Drew Himmelstein

1 month ago | midcoastvillager.com | Drew Himmelstein

Angel Ellis is a journalist and member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Oklahoma, where she works as the director of Mvskoke Media, a thriving news organization that is her people's paper of record. But a few years ago, her career took a wild turn. And her story is one that people in every community across the country can learn from.

1 month ago | midcoastvillager.com | Drew Himmelstein

Among the $163 billion of cuts that President Donald Trump proposed in the 2026 budget he submitted to Congress last week was a line item that puts hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in the pockets of Midcoast families: the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, also known as LIHEAP. The program, which was established more than 40 years ago to help Americans keep their homes warm during winter months, is a significant way that Mainers receive direct federal assistance.

2 months ago | midcoastvillager.com | Drew Himmelstein

Last winter, Mainers were left reeling by two January storms three days apart, on Jan. 10 and Jan. 13. Harbors up and down the coast flooded to levels never before experienced. In Lincolnville, stormwater washed out Route 1 and closed the road. In Owls Head, neighbors watched in shock as a seaside cabin bobbed in the water, having been washed from its foundation. The winter ended with then-President Joe Biden declaring a state of disaster in eight Maine counties, including Knox and Waldo. Gov.

2 months ago | midcoastvillager.com | Drew Himmelstein

From his yard next to Crocketts Beach in Owls Head, Ken Wexler keeps tabs on the shoreline stabilization projects on homes across the water on Ash Point. “Stone, stone, all the way down,” said Wexler, gesturing toward deep granite embankments lining every house along the shore. “That’s all been done within the past three years.”kAm(6I=6C’D 9@>6 D:ED @? 2 DA:E @7 =2?5 E92E ;FED :?E@ E96 H2E6C 2E @?6 6?5 @7 E96 36249] $FCC@F?565 3J H2E6C @? E9C66 D:56D[ :E’D 2?

2 months ago | midcoastvillager.com | Drew Himmelstein |Dan Dunkle

Maine harbors flooded to historic levels during last winter’s storms, causing millions of dollars in damage to public property, private businesses and waterfront infrastructure. With sea level rise projected to grow by an order of feet over the coming century, many coastal towns are thinking now about how to redesign their harbors so they can better withstand future storms. Like many Maine communities, Camden is finding both challenges and opportunities as it assesses its harbor.