Whoops
Only in Maine
- Thread starter cany
- Start date
Avenger
Well-Known Angler
Hope he bought the insurance.
Interesting how the Headline implies forced resistance instead of the reality of "here's a helpful hint" should you care to do this totally legally...
A leading progressive law firm in Maine is advising public school officials on how they can effectively resist potential immigration enforcement actions that may involve the families of minors who attend government-run schools, including by destroying evidence of potential immigration crimes.
The basic advice was IF a school decided to avoid sharing immigration info, which is not required for educational requirements, is just not ask the question of students, and if they'd like to avoid anything happening now, purge immigration info from current records.
I know, saying they were given hints isn't as "newsworthy" as you MUST resist!!
JackPrintMD
Well-Known Angler
3.8 magnitude earthquake in Maine felt in Massachusetts
Live free or die, or work in Maine and pay Maine Non-resident income taxes...
An aerial view of Seavey Island in the Piscataqua River, home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, seen from the east in 2001. Kittery is to the right and Portsmouth is in the upper left. The Piscataqua River Bridge carrying I-95 is in the upper right. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald, file
A New Hampshire legislator has fired the latest round in an on-again, off-again border dispute between Maine and New Hampshire over the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
Republican Rep. Joseph Barton, a freshman lawmaker, is the prime sponsor of a resolution that urges Congress to find that the Piscataqua River and Portsmouth Harbor are within New Hampshire and asks President Donald Trump to designate the duty stations of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard personnel as part of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Congress would have to redraw the boundaries, but Trump can reassign the duty stations, Barton said.
The tax status of shipyard employees is a big reason for the resolution, he said. New Hampshire does not have a state income tax, and residents of the Granite State who work at the shipyard pay Maine taxes. Shifting the borders to bring the shipyard into New Hampshire would shield New Hampshire residents from Maine income taxes.
“We won’t get more tax revenue,” Barton, who worked as an engineer at the shipyard, said in an interview Thursday. “The citizens will get more tax relief.”
Some Maine income tax revenue would disappear if the more than 3,100 New Hampshire residents who work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard no longer have state taxes withheld. It wasn’t immediately clear how much revenue Maine would lose. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Administrative and Financial Services said taxpayer confidentiality bars disclosure of information.
If New Hampshire wants the shipyard it will need to build bridges from Portsmouth to the Naval Station island, “so they can assume all of the traffic congestion and infrastructure impacts Kittery, Maine, shoulders as the host of the (shipyard),” Amaral said.
The issue of who has jurisdiction is not new. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled on a border dispute in Maine’s favor in 2001, dismissing New Hampshire’s claim to the shipyard. The court denied a New Hampshire request to reconsider, ruling that the boundary between the states is the middle of the Piscataqua River.
More than half of the shipyard’s nearly 8,000 employees are Mainers, according to the Seacoast Shipyard Association, an advocacy organization. And 56% of the Portsmouth shipyard’s $716.2 million payroll is for Mainers and 36% is paid to New Hampshire residents. The remainder of the shipyard workers live in Massachusetts and other states.
Barton’s resolution says jurisdiction and control over the Piscataqua River “is and always has been entirely” within New Hampshire’s Rockingham County and “complete dominion and ownership of the tidal waters and submerged lands” of the river, including Portsmouth Harbor, are part of the state.
“This is the boundary. This is where it is,” he said.
The resolution has been the subject of a public hearing and must be voted on by the House and Senate and signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte. Her office did not respond to an email Thursday asking if she supports the measure.
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is in Maine. NH lawmakers want to change that.
The tax status of shipyard employees is driving the resolution urging Congress to change the boundary, a move the US Supreme Court rejected in 2001.
An aerial view of Seavey Island in the Piscataqua River, home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, seen from the east in 2001. Kittery is to the right and Portsmouth is in the upper left. The Piscataqua River Bridge carrying I-95 is in the upper right. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald, file
A New Hampshire legislator has fired the latest round in an on-again, off-again border dispute between Maine and New Hampshire over the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
Republican Rep. Joseph Barton, a freshman lawmaker, is the prime sponsor of a resolution that urges Congress to find that the Piscataqua River and Portsmouth Harbor are within New Hampshire and asks President Donald Trump to designate the duty stations of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard personnel as part of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Congress would have to redraw the boundaries, but Trump can reassign the duty stations, Barton said.
The tax status of shipyard employees is a big reason for the resolution, he said. New Hampshire does not have a state income tax, and residents of the Granite State who work at the shipyard pay Maine taxes. Shifting the borders to bring the shipyard into New Hampshire would shield New Hampshire residents from Maine income taxes.
“We won’t get more tax revenue,” Barton, who worked as an engineer at the shipyard, said in an interview Thursday. “The citizens will get more tax relief.”
Some Maine income tax revenue would disappear if the more than 3,100 New Hampshire residents who work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard no longer have state taxes withheld. It wasn’t immediately clear how much revenue Maine would lose. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Administrative and Financial Services said taxpayer confidentiality bars disclosure of information.
If New Hampshire wants the shipyard it will need to build bridges from Portsmouth to the Naval Station island, “so they can assume all of the traffic congestion and infrastructure impacts Kittery, Maine, shoulders as the host of the (shipyard),” Amaral said.
The issue of who has jurisdiction is not new. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled on a border dispute in Maine’s favor in 2001, dismissing New Hampshire’s claim to the shipyard. The court denied a New Hampshire request to reconsider, ruling that the boundary between the states is the middle of the Piscataqua River.
