Articles by Patrick Whittle

Disaster Aid Approved for April Snowstorm’s Millions in Damages in Maine

A powerful late-season snowstorm that caused millions of dollars in damage in Maine was a major disaster, the federal government has declared. The disaster declaration by President Joe Biden will help clear the way for funding to help rebuild. The …

Maine to Spend $25 Million to Rebuild Waterfront Damaged by Winter Storms

Maine waterfrontMaine’s government will spend tens of millions of dollars to rebuild the state’s working waterfront communities after a series of devastating winter storms pummeled the state’s docks, wharves and coastal businesses. The back-to-back storms hammered the Northeast in January …

Maine Alters ‘Yellow Flag’ Law, Expands Mental Health Care in Wake of Shootings

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has signed into law a suite of gun safety legislation approved by lawmakers after the deadliest mass shooting in state history, expanding background checks for private sales of weapons, bolstering the state’s “yellow flag” law, criminalizing …

Youth, Environmental Groups Sue Maine to Force Action on Climate

A youth organization and a pair of environmental groups are suing the state of Maine to try to force the state to reduce carbon emissions in the era of climate change. Maine Youth Action, the Conservation Law Foundation and the …

Northeast Warned to Expect More Floods Like This Winter’s

After back-to-back storms lashed the Northeast in January, rental properties Haim Levy owns in coastal Hampton, New Hampshire, were hammered by nearly two feet of water, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and causing him to evacuate …

Lobstermen’s Suit Against Conservation Group Over ‘Do-Not-Eat’ List Dropped

A California court has dismissed a lawsuit from a group of fishermen against a conservation group that added New England lobster to its list of seafood to avoid. The lawsuit stemmed from a decision by Seafood Watch, which rates the …

Storm in Northeast Take 5 Lives; Causes Power Outages, Floods, Road Damage

Just days before the Christmas holiday, people across the northeastern U.S. were mopping up Tuesday after a major storm dumped torrential rains and brought damaging winds from Pennsylvania to Maine, as some rivers in the region rose even higher. At …

Northeastern Storm Causes Power Outages, Flooded Roads, Fallen Trees, Travel Delays

A storm barreled up the East Coast on Monday, flooding roads and downing trees in the Northeast, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, and forcing flight cancelations and school closures. More than 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain had …

Lawmakers Urge Expanded Safety and Mental Health Programs for Commercial Fishermen

A federal program that protects the health and wellbeing of commercial fishermen should be expanded to include substance use disorder and worker fatigue, a group of lawmakers from New England and Alaska said. The lawmakers want to expand a federal …

Cannabis Industry Reports First Worker Death From Asthma Attack

The U.S. cannabis production industry’s first reported occupational asthma death took the life of a worker in Massachusetts, federal health and safety officials said. The woman, 27, was working in a cannabis cultivation and processing facility when she experienced worsening …