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Maine Democrats find a new Republican villain in an old foe

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Maine Democrats find a new Republican villain in an old foe


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Our political journalists are based in the Maine State House and have deep source networks across the partisan spectrum in communities all over the state. Their coverage aims to cut through major debates and probe how officials make decisions. Read more Politics coverage here.

Rep. Ken Fredette was an old foe for Maine Democrats in the State House, but the Newport Republican’s role in this month’s protracted talks over a short-term budget have made him their new villain.

As House minority leader from 2012 to 2018, Fredette helped former Gov. Paul LePage wield power in Augusta. That tenure was highlighted by a brief 2017 government shutdown in which he and LePage aligned against budget deals inked by Democrats and Senate Republicans.

Now back in the Legislature, Fredette wasted no time in gaining attention. He was absent from the appropriations committee when it inked an overnight bipartisan deal on a short-term budget highlighted by $118 million to close a MaineCare funding gap. The next day, he arrived in Augusta to cast his vote against it. Things snowballed, and there is still no budget.

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The convoluted process has resulted in both parties trading barbs. Democrats point out Republican appropriators initially agreed to the deal, while the GOP accused their counterparts of using late-night moves to try to pass another partisan budget. It can all get traced back to Fredette, though his caucus insists he was never the sole reason for the snafu.

“Him kind of going in and blowing up an agreement is unfortunately nothing new,” said Rep. Marc Malon, D-Biddeford, who was a House Democratic aide during the 2017 shutdown.

Then-House Minority Leader Ken Fredette (right), R-Newport, watches as votes come in on a vote board during the House of Representatives vote on the state budget at the Maine State House in Augusta on June 30, 2017, just ahead of a government shutdown. Credit: Ashley L. Conti / BDN

Fredette, 60, left the State House the afternoon of Feb. 4 to attend a high school basketball game with family. He did not know then that votes would happen. After he learned of a meeting, he said Rep. Jack Ducharme, the top Republican appropriator from Madison, texted him around 9:30 p.m. to say they were voting partly that night and partly in the morning.

Ducharme told him to plan to come in at 9 a.m. because there would be no final vote. But one came close to 1 a.m, when all 11 appropriators, including the three Republicans present, approved the budget in a late-night series of votes. Ducharme went on the record expressing appreciation for the bipartisan work that was done.

Ducharme told a reporter via email Republicans wanted to make sure some “MaineCare reform language” was correct before voting the morning of Feb. 5 on the plan. But he said Democratic leadership wanted to vote before leaving that night. Rep. Drew Gattine, D-Westbrook, the budget panel’s co-chair, has said Republicans should not have been surprised about that.

The next day, it was clear Republicans would not support the budget. They unsuccessfully pushed the appropriations committee to reconsider it. Last Tuesday, Democrats took the budget to votes on the House and Senate floors but stopped short of passing it because they lacked the two-thirds majorities they needed to enact it immediately.

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“If this was such a crisis to get done, why aren’t we working on it right now?” Fredette, a lawyer and Maine Air National Guard colonel, asked in an interview.

Rep. Michele Meyer, D-Eliot, speaks during a debate on the state budget on the floor of the Maine House of Representatives at the State House in Augusta on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN

Legislative leaders are using the break before another supplemental budget vote that could come Feb. 28 to seek compromises largely focused on General Assistance limits that Democratic Gov. Janet Mills initially wanted. She later told lawmakers to seek them in two-year budget negotiations that will continue during the current session that is set to end in July.

The supplemental budget spat is setting up another contentious two-year budget cycle in which Democrats may again likely use their narrow majorities to pass a plan without Republican support, though Mills’ proposed mix of tax increases and health program cuts have dismayed lawmakers in both parties for different reasons.

Before 2021, both parties often reached bipartisan spending deals, which Fredette mentioned as even occurring during several of the “eight very tough years” under LePage, who dealt with divided government in Augusta for six of his eight years.

