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July 9, 2026, Earlier today, Representative Katrina Smith "formally requested an independent review by the Maine Ethics Commission regarding Speaker Ryan Fecteau’s upcoming employment as Executive Director of the Biddeford Housing Authority." Representative Smith added, "Speaker of the House holds tremendous power over legislation and public policy. When outside employment directly intersects with decisions made in Augusta, transparency matters. This is not about prejudging t

By Joshua Wolfe, Biddeford Buzz, Contributing Writer “In addition to offering residential living space, the facility will include activity rooms, sensory spaces, a nurse's station, and a basketball court. “ June 26, 2026, Yesterday, Sweetser hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in Saco to officially mark the start of construction on Maine’s very first Youth Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) - a facility that according to several elected officials and local busines

~Featured Monthly Column~ By Senator Henry Ingwersen, District 32 June 25, 2026, Last week, I was happy to see that the people of Arundel voted overwhelmingly in support of a new ordinance that protects residents of mobile home communities like Shady Oaks from steep rent increases. As many are aware, out-of-state corporations have been buying up mobile home parks and raising the rents beyond what folks – mostly seniors or single or young people – can reasonably afford. This n

By Tammy Wells, York County Government Media, Contributing Writer June 8, 2026, Following a June 3 public hearing that drew little comment, the York County Budget Committee unanimously voted to transmit the $31.2 million budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 to York County Commissioners, thus approving the spending plan. While the overall budget is up by slightly more than 9 percent, the fiscal impact to York County’s 29 municipalities is about $27.1 million, up by a

May 29, 2026, Today, exactly two months from the day he hosted a townhall event at the JR Martin Community Center in Biddeford, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Dr. Nirav Shah, released his list of executive orders that if elected, he "will sign on day one as governor". Some readers may recall a similar piece we published back on February 20, 2026 sharing Shah's plan to "Safeguard Maine From Trump". When announcing the list of orders Shah stated, "Mainers are looking for le

By Tammy Wells, York County Government media, Contributing Writer May 28, 2026, If public service agencies have trained together, when bad things happen that require a response by first responders – and they do – everyone is on the same page. They know each other, they’ve had the same instruction, and they can work together seamlessly. U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) toured York County Regional Training Center on Wednesday, May 27 and pronounced the facility “the heart of

~Featured Monthly Column~ By Senator Henry Ingwersen, District 32 May 28, 2026, Now that the Legislature has adjourned for the year, I am taking some time to think about our work to lower everyday costs for Maine families and support our state’s hardest workers. Several bills that I sponsored were signed into law, tackling issues ranging from rising childcare and food costs to the health of Maine workers. One of my top priorities was helping families access quality, affordabl

May 27, 2026, Earlier today, At-large City Councilor Marc Lessard officially submitted his paperwork to the Maine Secretary of State's office to be on the ballot for the upcoming election(s) to represent District 133. We first reported on Lessard’s interest in running for this seat back on February 13, 2026. Currently district 133 is represented by Democrat Marc Malon of Biddeford Maine. Malon has held this position for two consecutive terms and is currently seeking a 3rd ter

WILL YOU BE VOTING FOR HANNAH PINGREE? "We have to work together, even with folks that don't agree with us". - Hannah Pingree May 20, 2026, Earlier today, Hannah Pingree for Governor held a public town hall event at The Gutter in Downtown Biddeford (129 Main Street). The event had roughly 55+ individuals in attendance and began at approximately 5:30PM and ran for roughly 2 hours. "I've spent my whole career standing up on tough issues, and I know it's a really important time

By Danica Lamontagne, City of Biddeford Communications, Contributing Writer May 20, 2026, At the June 9, 2026 Election, voters who are registered to the Democratic Party or Republican Party will participate in their party's Primary Election for U.S. Senator, Representative to Congress, Governor, State Senator, State Representative, County Treasurer, Register of Deeds, Sheriff, District Attorney, and County Commissioner. If you are a registered voter but are unenrolled, you ca

