Penelope Overton

Press Herald

Penelope Overton writes about the lobster and marijuana industries in Maine, a mix of the iconic and the emerging, the economic powerhouse and the mysterious darkhorse. Just the right mix of old and new for a Maine transplant. Penny joined the Press Herald in 2016. She has covered politics and government, the environment and Indian Country in Florida, Connecticut, Arizona and Washington, D.C. Her favorite stories are when she gets to dive into a world where readers seldom venture. When she’s not newspapering, Penny and her young daughter like to hike, body surf, travel and explore new books, places, poems and people. She is plovertonpph on both Instagram and Snapchat.

Latest

Published
September 10, 2022

Maine politicians scramble to show support for lobster industry

Long seen as emblematic of Maine’s hardworking ethos, lobstering holds an outsized influence on the state’s electorate and politicians from both parties want to show voters that they are on board.
Published
September 7, 2022

Virginia Gov. Youngkin stumps for LePage

Virginia’s first-term governor says Republicans have a winning formula on education: empower frustrated parents.
Published
August 28, 2022

More women in Maine, nation turning to medication abortion

The use of medication to end pregnancies grew during the pandemic and could help the state’s providers handle increased demand as patients come from other states to have abortions.
Published
August 18, 2022

LePage threatens Democratic staffer filming him at campaign event

‘Six feet away or I’m going to deck you,’ the Republican gubernatorial candidate said to the man who has been taking video of LePage at campaign events.
Published
August 16, 2022

Maine’s U.S. senators differ on key questions about search of Trump estate

Sen. Angus King calls on Republicans to defend the FBI and questions why Trump kept top secret documents; Sen. Susan Collins says there are legitimate questions about the search itself, and the timing of it.
Published
August 15, 2022

Private wells running dry in Maine as drought persists

York, Cumberland and Kennebec counties are hardest hit, according to Maine Drought Task Force.
Published
August 10, 2022

Some Maine Republicans join party’s attacks on FBI search of Trump property

Paul LePage and Bruce Poliquin denounce the FBI search, taking a stance that experts say undermines the rule of law and health of democracy.
Published
August 8, 2022

Maine begins accepting absentee ballot requests for November election

Requests can be submitted now but actual ballots won’t be mailed back until October.
Published
August 1, 2022

Second case of monkeypox reported in Maine

CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah expects more cases but doesn’t see a major cause for alarm because of how the disease is transmitted.
Published
July 10, 2022

Latest impact of PFAS contamination: Rising sewer rates

The looming cost to homeowners in public sewer districts is the latest impact of an expanding crisis that has contaminated agricultural fields and drinking wells, closed farms and left some fish and game unsafe to eat.