“Don’t tell me that this can’t be done,” said Fredette, whose conservative caucus forced others to negotiate with the combative LePage by withholding votes necessary to overturn his record number of vetoes.

Rep. Ken Fredette, R-Newport, talks to Rep. Robert Nutting, R-Oakland, on the floor of the Maine House of Representatives at the State House in Augusta on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik

Fredette has been a main focus of Democrats since his vote. House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, has criticized him on Facebook and at a news conference last week. Rep. Sue Salisbury, D-Westbrook, said Friday it was “frustrating for one person to upend the work of the rest of the committee,” although others have cast wider blame.

“No one forced them to vote the way they did,” Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, said of Republicans, adding he has worked with Fredette as a fellow lawyer and has found him to be “principled” in that arena.

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Fredette did not affect the ultimate disagreements over the short-term budget and he has no “disproportionate impact on the caucus,” Rep. Amy Arata, R-New Gloucester, said. House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, added that Democrats are making Fredette into “a boogeyman.”

Fredette said lawmakers are constantly balancing family needs with their work in Augusta. Asked if he wishes he had made the committee meeting, he instead expressed a desire for reaching a budget deal with two-thirds support while alluding to criticism.

“A lot of relationships get damaged in the process by doing this sort of thing,” Fredette said, “and that’s not helpful.”



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Meet the 10 central Maine softball players to watch in 2026

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Meet the 10 central Maine softball players to watch in 2026


Monmouth Academy’s Riley Smith slides into home plate during the Mustangs’ 4-0 win over Madison on May 26, 2025, in Monmouth. (Andree Kehn/Staff Photographer)

Ashley Shores, Lawrence senior utility: Shores is the reigning Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Player of the Year. She can play first base, the outfield and pitch, but will likely spend the bulk of her season behind the plate, guiding freshman starter Alea Williams.

Bella Loubier, Winslow junior catcher: A KVAC Class B second-team selection last season, Loubier is the top returner on a team that coaches believe could be a surprise in Class C North. She will be the leader of a young but talented squad under coach Michael Savage.

Hallie Coots, Nokomis junior utility: Coots was asked to wear many different hats as a sophomore for a young Warriors team, included time as both a pitcher and a catcher. She handled the duties well, earning KVAC B second-team honors. Now a junior, she’ll be a trusted veteran voice who will, once again, be asked to handle a variety of duties.

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Kelsie Dunn, Erskine Academy junior pitcher: A KVAC Class B second-team selection last year, Dunn helped lead the Eagles to a Class B quarterfinal appearance. She’ll once again be the leader in the circle for a team that enters the new season with most of last season’s roster intact, creating higher expectations.

Lilly Clark, Erskine Academy senior shortstop: A multi-sport athlete, Clark is a captain who will be counted on to help the Eagles take another step forward. She was a KVAC Class B first-team selection last year.

Lydia Jones, Skowhegan senior infielder: A longtime starter for the River Hawks, Jones was a KVAC Class A second-team selection last season, helping guide a young roster to the North playoffs. She’ll again be relied on to guide a young but more experienced team.

Maddie Provost, Lawrence senior infielder: The Miss Maine Basketball and Varsity Maine Girls Basketball Player of the Year who will continue her career on the hardwood at Division I Holy Cross next season, Provost decided to wrap up her high school athletic career on the diamond, although she hadn’t played softball since middle school. Coach Joey Marcoux believes Provost will start the season at third base. Her athleticism and speed will be an immediate asset in the lineup.

Molly Takatsu, Gardiner sophomore infielder/pitcher: Takatsu produced quickly as a freshman last season and was rewarded with KVAC Class B second-team honors. She’ll be one of the top returning players for a team that once again carries three strong pitchers and will be fast on defense and on the basepaths.

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Raegan King, Nokomis senior shortstop/center fielder: A strong athlete who will continue her softball career at Husson University, King has been a long-time contributor to the Warriors’ lineup with her bat, speed and positional flexibility. She’s the top returner for a squad that should make another strong run in the Class B North playoffs. She earned KVAC Class B first-team honors last season.

