Single-use items are so ingrained in our culture that nearly all of us — no matter how sustainability-minded we may be — throw things away without even thinking about it.

AUGUSTA — Maine cities and towns will have more time to process absentee ballots ahead of the Nov.

AUGUSTA — Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said Tuesday his office will contest a judge’s ruling that a Republican challenge to a ranked-choice voting law made the 2020 ballot before walking the statement back the next day as a key deadline approaches.

The Trump Administration announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $973,172 to help 33 rural businesses, farms, and organizations in Maine with lowering energy costs.

AUGUSTA — A Maine judge ruled Monday that the state Republican party gathered enough valid signatures from voters to put a challenge to a new ranked-choice voting law on the November ballot, preventing the method’s use in this presidential election.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer pressure gauge testing at the UMaine Extension office, 165 East Main Street.

The Maine Teachers of the Year Association, in partnership with the Maine Department of Education, has created a special “teacher to teacher” back to school message to help kick off the 2020-21 school year.

AUGUSTA — Small businesses and nonprofits can begin applying on Friday for a share of $200 million in aid under a new program rolled out by Gov.

AUGUSTA – Gov.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Last month the previously anonymous identify of a benefactor — the Maine Highlands Federal Credit Union in making the largest contribution in its 54-year history — providing the $145,000 to enable the county to purchase the former Key Bank building on Hudson Avenue in downtown Guilford to be the new home of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office patrol and investigation divisions was revealed during a presentation at the site.

More people who want to know if they have the coronavirus even if they don’t have symptoms will now be able to get tested at 10 sites across Maine run by Northern Light Health, the state’s second-largest hospital system, as a result of a state effort to provide medical providers with more resources to surveil for the virus.

BREWER — Northern Light Health has received a $1 million federal grant to support community efforts toward establishing or enhancing opioid use prevention, treatment and recovery services in rural communities served by the healthcare system.

A federal judge who has upheld Maine’s ranked-choice voting system once before reiterated his view that the method is constitutional Friday, Aug.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — With the election several months aways, U.

Maine has among the lowest response rates of any state for the U.

Maine Conservation Voters (MCV) Action Fund released a new round of endorsements for the election on Nov.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Piscataquis County, 165 East Main Street, will reopen its office to the public at 8 a.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Representatives of the county’s fire and police departments are in agreement that long-term solutions to communications issues in the region need to be addressed, such as getting around the hilly terrain and upgrading or replacing antiquated equipment.