School districts in Maine are facing a sharp rise in health insurance expenses. In one district with more than 600 staff members, premiums have climbed by over $1 million, pushing the total employer outlay to nearly $10 million. These figures only represent the portion paid by schools; employees the
Portland is famous for its parks, trees, and rivers, but a hidden problem lurks in the Willamette River. A 10‑mile stretch near the harbor has been listed as a Superfund site since 2000, meaning it is heavily polluted from past industrial use. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set
High gas prices are hitting rural Colorado hard. Amy Van Duyn, who works at Stubs liquor store in Wiggins, now pays 50% more to fill up than she did when Trump returned to office. She used to spend $36 for a full tank. Now, that money buys barely half. Her coworker Tonyah Bruyette feels the pinch to
Portland still brags about being a city where art and small businesses thrive. But the places that once made it special are disappearing—not all at once, but one by one, like ice melting in spring. Rents are skyrocketing, forcing artists, writers, and shop owners to work extra jobs just to scrape by
High school athletes across Southwest Michigan are putting up numbers that turn heads this spring. From softball sluggers to track stars, the latest Athlete of the Week poll highlights athletes who are pushing their teams forward with performances that stand out. Baseball diamonds are seeing some s
Portland’s Mother’s Day weekend is shaping up to be a calm one. The forecast calls for soft breezes and partly sunny skies, with temperatures hovering around the low 70s during the day and dropping to near 50 at night. The air will feel gentle, moving at about 5 to 7 miles per hour from the north-no
Portland will enjoy a warm, mostly clear Saturday with temperatures climbing to 79 degrees and gentle breezes. The evening will stay partly cloudy, dropping to about 54 degrees. On Sunday, the holiday itself will bring a cloudier sky but still warm days. Highs hover near 74 degrees and the wind sta
Highlands High School’s assistant principal, Kaitlyn Selfridge, stepped down in April after a year of growing frustration. She wrote that the district’s leadership had turned her job into a hostile environment, citing repeated principal changes and what she described as demeaning remarks about appea
Schools often focus on structured lessons, but a new study suggests something simple might help kids more: free play. Researchers looked at 125 elementary students in a high-poverty area. The kids were split into groups that got 12 weeks of 45-minute free play sessions either in fall or spring. The
Schools today aren’t just teaching algebra or history—they’re preparing students for a world where phones are everywhere. A complete ban on these devices might seem like an easy fix for distractions, but it ignores a bigger issue: teaching responsible use instead of avoiding technology altogether. T