Riley Smith, Monmouth Academy senior outfielder: A Mountain Valley Conference first-team selection last season, Smith is an experienced outfielder who is an asset both at the plate and in the field. She’ll be a key contributor for the Mustangs, who should be a contender in the Class C South playoffs.



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Program doubles enrollment, expands to more Maine schools

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Program doubles enrollment, expands to more Maine schools


Central Maine Power is expanding its Union Trade Internship Program in 2026, increasing opportunities for Maine high school students to gain hands-on experience in the electric utility industry.

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CMP expands union trade internship program for Maine students

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Central Maine Power is expanding its Union Trade Internship Program in 2026, increasing opportunities for Maine high school students to gain hands-on experience in the electric utility industry.

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Updated: 11:47 AM EDT Apr 14, 2026

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Central Maine Power is expanding its Union Trade Internship Program in 2026, increasing opportunities for Maine high school students to gain hands-on experience in the electric utility industry.Now in its second year, the 10-week paid program will double enrollment, expand to additional schools in central and southern Maine, and broaden training to include both line and substation operations. The program will serve 10 students ages 16 and older, selected through a competitive recruitment and interview process in partnership with participating schools.The internship runs from June to August and includes classroom instruction at CMP’s training center in Farmingdale, along with supervised field experience alongside union crews. Students will learn foundational skills such as pole climbing, bucket truck operation, breaker and transformer maintenance, and the safe use of tools and protective equipment. Participants will not work on live electrical wires.The program is aimed at strengthening the workforce pipeline for skilled trades while giving students early exposure to careers in the energy sector and supporting partnerships between CMP and Maine schools.

Central Maine Power is expanding its Union Trade Internship Program in 2026, increasing opportunities for Maine high school students to gain hands-on experience in the electric utility industry.

Now in its second year, the 10-week paid program will double enrollment, expand to additional schools in central and southern Maine, and broaden training to include both line and substation operations. The program will serve 10 students ages 16 and older, selected through a competitive recruitment and interview process in partnership with participating schools.

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The internship runs from June to August and includes classroom instruction at CMP’s training center in Farmingdale, along with supervised field experience alongside union crews. Students will learn foundational skills such as pole climbing, bucket truck operation, breaker and transformer maintenance, and the safe use of tools and protective equipment. Participants will not work on live electrical wires.

The program is aimed at strengthening the workforce pipeline for skilled trades while giving students early exposure to careers in the energy sector and supporting partnerships between CMP and Maine schools.

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Carbon removal project supports Maine’s blue economy, broader marine health

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Carbon removal project supports Maine’s blue economy, broader marine health


Oceans absorb roughly 25 to 30 percent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released into the atmosphere. When this CO2 dissolves in seawater, it forms carbonic acid, making the water more acidic and altering its chemistry. Elevated levels of acidity are harmful to marine life like corals, oysters, and certain plankton that rely on calcium carbonate to build shells and skeletons.

“As the oceans absorb more CO2, the chemistry shifts — increasing bicarbonate while reducing carbonate ion availability — which means shellfish have less carbonate to form shells,” explains Kripa Varanasi, professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. “These changes can propagate through marine ecosystems, affecting organism health and, over time, broader food webs.”

Loss of shellfish can lead to water quality decline, coastal erosion, and other ecosystem disruptions, including significant economic consequences for coastal communities. “The U.S. has such an extensive coastline, and shellfish aquaculture is globally valued at roughly $60 billion,” says Varanasi. “With the right innovations, there is a substantial opportunity to expand domestic production.”

“One might think, ‘this [depletion] could happen in 100 years or something,’ but what we’re finding is that they are already affecting hatcheries and coastal systems today,” he adds. “Without intervention, these trends could significantly alter marine ecosystems and the coastal economies that rely on them over time.”