More than half of the shipyard’s nearly 8,000 employees are Mainers, according to the Seacoast Shipyard Association, an advocacy organization. And 56% of the Portsmouth shipyard’s $716.2 million payroll is for Mainers and 36% is paid to New Hampshire residents. The remainder of the shipyard workers live in Massachusetts and other states.
Barton’s resolution says jurisdiction and control over the Piscataqua River “is and always has been entirely” within New Hampshire’s Rockingham County and “complete dominion and ownership of the tidal waters and submerged lands” of the river, including Portsmouth Harbor, are part of the state.
“This is the boundary. This is where it is,” he said.
The resolution has been the subject of a public hearing and must be voted on by the House and Senate and signed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte. Her office did not respond to an email Thursday asking if she supports the measure.
Beer soap, wonder if it fizzes when you lather up???
PORTLAND, Maine — The COVID-19 pandemic was a scary time for a lot of people, but it also served as a springboard for eager entrepreneurs looking to work for themselves.
Back in 2020, Elaine Kinney found herself burnt out from her work in the social services industry. When she was forced to work from home, a little voice crept through, pushing her to take the plunge and start up her own small-business.
"The world shut down and I was working from home and I thought, 'you know, I'm working from home, might as well work for myself. This is a good time to like kind of officially go for it'."
As luck would have it, a friend of Kinney was moving on from soap making and offered to show her the ropes. That is where White Pine Bath & Brew and her recipe for beer soap was born. In those early months, Kinney said she would make batches of soap out of crockpots.
"That's how you get into it, and you can make about 10 bars at a time," Kinney said. "So, I was thrifting old crock pots in case I broke them or something went wrong."
At first, Kinney would purchase the beer from Maine craft breweries. She said it wasn't until 2021 that she had a brewery reach out to her after hearing about her soap line. They offered her their 'short fills', cans that didn't get filled completely during production and, their overstock.
"My mission now is to source all of my beer exclusively from brewery waste," Kinney said. "Why not be more sustainable? Why not use it that way when you can?".
This soap is made with Maine beer
Elaine Kinney launched her small-business White Pine Bath & Brew during the pandemic. Her soap line combines skincare with sustainability.PORTLAND, Maine — The COVID-19 pandemic was a scary time for a lot of people, but it also served as a springboard for eager entrepreneurs looking to work for themselves.
Back in 2020, Elaine Kinney found herself burnt out from her work in the social services industry. When she was forced to work from home, a little voice crept through, pushing her to take the plunge and start up her own small-business.
"The world shut down and I was working from home and I thought, 'you know, I'm working from home, might as well work for myself. This is a good time to like kind of officially go for it'."
As luck would have it, a friend of Kinney was moving on from soap making and offered to show her the ropes. That is where White Pine Bath & Brew and her recipe for beer soap was born. In those early months, Kinney said she would make batches of soap out of crockpots.
"That's how you get into it, and you can make about 10 bars at a time," Kinney said. "So, I was thrifting old crock pots in case I broke them or something went wrong."
At first, Kinney would purchase the beer from Maine craft breweries. She said it wasn't until 2021 that she had a brewery reach out to her after hearing about her soap line. They offered her their 'short fills', cans that didn't get filled completely during production and, their overstock.
"My mission now is to source all of my beer exclusively from brewery waste," Kinney said. "Why not be more sustainable? Why not use it that way when you can?".
Trump vows to cut off federal funding to Maine over refusal to comply with 'No Men in Women's Sports' order
President Donald Trump announced he will cut off federal funding to Maine if it continues to defy his executive order keeping trans athletes out of women's sports.
www.foxnews.com
Crap, there goes the neighborhood as the Californians flood here...
While home insurance rates spike elsewhere, Maine leads country in stability
Maine’s home insurance rates have survived a year of consecutive multimillion dollar natural disasters virtually unscathed, according to a recent report from online insurance comparison company Insurify.While the rest of the country experienced an average premium increase of 9%, Maine saw home insurance rates decrease between 2023 and 2024, earning it the highest score on an Insurify index that measures climate change stability — a perfect 100.
The stability that score represents is a testament to Maine’s isolation from the climate change-supercharged wildfires and tropical storms that ravaged other states between 2019 and 2024, according to the report’s authors.
“Maine’s geography protects it from excessive natural disasters, including tropical cyclones, which are generally the most expensive types of disasters,” the authors wrote. “Those storms rely on warm water and tend to cool and lose strength by the time they’ve reached Maine.”
Like Maine, home insurance rates in the rest of New England have also experienced relative stability in the face of climate change.
New Hampshire was a close second, while Vermont and Massachusetts both cracked the top 10 for highest stability scores. Maine and New Hampshire both had average annual insurance premiums around $1,200 in 2024 — less than half the national average of $2,584.
The authors acknowledged the extreme floods that have ravaged all three states over the past two years, including the $480 million in damages that Maine incurred from 2024’s winter storms and summer floods.
That figure pales in comparison to the average state, which has seen five times as many disasters at 35 times the cost, according to Insurify data analysis manager Chase Gardner.
“I think the biggest factor driving that is just the risk angle,” said Gardner in an interview. “The climate and natural disaster risk in Maine (is) so low in comparison to most other states.”
The report’s analysis pulls on a combination of Insurify’s private data, data supplied by a private third-party insurance data aggregator and the public requests insurance companies must submit to state regulators before hiking premium rates, according to Gardner.
Statewide averages are calculated with premium data from an array of ZIP codes that vary in geography and demographics to paint an accurate picture of each state’s insurance rates. Maine’s data was drawn from densely populated cities, smaller mountain and coastal communities, and Aroostook County towns on the Canadian border, Gardner said.
