Maine

Reality intrudes on a magical slice of Maine | Opinion

Published

10 months ago

May 4, 2025

Reality intrudes on a magical slice of Maine | Opinion

In 1991, my father-in-law purchased a modest three-bedroom bungalow in Kennebunk Beach, Maine, as a 60th birthday gift to himself — a retirement haven nestled 470 kilometers from Westmount, Quebec. It was, and still is, the closest ocean to Montreal. The dollar was almost at par. The drive south, winding through New Hampshire’s rugged Dixville Notch State Park, was as much a part of the journey as the destination itself. The mountains were the overture to the sea.

The driving route traces a dizzying map of backroads, crossing the border at a ramshackle outpost between Canaan-Hereford Road in Vermont and Saint-Herménégilde, Quebec. There, the Canaan Line House, a sagging two-story relic straddling the international boundary, stands as a monument to a bygone era. Its splintered walls once buzzed with Prohibition-era revelers — Americans slipping through the internal door to the Canadian side for a legal drink, then back again, smuggling laughter and liquor under the radar. A century later, the building’s decay has elevated it to folklore, its warped floors, broken windows and sagging roofline whispering secrets of bootleggers and blurred borders.

Back then, crossing into the U.S. felt like stepping into a neighbor’s kitchen. A driver’s license — or a Bloomingdale’s card, or a grocery receipt scrawled with your name — was passport enough. No one scrutinized the apples in your trunk for forbidden stickers, or asked about firearms, or cared how long you’d stay. The trust was implicit, the camaraderie effortless. But on June 1, 2009, the rules tightened. After passports became mandatory, the line between “us” and “them” thickened like a fog rolling in off the Atlantic.

Kennebunk itself is a study in contrasts. A few miles from our bungalow, the Bush family estate, Walker’s Point, juts into the sea, all granite rock and New England grandeur — a symbol of generational wealth. Yet our corner of the cove near Mother’s Beach clings defiantly to its unpretentious charm, sheltering working artists, lobstermen and families who call it home year-round.

Reid Hannaford

Wherever you find yourself, sandpipers dart through tide pools, bald eagles circle above and periwinkles cling to rocks untouched by manicured hands. The garden in front of our house mirrors this duality, a steadfast contrast to the ocean’s restless expanse: a collection of fairy houses, dozens of bird feeders and rosa rugosa battling invasive bittersweet. At the entrance, two hand-painted wooden birdhouses stand sentinel: one adorned with a Canadian maple leaf, the other with American stars and stripes. By the water, a flagpole flies both nations’ colors — the U.S. flag always higher, a nod to geography, though the Canadian one dances just as fiercely in the salty wind.

When my father-in-law passed away, we inherited more than a house. We inherited the garden: a borderless bird sanctuary for all to enter. We also inherited sand dollars scattered like porcelain coins at low tide, a little deck where we’d watch storms roll in, and the rhythms of a town where neighbors still share clambake recipes and spare keys. Kennebunk’s soul lies in its volunteer garbage removal on Gooch’s Beach, its lobster boats chugging home at dusk, its annual debate over the price of a lobster roll. People are kind. They drop off cookies, haddock soup and tomatoes from their gardens. They lend wheelbarrows. We’ve never been separated by our nationality. Yet even here, change gnaws at the edges.

Reid Hannaford

For years, I told myself the garden’s magic — its defiant whimsy, its binational birdsong — was immune to politics. The flags, after all, had fluttered in harmony through decades of diplomatic spats. But lately, the world beyond the cove feels unmoored.

When border agents began rifling through phones, when “America First” curdled into hostility toward old allies, when President Donald Trump took aim at Canada — tariffs, insults, the unraveling of a century’s trust — I felt the ground shift. “Governor” Trudeau was an unforgivable slight. I’ve never been more proud of our former Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. He united us all when, hand over heart, he said, “Canada will never become the 51st state.”

But uncertainty is no longer confined to politics; it seeps into the air, the water, the land itself.

And so that little sandpiper — a newly endangered species — once a metaphor for resilience, now seems an omen: a creature scuttling from encroaching tides and climate change, its habitat vanishing, never certain where the next wave will break.

Yet the little ocean garden persists.

The fairy houses still gather moss, Elmira Gulch’s red bicycle rusts poetically in the shadows by the woodpile, and the bittersweet claws its way through every crack, speaking the language of invincibility. Maybe borders, like shorelines, are not fixed but negotiated — day by day, storm by storm. I can still sprinkle pixie dust in the wishing well and plant another rugosa, its thorns a quiet promise: roots run deeper than fences. The flags still fly. The eagles still circle. And somewhere in the Canaan Line House, a loose floorboard still creaks beneath the weight of history, a reminder that even the most rigid lines can, in time, bend.

