Paul Bagnall

Freeport revisits its historic role in the slave trade Kathleen Sullivan shares the discovery of her former home's connections to the slave trade and the pitfalls of a romanticized past.

My latest article got so much attention, reaching 18,000 readers in Midcoast and southern Maine. It took some time to put all the pieces together, but was worth digging into the darker parts of New England history.

#localnews #mainehistory #blackhistorymonth

www.pressherald.com/2026/02/26/f...

Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport partners with Penobscot Nation for research A new community-centered research project is studying the impact the Penobscot Nation had on the land at Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment.

Completed a story for The Portland Press Herald about a community-centered research project in Freeport, ME. The research project is a partnership between Wolfe's Nek Center and the Penobscot Nation.

#localnews #maine #agriculture #history

www.pressherald.com/2026/02/12/w...

Freeport bridge protesters turn out along I-295 The Visibility Brigade has protesters stand out at bridge overpasses in the state and across the nation.

Spent a few days putting the pieces together for this local story about the Visibility Brigade protests that reach beyond the borders of Maine.

#mediamatters #localnews #statewidenews #nationalnews

www.pressherald.com/2026/02/09/f...

Outdoor concert ushers in the winter solstice in Bath Vigorous Tenderness elevates marginalized voices in classical music for the first time in the Midcoast.

Attended the first ever Vigorous Tenderness concert in the Midcoast region at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. The outdoor concert series focuses on uplifting marginalized voices in classical music.

www.pressherald.com/2025/12/23/o...

#localnews #portlandpressherald #maine #classicalmusic

Freeport approves downtown apartment complex M&R Development plans to build 51 apartments on the corner of Depot and Mills streets by 2027.

Some new development coming to downtown Freeport and I would like to find out how much the rents will be once completed. Both Freeport and Bath have made some significant investments in housing for the past two years.

#localnews #portlandpressherald #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/12/09/f...

Preparing for a pitch of a novella I have been working on steadily for the past decade. Let's see if there is any interest for it.

#fiction #novella #storytelling #horror #mystery #writing

Poetry and Hummus brings stories of humanity amid Gaza war Former Virginia Poet Laureate Zeina Azzam and her brother read poetry that details their family’s history and its connection to Gaza and Palestine.

I covered the return of the Poetry and Hummus event at the Chocolate Church Arts Center, where Virginia Poet Laureate Zeina Azzam and her brother, Fateh, shared stories of the Palestinian American experience.

#Palestine #Gaza #thetimesrecord #maine #localnews

www.pressherald.com/2025/10/02/p...

Wrote a piece in The Times Record about a local fire station raising funds for a piece of firefighting history in Maine.

#localnews #historywriting #bath #maine #portlandpressherald

www.pressherald.com/2025/08/07/b...

We Can Still Save the Institute for Museum and Library Services Act now to help save the Institute for Museum and Library Services and ensure the well-being of public libraries nationwide.

We can still save the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Here's a practical guide to what to do right now to save not just the agency's funding but its future all together: bookriot.com/we-can-still...

Bowdoinham receives grant to plant trees at new riverfront park Bowdoinham has received Maine Forest Service Canopy grant funding to support reforestation efforts at the new Riverfront Park, aiming to address shoreline erosion, reduce stormwater runoff, and provid...

A look into river restoration in rural Midcoast Maine in the town of Bowdoinham.

#localnews #portlandpressherald #environment #resoration #bowdoinham #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/06/26/b...

“No Kings” rally draws 3,000 protesters to Bath A few months into Trump's second term, hundreds of protesters gathered along the length of the Sagadahoc Bridge in Bath to speak out against the administration's policies and actions.

The news does not stop on the weekends, especially for "No Kings Day." I felt the need to take a drive over to see if they could span the Sagadahoc Bridge.

#portlandpressherald #nokingday #protest #bath #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/06/17/n...

Midcoast Youth Center’s transitional housing receives $15,000 grant The Midcoast Community Alliance was awarded the private funding for its transitional housing program for young adults through the Midcoast Youth Center.

One of my latest stories about Midcoast Youth Center receiving the John T. Gorman grant to benefit the transitional housing program in Bath, ME.

#localnews #bath #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/06/11/m...

Expert chef cooks up fish lunch for Freeport students Barton Seaver, an expert sustainable seafood chef and educator, volunteered his culinary expertise to cook a flounder-based dish for Morse Street School.

A local news piece about an award-winning chef cooking a school lunch for elementary school kids in Freeport, ME.

#localnews #freeport #schoollunch #seafooddiet

www.pressherald.com/2025/06/02/e...

Bath residents worry shipyard parking changes will lead to more traffic issues Bath Iron Works leadership goes over the plans for the improved parking for the Washington Street corridor project and answers Bath residents' concerns during a presentation at the Maine Maritime Muse...