Insurify’s Home Insurance Climate Stability Index grades on a scale of 0 to 100 based on each state’s frequency of major disasters, the cost of major disasters per capita, average home insurance rate, change in insurance rate, and the ratio of insurers’ losses compared to its premium revenue.
In addition to its relatively infrequent and inexpensive disasters, Maine scored especially high on the index because it has the second-lowest average loss ratio nationwide, meaning insurance claims aren’t outweighing insurers’ premium revenues as they are in Louisiana, which has the highest loss ratio in the country.
Although Maine home insurance rates decreased by 4% between 2023 and 2024 — a span bookended by massive floods — Gardner acknowledged that insurance companies might take more than a year after a natural disaster strikes to file for rate increases, meaning Maine’s home insurance stability might not be guaranteed a year from now.
“At the minimum, I would say it would take six months” for insurance companies to respond to natural disasters with rate increases, Gardner said. “But in all likelihood, you probably have to wait a year, if not more, to kind of see the full effects of what a storm might have on an industry.”
A separate Insurify study published last February projected that Maine would see one of the highest year-over-year insurance premium increases, rising from $1,322 in 2023 to $1,571 in 2024. But instead of that projected 19% increase, Maine insurance rates went down to an average of $1,266 in 2024.
This discrepancy between the projection and reality could have been due to an overemphasis on insurance rates along Maine’s especially vulnerable coast, said Greg Thayer, a manager for Sanford-based Batchelder Bros. Insurance.
“When you look at Maine and see (average insurance premiums) going up 19%, that is slightly misleading,” Thayer told The Monitor in an interview last July. “You’re not seeing that across the board. It really is focused on places with particularly high wind events … and a lot of that is driven by the coast.”
Similar caution should be taken when interpreting Insurify’s most recent report. Gardner emphasized that Maine’s perfect stability score is relative to the rest of the country, and the volatility of disasters influenced by climate change means that Maine and the rest of New England aren’t guaranteed to avoid the same magnitude of calamities hitting other states.
“We say Maine or New England is the most resilient, but hopefully that’s not interpreted as 100% resilient,” Gardner said. “There’s always the threat with climate change that something could happen,” like the consecutive summer flooding events that hit Vermont in 2023 and 2024.
Too late for that, Climate Change is all the rage here. Are you suggesting that the Insurance Industry looks at what any politicians say?? They're far too profit and data driven for that.
What the latest California fires did for my insurance was to generate a request from the the insurance company to prove that I had a monitored security system with fire and smoke detectors since I had that built into my policy. They had never asked for that before. When I called my Maine based security company and asked if they're seeing lots of these requests the nice lady said, "Phone has been ringing off the hook since the LA fires"...
On another note, in the days before Google Earth I had to give lat/lon numbers to the insurance company that showed my house was being built on a protected, tidal river location to start coverage. Over 15 years ago that company had stopped underwriting policies on ocean front properties.
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Like I need another reason to avoid ice fishing, other than the fact that I'm guaranteed to cause a skunking on any trip I'm involved with...
Letta the Queen, left, and Ophelia Johnson pose on a snowmobile Feb. 15 at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Winter Extravaganza at Range Pond State Park in Poland. Photo courtesy of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
POLAND — As families wade through slushy snow and game wardens give fishing lessons to snowshoers and skiers alike, Ophelia Johnson struts toward her ice hole in heels.
They aren’t stilettos, to be fair. Johnson, a drag queen from Topsham providing entertainment and instruction at the Feb. 15 Winter Extravaganza at Range Pond State Park in Poland, said she chose her footwear in anticipation of snow and ice.
“I mean, we’re talking a sensible go-go boot,” Johnson said. “Those are all-terrain heels, you can do a lot in those.”
This is the second year that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife asked Johnson and Letta the Queen, a Portland-based drag queen, to lead activities at the event, where activities included free ice-fishing instruction, snowmobiling practice, guided hikes, and knot-tying and cooking demonstrations.
Outreach Director Emily MacCabe said that the event is held on Maine’s Winter Free Fishing Weekend to make winter sports accessible to all residents.
“The event that we hold each year is designed to try to create an environment for people who maybe traditionally haven’t felt comfortable — for a variety of reasons, different barriers — spending time outdoors in the winter months,” MacCabe said.
One of those barriers can be lack of representation, Johnson said. She said that queer people, especially drag queens, are rarely seen participating in traditionally male-dominated outdoor sports like ice fishing.
“When you think of the outdoors, and in specific to ice fishing, you think of the boys’ club,” Johnson said. “It’s very much that kind of ingrained misogyny, whereas events like this help to show that it’s not just the guys that can go out and do that, it’s anybody.”
Attendees participate in ice fishing Feb. 15 at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife’s Winter Extravaganza at Range Pond State Park in Poland. Photo courtesy of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
The event drew 500 participants, 150 more than the year prior, MacCabe said. Student groups, families and nature-inclined attendees went booth to booth, learning about Maine bird species and identifying animal furs.
In the parking lot, the department’s rainbow pride tent stood stark against the snow, rivaling even Letta’s bright blue outfit. Attendees milled around, overloaded with competing scents of roasting moose meat, egg waffles and hot cocoa.
The two drag queens met with guests around a campfire in the middle of the pond. Letta said some of her best interactions happened there, sitting in lawn chairs with a revolving door of community members.
“Ophelia and I sat out there, and we mingled, and we helped with different things, pointing people in directions,” Letta said. “I think the biggest part was really creating that community bond with the queer community and different marginalized communities of people who are ‘others.'”
The pair led a LGBTQIA+ Trail Mixer, a guided hike around the pond organized through the nonprofit Queerly ME. Later, Johnson taught a cooking class on the ice, showing a growing crowd how to make smoked salmon ravioli from scratch.
