Maine

Maine’s 1st AI data center is coming to Aroostook County

Published

6 months ago

October 14, 2025

Maine’s 1st AI data center is coming to Aroostook County

Maine’s first artificial intelligence data center will be housed at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone.

Loring LiquidCool Data Center, owned by the Minnesota-based company LiquidCool Solutions, has signed a “long-term” lease for 115,000 square feet of space within the 450 acres of the former base owned by clean energy and development firm Green 4 Maine, the group announced in a release Tuesday.

The company is operating out of building No. 7230, a warehouse formerly used by Maine Military Authority and New England Kenworth, at the corner of Florida and Kansas roads on the eastern side of the campus. It’s unclear when the data center could become operational.

The center is intended to be the first in a “campus” of data centers within what Green 4 Maine calls its “innovation hub,” co-founder Scott Hinkel said Tuesday. A company from Silicon Valley looking to operate an AI data center was at Loring Tuesday, he said, and Green 4 Maine is in talks with several others.

“We’ve got three or four buildings now that are perfect for data centers,” Hinkel said.

A handful of other data centers exist in Maine, but none are designed to support AI, which requires high computational power and vast storage.

That specialized server infrastructure is needed to train and run AI services, which can be used for anything from image generation to customer service chatbots.

The centers have become pivotal in the global race for AI innovation, but companies have previously only dabbled with the idea of putting them in Maine.

A $300-million, 60-megawatt data center in Millinocket announced in 2021 that would have supported AI never came to fruition because it would not have produced enough power, the Bangor Daily News reported earlier this year.

A 300-acre hyperscale data center that could cost upwards of $5 billion was proposed in Wiscasset earlier this year.

Loring, far away from major technological hubs, is in a unique position to attract data center companies. The 1,100-mile upgrade to the state’s fiber optic network, which was completed in 2012 and called the “Three-Ring Binder,” ran optical fiber cables through the former base, directly connecting it to the Metropolitan Area Exchange-East internet exchange point.

That, along with access to ample electricity from hydropower generation in New Brunswick and existing buildings that fit the needs of data centers, make the location attractive to companies such as LiquidCool Solutions, Hinkel said.

“When we figured out that, ‘Oh, my God, we’ve got this huge fiber optic pipeline that comes right into the campus, and then we go, ’How much power do we have?,’ we figured that out and everything shifted,” Hinkel said. “Loring is on the backbone of the internet.”

There are currently 50 megawatts of power available at the base, he said, two of which are “preloaded” in the building that will house the data center. That capacity could scale up through what Hinkel called Green 4 Maine’s “energy roadmap,” potentially increasing available power by several hundred megawatts to meet demand by purchasing additional electricity from New Brunswick and other power opportunities.

The Loring LiquidCool Data Center will begin with five to six megawatts, Hinkel said. It’s currently unclear how many people the center will employ.

The company, which connected with Green 4 Maine through a “mutual friend,” calls itself the “leader in immersion cooling technology.” It will utilize its patented liquid-cooled, rack-based servers in the data center, which it says allows for high-density, cost-effective cooling.

“This is more than a data center — this is a blueprint for the future of clean tech infrastructure,” LiquidCool Solutions Vice Chair Herb Zien said in the release. “By combining LiquidCool Solutions patented cooling technology with the unique footprint of the Green 4 Maine Campus site, and pairing it with future clean advanced energy technology solutions, we can meet growing AI, HPC, and cloud computing demands while drastically reducing capital expense and operating costs.”

Tuesday’s announcement comes one month after Aero Intelligence, a global aerospace company, moved into the former base’s colossal arch hanger, as Green 4 Maine heightens its push to bring investment to the campus.

But greater investment means more people living and working in Limestone and its surrounding areas, which are not prepared for a sudden boom of new residents. In an attempt to get ahead of that issue, Green 4 Maine is now looking for capital investment for as many as 2,000 housing units on the base, Hinkel said.