“Our findings tell us something really significant. Maine businesses want to be here, Maine investors want to be part of the Maine economy,” By Katie Clark, MSCCMDF, Contributing Writer May 12, 2026, The Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Maine Development Foundation today released Maine Economic Vision 2035, a new long-term economic roadmap outlining key goals and policy priorities to strengthen Maine’s competitiveness, support workforce and wage growth, increase investment

By Victoria Foley, Contributing Writer The proposed increase is approximately 26%, far outpacing inflation May 8, 2026, House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford), Senator Henry Ingwersen (D-York), and Representative Marc Malon (D-Biddeford), today issued the following statements in opposition to a 26% rate increase proposed by Maine Water: “This request could not come at a worse time for ratepayers who are facing strained household budgets just about everywhere they turn. This

April 23, 2026, A big change was made earlier today to federal cannabis policy by the Trump Administration when Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, officially reclassified cannabis from a Schedule 1, to a Schedule 3 Substance. A release from the Justice Department explains that the reclassification "Places FDA-Approved Marijuana Products and Products Containing Marijuana Subject to a Qualifying State-issued License in Schedule III, Strengthening Medical Research While Ma

"The future of our workforce depends on exactly the type of training offered at Maine's community colleges," said House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford). "It's not just an opportunity for students to learn -- it's an opportunity for our economy to thrive." April 12, 2026, this past Friday (April 10), Governor Janet Mills signed Maine's Fiscal Year 2026--2027 supplemental budget (LD 2212) that was enacted by the legislature earlier this week. The signing took place at Easter

Contributed Story, Kenneth Blow Campaign April 7, 2026, Kenneth Blow, a 63-year-old Independent and longtime Old Orchard Beach town councilor, has announced his candidacy for State Representative in District 131. Running as an unenrolled candidate, Blow plans to fund a traditional campaign without accepting outside donations. Kenneth Blow “I don’t believe we need to be taking sides and pointing fingers at each other,” Blow said. “That’s what’s happening now in Augusta, and it

By Victoria Foley, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, Speaker of the House Ryan D. Fecteau April 7, 2026, Speaker of the House Ryan D. Fecteau (D-Biddeford) issued the following statement following the Supreme Court ruling against a Colorado law banning ‘conversion therapy’ for LGBTQ+ minors that took place on April 4: “Today’s [April 4, 2026] ruling from the Court is dangerous. It legitimizes an overwhelmingly discredited practice that causes harm to young people. Her

By Martin Grohman, Contributing Writer -Special to the Biddeford Buzz- "In these times, a credit of up to $4,000 would be a lot of help, and I don’t want you to miss out on it." April 7, 2026, Remember the senior property tax freeze? The one that let older homeowners lock in their tax bill so it couldn't go up? A lot of people loved that idea. It passed the Legislature with strong support in 2022, and towns across Maine — including Biddeford — were flooded with applications.

"An Act to Strengthen Consumer Protections by Prohibiting Liens on Principal Residences and Wage Garnishments for Medical Debt, was sponsored by Sen. Donna Bailey of Saco, a cancer survivor who has championed Legislative efforts to safeguard Maine people from harmful impacts of medical debt." April 6, 2026, According to a press release sent directly to the Biddeford Buzz earlier today, Governor Janet Mills announced the signing of "LD 2129, legislation to protect Maine people

-LD 2122 would ensure funding for SNAP benefits in the event of a federal shutdown- March 5, 2026, Maine House Speaker Ryan D. Fecteau (D-Biddeford) today introduced LD 2122, An Act to Prevent Negative Impacts from Federal Funding Changes to and Fund Eligibility Determinations and Outreach for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which will make sure our state gets the federal food assistance funds we were expected to receive before Congress passed Trump’s “Big Bad

". .why now? All reports were that negotiations with regard to Iran’s nuclear program were proceeding positively this week with the possibility of a long sought-after diplomatic solution, and there is no indication that new malign actions by the regime were imminent." March 2, 2026, This morning, Maine Independent Senator Angus King released the following statement regarding the current Military Operation in the Middle East. Senator Angus King (photo by Andrew Harnik/AP) Sena