The pasta dish is rooted in her Italian upbringing, Johnson said, but salmon wasn’t always the plan.
“I was originally going to do lobster,” Johnson said. “But my husband was like, ‘You know what? You need to realize that it’s called ‘Inland’ Fisheries & Wildlife. Lobster is the coast.'”
Johnson, who is a culinary arts teacher, said it was her first time cooking in drag. She started doing drag nine years ago when she realized she could be the producer, director, costumer and makeup artist of her own creative performance, deciding who Ophelia Johnson is and what she brings to the world.
On Feb. 15, it was salmon ravioli. The cooking demonstration was one outdoor skill that guests could take home with them that day, alongside wildlife identification and fly tying.
Attendees learn how to tie knots Feb. 15 at the Winter Extravaganza at Range Pond State Park in Poland. Photo courtesy of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Letta, who is from Midcoast Maine, said she was fortunate to learn a host of outdoor skills growing up. Many queer people don’t have the same opportunity, she said.
“As a queer person who lived on a farm growing up in Midcoast Maine, I learned how to fish and I learned how to snowmobile and hunt,” Letta said. “I recognize that that is a privilege of mine, but a lot of queer people don’t have that relationship to the wildlife and don’t have the opportunities or the resources.”
MacCabe said that providing free fishing gear was one way to get beginners to try ice fishing for the first time.
The event also encouraged people to go outside and be active during the winter, she said.
“Winter time can be a difficult time of year for a lot of people, and not getting enough time outdoors can kind of make that worse for folks,” MacCabe said. “It’s just really nice to be able to hold something in the winter months where you can tell people just really need that extra bit of fresh air and sunlight.”
Seasonal mood shifts are common, but 5% of Americans experience seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression brought on by lack of sunlight that typically lasts 40% of the year according to the American Psychiatric Association. January and February are the most difficult months.
This winter has been particularly unsettling for many LGBTQ Americans. Based on executive orders from President Donald Trump, federal agencies are required to remove queer and gender-specific language and resources from their websites; the National Park Service, for example, removed all references to transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument web pages.
On Friday, Maine Gov. Janet Mills pushed back against the president’s executive order banning transgender athletes in women’s and girls’ sports. In response, at least two federal agencies that provide funding to the state launched investigations into Maine’s compliance — or noncompliance — with the order.
Johnson said that it is her role to be political and speak up when she sees the queer community and other minority groups come under fire.
“As a cisgendered white individual, I definitely have a responsibility to speak up for any minorities or any queer things that are happening in the world that need to be spoken about,” Johnson said. “And I’m not afraid to use my voice to help amplify other voices.”
While marches, rallies and protests are one way to do that, Johnson said doing drag and spreading joy at an event like the Winter Extravaganza can be just as powerful.
“Now’s the time, more than ever, to just allow people to experience queer joy, and if I can be a small part of that — bringing people together to make that happen — I’m totally in,” Johnson said.
Drag queens help break barriers at state ice fishing event
Letta the Queen, left, and Ophelia Johnson pose on a snowmobile Feb. 15 at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Winter Extravaganza at Range Pond State Park in Poland. Photo courtesy of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
POLAND — As families wade through slushy snow and game wardens give fishing lessons to snowshoers and skiers alike, Ophelia Johnson struts toward her ice hole in heels.
They aren’t stilettos, to be fair. Johnson, a drag queen from Topsham providing entertainment and instruction at the Feb. 15 Winter Extravaganza at Range Pond State Park in Poland, said she chose her footwear in anticipation of snow and ice.
“I mean, we’re talking a sensible go-go boot,” Johnson said. “Those are all-terrain heels, you can do a lot in those.”
This is the second year that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife asked Johnson and Letta the Queen, a Portland-based drag queen, to lead activities at the event, where activities included free ice-fishing instruction, snowmobiling practice, guided hikes, and knot-tying and cooking demonstrations.
Outreach Director Emily MacCabe said that the event is held on Maine’s Winter Free Fishing Weekend to make winter sports accessible to all residents.
“The event that we hold each year is designed to try to create an environment for people who maybe traditionally haven’t felt comfortable — for a variety of reasons, different barriers — spending time outdoors in the winter months,” MacCabe said.
One of those barriers can be lack of representation, Johnson said. She said that queer people, especially drag queens, are rarely seen participating in traditionally male-dominated outdoor sports like ice fishing.
“When you think of the outdoors, and in specific to ice fishing, you think of the boys’ club,” Johnson said. “It’s very much that kind of ingrained misogyny, whereas events like this help to show that it’s not just the guys that can go out and do that, it’s anybody.”
Attendees participate in ice fishing Feb. 15 at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife’s Winter Extravaganza at Range Pond State Park in Poland. Photo courtesy of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
The event drew 500 participants, 150 more than the year prior, MacCabe said. Student groups, families and nature-inclined attendees went booth to booth, learning about Maine bird species and identifying animal furs.
In the parking lot, the department’s rainbow pride tent stood stark against the snow, rivaling even Letta’s bright blue outfit. Attendees milled around, overloaded with competing scents of roasting moose meat, egg waffles and hot cocoa.
The two drag queens met with guests around a campfire in the middle of the pond. Letta said some of her best interactions happened there, sitting in lawn chairs with a revolving door of community members.
“Ophelia and I sat out there, and we mingled, and we helped with different things, pointing people in directions,” Letta said. “I think the biggest part was really creating that community bond with the queer community and different marginalized communities of people who are ‘others.'”
