Maine

Storm Washes Away Maine's Historic Fishing Shacks

Published

2 years ago

January 15, 2024

Storm Washes Away Maine's Historic Fishing Shacks

For more than a century, fishing shacks sat at Fisherman’s Point, Willard Beach, in South Portland, Maine—until Saturday, when a record high tide washed them away. Water levels reached higher than 14 feet, leading to significant flooding damage, USA Today reports. The three iconic shacks, often used as a backdrop for photos or even marriage proposals, were among the casualties. They were the last of a series of shacks built by fishermen along the shore and moved to Fisherman’s Point in the 1880s, and had just been repaired and repainted last October. Saturday’s storm also brought high winds, reports the Bangor Daily News, which gives a rundown of the damage.

“It’s sad they’re gone,” one local tells the Portland Press Herald of the fishing shacks. “I take a picture of those shacks every single morning. And I have for years.” The South Portland Historical Society says it is launching a fundraising campaign to raise money for historically accurate reproductions of the shacks to be constructed. In late 2022, concerned about the potential loss of the shacks, the society had architectural drawings and 360-degree images of the shacks recorded. Of the original shacks, many were lost early on to vandalism or storms, but five survived at Fisherman’s Point until 1978, when two were lost in a storm. (Read more Maine stories.)

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Maine

Car catches fire on Maine Turnpike in Kennebunk

Published

4 hours ago

May 31, 2026

Press Room

Car catches fire on Maine Turnpike in Kennebunk

KENNEBUNK, Maine (WGME) — A car caught on fire on the Maine turnpike Saturday.

It happened in Kennebunk in the southbound lanes of the turnpike.

A car caught on fire on the Maine turnpike Saturday. (Courtesy of Kennebunk Fire Rescue)

You can see a large cloud of black smoke coming from the scene.

Nobody was hurt.

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Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames.

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Maine

In Maine governor’s race, connection is preferable to cronyism | Letter

Published

14 hours ago

May 31, 2026

Press Room

In Maine governor’s race, connection is preferable to cronyism | Letter

After Maine’s first Democratic gubernatorial debate, I commented that the candidates seemed to be vying with each other to be agreeable. Would it last? Back then, I thought I’d be happy with any of them as Maine’s next governor.

Not so now, as I observe the cronyism of Shenna Bellows, Troy Jackson and Hannah Pingree, whose plan to rank each other when they vote provides a blueprint for gaming the ranked-choice voting system in the primary. The political insiders are forming an alliance against the outsiders, Nirav Shah and Angus King III.

Shah’s campaign responded that it would stay focused on winning voters’ support, a more principled approach, in my estimation.

I prefer a governor who listens and learns from his constituents over one experienced at alliances and deal-making. I want integrity and leadership, not manipulation and exclusion.

I no longer believe that Bellows, Jackson or Pingree would make a good governor.

Moriah Freeman
Brunswick

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Maine

WSJ: Maine Senate candidate’s wife says she found explicit texts on his phone

Published

1 day ago

May 30, 2026

Press Room

WSJ: Maine Senate candidate’s wife says she found explicit texts on his phone

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) – A Wall Street Journal article reports that Amy Gertner, the wife of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, told campaign aides she found sexually explicit text messages on Platner’s phone after he launched his bid for office last year.

According to the report, Gertner disclosed the messages while aides were conducting opposition research, and she asked a campaign aide to review what Platner had sent—reportedly to several women—to determine whether it could become a liability for his campaign.

The Wall Street Journal reports Gertner believed she was confiding in someone she considered a friend.

The article also states the couple discussed the messages in marriage counseling.

In a statement from Gertner provided by the Platner campaign, she wrote that they have gone through counseling and that their marriage today “is stronger than ever before.”

Amy Gertner provided a statement through the Platner campaign.

“I confided deeply personal details about my marriage to someone I considered a friend. In the months since, I have had to watch as she spread malicious gossip to anyone who would take her call. I trusted this person with the most private chapter of our lives – the early days of our marriage before any campaign was on our mind – and I am deeply hurt by her betrayal and the invasion of our privacy.

“It is no secret that Graham and I have struggled on our fertility journey. We did the hard work that marriage requires. We went to counseling. We were honest with each other in ways that weren’t easy. And we came through it, not in spite of how much we’ve been through, but because of how much we love each other and the life we’ve built. Our marriage today is stronger than ever before.

“I know who Graham is. I know the man I married and the husband he has been to me on the best and the worst days of my life. That hasn’t changed, and it won’t.” – Amy Gertner

Platner and Gertner married in 2024, according to the report.

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