Mike Hunter, who lives in rural Macwahoc Plantation, is photographed on June 4, 2026. Hunter's wife, Rachel Worster Hunter, died at home while waiting more than an hour for EMS to arrive after Mike called 911. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN

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Happy Tuesday!

We hope you enjoyed the long weekend, because now summer is officially behind us. The mercury is getting lower, the days are getting shorter and the concert season is over (see our photos from Sunday’s ZZ Top show featuring special guests George Thorogood and Kelli Baker here).

Today the temperatures will be in the low 60s to low 70s throughout the state, with a chance for mid-morning showers. A cold front is expected to bring more showers into the state this week.

So far, the recent rain has done little to alleviate the parching drought gripping most of the state, save an ever-shrinking pocket in the western mountains. Parts of Maine have seen 12 fewer inches of rain over the past year, and as of Thursday, more than 368,000 Mainers lived in an area experiencing a severe drought.

Only time will tell whether the coming showers quench our thirsty water table. If not, we can always hope for an exceptionally snowy winter.

Maine knew for years its ambulance system was collapsing. Then a woman died.

Mike Hunter, who lives in rural Macwahoc Plantation, is photographed on June 4, 2026. Hunter’s wife, Rachel Worster Hunter, died at home while waiting more than an hour for EMS to arrive after Mike called 911. Credit: Linda Coan O'Kresik / BDN

From BDN reporter Marie Weidmayer:

“Every time I drive through rural Penobscot County, my first thought now is about which ambulance service would respond if I had an emergency.

“The answer is complicated, I’ve learned.

“Over the past four months, I’ve talked to more than two dozen fire chiefs, local officials and state legislators to understand how EMS works and who will respond where. Handshake agreements and formal contracts dictate who will show up to which town, if anyone does at all. One Mainer has already died when no ambulance responded because the town she lived in did not have a contract in place.

“The Maine Legislature has known for years that EMS is at the edge of a cliff, strained by both financial and staffing limitations, but little has been done to save the system. Without changes, the situation is likely to worsen as Maine’s population rapidly ages.

“I looked closely at the warning signs that preceded a woman’s death in early 2024, what changes the state has made since then, and what experts say is needed to fix the EMS system moving forward.”

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From the Opinion Page

Then-Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies before the Senate Banking Committee hearing on March 3, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Powell said that new forms of digital money such as cryptocurrencies and stablecoins present risks to the financial systems and will require new rules to protect consumers. Credit: Tom Williams / Pool via AP

“If an organization wants to attract customer funds by offering interest-like returns, it should be subject to safeguards that apply to banks.”

Opinion: Congress must get stablecoin rules right to protect Maine people and banks