The pair led a LGBTQIA+ Trail Mixer, a guided hike around the pond organized through the nonprofit Queerly ME. Later, Johnson taught a cooking class on the ice, showing a growing crowd how to make smoked salmon ravioli from scratch.
The pasta dish is rooted in her Italian upbringing, Johnson said, but salmon wasn’t always the plan.
“I was originally going to do lobster,” Johnson said. “But my husband was like, ‘You know what? You need to realize that it’s called ‘Inland’ Fisheries & Wildlife. Lobster is the coast.'”
Johnson, who is a culinary arts teacher, said it was her first time cooking in drag. She started doing drag nine years ago when she realized she could be the producer, director, costumer and makeup artist of her own creative performance, deciding who Ophelia Johnson is and what she brings to the world.
On Feb. 15, it was salmon ravioli. The cooking demonstration was one outdoor skill that guests could take home with them that day, alongside wildlife identification and fly tying.
Attendees learn how to tie knots Feb. 15 at the Winter Extravaganza at Range Pond State Park in Poland. Photo courtesy of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Letta, who is from Midcoast Maine, said she was fortunate to learn a host of outdoor skills growing up. Many queer people don’t have the same opportunity, she said.
“As a queer person who lived on a farm growing up in Midcoast Maine, I learned how to fish and I learned how to snowmobile and hunt,” Letta said. “I recognize that that is a privilege of mine, but a lot of queer people don’t have that relationship to the wildlife and don’t have the opportunities or the resources.”
MacCabe said that providing free fishing gear was one way to get beginners to try ice fishing for the first time.
The event also encouraged people to go outside and be active during the winter, she said.
“Winter time can be a difficult time of year for a lot of people, and not getting enough time outdoors can kind of make that worse for folks,” MacCabe said. “It’s just really nice to be able to hold something in the winter months where you can tell people just really need that extra bit of fresh air and sunlight.”
Seasonal mood shifts are common, but 5% of Americans experience seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression brought on by lack of sunlight that typically lasts 40% of the year according to the American Psychiatric Association. January and February are the most difficult months.
This winter has been particularly unsettling for many LGBTQ Americans. Based on executive orders from President Donald Trump, federal agencies are required to remove queer and gender-specific language and resources from their websites; the National Park Service, for example, removed all references to transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument web pages.
On Friday, Maine Gov. Janet Mills pushed back against the president’s executive order banning transgender athletes in women’s and girls’ sports. In response, at least two federal agencies that provide funding to the state launched investigations into Maine’s compliance — or noncompliance — with the order.
Johnson said that it is her role to be political and speak up when she sees the queer community and other minority groups come under fire.
“As a cisgendered white individual, I definitely have a responsibility to speak up for any minorities or any queer things that are happening in the world that need to be spoken about,” Johnson said. “And I’m not afraid to use my voice to help amplify other voices.”
While marches, rallies and protests are one way to do that, Johnson said doing drag and spreading joy at an event like the Winter Extravaganza can be just as powerful.
“Now’s the time, more than ever, to just allow people to experience queer joy, and if I can be a small part of that — bringing people together to make that happen — I’m totally in,” Johnson said.
Salmon, shlalmon, even lobstah, meat or squash ravioli. I'm a cheese ravioli lover...
Cheeseheads shouldn't mess with Leon Leonwood's finest!!!
Full disclosure: We must have a dozen of these in assorted sizes, colors and "personalized". These are all 2nds that they sell in the Outlet Store and anytime that they're further reduced than the normal 20% we tend to pick more up. Some are used for the boat, but most are our BYO grocery bags as plastic bags have been banned for a while and stores must charge you a dime for any paper bags you use..
How does their jingle go, "Four Imprint, Legally Screwed, For Certain??
When L.L.Bean celebrated the 80th anniversary of its iconic “Boat and Tote” canvas bag last year, news stories noted its growing popularity among celebrities and social media influencers decades after the Maine company first sold it in 1944.
Now, the Freeport-based retailer is suing 4Imprint Inc., charging the promotional products company in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with trademark infringement, deceptive trade practices and unfair competition for selling a “confusingly similar” canvas bag called the “Boat Tote.”
L.L.Bean sells several styles and sizes of Boat and Tote bags, recognizable for their two-tone heavy canvas construction. There’s a leather-handled version that sells for $99 and a key-chain miniature bag priced at $9.95, according to the company’s website.
4Imprint sells several similar bags, including a “Large Heavyweight Cotton Canvas Tote.” It can be custom imprinted with a company or group logo and purchased in lots ranging from 15 bags for $18.35 each to 1,000 bags for $10.99 each, according to the company’s website.
L.L.Bean’s Boat and Tote Photo courtesy L.L.Bean
When L.L.Bean celebrated the 80th anniversary of its iconic “Boat and Tote” canvas bag last year, news stories noted its growing popularity among celebrities and social media influencers decades after the Maine company first sold it in 1944.
Now, the Freeport-based retailer is suing 4Imprint Inc., charging the promotional products company in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with trademark infringement, deceptive trade practices and unfair competition for selling a “confusingly similar” canvas bag called the “Boat Tote.”
L.L.Bean sells several styles and sizes of Boat and Tote bags, recognizable for their two-tone heavy canvas construction. There’s a leather-handled version that sells for $99 and a key-chain miniature bag priced at $9.95, according to the company’s website.
4Imprint sells several similar bags, including a “Large Heavyweight Cotton Canvas Tote.” It can be custom imprinted with a company or group logo and purchased in lots ranging from 15 bags for $18.35 each to 1,000 bags for $10.99 each, according to the company’s website.