The latest Times Record and Portland Press Herald update on what the largest employer in the city of Bath, ME, plans to do with its employee parking and how city residents are reacting to it.

#localnews #portlandpressherad #bath #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/05/07/b...

I'm pretty sure the court ordered the administration to return him, which we can debate the word "facilitate" until we are blue in the face, but that's what the court has ordered.

Federal funding cuts trickle down to Midcoast libraries Local libraries face a reduction in online resources, with rural libraries being hit the hardest. The cut in federal funding for the Maine State Library has already led to layoffs and a temporary clos...

An important story is unfolding in local libraries in Maine, one worth keeping an eye on to see what changes emerge.

#localnews #bowdoinham #maine #publiclibrary

www.pressherald.com/2025/04/17/f...

‘Hands Off!’ protesters gather in Brunswick Brunswick is one of many municipalities and cities across Maine and the country that witnessed the "Hands Off!" rallies in reaction to the current president of the Untied States' actions.

The news doesn't rest, especially for the weekend. On my day off, I went to the protest in Brunswick, ME, to take photos of one of the largest protests I have seen so far.

#localnews #nationalnews #photography #thetimesrecord #maine #activistprotest

www.pressherald.com/2025/04/07/h...

Group of Bath residents want fewer cruise ships A presentation on the Maine Maritime Museum and American Cruise Lines' use of the Deering Pier is scheduled for Bath City Hall on Wednesday.

A story about citizens' concerns with cruise ships in Bath, ME, that I plan to follow up on in the evening.

#localnews #bath #maine #cruiseshiptourism #municipalgovernment #mainetrustforlocalnews

www.pressherald.com/2025/04/01/g...

As a single guy looking for a significant other, this is NOT the way to do it. So creepy😬

🙄

Bath drugstore shutting doors after 109 years in business Wilson's Drug Store is closing, to the disappointment of locals and loyal commuters.

Not the greatest thing in the world to cover a business closing its doors after over 100 years of service to the community was the sense I got from my street interviews.

#smallbusiness #pharmacy #bath #maine #localnews

www.pressherald.com/2025/03/20/b...

Hiring freezes, Trump’s plan for shipbuilding office send mixed signals to shipbuilders Lawmakers representing districts with some of the nation's largest naval shipyards are concerned the recent hiring freezes send mixed messages with the president's recent commitment to "Make Shipbuild...

One of my latest stories is about the executive branch's mixed messages and how they are currently affecting the business of building ships. It took longer than I expected, but it was worth it in the end.

#localnews #bath #shipbuilding #jobmarket

www.pressherald.com/2025/03/17/h...

Midcoast group protests federal workforce cuts Indivisible Sagadahoc gathered in Bath to protest the slashing of the federal workforce by the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency run by billionaire Elon Musk.

My short coverage of an Indivisible Protest over the prior weekend with people concerned over the recent actions center around the Department of Government Effiency.

#localnews #bath #maine #publicprotest #thetimesrecord

www.pressherald.com/2025/03/10/m...

Following the trend happening across the nation and how it affects people locally.

#bigboxstores #closure #localnews #thetimesrecord #midcoastmaine

www.pressherald.com/2025/02/20/t...

Shortened work day for covering local news with some community outreach thrown in for scheduling interviews next week.

Bath group launches ‘banned’ book club The increasing number of book bans and challenges across the nation inspired Bath Pride to begin a different kind of book club for anyone to attend and host conversations at the Patten Free Library.

My coverage of the LGBTQIA group Bath Pride hosting a banned book club inspired by the book bans happening in other parts of the United States.

#bannedbooks #localnews #LGBTQIA #Bath #Maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/02/13/b...

‘Bloodbath by design’: Trump’s Russia negotiators criticized for ‘almost no experience' After a week of disastrous messaging by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, resulting in a 180-degree turn and leaving European leaders and some Americans wondering what U.S. foreign policy is, th...

“The American team has almost no experience in high-level international negotiation, no regional expertise on Ukraine and Russia, and no relevant foreign language knowledge."

With everything going on in the world right now, combined with the winter season, is frankly depressing. So, I will reorganize my office space to face the window instead of a wall.

Hmm, I don't remember Musk being on the ballot during the 2024 election.

Midcoast Youth Center funding to expand homelessness prevention The new state funding will allow the Bath-based nonprofit to expand existing programs and hire more staff to prevent kids and young adults from experiencing homelessness in Sagadahoc County.

New state funding will allow the Bath-based nonprofit to expand existing programs and hire more staff to prevent kids and young adults from experiencing homelessness in Sagadahoc County.

#nonprofit #localnews #thetimesrecord #midcoast #maine

www.pressherald.com/2025/01/30/m...