Issue 14

Written By MIchelle Zagardo

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Welcome back for week 14 of The Kindling! Some of the articles linked below require subscriptions to local Maine newspapers. Read my take on these paywalls here.

Quote of the week

“It’s not about self-care—it’s about collective care. Collective care means shifting our organizations to be ones where people feel fine if they get sick, cry, have needs, start late because the bus broke down, move slower, ones where there’s food at meetings, people work from home—and these aren’t things we apologize for."

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice

The Dark

Here are a few hard truths this week — but remember we’re in this together!

  • PFAS fish advisories expand. New state recommendations advise Mainers to limit their fish consumption from Lovejoy Pond (Albion), Sebasticook River (Burnham/Benton), Collyer Brook (Gray), and Androscoggin Lake (Leeds/Wayne).

  • ICE arrests surge in Maine. Immigrants - even those with permanent legal status - face paralyzing fear as kidnappings ramp up. I think it’s worth noting that cruelty through policy remains the point.

The Light

Yes, good things are happening -- here’s proof!

  • SCOTUS saved rural internet access. The Supreme Court upheld a program funding internet for libraries, schools, and underserved communities. Color me shocked and relieved.

  • Bethel Rescue was honored for outstanding service during EMS week. The next time you see someone on the team while you’re out around town, be sure to thank them for their service!

  • Community Concepts launched Professional Pathways Program, a groundbreaking initiative that helps individuals without traditional access to education or resources to pursue careers in teaching with paid apprenticeships.

  • At a high school in Bath, students can choose hiking instead of detention.

  • Death with dignity expanded! Maine shortened the waiting period for life-ending medication from 17 to 7 days. This is a compassionate win, giving control to Mainers who are at the end of life.

Midterm Watch

Call me crazy but I’m almost optimistic after last week’s cruel budget vote circus. Let’s talk Collins’ spineless calculus. Here’s the TLDR:

  • Collins (R-ME): Voted “no” on the bill to blend in with Maine’s delegation. She’s up for reelection in 2026 and widely believed by party leadership to be the only Republican who can hold this senate seat. Trump gave her a pass but we can be reasonably sure of how she would’ve voted if the circumstances had been any different.

  • Murkowski (R-AK): Pretended to have principles, then folded like a lawn chair with a “yes” vote, selling the country to the highest bidder. She’s safe until reelection in 2029, which puts significantly more distance between her and her heinous actions than Collins would have with next year’s midterms.

  • The Good News? Our politicians continue to be exactly who we think they are, for better and worse. Republicans are paying attention to voter sentiment, prepping for midterms, and scared of voter backlash. Let’s give them one.

Your Maine Action Kit

Pick one and then get outside!

  • Like free news? Contact Susan Collins again and tell her you support funding for public media. Congress wants to take back previously appropriated funding that supports organizations like NPR and PBS, as well as the rural infrastructure that allows us access to these, and other, services.

  • Run for local office. Seriously, start thinking about it. School board, select board, state rep or senator—someone’s gotta do it. Why not you? More details coming soon.

  • Check for ticks. And if you find one attached to a loved one? Consult your doctor while you wait on test results from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Tick Lab.

  • Have energy and anxiety to burn? Check out the Action Kit Archive here, for more ideas! Another option? Reply to this email and let us know what issues you want to mobilize around. We are connected with organizations who are looking for people power!

For when it all feels like too much

Mark your calendar

See an ever evolving list of community events on The Kindling’s calendar here. Subscribe to our google calendar while you’re there!

Til next week,

Michelle and The Kindling Crew

Logistical things

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MIchelle Zagardo
Next

Issue 13