L.L.Bean’s lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland, claims 4Imprint “sells the same goods, to the same consumers, using the same advertising and sales channels … using ‘Boat Tote’ in an apparent effort to deliberately free ride on L.L.Bean’s well-known (trademark).”
The lawsuit describes L.L.Bean as “a famous apparel, equipment, and home goods company that owns the federally registered and incontestable trademark Boat and Tote for use in connection with its iconic canvas carry-all bags.”
“The company has exclusively used the mark for more than 60 years, invested significant effort and expense to promote the mark, and it has sold millions of products bearing the mark, including millions of custom-embroidered bags bearing the mark,” the suit continues. “It is one of L.L.Bean’s most recognizable brands and most valuable assets.”
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial to stop 4Imprint from further infringement on L.L.Bean products, require 4Imprint to destroy all products similar to Boat and Tote bags and award L.L.Bean damages and all profits from making similar canvas bags.
4Imprint, founded in 1985 and now part of a multinational conglomerate, did not respond immediately to requests for an interview or written comment on the lawsuit. L.L.Bean declined a similar request.
Founded in 1912, L.L.Bean first sold its tote as a sturdy carrier for heavy ice blocks that were used in iceboxes, which preceded refrigerators. It disappeared from the company’s catalog for a while before being reintroduced in 1965 as the Boat and Tote.
The lawsuit says the success and commercial strength of the Boat and Tote brand has led to high-profile collaborations and partnerships with other companies, including Tibi, Farmgirl Flowers, Abbode, Noah Kahan and the Boston Red Sox.
“In addition to official collaborations, (the L.L.Bean) bags are popular among style icons who are frequently seen carrying a Boat and Tote bag, which contributes to the brand value,” the lawsuit says.
The digital court document includes photos of celebrities seen carrying Boat and Tote bags, including the late Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, who died in a plane crash in 1999 with her older sister Lauren and her husband, John F. Kennedy Jr. Other more recent celebrities who are shown using the bag include the now-divorced actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, as well as actresses Chloë Sevigny and Reese Witherspoon, and model Hailey Bieber.
The lawsuit quotes various news articles and fashion reviews that describe the Boat and Tote as a timeless, trend-setting, enduring and ubiquitous fashion statement still capable of carrying ice blocks but now more often used for laptops or beach gear.
A Vogue magazine article notes that the tote is a popular #hashtag reference on TikTok, where “young social media influencers have helped fuel a Boat and Tote resurgence,” especially because it can be customized with embroidered personal logos or sayings.
“While others have attempted to emulate the success of the Boat and Tote bags, consumers and style-makers continue to prefer (it) over other brands and view the Boat and Tote bags as the authentic and original canvas tote,” the lawsuit states.
Full disclosure: We must have a dozen of these in assorted sizes, colors and "personalized". These are all 2nds that they sell in the Outlet Store and anytime that they're further reduced than the normal 20% we tend to pick more up. Some are used for the boat, but most are our BYO grocery bags as plastic bags have been banned for a while and stores must charge you a dime for any paper bags you use..
How does their jingle go, "Four Imprint, Legally Screwed, For Certain??
L.L.Bean sues Wisconsin company, alleging it copied signature tote bags
The trademark infringement lawsuit calls the bulk-ordered 'boat tote' bags sold by 4Imprint Inc. 'confusingly similar' and a deliberate attempt to 'free ride' on the Maine company's popular item.When L.L.Bean celebrated the 80th anniversary of its iconic “Boat and Tote” canvas bag last year, news stories noted its growing popularity among celebrities and social media influencers decades after the Maine company first sold it in 1944.
Now, the Freeport-based retailer is suing 4Imprint Inc., charging the promotional products company in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with trademark infringement, deceptive trade practices and unfair competition for selling a “confusingly similar” canvas bag called the “Boat Tote.”
L.L.Bean sells several styles and sizes of Boat and Tote bags, recognizable for their two-tone heavy canvas construction. There’s a leather-handled version that sells for $99 and a key-chain miniature bag priced at $9.95, according to the company’s website.
4Imprint sells several similar bags, including a “Large Heavyweight Cotton Canvas Tote.” It can be custom imprinted with a company or group logo and purchased in lots ranging from 15 bags for $18.35 each to 1,000 bags for $10.99 each, according to the company’s website.
L.L.Bean’s Boat and Tote Photo courtesy L.L.Bean
When L.L.Bean celebrated the 80th anniversary of its iconic “Boat and Tote” canvas bag last year, news stories noted its growing popularity among celebrities and social media influencers decades after the Maine company first sold it in 1944.
Now, the Freeport-based retailer is suing 4Imprint Inc., charging the promotional products company in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with trademark infringement, deceptive trade practices and unfair competition for selling a “confusingly similar” canvas bag called the “Boat Tote.”
L.L.Bean sells several styles and sizes of Boat and Tote bags, recognizable for their two-tone heavy canvas construction. There’s a leather-handled version that sells for $99 and a key-chain miniature bag priced at $9.95, according to the company’s website.
4Imprint sells several similar bags, including a “Large Heavyweight Cotton Canvas Tote.” It can be custom imprinted with a company or group logo and purchased in lots ranging from 15 bags for $18.35 each to 1,000 bags for $10.99 each, according to the company’s website.
L.L.Bean’s lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland, claims 4Imprint “sells the same goods, to the same consumers, using the same advertising and sales channels … using ‘Boat Tote’ in an apparent effort to deliberately free ride on L.L.Bean’s well-known (trademark).”
The lawsuit describes L.L.Bean as “a famous apparel, equipment, and home goods company that owns the federally registered and incontestable trademark Boat and Tote for use in connection with its iconic canvas carry-all bags.”
