John Richardson

3 weeks ago | pressherald.com | John Richardson

The Trump administration wants to weaken federal habitat protections for imperiled plants and animals, and advocates in Maine say the changes could threaten some of the same species the state has been working to protect. Proposed federal changes would narrow the scope of the country’s landmark Endangered Species Act, making it easier to obtain federal development permits in areas used by endangered wildlife for nesting, breeding and foraging.

3 weeks ago | pressherald.com | John Richardson

The number of drug overdose deaths nationwide in 2024 fell to the lowest level since 2019, according to by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated 80,391 died from overdose last year, a drop of 27% from the 110,037 deaths recorded in 2023. That’s the largest year-over-year decline in the 45 years the CDC has been tracking data. Maine saw a slightly smaller decline of 20 percent, although the 2024 total was the lowest annual amount since 2019.

3 weeks ago | pressherald.com | John Richardson |Katie Langley

The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it plans to ease limits on some so-called forever chemicals in drinking water that were finalized last year, while maintaining standards for two common ones. The Biden administration set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, based on findings that they increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight.

3 weeks ago | pressherald.com | John Richardson

Sen. Susan Collins pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to defend the Trump administration’s cuts to health research funding and programs to combat Alzheimer’s disease during a high-profile congressional hearing on Wednesday. In an often-combative hearing before the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, senators asked Kennedy pointed and accusatory questions about the agency’s gutting of numerous health initiatives.

3 weeks ago | pressherald.com | John Richardson

AUGUSTA — The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians has returned a representative to the Maine House of Representatives for the first time since 2018, a sign of a improved relations between the state and the Wabanaki tribes. Brian Reynolds, the tribal administrator for nearly two decades, was sworn into office on Wednesday by Gov. Janet Mills for a term that will end on Oct. 31, 2026, filling the second of three House seats reserved for tribal members.