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
May 9, 2018

Marine cleanup team tangles with 2 tons of ‘ghost gear’ off Maine coast

Divers, lobstermen and environmentalists pull a huge blob of debris from Dyer Cove. Such lost fishing gear poses a threat to marine life, fishermen and boaters.
Published
April 23, 2018

Reduced home-grow limit offensive, pot advocates say

But the rollback to three plants puts Maine in the middle of the pack among other states.
Published
April 19, 2018

Recreational vs. medical: Taxes divide pot advocates, LePage

The governor has warned lawmakers against having different tax structures for medical and recreation use.
Published
April 18, 2018

Maine medical marijuana reform bill advances

Already approved in the House, the second major piece of cannabis legislation in as many days easily passes the Senate on a 25-10 vote.
Published
April 17, 2018

Bill to launch recreational marijuana in Maine heads to LePage, who has vowed a veto

In a procedural vote in the Senate, the measure again gets enough support to override an expected veto from the governor. Tomorrow, lawmakers are expected to vote on medical marijuana reforms.
Published
April 16, 2018

LePage says he’ll veto bill to guide recreational marijuana market

Lawmakers hope the bill, which initially passed by a two-thirds majority in each house, will be able to withstand the governor’s veto attempt.
Published
April 11, 2018

Maine Senate joins House in passing recreational marijuana bill by veto-proof majority

The compromise legislation to regulate the voter-approved adult-use marijuana market is expected to go to Gov. LePage within days.
Published
April 10, 2018

By wide margin, House passes bill that would launch Maine’s recreational marijuana market

Compromises win over some of the staunchest foes of a previous effort to set rules for adult-use pot in Maine – and the 112-34 vote indicates it can survive a veto.
Published
April 9, 2018

Whale-protection grant to fund study of how Maine lobstermen deploy their gear

Regulators will use the results of the three-year project to determine if fishing methods or equipment need to change in order to reduce whale mortality rates.
Published
April 9, 2018

Right whale extinction threat is being overstated, lobstermen fear

They say there’s little evidence that Maine’s industry has had a negative impact on the whales’ survival rates and that more positive population forecasts are being ignored.