“The company has exclusively used the mark for more than 60 years, invested significant effort and expense to promote the mark, and it has sold millions of products bearing the mark, including millions of custom-embroidered bags bearing the mark,” the suit continues. “It is one of L.L.Bean’s most recognizable brands and most valuable assets.”
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial to stop 4Imprint from further infringement on L.L.Bean products, require 4Imprint to destroy all products similar to Boat and Tote bags and award L.L.Bean damages and all profits from making similar canvas bags.
4Imprint, founded in 1985 and now part of a multinational conglomerate, did not respond immediately to requests for an interview or written comment on the lawsuit. L.L.Bean declined a similar request.
Founded in 1912, L.L.Bean first sold its tote as a sturdy carrier for heavy ice blocks that were used in iceboxes, which preceded refrigerators. It disappeared from the company’s catalog for a while before being reintroduced in 1965 as the Boat and Tote.
The lawsuit says the success and commercial strength of the Boat and Tote brand has led to high-profile collaborations and partnerships with other companies, including Tibi, Farmgirl Flowers, Abbode, Noah Kahan and the Boston Red Sox.
“In addition to official collaborations, (the L.L.Bean) bags are popular among style icons who are frequently seen carrying a Boat and Tote bag, which contributes to the brand value,” the lawsuit says.
The digital court document includes photos of celebrities seen carrying Boat and Tote bags, including the late Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, who died in a plane crash in 1999 with her older sister Lauren and her husband, John F. Kennedy Jr. Other more recent celebrities who are shown using the bag include the now-divorced actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, as well as actresses Chloë Sevigny and Reese Witherspoon, and model Hailey Bieber.
The lawsuit quotes various news articles and fashion reviews that describe the Boat and Tote as a timeless, trend-setting, enduring and ubiquitous fashion statement still capable of carrying ice blocks but now more often used for laptops or beach gear.
A Vogue magazine article notes that the tote is a popular #hashtag reference on TikTok, where “young social media influencers have helped fuel a Boat and Tote resurgence,” especially because it can be customized with embroidered personal logos or sayings.
“While others have attempted to emulate the success of the Boat and Tote bags, consumers and style-makers continue to prefer (it) over other brands and view the Boat and Tote bags as the authentic and original canvas tote,” the lawsuit states.
Maine Game Wardens uncover poaching ring on MDI
They say it started when a community member suspected a deer had been illegally killed and called the Warden Service.
www.wabi.tv
I think this is a bit of hyperbole, but it will be interesting...
Maine could see a 25% drop in Canadian tourists this year because of economic insecurity, the prospect of higher prices driven by new tariffs and lingering animosity over President Donald Trump’s talk of annexing Maine’s northern neighbor, the state’s top tourism official said Friday.
In a typical year, about 900,000 Canadians vacation in Maine, supporting local economies in communities like Old Orchard Beach, said Carolann Ouellette, director of the Maine Office of Tourism. But she expects to see 225,000 fewer visitors this year because of federal policy changes and political rhetoric that have upended relations with Maine’s northern neighbor and most important trading partner.
That drop is likely to be part of a larger decline in international visitors more broadly. Ouellette had expected an 8.8% increase in international visitation, but now she expects it to drop by about 9.5%.
Canadians account for about 5% of Maine’s overall tourist visits, but they are a vital piece of the market for some communities and businesses.
“Anecdotally, we are hearing stories about cancellations that are occurring,” she said. “It’s a very mixed impact across the state. In some areas and some properties, this is critically part of their visitor base overall in Maine.”
Ouellette’s sober assessment comes as state lawmakers are grappling to understand how Trump’s first few months in office will impact the state revenues.
In addition to the tariffs announced this week, Trump has worked to slash federal spending and the federal workforce, and his administration has been threatening to pull other funding from Maine because of an ongoing dispute with state officials over transgender athletes and diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
The state’s independent, nonpartisan economic forecasting commission met this week and made modest downward adjustments to income projections and increasing expectations of inflation. But it remains unclear which of Trump’s policies, especially his sweeping tariffs and his efforts to cut federal grants from Maine, are here for the long haul.
That economic outlook is a key component for the nonpartisan panel trying to provide the Legislature with a revenue forecast so lawmakers know how much — or how little — additional tax revenue they will have to support state programs and services. The Revenue Forecasting Committee is expected to meet April 28 and deliver its report to lawmakers by May 1.
Sheena Bunnell, a professor of business economics at the University of Maine Farmington and chair of the Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission, said the state and national economies have strong foundations that will likely withstand the effects of Trump’s new tariff regime in the long term and that they could even prosper if companies bring manufacturing operations back to the U.S., as the administration hopes.
But Bunnell also criticized Trump’s “sledgehammer” approach to tariffs as a “very painful way” of resetting the economy and predicted that Maine residents and business could experience financial pain and uncertainty in the short term.
Expectations for short-term pain is reflected in the stock markets, which this week experienced their largest declines since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the economy. And the countries targeted by Trump’s tariffs are already announcing retaliation, escalating the global trade war.
RIDING OUT THE STORM
But Maine’s economy has weathered similar storms in the past, Bunnell said.
“We have been through pretty tough times in the past, including the financial crisis, COVID and now this. So we’ve had three shocks since 2007, and we have done fine,” she said.
It’s unclear, however, how long that short-term uncertainty and pain will last. Bunnell predicted uncertainty about the direction of the economy could last six months or so, but Trump himself has indicated it could take two years before the U.S. could see a resurgence in manufacturing resulting from the tariffs.
Even six months of uncertainty would be hard for Maine tourism businesses to swallow.
“That six months of uncertainty is our prime travel season,” Ouellette said.
