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State of Maine: First-time candidate Milliken has lived the challenges of her district  – Mount Desert Islander

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State of Maine: First-time candidate Milliken has lived the challenges of her district  – Mount Desert Islander


Nina Milliken, a Blue Hill Democrat operating for Home District 16, is fast to confess she “is perhaps nuts.” She has three younger youngsters, one fairly teensy. It was a chat with former consultant Genevieve McDonald, a mom of dual infants when she was first elected, that satisfied Milliken to go for it. 

Although she could also be a first-time candidate, there’s a lot in her background that has ready her for the Legislature ought to she be elected. She has lived the challenges she describes as most urgent in her space: youngster care, reasonably priced housing and the rising impression of rental properties on year-round housing alternatives, particularly for coastal communities.  

For the reason that pandemic, she says, extra individuals have moved to the realm with the intention of staying year-round. That has a constructive impression in some ways but additionally requires adjustment by the locals. Milliken herself has lived in Blue Hill year-round for a couple of decade however has household connections and a private historical past there for for much longer. The Blue Hill village seems to be fairly prefer it did 40 years in the past however with much more vehicles. 

Each Milliken and her Republican challenger, Steve Hanrahan, are conscious of the distinctions made between “locals” and “individuals from away.” It’s much less of a vibrant line than it was once, however it’s nonetheless there. Milliken feels that strengthening neighborhood is important to addressing social issues. 

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Milliken doesn’t simply take into consideration these neighborhood issues within the summary. She has information, numerous information, and might readily spill it out as she discusses the ageing inhabitants, training challenges and different points on the minds of residents of Castine, Sedgwick, Brooksville, Blue Hill, Surry and Trenton. 

Trenton was one of many few contested modifications in final 12 months’s redistricting course of. Maine legislation requires that electoral districts be contiguous, which Trenton is, says Milliken, “if you happen to take away the water.” By land, it requires a drive by means of Ellsworth to achieve the easternmost city in District 16. 

Milliken has an excellent background for legislative service. Sitting in her screened porch, child asleep and older children within the care of a neighboring teenager, the tranquil environment and Milliken’s prepared smile alternate with flashes of deep goal and willpower. She describes her work with Wholesome Acadia and the George Stevens Academy to safe a provide of Narcan for managing drug overdoses, citing 300 doses obtained and 68 individuals skilled in its use. She want to see it available all through the neighborhood for speedy response to an overdose disaster. 

Milliken says public training “is my realm.” She has a instructing certificates from School of the Atlantic and works half time on the Blue Hill Harbor Faculty. She was elected to the Blue Hill Faculty Board in 2021. She describes herself as “opinionated however compassionate.” She significantly likes working with adolescents. 

She was a neighborhood educator and a sufferer advocate at Downeast Sexual Assault Providers, a place by which she coordinated companies between her company and faculties in Washington and Hancock counties. She already has her eye on alternatives within the Legislature to help younger individuals, strengthen the social infrastructure and develop day care alternatives.  

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Her curiosity in psychological well being points facilities on making it simpler for individuals to navigate the care community, and to deal with and discover extra remedy alternatives for substance addictions. She additionally desires to see enhancements locally response to psychological well being crises and thinks that statewide, extra remedy capability should be developed. She believes that connecting individuals to acceptable companies is vital to thriving communities. 

She sees herself as “socially linked” in most communities in District 16 however is getting out and about to fulfill extra voters. She hosts “Espresso with the Candidate” periodically (notices are on her Fb web page) and is completely satisfied to fulfill with individuals anyplace within the district to speak about no matter is on voters’ minds.  

Milliken and her household are lively outdoor individuals who take pleasure in climbing and tenting. She has launched her youngsters to volunteering on conserved lands within the space from an early age. She has been a cook dinner at an area restaurant. 

Her expertise has given her perception into Maine from a wide range of views and has developed her abilities in networking all through coastal Hancock County and past, a necessary benefit for a legislator. There shall be alternatives to see the 2 District 16 candidates in a number of boards, together with in a League of Ladies Voters Zoom dialog in mid-October. Examine the LWV web site for specifics. 

This shall be an fascinating contest. The candidates have clear philosophical variations however share comparable convictions about life in rural Maine and the position a legislator ought to play in rural communities. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Get out and vote. 

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Jill Goldthwait labored for 25 years as a registered nurse at Mount Desert Island Hospital. She has served as a Bar Harbor city councilor and as an unbiased state senator from Hancock County. 

 

  

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Jill Goldthwait labored for 25 years as a registered nurse at Mount Desert Island Hospital. She has served as a Bar Harbor city councilor and as an unbiased state senator from Hancock County.

Jill Goldthwait
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Maine

Increasing tobacco tax, AI protections among 2025 Maine health priorities

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Health experts and advocates are prioritizing a wide range of issues in the upcoming legislative session, spanning from the tobacco tax and artificial intelligence protections to measures that address children’s behavioral health, medical cannabis and workforce shortages.

Matt Wellington, associate director of the Maine Public Health Association, said his organization will push to increase the tobacco tax, which he said has not been increased in 20 years, in order to fund efforts to reduce rates of cancer.

Maine has a higher cancer incidence rate than the national average, yet one of the lowest tobacco taxes in the region.

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“One in three Mainers will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime,” Wellington said. “We’re putting a big emphasis on educating lawmakers about all of the tools at our disposal to prevent cancer and to reduce the incidence of cancer in our state.”

MPHA also supports efforts to update landlord-tenant regulations to create safer housing that can handle extreme weather events and high heat days by requiring air conditioning and making sure water damage is covered to prevent mold.