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Maine

Wet, cooler today; rain & snow impacts across Maine

Published

9 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Wet, cooler today; rain & snow impacts across Maine

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – Good morning and Happy Sunday everyone. Skies are cloudy with fog across much of Maine this morning. Rain has entered locations along the interstate and to the northwest. Temperatures vary from the upper 30s to mid 40s. Winds are out of the SE between about 5-15 mph.

Today will be a wet and impactful day with rain and even snow anticipated as a large cold front passes through Maine. Skies will be cloudy with plenty of fog lasting through the morning. Rain will expand across the interstate by the late morning hours, reaching Downeast locations by midday/the early afternoon.

By the early to midafternoon, temperatures will start to drop across northwestern locations as the cold front passes through Maine. This will result in rain turning over to mixed precipitation and eventually snow across the Western Mountains, Moosehead region, and Northern Maine. Rain will continue steadily and at times heavily across the foothills, Interstate, Coast, and Downeast. A few thunderstorms are even possible closer to the coast.

Snow will expand across areas to the northwest of the interstate this evening, reaching all the way down to Interior Midcoast communities, the Bangor region, and Interior Downeast areas by sunset and into the start of the night. Precipitation will taper off across Western Maine shortly after sunset, before exiting the entire state around midnight tonight. High temps today will vary from the low 40s to low 50s with SSE to NW gusts reaching 20-25 mph.

WABI Weather 4/19/26 AM(WABI)

Snowfall totals will vary under 2 inches across Western, Northern, and Interior Downeast locations. However, a few pockets of 2-4 inches are possible, mostly in higher elevations across the mountains. Rainfall totals will accumulate around a half inch to three quarters of an inch when all is said and done.

Precipitation will be out of Maine by midnight tonight, with cloudy conditions giving way to mostly clear skies by sunrise. Lows overnight will dip back below freezing across much of the state, from the low 20s to mid 30s tonight, so cover up any plants or flowers outside. WNW gusts will reach 20-25 mph. A Small Craft Advisory is expected offshore.

Skies will be partly to mostly sunny across the interstate and coast on Monday morning. However, by the late morning to midday hours, clouds will build with a few scattered rain and snow showers in spots. Conditions will remain on the cloudier side in the afternoon before clearing up around sunset into the start of Monday night. Highs will be chilly on Monday, from the low 30s to upper 40s. WNW to SW gusts will be a bit breezy, reaching 20-25 mph, which will add to the wind chill factor.

High pressure will build on Monday night, remaining overhead on Tuesday. Skies will be sunny in the morning, becoming partly to mostly sunny in the afternoon. Highs will remain cool, in the 40s across the board with North to SW gusts only reaching 15-20 mph.

A weaker low-pressure system could bring showers across Maine on Wednesday and Thursday. There is a bit of model uncertainty on exactly when it will impact Maine. The GFS has impacts on Wednesday, while the EURO, GRAF, and GDPS models have most of the impacts on Thursday. We will continue to monitor this system and potential impacts. All it looks to provide as of now are cloudier skies and rain showers, with some snow shower chances farther to the North.

By Friday and Saturday, conditions are trending on the drier side with sunshine and average temperatures returning to the forecast.

SUNDAY: Highs from low 40s to low 50s. Cloudy with AM fog. Rain becoming widespread throughout the day, turning over to snow to the north & west during PM. SSE to NW gusts reach 20-25 mph.

MONDAY: Highs from low 30s to upper 40s. Partly to mostly sunny early. Developing clouds with scattered rain/snow showers by midday/afternoon. WNW to SW gusts reach 20-25 mph.

TUESDAY: Highs throughout the 40s. Sunnier AM. Partly to mostly sunny PM. North to SW gusts reach 15-20 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Highs from low 40s to low 50s. Mostly cloudy with a few rain showers. Few AM snow showers possible North. SSE to SSW gusts reach 20-25 mph.

THURSDAY: Highs from mid 40s to mid 50s. Cloudier skies with rain showers possible. Some AM snow showers possible North. NW gusts reach 20-25 mph.

FRIDAY: Highs from upper 40s to mid 50s. Partly cloudy. NNW gusts reach 20 mph.