Republicans on the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, which heard presentations Friday form tourism officials and the state economist, were more optimistic that Maine would weather the drastic changes in federal policy, especially in terms of tourism. They expect tourists from other states, as well as locals, will fill the void being created by a drop in Canadian tourists.
Rep. Amy Arata, R-New Gloucester, said she was looking forward to a summer with fewer tourists.
“I’ve lived in Vacationland most of my life and often during the best time of year I can’t find a room anywhere and the beaches are crowded, there’s no parking,” Arata said. “So, on the bright side, I look forward to taking my family and having some staycations in Maine … and I think that other Mainers will do the same thing.”
Filling the gap with tourists from other states may not be easy.
Ouellette said that the overall drop in international tourism will cause larger states, including New York, Florida, California and Texas, to also ramp up marketing efforts aimed at U.S. tourists.
About 80% of tourists drive to Maine, and other states will be targeting the same travelers in the greater New England and mid-Atlantic areas, she said.
“Everyone targets that market heavily,” Ouellette said. “So it will be a very competitive landscape, particularly with destinations up and down the East Coast looking to target that same drive market.”
Trump policies expected to cause 25% drop in Canadian tourism to Maine
The state's top tourism official told lawmakers her office is aggressively working to bring in more U.S. tourists to make up for the loss of international travelers, but so are other states.Maine could see a 25% drop in Canadian tourists this year because of economic insecurity, the prospect of higher prices driven by new tariffs and lingering animosity over President Donald Trump’s talk of annexing Maine’s northern neighbor, the state’s top tourism official said Friday.
In a typical year, about 900,000 Canadians vacation in Maine, supporting local economies in communities like Old Orchard Beach, said Carolann Ouellette, director of the Maine Office of Tourism. But she expects to see 225,000 fewer visitors this year because of federal policy changes and political rhetoric that have upended relations with Maine’s northern neighbor and most important trading partner.
That drop is likely to be part of a larger decline in international visitors more broadly. Ouellette had expected an 8.8% increase in international visitation, but now she expects it to drop by about 9.5%.
Canadians account for about 5% of Maine’s overall tourist visits, but they are a vital piece of the market for some communities and businesses.
“Anecdotally, we are hearing stories about cancellations that are occurring,” she said. “It’s a very mixed impact across the state. In some areas and some properties, this is critically part of their visitor base overall in Maine.”
Ouellette’s sober assessment comes as state lawmakers are grappling to understand how Trump’s first few months in office will impact the state revenues.
In addition to the tariffs announced this week, Trump has worked to slash federal spending and the federal workforce, and his administration has been threatening to pull other funding from Maine because of an ongoing dispute with state officials over transgender athletes and diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
The state’s independent, nonpartisan economic forecasting commission met this week and made modest downward adjustments to income projections and increasing expectations of inflation. But it remains unclear which of Trump’s policies, especially his sweeping tariffs and his efforts to cut federal grants from Maine, are here for the long haul.
That economic outlook is a key component for the nonpartisan panel trying to provide the Legislature with a revenue forecast so lawmakers know how much — or how little — additional tax revenue they will have to support state programs and services. The Revenue Forecasting Committee is expected to meet April 28 and deliver its report to lawmakers by May 1.
Sheena Bunnell, a professor of business economics at the University of Maine Farmington and chair of the Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission, said the state and national economies have strong foundations that will likely withstand the effects of Trump’s new tariff regime in the long term and that they could even prosper if companies bring manufacturing operations back to the U.S., as the administration hopes.
But Bunnell also criticized Trump’s “sledgehammer” approach to tariffs as a “very painful way” of resetting the economy and predicted that Maine residents and business could experience financial pain and uncertainty in the short term.
Expectations for short-term pain is reflected in the stock markets, which this week experienced their largest declines since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the economy. And the countries targeted by Trump’s tariffs are already announcing retaliation, escalating the global trade war.
RIDING OUT THE STORM
But Maine’s economy has weathered similar storms in the past, Bunnell said.
“We have been through pretty tough times in the past, including the financial crisis, COVID and now this. So we’ve had three shocks since 2007, and we have done fine,” she said.
It’s unclear, however, how long that short-term uncertainty and pain will last. Bunnell predicted uncertainty about the direction of the economy could last six months or so, but Trump himself has indicated it could take two years before the U.S. could see a resurgence in manufacturing resulting from the tariffs.
Even six months of uncertainty would be hard for Maine tourism businesses to swallow.
“That six months of uncertainty is our prime travel season,” Ouellette said.
Republicans on the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, which heard presentations Friday form tourism officials and the state economist, were more optimistic that Maine would weather the drastic changes in federal policy, especially in terms of tourism. They expect tourists from other states, as well as locals, will fill the void being created by a drop in Canadian tourists.
Rep. Amy Arata, R-New Gloucester, said she was looking forward to a summer with fewer tourists.
“I’ve lived in Vacationland most of my life and often during the best time of year I can’t find a room anywhere and the beaches are crowded, there’s no parking,” Arata said. “So, on the bright side, I look forward to taking my family and having some staycations in Maine … and I think that other Mainers will do the same thing.”
Filling the gap with tourists from other states may not be easy.
Ouellette said that the overall drop in international tourism will cause larger states, including New York, Florida, California and Texas, to also ramp up marketing efforts aimed at U.S. tourists.
About 80% of tourists drive to Maine, and other states will be targeting the same travelers in the greater New England and mid-Atlantic areas, she said.
“Everyone targets that market heavily,” Ouellette said. “So it will be a very competitive landscape, particularly with destinations up and down the East Coast looking to target that same drive market.”
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