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Varanasi and T. Alan Hatton, the Ralph Landau Professor of Chemical Engineering, Post-Tenure, at MIT, have been collaborating for years to develop methods for removing carbon dioxide from seawater and turn acidic water back to alkaline. In recent years, they’ve partnered with researchers at the University of Maine Darling Marine Center to deploy the method in hatcheries.

“The way we farm oysters, we spawn them in special tanks and rear them through about a two-week larval period … until they’re big enough so that they can be transferred out into the river as the water warms up,” explains Bill Mook, founder of Mook Sea Farm. Around 2009, he noticed problems with production of early-stage larvae. “It was a catastrophe. We lost several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of production,” he says.

Ultimately, the problem was identified as the low pH of the water that was being brought in: The water was too acidic. The farm’s initial strategy, a common practice in oyster farming, was to buffer the water by adding sodium bicarbonate. The new approach avoids the use of chemicals or minerals.

“A lot of researchers are studying direct air capture, but very few are working in the ocean-capture space,” explains Hatton. “Our approach is to use electricity, in an electrochemical manner, rather than add chemicals to manipulate the solution pH.”

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The method uses reactive electrodes to release protons into seawater that is collected and fed into the cells, driving the release of the dissolved carbon dioxide from the water. The cyclic process acidifies the water to convert dissolved inorganic bicarbonates to molecular carbon dioxide, which is collected as a gas under vacuum. The water is then fed to a second set of cells with a reversed voltage to recover the protons and turn the acidic water back to alkaline before releasing it back to the sea.

Maine’s Damariscotta River Estuary, where Mook farms is located, provides about 70 percent of the state’s oyster crop. Damian Brady, a professor of oceanography based at the University of Maine and key collaborator on the project, says the Damariscotta community has “grown into an oyster-producing powerhouse … [that is] not only part of the economy, but part of the culture.” He adds, “there’s actually a huge amount that we could learn if we couple the engineering at MIT with the aquaculture science here at the University of Maine.”

“The scientific underpinning of our hypothesis was that these bivalve shellfish, including oysters, need calcium carbonate in order to form their shells,” says Simon Rufer PhD ’25, a former student in Varanasi’s lab and now CEO and co-founder of CoFlo Medical. “By alkalizing the water, we actually make it easier for the oysters to form and maintain their shells.”

In trials conducted by the team, results first showed that the approach is biocompatible and doesn’t kill the larvae, and later showed that the oysters treated by MIT’s buffer approach did better than mineral or chemical approaches. Importantly, Hatton also notes, the process creates no waste products. Ocean water goes in, CO2 comes out. This captured CO2 can potentially be used for other applications, including to grow algae to be used as food for shellfish.

Varanasi and Hatton first introduced their approach in 2023. Their most recent paper, “Thermodynamics of Electrochemical Marine Inorganic Carbon Removal,” which was published last year in journal Environmental Science & Technology, outlines the overall thermodynamics of the process and presents a design tool to compare different carbon removal processes. The team received a “plus-up award” from ARPA-E to collaborate with University of Maine and further develop and scale the technology for application in aquaculture environments.

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Brady says the project represents another avenue for aquaculture to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. “It pushes a new technology for removing carbon dioxide from ocean environments forward simultaneously,” says Brady. “If they can be coupled, aquaculture and carbon dioxide removal improve each other’s bottom line.”

Through the collaboration, the team is improving the robustness of the cells and learning about their function in real ocean environments. The project aims to scale up the technology, and to have significant impact on climate and the environment, but it includes another big focus.

“It’s also about jobs,” says Varanasi. “It’s about supporting the local economy and coastal communities who rely on aquaculture for their livelihood. We could usher in a whole new resilient blue economy. We think that this is only the beginning. What we have developed can really be scaled.”

Mook says the work is very much an applied science, “[and] because it’s applied science, it means that we benefit hugely from being connected and plugged into academic institutions that are doing research very relevant to our livelihoods. Without science, we don’t have a prayer of continuing this industry.”

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