Only in Maine
- Thread starter cany
- Start date
OMG!! A GWS heading to Maine??? How can I go in the water without soiling my undies??????? Hell, even I have seen one and it was only about 1/2 mile from shore....BREAKING: Maine just got pulled into a storyline it absolutely did not ask for…
Two tagged great white sharks — KARA and FINN — are reportedly moving toward Maine waters, and suddenly the entire coastline from Portland to Bar Harbor is looking at the ocean like it just changed its tone mid-conversation.
Out in the Atlantic? That’s their territory. Far offshore? Still normal.
But once you start hearing “tagged great white activity” anywhere near lobster boats, rocky beaches, and people who were just minding their business pulling traps at sunrise… yeah, things get a little different.
KARA is leading like she’s got somewhere specific to be. FINN right behind her like, “I’m just here to see what Maine’s about.”
Meanwhile across Maine: Portland is acting calm but definitely checking updates between coffee sips. Bar Harbor just paused mid-tour like, “Alright… that’s new.” Bangor is far enough away to feel safe… but still somehow concerned. And every lobster fisherman just looked at the water like, “Yeah… we’re gonna keep an eye on that.”
Officials say there’s no immediate danger — but that hasn’t stopped everyone from rethinking swimming plans, boat trips, and that one person who always says, “The water’s fine, just jump in.”
Because Maine already has cold water, fog, rocky coastlines, and weather that changes its mind hourly…
Now we’re adding sharks to the mix???
Welcome to Maine — where the ocean is beautiful… until it starts making announcements.
“We were doing fine… until the fins showed up.
View attachment 114459
This kind of shit is frigging ridiculous. Anything to raise some extra $$ from the dolts who don't know squat about the marine environment...
The one I read said May 18th.
?
Don’t wait until the last minute!!
Bangor, Maine has the distinction of having the cleanest air in the United States.
kesq.com
In the US, where people breathe increasingly dirty air, one small city stands out
By Jen Christensen, CNN (CNN) — The American Lung Association calls it a “grim indication of the deterioration of air quality nationwide”: Bangor, Maine, is the last city standing on all three of its “cleanest cities” lists. Bangor has zero days of unhealthy ozone and short-term particle...
kesq.com
Not only in Maine, I'm thinking all the border states are in on this...
SCARBOROUGH — Affordability. A simpler application process. The value of an international education. Novelty, adventure. Family ties in the country. There are a lot of reasons high school students in southern Maine say they’re interested in going to college in Canada.
But lately, there’s another motivation: American politics.
At the Consider Canada college tour fair at Scarborough High School this month, more than a dozen universities — all of them a closer drive to Greater Portland than most places in the U.S. — just had to convince Maine high schoolers to take a chance on crossing an international border for college.
And these days, more of them are. The number of American study permit holders in Canada reached its highest point in a decade in 2025.
Last year, after President Donald Trump took office and began to slash grant funding, threaten schools with investigations and revoke international student visas, Canadian universities started to report rising interest from American students.
“I feel like every single part of what you do in America is based on your political affiliations right now,” said Rose Dembele, a junior at Traip Academy in Kittery who attended the college fair. As a student representative on the Kittery School Committee, she said politics have become increasingly tense, and she’s looking for a different atmosphere for her college experience.
Lucas Mancini, an assistant registrar from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, said the number of Americans applying there has grown more than 100% in the past two years.
“In terms of interest emails — students requesting information about the school — they almost always provide the information that it’s due to the political situation,” Mancini said. “If not just in general, the political situation’s impact on academic life in the United States, as well as the impact on how research is funded.”
Scott Harris, Scarborough High’s senior placement counselor who coordinates the fair, said he has observed a growing interest in Canadian universities among his students. At Scarborough, he said, the number of students applying to school in Canada doubled between 2024 and 2025, and again this year.
“Instead of me just saying, “‘Hey, have you thought of this?'” Harris said, “it’s students coming in and saying, “‘I’m interested in learning more about this.'”
