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
March 10, 2018

Maine caregivers divided on proposals for medical pot

Some note that the bill now in the Legislature would boost patients’ access but worry that it may let towns force out caregivers.
Published
March 7, 2018

Lawmakers support sweeping changes to Maine’s medical marijuana rules

The proposed changes include increasing the number of dispensary licenses and loosening requirements under which medical marijuana can be used.
Published
March 5, 2018

What’s happening to the lobster babies? Portland dealer will pay to get an answer

Their numbers are declining in Casco Bay, and Ready Seafood is willing to pay to find out if they’re settling in deeper water where scientists hadn’t been sampling.
Published
March 4, 2018

What Maine clients get if they pay for delivery: Free pot

But is it legal? Marijuana gifting services like Greenlyght charge a $90-per-quarter-ounce fee to transport their product to Maine users.
Published
March 2, 2018

Size and value of Maine lobster haul fell sharply in 2017

Will the industry survive one bad year? Yes. Will it hurt individual lobstermen? Yes.
Published
March 2, 2018

Leader of many Maine lobstermen relinquishing the helm after 27 years

Dave Cousens has advocated – assertively but carefully – for Maine’s largest trade group since 1991. And he insists he won’t keep his trap shut after he steps down.
Published
March 2, 2018

Lobstermen chief’s likely successor has strong ethic for conservation

Kristan Porter, 47, of Cutler is expected to be nominated at Friday’s Fishermen’s Forum.
Published
February 23, 2018

Maine’s pot legalization committee reaches agreement on rewrite of voter-approved law

The bill it endorses would tax retail sales at 10 percent and halve the number of plants that could be grown for personal use.
Published
February 21, 2018

Panel’s marijuana regulation bill omits licensing of social clubs

Legislators writing the adult-use rules don’t want to allow the pot gathering spots until another state goes first, and also vote not to share cannabis tax revenues with towns.
Published
February 17, 2018

Voter-approved law says Mainers can grow 6 pot plants each, but lawmakers want to make it 3

A legislative panel that is revising the state’s adult-use marijuana law say the compromise would please opponents and reduce the risk of black-market sales.