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This Maine City Has Been Named One of the Happiest in the Nation

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This Maine City Has Been Named One of the Happiest in the Nation


The latest happiness report is out, and Portland has passed with flying colors.

Wallethub.com, a personal finance website, recently published its annual report on the happiest cities in America. Maine’s largest city was rather far up on the list.

Portland came in as the 17th happiest city in America, and the happiest in all of New England. This’s quite the achievement for our little city. Apparently happy things do come in small packages.

The study included every state’s two largest cities, plus the top 150 cities in the nation. Portland’s actual happiness score was a 63.46. The scoring was based on a 100-point system. Three major categories were used: emotional & physical well-being, income & employment rank, and community & environment rank. These categories were broken down into 29 subcategories, making it as detailed as possible. You can read about the methodology here.

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Portland’s rankings were all found in the top 50. The lowest score could be found in emotional & physical well-being, where Portland finished with a ranking of 43rd. While lower than the others, it’s still a solid top 50 placing.

Portland’s second-best score could be found in community & environment. The city finished a ranking of 27th. I’m surprised it was this low, considering the city’s green space and overall safety. However, 27th is one of the best scores, so perhaps I’m just nitpicky.

Where Portland really shined was its income & employment rank, having finished as the third best in the nation. This category included metrics like job security, job satisfaction, and commute time. It’s really no surprise to see Portland finish so highly. However, it wasn’t the highest-ranked Maine city. That went to Lewiston, that finished as the number one city in America in this category, though sadly just 133rd overall, when combining all the metrics.

Obviously, it’s great to see Portland finish so strongly in this poll, but it shouldn’t be a shock to any of us here. Portland is a wonderful city, full of life, culture, delicious food, and vibrance. It’s easily walkable, bike-friendly, and literally has no traffic. Small cities just know how to do it better.

So, how did the rest if New England score? Here are the results.

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Burlington, VT – 23
South Burlington, VT – 54
Boston, MA – 58
Nashua, NH – 64
Manchester, NH – 88
Worcester, MA – 97
Providence, RI – 102
Bridgeport, CT – 105
New Haven, CT – 114
Warwick, RI – 119
Lewiston, ME – 133

Wallethub’s happiest city went to Fremont, CA, followed by Overland Park, KS, and San Jose, CA. The most miserable city on the list was the fine hamlet of Detroit. Hey, at least the Lions are good now. You can check out the entire list here.

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The Worst Movie Every Year Since 1980

Here are several generations’ worth of crummy movies — the single worst movie released each year from 1980 to today.

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Maine

Car catches fire on Maine Turnpike in Kennebunk

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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.

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Nobody was hurt.

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Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames.



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

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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.

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

Moriah Freeman
Brunswick

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

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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.

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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

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

Copyright 2026 WABI. All rights reserved.



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