However, that doesn’t always translate to enrollment. Even as more Maine high school students have sought out Canadian universities, many have ultimately decided to stay at home.
McGill University in Montreal had 75 more Americans enroll this school year compared to the year before. A spokesperson for the University of Toronto said the school has seen “steady increases in applications from potential U.S. students in recent years — a trend that has continued for the 2026-27 academic year.”
The University of British Columbia near Vancouver reported a 44% rise in U.S. applicants to graduate programs in 2025 compared to the prior year, and a sharp rise in transfer inquiries from students currently studying at American institutions.
Gage Averill, the university’s provost, told news outlets the increase was a response to Trump’s funding cuts and other attacks on higher education, and that American students are viewing Canada as a safer and more stable option.
At the same time, the Canadian government in 2024 put a cap on international students and the number of new students arriving decreased by 61% between 2024 and 2025, a drop of 177,595. The government described it as an effort to return immigration to “sustainable levels” to help ease pressures on housing, infrastructure and services.
At the college fair in Scarborough, universities across Canada’s Atlantic provinces said they’ve seen rising numbers of American applicants. The tour has stops in Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, the four states where the universities receive most of their American students from.
Harris, the school counselor, said the students he works with who seek out Canadian universities cite cost and a study abroad experience that’s close to home. He said there’s a lot of easy transference between Canadian degrees and U.S. employers. Or, for those interested in living there long-term, most international students can stay in the country for three years after they graduate.
(The trend isn’t universal; school counselors in Sanford, South Portland and at private Portland-based Waynflete said they hadn’t seen any noticeable increase in applications to Canadian schools lately.)
Greta Butler, a junior at Traip in Kittery who attended the fair, said she was intrigued by the more streamlined application process — Canadian schools just ask for transcripts, no essays, letters of reference or SAT scores — and differences in teaching style.
Noelle Grattan, Greta’s mother, said she learned from recruiters at the fair that American students are competitive because of more advanced high school course requirements, which gives them a chance to stand out, compared to the large application pools at U.S. universities.
Grattan also had safety on her mind.
“From a parent’s point of view, there’s less gun violence on Canada campuses. It’s the sad reality of American schools,” she said. “There’s also the affordability factor, that’s huge.”
This year, the average annual tuition at a private college in the U.S. is $44,961, while a year at an in-state public school costs about $11,371 and an out-of-state public is $25,415.
One of the Canadian universities closest to Maine is the University of New Brunswick, located just over an hour’s drive from the border in the provincial capital Fredericton. UNB’s Associate Vice President for Recruitment and Enrolment Lloyd Henderson said the school has been actively recruiting in Maine for a decade. Representatives visit the state two or three times a year.
He said UNB is a good deal for Americans; the international tuition rate is CA$21,000, about $15,000 annually.
The university had an 88% surge in applications from American students between 2024 and 2025, and applications are tracking at a similar rate for 2026.
Henderson said Maine and Massachusetts are the most-represented states among the university’s American student population. He said the school enjoys “strong double-digit enrollment” from across Maine, including the border communities of Calais, Houlton, and Presque Isle, and larger cities down Interstate-95 including Bangor, Augusta and Portland.
Henderson called New Brunswick and New England kindred spirits: they have comparable climates, the residents have similar interests and both prioritize family relationships. Mainers have a familiarity with Canada, he said, and a comfort with crossing the border that’s important when taking the leap of leaving the country for school.
“The farther away you get from the border,” he said, “the more the border becomes a barrier.”
Drew said the state of higher education in the U.S. felt fragile, and polarized.
“The idea of leaving that behind and starting fresh somewhere sounded very appealing,” she said.
But now, Drew has committed to attend the University of Maine. Multiple hurdles — including a program only offered in French, and the high cost of tuition compared to what she was offered for financial aid domestically — helped with her decision. Even though Canadian schools often have lower starting tuition rates, they offer less need-based financial aid.
