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
June 27, 2023

Maine Senate nixes MaineCare coverage for noncitizens

Senators rejected the bill with no debate or roll call vote, despite approval in the House of Representatives on Monday.
Published
June 27, 2023

House and Senate endorse Mills’ abortion expansion bill, passage is likely

The House voted 73-69 to enact the bill after a contentious debate, sending the measure to the Senate for a final vote before it heads to the governor’s desk for her signature.
Published
June 23, 2023

Maine Senate delays abortion vote until next week

Senate Democrats and Republicans agree to hold the debate on Gov. Janet Mills’ groundbreaking bill to expand abortion access in the daylight, where the public can easily observe, sometime next week.
Published
June 22, 2023

Maine House narrowly votes to expand abortion access

The 74-72 vote to advance Gov. Janet Mills’ bill to expand post-viability abortions came after a four-hour recess to count votes and consider a last-minute compromise.
Published
June 21, 2023

Maine Senate votes to ban flavored tobacco products

The bill sponsored by Sen. Jill Duson, D-Portland, would ban flavors such as mint, fruit, chocolate, menthol, vanilla and honey in all tobacco, including vaping products.
Published
June 21, 2023

State lawmakers overwhelmingly support tribal bill opposed by Gov. Mills

The 100-47 House vote and 26-8 Senate vote show strong support among state lawmakers, including among some Republicans, who will be needed to overcome a possible veto from the governor.
Published
June 11, 2023

A forever farm is no match for forever chemicals

A fourth-generation farmer running an organic dairy farm in Fairfield lost his livelihood when his milk and lands tested hot for PFAS contamination. ‘It got us good.’
Published
June 9, 2023

Democrats advance Gov. Mills’ bill to expand abortion access in Maine

The bill was voted out of the Judiciary Committee on Friday but still faces additional votes in the full House and Senate.
Published
June 6, 2023

Lawmakers work on bill to let Wabanaki tribes benefit from federal laws

The bill would grant the Wabanaki tribes in Maine to federal laws that benefit the nation’s 570 other federally recognized tribes.
Published
June 6, 2023

Watchdog group: PFAS is active ingredient in 13% of Maine pesticides

An analysis by the Environmental Working Group found 55 so-called forever chemicals listed as active ingredients in 1,426 of Maine’s state-approved pesticides.