... There’s been a lot of interesting news, and my story-picking partner Esta Pratt-Kielley selected a really good batch. This week in Maine we learned about an effort to protect a big swath of acreage around western Maine. That's good for many reasons, not least of which is helping to preserve the watershed for Sebago Lake. We also saw that school enrollment is still below pre-pandemic levels, paper mills are trying new things to keep going (hint: eat more pizza), and some state lawmakers are at loggerheads with Gov. Janet Mills over trying to reintroduce parole into the Maine corrections system.

I’m also excited to tell you about the next story drop in our "Climate Driven" series. That hits on Monday, Dec. 20 and takes us through Christmas Eve. We’re going to learn about rural mass transit options, using an electric car (we’ve got one and nicknamed her Pearl 😊), and the latest in weatherization efforts. It’s going to be good, so be sure to tune in to "Morning Edition", "Here and Now", and "All Things Considered" next week. And follow online at mainepublic.org/climatedriven – check out our cool map on that page that tracks where we've reported stories so far!

Stay tuned,

Mark