Drew said many of her friends were in the same situation.
“A lot of people, I’ve noticed, have applied to Canada schools,” she said. “And then when it comes down to it, everyone’s chosen U.S. schools.”
Kimberly Labrecque, who runs Scarborough-based consulting agency College Solutions, said it’s easy to get students to apply to Canadian universities, but by the end of the process, most of her clients end up enrolling in a U.S. school, for reasons like familiarity or cost. The majority of Labrecque’s clients who land at Canadian universities are dual citizens.
Drew, who is planning to study nursing, said she still has Canada on her mind for graduate school.
More Maine high schoolers are looking to Canada for college
Amid increased political pressures on American higher education, and the rising cost of college, some Maine students are heading across the border.SCARBOROUGH — Affordability. A simpler application process. The value of an international education. Novelty, adventure. Family ties in the country. There are a lot of reasons high school students in southern Maine say they’re interested in going to college in Canada.
But lately, there’s another motivation: American politics.
At the Consider Canada college tour fair at Scarborough High School this month, more than a dozen universities — all of them a closer drive to Greater Portland than most places in the U.S. — just had to convince Maine high schoolers to take a chance on crossing an international border for college.
And these days, more of them are. The number of American study permit holders in Canada reached its highest point in a decade in 2025.
Last year, after President Donald Trump took office and began to slash grant funding, threaten schools with investigations and revoke international student visas, Canadian universities started to report rising interest from American students.
“I feel like every single part of what you do in America is based on your political affiliations right now,” said Rose Dembele, a junior at Traip Academy in Kittery who attended the college fair. As a student representative on the Kittery School Committee, she said politics have become increasingly tense, and she’s looking for a different atmosphere for her college experience.
Lucas Mancini, an assistant registrar from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, said the number of Americans applying there has grown more than 100% in the past two years.
“In terms of interest emails — students requesting information about the school — they almost always provide the information that it’s due to the political situation,” Mancini said. “If not just in general, the political situation’s impact on academic life in the United States, as well as the impact on how research is funded.”
Scott Harris, Scarborough High’s senior placement counselor who coordinates the fair, said he has observed a growing interest in Canadian universities among his students. At Scarborough, he said, the number of students applying to school in Canada doubled between 2024 and 2025, and again this year.
“Instead of me just saying, “‘Hey, have you thought of this?'” Harris said, “it’s students coming in and saying, “‘I’m interested in learning more about this.'”
However, that doesn’t always translate to enrollment. Even as more Maine high school students have sought out Canadian universities, many have ultimately decided to stay at home.
STUDENTS LOOK ACROSS THE BORDER
Several of Canada’s largest and most well-known universities have reported increased interest from American students since Trump took office.McGill University in Montreal had 75 more Americans enroll this school year compared to the year before. A spokesperson for the University of Toronto said the school has seen “steady increases in applications from potential U.S. students in recent years — a trend that has continued for the 2026-27 academic year.”
The University of British Columbia near Vancouver reported a 44% rise in U.S. applicants to graduate programs in 2025 compared to the prior year, and a sharp rise in transfer inquiries from students currently studying at American institutions.
Gage Averill, the university’s provost, told news outlets the increase was a response to Trump’s funding cuts and other attacks on higher education, and that American students are viewing Canada as a safer and more stable option.
At the same time, the Canadian government in 2024 put a cap on international students and the number of new students arriving decreased by 61% between 2024 and 2025, a drop of 177,595. The government described it as an effort to return immigration to “sustainable levels” to help ease pressures on housing, infrastructure and services.
At the college fair in Scarborough, universities across Canada’s Atlantic provinces said they’ve seen rising numbers of American applicants. The tour has stops in Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, the four states where the universities receive most of their American students from.
Harris, the school counselor, said the students he works with who seek out Canadian universities cite cost and a study abroad experience that’s close to home. He said there’s a lot of easy transference between Canadian degrees and U.S. employers. Or, for those interested in living there long-term, most international students can stay in the country for three years after they graduate.