Wellington also emphasized expanding the breadth of issues local boards of health are allowed to weigh in on beyond the current scope of nuisance issues such as rodents, and establishing a testing, tracking and tracing requirement for the medical cannabis program.

Dr. Henk Goorhuis, co-chair of the Maine Medical Association legislative committee, said he is concerned about the use of artificial intelligence in denial of prior authorizations by health insurance companies and said there are some steps the state could take.

Both Goorhuis and Dr. Scott Hanson, MMA president, emphasized stronger gun safety protections.

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“The Maine Medical Association, and the Maine Gun Safety Coalition and the American Academy of Pediatricians … we’re all not convinced that Maine’s system is as good as it can be,” Hanson said.

Goorhuis added that while he thinks Maine has made progress on reproductive autonomy, it will be important to watch what could happen at the federal level and whether there will be repercussions here in Maine.

Jess Maurer, executive director of the Maine Council on Aging, and Arthur Phillips, the economic policy analyst with the Maine Center for Economic Policy, both said they are working on an omnibus bill to grow the essential care and support workforce and close gaps in care.

Maurer said this bill will include a pay raise for Mainers caring for older adults and people with intellectual and physical disabilities; an effort to study gaps in care; the use of technology to monitor how people are getting care; and the creation of a universal worker credential.

Phillips said he hopes lawmakers will pursue reimbursement for wages at 140 percent of minimum wage. A report he published this summer estimated that the state needs an additional 2,300 full-time care workers, and called for the Medicaid reimbursement rate for direct care to be increased.

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Maurer said Area Agencies on Aging are “overburdened” with demand for services and at least three have waitlists for Meals on Wheels. She is pushing for a bill that would increase funding for these agencies and the services they provide.

John Brautigam, with Legal Services for Maine Elders, said his organization is focused on making sure the Medicare Savings Program expansion is implemented as intended.

He’s following consumer protection initiatives, including those relating to medical debt collection, and supports the proposed regulations for assisted housing programs, which will go to lawmakers this session.

Brautigam said he’s also advocating for legislation that will protect older Mainers’ housing, adequate funding for civil legal service providers and possible steps to restructure the probate court system to bring it in line with the state’s other courts.

Jeffrey Austin, vice president of government affairs for the Maine Hospital Association, said he’s focused on protecting the federal 340B program, which permits eligible providers, such as nonprofit hospitals and federally qualified health centers, to purchase certain drugs at a discount.

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Austin said this program is crucial for serving certain populations, including the uninsured, but the pharmaceutical industry has been trying to “erode” the program. Maine hospitals lost roughly $75 million last year due to challenges to the program, he said.

Katie Fullam Harris,  chief government affairs officer for MaineHealth, also highlighted protecting 340B. She said that although it’s a federal program, there are some steps Maine could take to protect it at a local level, as other states have done.

Both Austin and Harris said there is more work to be done on providing behavioral health services for children so they aren’t stuck in hospital emergency rooms or psychiatric units. Harris said there will potentially be multiple bills that aim to increase in-home support systems and create more residential capacity. 

Austin said there’s a second aspect of Mainers getting stuck in hospitals: older adults with nowhere to be discharged. Improving the long-term care eligibility process will make this more effective. For example, there’s currently a mileage limit on how far away someone can be placed in long-term care, but that’s no longer realistic due to nursing home closures, he said.

This story was originally published by The Maine Monitor, a nonprofit civic news organization. To get regular coverage from the Monitor, sign up for a free Monitor newsletter here.

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Watch these otters playing in the Maine woods

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Watch these otters playing in the Maine woods


River otters are members of the weasel family, and are equally comfortable on land or in the water.

They probably are the most fun mammal Maine has, just because they like to play. But their play antics have a more serious purpose too. They teach their young survival skills, and hone their own, that way.

You will see them slide down riverbanks and muddy or snowy hills, wrestle with each other, bellyflop, somersault or juggle rocks while lying on their backs, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

The otters in this video courtesy of Colin Chase have found a fun log to include in their games.

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Otters are social creatures but usually live alone in pairs. Parents raise two or three kits that are born in spring in a den near a river or stream, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website says.

They primarily eat fish, but also shellfish, crayfish and sometimes turtles, snakes, muskrats and small beavers, according to the MDIF&W.

Otters can swim up to a quarter mile under water, and their noses and ears close while they are submerged. They also have a membrane that closes over their eyes so they can see better under water, the Smithsonian said.

They are mostly nocturnal so it’s a treat to see them during the day, playing or hunting for food.



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Maine State Police respond to dozens of highway crashes amid Saturday snow

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Maine State Police respond to dozens of highway crashes amid Saturday snow


Maine State Police responded to more than 50 crashes and road slide-offs Saturday after southern Maine woke up to some light snowfall.

Police were responding to several crashes on the Maine Turnpike (Interstate 95) and Interstate 295 south of Augusta, state police said in a Facebook message posted around 10 a.m. Saturday.

Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss said that as of early Saturday afternoon, more than 50 crashes had been reported on the turnpike and I-295.

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“The Turnpike has seen 24 crashes and slide offs primarily between Kittery and Falmouth with a higher concentration in Saco,” Moss wrote in an email. “The interstate has seen about 30 crashes and slide offs also in the Falmouth area but now in Lincoln and heading north.”

Moss said no injuries have been reported in any of the crashes.

“So far it appears visibility and driving too fast for road conditions are the causation factors,” Moss said.

State police reminded drivers to take caution, especially during snowy conditions, in the Facebook post.

“Please drive with extra care and give yourself plenty of space between you and the other vehicles on the roadway,” the post said. “Give the MDOT and Turnpike plows extra consideration and space to do their jobs to clear the roadway. Drive slow, plan for the extra time to get to your destination and be safe.”

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