’t translate well to a 500-square mile coverage area.”
Winslow has a mutual aid agreement with Delta to transport for each other free of charge, but paramedic shortages have strained that relationship, Winslow fire Chief Mike Murphy said during an August interview. Winslow calls Delta for a paramedic intercept when the town’s crew of per diem paramedics are occupied with other calls.
From July 2024 to July 2025, Murphy said, the department requested a paramedic from Delta 50 times and Delta said no 37 times.
Those instances forced Winslow to call Waterville or Fairfield for a paramedic, Murphy said, delaying the time help arrived on scene, especially after the closure of the nearest emergency room at Northern Light Inland Hospital in Waterville. Murphy said he wants to set up new inter-town agreements that rely less on Delta.
“I’m just looking to find a quicker response time if I don’t have a medic,” Murphy said.
Mitchell said during an interview in August that Delta prioritizes resources for towns that do not “already have the ability to transport.”
“If we sacrifice our last unit to get Winslow a paramedic, now those other towns that don’t have an ambulance — now they have nobody,” Mitchell said.
The change in licensure will bring more flexibility to calls, Mitchell said Tuesday.
The new plan will not take paramedics off the road, it will instead disperse them among more vehicles. Delta has hired 24 new people — mostly basic EMTs — in the last few months, Mitchell said.
“We didn’t reduce the number of paramedics in the system,” Mitchell said. “We just moved them around a little bit.”
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This story will be updated.
The Maine Department of Transportation is moving to slash up to $400 million in projects from its agenda, a shocking and abrupt cutback that is rattling the state’s construction industry at the start of building season.
Roughly $50 million across six pavement projects have already been delayed, according to a memo exclusively obtained by the Bangor Daily News. The agency plans to cut or delay another $150 million in bridge, highway, intersection and multimodal projects later this month. A further $200 million or more in cuts are planned in the next three-year work plan.
Those figures were outlined by Transportation Commissioner Dale Doughty in the May 18 memo to Gov. Janet Mills that has since circulated widely in the transportation sector, which has been getting drip-by-drip details on the wide scope of the cuts over the past three weeks.
It comes at the beginning of the state’s relatively narrow construction season. Companies have hired workers and ordered materials for projects they expected to begin this summer. The severity of the transportation budget problems was not raised to lawmakers during the 2026 legislative session.
Kelly Flagg, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Maine, called the shortfall “deeply troubling” in a statement.
“We stand ready to work with policymakers, stakeholders, and industry partners to identify both immediate and long-term solutions,” Flagg said. “Maine cannot afford to fall further behind.”
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The cuts stem from a structural funding gap of at least $130 million in the state’s current work plan, according to Doughty’s memo. Losses are magnified because state money from the gas tax and other revenue sources is matched by federal funds. Lawmakers have long grappled with politically difficult long-term problems with the state’s transportation budget.
A Mills spokesperson said Wednesday morning that the administration was working on a response to questions from the BDN. The department says it needs roughly $240 million more in state capital funding annually to maintain the existing system, and that anything less than $200 million will erode it over time.
Doughty’s memo the only near-term solution is a series of bonds beginning as soon as possible. Lawmakers would have to return to Augusta to authorize that if one is going to appear on the November ballot.
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Michael Capeci is the former chairman of the Bangor GOP.
Let’s be honest about Maine’s current state.
For many families, the cost of living has become unsustainable. Housing is out of reach for many young people. Energy bills keep rising. Many small businesses are struggling under taxes and regulations that make it harder to grow. Rural hospitals are under strain and despite years of increased state spending, the results are not showing up in people’s daily lives.
Concurrently, Maine continues to lose young workers to other states. That is not a statistic, it is a warning sign.
To me, the question in this Republican primary for governor is not about slogans. It is whether we continue with a political approach that has failed to reverse these trends, or whether we nominate someone with new ideas. I think that someone is Owen McCarthy.
Owen is not a political insider. He is an entrepreneur from Patten, a small town where opportunity is not assumed, it is built. He grew up in a working-class family, became the first in his family to graduate from college graduating from the University of Maine, and founded MedRhythms, a healthcare technology company focused on neurological treatment.
He didn’t just talk about opportunity. He built it. That distinction matters, because Maine’s problem is not a lack of debate it is a lack of results. We have seen the trajectory: higher costs, slower growth, and a steady outmigration of young workers. I believe Owen McCarthy represents a break from that pattern.
His Maine 2040 plan focuses on creating 50,000 new jobs in sectors where Maine has real advantages — maritime and defense, advanced forest products, and life sciences. These are export-driven industries tied directly to Maine’s workforce, geography, and institutions. What sets Owen apart is not only what he proposes, but how he approaches governing.
He prioritizes modernizing permitting so projects do not stall. He supports using technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency. He focuses on making it easier to build, hire, and expand in Maine.
That same practical mindset extends to healthcare. Expanding telehealth, strengthening EMS systems, improving provider flexibility, and shifting toward earlier intervention are not abstract reforms. They are system upgrades designed to improve access while controlling costs.
Maine voters consistently respond to competence. They reward candidates who understand problems and present plans to solve them. I believe they are tired of rhetoric that does not translate into results, and skeptical of politics that prioritizes messaging over execution.
Owen’s approach is grounded in solving the issues that shape daily life — affordability, healthcare access, job creation, and government efficiency. That is not just policy positioning. It is a governing model that speaks directly to voters.
Some will point to his lack of political experience. But I believe Maine’s core problems are not the result of insufficient political experience; they are the result of policies that have failed to deliver measurable improvement. Experience inside a broken system, by itself, is not a solution.
If Republicans want to win, this primary must be taken seriously. From my perspective, it is not about choosing a nominee for governor who can energize the base. It is about selecting someone who can compete in a broader electorate that is frustrated and looking for change.
That requires a candidate who can speak beyond the base, not by abandoning principles, but by demonstrating competence and a credible plan to address Maine’s challenges. I believe Owen McCarthy offers that combination. He represents a shift away from managed decline and toward economic execution.
This is not just another primary. It is a decision about whether Republicans position themselves to win Maine or whether they remain trapped in a cycle of repeating the same strategies and expecting different outcomes.
If Republicans want to compete for Maine’s future, they cannot afford to nominate a candidate who only motivates part of the electorate. They need someone who expands it.
I believe Owen McCarthy is that candidate.
And if the goal is to win Maine, then the choice should be unmistakable
The only notable change in the top-seven of the Varsity Maine baseball poll is that Gorham now has eight first-place votes, two more than last week. The order of the seven teams is identical. In fact, the only change in the top-seven over the past three polls is the swap at the top after Gorham’s win over South Portland on May 19.
Furthermore, Gorham, South Portland, Oxford Hills, Cheverus, Bangor, Mt. Ararat and Fryeburg have been ranked in the top seven for four straight weeks, and six of those squads have been among the top seven in every poll this spring.
Meanwhile, Scarborough is ranked for the first time since May 5, and Ellsworth and Thornton swapped spots.
The Varsity Maine baseball poll is based on games played before June 2, 2026. The top 10 teams are voted on by the Varsity Maine staff, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.
1. Gorham (8) 89
2. South Portland 79
3. Oxford Hills (1) 75
4. Cheverus 55
5. Bangor 42
6. Mt. Ararat 41
7. Fryeburg Academy 30
8. Ellsworth 27
9. Thornton Academy 25
10. Scarborough 12
Also receiving votes: Washington Academy 8, Monmouth Academy 4, Cony 4, Leavitt 2, Falmouth 2.
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