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Penelope Overton

@penelopeoverton.bsky.social
245 followers 316 following 4 posts

Climate/environment reporter, investigations, Portland Press Herald, Maine.

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Penelope Overton @penelopeoverton.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Maine is a cold-weather state that doesn't keep much heat data, but heat-related ER visits are on the rise during hotter-than-ever summers. How much worse will it get? The former state CDC director: “Unfortunately, I think we’re about to find out.”
pressherald.com
Heat danger: Maine’s most vulnerable at risk from rising summer temps
Last summer was Maine's hottest on record and data show the state is getting hotter.
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Penelope Overton @penelopeoverton.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
When the big spill happened back in August, Maine was all about getting the toxic PFAS-laden firefighting foam out of here, ASAP. What happened to it? #PFAS #AFFF #Maine
pressherald.com
Maine’s toxic firefighting foam shipped out of state to poor areas
Newly released records show more than 22,000 gallons of PFAS-laden foam and rinse water recovered after the recent Brunswick spill were trucked to waste incinerators in low-income communities far from...
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Penelope Overton @penelopeoverton.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Yes, of course I want to talk to the nerds who hole up atop New England's highest peak to study the worst weather in the world. But also true: the new automated stations on the west side of Mount Washington give Maine a clearer sneak peak of extreme weather headed its way.
pressherald.com
Outfitting New England’s highest peak to give a sneak peek at Maine’s weather
The expansion of the Mount Washington weather network will provide real-time data for skiers, hikers and skaters heading to New Hampshire, but it will also help improve Maine forecasts and preview sto...
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Penelope Overton @penelopeoverton.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
In the 1970s-80s, a Maine spruce budworm outbreak killed 7 million trees and cost loggers hundreds of millions. The hungry caterpillar is back, ravaging Quebec and threatening 178k acres of Maine forest in 2025. Can early intervention stop another outbreak? www.pressherald.com/2024/11/18/b...
pressherald.com
Budworms ravaged Maine’s forests for years. They’re starting to come back.
An aerial survey confirmed 3,000 acres of Maine's forest were damaged by spruce budworm in July. Modeling indicates 178,000 acres are at risk of defoliation from budworm larvae that will emerge next s...
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