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Maine

18 jaw-dropping views from Katahdin to help you plan for warmer weather

Published

22 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

18 jaw-dropping views from Katahdin to help you plan for warmer weather

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in September 2022.

When it comes to Maine hiking, summiting Katahdin is the ultimate achievement.

Maine’s tallest mountain stands at 5,269 feet, and there are a number of different trails hikers can take to get up and down Katahdin. And while some are harder than others, none are easy.

But the views are incredible.

Whether it’s the rugged terrain of the Knife Edge or the vast landscape of the 200,000 acres that compose Baxter State Park below, here’s a look at what it’s like to climb Katahdin.

Hunt Trail

Hunt Trail traces the edge of a ridge on the west side of Katahdin known as Hunt Spur. Credit: Aislinn Sarnacki / BDN

Katahdin Stream Falls is one of the many scenic highlights of Katahdin’s Hunt Trail. It’s located about a mile from the trailhead at Katahdin Stream Campground. Credit: Aislinn Sarnacki / BDN

Abol Trail

Chimney Pond Trail

Cathedral Trail

Saddle Trail

Northwest Basin Trail

Knife Edge

Hikers on the Knife Edge of Katahdin have few options for getting off trail to relieve themselves of human waste. Above treeline, Leave No Trace principles recommend planning ahead to avoid the necessity of going to the bathroom in fragile alpine areas, or getting off trail as far as possible to relieve themselves on rock or gravel. Credit: Courtesy of Brad Viles

Tablelands

South Peak

Hamlin Peak

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Maine

Maine Township Residents OK Purchase Of Building For Food Pantry – Journal & Topics Media Group

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Maine Township Residents OK Purchase Of Building For Food Pantry – Journal & Topics Media Group

Maine Township residents vote in support of purchasing building for the relocation of the township food pantry.

A proposal for Maine Township to purchase a building at 9850 Milwaukee Ave. in Glenview to move its popular and growing food pantry received strong approval at the township’s Annual Meeting held last week at the Town Hall on Ballard Road.
More than 100 residents attended the meeting where they approved buying the property for $1,429,000. The 3,000 sq. ft. building, which is located within the township, had been the home of a local restaurant. It is currently vacant.
In March, Supervisor Kim Jones explained that the food pantry needs more space for food and to accommodate clients who need food. “We’ve totally outgrown it,” said Jones at the time. “We’ve been looking for more than a year.”
Following last week’s meeting, Jones said about the vote, “That magical moment really encapsulated the strong support system that’s been built from neighbors helping neighbors throughout our community. The food pantry has grown in leaps and bounds throughout the last five years thanks to the dedicated work of its staff, volunteers and the public.”
Des Plaines City Clerk Dominik Bronakowski served as ceremonial moderator for the event.
Jones also recognized a number of employees and officials who currently serve the township. They included Assessor Susan Moylan-Krey and MaineStay Youth and Family Services Director Richard Lyon for their 20 years of service to Maine. Assistant Director of MaineStreamers, Therese Tully was recognized for her 25 years of service.
The meeting also recognized former Des Plaines Self-Help Closet and Pantry Director Debbie Walusiak who was presented the Sgt. Karen Lader Good Citizen Award for her more than 20 years of service to the Des Plaines community.
“Debbie is an exceptional community leader and volunteer,” said township Clerk Pete Gialamas whose office runs the annual award program. “Her work with the Des Plaines community, particularly her leadership navigating the Self-Help Closet and Pantry’s 2020 move to a larger location in the midst of the COVID pandemic really shows the depth and resolve of that leadership and dedication to service.”
In 2011, the clerk’s office instituted the award in honor of Lader, a resident of Des Plaines and a 15-year veteran of the Cook County Sheriff’s Police who lost her battle with cancer in 2010. She was deeply involved with the township’s Neighborhood Watch program and active in Maine’s National Night Out Against Crime event held each August. She also worked on Special Olympics and animal rescue.

If you like this story, you can get a whole lot more practically every day of the week by subscribing to journal-topics.com. Click here to choose your preference of either print or online, or call 847-299-5511.

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