Sal reads "Blueberries for Sal" 🫐 Listen to Sally McCloskey, who rarely leaves her tiny Maine island, read the book her father wrote for her at age 3. www.midcoastvillager.com/news/listen-...

LISTEN: Sal Reads 'Blueberries for Sal'

Sally McCloskey rarely leaves her tiny Maine island, but made a special exception to share the book her father wrote for her at age 3 with children at Union Fair.

midcoastvillager.com

“It’s the coldest take in the world, but living in a place helps you understand it better than anything else.” — @aseitzwald.bsky.social

Out of State: How Graham Platner’s Senate campaign vexed the national press.

How Graham Platner’s Senate campaign vexed the national press.

cjr.org

“It does kind of feel like a Whole Foods parking lot in Portland is the new diner in Ohio where you talk to voters to be baffled that they’re still supporting their candidate,” says @aseitzwald.bsky.social.

Out of State: How Graham Platner’s Senate campaign vexed the national press.

How Graham Platner’s Senate campaign vexed the national press.

cjr.org

Here’s the full story with quotes from what we heard from readers. www.midcoastvillager.com/news/will-th...

Will the Latest Platner Scandal Stick this Time?

We asked Midcoast Villager readers for their thoughts.

midcoastvillager.com

Charles Gaba ✡️@charlesgaba.com · 3mo ago

FWIW from the other place ( @aseitzwald.bsky.social edits a Maine newspaper these days).

"The question for Platner: Does his aggressive maleness, his macho-ness, the anger, does that push some women into Collins' camp? And are there enough men, progressives, or women who feel differently to make up for it on the other end?" says @aseitzwald.bsky.social. newrepublic.com/article/2098...

"The real swing voters in Maine are not white working class men, but educated middle-age and older women who might be registered Democrats or independents but voted for Collins in the past because they find her reasonable," @aseitzwald.bsky.social. newrepublic.com/article/2098...

One of the most famous views in American art is now accessible to the public for the first time ever. www.midcoastvillager.com/life/taking-...

Did Janet Mills just pull out of a debate? Seems to me like a case of miscommunication. But depends on who you ask — so I’ll lay it out and let you decide…

JTA reveals Graham Platner will host a Passover seder this week in their deep dive into his connection to Jews/Judaism. #MEpolitics via @aseitzwald.bsky.social

Graham Platner to host Maine Passover seder as polarizing Senate candidate expands Jewish outreach - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

The Democratic hopeful also shared his “direct family connection to Judaism" as Jewish groups have expressed concerns.

jta.org

Via @aseitzwald.bsky.social a list of Janet Mills's weekend public appearances. Far as we're aware these are the first of the campaign that've been widely publicized in advance and are (presumably) open to all. Comes in the context of a poll showing Mills behind and losing ground. #MEpolitics

NEWS: First independent poll in months of the Maine Senate race shows Graham Platner with a BIG lead over Janet Mills in the Dem primary. From the Univ. of NH Survey Center: - Platner: 64% - Mills: 26% - Undecided: 6% n=462 so sample size is not ideal. scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcont...

SCOOP: Maine GOP Leaders Proposed Impeaching Sec. State Shenna Bellows Over ICE Snub. Republican legislative leaders demanded action after she declined to grant undercover license plates to ICE agents. www.midcoastvillager.com/news/maine-g...

Maine GOP Proposed Impeaching Secretary of State Over ICE Snub

Republican legislative leaders demanded action after Shenna Bellows declined to grant undercover license plates to ICE agents.

midcoastvillager.com

NEW: Maine District Attorney says ICE raids are "unnecessary and unwanted," and are "terrorizing" her constituents. "Maine is the safest state in the country...do not bring violence and chaos to our doorstep." www.midcoastvillager.com/news/publics...

District Attorney: ICE Raids are Unnecessary and Unwanted

Natasha Irving said unjustified violence against people in her district will not go unanswered.

midcoastvillager.com

Sara Gideon's 2020 campaign sent $4,000 to Janet Mills in Q4. (h/t @aseitzwald.bsky.social). Also: Hard to tell for sure from the raw data but it *looks* like Gideon's campaign made more in interest on her approx $3.3M stash in Q4 than she gave to candidates/charities. Beyond gross. #MEpolitics

EXCLUSIVE: In her first-ever interview, Graham Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, reveals to the @midcoastvillager.bsky.social that she and her husband are traveling to Norway for IVF treatments in the middle of the campaign after finding U.S. options unaffordable. www.midcoastvillager.com/news/health/...

The Streisand Effect working overtime today.

Hey political reporter friends, burnt out on DC and looking for a change? The @bangordailynews.bsky.social is looking for a Senior Political Reporter. www.journalismjobs.com/1692129-seni...

What makes me optimistic about the future of local news, despite the bleak present. From my convo with @oknox.bsky.social. www.usnews.com/news/u-s-new... .

Catching up after Thanksgiving: Sat down with @aseitzwald.bsky.social of The Midcoast Villager for last week’s Q&A in @dailyyonder.bsky.social. We talked shop about rural news, earning trust, and what to make of the media industry in 2025. dailyyonder.com/qa-rural-mai...

Q&A: Rural Maine Newspaper Editor Alex Seitz-Wald | The Daily Yonder

Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in Path Finders, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&A with a

dailyyonder.com

Susan Collins signs petition being circulated to put a referendum on the Maine ballot in 2026 barring trans students from school bathrooms and sports teams of the gender they identify with.

Tune in to @cbssundaymorning.bsky.social tomorrow to catch the @midcoastvillager.bsky.social newspaper and cafe in their pre-Thanksgiving food issue!

I once asked Tom Steyer why he wasn’t on a beach in Fiji sipping Mai Thais, like I would if I had a billion dollars. “If I were in Fiji sipping a Mai Tai, I would be despondent.” OK, not a beach guy. What about chilling on his gorgeous 1,800-acre cattle ranch?

A local brewery had invited @SenatorCollins @JanetMillsforME and @grahamformaine to a drinking contest. Please please make this happen! Democracy demands it.

Pleasure chatting with @aidanryan.bsky.social about leaving national politics for local news in Maine and getting sucked right back into the campaign drama. Great questions about the dynamics between local and national news. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/11/b...

Alex Seitz-Wald left broadcast news for a local Maine paper. The 2026 campaign won’t let him escape the national scene. - The Boston Globe

The Globe spoke to Alex Seitz-Wald about transitioning from NBC to the Midcoast Villager — and how coverage of Graham Platner’s controversial US Senate campaign bridged the gap.

bostonglobe.com

I picked a hell of a year to move to Maine to retire from national politics.

BREAKING: Rep. Jared Golden announces he won't seek reelection: "I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning." www.midcoastvillager.com/voices/opini...

BREAKING: Former Maine college student wins New York City mayoral race.

Took my daughter to vote with me before school, which was convenient because the whole town votes in her school’s gym.

This is better than fine.

I've long been a fan of @michellegoldberg.bsky.social but especially appreciate her candidness about the evolution of her thinking on Graham Platner after coming to Maine and seeing what's happening on the ground. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/o...

Opinion | I Thought Graham Platner Was Finished. What I Saw in Maine Changed My Mind.

nytimes.com