Tears blur these words, the saltwater kinship with the sea. Deep down, I feel it — the fracture, the cracks, irreversible, like a sand dollar shattered beneath a boot. Yet here I stand, clinging to love’s stubborn algebra, its relentless proof that fractions can still become whole. They must. To paraphrase Hemingway, we need to find our power in the broken places. For what else can we plant in the cracks but seeds of belief, seeds of trust, seeds of love?

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Maine

Maine man accused of lighting bed on fire after fight with girlfriend

Published

15 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Maine man accused of lighting bed on fire after fight with girlfriend

WISCASSET, Maine (WMTW) – A Maine man has been arrested after police say he intentionally set a bed on fire after a dispute with his girlfriend, while they were still in it.

Police responded Monday, March 9, to a report of a fire that had been intentionally set inside a home on Beechnut Hill Road, according to the Wiscasset Police Department.

Investigators say the homeowner, Terry Couture, 41, set the bed on fire following an argument while both he and his girlfriend were in it. Authorities said the fire was extinguished and no serious injuries were reported.

Couture was arrested and charged with attempted murder, arson, aggravated criminal mischief, and domestic violence criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Maine

Celebrate Maine Maple Weekend at Williams Family Farm

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Celebrate Maine Maple Weekend at Williams Family Farm

CLIFTON, Maine (WABI) – Maine Maple Sunday is less than two weeks away, and the Williams Family Farm in Clifton is gearing up for one of the sweetest seasons yet.

A long stretch of frost and snow meant a late start this year, but the first boil of sap has finally run through the evaporator, and maple season is officially underway.

At Williams Family Farm, everything is done by hand:

Fresh maple syrup, bottled on-site
Maple sugar, carefully extracted in small batches
Baked candied pecans, cashews, and more

The Williams family has spent years working with whatever weather sends their way.

Long winters, surprise warmups, and everything in between—they’ve learned how to adapt so community members can enjoy their products.

As co-owner John Williams explains, the key is in the temperature.

“You need to have it warm during the day and still freezing at night, so typically that’s the middle of February,” said Williams. “We have a lot of trees, so we have to start tapping them before the conditions are ideal, so we start tapping way before it’s time for it to run just so we can get them all tapped. If you have ten trees in your backyard, you want to wait until roughly now, the middle of February to now, and when it’s actually running and put them in then because you can put all your taps in, in one day.”

They’re excited to welcome the community during Maine Maple Weekend on March 21 and 22.

They will be boiling up sap, hosting demonstrations, and providing free samples.

Locals can also join them for their third annual pancake breakfast where all proceeds are donated to Holbrook Recreation.

Follow the link to find out their hours for March and more.

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Maine

AI comes with dangers and opportunities. How is Maine responding?

Published

2 days ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

AI comes with dangers and opportunities. How is Maine responding?

People watch from the gallery during a 2026 House of Representatives session at the Maine State House in Augusta. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)

The ad begins with a woman standing in a department store who sort of looks like Gov. Janet Mills, but not quite.

“Introducing the Janet Mills collection, featuring a confusing choice that forces girls to compete against biological males,” the female narrator says over banal instrumental music as the video cuts to “Mills” holding a stopwatch by an outdoor track.

The Mills collection comes “with a no-parent-permission-required estrogen kit,” the narrator continues, as the imposter holds a kit of syringes while patting a boy’s hair, which seems suspiciously stiff. The commercial ends with a real picture of the governor.

As far as ads generated by artificial intelligence go, the one from the National Republican Senatorial Committee is not very convincing. But the commercial serves as a reminder about how the emerging technology is being integrated into political campaigns and other areas of life in Maine.

If state Democratic leaders get their way, AI-generated ads like this won’t be allowed in Maine without a disclaimer.

As AI technology rapidly improves, state policymakers are weighing a variety of measures that could affect how Mainers interact with it. They are taking a two-pronged approach to protect people, especially children, from potential harms — while also preparing for the possible benefits.

Gov. Janet Mills acknowledges the Maine State Legislature as she begins her final State of the State Address in the House Chamber in Augusta on Jan. 27 (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer)

The technology comes in the form of virtual personal assistants, internet search results and targeted advertising by businesses. It’s being used by governments for things ranging from traffic signals to budgets and policymaking to facial recognition to surveillance.

Mills said in a written statement that AI could help improve lives, drive economic growth and solve complex problems, but that it must be used in a “prudent, responsible, and ethical manner.”

“As AI becomes more prevalent in our society, its considerable promise must be balanced against harms — known and unforeseen — that can emerge from its widespread use,” she said. “It’s clear we’re only at the beginning of AI’s evolution.”