(The trend isn’t universal; school counselors in Sanford, South Portland and at private Portland-based Waynflete said they hadn’t seen any noticeable increase in applications to Canadian schools lately.)
Greta Butler, a junior at Traip in Kittery who attended the fair, said she was intrigued by the more streamlined application process — Canadian schools just ask for transcripts, no essays, letters of reference or SAT scores — and differences in teaching style.
Noelle Grattan, Greta’s mother, said she learned from recruiters at the fair that American students are competitive because of more advanced high school course requirements, which gives them a chance to stand out, compared to the large application pools at U.S. universities.
Grattan also had safety on her mind.
“From a parent’s point of view, there’s less gun violence on Canada campuses. It’s the sad reality of American schools,” she said. “There’s also the affordability factor, that’s huge.”
A GOOD DEAL
International undergraduate student tuition at Canadian universities costs an average of CA$41,746 ($30,535 in U.S. dollars), although most of the schools represented at the fair range from CA$20,000 to CA$40,000 ($14,635 to $29,270 in the U.S.)This year, the average annual tuition at a private college in the U.S. is $44,961, while a year at an in-state public school costs about $11,371 and an out-of-state public is $25,415.
One of the Canadian universities closest to Maine is the University of New Brunswick, located just over an hour’s drive from the border in the provincial capital Fredericton. UNB’s Associate Vice President for Recruitment and Enrolment Lloyd Henderson said the school has been actively recruiting in Maine for a decade. Representatives visit the state two or three times a year.
He said UNB is a good deal for Americans; the international tuition rate is CA$21,000, about $15,000 annually.
The university had an 88% surge in applications from American students between 2024 and 2025, and applications are tracking at a similar rate for 2026.
Henderson said Maine and Massachusetts are the most-represented states among the university’s American student population. He said the school enjoys “strong double-digit enrollment” from across Maine, including the border communities of Calais, Houlton, and Presque Isle, and larger cities down Interstate-95 including Bangor, Augusta and Portland.
Henderson called New Brunswick and New England kindred spirits: they have comparable climates, the residents have similar interests and both prioritize family relationships. Mainers have a familiarity with Canada, he said, and a comfort with crossing the border that’s important when taking the leap of leaving the country for school.
“The farther away you get from the border,” he said, “the more the border becomes a barrier.”
INTEREST DOESN’T ALWAYS LEAD TO ENROLLMENT
When it came time for Portland High School senior Lucy Drew to apply for college, she was set on attending a Canadian university, and submitted to four: McGill, the University of Toronto, Queens University in Kingston, Ontario and UNB.Drew said the state of higher education in the U.S. felt fragile, and polarized.
“The idea of leaving that behind and starting fresh somewhere sounded very appealing,” she said.
But now, Drew has committed to attend the University of Maine. Multiple hurdles — including a program only offered in French, and the high cost of tuition compared to what she was offered for financial aid domestically — helped with her decision. Even though Canadian schools often have lower starting tuition rates, they offer less need-based financial aid.
Drew said many of her friends were in the same situation.
“A lot of people, I’ve noticed, have applied to Canada schools,” she said. “And then when it comes down to it, everyone’s chosen U.S. schools.”
Kimberly Labrecque, who runs Scarborough-based consulting agency College Solutions, said it’s easy to get students to apply to Canadian universities, but by the end of the process, most of her clients end up enrolling in a U.S. school, for reasons like familiarity or cost. The majority of Labrecque’s clients who land at Canadian universities are dual citizens.
Drew, who is planning to study nursing, said she still has Canada on her mind for graduate school.
Yale figured out what's wrong with US colleges
Universities lost public trust. They're finally taking notice. | Opinion
The Yale committee looked at a 2025 Pew Research Center survey that found 70% of Americans say higher education is heading in the wrong direction.
www.usatoday.com
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