The governor has proposed $6.7 million in her supplemental budget to begin implementing some of the recommendations of a 21-member task force she created last year to study the issue.

Her proposal, which is being reviewed by lawmakers, would create a statewide AI literacy campaign; fund local and state partnerships to help municipalities use the technology and offer grants to support job training programs to keep Maine’s workforce competitive and productive in AI-enabled workplaces, among other things.

Lawmakers, meanwhile, are considering bills to address potential harms. In a rare bipartisan move, Republicans and Democrats voted unanimously last month in support of a bill (LD 524) making AI-generated child sex abuse material illegal. But that bill must receive about $55,000 before it can be sent to the governor.

They are also considering bills:

To require political ads in state and local elections to include a disclosure when AI-generated or altered material is used (LD 517).
To stop human-like chatbots or social AI companions from interacting with children (LD 2162).
And to regulate how the technology is used in mental health settings (LD 2082).

Last year, lawmakers passed a measure including AI-generated images in the state’s ban on so-called “revenge porn,” and one requiring companies to inform consumers when they’re interacting with an AI assistant. Mills signed both into law.

Other proposals regulating AI use in medical and dental insurance claims and in setting rents died in committees. So did one prohibiting the use of AI in “dynamic pricing,” in which businesses use the technology to offer different real-time prices to different consumers.

Over 1,000 measures focusing on artificial intelligence were debated in state capitols last year, the National Conference of State Legislatures said.

Some states, such as Colorado and California, are taking steps to enact a broad regulatory framework for AI. California has provisions preventing discrimination in the workplace and requiring watermarks on AI content and transparency around data used to produce reports.

But Maine lawmakers are seeking to address potential harms on a case-by-case basis — at least for now.

Rep. Amy Kuhn. D-Falmouth, is leading House Democratic efforts to regulate artificial intelligence. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)

“I think of it as almost a whack-a-mole type of approach where we are developing legislation that very narrowly addresses specific harms of AI,” said Rep. Amy Kuhn, D-Falmouth, who is taking the lead for House Democrats.

“That sort of overarching regulatory framework just feels a little premature for Maine to me right now. I want to see that work its way through the states and let some other states take a swing before we get in there.”

Republicans, however, are worried about overregulation.

Rep. Jennifer Poirier, R-Skowhegan, supports protecting children from artificial intelligence caused by AI, but thinks adults need to use common sense. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)

Rep. Jennifer Poirier, R-Skowhegan, said her caucus is focused on protecting children from potential harms associated with AI, but she worries that regulation will never keep up with AI’s evolution.

“You can’t always legislate your way out of everything,” Poirier said. “If you have a minor that has access to AI, and it can be used to harm them in any way, it’s our responsibility as adults to keep them safe. … But we are adults, and we need to use our own common sense.”

A recent poll from Pan Atlantic Research showed widespread concern about AI, with 66% of the 810 Mainers surveyed saying they’re mostly concerned about the potential problems of AI, while 25% were mostly optimistic.

More advanced programs can generate text, analyze reports and create increasingly lifelike images and videos. A recent AI video purporting to show Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt throwing down over the death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein raised alarm bells in Hollywood over its realism.

Other programs have been used by businesses in ways critics say can be exploitative. Consumer Reports recently published a story about how the online grocery shopping service Instacart used AI to charge certain customers higher prices — up to 23% more — if they were flagged as having higher incomes. Instacart reportedly stopped offering stores this option for “surveillance pricing” after the story was published in December.

A lobbying effort is underway to promote AI regulation in Maine. The “Protect What’s Human” campaign launched a website earlier this year, and a spokesperson said they have invested about $210,000 in ads supporting AI regulations. The commercials are targeting Republicans voters in the Bangor and Portland regions. The group is planning to spend another $110,000 on TV, streaming services, social media and podcasts.

Other proposals passed by the Legislature reflect lawmakers’ attempts to get ahead of the AI issue in indirect ways.

The House and Senate have each recently passed a strict data privacy law that would greatly restrict the amount of data — a person’s location, browsing and shopping histories and biometric information, for example— that companies can collect, store and sell. One of the main arguments was that such data can be used to train AI models. However, the chambers will have to iron out the differences between their two versions of the measure, LD 1822, if it is to become law.

And local residents are beginning to grapple with proposed data centers, which have been controversial in other parts of the county because they consume large amounts of water. This is especially true for centers powering AI.

Lawmakers are considering a bill, LD 307, to create a moratorium on such centers and establish a state council to study and review the impact of building them in Maine.

Construction is underway on a data center in Aroostook County, while another is being proposed in Sanford. Others have been proposed in Wiscasset and Lewiston, but did not move forward.

“This whole world is shifting to computer everything,” Poirier said, “and it’s important that we keep up with the times on that.”

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